The Champions wasted no time in leaping to the Elders’ aid, joining the fray in time to hear Voldon’s shout of warning. Thankfully they knew well enough to obey firsf and ask questions later, for if Yerbol hadn't he may have found himself skewered by the Faceless woman's lightsaber. As it was, she instead found herself meeting Aria's swift retribution. She couldn't stifle her smirk at his teasing remark, responding with: 
Indeed, it would seem they can't help themselves can they? 
She deactivated her lightsabers and turned to face Voldon and Cheriss, the last of the assailants for the time being dispatched and allowing the Qyaari to plot their next course of action. Aria couldn't suppress a surge of trepidation at the mention of the so-called “Nightmare Lands”, they didn't sound much like a place she would want to travel through, especially whilst being pursued. 
“They won't be the last Faceless we see.” the Champion muttered, disdain clear in her tone as she made a sharp, sweeping gesture at the bodies scattered about their feet. “Manus will send more, and certainly lay traps, anything to stop us reaching the Temple.” 
“Indeed.” Cheriss grunted, a cold indifference to her response present which Aria didn't much like. “But I doubt even they would idly follow us in there. Even the most experienced Darths or Masters would have balked before stepping into the Nightmare lands.”
[i]Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t like the sound of this place, AT ALL. [/i] She commented absently to her partner, a sullen scowl painted over her brows. Out loud, she told the Elders: 
“Then you’ll forgive me for not being too thrilled that WE have to do it.” Cheriss and Voldon turned in unison and fixed the protesting Champion with a withering glare that silenced her almost instantly. Further protest was not possible, as Cheriss and Voldon began to head in the direction of the Nightmare lands.
“Stay close and don’t wander off.” Cheriss warned them. 
__________________________________

The...taint, was probably the closest word Aria could have used to describe it, that permeated from every inch of the Nightmare Lands was eerily palpable. 
“No wonder nobody wants to come over here…” she muttered under her breath, though neither Cheriss nor Voldon seemed to pay the comment any mind or indeed acknowledge that they had heard it. An uncomfortable shiver crept down the Champion’s spine, subconsciously moving to walk a bit closer to Yerbol. This place gave her the creeps more than those Whispering Swamps she and her partner had traversed on Nuncata some months before in search of the True Sith Master, Renso. The constant feeling of being watched by some otherworldly presence, coupled with the occasional ghastly voice wailing on the breeze all served to set the Champion’s teeth on edge and spur her towards keeping up a very brisk pace for her tiny legs in order to keep pace with the two Elders and not fall behind. 
Glancing over her shoulder at them, Cheriss growled a quiet warning to Yerbol and Aria:
“Don’t trust your eyes, or your ears...there are dark spirits in this place that have been known to drive even the most experienced Masters insane. Whatever they show you, it’s NOT real. As long as you remember that, you’ll be safe.”
[i]No wonder they went mad, this place is like a boogeyman’s paradise....Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran into the Sith Triumvirate or something else long lost to legends, at this point![/i] Aria gulped, not voicing the statement out loud this time and instead speaking through their bond as she bit back a terrified squeal after she could have sworn she felt some kind of clawed hand grabbing at her cloak and trying to pull her away from the others.

Aria couldn’t help but notice, despite the air of confidence that she tried to project, that Cheriss walked far more upright than was usual, even for her, as if a metal rod was attached to her spine that prevented her from relaxing in any way. 
“Howcome you know so much about this place, Cheriss?” Aria worked up the courage to 
At first, Cheriss was silent and seemed reluctant to answer, but when Yerbol maintained his raised eyebrow and questioning gaze, the Elder sighed and responded. 
“Like Voldon, I too travelled here once before, although for a different purpose altogether. Ironic, that to cure the demonic illusions plaguing my thoughts I would have to travel to a land filled with the very same spirits.” the Dathomirian scoffed loudly, shaking her head. “But your father told me it was the only way. Enough of that, though.” Cheriss admonished them quickly, noting the Champions’ sparked curiosity. “We don't have time for me to relay the entire anecdote....perhaps later.”
The tale was surprisingly new to Aria, neither Roan nor Cheriss had ever made mention of it to her before, perhaps for good reason. She could feel equal measures of shock and curiosity emanating from Yerbol through their bond as she felt herself. 
[i]Suddenly, her personality makes more sense.[/i] Yerbol commented, the tone of his thoughts something of a mixture between somber and amusement. 
[i]No kidding, must be scary...being controlled by spirits like that.[/i] An involuntary shiver crept down Aria's spine at the thought, though she turned her attention back to their current path, which still firmly led by Voldon, who forged onwards despite the myriad of ghastly images and sounds that the apparitions flung at the Qyaari. If she had been a few years younger, and less aware of the trickery that could be performed by such spirits, it would have been enough to reduce her to a blabbering mess, instead the Champion could simply choose to block out or ignore most of the sounds. The only issue it presented, however, was that it made it very difficult to discern which sounds came from the illusions and which ones indicated that they were being pursued by unsavoury characters. Therefore, the Qyaari were taken entirely by surprise when they rounded the next corner and found themselves hemmed in by a contingent of Faceless. 

Voldon and Yerbol were quick to react, drawing their sabers and rushing forward to meet their assailants head-on, however Aria hesitated as she noticed Cheriss freeze momentarily, a measure of conflict appearing in the Elder’s eyes. It didn’t take long to figure out the reason behind Cheriss’ hesitation: while carrying a lightwhip as a weapon instead of a conventional lightsaber could often bear its advantages; shock and fear factor among one, although in such close quarters the wide damage radius provided by the long plasma string had the chance of injuring the other Qyaari as well as their enemies, it didn’t appear that was a chance the Dathomirian was willing to take. 
“Cheriss!” 
Drawing both her weapons, Aria activated the blades, keeping one firmly in her grasp while the other went spinning through the midsections of three of the Faceless who had attempted to head off the Elders, the blade retracting as its momentum slowed and the saber flew into Cheriss’ waiting outstretched hand. Aria found it rather strange to be fighting with only one lightsaber, the Champion almost under the illusion that her right side was entirely unprotected. Perhaps the spirits or whatever other beings inhabited this part of the land were helping to contribute to her disorientation, but whatever it was, it made the Champion’s movements slightly more choppy and uncoordinated than was usual for her. As she twisted out of range of one Faceless lightsaber and spun on her heels to deliver a counter-attack to another that got too close, Aria was caught off guard as a third Faceless girl appeared directly in her path, throwing the Champion backwards with far more force than Aria would have thought an inexperienced youngster should have had. Before Aria even had a chance to get her feet back underneath her again, a crushing weight slammed into her entire body and threw her to the ground once more, leaving her staring helplessly up into the eyes of her opponent while the girl stood and gloated silently over the Champion’s imminent demise. Aria simply met the Faceless’ gaze, keeping her expression impassive and refusing to show any signs of pain or any other sort of reaction, whilst trying to piece together a strategy to get herself out of this predicament. No matter what she tried, Aria could not seem to fight off the choking force that constricted every inch of her being….she couldn’t recall seeing such strength in the Force, not since her days at the academy on Korriban. The raw power displayed by acolytes who had finally reached breaking point over many long weeks of torment and humiliation at the hands of their instructors and finally exploded….even the most experienced Darths and Masters could not have matched it. Such power, if left untrained, could prove most dangerous. 

Thinking on her feet, Aria had to react quickly in order to have any chance of throwing her opponent off guard (or giving Yerbol enough time to run to her aid...whichever one came first!), being more diminutive in stature than the Faceless girl, and although more powerful by virtue of her experience provided by duelling Sith Lords and stopping not one, but two, mass genocides, Aria’s own skill was apparently no match for the untamed, raw power in these Faceless recruits, left unchecked by Manus’ ludicrous training regime. No, she would have to play different cards this time. Cards she hadn’t played in a VERY long time. But desperate times called for desperate measures….
“Look, sweetheart...you’re cute and all, but you’re really not my type and my husband’s right over there, so d’you think you could let me go?” the Faceless’ reaction was instantaneous, the murderous rage radiating from her in waves transforming to disgust as the crushing grip loosened enough to allow the Champion to move. 
“You know….every time we leave the dogs at home, we get in trouble….” Aria grunted, a swift kick to her opponent’s shoulder knocking her lightsaber from her grip and sending her flying backwards before she could deliver a killing blow, allowing Yerbol to come to his wife’s rescue and shove the Faceless away with a powerful Force push. Aria dispatched the attacker with a quick gesture of a hand which snapped her neck instantly. “I think we should stop leaving them at home!” the Champion concluded as she took his offered hand and let Yerbol help her back to her feet again, dusting her robes off. 
Yerbol smirked in agreement, taking a moment to look her over in concern. 
“Are you hurt?” 
Aria grimaced uncomfortably, feeling more than one of her joints crack in protest as she held out a hand to recall her discarded lightsaber.  “She was trying to crush every bone in my body, I’m sure it’s gonna leave a mark somewhere.” the Champion managed a reassuring smile. “Nothing that can’t wait till later. I’ll live, been through a LOT worse.” 
Any further protest he might have had was cut off when their attention was drawn back to the confrontation. The Qyaari had managed to pick off most of the Faceless assailants, leaving only a handful of determined individuals who seemed determined to press their attack and prevent them from finding their way to the tower. Aria glanced up sharply as the Champions heard Cheriss bark an order:
“FOLLOW SOTO!” just in time to catch a glimpse of the blonde-haired convict disappearing down a side-path that the Qyaari might have missed had Cheriss not seen her. Looking to Voldon, Aria saw a flash of annoyance appear on the other Elder’s face, before he threw back the remaining Faceless with a powerful burst of energy, and gave chase with Cheriss close behind him.
“COME ON, both of you!”