Claustrophobia

[Darth Empyrean]

Barbatos
Circa 853 ABY

Far beneath Orobas Mons…
_____________________________________

The two had spent a few days trekking through the darkness of the cave network in search of something ‘Human’, one of Maliphant’s personal spies, had dug up in regards to the historic leader of Barbatos, that of Darth Niona. Once, the legendary Sith had spent millenia beneath the mountain, researching the secrets to immortality and seeking to turn the planet wide nexus into a slave of her will, though her fate was completely unknown. No known expeditions had yet to find her laboratory, nor had any that went too deep into the Mountain actually manage to return. Most assumed them dead, but those exclusive few understood that they suffered a fate much worse.

Maliphant walked alongside Morrow as the two walked through a small corridor with perfectly black, matte walls. There was no reflection, not even the inclination that any gaps existed, immaculate in their face and quality. Before this, they saw that of a conventional cave, but the stalactites had fallen to the wayside as the almost eccentric cave turned to obsidian geometry. It carried with it something unsettling as well, as the light Maliphant carried did little to give them an idea where they were going; the downside of the non reflective walls, though his gaze was mostly settled in The Force regardless.

Sight just helped.

Slowly, he turned to Morrow and spoke rather calmly, as one could only do a few hundred meters below the surface of the world, surrounded by the taxing undulations of The Darkside all around them.

“How are you faring, Darth Morrow?”

[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

"As well as to be expected."

Darth Morrow walked beside him silently with her gaze fixated into focus on what was around them. The air was filled with a certain pressure one could only associate with the darkside, an aura of oppression. Wrapped around her were her travel robes, all dark ebony in comparison to her snow white skin and glowing sulfuric eyes.

Admiring the cave walls she'd extend a hand forth and run it along the architecture. "I'm gathering a feeling this is not an abandon place. Far too, clean, well, not necessarily clean though I assume you gather my point. After this long the place should be in disrepair, not a space we could walk freely. At the very least, something lurks here."

What the woman had truly placed most of her attention in was a small creation she had sent forward, a bird of sorts, hopefully to gather some hint of what was to come. Though in a brief moment the connection between then snapped and Maliphant would see her pause with a hand on the wall. "Yes, something is here. Proceed with caution."

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“A shame really-”, he said with a coy sarcasm to his voice;

“Here I was hoping for some quality bonding time.”

He grinned at the jest, but fully understood the danger. Despite the joke, he could sense far deeper in the facility the maelstrom of energies that stood even outside of the Nexus that threatened the planet at all times. What lay beneath the surface was enigmatic, completely unknowable, yet the brave now stroad into its depths with treasure on their mind, and power in their hearts. Perhaps it was a fool’s errand, the arrogance of Sith that had propelled them to Death’s door without realizing just who they were disturbing, or what for that matter.

Maliphant took a few more steps through the darkness before he paused himself; feeling in the distance movement. Not spiritual, not even through the force, it was his hearing that sensed it first, hearing the distant pitter patter of a slow gant, but as he listened to it closer, he could hear a crying that came with it. Deep, overlapping heaves of sorrow that felt unnatural, as if multiple people were crying in unison. This was not the cry of a mortal being, or at the very least, Maliphant hoped it wouldn’t.

There was a certain fear he felt, for the first time in a long time as he considered what still lay in the depths of the hole they now treaded in, but slowly exhaled as he took more confidence in the power he held. Something he had begun to experiment with while fighting a Revanite on Bastion; something he didn’t understand how to control just yet. Gritting his teeth he spoke once more;

“You weren’t wrong… I suppose we won’t get the chance to camp for some time.”

Not a problem. He had spent days at a time training intensely with The Telos Holocron, though he hoped whatever lay in these depths didn’t somehow compare to such.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

The crying rung in her ears. There were plenty of beasts that mimicked the cries of man, though this was unnatural. "Camping is the least of our worries. I should have brought the others though of course I left them to guard the ship." With an aggravated grunt she regretted leaving the monsters of her creation behind, could have at least sent them to their deaths before her, should could always make more.

"Lets hope should we die there is more than a pot to transfer our consciousness into shall we?" Morrow said this in jest, or rather as close to a jest Maliphant would assume she could come, the monotone made it rather hard to tell. Though as she finished the statement her hand drifted to one of the sabers at her side and continued forward taking lead.

She could only hope not to meet a brutal death as she glanced into the main chamber, the other hand grasping her other saber and using her foot to gently nudge forward the heavy door. With dark eyes she scanned the room just as the crying increased in volume, an almost booming noise that made her take a step back in slight surprise. "I think I've found our friend. Somewhere in there."

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

At least she was learning to open up, if that's what one could call Morrow’s form of a jest. Maliphant simply shook his head at the monotonous nature of it, knowing she’d need a bit more training in the art of ‘charisma’ before it’d come across with the desire effect, but they’d spent a few weeks together already, and it was easy enough to tell when she meant well and when she didn’t. He scratched at his jaw as she moved into the next room, the horrendous cry growing louder;

However, whatever seemed to shamble in the darkness only a moment before, rend their ears with sorrow now, never appeared. Surely it was dark, and the presence of danger was almost palpable, but there was no actual indication of who or what the source of it was, neither in the force or otherwise; only the overbearing of all the red flags that came with wandering a stronghold that held no furniture, no art, nothing to signify just what it was that it held. Maliphant couldn’t help but think back to the legends of the local cult, that of the living planets and their minds.

Could Barbatos be alive, and somehow they wandered into the place its heart resided?

Shaking the rampant thought from his mind, he quietly lifted his hand, a pulse surging through the force around him. Different from an actual offensive ability, it was one that moved to harm spirits, ghosts, and the latent force spirits that often inhabited places such as this; a mere token of what Revan once committed against Vitiate, the purest form of The Force there was. It moved slow, burning through the darkness before dissipating some distance from them, only to have it all fade back once more;

Only this time, without the crying.

Maliphant paused as he moved closer to Morrow, speaking low;

“I’m not sure a lightsaber will help at this point..”, he said quietly.

Unknown to either of them however, the move had summoned the ire of a forlorn spirit deeper into the underground fortress. Their nature insane, their power immense, but they knew not their own identity any longer; and today they sought something powerful to take. It began to stir from its slumber as the two began to speak once more.

“If my information is anything to go on, we’re in the central chamber. No idea what it was used for, but moving along the wall over there-”, he said motioning to one of the abysmally dark corners. “-over there, should allow us the chance to find the passage that leads deeper into the network of tunnels. The old Sith Lord of the planet should have been there.”

[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

Morrow looked to him for a split second and noticed the concern in his tone, the hushed whisper as he stared into the darkness before them.

"Whatever it is, there is little chance that we can't handle it quickly."

Giving up on the sabers as he advised, Morrow focused all of her energies into a sort of shield, a power Maliphant had likely never seen before. As she focused he'd noticed the slight glow hug her form, a shimmer in the dark before it faded to a clear shine only present in the light. Taking another moment her prescience would meld away from the force, seemingly snuffed out of existence in the blink of an eye.

Following the pathway pointed before her, similar thoughts would float about in her own mind, only these ones kept on a leash. Quietly sorting them to their places she diminished her worrying to senseless weakness; a thing they couldn't afford at the moment. Walking with a hand still to the wall Morrow would feel indents present in the structure. Pausing she'd examine them closer and take a look back to her partner. Something is, or was trapped here. The door opens from the outside in.

Looking back she'd notice the lack of handle or method of opening the entrance before it slipped closed. Taking a sharp breath she quickly moved towards the other exit with inhumane speed.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As Morrow rushed for the entrance to the second level, that which nobody known had ever entered, it too seemed to lock just before she reached it. The flat, formless walls held no handle, no seam or indication of entrance, only the disappointment that greeted her as she held her hands against it. Whatever she had hoped to find, it would not be found today.

Maliphant quickly followed behind her, a few seconds behind as he had to realize she had run away from him, especially her sudden lack of presence in the force and his lack of sight. The combination had made him effectively unaware of where she went, so as he stopped near her he took a far more annoyed tone of voice than he had prior;

“Alright, quick advice, next time don’t run off-”, he began before a massive slab moved somewhere in the darkness, unknowable to the two Sith. He glanced towards the abyss that surrounded them, furrowing his brow before he finished what he was saying;

“- run off without me…”, he said with a far slower pace as his modicum of anger was quickly moved into concern.

He took a few careful steps towards the darkness as he fondled the necklace around his neck, that which hid most of his force potential behind a neutral barrier. He didn’t appear in the force, just as she had, thought it was a sudden, effortless transition as he began to whisper back to Morrow;

“If you have something to confess, now would be the time. Not sure you’ll get too much longer…”, he said in a half joking, half serious manner.

He didn’t really expect some revelation from her, but he hoped she’d understand that it implied danger in the darkness.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

There it was. The first cand only moment of panic he would see on the woman's face. While it wasn't true terror, there was a lack of calm there without a doubt. That being said, it became even more evident when she ban to try and pry open the door. Loud punches echoing against the walls and dents clearly being made.

"I don't plan on dying in here, try doing something useful." Her monotone voice cracked for a moment, the slight fear tugging at the back of her mind; the immanent thoughts of peril and decease clinging harshly to every other second.

The longer the punches continued, the heavier and heavier they sounded, almost like metal on metal or stone and iron, an odd thing. "If I can just dent it enough, we can pry it open. It cant hold shape forever. And Im not finding out what just joined us."

As she continued the valiant effort, her mind drifted back to another point in time, one where she sat in a pit, helpless and hopeless with the odds. Staring up at the sky the young woman had tried climbing the walls out several times only to fall to the bottom. Pebbles and dirt tumbled down from those above, casually walking past. Let me out of here and I swear I'll rip him to shreds.

Snapping back to her own reality, sharp teeth dug into her dark lips in pointless anger.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Of what curiosity Maliphant had, he glanced to Morrow, furrowing his brow a mixture of confusion and annoyance. It was often she had sent passive jabs at him in the form of verbal abuse, but he had yet to hear her voice crack in fear of any sort; and while he certainly felt it, he couldn’t show it. There was always the training of staying calm, and perhaps unlike Morrow, he had studied how thick the door she had moved prior was.

Nearly two feet, whether she knew it or not, punching the unknown, black, matte, immaculate surface would do little. Small dents may have formed, but they just as quickly began to buff out wherever her attention failed her. This place knew its captives, and it had no intention of letting them go now, it would seem. However, something deeper struck Maliphant than the physical.

There was a curios ability of Maliphant’s, that of telling the future. He could not sense whatever was in the room with him, but he could see what it would do, its invisible power slamming Morrow into the wall and tearing her asunder with the brutal powers of a beast neither could see, not in the force and not in sight. He couldn’t let this happen, and without thinking, he rushed forward.

His muscles grew tight, dense as iron, pushing his foot off the ground as the force amplified his already exceptional speed; far faster than Morrow had ever witnessed during their duel. The result of months of training with The Telos Holocron under the supervision of thousands of Sith Lords, his entirety amplified by a mixture of imbuing his legs with the force to stop their immediate snapping, while he was rushed forward with the velocity of a bullet.

“Morrow!”, he called out, the entire action taking place during the half second it took to call it out.

He had slammed into her, pushing her out of the way of her path of destruction, wrapping both arms around her waist to move her before the unknown appendage of some great deity in the room with them slammed into him, instantly snapping half of his ribs. He cried out, a mixture of pain and surprise mixed with blood as it spurted from his throat, only to have him lifted and thrown to the other side of the room; everything going dark in a moment’s notice.

His armor would begin its efforts to heal him instantly, still wearing the training armor that held back the absolutely massive reservoir of power he held behind that pale skin.

Morrow however, knocked out of the way, would begin to hear something not too unlike her own voice; though that was just the dominating tone. An octet formed of male and female voices, all speaking in unison as they whispered darkness through the abyss, directly to her ears;

“S̜͇w̥̯ḛ̞̼̖̫̜ḙ̖̩̬̯t̖ ͓͈f͙̰l͕o̜̯̲̜͚w̝̺͙̜͙̟̲e͚r̖̟~̣̝̳̦!̫̠͎̹”, it’s cacophony of voices forming what could only be described the broken mess of a sultry tone.

“Oh̬̦͚ h̲̹o̭͔͍̣̳͍͇w̤̘ ̗̤y̜̲̗̟̺o̙̰u͎͕͍̟͍̗’v̤̰͇̞̹e̙̜̞͙͉̣ ̘c̼̘̣̘o͕̱̹̞͔m̝̖̙ẹ̻ ͓t̻̙̗̭̦̖̫o̫ ̰̭͇̻̭̥̟m͖̰ḛ̺̗.̬͕̩͕̤”, it continued, “W̳̞̯̮͇h̺o͉l̬͎͎͚̪̭e͍͎͓, ̰̰̳uṇd̻̰̱̩̜̝̬i̘̰̣̞͈̲s͎̹̻̥͖̬̬t̖̥͔̝̩ͅṳ͔̻̟r̦͚͚̭̠͙b̠e̥d͖…̣̩̞”

“A̝͎̘͔̯ s̥͍h͎̩̠̤͖a̠̠̘̞͓͈̺m̝̘̩e̗̗͕͔̥̰͖ ͙͔̝͕͖̝h͉͇̱̯̩e̥͍͇ ̼͉̜i̯̹̙̟͙s ͙de̻̮̹̠̝̬ͅa̪̼͙d, ͍̹̭̺̙h̩͓̪͓̺̤e̱͍̖͙͍ ̹͕̩̤̻w͇̗͉̯̝o̖̞͎u͎͇͖͖ld̥ ̮̘ḫ̝̬̬a̫͚͎̫̲̠vͅe̦̭̪̪̥̞ ̥͈̙͇͕͉̙b͍e̜̗ḙ͙͓͈̥n̜͚̫͈ ͖̗̗̦̙̦a̠̳͈̣̯ ̞̱̫̺͙̘g̱̼̥̮r̗̮ea̳̖̦̖̣̬t͚͍̗̙̞̤ ̭͔̭̻̖ͅs͍͉l̗̰a̠̜̤v̱̖̩̺͎e̩̻̰̯͚…̘̘̬”


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

Another first in a long time. It had been awhile since she had been caught off guard, and this certainly did the trick. Being thrown to the floor and seeing her partner whipped across the room like a rag doll, that was a scarring event. Backing herself into a corner while still on the ground the voices filled her mind as she looked to all places trying to find its source.

"I have not come to you... And we will not be slaves." Morrow glanced to Maliphant's form across the room, trying to detect a semblance of life. There was a quiver in her own voice, she'd seen this situation thousands of times before; she knew exactly what was coming.

"Who are you. Why have you trapped us here." Her mind began to drift again, the small woman being lifted up by her much older cousin and thrown to a rock wall. A foot to her throat and the only option of surrender. The tightening pressure as she looked up to the pitiless eyes. I yield.

Looking up she finally began to see some semblance of a figure appear; though not whole, or really present, drifting in and out of corporeality. Her pupil-less eyes looked up to stare at the shape, sulfuric yellow burning against the darkness as she pressed her back to the wall. Her breathing slowed as she simply stared at the form, waiting for an answer. Waiting for anything.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The figure was not human, though every few moments of sight it seemed to drift into a humanoid shape, however the corporeal edges and ghastly formations offered nothing more than undulating blob; though if it was actually the figure itself could not be known. It could have been a singular eye, simply opening and closing at varying degrees, or it could have been multiple beings, but it simply wasn’t in the realm to be known. Between the darkness, the overpowering sensation and pulses coming from the core of the Nexus, and the slow panic and insanity that drifted through the metaphysical plain on a fundamental level, it was impossible to understand just what Morrow was looking at.

Its voice, sickening, disturbing with each syllable, came outwards once more with its contradictory pitches;

“C͕̳̳͚̱h͍i̤l̡̞͓d͈̭̬̣̤ͅ ̹̘͍͚̲̯͟o̬̗f͎ M̬͙i̦͍n̰̦̯e͖,̴͇͇ ̗͚͝h҉̗̰̖̬̩̰o͞w͚͜ͅ ͎́I̟͜’͜ͅv͏e͍̰̯ ̥͈̝̘͚̻̦m̩̫̱is̰̯͔̖s͓e͇d̺̳̙ ̢̲̟̣̹ͅy̷o͇̦̜̱̲̬̭͝u̻̝ͅ…͕̩͇͖͝”

, it seemed to say over and over again, often overlapping its previous statement before laughing overtook all of it; that of the old, the young, the unborn, all of which sung in unharmonious laughter the threatened to pierce Morrow’s ears and soul in a single strike.

“L̬̰̲͚e̝̼͎̙t̵̳̪͉̳̙ ̗͙͖͎u̜s҉̮̲̘̼͙̰̹ ̞b͍̣̥̯͉e͓̬̬̗̹͘ ͉w͉͚̲͟h̞͔͔̲o̸̱̞͙͚͉l͖͖͔̖͙͉e̖̥̗,̡͇̟͈̗̱ ̠̳o̴͚̩n̛̙̘̬̥̪c̯̱͓͎̤̥̳e̢͖͖̗͔̟̳͙ ̩̫̮͕̙̕ą͕̻͈̟͙g҉̙̦͖̟̹̠͇ai̜̱̩̗͖͢ṋ̫̩̩̰̘~̬̲͔̹͇̙”, forcing itself through the air like a boulder through a wall. Everything it uttered seemed to hurt reality, stifle the laws of nature, and tear down the mentality of all who dared challenge it.

Pressure began to build, pushing and prodding on Morrow’s presence within the force. She may have hid it, but the being seemed to not care, as if to strip her of her very clothing. There was no hesitation, no slow build up of conflict; only the immediate, instantaneous, and extremely painful onset of having one’s own soul wrecked and pressure, pulled and enslaved by the gestalt of a thousand barbed whips; each stronger than the last. Thousands of cracks of pain, hundreds of commands all sending her in a different direction, tens of agonizing deaths, all in one eternity that came in the matter of seconds.

What it was that threatened her soul, it pushed not with the force of an army, but a god. Sickening, destructive, wraithful, and lustful; all the sins of man wrapped into a single aggrandized entity.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

Am I dying. It took only a few moments before the consciousness of Morrow faded, the pain too great for even her enhanced for to hold wakefulness; though, from what she really would have felt if she was conscious and had feeling whatsoever anymore, that would have been the death of her. What she lived at the moment was a sort of wakeful dream, nothing felt real, blankly staring at the visions of a dark room unable to move, or even breathe, except, something else took hold.

After the deafening silence, the voices began to drone over each other once more, Morrow's consciousness chained between the sounds of hell as they all spoke over each other. No matter how badly she wanted to scream or fight, who could take on such power.

If there was any life left in her friend across the room, all he would see was her blank stare, empty eyes fixated on the opposing wall as her form faltered, the fight for what form she would hold constantly shifting as the invading being tested her ability. A twitch every once in awhile, perhaps a shiver, but anything else at the moment was halted.

GET OUT! The loud telepathic message screeched across the room at a violent disciple. This was only to be followed of course, by the same deranged laugh from before.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As the telepathic message made its way through the darkness, it washed over Maliphant in a painful wave. He was Epicanthix, he could not hear what she had said so easily, but it hurt him through the force at the sheer pressure of the intent; something that pricked his skin and forced him awake. Breathing was painful, despite the work his armor was doing to quickly heal him, but ever intake of air was only met with short cough and more blood, gritting his teeth as they began to stain pink from the crimson that fell outwards.

He moved to a knee, glancing to his friend, the one had foolishly gotten in the way of defending. In truth, it was because Maliphant cared, if only slightly, and didn’t know the depth of her regenerative abilities. He knew what his could do, but without a proper handle on Morrow’s, he couldn’t risk the unknown, so he had put himself in the way to compensate; to make a known. Even if it he regretted it slightly now, he knew in his heart he had made the right choice.

Even if Morrow wouldn’t have done the same for him.

He groaned as he stood up fully, a hand resting over the slowly mending bones in his robes, blood drooling from his lips in a sickening display of harm. There was a quiet word he spoke, unheard by even himself, before he pulled upon The Force to enhance what little voice he had; a task in itself as the training armor he wore restricted even the smallest uses of The Force.

“Morrow! Morrow, please, are you alright?”, he said in a hoarse pressure that couldn't be met by any others than him.

His mind moved back to their journey hear, aboard the luxury vessel he had offered to take them both in. She never smiled during the journey, but he remembered the faintest of curves she had given him after an exceptionally careless insult he offered the droid GOOBER; though the idea of such faded in the next moment. Something was wrong, and while he could barely feel the sensations, he knew something across that room was no longer what he knew or held sympathy for.

What sat in the corner of that room was Death, and it hungered for another soul.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

M͡o̰̟r͖̻͞r͕͓̰̭̜o̷͎̦̲͍̣w͎͍̪̯,̝̞̩̟ ̮͓̤y͙ơu̗̤͎̝̮ ̱̪s͜a̷y̴̫̱̗̮̙͍.҉͚̤̞̝͍ S̭̗͟ṳ̧̺̳͇̙c̷̘̯̲͖̪̺̻h̦͍͔͙̱̞ͅ ͉͚̻͎̫̫ͅa͚̳̖͎͉̠̮n͏̣̮̺̳ i̧n̖̼͉͠t̞̲e̯̯̻͙̩͔͉r͈̫̲͚͈e̥ͅs͍̬͚͙̳͞t̼͇̼͔͔̦͡ͅi̘̥͕͝n̤͕̥̗͠g̴ ͠n͇̘̩̦͇̤a҉̝̞̲̲͙̮̰m҉̮̱̹e̡̬͓̯̤.̣̦̬̥̠
GET OUT

The form of the monster before him finally began to settle, Morrows once pure white hair turned crimson as true blood; curves decreasing, though in true size she grew. Once perfect nails now sharpened at edge, eyes bright yellow and crackling with anger. Chuckling, this creature began to stand, ignoring any wound once taken by the form moments before.

Morrow's consciousness swelled in anger, her mind bound in chains as the other took control. It was as though she were a puppet being fed directions impossible to refuse. As the moments went on, she found herself trying to refuse them less and less, her will draining as it became too much of a struggle.

T̳̮̦̗̖͉͢h̹̮ḁ͉̩͈̠͔͜t̻̺́'̩̫̜s̳̲ ҉͇͇̘̘̣̩̹i͙̘̣̲t̜̤͜,͙͙͢ ̣̫̼̬̪͓y̠̲̼̝̳̰o̱̝͎̗̞̫͔u͔̮̤ ͏̺͎͎̗u̹͙̪̗̣͠n̸d̯͇̩̜͝é͎͈ṟ̡̠͇s͔t̙a͍͖͔̹̪̰̻n̶̺d̜͕̘͈.̧̳̞
Understand...


[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Sith watched at Morrow transitioned, changed and undulated beneath the skin like a series of snakes were struggling to escape as her various features changed. It was a slow, disturbing process, and beneath the shroud of darkness, it made it all the more terrifying. If Maliphant were any lesser of a Sith he would have run in cowardice, as this was far beyond anything he had ever witnessed before. Its very nature was disturbing forming a storm in the latent dark side energies that surrounded them even now, forcing him to take a deep breath and step backwards;

“Get out of her.”, he said with as much gusto as he could form. It wasn’t as intimidating as he hoped, but in the moment of having his ribs snapped and the fellow Sith Morrow taken over, he didn’t have much to work on.

His steps took him closer to the beast, though each was moved with a tedious care. Slow, considered steps that brought him towards the death that faced him within the room, exhaling slowly as she came into view within the darkness; furrowing his brow as he witnessed the full change that had happened to his friend.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

Another chuckle followed as the crackling yellow eyes fixated on his crumbling form. The pure energy now radiating off of what was once Morrows body was so immense there was that wonder if she could actual handle it, or if it would burn to dust in mere moments.

A͎̟̻ņ̣̱̺̤͍d̻͕͔̣̞͟ ͏͚͍͙w̷̮̖̼̰̜h̳̗̹̹̗̞̰a̭̤̳͚̭̞͎t͙̥ ͎͎̘͈̻̱͞a̙̗r̥̲e̠̪̭͎̣ͅ ͚̜̲͓̫̻ͅy͍̞͓̖̫̣̕o̲͎̥̦̟̱ͅu̸̖͍̮̟͖̫ͅ ̫̭̞̙ͅģ̖̺̘͇̗o̼̘̲i̟̩̹͓̤n̞̞̫͘g̥̼͎͚̰͘ t̯̗͞o ̜̭̘̟͍d͞o̺, ̞̫̭c̴̺͎̻̮̖h̗̪̮ḁ̦̜͢l҉̜͈̹l̲̟͙͈͈͎͔è̺͖̼ͅn̲̞̥͝g͉͔̜͓̦̰ͅe̺̹͕̖̮͟ͅ ̡̭͍̦̩͎a͕̹̘̲̕ ̝͓̟͕̟̯g͎͎̼̖̮o҉̦͕͉̱̫d̯͇͉̜͔͔͉͘?̣̗̰͈̘̩ͅ ͓̱P͚̞͕e̹̟̭͚͢r̜͈h̴ap̗̹̟̫̼̭͡s̹̣̜̰͓̻͜ ̱͙̦̻̪̯̤y̘̣̖̬̤͓̟͘o̠̼͉̟̻͕͔u͇̲̠̦̰̺̦ ̸̤̪w͖̖̭̰̤̖͚i͓͈̹ļ͖̖̼l͚̖͈͈ ̡̦̪̲̥̩͍m̴̰ak͕̘̖̞̫͙̳͠e͠ ̖a̘̝͇ ̳̬̰͔̠̲͟n̫͉̮̳͍͕͉͝i̹͝c͠e̮̮͔͕͠ ̙̥̥͙bḁck̺ṳ̟̙̯̬̣̘p̤̺̮̬ ̣͍̭̩̹p̛u̴̼̠̝̻͕p͕̫̜̝͓p̛̰͇ͅe͉̹̟̣͇͙t͔̝̦͕̠̖ ̴̪̖͙̬̻̩̫s̶̲̤̩͉h̞o̫̲͇͈ṷ̫̤̫̹̰͝ld̴̞̝̹ ̲̻̜͎͞ͅt̘̦h̷̼̬̫̼͓ͅi̶̯̘͉̣s͍ ҉͚͕̲͖͙ͅo҉n̢̥̯e͏͙̙͙̞̺̥ ̬̙̞̺͉̖̜f̳̰̹a̵̳̪i̴͍̭l̵̳̼̖̟͚ ͏me̲̬͚̪͈͈͚.̝̠͉̻͢
Please... End this....

A sickening laugh followed as the woman extending a hand, energy forming and lighting crackling as she focused on Maliphant's chest. Nothing said he had to be alive for her to control his body, that simply made things easier.

T̵̡̹̙̟̣h͓͔̩͓o̯͚u͏̥̯g̹͉̤̳̮̕h̛̩͉͕̮͓͝,̤̞̩̻̯͚̀ ̶̻̭͢h̗ͅo̮̲p̴̞e̱̹̭̹̥̠̲̩̬f̀҉̱̻̘̙u̵͉͍͙̣̱̻l̝̯̰͖̘͜l̸͈̯y̰̣̟̱͝ͅ ͙̖̼̰̩͇y̬͚̫͈͖̝͚͜ͅo̮͇̱̰̩̤̝ư҉̦̦̣̝̲̺̥͖́'͢҉̩͔͕̟ĺ͚̬̦̘͝l̲͈̬̯̪͜ͅ ̸̵͉̜̝̘̗̙ͅp͙̖̻̝̻̱͔̖̀u̞̮̕t̵̖̯̙̫͢͝ ̛̣̣̠̙͉̩̕͝u҉̫̲̩̭͝p̙͓̩̥̮ ̸͓̖̫͈̖͟a̢͏̩̜̥̪̫͍ ͍̬̯̖̗̼͍̳͠͞͠h̪̦̩̗̳͔̩a̙̦̗͙̗͡͝r̳͙͡d̺̩̱̭͍̜̞̖̕ȩ̶̛̖͕ͅͅr̡̗̗̬̯̳̱͙̲̹ ͏̵̟͈̩f̦̱̫̞͈͟i̵̻͈g̷̗̼̦̤̖̪̲̮͠h̥͈͇̫̘̱̗̝̀t͏͕̼̺̻͙̥̣̦͡ ͇̪̣̫̖͍͍͟͡͠ṭ̵̮͠h̬̬̟͚͕͝a̡̡̙͈̙͟n͕̤̤ ͖̺̘t̸̪̝͙͎̟͓͞͡h̢͉̤͎̻̟͘ͅͅi̶͓͉̯͘s̪̲̜̯̤͞͝ ̰n̸̟̪̜͉͇̘͍e̛͙͓̙͔̦w̹̳͎̩͎̕ͅ ̨̠̠̣͚p̬̞̼̟̬e̶̷͍̫̩͝t͢҉̡͍.̸̤̥


The responses that once underlied to the series of voices had faded, and with it the voice became more settled, the tone of one voice taking hold. (x) Within a moment the bolt fired off towards the man before her, the electricity a bright blue. With it followed a small explosion of dust across the room, another panel opening somewhere in the darkness.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“You will not have her!”, he called out as he rushed forward in a flurry, only to meet the bolt head on.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed it, nor that he couldn’t sense it over the turbulent energies in the darkness. Infact, he could see it, but the fact of the matter was that taking it on would be a challenge that needed to be made, to test what further capacity this being was capable of within Morrow’s body, and Maliphant understood this; more than most Sith cared to ever attempt. All of it was a matter of seeing how hard he would have to push himself, to see if he was even capable of taking this amalgamation on.

As the bolt hit him, his vision blurred and his hearing disappeared, met with nothing but a constant static before he regained consciousness. He had managed to put both hands in front of it, even taking it far enough to slide meters backwards from the strike, but just as soon as it had hit him and forced him backwards, he lost control of its power and it sent the Sith ragdolling into a nearby wall once more, letting out a wimpy exhale as he struggled to catch his breath.

At the very least, it didn’t kill him.

His eyes almost watered as he struggled to get his breath back, unable to stand as he tried to recover from the strike. Somehow, it had managed to hit him harder than whatever it was that struck out in the darkness prior; forcing him to wince and his heart to race, desperate attempts to rise and continue the fight, with nothing but adrenaline pushing him forward, but he struggled to even get off his knees.

Deep inside of him however, a latent pulse echo’ed through the room. A darkness Maliphant had conquered in a previous life, unknown to him but rearing its ugly head whenever he was in desperate need; feeding off the darkness that worked its way under both Morrow and Maliphant’s skin.

It was just as dark, if not darker, than what thought itself a god within the room, and its presence threatened more than its nature. It threatened its place in reality, bearing its proverbial teeth as the titan that it was.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

S̻͕̯u̵̵̦̰̫̲̪̳͢c̶̰̥̼̳̣h̫̳͕ ̵̸̧̗̬t͏͖̘͔̙͉͍̟ą̨̱̻̻̲͜l̙̺̠͙͉͝ͅḳ̗̦ ͘҉̹̻̤̯f̸͍͍ó̖r̵͓̥͙̺͍̗ ̣̣̞̗̟̳̩͍͜͝o̶̧͔̱n̮̱͎͕̥͔͍͍̘͝͞e̛̤͕̣̦ ̟̰̟̺̜̕͝w͔̱̻͝͠ḩ̜͎̹̮͈̤̟͜͜o͇̫̹̙͍̹̲ͅ ̴̦̟̖̩c̵̨̳̞̬͔̤̣̕á̤̙̖̼̖͍ņ̮͇̰͈n̡̻͜͟o̥͓͡t̷̼͖̕ ̴̨̖̼̭͉̼͜e͔̥̻͇̗̙͞v̙͓͙̥̥͓͚̫ḛ̜̞͍̬͍̟n̤͎̦͢ ̢̺̩͈͍͍̫̥̲͟h͖͎̖̥̲̖͍͎̺͟a̲̟̙̟ń͔̗͚̩d͏̦͚́ĺ̪̼͙̥͟͞e͕͎̼͔ ̯͕͓̝̙͝a̶̫̥̭̥̰ ̴̸̙̖̟̥s̫̹̰̝̝̠i̻̜n̷̙͍̹̥͙̰ģ͎̟͈̝̝̠̖͖͍l̸̬͚̗͖͡e̳̼͇͜͠ ̠̠͉b͜҉̫̘̰͕̟͕͔o̶̙̞̗͟l҉̳̺̯͍̼̙͈͈t͉͙̝̗̬̭̼̳.͡҉̗


The darkness in the room began to increase, and she felt this much; though the sickening smile plastered to her face said she couldn't care less.

With powers mixing of Morrows ability, the enhancements of her form and the being now holding its strings, there was little Malaphant could truly do. Unless there was some hidden talent under the fragile looking skin, her claws just kept digging in further, ripping apart every last bit of free will Morrow had. Darkening eyes peered to the other attempting to make his stand, and as he did so, she prepared once more.

This time both hands crackled with that same energy, set level with his head. Her aura continued to grow as the light fled from around her; the very laws of nature defying reality as she commanded it to her will. There was no going back now, she was going to leave this prison and do what she desired for so long. All would bow to her might.

I̛̬͈̠̩̫̮͜͞ ҉͇͚̝̟͉͍̦͙́w̜͙̦̩̘͔̯͟í̷̤̙̘̼̞͎̙̕ͅl̶̖͎̕͢l̛͎͉̟ ̰̰͇̀g̶̘̞̲̺͈͠i̥̙͙̝̯͘͜v̴̨͍͎̼̰͟e͍̣̰̺̳̣̗̼̝͢ ̡̳̤̗̞̰̕y̴̶͖͔̗͇̮̙̟͜ơ̢̞̬͓̬̜u͉̩͈̯̩̫̞͠ ̸҉̮̖̩͚͎̼̣o͏̱͘n͓̳̲̻̬͕̠͈e҉̫̫͈̪̯ ̮̖̣̲̗͍͔͈͟c̘͉h̷̗̺̖̹a͙̺n̵͏̦c̝͚̘e̦̹̘͎͝͠ ҉̸̩̘̥̘̻̙t͓̳̭̘̗̦̩͇o̶̭̟͎̞͎̙̱ ̷̵̰̯̙̪̳s̙̲̼̜ù͈̜̙̺͞r̩͎̲ŗ̪̞̟̬̠̳̳͖͈e͓̼̙n͙̬̘͚͔ͅd̶̥̼̦͙̙͕̣̞̘͟ẹ̮̞͍͘ŗ̰͍,̸̣̦̠̖̞̞͇͞ ̵͎̲̲̣͉͍͞I̸̢̧̗̻̫̤͖̰̩ͅ ̨̲̳d̬̥o̷̡҉̮͓̱͚͓ ̨̮̣͉́͢n̢̧͙̺͈̯o̫̙t҉̨̟̪̠̭͞ͅ ̺n̨̤̖̪̪͖͖͖͠e̛̹e̸͖͓̱͙d҉̱̰̦͚͕̝̙ ̛̟̺̖̙y̴̶̮̭̘̖̜̝̬͍͠o͍̺͝u̧҉͖ ̬̻̕͞t̸͈͇̣̗͞o̢̮̱͎͟ ̲͇̠̰͓̟̀l҉҉̱̠̦͖̜̼̱̫i̟̖͚̣̹̰̣̠v̷̨̧̝̫̻͖̫̼̻͓̪e͎͇̦ͅ ̶̨̨̯͔͔̬̠͎̘̘͉f̟̥̥͚̹̀ơ͎̬̣r҉̸̢̱̹̟͍ ̪̮̟̻̺̘̟͡m̰̝̞e̩̬̺ ̩͍̹̱͇͝t̵̼̳͔̭̲̟̖͡ͅo̴̗͕̥̥ ̵̴̪̝̣̝̜͓̤̖͠ṱ̨̠͙͖̙̮͍̲̕a̹ͅk̤̝̘͓̜̜̺͓̪͠ẹ̶̲̗̰̹̻͔́ ̭̪̝̳̫ͅḫ̵͈ǫ̷͏̺̮̜̱̲̺̩͍l̬ḑ̱̱̮̩͞ ̶̛̳͎̩͉͍̤͈̹͠ͅò̖ͅf̧̰͎̼͚̤͉̙͈̘́ ̧̙̺͔̟̮̕t̖͖͉̥͝h͢҉͖̗͍͇͇̺͢ͅͅą͎t̨̛̗̱̬͖̞̟ ̘͍͈͔̤͉̣̟͘͝p̵̩͙̪̜̥͜r̻̯̫͚͚̯̞ȩ̞͉̲̼̞̤͘͢ţ̜̞̝͚͓̙t̶̥̳y̵̧̗̬̗̯̖̬̤ ̗̣̻̭̞̩̰͜͞ͅlͅi̢̨̺ͅt̘͖̩̘͓̗ͅt͡͏̥͈l̴̮̭͕̱ͅe̱̥̲̝͜ ̡͖̣͓̤̫̥̫̤͞b̢̭̣̻̗̲̳̤̝o̬͈͎̳͟d͝҉̖y̱͇͉̭͍͉̤.҉̞͈̱̝͘ ͕͔Ị̢͖͖̻̬̤̗̘͟͡ͅ'̡͎̗͖̻͓̦̫͉̰ḑ̬͢ ̘͈̭̺̀p̨̤͜r̨͍̜̻͎̩̘̙̗̣͟͡o̗͕̲̭͖ͅb̞̹͖̕͞ạ̹̺͎̣͓̀b̢̛̫̼͎̠̙̪̥́ĺ̸͔ͅý̷̤̲̩̲͎̥͢ ̧̮̥̘t̞͈͍̲̲͓̖r̭̲̞̗͘ę͜͏͔̬̣͖̝̗̻a̧͉͟t҉̝͙͈̬̦ ̙͚̞̮̻͟i̜̫̬̹̻͉t̳̳̟̻̪ ̵̘͍̪̥̹̭̗̜f̵̸͏̝̣͎a̛̲̣̱̙͓̜͢͡ͅr̥̟͎̪͚͔͘͡ ̪̘̱̳͕̯͚̥b̢͈̦̣̣̣́e̘̩͎̠̘͔͡ͅt̷̘̯̠̣ţ̳̙̣͓̖̯͝e̵̳̯r̙̤͈̰̤̦ ̯̟͈̫t͏̧̫̼̘̣͖̠͉̝͞h͈̼͈͓͢͟ͅa̶̟̞̥̣̱͈͕̰n͓͢͞ͅ ̫͎̬̪̞̦͞ý̡̻͎̮̟̗͓̀ͅo̵̤̞͍͇̯̻̙u̪̖̯̦͎̞̬͖̲.͏͏̟͍̺ ̲̙
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[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The nexus of Barbatos was massive, planet encompassing, and stronger than the majority of Nexii in the galaxy. Its bounds knew no limits, its body an endless ocean of fuel for the darkness that was Sith and their metaphysical force engines, working for experiments and unknown creations for millennia before today; leading to the strength of the spirit, but despite what it had given to ‘it’, it did something more in the moment.

As Maliphant slowly stood, the effects of his armor healing him at an exceptional rate, another pulse of dark energy from his core surged outwards in a horrid, aggrandized display of power; feeding and working its way off of the strength of The Dark Side within that room. Churning, pulling, tearing from his very flesh that which had been sealed away by the being he was before; but it still stood just behind the visible, just behind what could be seen, only felt.

Maliphant’s breaths were shallow after tanking the first bolt, his eyes almost glazed over as he looked towards the abomination that was Morrow; his voice low and deadly, but certainly weaker than it had been before,

“I told you…”, he said quietly, “You will not take her…”

An unsteady step, followed by another as he walked towards her, his hand outstretched as it built what meager force energy he could muster behind the weighted nature of his armor. It dragged on him, stole away all that he was, and in these defining moments of life he could see how deadly the armor actually was; though not against his opponent, against himself. Despite all the strength he could feel within him, all that he held within his palm was pittance, the dirt scrounged from the basic of his reserves.

He was weak, and the spirit knew this, but the third of the massive pulses of dark energy once again betrayed what one could see with something far more dangerous.


[member="Darth Morrow"]

 

[Darth Morrow]

"I won't take just her, no. I'll have you too." The voice settled to merely the woman's. It sounded almost as an echo, though still coming from Morrows form.

Within a moment something would begin to form around her body, odd dark shapes starting to hold her up to this spirit behind her. As he'd watch Maliphant would notice Morrow go limp, almost hanging there in its grasp, once powerful eyes now glassy and vacant, her pale skin looking somewhat grey. Though as the being left her body it would change back to what it once was, the beautiful pale woman.

"Please, by all means. Destroy me." A chuckle filled the room for a moment. "Though I hold your friend, everything she is. End me and you have nothing but a shell to hold."

Another dark pulse filled the room so soon after the last, the dark eyes of the now physical spirit locked onto the man with deadly intent. She'd have him if it was the last thing she did.

"Yield to me, and perhaps you can join her in mindless servitude."

[member="Darth Maliphant"]