Beasts from the East

[Professor Mors]

Nodding once to both Kita and Kressara, the Neti leveled his gaze back at the floundering arachnid, his oaken limbs and shuddering intensely from the prolonged strain of battle. Still, the professor had one task left to clear. He had not personally seen the foul beast swallow his Zabrak companion whole, but Malfosa’s signature in the Force became undeniable warped from the inclusion of a second, unnatural presence now caught within. Miss Lai had proven a very useful ally, and Sa’ato was not about to slaughter the plains-strider and risk her immediate safety. No, precision was needed with this last attack, and the academic meant to provide it.

Channeling his thoughts beneath the behemoth’s hard carapace, the professor’s mind traced tendons, veins, and finally, nerves. Yes, he could see the microscopic fibers that comprised the creature’s senses. Most importantly, his search led him to a rather fickle cluster of nerve-endings just behind Malfosa’s cranium: nerve-endings which fed directly to the predator’s massive gullet. Breaking off into a sprint, Sa’ato ran in the front the abomination, dead center, and kicked off from the ground with the last of his strength. Leaping high into the air once more, the Neti clutched at his weapon just below the axe-head, its blunt end aimed strategically at the hard shell situated above his foe’s skull.

On impact, the effect was immediate, and violent. Not giving any planning or thought to his landing, the retired teacher bounced unceremoniously off of the panicking stalker and crumpled uncomfortably onto the ashen ground. Malfosa meanwhile screeched louder still, as if to shatter transparasteel with its wicked timbre. Its voice was quickly muted however, as six gallons of viscous, acidic bile flooded from out its bloodied jaws, carrying with it a battered but very much alive mercenary. Half-dazed, Sa’ato blinked thrice and gaped in horror as the wounded titan scraped and stamped its remaining legs into the earth, releasing hissing columns of trapped volcanic gases.

In the precious seconds before the untimely natural disaster, the professor could only roll over to face away from the blast zone as a plume of nearby fire caught the emissions and produced a deafening explosion some fifteen meters wide. The kinetic discharge was such that the Neti and his rescued companion were rag-dolled just shy of where their transport lay. His other compatriots, in contrast, would be fighting a torrent of tears as the terrific flash rendered them temporarily blind. Sprawled on the ground with nary an ounce of energy to move, an exhausted Sa’ato fought to retain his focus, and cocked one eye toward the site of the melee.

There was no sign of the creature apart from its severed leg, which had miraculously weathered the blast. Although, the professor thought he might have just caught the shimmer from the apex of its tail disappearing behind a hill on the far side of the clearing. Either way, it was of little consequence, the group had their trophy, and with it the academic would finally equip himself to face the rigors of life among the Sith. Some few inches from his foot, a single whisper of flame threatened to spark against the Neti’s skin. Such was his fatigue however, that he hardly noticed, and much less cared. For now, he would wait until the party recovered, and leave exploring the rest of the inferno for another day.