Tyllia guided the woman into the deepest parts of the swamp with relative ease. The spirit had made things easy for her. After all; it stood to gain much from this. So very, very, much. And Tyllia, well... it all rather depended, didn't it?

"A little bit further," she told the Rattataki, putting thoughts of this woman's fate out of her mind. Certainly she had *hopes* as to how this would go; but if things went a different way, and this one life would be snuffed out? In the end, it would balance out. She was sure of it.

"Why am I following you into this infernal swamp again?" the woman asks, the underlying anger and strain in her voice notable as she struggles through the rough terrain to follow Tyllia. As they continued Tyllia could see the black pool just up ahead.

"Because I asked nicely," she said, with a friendly sounding chuckle. The story had been some bullshit feel-good nonsense that probably involved the power of friendship or something along those lines.

"There, up ahead, you see? That's the pool I was telling you about."

"And there's supposed to something there I'll want, right? Think.." she stops a moment, bringing her hand up to the bridge of her nose as she winces in pain. "No.. you didn't say that, you said.." tears well as she tries to concentrate but she can't seem to trace it.

[Roll any Social skill vs Average should you choose to break her concentration]

"It's fine," she said, "nothing to worry about. Once this is over you won't have to worry about anything anymore."

Deception: 2eP+2eA+2eD 1 success, 1 advantage

Putting both hands onto the side of her head in pain as she tried to focus, she looks up to Tyllia and as she does the pain dissipates. "Right.. you were going to show me something that would help me get out of the lower city, right? Back onto my feet.. maybe find my own band again," she grins, nodding forward as she stands strong again.

"Alright- lead on."

"Into the pool," she said, stepping closer and beginning whatever final preparations were necessary for this to happen; especially the way she wanted it to go.

"it's part of the process."

"Alright.." she says, giving Tyllia a questioning look as she steps into the pool. Wading through the black sludge she reacts, seeming to experience it just as Tyllia had prior but noticeable Tyllia didn't notice the horrible stench this time around. However, as the woman steps toward the center it becomes apparent how different this time is as she doesn't sink but looks back to Tyllia.

"This.. this it?" she asks, and then a shadow tendril jumps from the pond and latches to her arm, she screams in surprise as it pulls her arm down. Another raises quickly from the pool but this landing on her other shoulder and forces her down. Slowly these fissure like tendrils creep up from where her waist rest in the pool and almost seem to become alive, grabbing her in place as the others threaten to continue to lash up and grab onto her.

In that moment Tyllia feels an incredibly cold presence as the spirit rushes up from within her. Feeling like vomiting the shadow pours out and climbs from her own mouth in a manner that felt horrific and pained her so to drag tears to her eyes despite being unable to scream.

However, as it left her she could see the apparition of a shadow being in front of her walking toward the pool.

[Daunting Perception, two setback]

This was it. She had expected everything that was happening; of course. Knew what this entailed... and yet the reality of it threatened to overwhelm her. This was her moment. To strike? To let it happen? What? Could she even *do* anything at all in this situation? What would happen if she did? What would happen if she didn't?

Perception (Destiny!): 1eP+3eA+4eD+2eS 2 failures

There was precious little time to decide, but the spirit was before her and approaching toward the pool.

Of course, being a generally careful individual, she would *like* to be able to strike in a way that; should it fail; she could at least attempt to talk her way out of it should the spirit survive and prove too powerful to overcome. But even if that were not possible, she would strike Now or never, right? She had done as much research on how best to defeat the spirit in this moment as she could've done. It was vulnerable now. Occupied, and weakened. Hopefully it would be enough. Letting the spirit return to the living and place itself above her as her master was... dangerous. Too dangerous.

As the spirit drew closer, the woman continued to scream as black shadowy tendrils lash out and attach to her, pulling her down to her knees until she was covered nearly just below the shoulders in the dark sludge. Fissure like tendrils reaching up along her body, crawling up her neck, they covered her mouth and the screaming was silenced though the fear remained in her eyes.

There was only left the moment to commit- strike, or not. She had the blade to hand and it would answer her call should she choose.

[lightsaber at difficulty?]

[Just an action, no need to roll.]

She switched on her lightsaber. *Her* lightsaber. And struck at the shadow; hoping, perhaps desparately so, that it wouldn't just pass through ineffectually and that it could actually disrupt; damage; the spirit as it moved between bodies.

As the lightsaber cut through the apparition it completely faded, the top half going upward and dissipating alike a puff of smoke and the bottom half retracting into the deepest shadow she ever witnessed, alike the tendrils, moving along the swamp floor surface into the pool. As she strikes the shadow speeds across the floor and slips into the pool.

Foolish.

Greedy.

Child.

As the coldness of the forest grew around her the trees turned to shade and she seemed to become trapped in a cage of the shadow. In front of her the rattataki's panicked eyes meet with Tyllia's before she's pulled underneath in the pool. With that the pool closes over the top and the dirt seals it in. Tyllia's left alone for minutes, going on half an hour, and then finally- the shadow wall lowers.

All around her she's merely in the deep-swamp. Alone.

[Tyllia is no longer cursed.]

It all happened too fast for her to stop. She had hoped for the woman to escape this unharmed; she really did. And of course, for the spirit to be cleansed forever. But she had not anticipated the spirit could have had this kind of ability.

Her anger growing, she waited... and waited... until she was free again.

Then, she would ignite the lightsaber again; assuming it had not been taken from her; and would try to carve a hole in the ground where the dirt had sealed in the pool. Maybe it was more catharsis than real hope, but even so she tried.

Catharsis was all she would find.