Play Testers Wanted Pt. 18

"I will go last," I said. "If you falter, I will try and help. But, remember, eyes on the prize. You do not have to do this." I squatted down and looked the Exomorph in the eyes. "You need to wait. This challenge is something you cannot pounce and kill." The predator walked to the edge of the design and lay down. It felt she was saying. You go. I will wait here. I stood and saw the determination in Kyanna's gaze. If the sentinels survived the test, where were they? Is that why she was so intense?

"Pfft," Aoki made a rude noise. "Let's do this."

I closed my eyes and honed my focus. Kyanna took the lead, and the former Jedi Master was all business. Her face was a mask of serenity. Aoki waited until Kyanna reached the first significant turn before taking her first step. I waited until I could no longer see Aoki before I placed my foot on the design. The bottom of my feet tingled as I took my first steps. After that, it was easy going for a long while. I began to think the entire trial would be this effortless. I was wrong. The third severe turn was a bitch when the resistance ramped up without warning. That taught me that the test took no prisoners and was not fucking around. It could and would lull you into a false sense of security before striking. I could see the center when I dared to lift my head, and it looked so far away as the slow spiral altered course without warning--a straight line and then a tight corner leading into the next loop.

"Booker, I would like you to meet Nick Shaw," my father spoke from the grave.

"A pleasure to meet you, young man," Nick said as he shook my hand.

The next day they were both dead, and I was in the hospital--the sense of suffocating as they put me in the life support tube. I was floating as I pushed forward along the ever-changing path. Past and present collided, merged, and blended to where they were indistinguishable. My only coherent thought was placing one foot in front of the other. I set my tempered willpower against this test. I refused to falter because hesitation meant failure and death.

"One more step," I uttered my mantra repeatedly.

New and foreign memories trickled in now. It began with the image of a Nautolan, an amphibious humanoid race from the planet Glee Anselm, walking in front of me. I glanced up long enough to see him dressed in Jedi robes. Was he one of the Sentinals that had come here to investigate the tomb? His struggle became mine. His thoughts infiltrated my consciousness--images, and sensations of the water world and the pure joy of swimming. The test struck out, and I was once again floating in the cylinder. My life support took the form of a breath mask feeding me oxygen and an intravenous line in my arm, giving my body enough nourishment to survive. It took an enormous effort of will to maintain the path.

"I have to fight it," I growled as a solution presented itself. "Access denied," I spat as I erected a mental barrier against the unwanted assault. My mind was quiet and my thoughts my own. While the test tried to batter at my defenses, I progressed towards the center. The unceasing pressure remained unrelenting, but at least I was free of the distractions. Cracks began to appear in my shield, but it was too late. I was rounding the last whorl, and I could see the heart of the design. Something hovered at eye level, but the barriers were so thick they distorted the air and made it impossible to make out more than a rough outline. Thinking it was the equivalent of the tape at the end of a race, I reached out and snatched it out of the air as I crumbled to the ground.

"Congratulations, Katria Forgemaster, you have reached my heart," a soothing male voice declared. "You may now fast travel anywhere. Where shall I send you?"

"Anywhere," I gasped as the strain on every muscle in my body screamed in pain.

"Anywhere," it repeated patiently.

"I guess I will have to trust your judgment on this one," I replied. "Take me where I am most needed."

"I see why they adore you," the voice snickered. "Off to where you are most needed."

Teleportation always leaves a loud popping sound in your ears as a portion of the air surrounding your body comes along with you. That is why in the comics, there is a bamf that accompanies Nightcrawler when he teleports. This one did not have that. One moment I was on the ground. The next, I was in a clear glass tub filled with hot water and fragrant flowers. The aroma of the petals acted like a healing balm, and the ache in my limbs slowly faded. My gear, in its totality, had been deselected for this transition. I closed my eyes and focused on regenerating. My HUD showed that all my bars were just above red. I had beaten the challenge but at one hell of a toll.

"Can I join you?" Kyanna asked, and I gestured for her to do so, and even that simple act hurt like hell. The water level rose and splashed over the sides. "You beat me. How in the hell did you pull that one off?"

"Noneuclidean spatial dispensation," I threw out a bunch of nonsensical words.

"Yeah, I thought as much," Kyanna laughed. "What is that clenched in your fist?"

"What is what?" I groaned as my muscles burned when I lifted my arm and opened my eyes. "It looks like a pendant or jewel of some kind."

"Black star sapphire?" Aoki offered as she staggered into view. "Please. May I?"

The tub altered its shape to become a triangular tub. Each of us leaned against one of the corners, and our feet overlapped in the middle. I looked at the faceted ebony gem, and like Aoki thought it was a star sapphire. A five-sided clasp held the stone in place, and each claw bore a character stamped into the silvery metal. I looked at the jewel at different angles, and the flaw in the center changed. The single line multiplied until I looked at it from the intended side with a gasp of understanding. Hovering at the heart of the gem was a three-dimensional copy of the thumbprint design.

"Ooh, can I see it?" Aoki asked excitedly. Her eyes were wide with delight until I extended my hand, and a dark spark leaped from the stone and warned her off. She snatched back her hand and rubbed the tiny burn near the tip of her middle finger. "Protective isn't she."

"She?" I said and put the necklace around my throat. The jeweler used only the finest silver when they crafted the chain, and upon closer inspection, I saw that the links bore similar characters to those on the claw. The challenge was a crossover event, and if the necklace had magic, it could be Sith sorcery at work. That might be why it attacked Aoki when she tried to touch it. My walking the design must have imprinted me to the necklace. The three of us enjoyed the bath as our bars slowly restored themselves. My vampiric nature allowed me to recover faster than the others. I stayed and kept them company.

"What do we know about the Jedi Sentinals and their work here?" Kyanna asked. An old, dilapidated sphere-shaped droid trundled over to her. Its brass-like exterior glittered despite its archaic design hinting at a great age. Its art deco-style depiction was as much a servitor as a work of art, and unlike other ball droids, this one unfolded and transformed into a humanoid torso gliding upon a complex servo system. It offered Kyanna a platter covered with Flemsiplast scrolls. The thin translucent material was quite popular during the time of the Old Republic. Flemsiplast was also durable and could last for thousands of years before breaking down. During the formative years of his training, I seemed to remember that Darth Bane delved into the ancient Sith archives contained on Flemsiplast sheets during his time on Korriban.

I was more intrigued by the droid's construction than the information contained on the scrolls. So, as Kyanna and Aoki split the stash between them, I ordered the droid to fold and unfold several times to discover the mechanics behind the process. Once I was sure I could replicate, if not improve upon the design, I sent it away to bring us refreshments. It was a gorgeous bit of engineering. I had to admit. It made me rethink plans and put more effort into their appearance as much as their functionality. However, the DP-69 model was as attractive as it was efficient.

"Why didn't they transmit this data back to the Jedi council?" Kyanna exclaimed. Her brows furrowed as she moved from one scroll to the next.

"This is monstrous," Aoki agreed. "To sacrifice so much for so little."

"They inscribed their work here on scrolls, not data chips or even a Holocron," I said before they explained what they had discovered. "The only reason to do that was to limit the access to that data."

"The Sentinels were not the first Jedi sent here," Kyanna stated. She held up one of the scrolls to emphasize her words. "A Nautolan historian and his associates arrived here to perform a general inquiry of the tomb. The cursory plans fell by the wayside as they discovered the relic. It is a Force-based technology not dissimilar to the Star Forge. The test killed three older and more experienced Jedi before Nakata Kisto survived the trial. He entered the tomb, discovered other artifacts of the builders, and declared the information as toxic. After reading this portion, I have to agree." I had a flash of memory regarding the Nautolan and his memories of home. I kept silent as my students discussed the information on the scrolls.

"Same here," Aoki added. "The natives to this world seemed to be hell-bent on tapping into the Force. So much so they created a three-pronged process of creating Force-sensitives." She paused as her hand shook, and the scroll tumbled into the bath. While the translucent sheet floated atop the water, she continued. "I won't go into detail for obvious reasons, but I can say this much. The first stage involved selective breeding, while the second stage involved drugs and further genetic tinkering. And we all experienced the last step in this grim little experiment. The trial not only weeded out weak candidates but also strengthened those that survived." Aoki pulled down her HUD and exclaimed as she pointed to a portion of her character sheet. "I am stronger after the test," she said, maintaining immersion. We all had grown more powerful. In my case, I had gained twenty Force points which are about four levels worth of growth. When I explored my skills and talents, I found minor improvements and one skill raised by five points. I hid my glee as my crafting reached the level I had been shooting for since I took it up.

"What do you think?" Kyanna asked me about the native's attempt to create Force-sensitives.

"Ah, artificial Force users would upset the Jedi, but the Sith might see it as a means to an end," I mulled over what they had shared. "It might explain the race's extinction, though. They pushed the Force to do their bidding, and the Force lashed out."

"That makes as much sense as anything I can contemplate," Kyanna admitted. "These scrolls the gilded droid provided speaks a lot about the builders." She paused and laughed. "You look at it the way you did at us."

"Yeah, you did," Aoki laughed. "I felt a twinge of jealousy, to be honest." Her laughter echoed off the domed ceiling. "That's odd." She said, and we all looked up. "It looks like the bathwater is reflecting off the roof. Wait, oh shit, are we underwater?"

"She's right," Kyanna exclaimed. "I think we are beneath that lake we flew over before we landed at the brothel."

"Clever security device," I said as my keen vision spotted the iris at the middle of the dome. "In case of danger, that vent opens, and tons of lake water comes rushing in."

I closed my eyes and waited for them to finish recovering. They followed suit, and the three of us cleared our thoughts and patiently waited for the next phase to begin. Just before Kyanna's HUD chimed that she was at full strength, I heard the soft melodic sound of the sphere droid returning. A scantily clad human female accompanied it. I opened my eyes, and a female Iridonian was standing next to the tub. Her skin was fair and heavily marked by the natural whorls and cursive patterns often mistaken for tattoos. The horns on her head protruded from the short-cropped hair the color of sunkissed wheat. Her posture was demure as she openly refused to make eye contact. The young woman radiated fear and acceptance in equal measures.

"Mistress, I am honored if you feed on me to sate your thirst," she urged. The woman shook as she offered me her wrist. I sat up and gripped her by the throat. The female let out a surprised squeal as I turned her head to the right and examined her odd sweaty pallor.

"You are drugged," I remarked and let her go.

"Just a simple sedative to ease my fear," she replied.

"The bitch is lying," Kyanna snarled defensively. "The tests keep on coming. They know who you are, Nocturnal."

"Yeah," I said. I kept a mental note of Kyanna's use of the name Nocturnal instead of Katria or Ghost. What was more interesting was the young lady's reaction to the title? I sensed her fear accompanied by a surge of rage. I exploded out of the tub as the golden-hued lightsaber blade clove water and transparent alloy. My only option was defensive as I realized my opponent was one of the Jedi Sentinals. Her anger gripped and blinded her as she attacked using form four, Ataru, with its aggressive elements fully realized in the mastery of this practitioner. Aoki and Kyanna weren't idle. Their plan seemed to coalesce fully realized. Kyanna tapped into her elemental ability and telekinetically caused the water in the tub to leap from its containment and wash over the stone floor. I caught the flash of sparks as Aoki attacked the water with Force lightning. I backflipped up and away as the hyperfocused Sentinal went down in spasms as her body refused to respond to her commands.

"Perfection," Kyanna praised Aoki.

"Teamwork wins again," Aoki replied.

"I am so damn stupid," I cursed as I landed and disarmed the whimpering figure of the Jedi. "How else did she get down here. She passed the test. Quick thinking, both of you."

"Pain will release you," the Sentinal murmured in her half-conscious state. "Sweet delicious agony."

"I don't sense the Dark Side in her," Aoki remarked as she scanned the other woman.

"It took away my fear, my pain, and showed me the truth," the woman informed us. "You'll see. You will all see."

"Get dressed, gear up, and remember your training," I ordered, and they gleefully followed my commands.

I tried to use the Force to heal her mind but found it beyond redemption. The thought of killing her crossed my mind, but a sense of foreshadowing took hold. It wasn't quite a Force vision, more an echo of something half-remembered. "Left?"

"I am here, boss," the parasite giggled. "Nice moves back there."

"Thanks, any ideas?" I asked, and I sensed the mental shrug from Left. "This is a crossover but with what."

"If you want my opinion, the fancy-looking droid is an Elder Scrolls mock-up," Left guessed. "That test has me pondering. I liked the thumbprint design a lot."

"Me too," I admitted. "Let's get going. Loadout triskelion, I think."

"Interesting if diverse," Left commented. "Loadout complete." I loaded the Sentinal's lightsaber into my inventory just in case. It might prove handy. Then again, it might not.

Triskelion focused on speed and a few surprises. It was time to enter the tomb and see what darkness lurked within. I cast one backward glance into the eyes of the broken Sentinal. Someone or something had shattered her psyche. She was a clear and present warning from the game. Tread lightly, or you would end up like her or worse. I took the threat seriously. The others met me at the entrance to the burial crypt embossed with elegant scrollwork and loving detail. The builders had pushed their craft to its limits when they carved this from the local quarry. The theme seemed to center around a pyramidical shape, surrounding that were three crescent-shaped panels. The first was a mass of intertwined chain links. It reminded me of Celtic knotwork but more busy and complex--the second held figures writhing around in either pain or pleasure or perhaps both. The last was a field of blades protruding from earth and sky. Some were straight, while others were curved, bent, and wicked to capture and cut.

"A sadist's monument," Kyanna purred. "Surrender all ye that enter here."

"Lovely," Aoki flinched. "Not a fan of the rough stuff."

"A hint of things to come," I said. "Even the stone is unusual. Look at those flecks of blue and green, reminds me of granite. So let's get this bad boy open."

The door measured one hundred feet high and twice that wide. It was monumental and added to its eccentricity. A deep rumbling filled the air and resonated through our feet, and it began opening on pivots on either side and tilted backward. As we watched, it did the impossible and finished the process moving vertically without ever switching mechanisms to do so.

"What the fuck," Aoki spoke for all of us. "How the hell did it do that?"

"My head hurts," Kyanna added, and I agreed with both of them. I took the lead.

Just beyond the open portal was a stone ramp leading down into darkness. Frescos and murals depicting the long-dead race covered the floor, walls, and ceiling. Aoki summoned a small round droid from her inventory. It produced a bright clear light as it hovered above us.

"I got him while digging in the ruins of Mimban III," she explained with a smile. "He has a decent sensor array and lights the way nicely. If there are any traps, he should pick up on them."

The art showed a race at its height. It displayed their successful engineering, mastery of the Force, and a hint at something else. Behind the central theme was subtle darkness hidden and yet there if you dared to look. I stopped to examine one of the panels. It depicted two of the Ava'Nichi kissing. It was an intimate moment and yet innocent. There, in the background, was a third figure spying on the other two. The next panel had two of the Ava'Nichi holding one another. The shorter of the two had their head resting against the chest of the other. It was a heartwarming scene until, once again, you looked at the background, and there was a third figure. This time the female, well, I assumed she was female, was naked and pressing her body against a window displaying her anatomy for the viewer. The panels degenerated from thereon as the acts of depravity took over, and the gentle Ava'Nichi moved to the background. The savagery of the later carvings made me cringe.

As we descended the ramp and it spiraled, the nature of the art degenerated. It wasn't just the subject of the images but the quality of the panels as well. The once smoothly fitted slabs were now loose and poorly attached to their surfaces. I halted when one of the overhead pieces creaked ominously. We moved apart to avoid being struck by falling pieces. After a hundred feet or so, the growing sense of dread went from a slight shiver in the spine to heavy cold sweat. The shadows created by the droid's limited lighting seemed to shift and crawl as we moved ever deeper into the tomb proper. Another door appeared, and it blocked our path forward. The jumbled image was a clear sign of a riddle to be solved.

"Puzzle door," Aoki said nervously. "Let's get moving. I hate it here."

"Another test," Kyanna growled. Her typically pragmatic attitude showing its frayed ends. "I hate it too."

"I have an idea. We tap in and out of solving the puzzle. Suppose one of us gets bogged down or can't find the next move, then tap out. Also, if someone watching sees a solution, you can tap in. Agreeable?" They both nodded, and we studied the puzzle before anyone touched it in case there was a time limit. Aoki was eager to be busy went first. The moment she shifted the position of one of the pieces, a timer appeared above our heads. We had twenty minutes to solve the challenge. Aoki went for a full minute before she was stumped. Kyanna dove in and manipulated the puzzle for nearly ninety seconds. I took over and used my ability to tap into the digital ether to slow things down. Something was causing this uneasiness, and I wanted to find out what it was. I figured a different perception might serve that purpose. Though I only stood there for a minute, I solved twice as many portions as the others.