Private Forging the Profane

[Onrai]

Tu'teggacha Sasmay Cull Shavara

Kiross, ???

Each of the ones Onrai had specifically reached out to had been specially chosen for the role they would play in this grand venture. They were told to come to Kiross and visit a specific room in the great agro-military complexes of Kiross. Upon opening the door, in whatever order they arrived, they would find a strangely botryoidal landscape that seemed almost fluidic, as though it were a room within a structure that was ever perpetually changing. Great clusters of glistening crystals bubbled from the gelatinous walls as the floor maintained the same oobleck-like properties it had on the otherworld, seemingly flowing like a river but forcibly firming up as pressure were applied to it. In the center of the great room was a stone table, upon which the shard of Ooradryl's metalloid-crystalline plate she had snapped off while exploring his innards with Tu'teggacha sat. Along with it were a number of reagents whose names were impossible to pronounce, a dunk tank, file, pair of forceps, and other tools that would be needed for the complex rituals and artisanry that would go into creating this most perfidious weapon.

Silently, her shadowed form waited. A much greater cumulation of her essence had been gathered here specifically for the purpose of forming her magnum opus in the field of experimental alchemy and ritual artistry.

 

[Shavara]

Tags: Tu'teggacha Sasmay Cull Onrai

She had been called by Onrai for something on Kiross. She put on her kestralis and kaliek ring and robes as she always did. They were things she made use of nearly every day, especially the kestralis ring. She was fascinated by the room, as would be expected of her in seeing more of the peculiarities that seemed to be involved when learning from Onrai. That being of knowledge being involved would not be a surprise to her

Shavara wasn't sure what would come of whatever they were doing. She just hoped it wouldn't backfire. She wasn't sure who she was meeting, and had to strongly resist the urge to change form. Or wear Sar Vun's mask. It was most definitely tempting. But she decided against it, she was an alchemist and explorer. There was nothing odd about her studying under Onrai in the motivational sense. No need to hide anything.

Still, her mind was wary of any others. And her hood for now was raised. Until she saw whoever she was meeting. And whatever Onrai had planned for them. She was going to be very stressed. Once she knew what would be going on, she might be able to ease up. It was one of the reasons it was so hard for her to follow the path of thought. Worry was a strong emotion. But she'd make do.


Equipment:
shavaras-robes
shavaras-kestralis-ring
vuns-kaliek
shavaras-shield
gkchrn

 

[Tu'teggacha]

Tu'teggacha was... reluctant to meet with Onrai once again.

The last time they'd spoken, she'd taken him along to a nightmare dimension.

But the Taskmaster knew that he was going to need every advantage he could get in the days to come. The funeral of Solipsis had exposed the deep cracks running through the Brotherhood of the Maw's foundations, all the divisions between ambitious warlords and Sith and other dark mystics. Perhaps Darth Mori would be able to bring them all to heel for now, but there was no way the Brotherhood's story could avoid its inevitable ultimate fate: a bloody, fiery end as it tore itself apart. In this time of inner struggle, Tu'teggacha needed an edge, something he could use to keep his rivals at bay.

He wanted this god-killing dagger that Onrai spoke of.

He wanted it for himself.

But the Ebruchi would have to choose his moment carefully. He did not know the identities of the other participants in Onrai's eldritch scheme, or what their agendas were... and if there was any possibility that the spirit spoke the truth, and a demon god of ultimate darkness really was about to break free of its prison, then that would have to be dealt with first. Tu'teggacha was eager for the protection and support of a patron, but he had no desire to become a slave to some ancient, incomprehensible being like this "Father of Shadows". Let it be sealed or slain first, before he made his move.

Then he could get what he really wanted out of this.

The chamber into which the Taskmaster stepped was... wrong. Just like Otherspace, where the corpse of that cube-god had lain, its surface was not quite solid; it shifted eerily, taking on strange, bunched shapes at the edges of his vision. The spirit Onrai was here, as was a hooded figure - Shavara . Tu'teggacha could sense that the Force was strong with this one, and also that she was no disciple of the Maw. What had Onrai promised her, to get her to cooperate with the dark army that had spent the past fifteen years burning the northern reaches of the galaxy? Did she believe in this "Father of Shadows"?

No doubt he would learn more as their ritual progressed.

"I have come," the Taskmaster announced.

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber
EQUIPMENT: Personal Robes
TAGS: Onrai Shavara Tu'teggacha
LOCATION: Kiross
OBJECTIVE: Assist Onrai

The other shadow based form trickled into the room seeping inward before gathering to shape her chosen form of the evening. If the beings here had been called by Vanessa, it was doubtful they would be alarmed at her more prevalent form she supposed.

The shadows produced her tall form and brought with it the dark side presence of the nexus that had helped create her, finding space between the Ebruchi and the Vran. Towering over the both of them, she directed all three of her eyes to gaze over each in slow measure. The vacant stare only breaking when she switched her gaze to the room in question. More presently a gathering of crystals that caught her attention.

"Ah. A lovely formation." She allowed her gaze to be caught by the crystals before taking a deep breath and examining the stone table now.

 

[Onrai]

Onrai smiled as Shavara arrived - the young woman had always been extraordinarily interested in acquiring knowledge for knowledge's sake, taking every single sliver and morsel of information that Onrai had given her and relishing it with the fervor of a young child who had tasted a candy for the first time in their life. Her desire to master alchemical processes would ensure her participation in the necessary rituals to create the artifact the four were going to be fabricating. Tu'teggacha was chosen so that he might perhaps have a taste of the power she offered him - and of course another opportunity for Sasmay Cull to play into her hands. Sasmay specifically was going to be a critical part of this, provided that perhaps her extant generation of poison had gone as hoped.

"We are gathered here today because of a singular purpose - a threat unlike any other in the galaxy. As most if not all of you are aware by now, the fallen Dark Voice of the Maw, Darth Solipsis, tore open a hole in reality during his attempt to wipe Tython from the face of the galaxy. He did not do so in any precise manner, nor one that could best be described as conventional - it was violent. Wild. Untamed. And I have reason to believe that because of this, the Enemy From Beyond may yet have an opportunity to come upon our galaxy." She pantomimed clearing her throat as she no longer needed to do it. "I am of course talking about the Father of Shadows. Nakhash. The Bringer of Darkness and Corrupter of the Prime Universe itself. He who was sealed away by his brethren in the Celestials for his vile misdeeds against the Maker."

"There is a chance he may break free."

She motioned to the amber shard, the metallic-crystalline fragment of the dead Old One, Ooradryl the great devourer of life. "And that is why we are here. No amount of the power of the Force, or weapons of mass destruction, or overwhelming firepower, is capable of stopping him - only a weapon dedicated to one purpose: that of killing a god. There is but one weapon known to the galaxy capable of killing a Celestial, that being the legendary Mortis Dagger. None of you likely recall when Akala, the Kwa princess who devoured the Font of Power and became now as I am and you are" - she gestured to Sasmay - "tried herself to conquer the galaxy. She was but a child, yet she would have brought the galaxy to its knees and enslaved all things were she not stabbed by the dagger and made vulnerable to a well placed shot to the head. The main problem with that dagger is simple: we do not have it. As such, there is but one other option: to create a weapon of similar capabilities."

She motioned to each of them. "Shavara, please measure out the quantities of first-stage reagents as mentioned in this book." She handed the dark-skinned near-human precisely the literature in question. "Tu'teggacha, use the etcher to begin engraving the following lines into the material." She motioned towards an etching tool and a roll containing symbols of a language that was extinct to all living beings. "Sasmay... I am going to require that distilled essence we discussed. Can you provide some of such?"

Thus would begin the first stage of creating this weapon.

 

[Shavara]

It shouldn't have surprised her that the others arriving seemed...unusual. Tu'teggacha felt like others though, there was a likeness in his designs as those she'd felt among other Vo Ni, especially with the Path of Heart. But only in one area. She was too wary yet to venture further. Something about him put her ill at ease. The next was Sasmay Cull . Her entrance was more notable than the other. There were thoughts in Sha's mind. To have the Goranites with her, mainly Grakis. But this was perhaps beyond him. Even though she didn't think she had reason to worry. Especially with the types of equipment she made. She still did.

At least Onrai was here. Though the woman's existence was still a matter of curiosity to her, she seemed reliable. She didn't know if that applied to these other beings. Otherwise she'd have chosen a more intimidating form. She turned to watch Onrai as she began to explain. An individual was the issue. As was common, she had her doubts that there weren't alternatives to taking down anything. But it was irrelevant if that were true, they had a solution apparently. They didn't have the true blade, but they could create one.

She was given her task, nodding and floating the book beside her. Her worries began to quickly clear. Thanks partially to the kestralis ring, but also due to having a task. Shavara began carefully masuring the exact amounts required and separating them out into clean locations to be put wherever they needed to go. Not without glances at the others. It was not a difficult task, she'd done far more complex things by hand or the force before so she simply ensured she did it precisely...and kept an eye on the others. Bringing forth an additional two eyes just for keeping watch. She was curious about the other two, more than she was worried. They were not commonplace and thus, there was something more to be learned. There always was. But new things were always the easiest things to get information from.

Equipment:
shavaras-robes
shavaras-kestralis-ring
vuns-kaliek
shavaras-shield
gkchrn

 

[Tu'teggacha]

The last to arrive was the most unnerving - a shadowy being, a creature of such intense Dark Side energy that merely sensing her drove the Taskmaster back a step. Was this entity another spirit, like Onrai, or something a little different? Tu'teggacha had no easy way to tell. What he could determine was that she was colossal of stature, and that an eerie trio of eyes formed her gaze. What a strange coalition Onrai had gathered here! But their work, the purpose they were gathering to accomplish, was even more strange. The Ebruchi supposed that nothing ought to surprise him anymore, not after Otherspace.

Onrai spoke of things that the Taskmaster had once considered little more than mythology - gods and demons and holes in dimensional prisons. He was still not sure he believed all of it; he had yet to see any actual, tangible evidence that this Father of Shadows actually existed, let alone was about to break through and ravage the galaxy with his powers of corruption. But those cube-god corpses he had beheld in Otherspace had shown him that there truly were entities beyond his comprehension in the shadowy corners of the universe, tucked in dark places beyond normal powers of perception.

The carapace shard that Onrai now held was hard evidence of that.

The spirit spoke of how only the Mortis Dagger had been able to wound and slay gods before... but since they did not have it, or know where to find it, they would instead make their own. Was that truly possible? the Taskmaster wondered. He looked around the bizarre little group again, four disparate, mismatched beings, and felt his facial tentacles twist into a frown. The Mortis Dagger had been forged by the celestials themselves. Was this collection of decidedly non-divine creatures really capable of making something of equal power? He had his doubts, and they festered deep in his dark little heart.

He did not share those doubts. They might yet make a powerful arcane weapon...

... one that he could wield for himself.

"Very well," Tu'teggacha burbled, stepping over to the etcher. His glassy black eyes fell upon the scroll, and he peered curiously at the writing, which he could not decipher. "What tongue is this? I have never seen anything like it." Though he could not read the words, he could copy them well enough. His knobby little hands were steady and strong from years of working the scalpel, the lash, and a hundred other instruments of torture. The lines steadily took shape, the Taskmaster taking his time to make sure that they were copied exactly as they appeared on the scroll. He was not a seasoned mystic...

... but he could tell that the slightest mistake would be catastrophic.

Onrai | Shavara | Sasmay Cull​

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber
EQUIPMENT: Personal Robes
TAGS: Onrai Shavara Tu'teggacha
LOCATION: Kiross
OBJECTIVE: Assist Onrai

She listened patiently, allowing her gaze to fall on each as they were addressed, with a smile forming at the mention of her own task. Her hand slipped upwards and drew something from the aether. She'd spent time while traveling the stars mulling on her own feelings. Spent time aboard the ship that she had once commanded in her mortal form and allowed the feelings and memories to control the measure of her composure.

Had found a container that would suffice for the rolling swirl of starlight that swam amidst the void colored liquid. That had been bottled into a rather plain and almost ugly looking vial that was produced for Onrai. Her hand held forward for the woman to examine and retrieve it at her pleasure.

"Mmm. Yes. It's almost therapeutic, the process." Not mentioning the process in it's entirety, she kept that information carefully guarded given the presence of others around them. While she had no doubt the two could be trusted for this endeavor to a degree, there was still the lingering wariness that clung to her mystical form like a security blanket for the time being.

The dark skinned human didn't seem entirely composed for the moment. Putting up a façade of confidence to keep the slight stiffness she held in her stance from being terrifically plain. Someone used to working with other perhaps? Or thrown so far out of her element given their surroundings? It was difficult to distinguish without having met the one known as Shavara prior to now.

Then there was the Ebruchi. Tu'teggacha had been there means of address. But something rubbed her the wrong way about the being's presence. They were diligent, and their craftsmanship was undeniable as the carving process unfolded before her. Undeniably a skilled being in their own right. But for the moment she said nothing, not wanting to distract the being from their intricate work.

 

[Onrai]

“They are the language of the ascended.” Onrai said as her eyes closed, leaving her face a formless black void. “The Celestials, the Architects, the Old Ones - only a select few understand what it is these characters decipher to.” Indeed, to even attempt to pronounce it would be difficult, even for a being able to vocalize practically any noise. The rough translation of the text was a condemnation, a curse of separation of divinity from mortality, as though it were condemnation from the Maker himself. When the essence of the divine was severed if but for a moment, even a god could be laid low. But mere words would not be enough to force such a split.

That was where the reagents came into play.

Onrai motioned for Shavara to empty the first stage of reagents into the tank. Once Tu’teggacha was done with his engraving of the dagger, it would be dipped into the tank. Words in a language only Sasmay would understand filtered through the air, words that while clearly dark and profane were definitely not Sith. Onrai motioned for Shavara to add the second stage of reagents, to further fortify the dead crystal of the fallen cube. When Onrai was done speaking the incantation over the weapon, her eyes opened.

“There are several who this weapon could be used to harm directly.” She said. “Perhaps the blade could be turned upon the Ashlans’ divinities. Or perhaps some other somewhat divine beings.” She said. “We will have to find a means of testing it.”

Tu'teggacha Sasmay Cull Shavara

 

[Shavara]

Shavara listened as she worked, their phrases, the way they said it. The way they moved. She was no social analyst but that didn't mean there wasn't something to be gained by paying attention. Aside from mere awareness to their movements. She nodded as she was motioned to put what she had into the tank and did so, watching and listening to absolutely everything done. Memorizing. She doubted she'd have the materials needed to replicate any of this, but even half a corpse could provide a plethora of knowledge with experimentation. The same applied to this. Careful, wary, and precise, experimentation.

The second set of reagents were added and Shavara again stepped back. Onrai's words acknowledged a thought Shavara considered, that others would also be susceptible. She didn't explicitly include herself in it, but she didn't exactly exclude herself either. They needed to test it. But what methods could be used? And what acceptable methods were there? The sith emperor was likely deserving but that was a challenge of its own, and she wasn't sure if he fit the criteria of a god or not.

A momentary thought entered her mind of using it on the Heart of Vran'Ti. But was quickly dispelled. That would be an affront to the history and population of her entire planet and people and wouldn't necessarily fully prove that it would work. Not including personal qualms, or the issue of setting her entire world against whoever did it.

A spirit perhaps? While there were not many on her homeworld, the sith were quite known for having ghosts weren't they? Would they prove anything at all even if it failed? Was a ghost a sufficient test? "I can not even consider an appropriate test without knowing what the make up is of a god?" She admitted. "Would a sith spirit be sufficient? Or would we dare to challenge just a different god to test it."

She reached out, as privately as possible, to Onrai 's mind, Unless you are volunteering and have some means to avoid the permanence, I am not aware of any reasonably safe nor accurate way to test this.

Onrai Sasmay Cull Tu'teggacha

Equipment:
shavaras-robes
shavaras-kestralis-ring
vuns-kaliek
shavaras-shield
gkchrn

 

[Tu'teggacha]

They are the language of the ascended, Onrai intoned, the words reverent, almost like a mantra or a prayer. The Celestials, the Architects, the Old Ones. Tu'teggacha shook his head, even as a chill ran down his hunched spine. The self-proclaimed goddess spoke of incredibly ancient things, civilizations that had been dead and gone for tens upon tens of thousands of years. The Jedi had practiced their traditions for thirty thousand years, more than a thousand generations... but compared to the Celestials, they were young. The powers the four of them meddled with here were out of myth more than history.

Did any of them really understand what they were doing? Could they?

Probably not... but the Taskmaster didn't really care.

He just wanted his god-killing weapon.

The Ebruchi's crooked fingers were as strong and precise as a surgeon's, and the runes - runes he did not understand but treated with respect all the same, for he could feel the power they held - took perfect shape beneath the carving tool he wielded. Meanwhile the mixture in which it would be immersed foamed and frothed, surging with the strength of reagents beyond Tu'teggacha's comprehension. All this ritualism was strange to the Taskmaster. He was a being of dark science as much as mysticism, or more; the foulness he created came from cloning, gene splicing, and brutal mental conditioning.

But this? This was magic, dark and pure, far from his area of expertise.

Onrai's chanted incantation came to an end, and she spoke again. Perhaps the blade could be turned upon the Ashlans' divinities. The thought was so intoxicating that it made the Taskmaster literally salivate, ropes of drool spilling down his mass of facial tentacles. How satisfying it would be to actually slay these beings of scouring light, to spit in the face of their self-proclaimed justice and righteousness, to watch the radiance bleed from them as he pierced their shining hides with this arcane blade! But the alchemist's words brought him back down to reality. How would they know that the blade worked?

It would be quite the embarrassment to stab a god and fail to kill it.

A fatal embarrassment, to be certain.

Well, the Taskmaster would leave answering that question up to Onrai. For his part, he simply held up the blade, now carved with the precise runes that the dark spirit had bidden him create. Even now, before it gained its full power, the weapon thrummed with potential. It was difficult to part with it - some voice in the back of his mind urged him not to let it go. But he ignored that voice. He could worry about how to steal this godsbane knife once it had been completely empowered. "It is ready," the Ebruchi burbled, holding the dagger up, laid across his flat palms. "Let the next step begin."

Onrai | Shavara | Sasmay Cull​

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber
EQUIPMENT: Personal Robes
TAGS: Onrai Shavara Tu'teggacha
LOCATION: Kiross
OBJECTIVE: Assist Onrai

Watching and listening, she decided to shift her form rather than loom over the procession. Her teacher had the presence already to dominate the room. The words filtered through, and even with her attention devoted to listening, she couldn't hope to recreate them without a script to follow.

At least not in the moment anyway.

The shadows shifted around her. The ebony of her skin replaced with a similar form to that which she had shed some time ago. Eyes alight with crimson color and hair dark as scorched wood. Her robes fitted themselves to her form as the saber clacked against her hip.

Her eyes roaving between the two others present and looking over their work.

The runes were splendid as she glanced across to the handiwork of the now drooling Ebruchi as she narrowed her eyes slightly at the sight. She didn't dare wonder about what the implications of such a reaction were to or for as she pondered on the subject of the preliminary test of the weapon.

 

[Onrai]

Shavara Tu'teggacha Sasmay Cull

"I will find a way to make that happen." She said to Shavara. Already, options were coming to her mind as to how best to test the weapon in question- perhaps she would slither into the core of Belsavis and seek to use the weapon upon the World Razer. Or perhaps she would find entry into the vile domain of Nakhash himself and claim the life of one of his compatriots. That was an option. Alternatively, she could create another entity - something specifically intended to be destroyed by the weapon in question - but there were tremendous risks regarding elevating something she was deliberately intending to destroy in order to test a weapon of tremendous power.

Observing the reaction of Tu'teggacha, she laughed. "I know what your intent is long-term. You don't need to make it so plain. You may yet get your chance, but should you choose to, I hope for your sake that you perform it with such skill there is zero room for error. After all, very few would like to have an angry goddess as their enemy." She said flippantly as the weapon was submerged into the reagents.

"Soon, this creation will be capable of things unlike anything ever accomplished in this dimension or the next."

 

[Shavara]

There was very little speaking between them all. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Perhaps she'd never see them again and this interaction would merely be another step of knowledge. Another achievement or thing to remember. But if not, she was concerned on what circumstances they could meet for again. And what purpose. She made weapons before, but she preferred tools and defenses. Her robes, her shield, gkchrn. They were what she preffered.

And here she was helping forge a weapon made to kill gods. The unfamiliar woman ( Sasmay Cull ) changed form and Shavara recognized that she had a lightsaber. Unusual weapons. Powerful but light, so light she would think they lost some of the power that made them so special in the first place. But there were more important things to bear in mind here.

Onrai spoke. She'd find a way to test it. She then spoke to the tentacled creature. She didn't know his intents, nor if she could be concerned about them or not. But she would watch him carefully. Aside from that, she now merely waited. For the process to be completed, for whatever creation they had made, great or terrible.

She wandered if Sar Vun ever went this far. Did he ever meet a god? Or was he completely self propelled. Some had to be. As there was always a beginner somewhere.

Onrai Tu'teggacha Sasmay Cull

 

[Tu'teggacha]

The Taskmaster eyed Sasmay curiously as she shifted forms, the eerie, towering shadow becoming something more recognizable as a living, sentient being. He still knew nothing about her, of course, except that she was another mystic drawn into Onrai's schemes. What was her stake in all this? Did she seek power and influence, as the Ebruchi did, or was she truly invested in his patron's secret war against the ancient gods? And what of the alchemist? Was she a true believer, or did she have ulterior motives? Tu'teggacha was tempted to try to invade their minds, to scour through their thoughts and find the truth.

He did not, for now. He would not risk disrupting the ritual.

He wanted this god-killing knife too badly for that.

Onrai did not offer a clear answer as to how they were to test the knife, only the vague promise that she would find a way. The spirit, as usual, played things close to the vest. Tu'teggacha had no idea how long she had been waging her war against the galaxy's most ancient and eldritch creatures, but it was certainly long enough that she had learned a thousand tangled secrets, and seldom parted with any of them. Every time they had interacted, Onrai had seemed to know exactly what she wanted out of a situation, and exactly how to get it... but she had seldom seen fit to clue the Taskmaster in on any of it.

She told him just enough for him to do what she wanted.

The details of her plans remained known only to her.

In the present, she laughed at him, claimed that his intent was plain... and perhaps it was. He had looked at the dagger with avaricious eyes, coveting it for himself, from the moment its creation had begun. Visions of a future in which he wielded god-killing power had swirled in his mind ever since Onrai had spoken of the possibility. Tu'teggacha had been small and powerless too many times in his life, and now he could not abide the idea that there might be creatures so high above him that they were effectively gods. He wanted to level the playing field. He wanted to have a weapon that could slay the most powerful.

"Yes, yes, soon," he burbled impatiently. "What is next?"

The three of them had each done their part. When would the dagger be ready?

Onrai | Shavara | Sasmay Cull​

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber
EQUIPMENT: Personal Robes
TAGS: Onrai Shavara Tu'teggacha
LOCATION: Kiross
OBJECTIVE: Assist Onrai

The one thing she did enjoy was the nature of which Onrai divulged her intent. Mystery and enigma. Never pulling back the veil of intent until the proper time. Something a spymaster or operator would applaud truly.

Both parties eyed her transformation, and she regarded both with a warm albeit guarded smile.

They were here for a purpose that Onrai had created, not for friendly banter. Her typical nature of curiosity placed firmly in check to remain a neutral party in the matter as Onrai made it plain the Embruchi's want for the dagger.

Her own interest in the weapon solely for that of keeping track of the item. It did contain a portion of her own self in a strange way after all.

Would it ultimately seek her out as a way of closing the circle? To crystallize itself in the memoirs of history as a weapon that destroyed one that assisted in its creation? She wondered idly if much the same would happen to all assembled for this purpose.

Weapons had a tendency to be rather finicky when imbued in such a manner.

She had her own thoughts as to who first should receive such a treatment of finding the effectiveness of such a weapon. But that was her petty nature rearing it's head as she stifled the thought on the matter of a certain dark lord of the sith and allowed her master to finalize their meeting.

 

[Onrai]

The rituals had been performed. The imbuement of essences long lost into the fragment of the dead god fashioned into a lethal weapon intended to slay a Celestial. Of course, the weapon was untested, and the possibility of it failing to perform its intended task was high, but the creation of the infernal dagger had been completed. All of the elements, from the inscriptions to the immolations to the carving and fabrication of the blade itself were complete. The only remaining task left was to find a way to test the blade.

Yes, to test the blade against the fallen Celestials of Nakhash's cohort, who outnumbered even her cumulative allies.

"The work has been done." She said, eyes closed as she focused, the blade raising from the immolating liquids that soon steamed off of it. The weapon soon came to her hand as she felt it - yes, there was a power to this weapon, whatever it may have been. Her eyes opened and once more locked with the associates three that stood before her - to the gleaming inquisitive eyes of Shavara , whose curiosity also belayed a certain pride in her part having fabricated such a weapon. To the cold eyes of Tu'teggacha , whose avarice was without bounds and who would, one day, use the weapon to bring the gods to their knees. And to the gleaming eyes of Sasmay Cull , the dark poison herself, reborn in Onrai's image and who was the one the twice-false goddess was more supportive of, more protective of than any other being in the galaxy.

"This weapon will be placed in a secure location." She could not simply do the old "pulling the weapon into her physical being" trick for risk of stabbing herself - she would, however, keep it close by and ready at a moment's notice. The first thing Nakhash and his followers would ever seek to do would be to eliminate any means of stopping them, and if this worked, it would be target number one.

If this worked.

FIN