Ever since he was a young boy, Jolis was wary when in close proximity to the Low World—even if he didn't care to admit it. The horror stories he'd heard as a child of the nightmares which dwelled in the deep chasm were likely embellished but even so, there was certainly some truth to them.
Having seen the creatures known as wereryks and surviving the encounter just before venturing into the cave many years ago, Jolis saw their horrific features and unnatural displays of power first hand.
Bursting from the depths, they tore into the invading force which—up to that point—had all but surrounded Jolis. Despite the numerous unknown alien creatures who'd pursued Jolis into the depths of the Low World, one thing they all appeared to have in common was fear. At the sight of the wereryks, their ranks were broken and their numbers quickly dwindled.
It came as no surprise then that Jolis was being extra cautious as he maneuvered through the dark and misty grounds of the Low World. Ever since exiting the cave, Jolis had been reaching out with the Force, probing the surrounding areas for signs of life.
As he had learned from the Master, all life was connected by the Force. From humans such as himself to terrifying creatures like the wereryks, they all shared a mutual connection and therefore could be sensed by one attuned to the Force.
Despite the memories of his previous journey through the Low World, this journey had been quiet thus far.
It was cold now. Sensing the chill of the cold season in the air, Jolis looked about but was unable to see any evidence, however. There was no snow covering the grounds as their typically was on the surface and the canopy of trees above him were thick enough to block out any trace of the season.
After several minutes of walking, Jolis suddenly came upon numerous small piles of old armor and weapons. Half buried by fallen leaves, Jolis cleared the debris and instantly recalled that it was the armor the invading force was wearing.
This appeared to be all that was left of the ones who'd pursued Jolis.
There were no bones of any sort or anything which resembled that of a once living creature. Just various articles of clothing, padding and the odd blaster strewn about.
Kneeling down, Jolis touched what appeared to be a breastplate of armor which had been torn in two by some unknown means. Upon contact with the armor, a disturbing vision entered Jolis' mind. He could sense the fear and horror of the creature who'd last worn this armor and the final moments of its life.
Recoiling his hand at the sudden vision, Jolis was initially shocked to have been able to see what could only be described as an echo in the Force. The memory he had witnessed had been so profound that it had left a lasting impression upon the object which Jolis was able to retrocognitively detect through the Force by simply touching it.
His mind was so overwhelmed by this ability that he was unable to detect the approaching creatures until it was too late.
The ground beneath Jolis exploded as multiple wereryks rose from the depths in a perfect ambush.
Throwing himself back at the last possible moment, Jolis had been mere inches away from losing a limb as the long and sharp claws of the wereryks swept wide and across as they reached the surface.
Rolling back onto his feet, Jolis had only a moment to assess the situation before nearly a half dozen of the jet black creatures with glowing red eyes were upon him again.
Their long limbs and wiry frames were sleek and muscular. They moved quickly and had a violent grace to their movements. Moreover, they moved as a pack and not as individuals.
This was something Jolis quickly learned as he saw four of the creatures leap high into the air. They were about to descend on top of Jolis and tear him to pieces just as he reached out and sent a powerful shockwave towards them with the Force.
The creatures flew backwards and away from Jolis as they landed on their backs but were quickly up onto their feet again. Rather than attacking again, however, they appeared to be puzzled and began looking at each other. They emitted several scream-like sounds, most likely their form of communication.
The brief pause gave Jolis a chance to reach out through the Force and touch the creatures. As he attempted to do so, his mind was suddenly pushed back by the wereryks. Somehow sensing his mental probing attempts, they all screamed in unison as the ear-piercing sound from his childhood nightmares caused Jolis to cover his ears.
Breaking away from the pack, one of the wereryks suddenly leapt for Jolis. With its lightning fast reflexes and its claws raised to strike on impact, the beast suddenly froze in mid air. Jolis, reaching out at the last possible moment, grabbed and held the creature in stasis just inches from his face. Unable to move due to Jolis' hold with the Force, the creature's red eyes glowed intensely as Jolis got his first close up look at the nightmare-like creature.
Before he could fully examine the creature, however, the remaining wereryks were upon him. They encircled him but didn't close in.
Jolis—reaching out with the Force—could sense their primal fear. Oddly, it was him they were afraid of. And with one of their own now at his mercy, they appeared to be unwilling to attack because of it.
A dark thought suddenly filled Jolis' mind.
Destroy the creature. End its life as an example of your power.
It would be a simple matter. Jolis knew that with the power of the Force as his ally, he could end this creature's life in an instant.
As tempting as it was, however, the thought felt foreign to him. Unnatural.
The words of the Master returned to him from long ago.
"We desire not to be worshiped by life but to be at one with it. This is the path to balance."
Turning towards the creature, Jolis could still sense the other five wereryks circling him as he looked the restrained creature in the eyes. He could sense anger and hostility but also also fear and panic.
Taking a step back, Jolis did what others would conceive to be unthinkable as he released the wereryk from the stasis hold.
Landing on the ground with a light thud, the beast didn't attack as Jolis suspected it would. Instead, it stood motionless for a moment. Jolis stood poised and ready to defend himself if needed—the Force rising up within him and ready to act at a moments notice.
Looking at the one who was undoubtedly the first and only being to have ever been able to subdue one of its kind, the wereryk took one step towards Jolis and rose to its full height—towering over Jolis by a meter and a half.
The beast let out a scream which caused Jolis' skin to crawl. However, it and the other wereryks turned and leapt high into the trees in a sudden retreat. It took only a moment before Jolis sensed that he was once again alone in the dark forrest.
Still wary of an attack, the silence which followed was even more unnerving.
Jolis reached out with the Force once again but this time, he could sense the creatures. They were just on the very edge of his ability to detect. Close enough to sense but too far to pinpoint their exact location, the creatures remained at this distance as Jolis made his way deeper into the Low World.
He needed to find a way out. Jolis recalled that he would potentially be the only person to have ever returned from a journey to the Low World if he could succeed in finding a route back up to the surface.
The trees above were tall and several were close enough to the edge of the cliff which dropped down to where he was now. They were close enough that he could potentially make the jump.
It would just take a little bit of climbing...
...and a whole lot of luck.
***
Jolis had never been one for climbing trees. All throughout his childhood, he'd been one who more or less preferred to keep his bare feet on the ground.
"Trees are for the syqrels," he used to say to the other kids in his village.
Now, however, he found himself face to face with one such creature as he ascended higher towards the surface of Atophis.
The small furry creature blinked rapidly with all four of its eyes as it hung upside down using its six small legs. It watched Jolis with what looked like a mix of caution and amusement before it scurried off.
Jolis continued up through the thick canopy—the air getting colder as he ascended—until he was finally able to see the cloudy sky above the snow-capped trees. The light of the day was a welcomed sight as a light snow fell from the sky.
Continuing his slow ascent, Jolis eventually reached a point where the tree limbs appeared to thin out. Continuing upward would be a futile effort as the limbs wouldn't be able to support the weight of his body.
Oddly enough, Jolis found it relatively easy to move horizontally across the dense tree limbs. Doing so, he eventually was able to see a solid wall of rock through the branches ahead. He had reached the edge of the Low World.
Moving forward, Jolis got as close to the rock wall as he could and looked up to see the sky as well as what appeared to be a ledge to the surface of Atophis proper. He was still far too low to consider making a jump up for the ledge but there was another option.
Jolis took several steps back before running as fast as he could and jumping towards the cliff's wall. Clenching his hands around a rock large enough for him to fit his fingertips into, Jolis had successfully grabbed ahold of the side of the cliff.
Moving from one rock formation to the next, Jolis was slowly making ground on his upward climb as he scaled the side of the cliff. Every moment or so, he'd hear the chippering sounds of a group of syqrels, most likely amused by the actions of this strange being in their territory.
After several moments, Jolis reached a point in his climb where there appeared to be nothing but smooth surface above him. He was meters away from his goal. So close, in fact, that he could look out behind him and see the snow covered canopy of trees belonging to that of the Low World.
No matter where he looked, however, there appeared to be no rocks, ledges or cracks in the cliff that were large enough for him to get a grip on.
His mind suddenly offered him a solution.
Picturing his feet on the ground above him, Jolis pushed off, propelling himself upward using the Force and leaping high enough to where he had passed the edge of the cliff and could now see the surface of Atophis. The only problem, however, was that he'd leapt straight up and, therefore, was coming straight back down.
"By the chief!" he said aloud.
As he began to fall in what would be his second descent into the Low World, Jolis reached forward and grabbed a mound of exposed grass just on the edge of the cliff. It held, surprisingly, but it was slowly giving way to his weight.
Moving quickly, Jolis began clasping for anything he could get a hold on with his free hand in an effort to hoist himself up. Unfortunately, he was coming up short.
Below him, he could hear what sounded like high-pitched laughter coming from the syqrels who were looking on with amusement.
With his feet dangling off the edge of the cliff and his one hand holding onto a mound of grass that was snapping loose one blade at a time while he was also exposed to the elements, Jolis felt panic setting in for the first time since exiting the cave.
Just as quickly as it entered his mind, however, a sudden noise drew his attention elsewhere.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
With each passing moment, the noise seemed to be getting louder. Or was it getting closer?
With his grasp waining and at a significant risk of falling off the edge of the cliff, Jolis was caught completely off guard when an unexpected ally burst from the nearby foliage.
"The Maker!"
The worn and dilapidated figure of Jolis' old droid, V4, wheeled itself haphazardly towards Jolis.
"V4?! What are you...hey. Hey, you've got to help me!"
"Your voice must've triggered my proximity scanner and awakened me from hibernation mode," replied the droid. "So nice to see..."
Jolis watched as V4's visual device slowly lost power and slumped forward.
Feeling as if he were seconds away from falling, Jolis said, "Oh you're kidding me! Wake up!"
"WELCOME!"
The droid powered back to life suddenly.
"I am V4. How may I be of assistance? Oh my. You've aged considerably, Master."
With his free hand, Jolis was continually grasping for anything he could to maintain his grip on the edge of the cliff. Just as before, however, he was coming up short.
"V4! Help!"
"I aim to serve, Master! I have so many stories to tell you. You should really put more layers on, Master. You'll catch a cold. Shall I fetch your tunic? It's a long trek away but I will return in a timely..."
"Shut up and listen to me!" Jolis shouted. "Come closer. Quickly!"
"Come...closer, Master?" the confused droid asked.
"Yes! I'm slipping!"
"Are...are you going to deactivate me? Have I displeased you, Master?"
"V4! Now! Please!"
Slowly and slightly unsure why, V4 wheeled itself closer to Jolis but stopped well outside of his reach.
The snickering of the syqrels down below could be heard once again.
"V4..."
Done with trying to explain himself to the droid, Jolis reached out and began pulling V4 closer to him with the Force.
"I seem be experiencing some sort of side effect from my extended period of inactivity, Master. Recalibrating."
At once, V4 powered its treads and began attempting to retreat back to its previous position. The snow and eventual dirt kicked up from V4's treads began showering Jolis' face. Seeing that he was getting nowhere, he went a step further and lifted V4 off the ground as he continued to pull it closer.
The droid lost it.
"Master! No! Don't kill me! Why are you doing this?! You don't need a V5! Master!"
Seeing that the floundering droid was now in position, Jolis lowered V4 so that it was now directly in front of him. With as much physical strength as he could muster, Jolis stretched forward and grabbed ahold of the droid.
"V4! Full power! Now!"
"Okay!"
The rain of dirt, snow and grass showered Jolis once again but slowly, the little droid succeeded in pulling Jolis from the edge of the cliff.
Collapsing face down on the ground from exhaustion, Jolis rolled onto his back while heaving cold air in and out of his lungs.
The little droid wheeled itself over next to Jolis's head. Looking down on its master, V4's visual receptacle blinked rapidly on and off.
"Greetings! I am V4. How may I be of assistance on this cold day?"
Jolis—laying his head against the ground in exhaustion—could only sigh and close his eyes.
"This is not how I thought this day was going to go."
Jolis reunites with an old friend who may or may not have a few loose screws. He's had a rough start but he's already been tested. How do you think Jolis will continue to be tested in the future?
Please don't be a silent reader! If you enjoyed this chapter, a vote, a brief comment or even constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated.
—Paul