Private Great Sins | Darth Vulcanus v.s Darth Carnifex

[Darth Vulcanus]

The Vibe

The final hour drew near and darkness swelled across the flat, arid wastelands of Thule. A bone chattering night had strangled the daytime heat, blanketing the endless horizons of the world in a moonless dark so perfect that your feet vanished beneath you. This midnight black grew only darker in the recesses of the Sith Temple - the distant thrum of ancient clockwork echoing down bulkheads carved with the scowling visages of slain Sith Lords and long perished kings.

These bronzium dead stood guard along the silent halls, eyes of plated gold watching lifelessly as the temple doors slid aside before a monstrous figure. Twisted and deformed this abomination stood, horns of jagged bone jutting from a head molded by peels of necrotic flesh. The darkside shuttered, coursing through the temple as the beast and the small creature following it marched into the abysmal black of the temple - the two silhouetted only by blood red gasps of the dying sunset before the doors collapsed back and snuffed out the rays of light.

The Darkside reverberated throughout Thule and the systems beyond, crying out to life itself in a voice like thunder.

The final hour draws near.

The hour of devastation. The hour of destruction. The end to a tale played out across decades of war and death - the close to a chapter that's end was destined to pass. The Darkside lavished in it, pulsating throughout the very fabrics of time and space as the dark, beating hunger grew between the two destined to struggle.

The burning shadow that marched into the temple and the cold, festering one that waited at its heart.

Golden eyes of the statues followed the infernal beast as it marched, their bronzium skin sweating as the shadows began to swelter. Sweat turned to tears of bubbling gold that ran in boiling rivers down their sagging faces - plated eyes melting into the weep as the sudden heat rose around Darth Vulcanus as he passed. Passed down the dark halls up up winding stairs, following only the scent of the one he'd come for.

The door to the temple's heart slid aside. The Darkside sang out in wretched glee. Vulcanus' rotting gums twisted into a black and red smile.

"Zambrano" the words slipped out between thick, green salivation, "I've come for you at last"

Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Thule had always been a place of comfort. The arid landscape, the tumultuous weather, and the invigorating boon of the Dark Side of the Force were soothing. During his early years in the Empire, he had anchored his burgeoning family here. Of course, he had to fight and kill another Sith for the honor of planting his flag, but even then he was no stranger to murder.​

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The Temple-City of Hurom was the beating heart of Thule, from which the life-blood of civilization spilled forth into the less-traveled regions of the world. It had been constructed long before history had been recorded on the planet, designed to fulfill a military appetite. Each section of the city was designed for defense, with hundreds of chokepoints and redoubts scattered throughout the narrow winding streets. ​

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At its center laid an ancient Sith Temple, which had served as both religious retreat and administrative nexus over the centuries. Today it served a similar purpose, though that purpose had dwindled in recent years. The guards who stood outside the temple's wide gates did not stop the two dark figures as they marched into the temple, their eyes glazed over and unthinking. Nor did any of the attendees who shuffled about in hapless dazes move to bar their path deeper into the temple.​

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Deep within the temple was a cathedral, perhaps the oldest portion of the structure to have survived the grinding millennia. It was modeled much like any other church, longer than it was wide, and ending in an elevated platform upon which sat an altar. A large glass window was situated above the altar, stained red with an abstract spider-web pattern. ​

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Only one individual stood at the altar, his back turned towards the doors as they thundered open. ​

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"Zambrano," spoke the fiery behemoth, "I've come for you at last."​

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The figure at the altar turned a quarter, his head swiveling to set his eyes upon the monolithic monstrosity. His eyes were equally monstrous, blazing red pits of coals resting over an inky black abyss. A trimmed beard sprouted from his cheeks and jaw, hair combed back and cut short at the scruff of the neck. A single tattoo inked blood-red sat squarely on his forehead. His muscular body was swathed in ceremonial robes, the glimmer of armor peeking out from between the plated stole which hung around his neck.​

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Carnifex; the Sith'ari and Lich-Lord of the Sith, regarded Darth Vulcanus with rigid indifference.​

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"I thought so," spoke the figure, his voice cold as ice and emotionless as stone. "I felt the moment you broke free of your chain. But it was not you that broke the seal, another had to do it for you." The implication of slight was present within the even monotone. Vulcanus could not have freed himself, so another had to free him. Such dependency on another was considered anathema to many among the ranks of the Sith.​

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"Very well then, we shall see what strength freedom has brought you."​

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Carnifex shrugged off the liturgical vestments, revealing sarrassian iron armor infused with the insidious power of the Dark Side. He reached towards the altar, his fingers closing around the hilt of a large Sith Sword. The weapon's blade was inscribed with Sith runes that pulsated with malevolent energies, the spirits of uncounted slain trapped within.​

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Darth Vulcanus

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

The Vibe

The edificial chambers echoed the Lich-Lord's scathing words, his stoney monotone carried to the ceiling like ripples fading from the surface of water. Vulcanus' eyes burned hotter with each casually tossed insult. His pupils narrowed until the beast glared at Carnifex through reptillian slits floating in pools of bubbling, yellow magma. The smiling maw of jagged fangs turned downward, globs of spoiled meat and mucus oozing from shriveled lips. Strapes of haggered, ashen flesh hung loosely from its jawline, skull and neck - revealing a twisted mangle of muscle and bone beneath.

Breathing deeply of the air, Vulcanus' unholy form heaved - the plates of his Warrior's Skin clattering against one another. "Your mockery will be answered for in blood, lesser."

The beast's voice chased the Dark Lord's own, it's bass rebounding from the cavernous walls like a crack of thunder. "That chain was nothing but a symbol of your own failure. You feared me. So you had your dogs chain me, like a pet. Like one of those worms of my people who call you master. Your sin is the same as theirs. Weakness."

"Very well then" Carnifex retorted, shrugging off the finery that adorned his body, "we shall see what strength freedom has brought you"

As Carnifex's robes dropped to the ground a sudden gale howled through the night, a gust of power that fluttered the Sith Eternal banners hung about the temple and drew in the shadows toward The Twice-Emperor. True, unfurled power. Vulcanus only scoffed then drew in another breath. The candle flames drew in towards him, flicking against the air. A quick, furious exhale and the flames roared to life like the hearts of tiny, glowing stars. Baalagor seemed to meld into the background beneath her master's titanic shadow.

"You die first" Vulcanus spat as a set of obsidian claws withdrew the long, boney Sith Sword he'd wielded since long before he was Emperor. The wicked faces etched into the darkside imbued bone sparked to life, eyes and mouths coming alight with a black flame, "then I shall exterminate the rest of your wretched line"

The first strike would be the beast's, who punctuated his sentence with fast, powerful slash through the open air. The blade of his sword glowed white hot as it arched toward the ground - spitting an equally hot crescent of flame from its edge. The bladelike arch of fire spiraled like a top as it scorched the air between them, aimed to bisect the Dark Lord while Vulcanus readied himself.

The Hour had arrived...

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex let his blade dip down towards the floor, the tip resting against the smooth squared marble as the gargantuan demon-beast made his move. A ripple of fire rushed towards him, easily capable of splitting flesh like any sword. The Lich-Lord of the Sith swung his blade up to meet the whirlwind of fire that approached him, slicing in two and sending the two errant portions of flame careening around him and smashing into the wall behind him. The impact resulted in a roaring explosion, the ornate window exploding out in a shower of metal and glass. ​

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Lightning crackled around the former Dark Lord as he squared up his opponent. Vulcanus was taller than Carnifex by only a few inches but was broader and more bestial than him. Carnifex's muscles were tightly coiled and lean, like the winged jungle serpent of his homeworld, ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. ​

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He rushed forward, bounding through the air with speed swifter than the Human eye could perceive. His blade lashed out like a viper, slashing and striking at Vulcanus with tremendous speed and fury. Carnifex allowed the Dark Side of the Force to permeate every aspect of his being, the insidious power surging through every focal point in his body.​

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Outside, the skies around Hurom grew increasingly dark and tumultuous. Lightning in erratic and unnatural patterns fell from the sky, striking the city and setting fire to several of the buildings. Darkness encroached despite the planet's rotation placing Hurom in its daylight cycle, the light of the sun disappearing as shadow consumed the capital city. A foul frigid gale ripped through the winding streets, scattering loose debris and sending inhabitants scurrying for the safety of their homes. ​

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The Dark Side of the Force dominated everything.​

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Darth Vulcanus

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

The Vibe

Glass, fire and twisted metal exploded into the air - the shattered window raining down throughout the cathedral like a godly plague. Lighting struck the earth outside with a sudden flash, the falling glass reflecting the burst of light across the interior walls. Silhouetted by the flash, Carnifex's shadow cast across the ornate tiles and bloodred rug of the cathedral floor. The shadow's vissage twisted so that it seemed the Lich was but only a cloud of darkness from which a blade protruded.

With red orbs set inside an ocean of oily black, Carnifex leered over his beastial foe - the edge of his ebony blade coiled by wisps of smoke rising from the point of impact. Like a jungle beast the Twice Emperor's body tightened, beads of sweat trickling down his arms as the fire slowly died around him. Vulcanus drank deeply of the air, rolled the Lich Lord's scent over his serpentine tongue. Violence. Hatred. Power. The musk of it all wet the beast's appetite.

Then there was a spark. A tail of lightning the curled around Carnifex's body and struck the ground. Ozone overtook Vulcanus' senses and then it came. In a blur of lightning the Dark Lord vanished. A bone chilling crash. A wrenching of Ultrachrome. Terrible pain and a howl that shook the air. The beast was too slow.

Arcs of lightning snapped and popped, lining the air where Carnifex had leapt and fallen upon The Great Khaan. The Lich now stood eye to eye with Vulcanus, black blade clattering against the plates of ultrachrome over the Seventh Day's left shoulder. Black blood and putrid smoke poured from a twisted, broken gap in the beast's armor - the sanguine rivers squeezing out from beneath the vibrating blade of Carnifex's sword. The blood poison drained into the gapping wound beneath the armor and was immediately attacked by his body's natural defenses. The poison dissolving in moments and left his body in clouds of black smoke that smelled of rot and charred flesh.

Outside the storm roared to life, lightning curving and crashing to the surface in abstract patterns that defied all logic. Purple and blue flashes exploded through the window, casting Vulcanus' twisted form high up the wall and the ceiling. The beast's shadow morphed as it grew higher, turning to little more than a pair of jagged horns and a set of fangs set in a blob of darkness. The shadow lurched hard as the blade pulled to withdraw. Vulcanus acted.

The beast's left set of obsidian claws crashed through the air, moving to wrench tight around the hand gripping the blade. The darkside built to a flurry in Vulcanus's gut - pain from the blade shaking him to his bones. Using the rage, anger and pain the beast attempted to hold tight the darklords hand to keep him from using his superior speed at the cost of a more daunting wound.

Then, with a violent whip of his head, the beast expelled a sticky, burning mixture of bile and stomach acid at Carnifex.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Obsidian claws closed tight around Carnifex's sword hand, preventing the Lich-Lord's next strike from coming down. Expressionless, Carnifex looked from the claw gripped tight around his forearm to the maw of the gargantuan beast which leered down at him. His left hand shot up to put itself between him and Vulcanus, his fingers curled in a defensive posture with the power of the Dark Side rushing up his arm and into his fingertips. ​

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Just in time to meet the deluge of intestinal fluids that gurgled forth from Vulcanus' putrid throat. The acidic concoction met the scintillating barrier which arose from Carnifex's outstretched fingers, coalescing into a compact globular sphere. A twitch of the fingers sent a transmogrification rushing through the acrid matter, the liquid crystallizing in a shimmering wave until it was a single solid entity. ​

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Carnifex then slammed that crystallized bile into Vulcanus' face. ​

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And if that would not be enough to release the Graug-Lord's grip on his arm, then Carnifex would relinquish his hold on his sword and catch it with his now free left hand. Swinging the blade in an arc, Carnifex would seek to lob Vulcanus' offending arm off just below the elbow.​

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Regardless of whichever tactic did the trick, Carnifex would leap back to put distance between himself and Vulcanus. ​

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Carnifex would monitor Vulcanus from this distance, almost taunting him to make the next move.​

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Outside, the storm would continue to grow in intensity. Any and all air traffic was grounded as lightning bolts struck ships down from the sky, blasting apart anything that rose above the city's skyline. Those that fled into their homes would slowly begin to reemerge despite the growing danger. They walked almost as if in a trance, their movements sluggish and not entirely their own. Their eyes were unblinking and vacant, staring straight ahead as they shuffled on their path towards the Sith Temple. None in the city were spared from this malaise, the tens of millions within the city all ensnared by this unknown dark power.​

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Little was different elsewhere on the planet, the people of Kessiak emerged from their homes in a similar manner.​

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All moving towards Hurom, regardless of the distance.​

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Darth Vulcanus

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

The Vibe

The ball of frozen bile obscured the beast's vision as he peered down at Carnifex with one sulfuric eye, and a pit of charred black where Allyson Locke's arrow had met its mark. No sooner had the last drop of bile left his stomach then did his enemy lunge forward - plunging the crystal ball deep into the beast's skull. In a howl of shock Vulcanus stumbled backwards, claws slipping away from Carnifex's arm just in time to avoid the swing of his deadly blade.

As Carnifex leapt across the room, Vulcanus would regain his balance. Seething, the Seventh Day Emperor glared at Carnifex while the gaping wounding his shoulder continued to gush black blood.

"I tire of your games, Zambrano" the beast spat as a bolt of lightning painted the battlefield in a ghostly blue, "whatever spell you have begun you will not live to see"

The darkside was growing stronger, bolstered by some unseen hand. Carnifex was not here to simply stand and wait, he was planning something. Another ritual of some unknown purpose. Yet a new shadowy game to hide behind while The Graug did his fighting for him. The beast sneered at the thought, using his rage to focus on the gushing wound.

The flesh steamed and smoked as Vulcanus conjured a heat that carterized the scales and stopped the bleeding. Shaking off the pain, the lumbering beast lifted his blade high into the air before thrusting it into the cobbles - burying the blade deep into the floor. If the Zambrano wished to play his games, then he would play his own.

"Burn, Zambrano" using his sword as an amplifier, Vulcanus surged his energy into the floor. His Sith blade sparked, sputtered and then glowed white with a heat to outmatch any lightsaber. The cobbles the blade had plunged into melted away in seconds, leaving the blade stuck in a pool of magma that quickly sprawled outward for the edge of the sword.

Cobbles turned to glowing molten rock, Vulcanus' own boots sinking into the magma without sign of pain. Left unchecked the floor itself would he reduced to a pool of fire that would soon melt away the very confines of the temple.

Then, as the magma spread, Vulcanus would lash out with his claws splayed into the air. Luke a living, hungering beast the magma at his back would lurch upward into the air - tendrils forming the burning outline of the Lord of Embers own hand. With lighting speed that Vulcanus himself could not manage, the hand of boiling cobbles shot across the distance between the Sith Lords - aiming to dash Carnifex to pieces with chunks of melting stone or otherwise melt his physical form to nothing.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex remained silent and stoic as he proved successful in forcing Vulcanus back, the ever-growing storm outside illuminating both of them with its ferocity. Every muscle in Carnifex's body was tightly coiled, tense like a wire pulled taut wound around a bar of steel. Every ounce of his strength and skill was bent towards this confrontation with the Lord of Embers, the Molten God of the Graug Hordes. The naked energies of the Dark Side itself flowed through his veins, suffusing every particle of his being with unquenchable power.​

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"If this were a game," spoke Carnifex for the first time since this contest had begun, "You would not have lasted as long." The hubris put on display by the Once-Emperor was staggering. Insofar as their skills had gone, both he and Vulcanus had appeared evenly matched up to this point. ​

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The moment that Vulcanus rammed his blade into the floor of the chapel, Carnifex leaped back up into the air towards the broken stained window which was anchored above the altar's sightline. What remained of the colored glass gave way at his approach, as did the wall surrounding it. Stone and glass tumbled away long before Carnifex pass where it had once been, levitating down towards the large courtyard which was located some fifty meters or more below the chapel window. He landed deftly on the smooth square-segmented marble, his eyes fixed on where he had come from as a river of molten stone rushed out like a waterfall to wash down the side of the ziggurat.​

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The molten material began to pool in the deep trench which partitioned the courtyard from the columned wings that flanked it, illuminating the darkness which descended over Thule so rapidly that it could be anything but natural. Arcs of lightning cut deep fissures across the sky, the clouds above finally bursting open to release a torrential rain that blanketed the entire city in a blinding downpour. Steam rose from the molten stream where droplets of rain sizzled and dissipated. ​

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Carnifex again waited, his sword held down towards his side as the storm around them only intensified further. ​

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Darth Vulcanus ​

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

The Vibe

The beast snarled as he watched Carnifex disappear into the storm, the spot where he had just stood vanishing into a cloud of collapsing stone. Vulcanus paid little mind to the rubble falling about him as the walls crumbled and the ceiling began to tumble. Stones as large as Vulcanus himself fell to glowing sea of molten rock, exploding into geysers of fire that splashed the monster with droplets of molten temple. It did not react. It's mind was too preoccupied with those words.

"You would not have lasted as long" anger boiled over the beast's form, his rage causing even the magma around him to bubble and pop. Even as his temple burned Zambrano did not cease to insult his power. The words tumbled about Vulcanus' mind - echoing in his skull as the roof of the temple cracked and fell.

Debris and rubble shot high into the roaring storm, a veil of pulverized dust settling over the scene. At first all was obscured, but as the thick, grey cloud began to dissipate one could see the orange glow of Vulcanus' sword. The Lord of Embers stood in a perfect circle melted in the ceiling, his body sizzling with steam as the rain pelted him.

"Zambrano..." the beast growled low, a feral edge slipped into his words. Again he repeated the name as his ultrachrome armor, heated to its breaking point by his own attack, began to slide from his body in oozing chunks of liquefied metal.

"...Zambrano..." like a gurgling animal he hissed the name, veins erupting across his body as the darkside pumped into every muscle. The sizzle of the rain grew louder and the steam of the beast's body grew thicker - even as the last chunks of ultrachrome armor fell from his body. The hide armor that had once adorned him underneath having burned away long before the armor.

Strength pulsed through him as he called upon the force almost instinctually, his mind slipping into the blood rage usually reserved for the drones of his people. The beast's mouth fell against, oozing with green slime - his power still surging through the ground from the focal point of his sword.

Suddenly a wave of heat blasted forth from it, all rain in several meters in each direction instantly evaporating. The cloud of steam layer heavy on the battlefield, thickened by the continuous downpour that met the still flowing magma.

"ZAMBRANO!"

Vulcanus voiced cracked with the thunder and with it he surged a violent burst of energy into the ground and the rubble surrounding him. The sudden convection tore the rubble asunder like an explosion - launching balls of flaming rock through the air and towards Carnifex's general direction.

But beneath Vulcanus' own feet the ground had erupted as well, a violent burst of magma propelling the beast through the air at speeds he could not reach on his own. Like a slug from a cannon he fell towards Carnifex, his sword discarded for the pleasure of using his claws.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

That had certainly gotten him angry.​

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Carnifex watched, sword at the ready, as Vulcanus erupted from the melting temple facade and raced down through the air to sink his claws into him. First came the boulders of molten stone and fire, which Carnifex batted aside easily with the Force. What was far more difficult to stop was the molten Graug which screamed his name, the very word rippling through the Force as if it were itself a wound.​

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The soundwave crested the peaks and valleys that surrounded the capital city, flattening what little shrubbery was present in the arid landscape. Windows exploded inward along the winding avenues that spiderwebbed out from the temple annex. The mindless drones that continued to flock towards the temple were knocked off their feet by the concussive force, but they quickly rose to their feet and continue to march forward.​

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Vulcanus lashed out with his claws, and Carnifex blocked with his sword. Globules of molten slag splashed onto Carnifex's arms whenever their chosen weapons clashed, the smell of burning clothing and flesh rising up as tendrils of smoke rose up from Carnifex's wounds. He could not feel the pain of the slag eating through his skin, but he was acutely aware of it all the same. Calling upon the Dark Side, he sheathed his arms in a defensive layer of energy to mitigate what he could of the damage.​

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They danced like this across the pavilion, back and forth as the world turned hellish around them. Rivers of molten stone continued to burn deep gashed into the temple's side, while at the same time the lightning storm overhead grew progressively more volatile and dangerous as time passed. Lightning struck all around them, blasting apart stone and sending great plumes of molten rock high into the air. Similar lightning burst from Carnifex's fingertips, raking across Vulcanus' form whenever the opportunity allowed for it.​

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There were a few times where Vulcanus pressed Carnifex hard, one of those times resulted in the mad beast's claws slashing open Carnifex's face. What was left behind were three distinct claw marks running over his right brow and cheek down into his neck, blood splashing out from the gnashed flesh. Blood pooled on the ruined stone beneath Carnifex's feet, though he hardly paid it any mind as he continued to trade blow and blow with Vulcanus.​

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It was a brutal fight, each giving everything they had without holding back. ​

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Darth Vulcanus ​