Cave Rats (Sith Apprentices?)

[Zykhan]

Eons of chaos had taken place amidst the very grains of sand that Alaxander’s leather boots effortlessly pushed through, these tiny fragments of something much larger were more symbolic of the Sith and of Korriban than any of the countless tombs and scrolls, because it showed that everything eventually crumbles in the end, only to be stepped on by the next generation. There would likely be no lull in the chaos on this day, Mortivious and another Sith Apprentice had been ‘chosen’ to take care of a small rebellion taking place on Korriban.

It seemed Master Valadis, an old Sith who had seen his prime and watched it leave, only to hold on to the little power he had left had convinced his apprentice to start an uprising in his name so he wouldn’t be stripped of his power. Little did Master Valadis know, but Mortivious and Kára would soon show him the error of his ways by presenting him with his apprentice’s head that he so selfishly filled with bantha poodoo. The blustery winds whipping across the desert surface seemed a perfect match to the change of direction Valadis’s plan was about to take.

Armed with a single red lightsaber and a medium suit of protection, Croix was ready to take on these mislead students. The report said there were fifteen students under his influence so far, there would likely be five to ten students with the apprentice at any given time. Taxon, Valadis’s apprentice, had held the group up in a series of cave tunnels, evading the few students sent to stop them, murdering others. The cave entrance had been marked on their map and they were coming up on it fast.

“Let’s get this over with and report to the temple so we can deliver Taxon’s head to Valadis. I want to see his heart stop from sheer terror.”

@Kára Morrigan

 

[Kára Morrigan]

I'm sooooo sorry; for some reason, tagging doesn't always work with me. I had no idea this was up.​

__________________________​

​

I pulled my cloak tighter about myself, scowling at the sand whipping about in the air on warm, tepid winds. I hated sand. It got into all sorts of places, and was damned hard to get out. It couldn't penetrate the tight, bantha leather armor I wore, however, and for that I was glad. The amor was as black as my heart, and hugged my every curve, the pants legs tucked into black, knee high boots. Enhanced by my master's powers, the armor would provide protection from Korriban's merciless sun as well as moderate blaster fire. Instead of a lightsaber, such as the one my comrade used, I carried a light whip coiled around my waist, and an electrostaff strapped to my back.

I followed in Alaxander's wake, taking solace behind his massive frame. He wasn't much taller than me, but he was certainly wider, his body thick with muscles, and like everything I'd seen since leaving my former home, he fascinated me. His rage burned hot enough to match my own, and his hate... I could taste it, mixed in with Korriban's innate dark energies.

It was delicious.

“Let’s get this over with and report to the temple so we can deliver Taxon’s head to Valadis. I want to see his heart stop from sheer terror.”​

​

"Is that wise? However old he is, Valadis is still more knowledgeable in the ways of the Dark Side than we are." I sidled up next to him. "Perhaps it would be better to send someone else to deliver the head." Men... they knew nothing of caution.

In the distance ahead, I could make it the jagged crests of a mountain range -- at its base sat our target. The cave.

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]​

 

[Zykhan]

In the many years of jumping from spaceport to spaceport manipulating the shadows on borrowed breath, learning to socialize with new people had come up little to no times, instead they dealt with contacts and other people already known. He had no idea if conversation was a smart choice given their line of work, she was likely to use whatever he said against him, they were still Sith. He thought maybe he could comment on her roseate hair, cast across her face like a Tattooine sunset, or maybe he could comment on her armor, blacker than a Krayt Dragon’s soul, or perhaps he wouldn’t say a word and instead study her further, he needed to be able to read her body language so when the time for battle came he could synchronize their attacks.

The rancor of a man measured to just over six feet and he made sure he kept his shoulder up and spread around the woman, he was positive she had just as much potential as Mortivious but he also knew he couldn’t allow her to figure that out. “You may be scared of that ancient sack of bones, but he knows his time is up, he wouldn’t even be able to lay a hand on us before the Empire blew his brains out.” Blackened eyes slithered together as his face formed a gruesome smile, Alaxander couldn’t help but lick his lips, the eager apprentice could practically taste the power he’d gain from ending that fool's life. “Besides, it wouldn’t be much of a fight considering he can’t even rally his own rebellion. He’d likely piss himself to death before I could even snap his puny neck.”

The cave was fast approaching, it was clear to both apprentices that whoever was inside meant business, there were many bones littered near the entrance, like feral animals marking their territory…or trying to lure their next meal. The hulking warrior took in a deep breath of hot Korriban air, drawing in the ancient evils mixed about the broken sand particles. The desert winds would soon have more wayward Sith spirits to add to its merciless clutches after @[member="Kára Morrigan"] and Alaxander got their bloodthirsty hands on the apprentices.

 

[Kára Morrigan]

"Caution does not fear make," I returned, a scowl blossoming on my face. This man... he was a brute in every sense of the words. Blunt, unforgiving, and painfully direct. He would make for an impressive warrior, I imagined... a brilliant hammer, at the least. But hammers needed delicate hands to wield them. Any fool could batter away at a nail, but to strike so efficiently as to need but one stroke; that, was the clarity that I sought. "You expect a Sith such as Valadis to fight you saber to saber, hm? He'll twist your mind and electrify your soul, just as he's done to his foolish apprentice." The creatures loitering around the cave's entrance quailed in the face of our advancing forms, their animal minds no doubt privy to our status as predators.

Inside the cave was dark and unwelcoming, and the air smelled heavily of minerals. I looked to the Darkside to show me the way, cloaking myself in its black power, sighing as its sweet, sibilant voice whispered in my ears. "But if you wish to throw your life away, go ahead. I won't stop you."

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]​

 

[Zykhan]

He gave a toothy smirk to her pointed reply, he piqued the dark warrior inside of her, just as he had hoped. He chose not to reply to her, instead focusing his own anger and melting passions toward the bounty ahead. The only sound audible as the duo walked in was the soft whistle of the dunes shifting outside the mountain; otherwise it was deathly still inside the dreary cave.

The two of them would have to work together if they didn’t want to die, however that didn’t mean they couldn’t make a competition out of it. As softly as the towering Sith could speak, he offered a simple question. “Why don’t you put your soft brains against my rippling brawn?” He bore an ominous grin, “Let’s see who gets to the apprentice and kills him first?” He knew they were likely much farther down the cave, but there would likely be scouts lurking about somewhere they could use for warming up.

“We’ll stick together for the target practice on the way, but when we reach the main group the fun begins?” There was no such thing as a friendly wager amongst Sith however, this could result in death or even worse, punishment from the Sith. “There’s supposed to be a Sith Lord a few cliques behind us, he’s going to give the report to the council when we’re done, he’d likely notice which one of us wins…unless you don’t think you can do it by yourself?” It would be a hard challenge for both of them, four or five followers each, not to mention if there were any scouts they failed to drop. Though you weren’t a Sith if you weren’t willing to die for the power you gained.

@[member="Kára Morrigan"] @[member="Dranok Lussk"] (you can jump in whenever, you don't have to be too specific if you want)

 

[Kára Morrigan]

It doesn't matter who gets to him first, I thought to myself. So long as he dies. I would take my brains over his brawn any day. Men like him were soldiers; women like me were queens. With whom did the truth of power prevail? I thought of the statue in the foyer of Lord Kaine's palace. The queen, of course.

He was essentially offering to do all the work himself, and who was I to deny his wishes? I nodded my acquiescence, waving him forward deeper into the cave. "Fine." I didn't react to his words, realizing that they were meant to insult my pride. Sith were nothing if not prideful, and his insinuation that I was weak rankled, evoking in me a sharp spike of anger.

I would use the emotion to my benefit.

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]​

 

[Zykhan]

Mortivious couldn’t help but smile dimly, the obelisk of a man wasn’t completely stupid, he knew charging head first into a battle would be the end of an Apprentice if they didn’t know exactly what they were doing. Eyes the same color as the dancing shadows on the black wall took a side glance at Kara. She was quite the emotional one, she considered herself much higher on the food chain than Alaxander and the ‘brute’ would keep playing to that card, suckling the Dark Aura she produced in his wake.

The marauder stopped in his tracks however, in the distance he could hear footsteps crunching against the cavern floor headed their way. “This will be our first test, brains.” Then without warning, two medium sized rocks came crashing toward the duo, luckily Mortivious’s crimson blade met the incoming rock and sliced in in two, hopefully Kara would be as lucky.

@Kára Morrigan

 

[Kára Morrigan]

He came to a stop beside me, and naturally, I did the same. "My name is Kara, you brutish boor, and you will address me as such." My voice was as sharp as a vibrosword. I'd been fascinated with him at the onset of our mission -- I was often fascinated with the new and unknown. He'd presented a new mystery to unravel, more knowledge to be gained, but as I'd come to learn...

He had all the mystery of a monkey-lizard. There was always the chance that he would surprise me -- crazier things had happened. Perhaps I would come to realize my judgement had been hasty. There was still time yet for me to learn more; the mission had only just begun...

Steps sounded in the distance. I tensed, left hand curving back to grip the base of my electrostaff. A warning blared in my mind and I was overcome by a sudden urge to move --

I stepped to the side, avoiding the stone projectile, as Alaxander cut through the boulder in a flash of red plasma. The footsteps materialized into two dark cloaked acolytes leading a trio of akk dogs, their paws soundless against the stone floor. The akks had been twisted by elementary Sith Alchemy -- they were larger than normal, their heads level with my stomach, solidly built with rippling cords of muscle, and sharp, jagged teeth...

But that's where the enhancements ended. They weren't any smarter, hadn't been given a poisonous bite our projectile acid spit. I pulled my hand away from the electrostaff and palmed my lightwhip. With a flick of my wrist it uncoiled from my waist, spooling against the floor. My thumb clamped down on the activation pad, the ground burned, and red light illuminated my face.

"Well, hammer? Those are nails. Hammer them."

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]​

 

[Zykhan]

Alaxander couldn’t help but note how eager she was to lash out at her ally, feeding her already growing nerves, though Kara could prove to surprise the resilient beast with her willpower, or she would snap under the constant anger she was syphoning into the air under Mortivious’s manipulation. He was impressed to see her trimmed body react so fast to the attack, her reflexes as fast if not faster than Mortivious’s trained battle skills. She would prove to be something of a puzzle until Mortivious got a better grip on her.

The torches cast randomly through the cave offered little detail to the approaching attackers, though the carmine hue cast from Croix’s blade added enough macabre detail for the two of them to understand the situation. The sick colored Akk dogs hissed and sniffed in the air as though they were hunting for their dinner, likely starved save for the random apprentice who saw himself fit to challenge them.

This time would be different however, there were two apprentices challenging, two apprentices who knew how stupid their predecessors were, two apprentices who had the will to make sure they would never find themselves turned to the very sand they’d be dumping from their boots later…

Well at least one apprentice like that, Kara had yet to prove she was anything more than a mouth full of hot air and sharp words, she evaded the first attack but had yet to prove if her skills in combat were as flashy as her tongue and whistle-punk hair. She ignited her whip, burning away at the stone floor. She sounded another quip to go along with, however Mortivious would not fall victim to his own anger farming mechanics. Instead the Sith Apprentice decided it was time for action, words could wait, these enemies likely wouldn’t find his joke humorous anyways.

Knowing very little about Akk Dogs, other than the fact they were Force Sensitive and highly resistant to lightsaber combat, Mortivious knew he would have to focus his efforts on the ones controlling them. The ravenous beasts snapped and bit at the ground in front of the two apprentices, their puss colored saliva dripped to the ground; they were truly beasts to avoid. The battle hardened apprenticed decided to make the first move, reaching with the force to grab the very stones the sycophants used and catapulted them back knowing they would doge it.

The next step was to charge at them in their weakness, running just a second or two behind the stones, he couldn’t directly attack the Akk dogs so he did one better, the brute leapt into the air, using the tough hide of the beast’s head just behind their crown of horns as a stepping stone, getting that much more inertia behind his swing. The apprentice tucked his blade to his side and behind him, reading his body to twist. The airborne Sith then extended his arm nearly instantly after, pulling his body behind it like a Coruscanti ballerina turning her body in true art, in that moment Alaxander exuded the grace of a Jedi Master dancing with its lightsaber and the pure ferocity of a Sith Lord wielding the full might of the Dark Side on his opponents.

His twisting body would be a blur to those watching, but the grace behind the attack was something marvelous, drawing off the Darkness surrounded them he was able to feed into powers he didn't even know he had. He brought his full weight and then some down on the first handler of the beasts, the hooded and misguided Sith did what he could to block the attack but with the combined strength behind the assault and his lack of reaction after dodging the rock, his feeble blade could do little to stop the freight train of a Sith.

He lobbed the acolyte in half, his sawed corpse fell to the ground as Mortivious rolled away to get more distance between the other acolyte. He made sure his gaze met with Kara, he was unmoved by his recent kill. “My name is Mortivious.” His voice was more like a boom from a rolling thunder cloud, the Dark Side jumping from it like electricity in the air. A sick toothy grin enveloped his features before he looked away and gave his attention back to the monsters in front of him. His body shifted into a defensive stance, lightsaber again at his side.

@Kára Morrigan

 

[Kára Morrigan]

While my comrade moved to engage the acolytes, I focused my attention on the akk dogs. Their rough hides could resist the burning and cutting properties of a lightsaber, but they could still be ensnared by a whip. The acolytes loosed their hold on the beasts to deal with Mortivious, releasing the akk dogs to barrel towards me. I had faced Nexu in my master's arena; had seen the results of alchemical experiments guided by his hand, a master's hand...

These dogs simply couldn't compare.

I whipped my wrist forward and the lightwhip followed suit, wrapping around the lead dog's foreleg. Just as quickly I pulled my arm back, sending the dog tumbling. At the same time, I pulled my electrostaff from my back and thumbed the activation switch, face a mix of blue and red as electricity lanced along its length, crackling in the dusty air. The other two beasts soldiered on as the first righted himself --

I met the first with a backhand swing, my strength belying my willowy form. The second took a booted foot to the face, followed swiftly by a thrust of the staff into its maw. Its anguished howls filled the cavern, drowning out the sound of the snarling third dog as it leaped towards me. Dumb dogs. Did it not learn from its fellows? Adrenaline and passion converged into one, coupled with Korriban's wealth of Darkside energy. I reached into the Force and took hold of its power, manipulating it, shaping it to my will just as Circe had shown me...

I stepped out of the akk dogs pathway, watching is it speared itself on the pike-like energy construct I'd formed in the earth behind me. Blood sprayed across my face from the exit wound at the top of its head, the thin, wickedly sharp faux-metal having cut straight through.

A warning in the Force had me moving before I could fully appreciate my handiwork. The final beast lunged at me from the side, becoming once again acquainted with the business end of my electrostaff. I slammed the crackling rod down against its skull, relishing the sharp crack as staff met bone. The beast barely let out a whimper before it collapsed to the ground. As an Epicanthix, I was naturally stronger than baseline humans. Due to the intensity of my master's training, that strength had only been increased. All of that coupled with the Darkside's influence?

I felt as if I could punch through durasteel.

"Well hurry up, Mortivious. Finish him." I gestured to the one remaining acolyte. I imagined, after witnessing Mortivious's saber work and my own brutal offense, he might've been a bit fearful.

I wouldn't hold it against him.

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]​

 

[Zykhan]

The arid desert air whipped around as Kara proceeded to execute the Akk Dogs like they were child’s play. Mortivious had yet to go face to face against too many actual creatures in his day, he found them to be too unpredictable, he was unable to read their emotional map, it was just kill, eat, repeat. He had a much easier time with human beings however, and when the second acolyte saw his beasts taking on the first apprentice he figured they would be able to take care of themselves. He drew back his hood to reveal his scared and bruised face, likely a form of in group torture to break their spirits. The misguided student offered no indication he was alive other than the snap-hiss of his own crimson blade springing to life.

The dance began slowly, each of the two men circling the other, not breaking eye contact for a second, not even to draw breath nor check the progress of the other duel, Alaxander and his opponent were in a mental and physical grapple for dominance and Croix had a hard time accepting defeat. His opponent was hard to make out in the dim flame, though he had some horns atop his head which likely meant he was some sort of Zabrak, though the rest of him was hard to decipher between the scars, cuts, and preexisting lines, the acolyte seemed to be a practice post someone used to practice their newfound powers on. “Die!” The acolyte moaned before leaping toward Mortivious with the deadliest of intentions.

In that instant, Alaxander’s instincts took over, his right hand twirling the blade around clockwise to his side to build up momentum before his muscular arms did the rest. The cave walls were set ablaze with battle, red light drenched the battlefield, a loud thud sounded, the two apprentice’s blades had met, the force from the blast sent them both staggering a little bit, luckily Mortivious caught grip of the wall and balanced himself before his opponent. This was as good a time as any to launch a counter attack, so using his grip in the wall and what little of Force Speed he understood, Mortivious rocketed himself toward his opponent only to be dodged.

The acolyte had to have seen the attack coming with the way he dodged it, his back turning counter to the direction Alaxander had come, his robes twirled with his body, and a few nanoseconds after Mortivious realized what was going on, the acolyte sprung his second attack, hoping to kill the Sith Apprentice and move on to finishing the girl. The stalwart apprentice had a different idea however and brought his blade up over his head and behind his back to meet the Zabrak’s once more, giving off a few sparks.

In true Sith fashion, Croix would use his opponent’s greed to bring about his downfall. The apprentice had no time to notice the three Akk dogs lay slain on the ground, however he did hear the goading from his fellow apprentice, no time like the present he figured. The hulking warrior brought his blade back up, pushing his assailant back a couple feet, just enough for him to bring the blade over his left shoulder and down his front, building the momentum he would need to swing his body back around, casting the red lightsaber in an upward motion, slicing the Zabrak from his lower calf up to his chest. The sizzling body hadn’t fallen apart yet, instead the acolyte stood with his shocked look, unable to move. “You lose.” The vicious Sith extended his hand and sent out a light Force push, knocking the top half from the bottom.

Mortivious rasied his bloody hand and wiped the dirt from his collar.

“Let us continue.”

@Kára Morrigan

 

[Kára Morrigan]

We continued onward deeper into the cave. It gradually widened into a vast chamber, dimly lit by flickering torches, with jagged stalagmites arching up from the floor and stalactites jutting from the cavern roof. It was suspiciously empty, and across from us, at the end of a thin bridge, was a shadowed tunnel that lead to the main chamber. Another entrance -- or exit -- to the main chamber sat at the bottom of the vast chasm, illuminated by moving lights -- acolytes holding torches, I realized, as I peered over the edge of the long drop. A set of narrow stone stairs curved down the the side of the underground canyon, leading to the entrance.

"I'll take the bridge," I told him. "You take the steps." Without looking back, I made my way across the thin, stone concourse to the shadowy cave beyond

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]. ​

 

[Zykhan]

The further the two apprentices ventured into the caves the stronger the presence of the Dark Side grew. The air became ripe with death and a dank draft from deeper in the cave swept the searing smell across the vast expansion. The sickly tunnel eventually gave way to a vast arena before them, empty save for a rickety bridge going across and a winding staircase built into the cave. Below the duo was a group of four or five apprentices making their way through the harrowing tunnels they called their home, wherever they were going was important enough for Mortivious to give chase.

He nodded at the idea of her taking the staircase, it was likely noisy and noticeable and if their enemies started charging Croix could rush them from the top of the stairs, taking them out one by one instead of all at once. Other than that he was mostly bored, the battle charged warrior that he was craved more violence, his blood pulsed with rage now, feeding off of the potent energies manifesting inside the centuries old cave. These very walls had likely been home to monstrosities that Mortivious couldn’t even imagine yet, abominations to the senses created for the sole purpose of destruction. Much like these monstrosities, Mortivious would be roaming the vast caverns in search of prey for his darkest whims.

The battle armor boots were chunky and generally noisy, but given the mostly flat surface of the stairs Alaxander was able to tip toe his way down and behind the devilish acolytes, staying far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to feel him in the Dark Side. There were four main acolytes and one that seemed to be another trained apprentice, or at least it held higher rank than the others. The apprentice wore gray robes accented with maroon and gold, a stark contrast to the black robes the others wore. This entity wasn’t near powerful enough to be Valadis’s apprentice, but they would prove to be a challenge nonetheless.

The group made their way up another flight of stairs, this time opening to a giant corridor leading down for quite some time in either direction. The walls were decorated with some tapestries and a few stolen paintings from the Sith Temple. Wherever this cult had lead Croix was somewhere important, or at least a hallway leading to somewhere important. It wouldn’t be long before they would lead Mortivious right to Taxon and he could kill him then and there. The six foot two vanguard of darkness was not as deft as he imagined himself however, and in his pursuit of the group he stumbled over a rock that had broken itself off from the ceiling. Silence turned to questions whispered among each other, all of the acolytes and the one in front turned around to face Mortivious. He couldn't quite make out their features with their dark hoods, but they could see him. They immediately began coming toward him.

“Your crackpot rebellion ends here, traitors.” An eruption of red burst from his right hand, he weaved the blade around his body a couple times before ending in an offensive stance. “Time to die.” The apprentice stood tall in the Dark Side, like an obelisk in the Valley of the Dark Lords. His rage reached a boiling point during their approach and Alaxander broke out into a full spring toward the acolytes, their weakness would not be tolerated any longer. The Dark Side marauder leapt into the air with the aide of the Force, closing the gap between them. Hopefully Kara was having as much fun as he was.

@Kára Morrigan

 

[Kára Morrigan]

Shadows jumped along the cave wall, fleeing eerie green torchlight. Despite the light, darkness reigned supreme in the narrow tunnel. I couldn't rely on my eyes to navigate my way through the shadows and called on the Darkside for clarity, following its urges into the inky blackness. Hate froze in my gut -- hatred for these weak fools wasting my time, hatred for Valadis, hatred for the banalities of existence itself.

The path curved around a jutting section of rock, then dipped lower to follow the sharp fall of the cavern's ceiling. I heard steps up and whispers up ahead, and felt, in the ever-changing, ever-growing miasma of the Darkside, an elementary attempt to summon its energies. Unbidden, my mouth curved into a wicked grin. My grip on my electrostaff tightened, and in my other hand, I drew in the Darkside's magnificent power...

@[member="Darth Mortivious"]​

 

[Zykhan]

The entire weight of Mortivious’s vengeance crashed down upon the first Acolyte. The hooded devil had no time to react before being sliced down the middle, burnt flesh singing the dank cave air. Eager robes flapped all around as the battle started, one of the acolytes drawing his vibrosword and another couple attempting to cast some Dark Magic spell against him. The head acolye was nowhere to be seen, they must have made off once the battle had started. Maybe the wraith was going to alert the others.

The vibrosword came crashing for his left shoulder but was parried and melted in one swoop, leaving the foolhardy swordsman without a real weapon. The other apprentices started to close in on Mortivious but it would be pretty easy to keep them at bay, he assumed none of them had lightsabers or any real knowledge in combat. He took down another acolyte easily with a backhanded slash while they turned to run.

The Sith acolytes used their Sith spells to try to slow the bladestorm down, however the only fueled his desire to crush them. His legs were strong enough to negate most of the magic along with their less than competent abilities within the Force. Mortivious felt a bit more fatigued than usual but he had faced much harder than a failed Sith Spell in his time amongst the Dark Lords. “Your turn to die.” The vicious warrior then gave his most menacing obsidian glare before grunting and approaching them as quick as possible. They were trying to focus their powers to keep him at bay but he wouldn’t fall victim to their spells, not here, not ever.

@Kára Morrigan