Ascension: Part Three

[Krux Mullarus]

The rest of Mullarus' group suddenly loses consciousness. Setzi immediately falls into Krux's arms, to which he looks down with worry. "Setzi! No!" His anxiety shows for a brief moment as he turns and looks toward the rest of the group. All but Fortuna were suddenly unconscious. Alive, as he could still faintly feel their presences through the Force, but nothing more. Mullarus felt immense rage roar up his spine and through his veins, his eyes twitching with anger. He gently set Darth Azurea down behind him and pointed directly at [member="Fortuna"] and commanded, "Watch them. Make sure they are safe..."

Mullarus' face still concealed behind his mask, he turned, his long black cloak flowing behind him, and faced the Sith Lord. The amount of energy resonating off of his grandfather's aura was blinding to his Force Sight. Anger in his heart, he called out to the elderly Lord, "Fine. You want me alone? Here I am, you deceitful old bastard! Bend the rules again! You can defy the will of the Force all you like, but i'm here to put a stop to your honorless, wretched life!"

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ1dWJk3WTI[/youtube]​

With the strength of the entire galaxy on his shoulders, Mullarus pulled Bleeding Cross into his hand and ignited the blade. With the torches being the only light within the empty temple, Mullarus' violet blade lit half of the room alone. The other half was then lit a dark orange, as the Masquerading Demon ignited his own blade.

"Come, Krux. You have grown into a beautiful young man, and a powerful Sith Lord. Now show me your wrath, boy!"

Nothing else mattered. Krux leapt at the Demon with a loud war cry.

"I'll make you eat those words, demon!"

[member="Darth Azurea"] / [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] / [member="Fortuna"] / [member="Tormax Ategann"]

 

[Lord Jekyll]

As for the group who lost consciousness, Lord Jekyll managed to bend the living Force in the room and pull the consciousness, almost the very souls, of them into his body and force them into an alternate reality.

[member="Darth Azurea"], [member="Tormax Ategann"], and Private Konner feel themselves be pulled from their bodies on Rakata Prime and seem to find themselves deposited on another world entirely. They still possess recollection of arriving on Rakata Prime and just barely looking into the evil eyes of Lord Jekyll before finding themselves here.

They find themselves on a craggy landscape with rivers of magma running around them, keeping them isolated on an island of sorts. This is a state of reality opposite of the Force and the galaxy they know. The only thing keeping this plane of existence alive is the fear in their hearts. It feeds off of it. The trio may not yet realize it, but as long as they held fear and anxiety in their minds and hearts, the plane of existence they were now existing in would pelt them with their deepest, darkest fears...


Lord Jekyll did not forget about [member="Abelain Narv'uk"], though, who was still a bit behind aboard Patriot. He would be ready for when the first apprentice of his Grandson would make his arrival, and do his best to send him into Hell with the other three.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Darth Azurea noticed dark spots in her vision, which multiplied until she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she was on solid ground, warm to the touch, but not burning. The Sith Lord slowly rose up, surveying the landscape as she did. Confusion flooded her. Weren't they just on Rakata Prime about to battle Mullarus's grandfather?

She turned and noticed Private Ategann and Private Konner were with her - both on the ground still. That was somewhat of a relief. She walked up to the magma river, but even though she felt as though she were in a dream, she decided to not test that theory and stick her hand in it. The lava undulating below appeared very real indeed.

And then if her surroundings could not get more surreal, the more she felt terror and bewilderment over her situation, the more visions began to come to her unbidden. Her parents burning on a funernal pyre in a field, the way the slaves in the Eternal Pyre burn on Korriban. Her sister Chastity, finally succumbing in agony to the Sith poision in her blood. And her own child, be it human or Togruta, having a horrible existence of torture and pain as it rose through the One Sith ranks, never feeling the warmth of a hug or opening a present or hearing a lullaby. Azurea blamed a lot of her recent emotional state on hormones, but as tears rolled down her face now from these unwanted thoughts, she was worried that the visions were a result of Sith Magic.

"Private Ategann!" she shouted, lowering herself to the ground and shaking him, trying to wake him from his slumber. She needed to distract herself from these visions - to do anything but stand there and become lost in them.

"Wake up, soldier. We have to find a way out of here now."

[member="Knight Mullarus"] [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] [member="Fortuna"] [member="Tormax Ategann"]

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Screams. That's what he heard as he "slept" in the dream. Death is what he saw. He stood alone, wide eyed, but that couldn't be seen, for his mask covered the pure terror on his face. Before him lay a slaughter. Mangled bodies with broken armor. Broken stormtrooper armor. There were no walls. Only darkness acted as a border of the scene.

Opposite Tormax, across the field of bodies, was a being of shadow. Tormax did not know what it was, but knew it's purpose. Kill. No, more than that. Massacre everything in its way. As it made its way towards him, Tormax noticed it was a humanoid being, but past that he had could not describe it to anyone thereafter, partly due to his fear, partly due to the way the being itself looked. It was like there was supposed to be something there, but something had replaced it with the jet black that was nothing. Yet it still moved.

Tormax fell to his knees. That was all he could do. His motor functions weren't cooperating, the motions he was trying to make denied by the raw horror that flowed throughout him. He couldn't kill the thing if he tried. He had no weapon, and if he had he couldn't use it properly. So he stood there, waiting for death to take him.

Then he "woke." "...Ategann!"

He felt his body shake, and not from fear. "Wake up, soldier. We have to find a way out of here now." Suddenly he already open eyes opened, and there was Darth Azurea over him, shaking him. He quickly looked around, and was almost not surprised that he wasn't where he thought he'd be, in the temple. The actual scenery definitely surprised him.

Visions of the scene that happened in his first dream flashed in front of his eyes. He blinked a few times and they were gone. He turned his attention to the lady standing over him. She seemed distraught, but Tormax knew he would have as well if not for his helmet. "Yes Ma'am." He said, after realizing she had said something to him. He sat up, and looked to his side to find Private Konnor. Tormax did as Darth Azurea did, and after a minute Konnor woke. After helping Konnor up, Tormax tried to see an immediate way off of this island. There wasn't one of course, so he resorted to asking "Where are we, how did we get here, and how will we escape?"

"I don't remember the planet having any areas like this on it." Voiced Konnor, who also began looking around now that he had calmed down from his experience. While Konnor was right, both of them had looked over the planet to try and see what to expect from it, Tormax didn't want to think about how they shouldn't be there, because they were there regardless.

His thought process was interrupted, though, because he saw something from across the river farthest away from it. He only saw it because he immediately recognized it. It was the being. The Unknown, as Tormax would then on refer to it, was just standing there, watching them. Tormax wasn't sure if the others saw what he saw, or if they saw anything, but he knew it was there. He could feel the sheer evil coming from it. Considering how Tormax was not a force sensitive, this was quite the evil and menacing the beast was to Tormax.

It began to walk towards them. They were separated by lava, but Tormax knew, no matter what, it would reach them.

[member="Darth Azurea"] - [member="Knight Mullarus"] - [member="Fortuna"] - [member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Time was finally up, and once more the hunt included Abelain. He had stayed behind with the shuttle for a couple of reasons: To make sure that they weren't attacked from behind or that the shuttle was destroyed, and to ensure that there was someone available to pull the others out of the fire should the villainous Jekyll so easy incapacitate the others. In natural Arue'tii fashion, none of this had been conveyed to the others, and so it would appear almost as though he had been cowering, and he offered to excuse or reasoning behind his actions.

They never asked. Now his counting had reached it's conclusion, and he would find himself charging once more unto the breach. The blue-ish being loped along the ground, his stride counting for the majority of the ground he covered more than any sort of enhanced speed. His breathing hauled inside his lungs, past the fleshy muscle which covered it and the smooth chitin which compacted it all together. It was all so familiar to him, and it was a sad remembrance of his home world.

The others were not hard to find, they had taken no time to hide tracks or any other sort of anti-tracking maneuvering. He would need to inform them of their errors, but now was not the time. The temple was a magnificent bastion of ruination and the quivering of illness that sank into his soul spoke well of it's power. The fear that grasped against his heart did not seem to be his own, and he repelled at it, willing it from his body as best he could.

Reaching the entrance however, he ground to a hold, the inset emotion tearing at him with more damage than any beast's claws could manage. Abelain was afraid, deathly fearful of the fate that lay inside. His words rang once more into his head, responding to an invisible voice that still rang in his mind though it had long since gone quiet in the real world. Refusal to die.

The being stepped into the building, eyes adjusting quickly and olfactory senses picking up on the blood inside of the beings. His eyes caught sight of the companions lain upon the ground and he moved rapidly to check that they were still alive, hoping within himself for an inexplicable reason that these inferior beings were not yet laid flat upon the cold and foreign world they stood upon.

[member="Tormax Ategann"] | [member="Knight Mullarus"] | [member="Fortuna"] | [member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8jxqyyWWw0[/youtube]​

Bleeding Cross crossed blades with the dark orange swathe of Lord Jekyll's lightsaber. With all of the rage the Knight could muster together, all of the anger and passion and anxiety he had suppressed over the past few days after he inevitably discovered his grandfather's deception, he attacked the old man with a flurry of lightsaber attacks that seemed to strike from all sides at once. Mullarus practiced his preferred form, Form VII, against the elderly Lord. He knew the old man couldn't keep up for long, so it was no surprise to him when he saw the man's arm thrust forward, sending him flying backwards against the far wall of the temple. The same hand then began to clench as he started to crush the armor around Mullarus' neck.

The Knight found it hard to breathe, but he grit his teeth and stared down at the man with flaming daggers in his eyes, which seemed to have lost their dark blue hue and been replaced by a more sinister shade of red-violet. It was as if flames were pouring out of the young Knight's eyes as vengeance and hatred dripped from his fangs. With another loud war cry, Mullarus sent both of his hands forward, a wave of Force energy that could be felt from dozens of feet away slamming into the old Sith Lord like a freight train.

However, unlike his grandson, Lord Jekyll threw up his arms and seemed to absorb most of the blow, only skidding back about a dozen feet. The Lord then grinned, "I suggest you learn to defend yourself, boy!" he cried as he threw his free hand forward again, unleashing a relentless storm of electric-blue lightning toward his grandson.

Mullarus just had enough time to land on his feet, rather painfully really, from high up on the wall he was pinned to. As he looked up from the ground and inhaling, hearing his wretched deceitful grandfather call out more taunts to him, the sight of the tsunami of blue sent chills down Mullarus' spine. It was just like when he was a teenager again. He felt the instinctive urge to lay down and endure the pain, just as he had numerous times in the past. Grandpa, no, i'm afraid! Stop! It burns! AaaaAAAAAAAH!! is what Mullarus would hear. His own voice in his mind.

But Mullarus was not a boy any longer. He scowled, sending away the old, cowardly instinct to lay down and accept defeat into the past where it belonged. Mullarus raised his left arm like a warrior raised his mighty kite shield, conjuring up an intense, blue-colored shield that deflected the wave of lightning that bore down upon him. Like a dragon breathing flames at the warrior, Lord Jekyll's hellstorm pounded down on Mullarus' variation of [member="Darth Azurea"]'s protection bubble like thousands of fists slamming against a stone wall. Mullarus' boot scooted back against the wall as he became the shield against the dark thunder before him. It was at this moment Krux realized it was Setzi's teachings that were saving his life.

"GrraaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"

Mullarus screamed out of anger and frustration, taking a step forward with his mighty shield made of the living Force still deflecting his grandfather's tormenting lightning. The Sith Lord laughed, still spewing out punishment from his traitorous claws, "AhahahahaAAAAA! GOOD! YOU HAVE LEARNED!"

It took time, but Mullarus found himself only a few feet from his grandfather. He threw himself forward with another cry of hatred, tackling the old man to the ground. The two rolled for a moment, standing up again just in time for Mullarus to quickly, using both hands, bring his mighty greatsword across horizontally in a wide sweep at the old man, who, once again, manage dto parry the blow with his dark orange lightsaber. The two began to exchange blow after blow at one another again. The battle became intense, each time the two lightsabers of orange and violet cross, sending a deep tremor through the nearby Force from the immense power.

One more wide Juyo sweep and Jekyll ducked, his mighty throne of stone stopping Mullarus mighty weapon in its path. The throne collapsed, sending rocks and debris flying across the temple. Lord Jekyll sneered, though feeling tired from his grandson's onslaught, snarled and quickly went to plunge his lightsaber into his grandson's back. Mullarus, however, being used to such honorless strikes from behind, whipped around and slammed his lightsaber into his grandfather's hard enough to send it out of the old man's grip and flying across the temple, into the wall next to the broken throne. Mullarus kicked the old man down onto his back and held his weapon above him.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"] / [member="Fortuna"] / [member="Darth Azurea"] / [member="Tormax Ategann"]

 

[Lord Jekyll]

The elderly Sith Lord smiled wide as he cowered beneath his grandson's might. Clearly, in the melee, he was the superior. He had youth on his side. Fifty years ago, Jekyll might have been able to take him. Then again, the old man had always idolized the Sith Sorcerer's path over the Marauder, preferring the might of the Force over a lightsaber. Still, he was not a novice of the blade. As he stared up at his masked grandson, he looked up at him with pride, "Excellent...my son, you've become so powerful...so persistent...I can feel the hate boiling inside your heart. Kill me, then. I know you want to. I don't deserve mercy, remember?"

But Krux hesitated. He saw his hands shake with rage, like they were dying to chop the old man in half right there, and yet, the boy couldn't do it. Jekyll's smile faded. "Still hesitant? Some Sith you are..."

In quite literally the blink of an eye, the Sith Lord called his lightsaber back into his hand and, hastening himself with the Force, leapt up and struck his grandson across the face with his lightsaber as his mighty, violet weapon was still held high over his head. The boy's mask flew off of his face in pieces and he saw blood stain the Knight's as he cried out in pain. The Sith Lord did a flip as he leapt over him and landed behind him, using the Force to once again shove his grandson into the wall.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The feeling of a maddening-hot lightsaber blade digging straight through Mullarus' mask and into his face was perhaps the most intense sting of pain he had ever felt. Once more, Mullarus cried out in pain and felt himself stumble back, blood staining his face, armor, and the floor. He had no time to react to it much more, however, as he was forcefully shoved into the stone wall again. Straight onto his face, Mullarus felt the bones in his nose snap and a few teeth break when making contact with the wall. The Lord was exhausted, but not defeated.

Then, there it was. More unholy thunder poured from the Sith Lord's fingertips, but not nearly as intense as before. The Lord was tiring out. It was enough to cause Mullarus more intense, agonizing pain, and yet, he didn't lose consciousness. The Lord was tiring out. His electric hellstorm was not as powerful as it was moments before. Mullarus' armor absorbed most of the blows from this dealing of punishment, but he could still feel the attack singing the skin on his back. He grit his teeth and refused to cry out this time. He still could not move away from the wall either, only take the pain.

"All done? Is the fight in you gone already? Well get it back, fool! You aren't done until you're dead!"

Mullarus' fingers dug into the stone keeping him pinned to the wall. Using the pain being whipped upon him, he pushed forward, the entire wall before him collapsing into debris. Mullarus flew out into the forest outside, free from the pain, but now getting a face-full of bloody dirt. Lord Jekyll scoffed, turning toward [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] and [member="Fortuna"].

"The children of the Dark Side...How...cute." He threw his free hand forward and Force Gripped Private Konner from behind the two, lifting the stormtrooper into the air. "Let me demonstrate what real pain is...and why you should run back to your ship and never return."

Using only one hand, Lord Jekyll began to twist and contort the Private's body into unnatural, excruciatingly painful poses. The snapping of bones and tearing of muscle alone would be enough to make the mightiest of warriors cower and flee for their own safety. There was no doubt the Private who worked alongside [member="Tormax Ategann"] was now dead. He would dissapear from the alternate reality that he and [member="Darth Azurea"] were thrown into as his soul would ascend to wherever it was souls went in the Star Wars universe.

However the Apprentices would react, Jekyll would then start to lift the unsconscious body of Darth Azurea into the air. "And if this doesn't inspire him to get up, I don't know what wi-"

As if on cue, Mullarus, bloodied, bruised, and nearly broken, would tackle the Lord from behind while yelling, "You put her down, bantha-karking scum!"

He was not fast enough to save Private Konner. He was just lucky enough to be quick enough before he did the same to Setzi. He stood up from bringing the Lord to the floor again, igniting his lightsaber once again. The last blow from the Lore had singed his armor, and being blown through the wall had broken many parts of it. Mullarus' back would be burned, and now, blood ran down his face from being slice open by his grandfather's lightsaber. Never before had Mullarus been driven so far down to defeat. All he did was stare coldly at his grandfather.

Jekyll twirled his lightsaber, "Just in time. I'm not done with you yet, boy."

"Kark you"


[member="Abelain Narv'uk"] / [member="Fortuna"] / [member="Darth Azurea"] / [member="Tormax Ategann"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

While Knight Mullarus was experiencing the most intense trial of his life, and all of the acute pain that went along with it, Darth Azurea and Private Ategann were still in their own private versions of hell. The Sith Lord could not see the same visions that the stormtrooper beside her could see. She did not notice a beast, nor did she realize that Private Konner was likely dead. He just appeared to be sleeping to her, quite peacefully in fact.

She also could feel nothing of what Lord Jekyll was doing to her, thankfully. But the confusion and anxiety that she had felt earlier began to slip back into her mind, like shadows filling up an empty space at dusk. There was no outside monster that plagued Azurea. Her worst fear was that she had become the monster. All of her evil deeds flashed in front of her eyes - murders, maiming, screaming in rage, hurting herself and others. Sith Lords were not supposed to feel remorse, but she did, and it felt as though it were literally eating away at her soul. The guilt and regret was nearly a physical pain, and she began to double over, clutching her stomach. By the maker, what if I miscarry, she thought? What if this is my penance for embracing the Darkside of the Force.

On her knees, she reached out to Private Ategann, one hand outstreched, the other arm wrapped around her belly.

"Help me, Private! I think I'm dying. Something is eating me away. I can feel it!"

He could see nothing amiss on Darth Azurea. No blood or marks. Her cheeks were even rosy and bright. But inside in mind, she felt as though her insides were being ripped apart to land somewhere, innards and blood mixing with a hot, molten pool of lava.

[member="Knight Mullarus"] [member="Tormax Ategann"] [member="Fortuna"] [member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

She had been watching.

Silent.

Still.

Even though [member="Knight Mullarus"] had given her an order, she had not moved to protect the others. No, something else was going on deep in her mind. Fortuna was scared. Sure, she was afraid when she had recognized [member="Darth Azurea"] . She was even afraid when she fought [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] just the other day. But those fears were something she could control. Something that sent a shiver of excitement down her spine. But as [member="Lord Jekyll"] dropped even [member="Tormax Ategann"] and the others around her, she had become paralyzed with fear. The girl had been untouched by what ever it was, but she had no idea why. That scared her. Her master was fighting, and loosing, against this monster of a man. That scared her. When the private was lifted and crushed without warning. That scared her.

She only watched in terror, her eyes wide. The spear she had clung to before had been dropped from her grip. What could she do against a man this powerful?She was so weak, so frail. he could kill her in an instant, and it wouldn't be any where as difficult as the stormtrooper.

Then when Mullarus screamed she woke. Her eyes shifted to her master, and she realized something. He was going to continue to fight, no matter how dire it seemed. No matter how much he had been beaten, he would press on. Both of her fists clenched tight as Fortuna realized her folly. She was a Sith. She was here to prove herself capable. Strong. Fear turned to anger. Then to hate. She wouldn't be the weakest here. She would fight, while she could!

Mustering up all of her power she would reach behind her through the Force, grabbing hold of her spear. With all of her hate the weapon would be launched right for the Lord. Quick as a bullet the spear would fly, aiming to rip right through his chest. After it was let loose, she would scream, angry at her own passiveness, her own fear. She could, and would, show her power.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Tormax continued to stare at the Unknown as it made its way toward them. It wasn't moving fast, but not because it couldn't. It was slow because it knew they were trapped and that it would reach them eventually. So it stalked them, and this unnerved Tormax more than if it had charged at them. Again he was paralyzed, but at least he didn't fall to his knees this time. No, he just stood there and did nothing for a few seconds. He thought it was pointless. For some reason, the mere sight of the being that was, at that moment, wading through the lava, shattered him emotionally. It crippled his senses, and made him weak in the stomach.

Tormax did not notice his fellow Private start to reel, then fall asleep because of what was happening outside of the dream, nor did he notice [member="Darth Azurea"] fall on her knees, despite her healthy appearance. His sight was locked on the Unknown.

Thankfully, his hearing hasn't. "Help me, Private! I think I'm dying. Something is eating me away. I can feel it!" This cry had the perfect timing of being uttered when the Unknown was climbing up from the lava, onto the rock. This was enough for Tormax to take his eyes off of where it was to look at Darth Azurea, who, whilst looking alright, seemed quite distressed. In this time, he saw Konnor simply vanish, as if Tormax had blinked without realizing it.

Seeing Azureas outstretched hand, Tormax couldn't think of any way to help her other than to just grasp her hand with his own and mutter, "I'm... I'm here." He was close to ending the statement as a question, which could have made more sense because he didn't really know why he said that, because he doubted that comforted her much. He couldn't tell what ailed her, but he could tell Darth Azurea was scared, Konnor was still no where to be seen, and Tormax saw the Unknown had made its way up onto the rock, and was dripping with magma, unharmed. Before he was paralyzed in fear again, Tormax decided to sit on the ground next to Darth Azurea.

He saw her clutching her stomach with her other hand, but did not realize why. As he turned his head to the approaching threat, Tormax realized something, and decided to pass it along to Darth Azurea despite the morbidity of it. "I don't know what's wrong with you but regardless it seems we may not make it. Not good news, but we either starve on this rock, or, more likely, whatever you think is killing you finishes. Or we get taken down by the... thing making its way towards us." He pointed, not realizing she couldn't see it. "I don't even know how we got here... Nothing is making sense. Sorry I can't be much help in the end."

As Tormax sat, he longed to see his brother, the reject of the academy who had convinced him to even join the One Sith. Guess it's your fault I'm here, little brother. Oh well. The Unknown stood twenty feet away at this point. It stopped and gaped at Tormax, whose heart was momentarily seized by the beast. Despite accepting his fate, he couldn't help but still feel subtle fear for the void being. However, the Unknown did not move any closer. It simply stood, and watched the two.

[member="Knight Mullarus"] - [member="Fortuna"] - [member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Lord Jekyll]

"Ugh!"

Vrasjyne ripped through the air, almost too fast for the Sith Lord to react to. It was very close to tearing straight into his chest, but he just managed to step backward and feel it rip a gash in his left arm. Once again, Sith blood stained the stone floor of the temple. The pain made the Lord feel a sting of fear. What if his grandson was not even going to be the one to slay him? What if one of his pathetic apprentices did it instead?!

"Damned woman, you'll learn your lesson for medd-"

Before he could finish, he felt a hand grab onto his ankle and lift him high up into the air by it. When he looked down at his exposed leg, nothing was there. But looking back at the ground, he could see his grandson with an arm extended to him. His hand was opened, like he was...

Blasted Force Grip...of course he learned that.

Before the Lord could say anything more, Mullarus' face seemed to melt into pure anguish and hatred as he closed his fist. Jekyll screamed as he felt his ankle bones shatter like glass. To make matters worse, he then felt the invisible hand of Force Grip throw him with enough force to completely smash through the stone ceiling and up into the air, soaring with enough airtime to impress and fan of hoverboarding, and then to land flat on his back on the roof of his stone temple. He swore he saw stars and had a hard time breathing with the wind being knocked out of him, but he was able to get up into a sitting position in time to see a tall, dark-haired menace in broken, battered armor standing only a few feet away. It's crimson red eyes burned holes through his very soul.

"You...you're my grandson..."

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Only a small amount of satisfaction fell upon Mullarus' heart as he crushed the old man's frail ankle with the Force and hurled him up and through the ceiling, letting a shaft of moonlight in through the new hole in the ceiling.

Still seething with rage, Mullarus turned around and locked eyes with [member="Fortuna"] for a second, as if somewhat proud of what she did to distract the old man, even for just a few seconds. Still, he said nothing, his face so full of frustration, as his eyes that now glowed a dark red-violet scanned the rest of his companions. [member="Tormax Ategann"] looked to be untouched, albeit a bit dusty from how much he and his grandfather shook the dust off of the temple around them. [member="Darth Azurea"] looked okay as well, but the image of Lord Jekyll holding her high in the air by the folds of her robes was forever imprinted in his mind. It further fed Mullarus' rage, and would no doubt be taken out upon the old man. [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] was at last hear as well, to which Mullarus' snarl faded for just a moment to give him a nod and then glance at Fortuna. A faint, telepathic voice would ring in their heads, This battle is almost over. Then, he leapt up through the hole to meet his grandfather once again.

"You...you are my grandson..."

"You make me ashamed to call you family of mine." The knight said, starting to take heavy steps, which became limps after a moment of walking, toward the Sith Lord. "After all of these years, and now...you...you never told me."

The old Sith Lord nodded, grunting as he sat up further. "It was...for your own good, son."

"For my own good? You senile old fool, my parents raised me properly, you can't deny that! I was never-"

"It's not...how you were raised, Krux...From the moment you left my daughter's womb, I felt it inside of you. The Force echoed through you just as it does through me. Your mother had that gift, but I couldn't make it explode within her. I tried too little. I was...weak. I couldn't bring harm upon my own daughter to make her into a pawn of the Dark Side..."

Mullarus scowled, "Yet you had her murdered? You would do it to her own son?!"

"Your grandmother wouldn't allow it. My wife. The one I told you was assassinated by Jedi Shadows...the one who was actually slain by her fellow Sith. They thought she was too soft. I told the other Sith my plan for our daughter, since she would not reveal her connection with the Force herself. Your grandmother forbade it. She foiled my plans for her. I couldn't turn her. She became a part of the Imperial Navy, which...I hated. She had so much more potential..."

Mullarus felt some sympathy toward the old man. Still, this was the man who found it just as easy to have his own daughter killed. "I...I don't understand you, grandfather. You didn't have to do it. Why?!" Suddenly, Krux felt his head become overrun by memories of his parents. Memories that brought a tear to his eye. "There had to have been another way..."

"No...it didn't work for her...it wouldn't work for you. The Dark Side is not a path of peace, boy. It's a path of misery and death. Trauma was the only way to make you feel the Force...all of this...your Ascension to the Sith...taking on apprentices...finding love...

"I did it all for you...my son..."

Krux felt more tears stream down his cheeks, a scowl forming on his face again. "You're wrong...I have proven this. I didn't have to murder and lie and cheat to get to where I am today! I didn't have to give up my humanity for the Dark Side! Since the day you had them killed, I have never surrendered to the Dark Side!" He tossed his lightsaber to the side and used both hands to lift his grandfather into the air. His hands clenched, holding him by the throat and the leg. "I did exactly what you wanted! I was the one who put a leash on the Dark Side! I COMMAND it! It is MY WEAPON! MY LIFE!" Mullarus yelled, loud enough for everyone down below to hear. His hands clenched tighter, crushing the bones of his grandfather, who sat in his invisible grasp, suffering. "You took everything from me...you foul swine of a Sith! Finally...vengeance falls upon you...forever!"

With one final scream, Mullarus grasped the seperate ends of his grandfather, closed his fists, and pulled. The old man tore in half at the waist, his torso flying one way, and his legs the other. Blood, guts, and gore spilled across the roof of the temple as Lord Jekyll's final, agonizing scream of regret filled the ears of every living thing on Rakata Prime.

 

[Lord Jekyll]

"I did it all for you...my son..."

Ferren Jekyll's final words rang through the ears of everyone in the group as his body was brutally ripped in half atop the roof of his final resting place.

With his death, [member="Darth Azurea"] and [member="Tormax Ategann"] would instantly awaken from their slumber. The alternate reality they once were dropped into would fade and their souls would return to their bodies the instant the old Lord perished...

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Mullarus examined the bloody, gorey mess he made of his grandfather. The full extent of his revenge had been unleashed upon the man, and although it was brutally gorey, he had never felt so...satisfied.

"Be it a lesson to all who would wrong me..." he murmured to himself, though he felt loud enough for all to hear.

As the young Knight's wounds began to take their toll on him, he limped his way back to the hole where he jumped up to get up to the ceiling and tried to jumps back down, but when his wounded, crippled body hit the ground, he collapsed. He was conscious - barely - but couldn't find the strength to lift himself off of the floor...

[member="Fortuna"] / [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] / [member="Tormax Ategann"] / [member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

And for a second time, Darth Azurea awoke and was lying on the ground, but her surroundings were much more real and less filmy. She could smell the musty reek of the template and the loam of the water bed not too far off in the jungle. And worse, an odor of death was in the air. Her body hurt, not acutely, but there was a strange pain in her ankle and some intermittent soreness.

She shakily sat up and realized that Knight Mullarus was on the ground near to her as well as Private Ategann. The Sith Lord crawled over to him to make sure he was breathing. And thank the maker, he was!

“Wake up Krux,” she said quietly to him, tapping his shoulder, careful not to hurt him. She glanced at the gory lump of flesh nearby. Was that Lord Jekyll?!? She could only guess that it was.

“I think it’s over,” she said, not sure if he could hear her or would wake up. She felt a sudden relief, but was cautious to not get too complacent in the moment until she knew that everyone was okay.

[member="Knight Mullarus"] [member="Tormax Ategann"] [member="Fortuna"] [member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain stood over the limp bodies as the fight progressed, back and forth the clash of titans continued, their blades dancing through the air with burning intention. It had been decided in his mind that he would not be participating in the battle unless it was absolutely necessary. There were reasons for this, foremost being that it was a family matter, and that revenge would not fully be achieved by the teacher unless his hand was the one that dealt the killing blows upon elder. The entire incident did leave a bad taste in his mouth; the bitter flavor of vengeance sprinkled across the air.

Even with the self-made vow of inactivity, he would not be leaving his allies in their time of crises, and as the battle raged, he stood over them protectively. The elder spat threats at Fortuna and himself at one point, and though the fear arose within himself once more, he was resolved to hold his ground and continue his vigil. The conflict wrought fierceness in the teacher that seemed almost hotter than many of the places the explorer had visited, and when Fortuna launched her spear into the fray, he nearly expected a literal blaze to scorch her for interfering.

At some point, the fight had continued itself beyond vision's reach, and he checked the vital signs of those splayed before him. They all bared the warm blood of the living except for one; Private Konner. Pity pressed gently against his torso, and failure blurred his thoughts for a moment. Failure to protect those who had come on the fateful mission, something that he had decided to ensure. The soft feelings quickly found themselves crushed under newer feelings, influenced by the malice that radiated around him. He had a wish to harm to elder that he had not found before, and another pang of hunger.

The Arue'tii pressed down on the pang of hunger, urging it to leave him. It was successful for mere moments before the violent end of Lord Jekyll rekindled the flame of consumption. The scent of blood was unbearably delightful, and strong enough to give a hint as to the demise of the dark Lord. The blue being could not help but feel his attention cast upon the ceiling, completely missing the awakening of the companions, and taking only a minor notice of the teacher's fall.

Standing underneath the hole, his mind regained control over his body, seizing it away from the dark temptations apparently wrought by the very temple itself. Approaching the injured teacher, and the Sith Lady who now willed him to awaken from his fatigued paralysis, he felt a different fear. This fear was not personal as the last had been, this fear was for the safety of the teacher. All of his knowledge would be lost if he succumbed to death. Steeling his voice, the Arue'tii spoke, "Shall the teacher require extensive healing?"
[member="Darth Azurea"] | [member="Knight Mullarus"] | [member="Tormax Ategann"] | [member="Fortuna"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Mullarus coughed, blood falling out of his mouth and onto the floor. Even in the state he was in, he was careful enough not to cough it up all over [member="Darth Azurea"] or [member="Abelain Narv'uk"]. He felt light-headed and saw his vision getting fuzzy. I'm going to lose consciousness. he thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but could not spit the words out. All that came out was a painful groan as he felt some of the skin on his back sticking to the burnt back of his armor, now completely ruined and broken beyond repair.

All he could manage before slipping into unconsciousness was a single, telepathic message. Though, instead of sending it to Setzi, like he normally would, it would ring into the mind of the one most capable of carrying the wounded back to The Paladin.

Abelain. Kolto Tanks on The Paladin. Take us there.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

The apprentice nodded his acceptance of the order, examining the teacher to ensure that the correct area for proper lifting would be located. In a moment however, the Arue'tii simply decided that he did not know enough about the physiology of the inferior species, and simply placed his arms underneath the teacher's back, and his legs, raising him up with the hint of slight strain evident in his facial expressions. The teacher had sustained moderate damage according to his mental message. It did not please Abelain that the teacher was capable of rattling about his mind, though he seemed the safest choice of the short list of beings that had accomplished the task.

Approaching the exit of the temple, a final glance was given to the eternal resting place of Lord Jekyll, and he hoped that; despite the evils committed by the elder, he found the endless bliss of the One Escalation and was accepted into it for his achievements in life. The Arue'tii as a species did not care for good or evil in the matter of death, simply that all would re-unite. A secondary temptation found itself lingering into his mind as he carried the teacher out of the temple, fading as distance began to be made from it.

You're missing a meal. Do not fret, should the teacher die you can always consume him.

The explorer picked up his pace, ready to leave the dark area which left his mind with such sickly intentions.
"Come."
[member="Knight Mullarus"] | [member="Darth Azurea"] | [member="Tormax Ategann"] | [member="Fortuna"]

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Tormax was mad at himself. He had given up. He had accepted death. Instead of being graced with it, the illusion of death stood there and taunted him, then vanished, to prove he was weak. But Tormax wasn't focused on that the moments after he woke up. No. He instead was focused on his surroundings. [member="Darth Azurea"] was next to [member="Knight Mullarus"]. [member="Fortuna"] stood nearby, as well as [member="Abelain Narv'uk"], who had begun to pick up the crumpled Colonel. Tormax couldn't see where the foe they were here for was, but he could smell him, even from the floor of the temple.

Tormax realized it immediately. He didn't see Konnor. Konnor had disappeared in the dream they were in. He didn't want to, but he turned around regardless, and laid his eyes upon the broken figure of what was once his comrade. His first instinct was to run to see if he was alright. But he knew better. Instead, he went over and knelt beside him. He picked up the limp shell of probably the closest thing he had to a friend on the ship. Had his helmet not have been on his head, the others would have seen a calm but clear rage set on his face, as if it was chiseled in stone.

Tormax said nothing as he carried Konnor to the Patriot, lightly jogging as to not mess up the body of him further but not wanting to keep the others waiting, especially when the Colonel was so injured. Once on the shuttle, he laid Konnor down, and sat down, and was silent until they reached the Paladin.