Here We Hunt Demons

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The terentatek had proven to be a deadly foe. A creature so vile that it was all Graxin could do to fend it off, let alone kill it. He'd had his Padawan with him then, a skilled boy no doubt, but no warrior of renown. Not yet, anyway. The Sith beast had made an appearance on Ession, having made it back to the Reformation's capital within on of the Phrick containers. The eviscerated corpses of two dock workers attested to the proof of the claims. A terentatek was loose in the forest just outside Essaria, and it was hungry. They were always hungry.

Panic needed to be avoided. no one could know what devil lurked just outside their homes. Graxin would take care of the monster personally, along with the help of Lord Shaxx. Shaxx was an older man and a gifted Jedi Knight, so far as Graxin knew. His skill with a blade was something of renown, and the Archlord could think of no one more suited to hunt down the monster.

The Jedi Master awaited just on the edge of the forest. The exits leading to it from the city had been cordoned with Peacekeepers. Graxin had ordered the soldiers to remain at the barriers--they would only become food for the beast.

He paced impatiently as the moon rose high above the skyline. Now was the prime time to hunt the creature, when less people were about. He was draped in the Jedi robes of the Archlord, massive phrik pauldrons and a similar helm. There seemed to be more armor than cloth to his robes. His twin lightsabers hung naked from his belt, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

"Get a move on Shaxx."

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

A terentatek... great. Rusken has heard rumors of these infamous beasts during his own years of training and how the blood of Jedi sated their twisted dark hunger. Many-a creature had the Epicanthix faced, but nothing this ferocious. The news of the dock workers wasn't good, and the fact that it had tasted blood wasn't much of a positivie reinforcement. The old man groaned beneath his helmet as his HUD flickered a few times, trying to gain focus as he looked into the darkness of the forest. Looks like he wouldn't be using his rifle for this hunt, however. Despite his age and rusted movements, he knew how to fight. He'd send this abomination reeling back to whatever Sith tomb it guarded, or so history claims them doing such.

He shifted his shoulder plating and grasped the hilt of his lightsaber, ready to start the hunt.

"Yeah, yeah... damn sithspawn ruining my night. All I wanted to do was sit around have a drink and roll another set of cigarras, but can I do that? Why isn't this thing guarding a farkled tomb or something?"

 

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"Blame the One Sith. They set the beasts loose." Graxin grunted, lifting his shoulders in a slight shrug. The reemergence of the Sith Order under one of the many hundreds of names it had carried in the past meant Sithspawn. Lots, and lots, of Sithspawn. Graxin was growing to very much hate the things, and he wasn't one for powerful emotions.

The Master motioned for Shaxx to follow him as he strode into the forest. The deep wood eerie; no light broke through the thick trees. The ground was covered in fallen branches and leaves, and the soft trick;e of a creek nearby provided a relaxing backdrop. It was all a rather stark contrast to what the two Jedi Lords were setting out to do. The Terentatek would be deeper within, the creatures seemed to disdain bright lights. They always sought out dark hovels or deep, private caves. They were the literal monsters of the galaxy.

"Look on the bright side Shaxx. Maybe you can catch it, ride it into battle. How many Jedi have done that?"

[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

"One Sith... aren't there enough bastard children of the Empire? Plus I wouldn't touch their filthy spawn even if I had the opportunity. 'Course I want to see them die, but I'd rather do it with my own two hands." Short and to the point was what Rusken believed in, and nothing in-between. Hunting this beast wasn't anything short of satisfying. This old Jedi wasn't one for vengeful blood-lust, but retribution and punishment were two things he wielded with iron fists. Giving into the Dark Side of the Force wasn't what he intended to do, he simply understood that the Sith were like children and were in need of belt, not just a firm hand.

He followed behind Graxin, ready to show the lad what an old-timer could do to a nasty Sithspawn.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin snickered at the older Jedi .Shaxx was in his forties, or so he had heard, and a veteran of more than afew conflicts. The old Knight would be more than helpful in for the Rformations cause--in this case, that would be put to putting down the Terentatek. He would need to keep a close eye on Rusken though, the man seemed to have a connection to violence. Then again, so did the Jedi Battlemasters of old, and they had been paragons of the Light. Perhaps Rusken Shaxx would prove to be another of their number.

"It's close." The Master quipped, his hands reaching for his lightsabers. He took up both blades, and stared out into the inky blackness. All he could make sense of was the soft sway of the many trees and the slow trickle of the creek. He stepped over a rocky crag, avoided a falling tree stump, and ignited his lightsabers.

One was a bright golden blade, the other inky black, rimmed with white. The former was his own, the latter a momento from his former Master, Darth Vulcanus. The battle had been a grueling one, but Graxin had come out on top in the end.

"Should we throw rocks at it you think?" Graxin joked as the familiar ebony hide of the monster reflected the soft moonlight in a clearing just up ahead. The creature was hunched over something and utterly distracted. "She's bigger than I remember...move when you're ready."

[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Rusken followed the same motion of grabbing his own lightsaber, igniting it to reveal the icy blue of a guardian's blade. His gaze was full with the creature's appearance, looking it over without changing it his typically grumpy expression. Of course even after all these years of fighting and coming across Sith more monstrous in power, he still felt some fear. It's what kept him alive for all these years, but using that fear and inner darkness is what allowed him to fight on without holding back. Rusken then looked to Graxin, noticing his blackened blade but not questioning it for the moment.

"They'd better be some damn big rocks. Let's kill this Sithspawn already."

He took a couple steps forward, now standing next to the lad. Giving him a nod.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Terentateks were very fickle fellows. In a way, they were almost like babies. Their only purpose was to eat, sleep, and leave their waste in inconvenient places. They were a complete detriment to any environment and only ever did anything useful for Sith. In other words, the Terentatek were parasites, and ones that you couldn't just get rid of with antibiotics. You had to grab the sharpened spatula and pry the damned thing off your back before it ate your vital organs, or something like that. Graxin was getting into his mental gymnastics again.

"Well aren't we excited?" The Master snickered, and followed Shaxx's lead.

The monster was slow to notice them. It was an oaf of a thing and was far too entranced by its most recent kill, a small Nexu. Ession had a breed of them that roamed its parks, a little larger than the average house cat and much less ferocious than their cousins. They were easy to keep track of, and there was no record of one of the small beasts ever attacking another sentient being. This particular one was torn from head to tail. Its innards were spilled out all along the rocks near the creek, and the normally clear water now ran red.

Nature was a brutal mistress.

Graxin drew his twin lightsabers. The blades hissed as they snapped to light. He charged forward, launching in the air in an overhead strike. It caught the Teretatek off guard, and the twin blades carved black marks down its back. The beast screamed, and swatted a meaty paw toward Graxin. He ducked nimbly under the strike, and sprang back from bent legs, doing a cartwheel in the air and landing upon a stump some two meters away. The Sithspawn roared its reply, and charged.

"Good time to be the hero, Shaxx!"

[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Rusken could feel the beast's wicked howls resonate throughout his durasteel shell, clenching the hilt of his lightsaber even tighter as he broke into a sprint towards the preoccupied Tarentatek. Even for his age, the old Jedi could still move fluidly, as he had to do many times when in the heat of battle. It was either run or die in those days, whenever you had a whole vanguard of heavy troops at your tail and cover was scarce. With a leap coupled with the Force, Rusken landed on the back of where Graxin had already struck the first blow. It was one hell of shaky ride, but he steadied himself and neared the top of the Sithspawn's dome; raising his lightsaber up high and thrusting it downward.

The beast let out a hellish cry of pain and desperately tried to rid itself of the wrinkly Epicanthix, shaking wildly and flailing its arms until Rusken was removed, yet the old man refused to be bested by a creation of the Sith. The smell of burning flesh and bone wafted around in the air as the icy blue lightsaber was pushed farther into it's noggin, eventually, the beast ceased its struggle and fell silent. Falling over and hitting the soil with a thunderous thud.

Rusken jumped off with a grunt and put his hands to his knees for a moment, coughing and wheezing. "Sithspit... been awhile since I had to move like that." He straightened his posture and rolled his shoulders, deactivating his lightsaber and placing it back on his waist. Turning to face Graxin, he gave the lad a simple thumbs up and then coughed a couple more times. His lungs weren't in good shape, but he pulled through.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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It was time for the show to begin. Graxin offered his comrade a confident nod, and launched forward. He soared a few meters above the ground in silence. At the top of his arc, Graxin held his twin blades overhead. The Terentatek turned about just quick enough to have the two lightsabers carve from its face down to its midriff. They did not pierce, but they did leave long black marks on its leathery skin . The beast roared in outrage, and backhanded the Archlord.

The blow forced the air out of Graxin's lungs. He was sent sprawling back, barely maintaining a hold on his lightsabers. He slammed back against an ancient tree tunk, and stared up as a claw arced down to sheer him from shoulder to hip.

He ducked.

"Now would be a good time Shaxx!"

[member="Rusken Shaxx"]