A Guide in the Night

[TAI]

The figure slowly threaded forward, each armored footstep followed by a metallic clank and the thud of the heavy boot against the earth. What exactly he was walking towards he didn't know and he hadn't for a long time, he just wandered, rage driving him forward as he roamed. This rage, the driving force that quite possibly kept him alive, was against the darkness that practically dripped from him. The soul is the man was as black as the abyss that birthed it, yet instead of joining with the dark and sowing chaos and death to all, he fought it back, and only brought his wrath down on those if the dark. Perhaps attacking other darksiders was the man's mission before he became this, or perhaps it was simply defiance against the dark taking the power he had fought tooth and nail to gain away from him? To be quite blunt, he didn't remember why he resisted letting the dark take full control, he simply did.

Lumbering forward with a long saber hilt clanking at his side, the hunched shell of a man pressed on. There was light in the distance, perhaps it was a town, or a small village, or perhaps it was a den of the ones he hunted, Sith. The very thought of them brought out a deep groan of anger, it was loud and rung like an echo, as if the sound had been reverberated inside the man's armor like it was simply an empty suit.

But the man in the dark armor, the monster the Sith of this world and their citizens alike had come to fear sensed something else. Craxus, as he was called, stopped in his tracks. His limp left arm lazily swung at his side as he pivoted his head about, scanning for the source of this occurrence in the force. With a soft breeze blowing, flicking the tattered blue cloth that had likely once been Jedi Paladin battle robes in the wind, he found no clear source. Whatever he sensed was not hear, yet at the same time it was. Breathing heavily the warrior found himself confused. He wanted to speak, to call out to whatever was out there, but the words did not come, and so, alone in the night, Craxus stood in silence with his labored breathing being the only reprieve from the utter silence.

Something was about to happen, he just didn't know what yet.

[member="Hastur-Yig"]

 

[Hastur-Yig]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XoWkF3bnoM​

The trees swayed left and right almost rhythmically as the force issued a warning with a black tendril shooting into the mind of Craxus that screamed danger coming from his left side. At the time there was nothing, not a single thing there. Though if and when he turned around there would stand a being shrouded in the force, invisible to the real world. It wore armor from head to toe not exposing any bit of flesh disguising both race, gender, species, and identity from the dark knight before it.

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This shinobi in nature being wielded a sword, japanese desined much like the force blades used by the old jedi. It sat crouched before the red eye of it's suit met with Craxus and it stood up taking a kendo stance before dashing forward, force speed. This made him ridiculously fast drawing his sword from below his left armpit and outwards in a diagonal slice aimed for the being of rage's axillary artery. While the being attacked inside of the eye-lids of Craxus formed an eyeball staring back at him when he closed his eyes. What ever this thing was that was attacking him but also be trying to enter his mind making this fight prime to complete presently.


[member="Craxus"]

 

[TAI]

In a single deliberate motion, the dark warrior's head pivoted to the left, had he looked earlier, nothing would've been there, and the screeching warning of danger would've been for nothing at all. But as he shifted his view he was met with the sight of an armored being, its singular eye staring him down. For a moment the dark consumed warrior and the newcomer seemed to stare into the soul of the other. Craxus tensed as he kept his gaze locked onto the shinobi. Blinking, he was greeted by the sight of another eye gazing back into his own. For a moment he was shocked by the mental attack, thrown off, vulnerable. But as his foe sped forward swinging, Craxus made one thing clear; he was fast too.

Sidestepping, the blade arced past the dark warrior who quickly drew the long saber hilt and thumbed the ignition. In a split second, Craxus raised his arm up instead of instantly striking, to someone not trained extremely well, and sensitive to the force, the minor movement would've meant nothing, but this opponent was fast enough to use that movement as an indicator for an incoming strike. Such a mistake was minor and unnoticeable by most, but prior to becoming what he was, Craxus never would've made that error, even with the mental attack in play, it was as if he wasn't fully in control of his movement. Regardless, the crimson blade that sprung from the hilt flickered and buzzed, the crystal obviously damaged like the blade's wielder, and emitting an erratic and unstable blade.

The blow came down rapidly and deliberately with an immense amount of force behind it, with the blow aiming to bisect his assailant from the top down, or perhaps take off his head. Amidst all this the warrior made no noise, his breathing remained the same pace, the same strained breath, and aside from the hum of the saber and the pat of each of the combatant's feet across the grass, the same silence remained.

[member="Hastur-Yig"]

 

[Hastur-Yig]

What a strange attack, but it had reason behind it a good sign. This warrior did in fact know how to fight, now for how long was the question. A strained breath and erratic blade made him appear like that of a glass cannon, something that this being before him would have to capitalize on. Throwing the sword upwards his wrist at an angle but upon contact two surprises occurred. The first being that this warriors metal blade had made contact with the saber and had not been sliced through, even the blade refused to melt. The being almost made a sound, though inhuman nor near human in nature was it.

The sound of an abyssal aquatic demon bellowed quickly. The second surprise was that his wrist at the unstable angle was able to contain the force of the blow, something horrifying for many soldiers. Then without time lost it threw its head forward launching a large wave of the force towards the knight enough to throw an unarmored man nearly twenty feet, but that obviously wasn't the case for either of these men. The assaliant was still shrouded in the force lightly, his body was still easy enough to see his one red eye especially but the blade's length was nearly impossible to discern giving him his own unique advantage on Craxus. Now how the two would duel it out depended on skill alone. The half obscured blade swung horizontally from his left to right as he dashed towards the armored man.

[member="Craxus"]

 

[TAI]

It stopped him, it didn't even flinch against the blow, this was no amateur. As a wave of force knocked Craxus back, the man dug in his heels, sinking them into the dirt as he was pushed back. Still the man didn't emit a noise but his steady breath as the wind blew the tattered cloth clinging to his armor in the wind. Darkness ebbed from Craxus, tempting him, begging him to lash out with it's power, to surrender control, but the dark figure resisted with the fire of his rage. Craxus would not bend to the will of the black, he would not surrender to the abyss.

As his partially shrouded opponent sped forward, it was now Craxus's turn to surprise his foe. Lifting the saber quickly he allowed the blade clash with that of his enemy. But unlike what should've happened with a one handed block against a blow of that kind of force, his blade remained perfectly still, the dark knight absorbing the force of the blow without so much as a wince. Suddenly then, he jerked back, out of the reach of the blade of his enemy, then surged forward, this time with a much more deliberate attack. Leaping into the air and spinning, he came down at the armored figure with enough force that the blow, if it missed his target's body, would leave quite the imprint of the ground.

[member="Hastur-Yig"]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qym1FLbzeLQ (see 1:48 for visual reference)

 

[Hastur-Yig]

So it appeared that both figures, beings of something greater than themselves had been given mass power from the force or something else. For the gray warrior it was a little bit of both as he remained calm under this scenario just as his partner did. While Craxus was a force tied to darkness and willpower the warden before him served a higher cause. Though causes never won a war, it was always the men and women who bore both weapon and defense against the clashing ideals. This beings master having seen enough to know what was happening decided one final move, a check mate resulting in both king pieces falling.

This eldritch entity knew that it wouldn't be enough to kill Craxus, nor would it slay him. This would be to send a message, and it started with the messenger to look directly up, the messenger using shatter-point on the knight. Once identifying the weakest spot that wasn't true lethal he stood with feet apart holding himself firmly as if a hurricane was coming, the bomber knight was definitely akin to one. Raising his sword high he aimed for the point a link in the armor lesser than the rest, an opening much like a dragon missing one scale. As the blade pierced armor and into the body of Craxus the erratic blade tore through the trapezius down to the midsection of the alternate sides thigh. Slumping to the ground the wolf sank before disappearing into thin air.

In the place of the attack sat a white tree, split down the middle with the upper end on the ground next to the knight. The only sounds present now were the crackling energy of the red blade and the raspy tone of breath left over. Then as ten seconds passed another sound could be heard, an alien clicking inhuman in nature. Behind the tree a handful of meters away now rested an eldritch creature with tentacles ending its form to the ground. Its face was much like the warriors without facial distinction even the red eye. It sat there breathing in sync with Craxus but much quieter until it spoke...

"Congratulations Soldier."​

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[member="Craxus"]​

 

[TAI]

At first it didn't register, his armor was thick and plated, made from a mysterious metal claimed from a beast decades ago when the dead rose to attack the living. It was nigh impenetrable, but this warrior had managed to strike right through where two plates met between his lower ribs. He did not cry out as blood began to trickle and his opponent faded away, the blow was not fatal, it had missed any vital organs by sheer luck, and he would not give into his pain. The dark could take control then. As his labored breathing continued and he focused to the best of his ability on sealing the wound with the force, another figure appeared.

It was strange, unlike anything he could ever recall seeing, but he could sense its potency in the force, and a lack of aggression. As its tentacles spread around it the dark warrior paid little mind to the white tree before him, completely fixated on the being before him. His muddled mind was a mess of questions, none of which he had the capacity to ask, so instead he simply wait.

Looking towards it for a moment he left his blade ignited until it spoke. As soon as the words eminated from the creature the blade deactivated, this would be the only display of non-agression Craxus would be making to show he did not intend to fight. Placing the saber back at his side pressed his now free good hand to the wound and called upon the force to at least cease some of the bleeding, focusing as bes he could with the darkness clawing away at his mind. Not once did he peel his gaze away from the creature. He knew not its intentions, but he was willing to wait and see.

[member="Hastur-Yig"]

 

[Hastur-Yig]

The mental link first established earlier was strengthened by the blade of his messenger. Hastur-Yig continued to speak using his telepathy, the voice soft and loving like a lamb alone in a meadow. Light with clean enunciation it said this,

"Craxus, you seek a path that is unobtainable by man alone. Though your dyad spirit, lacking kindrance or direction shows promise. You require an object greater than yourself. For every great knight comes a banner, and you dear Craxus shall be lead there. You walk separate from light and darkness. You follow a path of self without administration or constriction. If you'll allow me I will be able to give you the strength of your sword, to your mind."

The creature began to drag itself forward, two sets of arms alternating like a digging machine pulling itself along the ground. It's tentacles sprawled in each direction but did little than to steer his movements as they lacked strength from his old age. The boneplate face inched nearer and nearer to craxus, now little more than seven meters away. It's long arms gripped into earth as it stopped preparing himself for questions and answers to give them. Or simpler yet, an acceptance and retelling of his contract with more specificalities.


[member="Craxus"]

 

[TAI]

(Sorry about late reply, I just graduated HS and I've been really busy)

It offered strength, guidance, perhaps healing to his mind. These were not things he could refuse. The dark warrior had no questions, and no words to speak even if he had been capable of forming the, the man nodded in acceptance, the tattered blue cloth of his hood swaying before the pitch black area where his face hid behind a mask of opaque darkness. It had been quite a time since something had not only not attacked Craxus, but was friendly towards him, in fact it had been in another dimension the last time if he remembered correctly. The creature's appearance wasn't unnerving to Craxus oddly, it wasn't the worst he'd seen, and it wasn't actively making an effort to kill him which was always a plus.

The warrior stood tall, and waited, simply breathing heavily once again as tried to anticipate what the crawling creature before him would do next, but it was a futile gesture, he had now to predict the things actions.

[member="Hastur-Yig"]

 

[Hastur-Yig]

"No signs of resistance I see, your mind, for just a moment has calmed. Not entirely, just in a small portion and surely the darkness will steal that from you. But if you feel the need to resist and continue your burdens alone simply stop what I am about to do." Raising it's left hand underneath the primary one which held his weight still it began to vibrate softly as the trees around Craxus began to die and the force began to enter his body. Without doubt Craxus's natural body and darkness would resist but it wouldn't be stopped unless he used his mind as well.

In the mind the knight could see what was happening, a gift from Hastur-Yig a symbol appeared in his mind. This symbol would brand him, offering him protection and assistance from Hastur-Yig. In exchange it would tie him to the abomination, it would be allowed to teleport him willingly regardless of location or time. But in exchange for that knowledge would be allowed to flow freely to him upon Hastur's instruction giving him a learning power unlike many others. Similar to a holocron but more powerful in nature.

This was an ability he'd founded through Force Magic, to him and those who would follow after him it would be called 'Force Brand'. The eyeball inside his eyelid began to take the shape of the rune that would mark him. This act of trust would be his finalization for apprenticeship under Hastur-Yig the force prophet and beast.


(You're fine baby grill, I get it.)


[member="Craxus"]

 

[TAI]

He didn't stop the creature, as Craxus was branded he simply remained still and impassive, breathing heavily as ever. Knowledge, as he remembered, was the key to every battle and struggle, and it would be what kept him on his current path. There were no words to be spoken, not from Craxus, but the hulking knight remained in passive silence, but [member="Hastur-Yig"] would see something else in his mind's eye. Far away, on the world of Altir among the ruins that had forged Craxus, something was stirring, he himself couldn't sense the rising being, but the creature before him would see a flash of the figure.

Whatever it was, the being was consumed by dark, fire, and a single objective: it was going to kill Craxus and anyone that had mattered to him in whatever his past life had been until the dark warrior fulfilled his destiny. But before any more could possibly be sensed, the being disappeared from Hastur's thoughts. Now, the two beings were truly alone in the dead of the night, teacher and student, with a universe of possibility ahead.

 

[Hastur-Yig]

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The rune replaced the image of the unknown being. The gift of Hastur-Yig​

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"This will be your sigil, the mark that shows your apprenticeship to me. Do not let your demons destroy your will, they are tools just like the armor you wear and the saber you carry. There is no dark, there is no light. There is only the force, you are the force, I am the force. The force is us and we are it. Never forget that, now take my hand. I will take you to where I live, where you will begin your training." Hastur-Yig said happily, it was what he had learned through the study of the force and now with a willing student he would finally begin his life's goal. To teach others the truth and to end the ceaseless bloodshed.

This being, Craxus, he felt pity for him. There was so much anger in his head constantly, it rarely ceased. His composure was calm and unique, telepathy would surely end that once Hastur had begun teaching him. Though only time would tell, time would tell if he was right or wrong. Time was the one thing conspiring against him for now, and with Craxus here surely it wouldn't be the only for long.

[member="Craxus"]​

 

[TAI]

As the darkness swirled in his mind Craxus groaned, the hollow sounding noise echoing in the night. But this rune, this mark, it made the darkness which constantly assaulted his consciousness be rebuffed more so than he alone had been capable of. Steadily, he lifted his hand, and took that of [member="Hastur-Yig"] in silent acceptance. For the first time in a long time he felt an emotion besides fear, anger, or confusion, he felt anticipation. Once upon a time, either of the men Craxus possibly was had fought on once the same, and later opposite sides to achieve the same goal as Hastur. They had wanted to end the bloodshed, one wished to establish this peace through the order of an iron fist, the other after his conversion wished to do so through freedom, but in the end the goal was the same. It was funny how light and dark raged against each other, two opposites each with a nearly identical end goal, at least this was the case of those who championed both sides of the force in this era. Then again, the morals of the powers the be were irrelevant to Craxus, he walked outside that, and his only mission, the only thing that kept him together was the drive to destroy the dark. It was all he had left.

 

[Hastur-Yig]

Hastur-Yig admired Craxus, he had incredible courage. Something that wasn't as common as some would lead to believe, it was rather fleeting in this age. Now with the knight Craxus under his tutelage he would be able to administer much more strength through his scholars. Something that unfortunately would eventually have to be done, for violence was becoming a part of life if one wished to seek something. Either way he had a nigh indestructible force to his immovable object. Though one would begin with the basics as it always happens. Craxus was extremely talented, so very much so but his mind was clouded by so many negatives there was no balance. Only shadows and a will for change.

Though the will itself was flawed, for one could never destroy their demons. You can fight them and destroy their bodies but they will always rise to strike you down. The only path to the demon's defeat is to passify it so you can harness the dark power as your own and not your power for themselves. Craxus would learn to wield both sides of his sword as one blade soon enough, but for now he must take him home. Their hands held briefly, before a flash of white filled their minds. Hastur-Yig now rested on a throne made from calcified flesh with his tentacles flowing over it, and his arms raised high in the air. Craxus spawned on the ground before the monolith that he was.

Their training would begin, first Hastur must test the limits of this warrior due to his nature. As quickly as they had arrived four of the shinobi from earlier escaped from the darkness of the abandoned freighter that was now home to Hastur and his Homonculi. Unsheathing their swords they dashed in at just the simpleist clicking of the alien being's throat. Locking them into combat until this first trial was completed, there was no victory in this, only the knowledge that both would gain from the limits now set upon Craxus. Truly this would be painful for him, even considering his mass pain tolerance and armor, for these warriors would not stop coming.

Hastur-Yig would just make more, until [member="Craxus"] lost.​

-End-​