Becoming a Monster

[Ignitus Tapesh]

The tomb of Tulak Horde was dark even during the full moons of Korriban. The only light was that of the few candles scattered about that were already burning low, nearly extinguished.

Before the Sarcophagus of the ancient sith knelt another of Dathomirian and Arkanian heritage, meditating, the upper half of his armor sitting beside the Sarcophagus in a neat and organized stack, the helmet sitting atop the chest piece with his gauntlets leaning on either side it.

The hilts of his lightsabers, one being of an extended grip and made of some sort of bone and the other of expensive make, with a chromium base and electrum accents, remained holstered in two custom fitted leather sheaths on either side of his waist attached to his belt.

The large brute sat bare chested, his pale white skin contrasted by the obsidian Sith and Dathomirian tattoos.

The warrior seemed almost like a specter sitting within the tomb with only the a minimal amount of moon light shining down upon him and surrounded by dying lights of the candles.

All around him red veins of the Dark Side began to physically manifest as they spread through out the tomb,
searching for any force to drain and add it to the collective within the warrior knelt beside the stone coffin, Darth Cremaetus.

Tonight, as he meditated, he awaited the arrival of the only person among his mothers people, Witches of Dathomir, that answered his call for aid, to arrive.
However, after all the insanity the had taken place upon his homeworld he could not blame the witches for being hesitant to answer any call.
The one he awaited he knew nothing of, save she claimed to be a witch of moderate power.

For Darth Cremaetus any power would be of use. He had heard of ancient rituals performed upon chosen night brothers that enhanced them physically, turning their physical forms to near perfection.

Cremaetus' own form was already at the pinnacle of Dathomirian Male growth. But, he knew he could become more via the unnatural.

Via Magicks.

For the task he sought to undertake he would need every advantage possible.

So now he waited. He waited the arrival of the Witch that agreed to come.

He would beseech her to perform the ritual of power, and in exchange he would either give her monetary payment, or offer himself in the form of being her personal soldier / killer for a time if she so desired. He cared not what price was asked.

He needed to become more than he was.

The large Sith Killer remained motionless for a long time, though the tomb was chilled by the cold night air he remained completely still, were it not for the occasional slow cloud of steam emitting from his lips one would find it hard to believe he was even breathing.


[member="Fawn Alzi"]

 

[Fawn Alzi]

Stepping into the dim light, Fawn's hooded face looked over the man she was meant to enhance in a way that only a witch of Dathomir could accomplish. She was, indeed, such a witch from Dathomir, and she had, indeed, witnessed the same ritual as a child. The transformation was nothing short of terrifying, watching the Dathomirian specimen murder one of the witches responsible for the change. At that time, she had vowed never to perform such a ritual herself, and that she would stay as far away from that sort of magic as she could.

Times changed. She had seen more of the galaxy than just Dathomir, she had seen things far more terrifying than a mere transformation, and she had learned to see opportunities where she once might have only seen fear. Everyone was after more power, it was what made the galaxy what it had always been and what it would always be. All she had to do was wait for someone to want it badly enough.

With her staff in one hand and unpowered saber at her waist, she stood at the head of the tomb. It was a simpler ritual than she would have imagined, with all of the witches present at the only other time she had seen it. It required power and time, and the knowledge of how it was performed. If half a dozen witches could complete it in only a couple of minutes, then it might take longer for her alone, but she had no doubts about her ability to perform.

"Awfully ominous setting, don't you think?" she said with a wicked sneer. "You understand how this changes you, right? You understand that you won't ever be the same? And you understand... I've never done this before? Every Dathomirian witch can perform rituals, but they're not always a success..."

---

[member="Darth Cremaetus"]

 

[Ignitus Tapesh]

Darth Cremaetus slowly stood from his kneel. He then turned to look to the witch as she entered.
His sulfiric orange eyes shined as he eyed her up and down before finally replying

"I understand completely. But I doubt you would have answered the call if you could not complete it with success. And if I am to do what I seek, then no matter the cost it will be worth it."

He then slowly began to encirlce her, his hands clasping together in the small of his back as he examined her.
His bootsteps echoing in the hollow tomb

"Do you know what it is I seek to do? Do you know of the plight that has befallen our homeworld? With the power given to me from this ritual I will liberate our home and close its borders to all outsiders until we have returned to the golden age that allowed powerful witches and warriors, such as ourselves, to be birthed. Even if it means having to raise an army in opposition of the Sith Empire itself. I will free our home. But first.."

He stopped and stood before her
His already massive form towering over her.

"What payment would you seek for the ritual? Due to the blood on my fathers side I have access to his Arkanian Nobility and the wealth that comes with it. However, I can also offer my services. I hold loyalty above all things, this will never change, no matter what. So until my debt is paid you can rest assured you have a valuable attack dog on your leash. Yes, I did compare myself to a base animal. I would do so again because it is what I am. I know what I am. I am not a subtle politician, a wise elder or a shadow born assassin. I am a blade that cleaves. Nothing more nothing less."

As he awaited her answer he slowly stepped towards the sarcophogus that held the bones of Tulak Horde.

"Am I to lay down?"

---

[member="Fawn Alzi"]

 

[Fawn Alzi]

Fawn merely shrugged off the man's concerns. Dathomir wasn't her problem anymore, not when she had an entire galaxy at her fingertips.

"Maybe it's time the witches find a better planet," she suggested half-heartedly. "One only we know of. Perhaps that will be my price. Should you survive your dealings on Dathomir, I'll contact you. If there's dirty work that needs doing, and there always is, you'll only be a short contact away from serving as my minion. And I'll need your help in building a new home for myself, one only I know of."

She turned back to the hulking man before her, gesturing with her staff for him to lie down. "You'll be asleep for the duration," she told him. "I can't have you writhing about while your mind and body shift and morph. When you awaken, you'll be bloodthirsty. I'm sure you can find something on this wretched planet to hunt so that you can sate your violent desires."

Fawn waited until the Zabrak man was in place, eager to put her skills to the test on a willing subject.

---

[member="Darth Cremaetus"]

 

[Ignitus Tapesh]

Darth Cremaetus paused for a moment as he leaned against the sarcophagus, turning his head back to look at the witch.

"I'd rather we settle my debt before I attempt to use the power for my own gains, as I can not die owing anyone anything."

He then arched a powerful brow and smirked as she mentioned how he will awaken with an uncontrollable thirst for violence.

"You would be surprized how much self-control I truly have.. in certain areas. In others, not much."

He then took one last look at her, eyeing her up and down before laying on top of the lid of the stone tomb, settling himself.

"Though you, as a female of... above average beauty, may very well wish to vacate the immediate vicinity before I awake."

He grinned wickedly before rolling his massive shoulders, they cracked in protest.

"I ask that you leave me awake absolutely neccessary. I wish to feel the cost of it as much as possible."

With that he closed his eyes and awaited for her to begin.

---

---

[member="Fawn Alzi"]

 

[Fawn Alzi]

"It's a tricky thing, lifelong debts. They seem to only last so long as there is life in the one who owes them. You can help me build my new home right away, but I don't expect you to wait until your life is at its end to take back our homeworld. You will continue to serve me whenever you are needed, after all."

Fawn lifted a brow at the man's insinuations, half tempted to put him to sleep then and there. The other half was telling her to pull her dagger on him. But even still, she did as he wished and left him awake. If the ritual was a failure as a result, she at least wouldn't be to blame. Although, if the ritual wasn't a success, she would also need to end him on the spot. Such dirty work, that of a witch's.

Raising both hands above the Sith Knight, she began chanting. Hopefully there were still spirits to listen when they were so far from home. Her eyes were closed, but she could make out the distinctive violet light swirling in close to her face and then back out again, encompassing her willing subject. Eventually, she allowed the dark magic itself to take over, using her own body merely as a conduit for it to flow through, lifting Cremaetus up off of the tomb suspended by seemingly nothing. It only took her a moment's glance for her to gaze upon what truly held the man; long, pale green arms rising up from the surface beneath them, their rigid hands pushing against his body as violet lights continued to spiral around him.

---

[member="Darth Cremaetus"]

 

[Ignitus Tapesh]

"I do not plan to owe you forever, as you are not my mate, or anyone's as far as I can tell. Nor do I sense you seek to change that."

He added before closing his eyes and going silent for a long moment before she began.
For a long while he thought she may have attempted to slip out, but he could still sense her through the force, and he could still hear her breathing and her scent was near. Then he felt it.
At first it came like a light breeze of energy, or a whisper through the force. The dark magick flowed around both of them.
However, it soon grew into something more filling. It began to move and intertwine itself both with the Witch and with the Warrior.

Like the Force it flowed around them and through them, it bound them from within and without. It worked its way like a serpent, that Amethyst Magick.
Then came the pain. It was slight at first, like a gnat biting on the surface of his skin. Then it spread.
It spread throughout his entire body. But whether it was the violet magick the witch drew or that of that blazing pale emerald limbs that lifted him from the Sarcophagus and held him suspended, he knew not.

But something was working within him.

An exquisite pain was the best he could describe it. The energy that slithered its way between his muscles and tendons, seperating each and every one of them the same as it cracked apart his bones and his joints, preparing his body for molding.
The giant pale white Dathomirian and Arkanian Hybrid gripped his hands so tightly into balled fists that his crimson blood began to run down the length of his hands and drip off his knuckles, crashing against the dusty floor with the whisper of a 'thud'.

Each and every bone and joint separated.
Every tendon and each muscle split apart.
His nerves, had they not already been beaten to the coarse state they were already, would have fried themselves from pain.
All of this in preparation for the metamorphosis of his body.

But in his childhood and his training beneath his Father and Master, he had developed a tolerance against both pain and the Magick that witches wield.
Were it not for the blood flowing from his hands and the low bestial growl that rumbled within his throat, it would have been hard to tell he felt it at all.

---

---

[member="Fawn Alzi"]

 

[Fawn Alzi]

Watching the beast of a man change before her very own eyes was just as beautiful as it was exhausting. She was beginning to realize why so many were typically present to perform this ritual, feeling the very life being sapped out of her until finally, it was over it. Although she meant to lower him down gently, instead she cut it short by accident and watched as the Dathomirian fell back down onto the hard surface.

As much as she wanted to be dramatic about the ritual being complete, all she could do was take a seat where she stood and pant heavily, barely able to muster the energy to speak at all.

"How you doing, big guy?" she asked between breaths, one hand on the unpowered hilt of her saber just in case.

---

[member="Darth Cremaetus"]

 

[Ignitus Tapesh]

Darth Cremaetus' body hit the sarcophagus with a loud *Thud* that echoed throughout the tomb, followed by another as he rolled off and hit the floor.
For a long moment there was only silence. No movement and no sound came from where the Sith Knight had landed.
Until slowly an arm raised up and used the sarcophagus to pull the rest of his body upright.

The Ritual had changed him, a lot.

The warrior's body was now three fight taller and a foot and a half wider. His muscles were hard and tight, much more so than before.
Talons replaced what were once his fingernails, long thick curved talons sprouted from the tips of each finger and thumb.

Darth Cremaetus' eyes had also been transformed. The pupils of his sulfuric orange eyes had been overcharged by the witches sorcery, and were now adorned with an amethyst color, her magick burning in the center of them.
His snow white skin that was covered in Dathomirian and Sith Tattoos now held hairline cracks running over his body, these cracks held a very slight violet glow, the magick that was within him was -almost- too much for his body to contain.
However, due to his pinnacle of physical fitness for a Dathomirian, he was able to hold it all within.

After a long moment of standing as silent as the tomb within they stood Darth Cremaetus' head slowly rose. His burning violet pupils that were encircled by sulfuric orange jewels locked upon the witch as he slowly began to step around the sarcophagus towards her.
Slowly, very slowly he came closer to her.
A flick of his wrist forced the candles to be set ablaze with wild dancing flames that rose six inches high, but only for a split second as they were extinguished as quickly as they had been lit.

The tomb was now completely dark aside from the faint glow emanating from the cracks upon his skin and the burning of his eyes, until the clouds above them moved away allowing the moon to shine through once more.
Within the blink of an eye the warrior stood but inches away from the witch, looking down to her with blazing intensity.
But beyond the sudden single step towards her that closed the distance between them he made no other movements, aggressive or otherwise.
He only stared at her.

Those eyes drilling deep within her own.

---

---

---

[member="Fawn Alzi"]

 

[Fawn Alzi]

Still breathing heavily, Fawn began coughing momentarily as an involuntary gag hit the back of her throat as if she had just drowned. Raising her head back up to the Sith man, who then stood high above her in an entirely different form, she attempted to speak to him as calmly as she could.

"You're..." Her head felt even lighter still, making it difficult to speak. She hadn't anticipated the magic that coursed through her to be so volatile to her as well, with none of the benefits the man before her received. "You're what you wanted now," she rasped. "You are to build my home... and fight for me... should the time come. It's the least you could do..."

She couldn't be sure if any of what she was saying was getting through to the hulking beast, but she pressed one hand against the hilt of her saber nonetheless. "Cremaetus..." she whispered through a scowl.

---

[member="Darth Cremaetus"]