On the fringes of the Outer Rim territories and famous for being the one-time location of the Rebel Alliance, Hoth is a frigid world marred with fissures created from the tidal pull of Hoth’s three moons. Blanketed in a frozen ocean, massive oceanic currents beneath the southern hemisphere are the cause of constant seismic activities that result in a constantly shifting landscape of tunnels and caves.

Buried into the side of a fissure reaching hundreds of meters into the core of the planet is a network of tunnels leading into a cave. Its sole entrance is suspended within the wall of the fissure, requiring one to rappel down the dangerous crevasse and into the tunnels; one small miscalculation could send explorers descending the rest of the unmeasured height deep within the planet’s core.

Insulated under several hundred meters of ice in all directions, the cave is protected against the gale force winds and the intense snowstorms that sweep along the planet’s surface. As a result, the cave is warmer than most of Hoth’s unforgiving cold with melting icicles dangling precariously overhead. In turn, this allows for more life to grow in addition to being a promising habitat for the hulking wampas that have been trapped this far below the surface. Beginning to thaw, it is obvious that this cave will eventually fall victim to seismic activity and disappear into the sheets of ice that surround it. Illuminating the cave’s interior with a dull blue glow, the luminous forms of lichen have taken up residence among the bones of the creatures unfortunate enough to be trapped here.

Caution must be exercised if one is to navigate the slippery slopes of the cave as melted icicles drip onto the cavern’s floor surface. In one corner of the cave, the ocean water has accumulated to form a large pool, providing sustenance to the rare lumni-spice growing within the crystalline complex, never to see the blue-white sun.

[Venue Note: It is assumed that both members are wearing at least a cold-resistant cloak in this venue, even if not included on their Loadout. All other ACC rules and guidelines still applies.]

"Run, run, little Sith," cooed Savran. "Our game isn't over yet."

Their words carried just enough animus to convey to Hevan that despite Savran's puckish tone, the Shani mercenary intended to do him great harm if they caught up to him. Although he didn't respond, Savran knew that he could hear them. Sounds echoed here easier than they did on the surface. The only things that separated them were the towering walls of ice that snaked beneath the planet’s surface and served as the playground for their little game. The Shani strolled across the ice, ever vigilant to remain on a path that hugged the cave's frigid walls. Not only did this keep them closer to the bioluminescent lichen that hung from its walls and less-traversed paths, but it also provided them ample cover should their Plagueian target work up the courage to fire a shot with those blasters he liked so much. Savran was confident but they weren't stupid. A Force user, especially a knight, posed a significant threat. Despite their taunts, Savran understood this. They hadn't survived in this hostile galaxy for this long by underestimating their enemies.

Savran usually didn't accept bounties targeting people they didn't know. However, the Plagueian's fellow clan member--a Zabrak named Kul'tak Drol--gave them an offer they couldn't refuse: an ample sum of credits and the opportunity to see how a bonafide Sith tasted. Even sweeter was the chance to end a member of Clan Plagueis, a clan infamous for its use of slavery in the recent past. Counted among those enslaved by the Dark Side adherents were a handful of Shani who served as members of the feared Inquisitorius--a transgression that had left Savi with a permanent grudge against the dark siders. The death of the Human known as Hevan Slavis would mark one less scum in this broken galaxy.

As they walked through the frigid cave structure with a blacked-out vibrosword in hand, Savran heard their target’s voice ring out from somewhere ahead of them: “I don’t even know who you are, lady. You must be making some kind of mistake.”

As if the quiver in his voice wasn’t enough indication, a sliver of fear slipped from Hevan’s mind and revealed itself to Savran as a bitter taste on the tips of their forked tongue. Hevan tried his best to remain a ghost in the Force, but his feelings forsook him in favor of a stronger master. After detecting this and following the trace back to its source, Savran locked onto the Plagueian’s location. Now, they had him.

“There is no mistake, Hevan Slavis,” Savran informed him, letting the tip of their vibrosword drag along the icy ground. The grating sound of steel dragging along hard ice echoed throughout the cave and removed any doubt that they were still hunting him, steadily moving closer. “You’ve made some enemies, and they’ve paid me handsomely to eliminate you.”

A flash of green in the distance caught Savran’s attention. It was Hevan, no doubt. Why the man chose to wear forest-colored camouflage on an ice planet, they didn’t know. Something about him was off, though. He was just standing there, not moving a muscle.

“Finally decided to give up?” taunted Savran, approaching the man with the confidence of someone who’d done this countless times. They raised their vibrosword to his throat, but where they expected to meet some resistance from the man’s armor, Savran was surprised to find nothing but air. It was an illusion. Savran sucked their teeth in frustration and swung their weapon to cleave the Force facsimile in two.

Suddenly, Savi felt the feathers on the crown of their head bristle. Something was wrong, and the flash of malicious intent that echoed through the Force confirmed it.

And then came the shot.

When Hevan pulled the trigger of his NT-242 Longblaster, it produced a sound reminiscent of a thunderclap that echoed throughout the cave. Hopefully, the trap would pay off because he’d lost the element of surprise. The illusion had lured the damned bounty hunter into the perfect position for him to take his shot. His aim was true. He kept his eye trained on Savran through the rifle’s scope, waiting to see their body drop.

A bolt of superheated tibanna gas ripped through the frigid Hothian air and likely would have done the same to Savran had she not sensed it beforehand.

The wild-haired Shani didn’t hesitate in pivoting on the balls of their feet to rotate their torso just enough to remove themselves from the path of Hevan’s blaster shot. A streak of brilliant crimson flashed across their field of view as it tore past them and burned a perfectly spherical hole in a pillar of ice somewhere behind them.

Savran’s head snapped in the direction the bolt came from, and they spotted the inappropriately dressed fool lying atop a hill up ahead. The karking bastard nearly hit them. The frustration they felt at themselves for nearly falling victim to a trap set by their prey gave Savran extra motivation to retaliate. Serpentine eyes of dazzling amber narrowed, and the image of the retreating Plagueian slowed to a crawl. When they took their first step forward, a small crack formed on the ice beneath their feet, and they fell forward into a mad dash that carried them to Hevan’s position with frightening speed.

Hevan cursed under his breath as the woman avoided the shot. Seeing how she avoided a shot from his best blaster and made it look trivial while doing so sent a chill up his spine. He needed to move. It was only a matter of time before sh–

He didn’t have time to finish his thought because the woman seemingly disappeared. Where the hell did she go? Force users couldn’t teleport . . . could they? He spotted movement below. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw nothing more than a blur racing across the ice faster than any living thing should be able to move. All he managed to do was step backward before the fire-headed Shani appeared before him with her weapon poised to strike.

Savran descended upon him like a vornskr on its next meal. A flick of their wrist was all it took to send their vibrosword on an upward trajectory. As it moved, its oscillating blade glinted in the aquamarine light of the cave’s bioluminescent flora. Steel met flesh, and flesh sundered. Savran’s masterful control over their blade allowed them to slice between a gap in Hevan’s armor, giving him a nasty laceration on his left arm.

Hevan gritted his teeth when the blow landed, forcing him to drop his NT-242 so could clutch the fresh wound with his opposite hand. The muscle burned where the laceration was, and a steady stream of blood poured from it and stained the ground below. To make matters worse, his arm was starting to go numb. A dull, burning ache that felt like someone had injected liquid nitrogen into his arm crept through the flesh surrounding the cut.

“The poison should be taking effect by now,” Savran noted, their tone conveying the sadistic amusement they got from watching him react to his injury. “I’m curious to see what effect it has on you.”

The Plagueian took a step backward and scowled. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, though he didn’t expect an answer. She didn’t seem like the type that could be reasoned with.

All he wanted was to train alone, away from the rest of his clan. But one of them had to hire an assassin to come after him! It was probably Kul’tak, which wouldn’t surprise him given their history. Or maybe it was Bril? The young Zabrak had taken the burning of his robes poorly. It didn’t matter who it was now. The only thing that mattered was his survival. Hevan felt his rage swell within him and focused on it, pouring his frustration with his current situation and the wound in his arm that practically screamed at him into it. A smell reminiscent of a rainy day filled the air as tiny streams of lightning arced across his fingers before dissipating.

Why did it smell like ozone? Savran felt their feathers shiver again just as they had earlier and caught a glimpse of the lightning running across the man’s hands. “Druk,” they cursed, raising their vibrosword in a defensive posture before Hevan pointed a set of blood-stained digitsin their direction. A stream of lightning exploded from his fingertips in a flash and collided with Savran’s weapon first, giving them enough time to leap away while casting the blade aside. The vibrosword was no lightsaber, so it only provided a modicum of protection for the briefest moment. They hadn’t expected Hevan to continue his assault, and the lightning caught them in mid-air and sent them barreling into a nearby pillar of ice.

Savran reeled in pain from the attack. Tiny wisps of smoke rose from their robes as they pulled themselves to their feet and touched the closest section of the cave wall to steady themselves. That frakking hurt, and he was going to pay for it.

As the Shani picked themselves up, Hevan held his blade up to his wounded shoulder, cauterizing the wound. Hevan did not feel the pain, the numbness of the inhibiting poison preventing the pain from reaching him. His vision swirled, his head felt numb, but Hevan prepared to repel Savran's next attack. The Shani was already sprinting at him, notably slower than before. Evidently, the lightning had caught them off guard and hurt them more than she wished to make know to the human. Hevan shot again with lightning, knowing he was taxing himself, but sending more blue bolts of lightning towards his attacker. Savran was ready however, throwing themselves aside as the energy flew past, but this temporary cease in the attack allowed Hevan to let a shot with his Relby pistol, shocking the Shani with the sudden pain that shot across their body.

Savi hissed at Hevan, unhinging their jaw in a attempt to terrify the human. Hevan stared blankly at the Shani, holding his blade in front of his body, no longer wishing to run from his attacker. "Who sent you? Was it Kul? Bril? Who?" Hevan and Savi circled each other, making gestures at one another. When one would step forward, the other would step back, dancing around the cavern in strange unison. "I won't lie to you little sith, your old friend Kul sent me. It seems you recently did something to upset him."

"Last time I leave him for dead. Whatever he's paying you... I'll double it."

"Coward." Savran spat the word with contempt. "Trying to run from a fight?"

"Not at all my friend. Merely wishing to drop the pathetic excuse for a Zabrak into a place he can't escape as soon as I can. Mustafar should do nicely"

Savran hissed and threw his vibrodagger with surprising speed, the blade stabbing into Hevan underneath his already wounded shoulder, sending Hevan to one knee in pain with a shout of agony. He closed his eyes, expecting to fade into darkness, but nothing came. He looked up, seeing Savran standing a few feet away, looking at him in delight. "One other thing Hevan. Kul said to make you scream."

Hevan spat onto his hand, looking at the blood that clouded his spit, shaking his head and grabbing the dagger, pulling it out with a spurt of blood. "If you want me hurt, you have to do better than that." Hevan got up shakily, throwing the dagger aside, sending it tumbling down a crevice. Hevan smiled in grim determination, an idea had come to mind.

He backed off, the Shani following like a hungry Nydak, complete with the animal savagery. Hevan shot another bolt of lightning at Savran, taking the momentary distraction to run down a small side cave, cutting through a thin ice wall and stepping into a small, twisting cave. Animal bones littered the cavern floor, some still will the flesh partially ripped off. Hevan walked over pools of frozen blood, knowing the smell of blood on him would attract the creature that lurked these caves. He waited for the two predators to find him, wondering which one would kill him first. He calmed his breathing down, his ears straining for the slightest noise, his hand hovering over his blaster pistol. He soon heard heavy stomps walking through the twisting caves, heavy breathing echoing through the chamber. He focused, seemingly fading into the air, as a fully grown Wampa stomped into Hevan's view, sniffing the air and grunting. Both turned their heads as faster, lighter footsteps echoed through, mutterings of anger mixed with the rapid steps.

Savran jumped into view, losing their footing as they slipped in an effort to stop upon seeing the Wampa. It roared, charging at Savran, grabbing them and throwing them down the caverns, sending them smashing through a thin wall of ice, tumbling through the caves and landing in a bloodied heap. The Wampa charged again, Savran barely able to throw themselves aside, just spotting Hevan slink away into the darkness. "Coward! Get back here!" Hevan turned around, looking over at the collapsed Shani, and spat on the ground. The Wampa grabbed Savran, lifting them into the air and roaring, moving Savran closer to it's mouth.

There was no way that Savi was going to let that tetsa’e palnan get away that easily–not after hitting them with lightning, and certainly not after luring them into a kriffing wampa’s nest. As the wampa pulled them toward its gaping maw, Savran maintained an unflinching expression on their sweat and blood-stained countenance. Their nostrils flared to accommodate a sudden influx of frigid air that imbued their vocal cords with preternatural strength. Although this wasn’t its purpose, the deep breath also served to bolster their resolve as much as it did to prepare their next attack.

Onyx lips parted, facilitating the expulsion of a tinny shrill that rivaled the roar of a ship’s engine in volume. They ignored the pang of discomfort emanating from the base of their throat and fixed the wampa’s head in the epicenter of their acoustic assault, bombarding it with a sound exceeding the threshold of what it could tolerate. The beast recoiled with a terrible howl, affording Savran the opportunity to dig their pointed fingernails into its eyes before leaping away.

The damage wrought on its eyes and ears sent the wampa into a blind frenzy. It thrashed, smashing through frozen pillars in a desperate attempt to crush them both. Having evolved to survive in the deadly cold of Hoth and to hunt its megafauna, the wampa sported layers of muscle, thick hide, and dense fur that made it resilient to conventional weaponry. However, Savran knew that like most creatures, its eyes were vulnerable to damage. But the Shani knew that even being blind would only temporarily prevent the beast from finding them. Its acute sense of smell made locating them an inevitability, and Savran intended to be long gone by the time it regained its composure enough to make effective use of its remaining senses.

Their slitted amber eyes shot up to where Hevan stood, and a faint grumble escaped their lips when they saw that the man was turning to leave. They raised their hand toward him, curled their fingers like they were gripping a ball, and yanked their hand backward. Hevan froze in place as if he were encased in carbonite; then, he was wrenched into the pit below by an unseen force, landing at Savran’s feet with a loud “oof.”

Savi had planned to strike the Plagueian while he was down, but the sound of an angry wampa rushing toward them forced a change of plans. They dove to the side, leaving Hevan to fend for himself.

The beast lifted its massive fists overhead, likely to crush the man, but Hevan managed to fire a shot with his Relby K-23 that struck the wampa in the chest. It howled in pain before dashing off into one of the cave’s myriad tunnels. The seasoned Plagueian sighed. That was far too close for his liking. He needed to go on vacation when this was over.

The man’s musings came to an abrupt end when a piercing pain exploded from his side. A moment’s respite after nearly being squashed by a rampaging wampa prevented him from sensing the Shani coming. When he saw the vibrosword’s oscillating blade lodged in his stomach, the realization that Savran had used this opportunity to their advantage sent a chill down his spine.

“Kriff…” he muttered beneath his breath, watching as streams of bright crimson began to flow across the greens and browns of his armor.

The wild-haired Shani stood upright and wiped a trail of blood from their lip while stepping up to Hevan. “I made sure to avoid your vital organs,” they said, lifting their foot to press its sole against the vibrosword’s pommel, driving it further into the ground beneath Hevan’s supine form. His pained groans were like music to Savi’s ears. “Consider that the one thank you you’ll get for making this more exciting than I expected it to be. That wampa is going to be back eventually, and it’ll kill you … unless you find the resolve to survive.”

Hevan grimaced and spat blood on the ground near his head. Savi could feel the rage building within him, and the tinge of fear that he was trying to suppress.

“You have your lightsaber and most of your blasters. Those should help,” they continued, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. “And if you decide to give up, then you can always turn one of them on yourself before the wampa eats you alive. Oh. By the way? They like to eat the small parts first.”

A wicked grin crept onto Savi’s features–the last Hevan would see of them before they disappeared into the tunnels of the subterranean cave.

As Hevan lay there, struggling to move due to the blade in his gut, he felt the same numbness begin to crawl its way through his abdomen. Each passing moment made it harder to breathe. And to make matters worse, the distant grunts and whoops of the wampa were getting louder.

Kriff.

Hevan reached out in a futile attempt to stop Savran, grunting and moaning in pain as the skin around the blade stretched, more blood pouring over the handle and down the blade. Hevan stopped as the tips of Savran's cloak whipped round a corner. He focused on the area around the blade, putting all his concentration on healing it, to which the wound sealed around the blade. He could and would not try to heal the whole injury, the most Hevan would do was stop the bleeding and immediate danger.

He picked up his NT, pulling himself up using it, then stumbling through the caves using it as a crutch. He turned around, using the last of his will to pull the celling down, blocking the Wampa from following and killing him. Hevan pressed after Savran, motivated only by hate and a will to survive, barely conscious as the followed any tracks left by the Shani. Hevan knew failing would mean death, from cold or something else, his mind only filled with hatred and determination to kill the Shani. He took his helmet off in order to throw up, coughing and spitting out blood over his armour.

Hevan hobbled through the caves, following the slight indicators that Savran had passed through. Snow dislodged in the shape of a foot, the occasional feather left behind. He soon came upon a steep slope, obviously how Savran had left the caves. Hevan took his grappling hook, throwing it up into the ice and pulling himself up the slope, nearly passing out as he clambered up the slope, constantly coughing up blood as he climbed.

The first flakes of snow hit his face, giving him renewed determination to at least die outside of the caves, bringing his senses back as more fell. He could see moonlight and clouds, all giving him a reason the keep climbing. Doubtless Savran was preparing to leave, if they hadn't done so already. After more clambering up, his hands felt snow and the cold metal of his hook. He had made it, and looking down showed a red line through the snow that accumulated more at the top of the slope, where it was less steep and covered with light snow. Savran's footprints were more visible now, and Hevan followed them, despite the light snow filling in the footprints.

Hevan walked for what seemed like hours, until he saw a yellow light from a cave. He stumbled into it, seeing Savran sitting by a fire, eating some unfortunate animal. Hevan leveled his pistol at Savran's back, turning safety off and planting his feet in the ground. "Good evening." Hevan's quiet tone did not betray his rage, his greeting barely heard by Savran. The Shani whipped around, drawing their blade. "Funny how distracted you can be after leaving someone for dead. Drop the dagger." Savran slowly lowered the blade, dropping it to the floor. "Wampa wasn't hungry then?" Savran's mind raced for an escape, but ultimately decided that the weakened human with a sword through him was not a hard enemy to kill. He lunged at the human, once again passing through Hevan, who disappeared into smoke. "Feeble idiot." Hevan pressed his blaster to Savran's throat, pulling all equipment off Savran as he jammed the blaster deeper into the feathers.

Hevan tied Savran up, leaving them pushed against a wall, leaving only his Relby K-23 by their feet. Looking at the shuttle that was hidden in the cave, Hevan was confused. "Why did you not leave?"

"I hungered." Savran was worried, Hevan could sense it. He disappeared up the ramp, still impaled but joyful. The ramp closed and the shuttle lifted up into the dark night.