Private Apprentice to Water

[Arianna Belasko]

"Respectfully Draco, there are more to areas of the Sith than meets the eye. I've been briefed on this Planet. The Great Vault of Khemost runs underneath half the planet. What limited scouting attempts have been made have all met with fierce resistance in the form of Magical Traps , Booby Traps, and Sith Spawn. Just because everybody is dead doesn't mean that always remains so. Opening this Door unless we are sure might cause them to reanimate and attack us. Or opening it might summon something..."

"Nothing important to note. Just more corpses. Lots of data got corrupted. Apprentice, be careful. Just because you've disarmed traps doesn't mean there are no dangers." Arianna answered over the link."

As Draco Miles crossed the one trap over the threshold it lit up a purple rectangle of glowing runes and it's gravity based magic quickly enveloped Draco, and began to increase it's grip...

 

[Draco Miles]

Damn David and his applications of logic and reasoning! Those facts too, he must be cheating. Draco was one to realize when she was in the wrong through, and was going to say so, until she activated the gravity trap. Her first instinct was to swing her tail and knock David far away from her so he wouldn’t be caught in it while she took it and was lifted into the air. She grunted with effort as she tried to dispel it, but instead began dumping her force into it. Realizing way too late that she had increased the strength of the trap instead and now had her teeth grit as she tried to keep herself together from brute strength alone… though she did have quite a bit of that, so she could hold out for awhile, albeit very uncomfortably.


She was unable to call out for help, too strained to muster up words and instead her fiery amber eyes glaring straight ahead with the fury of a thousand suns for multiple reasons, main one being herself for getting caught in such a stupid trap, second one was… well, the pain of trying to be severed limb from limb due to gravity. Sucks, a lot

Arianna Belasko

 

[Arianna Belasko]

Arianna studied the records more and more, amazed that greed alone had done this and nothing else.

No matter how hard she tried, no matter what ritual she resorted to, she could discern the mark of no ancient curse. No ludicrously overpowered relic that had confused people into killing each other.

No. Pure, unrestrained greed. Arianna liked to think she had been exposed to the worst of people's nature's through the Dark Side. Khemost had shown Arianna so far that she knew nothing of the depravity people could sink to when no Dark Side was present as an excuse.

Laertia and her children had finished restoring power to large parts of the facility and Arianna had been going through more records when she felt Draco's pain in the Force and without time to explain, went running after her. She spotted David, who had stayed with her to keep Draco from panicking.

"Gravity trap..." David explained. "It's getting worse. I've been looking for a way to disable if but so far, no luck."

"You won't find it. And even if you could, you could never disarm it in time. No. What we must attempt is a good old fashioned brute Force method..." The blond Sorceress said frowning as she held out her hand.

"Try to stay calm, Draco. Don't move." Arianna ordered, focusing her power into outright shattering the magical bonds that held her.

Arianna's flesh bubbled and shuddered and warped everywhere horrifically as she poured all her power into destroying the bonds, letting out involuntary, pig like metallic squeals of exertion. It drained much of her energy reserves, too much to remain Arianna, who felt her mind shutting down as it ran out of juice, the creature truly in control forced to take over as it no longer had the energy necessary to remain Arianna.

As Draco's bonds shattered, the thing in her place fell to the floor, flesh resetting into the appearance of an elderly but beautiful woman with pale skin and dark red hair, flesh shuddering everywhere for a few seconds more as she struggled to get to her feet.

"Are you...alright...Draco?" Vivian asked, Arianna's fake Dark Side Aura having been replaced by Vivian's light side aura as she swooned and collapsed in front of Draco Miles

 

[Draco Miles]

Pain. Such a strange thing… the body receives damage, but it is up to the mind whether one should pay attention to this damage or not, which is why a lot of people oftentimes don’t feel pain, because the mind simply does not care. Sadly for Draco, this is not the case, being trapped in a gravity well that tugged on her limbs trying to tear them off was extremely painful. At least Arianna could feel it too!

As Arianna Belasko walked in, Draco had a sinister snarl on her face, with her eyes as well as a line of black scutes that ran from her head to the tip of her tail glowing a bright blue, seems she was going to release a powerful force attack until Arianna came in. She faded back to normal and watched with increasing pain as the trap was dismantled, but then in horror as her skin bubbled and broiled, as it melted off and left Draco terrified with the thought that her ignorance and stupidity had led to her master’s death! As soon as the trap was shattered, she fell to her knees and pushed herself forward to catch Arianna, seeing now that it was some form of mask and that Arianna was much older than Draco had thought… and much different. She felt the same energy from those she had countlessly slaughtered, the same light of the hundreds of Jedi she had killed, and realized that her master was one of them herself! Though that didn’t really change a thing, besides how Draco may approach her in the future on training.

“Yes, master, I am fine… but you… are you ok? I thought you were melting for a second… I’m… glad to see you’re still alive. I’m sorry… i’m so sorry for my failure…”

Maybe if she had more than 2 brain cells she’d not Have fallen for that trap, but instead she lacked the insight and severely wounded her master. She felt horrible for her mistake, and was coming up blank on ways to fix it. Would Arianna hate her for this…? She should… Draco would honestly be surprised if Countess Belasko didn’t order her execution for her incompetence and stupidity. A lot of negative and self doubting thoughts swirled through her mind, but whatever punishment may come, Draco would accept it to atone for her sin.

 

[Arianna Belasko]

Vivian eventually got ahold of her bearings. The elderly woman's flesh still shuddered.

"I'll be fine. I'm a tad drained but...I'll be fine. I'm just glad you are alright...but that was incredibly reckless of you." Vivian explained. "This is why you show extreme caution at all times exploring areas of The Sith...I think it's...best I travel with you, for now."

"Long time no see Vivian. They tell me you don't come up for air much these days..." David remarked.

"Enough to avoid getting totally lost in the role..." Vivian replied before turning to face Draco.

"Well, I suppose you have a ton of questions, such as why my Aura is suddenly Light Side..."

Draco Miles

 

[Draco Miles]

“Y-Yes, my master, many questions… mainly if this will affect anything? Or our surroundings? I remember the Sith are supposed to despise the Jedi… will the vault react to your presence now?”

She seemed to focus more on the now than anything. Her deeper questions could wait, because for now, they were in hostile territory, and it could come for them at a moments notice. First safety, then curiosity. Her recklessness had almost gotten her killed, so now she should be… very defensive. Though her mind was swirling with questions, she must steal herself and make sure Arianna Belasko and the other members of the expedition are safe to advance.

“Can you stand on your own?”

She said this while offering a hand for Vivian to pull herself up and stand. Affiliations did not matter to her, to her Arianna and Vivian were one in the same creature, and she was glad those memories were shared as well

 

[Arianna Belasko]

"I can stand, yes. But thank you for your concern..." Vivian assured her. "As for whether the Vault will react to my presence...it might. But these sorts of places react to the presence of anybody. Often violently. We were in for it regardless, Draco."

Vivian then went to examine the runes on the vault door a little more closely, the elderly red head studying everything intensely.

"I might as well explain, all the same..." Vivian went on gently as she began to uncover their meanings and how they functioned...

"I'm a Force Spawn, Draco. A being who has had their flesh altered by magic to do very specific things. In my case, I can channel the appearance, Personality, and even the Abilities of others..." Vivian said.

"I'm afraid you have never met the real Arianna Belasko, Draco..." David explained very slowly and reasonably, so as to acclimate her to her current reality with her teacher, as Vivian began hissing incantations to undo the lock mechanisms properly. "The thing is, the side effect of the ability your teacher has is that she channels "Arianna" so much and so well, that while she is doing so, she actually believes she is Arianna. That's why Arianna doesn't mention her other self. She doesn't know Vivian exists and would not believe it if you told her to her face...the knowledge would slide out of her mind like butter on a hot plate."

The vault doors creaked open, Vivian's flesh shuddered as her body metabolized the minor release of magic.

"I was planning to tell you... eventually, when I had the strength to emerge. But it's difficult to stop channeling Arianna unless my body just doesn't have enough energy...like now..." Vivian explained. Vivian bid Draco Miles to follow her into a golden pathway lined with deep pits of treasure of all kinds. David simulated a whistling sound as he beheld the passages that seemed to go on forever. All lined like nothing he had seen before.

"Whoa..." David muttered. "No wonder Mom wants this place."

 

[Draco Miles]

“… huh… what a tragic way to live… I can respect that though, my master. Perhaps you may teach me in the light side of the force? I have seen abilities in Jedi that no Sith has been able to use, to which I wonder if one can dabble in both, and become a master in both light and dark side powers. I’d like to try”


Damn, Draco didn’t really give a hoot about learning her master was a lie. She just went on as normal, and seemingly unfazed. Why shouldn’t she? After spending her whole life secluded, she was gladly soaking up any information she could get, and being fazed by anything new would be detrimental. Learn first, confusion later.


Draco observed the vault doors open, watched as that golden light shown through the entrance and stared with wonder at the vast wealth of the vault, and its beauty was tantalizing, but the past minute’s experiences taught Draco not to advance, but instead feel out with the force for any traps

“I will locate the traps, master, and will not be so haphazard this time. I promise”

 

[Arianna Belasko]

"That was the general intention I had down the road..." Vivian admitted to Draco Miles as they walked. Vivian smiled as Draco vowed to be more careful the next time around.

"Take your time." Vivian assured, amazed Draco was taking it so well. "We're not in a rush. All this fortune will still be here. Take your time. Go at your own pace."

Vivian led the way through the golden passages, stunned by the pits of jewels and bullion coins, pearls on the side of the gold embellished bc walkway.

"I can show you many abilities of the Light, Draco. But you must be prepared to alter your outlook on the Force in some ways. To be be more thoughtful. Selfless. I was nudging you in this direction unconsciously while I was Arianna, but now that the veil is fully torn away between us, I can afford to speed it up..."

Vivian conjured a dagger of pure Light side energy.

"It's very harmful to Dark Beings. A variation of Force Light, greatly condensed for potency. Something I figured out how to do on my own and now wish to show you. Try it. But empty your mind of malicious intent. Think... necessity..."

In this lay the path of the Light Side Sith. The oath Vivian's daughter walked. The path her creator walked...

 

[Draco Miles]

Clear one’s mind and think of necessity… to her, it was necessary to please Arianna Belasko , but that was not going to help. Instead she focused on breathing, she nodded and sat right there on the floor, assuming meditation was the way, If it wasn’t she was going to feel very dumb for this, and began to focus only on her breathing, Hoping this light side would come to her

She noted on how Draco must change her outlook and think selflessly, but… that was already there. Draco often didn’t think too heavily on herself now that she was free, just how others felt and pleasing them

 

[Arianna Belasko]

While Draco meditated to focus on the Light, Vivian idly examined pits of treasure. The House would have more than it knew what to do with...

Vivian's eye an open chamber, and after strenuously sensing for traps, ventured in and spotted a magical basin in which spirit ichor had been gathered.

Vivian stuck her hand into the green energy and absorbed it, replenishing her cells, but not so much that she would overdose and turn back into Arianna. She quickly searched the golden chamber for other treasures while David hovered around Draco as she meditated on trying to summon the light side dagger.

Vivian uncovered a crystalline Death Mask of a woman, and sensed the traces of the presence within.

She drew it into herself, flesh shuddering hidiously all the while and for a moment, her face became the same as that of the Death Mask before warping back to her own. She felt super charged her power increased. The Death Mask crumbled to dust.

Vivian exited the chamber, swooned.

"Draco? Any success yet?" Vivian called out.

Draco Miles

 

[Draco Miles]

She was vibing in the Ritz Car. Trying to hard, her attempt was sour, she did not manage to connect to the light side just yet, but she was glowing! Her eyes changing from the typical Sith Amber to now what looked like search lights as she let the force flow through her and tried to come in contact with the light… as for actually controlling this? Failure. Her master’s question broke her focus and she returned to normal

“Ack! Uh… um… n-No, no, not much progress… it was very weird though… how are you feeling, Master?”

Draco still felt bad for causing Arianna Belasko such pain, it gripped at her conscious and maybe that was the reason for her unable to fully connect to the light? There could be a plethora of issues, but working through them one by one can help greatly

 

[Arianna Belasko]

"I will live, Apprentice. But thank you for your concern..." Vivian assured. She still didn't have the energy to transform, and wouldn't until she found a source of power sufficient enough to trigger an "overdose".

"Don't try to Force it, Draco...for now, we should continue ahead..."

Ten minutes later.

Vivian felt both awed and repulsed by the level of wealth she saw all around her as they walked.

"How did Khemost get this much wealth?" David wondered.

"Centuries upon uncounted centuries of conquest. Khemost was one of the most well kept secrets of the Ancient Sith. It's last known ruler was A Sith called Darth Mammon..." Vivian explained.

"My daughter spent the entire Third Imperial Civil War looking for this place. She scoured the Galaxy for clues..." Vivian added, stopping at the rusted over door to a chamber of stone, slightly ajar. She got out Arianna's red double bladed Lightsaber, activating it as she entered.

The insides of the chamber had been burned by something and she wasn't exactly certain what until she saw the well of Spirit Ichor within the center. It's containment had broken down.

Vivian's flesh shuddered violently at the power present and she instinctively went forward to examine it.

"It's been here a long while, Vivian muttered. "I guess it was used for experimentation..."

She felt it some more through the Force. Breaking that Gravity Trap on Draco Miles had done a number and Vivian had been operating in a deficit. Vivian sighed. She needed the energy, but new she wouldn't be able to stop herself from taking in too much.

She got so little freedom, being stuck as Arianna. Someday, she feared she would one day become so absorbed playing Arianna, she would never be able to emerge again, and at that point, Arianna might as well have never been killed.

But that gravity trap had put her in deficit, and deficit was a dangerous thing to be in the Great Vault of Khemost.

"Draco, stand back..." Vivian instructed, suddenly hating that Arianna couldn't exist without her.

Before she could try to absorb the Ichor into herself, she stopped, sensing something...

Daggers of light, extra juice poured into them were flung from her hands, slamming into invisible creatures, cloaked Rakghouls, which ignited as the daggers impacted, flaying about as they fell dead...

"Don't ever enter the vault without me or back up like David..." Vivian warned as she concentrated...

Her flesh shuddered incredibly violently as she absorbed the Spirit Ichor into her body. The overdose occured in seconds, happening almost faster than her metabolism could adapt. Steam started to shoot out of expanded pores on her skin and David backed right the hell off from the sheer squick of it.

Vivian felt the change occur rapidly, but she had never felt so blended into Arianna, so dominated by her Personality she could make barely a peep.

Vivian vanished, flesh and mind resetting into Arianna, who stared at Draco as she opened her eyes, flesh rippling on her face, veins glowing green for a second, flesh supercharged. The master Witch rapidly forced her flesh to be still and the color of her veins to return to normal, but right now, she felt like she had drank a gallon of coffee.

"LikeohmygodshowintheworlddidIgethere?" Arianna spoke like a chatterbox, unable to slow her speech down. "Dracoareyoualright??!"

 

[Draco Miles]

“I thank you for your patience, Master… perhaps we may speak more in the future, so you may instruct me on how to use the light?”

Draco casually said as she followed behind, reaching out with the force instead to try and feel out all around her. She had to let the light flow through her… how though? She was rather deep in thought for those ten minutes, attentively searching for all around her attuned to the force.

When they encountered the room, Draco sensed something strange, and had her questions answered when Vivian killed those two cloaked demons. She made note of how they felt and the aura they gave off as she listened. Stepping back, she nodded

“I will, Master… when will we spea—“

Aaaaand shes melting again! Jeez that was not easy to watch… she watched the transformation of old woman Vivian to Arianna Belasko and felt… saddened, that only one could exist and the other had to hide. Though the gallon of coffee got a chuckle out of her

“We are deeper in the Forge, master, thank you for taking me here. Is… this what you were searching for?”

 

[Arianna Belasko]

Arianna's flesh on her face shuddered violently for another few seconds as she metabolized more of the Ichor.

"I...I don't think it is, but this is a very important discovery all the same." Arianna said smoothly, going over to examine the now drained well.

"Oh yes, they definitely conducted experiments here." Arianna said. "It's possible to construct focus points like these for any number of purposes."

The Witch left markings on the chamber, while David tightened his grip on his rifle. "Countess. We've already been in here too long. We were not even really planning on making such an excursion. Tactically, this would be the point I advise retreat."

"David, you worry too much." Arianna said gently. "We're perfectly fine..."

Arianna strode out of the chamber and went over to another one a few meters away, throwing it open.

Inside was a great storeroom packed with jewels and Electrum ingots. Arianna waltzed in, plucked a goblet full of black pearls and held it out to Draco, but not before going over it carefully with magic to make sure it wasn't booby-trapped.

"Besides, what's the point of finding the entrance to a gigantic underground vault if you're not going to take a little sweet loot?" Arianna asked them both playfully.

Draco Miles

 

[Draco Miles]

Draco did not mind a little spelunking… the team had clearly marked the way back, it should be easy to March right back if need be. She followed behind Arianna Belasko and dismissed David’s worries as well, loyal to the countess. She stared at the vault and was amazed by it! All this sweet loot was hers for the taking… but she couldn’t get distracted again, and while Arianna may have went over it already, Draco checked as well for traps and life forms that could potentially be hidden in the gold or around the room before even entering

 

[Arianna Belasko]

Arianna strode through just this one chamber of treasure, a single piece from anything in here worth potentially thousands or millions. Her eyes fell upon a Death Mask of a woman, made of Porcelain, within a transparent box resting on a pedestal.

"Draco...over here. I want you to look at something... don't get too close though..." Arianna explained. "This mask you see here is a "Death Mask". An artifact containing the imprint of a Force Spawn like myself."

Arianna frowned.

"They are extremely dangerous. Without the proper protection, or training there is a good chance of the lingering energy within attempting to possess and mutate your body. Never approach one if you don't have to. Not without me anyway."

Arianna then opened the case and took out the mask, concentrating.

Her flesh warped and bubbled hidiously, involuntary metallic, pig like squeals erupting from her warping and melting throat and David was glad he didn't have a stomach so he couldn't vomit up said hypothetical stomach's contents.

Arianna's flesh shifted back and forth between a lighter and darker pigmentation, flesh bunching up horribly in certain parts before it resettled, Her face taking on the countenance of the fragment she had absorbed before it warped back completely to her own.

She turned to Draco. "Try not to freak."

"Little late for that." David snickered.

Arianna playfully flipped him off before her flesh warped and shuddered again, flesh shifting to that of a woman with darker skin and a curvier features than Arianna's sculpted marble cut of a figure, and much darker and curlier hair.

The Sorceress of Dantooine opened her eyes, wearing Arianna's gear.

"What's going on, how did I get here?" The Sorceress asked before turning to Draco Miles . "And who are you?"

 

[Draco Miles]

Draco was not going to touch anything! Even if it was safe to, lord knows whatever curses are hidden inside of it. She followed her master to the Death Mask, staring at it with curiosity while it was explained to her. Noting its warped appearance and the sinister look to it, she Wasn’t thinking about touching it… and was even surprised when Arianna Belasko went to it and put it on.

She watched in growing horror as flesh bubbled and boiled, much like when she used too much energy and reverted to a different form. It was terrifying, disgusting, and somewhat revolting, but! It was her master, so it could not be helped. She agreed with David that it was far too late to mention anything about freaking out while the countess morphed into the Sorceress of Dantooine.

“You are inside the vault of Khemost, my name is Draco Miles, and you are dead”

 

[Arianna Belasko]

The Sorceress of Dantooine blinked.

"Dead?" she whispered. "That's not possible. Why the last thing I remember I...I..."

The thing actually in control of the body asserted itself.

"...I...I..."

Obey...

"I believe we should get going..." The Sorceress of Dantooine said, seemingly forgetting what she was going to say, dismissing the claim Draco Miles made at her having been dead.

"See? In one ear, out the other..." David said. Following her. "But you're taking this in remarkably good stride. If I had a stomach I'd have lost my lunch seeing that chit. It makes me wanna get a fake Droid stomach precisely so I can communicate my full disgust."

The Sorceress of Dantooine led them deeper the passages getting more and more studded with expensive Jewels. David's Skeleton jaw fell open at the site of a diamond the size of a freaking speeder mounted on a great stand.

"Hello ooooo, House Payment!" David snickered.

"Quiet down a bit. Are we in the Great Vault?" The Sorceress asked as she came across a lock. She stretched out her hand and her limb became elastic and rubber, flesh jamming it it self into the lock, which came loose with a click.

*Floods of Aurodium Doubloons bearing the likeness of Darth Mammon tumbled out, covering the Sorceress before she could react. David calmly went over and began digging.

He soon pulled out the Sorceress, who spit out a few coins. She looked and saw the whole chamber beyond was flooded with coins and gems.

David simulated whistling with his sophisticated Vocabulator and grabbed an empty but expensive looking velvet sack and began plucking choice gems from the pile (He liked pink diamonds).

The Sorceress righted herself, dusted herself off, tried to look sophisticated in the midst of her embarrassing moment a few seconds prior (She failed, and spectacularly), and put on a air of otherworldly wisdom as she addressed Draco.

"You should be very careful about what you open here. Now... perhaps you would like to learn another secret of the Force..." The Sorceress said, prompted by what actually controlled her to continue their lesson as though she was the same person that had been with Draco from the start, the core of affection from the creature within that actually liked Draco starting to seep into her mannerisms, making the Sorceress start to think of Draco as an old friend she had seemingly known for years.

The Sorceress conjured a Force Illusion of Draco in a dark and gritty superhero costume.

"Force Illusion is one of the best abilities for causing distractions and traps. Do not underestimate it. Try something simple..."

 

[Draco Miles]

Oh she can have existential dread… maybe uh… maybe Draco shouldn’t have said all that. She got a worried look on her face which grew even further as the sorceress of Dantooine simply began leading them.

To David’s question she said “I’ve seen worse.” Keeping the response curt so as not to really tell the new persona anything actually revealing about house Io. As they traversed deeper into the vault, Draco seemed to feel more and more greed at the amount of treasure she was being faced with, I mean seriously, she had enough to build her own dragon hoard and then some! A bed made from a mountain of gold! Her fantasy of fulfilling the role her mythical ancestors had could very much be a reality now.

When the sorceress morphed her hand like she was made of slime, or a very comedic DC character named Plastic Man, she did grimace slightly at the sight… then began laughing as she got buried in a flood of coin, making sure to quickly shut it down as the sorceress clawed her way out of it and regained her composure, not indulging herself until her master said so.

“Oh! I have done this before!” She said in response to the illusion before putting one on herself, changing into a taller version of the sorceress of Dantooine, of course to conceal herself fully. The illusion winked and even gave a thumbs up

“I used this trick to infiltrate a jedi temple once”