Damned If We do....I'll Damn You If You Don't!

[Via Dolorosa]

Her new apprentice was far more than green behind the ears, he was, in fact, a poor case for any potential Sith. He had heart, check. He had love for the Sith, check. But what he was missing was the fortitude to become a true Sith in all it's glory. The first two could etch him by through many of the Sith Masters, but it was the last prequisite that mattered most to her. Any Darksider could claim they wanted to learn the ways of the Sith; but it took a special breed to become a Sith.​

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"This is where it all began for me," Darth Venefica said stepping off the shuttle, feeling the moist and unforgiving world of Dagaboh for the first time in years.​

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"I was but a child among monsters once.....and now I stand among the monsters as their Goddess!"​

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Wiping away a shed of tear from the corners of her eyes, she finally felt the comforts of home. A moon had not made it's cycle without her feeling a home-stricken feeling being away from the planet that had housed her existence for many years, and yet, despite the homecoming she felt less than adequate to return to her birth of the Darkside. The voices, in full bloom as always, had chosen to remain silent on this historic return, whether it was because they felt a homecoming themselves or a chance to bring another sane mind into the folds of their insanity remained unseen. Whether these voices of Sith long forgotten that resided in her mind held a plan, she wold not allow her new Apprentice to suffer the same fate as she harboured.​

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"Dagobah is dangerous planet....a planet that defines or breaks a potential Sith."​

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Carressing the amulet that laid against her neck and breast, she smirked with delight. She was a traitor awaiting judgement, but her true purpose laid with her Apprentice. Before her death, and it was a death she knew would come one day, she held many dark secrets to bestow upon her masked Apprentice whether or not he viewed them as a growing step in the right path or teachings that could lead him to a similar fate she possessed, it was ultimately his own path in the Darkside he would need to forge.​

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"I was but a child when I slayed my first Dragonsnake....and you stand before me as a man. Well, hunt the swamps.....and pray the swamps don't hunt you back."​

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[member="Clovis Torcularis"]​

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

I've always put myself in the light of the most opposing figure to stand before people, I mean my height alone could make the smaller folk tremble with a slight of fear, but this powerful girl who was far shorter than myself held me at a disadvantage. When she spoke, her words commanded respect, words I knew in my meager existence I had to listen to. And those eyes, I would be a fool to even make an attempt to lock gazes with her. I new who she was, I knew of her dark reputation, and in lieu of what the One Sith had tried to diminish about her, I was far aware of what she capable of. Treading lightly with this Sith Lady was an understatement. I was, for the better use of a word, her clay to mold and shape. At the time of our discussion, one that would never see the holocrons or holovids, I was almost certain what I was getting myself into. Almost I said.

I come with baggage, but she came with a luxury suite filled of nick-knacks. She had done things that I could only imagine I could do, and my depreciated dreams could never measure up to her stories, and to dismay, I chose her to be my Master. What did I get myself into? I knew exactly what I had chosen, a Sith capable of teaching me her ways and the ways of the Sith. Traitor or not, she had my respect. She also had my fear to intertwine among those fingers of hers. To be damned or not, I was her Apprentice.

Knowing my place, I stepped off our shuttle behind her. I could feel the immense mugginess of the swamp, plus the desperation of life and death that surrounded it. Darth Venefica, my Master, had chosen this planet to train me, and in lieu of her words, I had failed to listen to the most important reason why we came here. This was her home, and if I failed her miserably, this would be my grave. I barely had a chance to soak up her words before my mind began to formulate an understanding of what she was saying. Dragonsnake? The whole word seemed troublesome to me, but if she killed one as a child, then I could slay one easily. Right?

"As you wish, Master," I said taking my leave of her and entering the foul smelling world of Dagobah's swamps. With her cold gaze upon my back, I stomped through the swamp water unaware of what I was attracting. I believe myself to be a God among Gods, but with my intolerable footfalls I soon learned that wasn't true. Off to my left flank, I heard one howl followed by a whimpering scream, then complete silence. My first reaction was to retrieve my dual blades and fall into the breach. But after that whimper, the swamp had grown eerily silent as I continued forth.

I took a countless number of steps through the rancid waters, when my right leg was gripped in a powerful clamp, and soon after I was dragged into a potential watery grave. As I struggled for control, I could here my Master laughing.


[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Standing with her arms across her breasts, she watched as her Apprentice was taken quickly by one of the many predators that stalked and haunted the planet of Dagobah. The splashing of water and the quickness of how he was taken could be chalked up to any of the predators; Dragonsnake, Swamp Slug, or maybe something new that she was unaware of. Nature, for all it's beauty, was a constant evolution of change, and it had been some time since she stalked these swamps; leaving her to rethink that evolution had finally trumped her.​

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"Wave your arms about.....hold your breath....and most importantly don't die!"​

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There was a time, a long ago of time, that she cared about the well being of those that she taught, but as evolution of nature had changed; so did she. She was no longer a young girl who could toss herself into the mix of battle, old scars that reminded her of times pasts and old age reminded her that it was time to sit back and play the role of observer. The novels of written history had shown her the impending downfall of the Sith; as a new Jedi reformed faction had garnered enough momentum to topple the belief system she once held deep in her heart. And she knew one day, be it Jedi or internal squabbling of the Sith Order, would tarnish the only true Order she ever loved.​

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"Keep your head up and your arms free.....and for the Goddess' sake....breathe!"​

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[member="Clovis Torcularis"]​

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

I had managed to pull my goggles over my eyes, just in time to see some kind of serpent-like creature's jaw firmly attached to my leg. My mask could aid me in breathing in any sort of air type, but water was not on the list of it's mechanical workings. The possibility of drowning was a far more serious challenge I faced before being consumed by this creature. With my free leg I began to rapidly kick at the creature, only to fail to realize the swamp water was actually slowing down my kicks, thus making my kicked attacks less powerful than they would have been if I was on land. Changing my tactics, I began to slam my clenched fists on the snout of the creature, and to my surprise, it began to work when I felt the pressure on my leg slowly abate.

Now with my leg free, I shot up out of the water and hurled myself to land, where I quickly gathered my lightsabers and ignited them. They sputtered at first to discard the water that had tried to ruin my only set of weapons at my disposal, since the Force was something new to me and I still needed to strengthen my hold on it. The water exploded up and outward as a scaly creature emerged from within giving me a disturbing sight. I wasn't sure what the creature was, even though my Master had me read up on the planet's monsters, but I could only assume it was a dragonsnake. Luckily for me, it was a juvenile dragonsnake.

My lightsabers crackled while the creature moved toward me, which to my surprise was far quicker than I would have imagined due to it's size. I waited until the thing had drawn close enough to me, and I made my move. Using the Force, what I knew of my capabilities, I lept over the snapping jaws dragging both of my weapon's tips across it's head before landing on it's back. I faintly heard the howls of the dragonsnake but I felt it's muscles tighten as it prepared to move or extract me from his or her body. I held the advantage for the moment, and it wasn't something I was willing to give up.

I turned both my blades down to face the creature's back, and with as much strength and force I could muster I drove both blades into the creature. The creature bucked, but I held my ground as I began to slice my blades away from my body tearing, cutting, searing, and cauterizing the flesh in the process. The young dragonsnake collapsed to the ground, dead, and I jumped off turning my head toward my Master awaiting her approval.


[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Darth Venefica, slightly amused, watched the battle rage on; even though it was a much shorter version than she had expected. There wasn't much she knew about her masked Apprentice, but judging by how efficiently he dispatched the small Dragonsnake there was no doubt in her mind he would make a powerful Sith indeed. But the ability to wield a lightsaber, two in his case, didn't translate into a powerful wielder of the Force. And in regards to using two lightsabers, she believed it would be more of a hamper than an advantage for her Apprentice, but that was, of course, his choice to decide; her job was to teach and his was to learn. For now, she would allow him to go double-fisted until it actually did become a problem.​

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"Quite impressive," she remarked while clapping her hands.​

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"But Apprentice, never underestimate your opponent. You won this fight....but had the Dragonsnake been older or even attacked slightly different....you would currently be sating it's appetite. Come."​

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Not waiting for him to gather himself, she began walking through the cold waters feeling the gentle massaging waves move across her legs; and the squishy mud slide between her toes. It had been quite some time since she trained anyone, and she felt rusty and out-of-practice. Outside his ability to use lightsabers, she had no concrete understanding of what Force abilities he knew; or thought he knew. Everything from this moment forward would be a learning process for both Master and Apprentice. But before she could drag him down into the hellish nightmare of her teachings, she felt it was only proper that she knew things about him.​

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"Unless you die on me.....you and I will be spending quite a bit of time together. You will learn what is expected of you through trial and error...but I will be kind and tell you that I punish failure. Harshly! Now my masked Apprentice....indulge me stories of your life while I calculate the best way to bring you pain."​

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[member="Clovis Torcularis"]​

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Master Venefica was correct, I underestimated my opponent, but worse I had allowed myself to be ambushed. The Force, still a growing sphere of darkness inside me, had not alerted me to the impending danger. Or maybe it did and I failed to listen. Either way, I was fortunate to be lucky. Even more fortunate that Master Venefica opted not to punish me for my carelessness. Winning this entanglement was not a proud moment in my life, even though I managed to defeat a legendary dragonsnake. She was right, I defeated a baby and what would have the outcome been if I faced a full sized adult? Surely my Master would have not came to my rescue. I was her Apprentice, and it was up to me to learn and survive, which meant if I couldn't do that, I was expendable. That was the first harsh lesson I learned from her today.

I turned my head toward her as we walked, wondering if she was testing me again. Was she hoping to lure me into a story of my life while she waited for the opportune time to strike at me? I didn't spend countless days and nights at the One Sith academy before turning my back on them, forsaking their beliefs for another set of beliefs, but I was aware of how Masters 'taught' their Apprentices. With surprise tactics and brutal methods.

"My life story," I inquired of my Master stalling long enough to determine her motives. Like always, she was cryptic and silent leaving no trail of bread crumbs to follow what she was thinking or planning. "I hate my Father. It's because of this hatred for him that led me to my current state of affairs. Mainly, the nature of my body."

I told her about how I fled from his tyrantical hand by joining an expedition, which led me to hosting a score of scars upon my body, and the reasoning behind the mask I wore. I told her about my brief stint with the First Order, and my even briefer stint with the One Sith before she had claimed dominance over me, or as she once boasted, teaching me the true ideals behind the legacy of the Sith. I wasn't sure if she was bored or even listening, but in a way it felt as though countless chains of oppression were being lifted off me with every word I spoke.

"And finally, Master, my story concludes to where I was almost eaten."


[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

"Almost....from my perspective you were a chew toy....to be played with and discarded later," she mocked. The greatest thrill anyone could ever experience was watching another's potential death; where one's perspective never equaled another's. However, despite her Apprentice's struggle to survive, she found hope in him; but she hated his long winded story. ​

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"You spent some time with the One Sith....briefly....but enough to allow their outdated views to at least take root. If you weren't here now, then your mind would be at ease. However, Apprentice, you are here because you wish to learn the true path of the Sith."​

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Darth Venefica held no measure of trust for anyone, especially for an Apprentice, but if this masked man truly wished to learn from her; then he would need to exercise that right to do so.​

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"I once had a Master....once.....briefly....but as fate would decree....I was not worthy of her time. Do I hate her? No! Do I love her? Absolutely! And why do I still hold love for this once prospective Master, [member="Matsu Xiangu"], it is because of this!"​

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With quickness and unadulterated aggression, she ignited her blade and held it inches from her Apprentice's throat prompting the duo to halt their walk; laughing and cackling the whole time as she knew she caught him unawares. Powering down her weapon and returning it back to it's grave, she said, "Because if you wish to be Sith....then you must learn the most important aspect of the Order. And that is, my young Apprentice, that your worthiness never measures up to your potential.....and if you ever seek to stand where I stand....then you need to corrupt your lifestyle that fits you...and you only!"​

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"And now, Apprentice, for your shortsightedness....drop to your knees and extend your right arm!"​

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[member="Clovis Torcularis"]​