Follow former Jedi turned saber-for-hire monster hunter Ty Yorrick in this adventure-packed High Republic miniseries by Cavan Scott and Rachael Stott!
The time has come—Ty has reached the Gretalx [sic] layer and now she must do what she does best: slay the beast! But during the battle, her rusty Force powers trigger a cave in, trapping her and Drewen with the monster. As the Gretalax and Rock Weavers close in on the pair, Ty feels an unexpected presence in the Force…
Chapter 3: Into the Lair
Ty Yorrick uses her sonic cutter to burn a path through dead plants as Drewen Qweebjillan watches, but when he asks if he can do that next time, she says no. He further asks if she has any gadgets he can use, but her answer is the same. Drewen attempts to apologize about the previous night. Ty says there's nothing to talk about, but Drewen disagrees that there is: the girl who fell, as he isn't convinced that there's nothing Ty could have done. Whirling, Ty snaps that she told him that, and Drewen backs off. As they continue upwards, Ty grumbles that things were bad enough when she had KL-03 whittering in her ear. Drewen says that Ty's droid seems wise, but Ty snaps that Kayel is a machine and tool who is fortunately out of range.
A wrong step leads Ty to nearly fall to her death as a crust of snow breaks, but she uses the prongs on the hilt of her lightsaber to save herself, jamming the weapon into the mountainside, telling Drewen she's fine and not to start any drama. Ty orders Drewen to give her his hand, telling him she needs to get him across the gap. Drewen worries about the supplies, and wonders if Ty can't just use the Force to float him over, but Ty shouts at him to follow her instruction, before tossing him across the gap. When Ty reaches the other side, Drewen grumbles that she didn't have to throw him so hard, leading her to sarcastically quip "You're welcome." Shortly, the two come across a bone-strewn cave, which Ty identifies as the Gretalax's lair. Drewen comments that it's dark inside, and, igniting her lightsaber, Ty replies that they usually are.
In the past, Jedi Padawan Tylera repeats to herself the mantra that "There is no fear, only certainty" as she explores the Yallow Shrine with her friend Klias Teradine, who tells her to stop while stating he can't see what her "problem" is. Tylera says they shouldn't be there, asking Klias if he can't feel the dark side of the Force everywhere around them. Klias responds in the negative, saying that what is truly around them are treasures and knowledge, pointing out a Yallow soothsaber before finding a vitalicron. Amazed at the find, Klias tells Tylera that it's said to contain the memories of a Yallow cultist, but as he wonders about the possibilities of returning it to the Jedi temple, Tylera cuts him off. She tells him that looking at the artifacts is one thing, but theft is another: the artifacts belong to another culture, and stealing them would be wrong even if the objects weren't also mind-numbingly dangerous. Klias retorts that Tylera shouldn't be such a ferbil, but Tylera insists that she isn't, worrying about the Jedi Masters' reaction, to which Klias responds that they'll be falling over themselves when they see what the Padawans have discovered. The genetic seal on the vitalicron suddenly unlocks, taking Klias by surprise, and he screams as something from inside the artifact overwhelms him, before falling to the floor while dropping the device. Tylera asks him what's wrong, and he turns and shouts for her to run.
In the present, Drewen asks Ty if her lightsaber has a brightness control. Sighing, she hands him a light, and he asks her if she has anything else, such as a spare blaster, that could accompany it so he can defend himself. Ty responds that he might not have to if he stops talking, explaining that the first rule of monster hunting is to shut up. Behind them, a monstrous silhouette emerges from the dark. Ty whirls around just in time, putting herself between Drewen and the Gretalax while shouting at him to get back. She tackles Drewen out of the way while shouting at him to move. As Ty leaps to attack the beast with her hands and feet, Drewen grumbles that this is why he wanted a weapon. Finding a rock, Drewen throws it at the "hairy monstrosity" while shouting at it. The rock hits Ty instead, and she yells at Drewen to stop helping, before igniting her lightsaber and commenting that the 's horns could be a problem. As the Gretalax charges, she grabs on to one of its horns while asking it to calm down, saying as she vaults onto its back that she doesn't want to hurt it — yet.
Drewen searches through Ty's pack, hoping to find something he can use. He is interrupted when he hears a whimper, following the sound to find Pela alive, but tied up in Rock Weaver webs. Realizing the girl is seriously injured, Drewen tells her not to worry as he'll get her out. Elsewhere, the Gretalax throws Ty from its back, and she loses her lightsaber in the process. Ty frantically searches for it, only to see it near the creature. As the Gretalax attacks, Ty gives herself some words of encouragement as she tries to pull the weapon to her, noting that it shouldn't be this difficult. The weapon moves, but rocks fall from the cave ceiling, forcing Ty to change her focus to try and protect herself from the cave-in.
Waking up amid the rubble, Ty grumbles about the Force before realizing the beast is also trapped. Hearing noises, she assumes it's Drewen and says he's finally proving useful. But when she climbs up to investigate, she finds Rock Weavers instead. However, the Segredo soon shows up with Ty's lightsaber, waving the weapon at the spiders. Ty asks him what he's doing, and he says it's obvious, adding that they have the girl from the village trussed up like a swamp turkey. Ty is surprise to learn the girl is alive, and Drewen says that he's not going to let the same thing happen to her. Shouting for him to stop, Ty telekinetically knocks her lightsaber from Drewen's hand. Panicking, he asks why she did that since the Rock Weavers are going to eat them. Ty responds that they aren't, as one of the spiders helps her climb up. Drewen asks if Ty is the one controlling them, but Ty explains that she thinks it's the Gretalax, as the spiders uncover the creature.
As he asks if she's sure, Ty reclaims her lightsaber and tells him that no one else touches it, not even if they think they're saving her life. Drewen apologizes, and Ty says she'll forgive him just this once. Adding that not everything is as it first seems, Ty kneels by the Gretalax's head. Ty says that, like Drewen, she had assumed it was a mindless beast, but should have known better. Drewen asks if she means it's sentient, and Ty responds that it might be, but it's hard to tell. Ty says she's never been good at connecting with beasts, remembering the teachings of Jedi Master Cibaba. Still, she reaches out and manages to make a connection, seeing Pela and realizing that's how it works. Drewen asks what's going on, and Ty explains that the Gretalax did what she couldn't and formed a bridge through the Force. When he asks if it's normal for it to be able to use the Force, Ty says that her Master always used to say that the Force was in all living things. Ty watches as the Rock Weavers close in on the fallen Pela and is alarmed, but quickly realized there's no cause for concern, watching as the spiders pick up the girl and carry her to the Gretalax, describing the scene to Drewen. The Segredo points out that the people of Wyke's Town said it was a monster and went on a rampage, and Ty agrees, wondering why.
Ty watches the Gretalax's attack, seeing Pela push her uncle Layton Wyke's blaster rifle off target when he tries to shoot the creature. Pela approaches the Gretalax, asking it to get out of there. Layton, angered at his niece's behavior, shouts at her to get out of the way as he fires his weapon. The shot hits nearby rhydonium canisters, causing an explosion, but Pela still enters the cloud of toxic fumes to try and help the Gretalax. Ty, recalling that Layton had blamed the creature for the gas instead of admitting his own blame, wonders why Pela is trying to help the creature despite her injuries. In the vision, Ty finds a cave and enters it. Drewen asks her what she's seeing, and she says she's not sure. Heading deeper, Ty discovers something that pulls her straight out of the vision as she shouts "No!" Drewen asks her what she learned, and Ty responds that she knows what the monster did, taking her lightsaber to hand. Igniting the violet blade, Ty says it will not stand.
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