Binding of Souls

[Lord Ajihad]

(Noted)

Ajihad nodded at the man's advice, taking it as his signal to begin his little attack. He would approach the Sith from behind, and stopped a couple feet behind him. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. If shock and awe was what [member="Damien Daemon"] wanted, then it was shock and awe he would get.

Using telekinesis, the knight pulled down on the fire alarm, sending the bar into a state of panic. He would also seize control over several of the bar's patrons causing them to assault other people. After that, he again used tekekinesis to knock over some high shelves, sending alcohol and glass every which way.

All of this occurred in a small window of time, send the bare into pure chaos. He spun the intoxicated Sith around in his seat, who had a totally slack-jawed and confounded look upon his face. His drunken brain was struggling to process all that was going on. The assassin then ignited his lightsaber, and the other Sith's eyes opened slightly in surprise. Though he was drink, he knew what a lightsaber was, and the death it brought with it.

Ajihad impaled him through the face, killing him instanly. There were several screams, but most people were too busy fighting or rushing about to really notice anything. The Demon's Fist deactivated the weapon, looking at the burnt face of his victim. After taking a second to admire his handiwork, Vi'kas looked over at Damien to see what he had to do next.

 

[Matreya]

(Lol two things. First, we went outside lol so the fire alarm doesn't work. Second, that's what I meant. Insta-kills like that get a lot of poodoo from other people on the site. You don't want to just have a single post of getting a powerful spirit. Unless of course its a huge, like 1200 word post. But well roll with it.)

Damien laughed, the antics created would create frenzy, but among the whole area. Not just the single being, as Damien had instructed. Thus, when the Spirit finally did rise, after a long time without a sign of it, Damien sent his own Spirits to push the thing away from Ajihad.

If Damien taught, it would be learned. Not only partially.

"Try again!" He called from his spot, unmoving. Grinning to the duo Padawans he had noticed earlier, he sent out a tendril of thought that captured both their minds in a snare. They began to see what their hearts desired from a man: turning Damien into the ultimate prize catch.

As they neared, Damien spotted a young Sithling near his time for Promotion to Knighthood. This he brought to Ajihads attention, "As said, attempt a lot of emotion to be brought out. Torture him, or instill fear, rage, or even lust! It is not a simple thing!"

When the two women got close, Damien began tracing intricate tattoos that covered one girls arm with the tips of his fingers.

(Lol been wondering why you never replied! I forgot to tag!) [member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

(Sorry! I wasn't totally sure how I could extend the post, so I just kind of killed him. I'll try it again!)

Ajihad waited by the Togruta's corpse for several minutes. He didn't see the ghost, meaning he probably karked it up somehow. Sighing, he looked back to [member="Damien Daemon"], waiting for his analysis. As the man told him what he had done wrong, the assassin nodded in understanding. He would try again with the apprentice, and see what he could do...

Like Damien, he seized control of the young man's mind. However, he would just make him stand still. Ajihad waited until the crowd dispersed, and only the small group remained. That way, he wouldn't be accused of murder. As soon as the others left, Ajihad relinquished his grasp on the man's mind. Before he could come to his senses, however, Ajihad began to dish out a beat down like none other.

Using telekinesis, he threw the acolyte into a nearby wall. However, he had used more power than he should, and his victim went straight through the wall. He was still alive, but hurting badly. Luckily, the wall had belonged to an abandoned warehouse so nobody inside was alerted to Ajihad's antics. Ajihad then stormed up to him, and began to pummel the man with his bare fists. He felt the anger inside his prey, but every time he tried to channel it to defend himself, he would be hit even harder it seemed no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't seem to block the assassin's quick blows.

By the time they had finished "boxing," the acolyte had two broken arms, three shattered ribs, and a fractured skull. He was curled up on the ground, crying like a young child. The only marks the assassin bore were bloody knuckles, which wasn't surprising given the velocity of his punched. With a face of no emotion, the Demon's Fist began delivering bone-shattering kicks to the man's already broken ribcage. The younger Sith tried to scream, but his lungs were punctured so bad that he couldn't even sum up enough air to do that. It was all he could do to stay alive and breathing.

Really, his resilience was incredible. He had no chance of living, yet he still willed himself to live. Ajihad shook his head. If only he had given in to death's cold embrace, he would be spared the horrible pain of torture. However, it would not last much longer. Only a little more, and his time would come to an end. Ajihad picked up the man's body, and held it horizontally. He brought him up above his head, only to pull him back down towards the ground at a high speed, He brought his knee up as he did this, so the man's back would collide with his knee. Everyone present would hear a sickening wet crunch as the man's back broke in half.

The man was left twitching on the ground, eyes rolled into the back of his head. Blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth, as well as just about everywhere else on this body. Ajihad figured that he had done enough to the acolyte, and raised a black boot above his head. Using force-augmented strength, the Fist of the Demon brought his boot down on his skull. It splattered like a watermelon all over the street, sending bone shards, brain matter, and blood in every direction. Ajihad then turned to Damien, to see if he had done it right this time around.

(Should that be long enough?)

 

[Matreya]

(Perfect. Lol I didn't mean to sound hateful if I did. Its just this is a powerful skill, so you can't just do it short and sweet. Its gotta be powerful and kinda detailed. But yeah much better.)

As the women he tantalized finally began to truly lose themselves to the feelings they were receiving, Damien gripped their minds in a powerful stasis that literally froze them in time. Drawing Tantibus from its sheath, he drew the blade back and stabbed them both in order, clean through the abdomen until the blades long blade could be seen through the back.

The effect was nearly instantaneous, a powerful rush of the Fear Poison and Force Fear went to their brains, jerking at Damien's control so hard that he physically stumbled back. As their eyes began to refocus, they trembled at the sights they saw. Though there was physically no difference, they began to scream at the highest caliber.

The petite blonde dropped to her knees, shaking violently as she gripped her face, attempting to cower against something unseen but to her alone. She then changed up and began to scratch ruthlessly at her arms, the horror she felt making her do so with Force Enhanced strength until her skin was being ripped off. Blood welled and rushed free of the wounds, and yet she continued scratching.

The other raised her hands in front of her, as if to protect against a charging enemy, "NOOOO!!!" She roared, continuing the yell until out of breath. But then another intake, and she continued her tortured wail of terror. Before long blood could be seen trickling from the corners of her mouth, and then in only a few moments more, she was coughing as she continued to try screaming. Through the aggravated attempts to sustain such hard yells, she had inadvertently torn the inside of her throat open, causing her to spit up blood as well as inhale it - both caused coughing. This in turn led to her biting nearly clean through her tongue, until the blood pumping from her body was a fatal flow. Not to mention the wound sustained to her abdomen.

Reaching out with the Force, Damien made the screamer trip and fall hard on her back. This did nothing to halt her petrifying horror though, instead it seemed that her unseen attacker had now climbed atop her, as she swatted at the air. Her friend he to used the Force on, by flinging her closer until she collided with the other.

Immediately aware of each other, their fears bypassed friendship, and they both began to strike at the other. The blonde scratched her friends face, effectively puncturing an eye, which allowed the mucous within to spread along her face. Her friend though, as a testament to her strength, began to repeatedly punch the woman in the face. Soon enough blood was soaking the platform they were on.

Damien came closer, knelt beside them, then touched both of their foreheads at once. Instantly launching into both of their memories, he combined his own Force Fear with Torture by Chagrin on the duo. Now with so much reaction to the potency of his Alchemy, and along side his own actions, the duo ceased swinging and battling. Instead their bodies began to convulse, shaking so hard that for moments they vibrated like a holocom receiving a call.

Then, they went still, before releasing one last wail of terror that each had miraculously enfused with the Force. Their Bellows knocked Damien back a good 8 feet, forcing the air from his lungs. But he was on his feet quickly to examine the situation. The blonde was slowly shaking less and less, evidently caused by brain hemorrhage and heart attack at a simultaneous moment, while the others eyes had already rolled into the back of her head. She was dead; having choked on to much blood, her body couldn't receive oxygen any longer.

Drawing closer, Damien reached down to grab Tantibus once more, then with an almost agonisingly slow motion he raised the sword upward. With the blade facing the ground, Damien stared down at the living girl a moment longer before impaling the blade into her face. The sickening squelch of blood, brain, and skull tissue becoming a mashed mix was audible to any that happened upon the scene.

Lifting his blade free of the body, and cement, he whipped it about to let the debris fly free, before returning it to its scabbard. Next, he raised both hands and waited for the spirits to appear. The moment they did, he unleashed his Force prowess to envelop them until they began to wail in an ethereal hatred. Before long, their wills were beaten and broken. They sobbed and cried...

But they were his...

Turning about, he sought out his student. Finding nothing, he noticed a large hole in a nearby building. Heading towards it, he nodded to the younger man, "Very good. I like the broken spine...seems...almost beautiful don't you think?" Then he gestured to the spirit as it appeared a few feet from the cadaver, "Now summon as much of the darkside as your body is capable. Envelop the spirit with it, break its will, bend it to your service. When it feels its weakest, create a link between you two."

He wondered if the lad had the capability to do such a difficult task. But then he thought again about the destroyed wall behind him. He might, but he had spent a lot of energy doing that.

(Lol, see what I did? I went super into detail creating havoc so that anytime someones like oh you only did one post, I'm like true, but look how much is in that one post.)

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

(Ok, I got it. Thanks for the tip! Don't want to get in trouble with people for capturing a ghost in two paragraphs.)

As [member="Damien Daemon"] told him to capture the ghost, Ajihad shook his head. He had read up on Force Walking before seeking to learn the ability, and didn't want to attempt it before knowing a few things first. "In my readings, I saw that binding a spirit can cripple one both mentally and physically. How do I prevent this? And how do I summon ghosts like that?" As much as Ajihad appreciated Damien's willingness to teach him (though it costed his memories of his mother), he wasn't about to go let him teach this without taking the necessary precautions...

 

[Matreya]

Damien let a slow grin spread against his face, "That is something altogether different. I may teach this, but it will require a much greater sacrifice than before." He said, then with a wave of his hand, the Spirits he controlled launched over to the one standing over the corpse so it did not flee.

"I said I would teach you the motions. I never said I would teach the counters to its weaknesses." Damien continued to smile, "So, are you willing to sacrifice something greater than memories?"

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Unlike [member="Damien Daemon"]. Lord Ajihad did not have a smile on his face. He certainly should have been more specific as to what he wanted to learn before the deal was struck. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He would just have to suck it up and deal with the consequences for poor word choice later.

"Alright. What would ask of me this time then? What do you require of me?"

 

[Matreya]

"I don't know your present knowledge of Sith Alchemy and Magics, but a long while ago, many, many years, I created a Rune that binds an object to my will. In weaponry it is very good, making it impossible for another wield the item properly." Damien began, looking at the Spirits, "The funny thing is a thousand years ago, the Rune was my Clan Crest.

"Anyway, I'm getting off topic here." Damien said bringing his gaze back to Ajihad once more, "If you want me to teach you the cure as well, I am going to require you be the test subject for binding another to myself. I will place the Rune wherever you wish it to go, yet make it unseen except by the best of the best." Once more his smile returned, "What say you?"

(Ok just wanted to clarify, the Rune will not straight up bend your every thought to Damien's. It would let you know when he's in danger, as well as Damien knowing when you were, so we would never have to come up with a reason for the other to show up for aid. Also, it would be a good way for either to ask for the help required for whatever purposes - ie dev threads. But yeah it would basically make Ajihad his own man, but secretly Damien's.)

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

As soon as [member="Damien Daemon"] mentioned binding Ajihad to himself, the assassin's eye would narrow. He had almost been bound once before, he he did not wish to do it again. He was nearly about to go ahead and stab his mentor right then and there if it had not been for the untimely intervention of logic. What choice did he have now, anyways? He wasn't willing to learn the ability with no cure, but quitting now was also not an option. He had already made a sacrifice, and now he needed to follow through.

The Demon's Fist let out a sigh, and then spoke, "Fine. I agree to your terms, but if you try and pull something, you will die." He said the last bit almost matter-of-factly, showing this man that the assassin would follow through, no matter what...

 

[Matreya]

Damien chuckled, which turned to an outright booming laugh, "Many have attempted to kill me. Only once have I perished however, and it was by my own doing!" He admitted to his own demise, letting it sink in that though death had conquered him, it would not hold him. But then he reached out a hand to grip the arm of the young man, and instantly a powerfully agonizing pain would begin to burst through the mans body. Focusing slowly, the pain would cease to cover his whole body and instead travel to his chest.

Though intensifying to near deadly levels, it ceased in a matter of moments. Having pushed his will through the Force and into the man, Damien caused every cell in the being to be altered slightly. If given a command the younger man would feel a powerful urge to obey, but Damien was not as evil as he once was: the urge could be denied. It would be difficult to say no, but it wasn't impossible. Alongside the urge to obey would now forever be a link between his allies physical shell and Damien himself.

If one was in trouble, the other would know and feel an almost undeniable need to aid them. Including Damien having to protect Ajihad. The binding would not allow Damien to draw energy from Ajihad as he did his spirits, nor did it make it so his utter allegiance be required.

It was the first test of many to come. Damien gestured to the shirt the man wore, and the Force lifted it to reveal the Rune which shown as if it had always been a part of the flesh found there.

"Bind the Spirit now. I will take you to the Cure." Damien murmured and released the man.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

[member="Damien Daemon"] gripped his arm, and pain suddenly shot throughout his entire body. However, instead of screaming, his body would only tense up. Yes, it hurt like all hell had just began to pour outward from his chest, but the assassin rarely, if ever showed others he was in pain. Just as he began to feel like passing out, the agony came to a halt. He took a deep breath, and listened to his mentor's words. After he was given his task, the assassin moved to do as he was instructed.

Ajihad kneeled down, and touched the man's forehead. He spirit whirled into existence, and immediately began to scream. However, his mouth would soon close once he began to become enveloped by the assassin's dark aura. The suffocating blackness surrounded the ghost, seeping into the very essence of his being. He curled into the fetal position, but it failed to save him from the dark side. He shuddered, and the assassin seized the opportunity. He forced a bond between them, making their ethereal connection become true. The spirit gasped, and poofed from visibility. Ajihad stood up, his eyes glowing with death. He then began to follow Damien, who would now hopefully teach him the cure.

 

[Matreya]

(If you look at the image on Force Walk, the Spirits get bound but do not vanish. They stay seen, and attempt to drive their Master insane. Even our Site Cannon accepts that fact, or else others wouldn't see that you had the extra potential!)

Once the other was finished binding, Damien nodded, "Follow me." From that point, he led Ajihad on a quick walk to a nearby shuttle bay. He looked about for any ship that did not seem to be a part of a tourist line, and quickly located a mediocre ship with a pilot sitting on the wing.

Approaching the bored man, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a thousand dollar credit chip which he threw up at the younger man, "Belsavis! You know it?"

The pilot nodded as he swiftly climbed into the cockpits seat, then waited for Damien and Ajihad to climb aboard. Damien moved to a seat, and pushed it back until it reclined as if a bed.

"Hope you can stand the cold." Damien muttered, putting his right arm up and over his eyes, "The planet has, on average, negative 50 degree weather."

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Ajihad frowned. He could normally stand the cold, yes. However, with negative fifty degree weather, he doubted any living being besides some bacteria could survive unassisted. He walk up the platform, and into the belly of the small vessel. He took a look around, and after a few seconds, found what he was looking for. The equipment supply locker sat at the corner of the hallway, guarded by a huge metal door and a 12-digit passcode lock. The assassin turned the handle, only to find locked as he expected. He put his finger on the keypad, but did not press any of the buttons. He sent a jolt of electricity through the system, frying the internal circuits. The door slid open without a hitch, revealing the mediocre collection of equipment inside. There were old-model blaster rifles, expired food packets, musty sleeping bags, tattered desert apparel, and all sorts of sub-par supplies. However, on one of the shelfs, he spotted a couple thermal suits. These would hopefully the two Sith from freezing to death on the expedition, and insulate their body heat as well. He grabbed a couple suits, and tossed one to [member="Darth Pikiran"]. "Wouldn't want you to die before you get a chance to show me the cure, now would we?"

 

[Matreya]

Damien donned the suit, then reapplied his armor before once more resuming his position in the leaned back chair.

In seconds he slept. He did not fear Ajihad, fot the moment danger approached he would be awoken by his Spirits, and retribution would harsh.

===============​

His eyes finally opened when the descent of the ship could be felt. Rising from his seat, he double checked that everything was in order then headed for the exit ramp. When the ship had settled, Damien pressed the button and immediately a gust of icy wind dashed against them as the openening slowly formed. Walking from the ramp, he stared around at the frozen expanse that was the landscape. Smiling he muttered, "Good to be back...

"Anyway, let's go. We need to find a rare plant to create the cure."

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Unlike his current mentor, Lord Ajihad chose not to sleep. His dreams were always nightmares, making any attempt to rest both brief and traumatizing. This had both its pluses and minuses, as it made sure he was always watching for any sort of danger to approach. He kept an eye on the pilot, making sure he was staying on course and did not try to sabotage their journey. And even though [member="Darth Pikiran"] seemed to be a very vulnerable position, it never crossed the assassin's mind to try and kill him. He needed the man to find the cure, and he was pretty sure the man wasn't as vulnerable as he seemed...

Several hours later, the vessel touched down on the surface of Belsavis. As the doors hissed open, they were greeted by a blast of sub-zero air. Ajihad grimaced, but not because the inside of the ship was already being lined with frost. In his readings, he had learned that there were both physical and mental cures for force walking. They were going after one cure, yes, but did Damien intend on showing the assassin the other one as well? The knight decided to wait until after they had found the first cure, and then would wait to see if the other man was going to show him the other cure. In the meantime, they had a cure to find. When Damien had said they needed to find a plant, Ajihad could not help but to raise an eyebrow in surprise. He had expected the cure to be some sort of spell, not a plant. Shrugging, he followed the other man off the ship and and into the snow.

 

[Matreya]

Gesturing to the vast expanse of barren white, he spoke, "Nearby is a cave that holds a blue plant. It grows only on this planet. With it we will make a cure. While many readings have survived over the centuries, of the ability and its cure, it is wrong. I once read a book that stated to use the power, one needed to find a total of 6 cures. In reality, it is two items from two planets, that come together to make the one cure." He turned direction as he noticed a silhouette that seemed familiar, "Once we have this one, we will be heading to Voss."

When they neared the cave, his spirits whispered to his senses, and Damien paused, a smile growing across his face, "Memory suits me... Well, in you go. It is a vine like plant that you locate along the opposite wall." Damien said, but did not mention that the inside was guarded by Alchemical Maalraas. They were just as stealthy as their counterparts, and just as durable, but they were much more intelligent; nearing the range of semi sentience was something that went well with the species.

It was a harshness that Damien had been forced to face alone, so the other would as well.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

As Damien spoke of the second cure, the assassin's posture relaxed a slight bit. It seemed he would uphold his end of the bargain after all. He was about to enter the cave, when a thought crossed his mind. He paused before the entrance to the cave, and turned to face [member="Darth Pikiran"]. "I have one small inquiry, if you don't mind. Is this the only location this cure grows?"

 

[Matreya]

"Ergast himself has told me that this is indeed the sole location of a true cure." Damien replied as he folded his arms, "Just as the other herbs are the same on Voss, bearing a single place of growth." He shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure why... maybe the Force wills it. Ya know, having something that enables such power grow anywhere, well the Balance would be shifted in the favor of the Dark Side."

He gestured once again to the cave, "Just be careful. It won't be as simple as you would first think."

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The assassin nodded at [member="Darth Pikiran"] 's words, fascinated with what he had to say. It was indeed interesting that something of such power existed in only one sole location. He also took note of Damien's last remark, about it being harder than one would first think. The man slowly crept through the dark entrance, ensuring his feet made no sound on the cold stone floor.

As Ajihad continued his journey down the the throat of the cave, he noticed that the temperature gradually increased. He also noticed the floor had a slight downward slope, bringing it further and further underground. Soon enough, he could no longer see his breath before him, and was beginning to regain feeling in his fingers. As the temperature increased, however, a rancid smell met his nostrils. It was a scent easily recognized by most, especially hunters. It was the rancid smell of rotting flesh.

As he turned a corner, the assassin saw the source of the smell. There were bones everywhere, some with flesh still hanging from them tenderly by ravaged tendons. Some of the bones belonged to animals, others were much more humanoid. Given the manner in which the flesh was ripped from the bone, Ajihad guessed it wasn't just the wear and tear of nature. No, someone or something had teared through the bodies with a dark hunger. Frowning, he observed the area around him. Some of the animal corpses looked somewhat recent, while the newest humanoid looked centuries old. It seemed that not many knew of its location after all. He also saw the back wall of the cave, and his prize was sprawled across it. A blue vine, just as the man had said. The assassin continued forward, when an icy gust rolled in from outside the cave. He felt it across his body, but the feeling briefly paused and resumed again as he walked at a brisk pace. He paused, a frown upon his face. He had been blocked against the gust for just a second, which didn't make any sense. Perhaps a normal Sith would have ignored it, but the assassin did not. There was nothing that could have obstructed the gust, as he was in a relatively cleared out area. Had Damien followed him in? Why didn't he see him anywhere. He turned to the spot where the breeze had been impeded, and stared straight into it. Something didn't feel right, and his gut told him so. That's when a huge creature materialized before him in mid-leap, about to tear his throat open.

Luckily, he was somewhat prepared for the attack. As it came for him with its claws extended, the Sith ignited his lightsaber. He slashed at its arm, which should have easily severed the limb. However, fate was not with him that day. The blade cut through the creature's flesh, causing it to scream. However, his blade did not succeed in cutting through the bone. Instead, he was only able to slightly bat away the attack, but its claws still ripped through part of his jacket. He grunted as he felt blood well from the wound, but it didn't stop him. Instead, he rolled under the creature's belly, and eased into a combat stance at its rear. However, it wasn't necessary. The semi-canine creature dropped to the ground unconscious in front of him, the toxic dart he had just inserted during the combat roll protruding from its stomach. It would wake up in a few hours, again ready to guard the precious cure.

Ajihad went over to the wall, and used a small knife to cut a large piece of blue vine off of it. He flinched as the cut by his stomach began to sting, and more blood began to drip out of it. Grimacing, he again activated his lightsaber, and burnt the area of the cut to cauterize it. He took a deep breath to get his bearings, and walked back to the entrance of the cave. He held up the vine, and spoke to Damien. "Now what?"

 

[Matreya]

"Now to Voss." He said, and the two began the long trek back towards the ship they had arrived in. Once space began to blur past them, he turned to his ally and said, "We will be there soon enough. Once we have been there, I will show you the best way to combine the cure."

[member="Lord Ajihad"]