𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 ── ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴅᴀʟᴏʀɪᴀɴ

1.2

TWELVE.
the krykna

🔹️🔹️🔹️

My legs were on fire; I was running as fast as I could through the ice tunnels, grasping onto the child tightly. Din followed directly behind, shooting the tiny spider-like creatures that got too close with his blaster, while the frog lady sprinted on all fours. I was putting up a calm composure.. at least for the kid.

I fixed my hold on my lightsaber, hovering my thumb over the activator. The sounds of the creatures' pattering and the mother krykna's growling echoed across the vast area, sending shivers down my spine.

Then, all of a sudden, one of the giant krykna's legs pierced through the burrow's top, landing right in front of us all. We all halted for a second, my breath hitching in the back of my throat. I froze, not knowing what to do, but luckily, Din was there to snap out of my trance with a slight nudge on my shoulder.

I bit my lower lip and continued to dart through the icy underpass. Din ran behind me and pulled out three time bombs, setting them all off. He swiftly threw them to the sides of the wall and at the last second, he tossed one up to the ceiling -- right where the mother krykna was.

BOOM!

Everything had crashed behind us; the large creature began to collapse, large chunks of snow and ice falling on top of it. Din stared at the explosion and observed the scene. I stopped to turn back to him.

"Din, what are you doing?" I exclaimed. "You--"

"Just keep going! I'll be right behind you, I promise."

I hesitated but soon, I listened to his demands, placing all of my trust in him. The child whimpered, burying his head closer to my chest. I huffed, hurrying past all the spiders crawling about, "I know, buddy, hold on."

However, shortly after, we were surrounded by these threatening creatures -- it didn't matter how many Din shot down; there were still more to come. I tightened my grasp on my lightsaber, yearning to activate it.

But, I guess.. it still wasn't time yet.

Din held his arm up in an intimidating position, switching on the most unique weapon on his armor -- his flamethrower. Within a blink of an eye, the spiders that had cornered us were all melting in his fire, creating a chance for us to escape the place. I sneered, loosening my grasp on my own weapon.

'.. Very clever.'

🔹️🔹️🔹️

We had eventually reached the ship, our breaths unstable. The frog lady was the first to enter; Din and I had handed her the vile of eggs and the child to watch over in the Razor Crest.

"Go up to the cockpit and look after the kid, okay? We'll just stall here for a little bit." I said to the frog lady. She followed my orders urgently, the child cooing in the background. 

Meanwhile, Din was shooting down a couple of the spiders that were inching towards us, their green goo staining the white snow. He shifted his gaze onto mine for a quick moment.

"Adalyn, you need to get inside--!"

Almost instantly, one of the spiders spun a web from its mouth and shot at Din's wrist, sticking him to the ship's outer walls. Din grunted at the unexpected impact, giving the creature an opportunity to pounce towards the trapped Mandalorian.