Your decision is quick and easy to make. You will take the corpse to disassemble, as Urr’tal stated he will have no issues carrying it. The idea of a cape being fashioned of the hide of this creature is a bit perverse to you, but also appealing. It will speak of your first great success and promise many more to come. These Shades are both stronger and faster than any human, let alone their ability to rip at the fabric of reality of the work with this teleporting ability. It is clear that this test was never meant for you to slay them, but to survive them.

“If you can carry the Shade, then let us take it. It is a prize to boast about.” Urr’tal nods his great head, walks over to the body, and throws it over his shoulder with ease that finds you jealous.

“As the first pick is yours, Vulfstahn, what do you want from the Shade?” The Whiphid asks you as both begin walking, continuing your journey to the Sith academy.

“I will take the skin, you get the bones. I like your idea of crafting a cloak from it. Do you think it is edible, the meat that is?”

“For me, yes, for you, I would be cautious. You humans, or whatever you are, have weak stomachs. My people were created to hunt the greatest beings of the universe and consume them, you are small and fragile. You are effete empire builders. But if you want to join me in consuming the flesh, then I will not stop you.” Urr’tal answers, and his facial muscles shift into a horrid visage, but the alien face and emotion is one you cannot read. “When we arrive, I will dump the body into a cold storage area. You skin it within the next couple of days, then I will strip the flesh from bones.”

The pair of you continue trudging through the forest, each step disturbing the knee-height fog. Sounds of more Shades communicating to one another intermittently disrupt the silence; luckily, each of these calls are far enough away to speak to your relative safety. Giant trees that have enveloped you grow thinner and smaller, and the canopy is less dense. Budding sunlight of a new day begins to slip through as your journey comes closer to its end. Urr’tal continues to limp beside you; his foot, savaged by the trap, is clearly causing the great predator pain. Exhaustion is clouding your mind; the exertion from your battle and this long trek has your body fighting for sleep.

Finally, you escape the forest maze into a great clearing, and the brilliant sun hangs high in the sky, letting you see all the bright greens of the forest planet. Before you stands a great ziggurat of polished white marble that gleams in the fresh morning’s light. In contrast, modern buildings of a deep black surround the temple, as if growing outwards from it. Further away is a relatively small spaceport, allowing for a single large ship of war or lesser personal vessels. Ten figures wait for you by the exit of the forest, six of them sit on luxurious hoverchairs while four of them stand at attention.