Home is where the Torture Chamber is

[grammaticus]

Animus flipped through the pages of the ancient book slowly, soaking in every one of the ancient symbols. The tome in his hand was from the world of Ziost, a world Animus himself thought to be inhospitable to such items like this. However, a particularity loud mouth smuggler had been bragging about a recent dig he had been on, and Animus had decided to see for himself what it was. It was a wonderful find, and Animus had enjoyed it thoroughly so far. It spoke of the original conflicts between those of the Light Side and Dark Side of the Force, so long ago when even the Jedi and Sith did not exist. In the time of the Jed'aii. There was plenty to learn from this book, but for now he had to look to other matters.

Closing the book, he placed it on the desk in front of him, rising to his feet and walking across the large office he was in to open the communications unit there. The office itself was quite sizable, and located on one of the upper most floors of the Grimhold. The massive windows flanking his desk offered a pleasant view of the city below the Grimhold, and the large lake surrounding the island the building was on. It was a surprisingly nice view for a place so gripped in darkness. "Layla, Raven, once you are both settled please come to my location. We have a few things to discuss further." He cut off the channel, moving back to his desk and sitting down, opening the book again while he waited.

Animus had arrived back to Corellia a short time ago, bringing the second member of his growing organization to the Grimhold, where after a brief introduction with the other member, who had only been there a day longer, he had sent them both to get their personal rooms ready. He had given them the choice of any room they wished in the Grimhold, and resources to get what they wanted to decorate them. It would be some time yet before they felt at home within the Grimhold, but they would get there eventually. Or they would not, Animus did not really care. They were here to learn and become more powerful, not enjoy the luxuries of life.

Such things were the focus of lesser Sith, and even the Jedi.

[member="Raven Ashe"] [member="Layla Solari"]

Spoiler: Office

 

[Raven Ashe]

Raven was no country girl smitten with city life, but the fact Animus owned such an enormous tower with so many resources at hand was impressive. No need to worry about following a crazed, force-wielding maniac at least. With each new revelation her confidence in the choice only grew. Nothing had shaken her resolve or commitment to the Dark Lord. Not until she was introduced to the other, incredibly young looking girl.

Once they'd come together the air around Raven grew thicker and a strange pressure seemed to press down on her body. Was this some sort of Force perception, she wondered? Despite Animus not having time to remove any blocks could being in his mere presence have unlocked her talents? Unbeknownst to the new Apprentice, however, it was the Force monster that coiled about her reacting to the essence of the little one. In private, perhaps, it would like nothing more than to try devouring a far, far younger version of itself. Weak monsters had no more place in the galaxy than any other consumable life force.

At the man's dismissal to locate a room, Raven set off to get situated. Might as well make sure she had somewhere to crash after whatever work she'd be put through. There was already an expectation nothing would be easy. Animus had been reserved and polite so far, but when it came to instruction things could change. Whatever he had in store, she resolved to be ready for it no matter how long she had to endure it.

Such enthusiasm did little to prepare her for the vertigo experienced once the door to her chosen room had closed. With a sharp gasp the young Pantoran woman stumbled forward and collapsed to the floor. Her throat tightened and it became impossible to form word;s; the very air began to solidify around her as Raven crawled blindly forward. Moments later she collapsed and darkness poured from her body.

At last, the fiend hissed. At last it could feed. So long had it been since it tasted the animating force of life. There were so many delectable creatures in this very tower it could choose from. It would start with the weaker ones until its vitality returned; a lesson learned from confronting Animus himself back on the planet. The Ages of isolation had weakened the beast, but done nothing to curb its appetite.

Darth Animus' voice caused Raven to jerk awake where she'd fallen. She swallowed deep breaths of air as if emerging from a dark pool where she'd been dragged into its depths. Using both hands she forced her face and upper body from the floor. Hopefully the Sith didn't have cameras in the room to see her in such a disgraceful position -- collapsed after just arriving. She was not weak, and wouldn't let herself appear as such. But what had happened? Her head ached, but she couldn't recall anything in particular to explain the collapse.

After making sure she was presentable in a full body mirror, Raven strode out of her room to meet with Animus once more. This was probably where things would be set in motion. Her heart raced with the possibilities she could conjure up. Just a short jaunt to start down the path of her rightful destiny.

The fiend hidden within smiled. Yes, grow. Together we will grow stronger and become unstoppable.

[member='Darth Animus'] & [member='Layla Solari']

 

[Layla Solari]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBlaWzMiZYw

Like a spider in it's web, she waited, her tendrils latched to a dark corner of the underground tunnels that dotted Corellia. The monster had patience, as she knew her prey would soon come. On the planet a group of dissidents had planned to cause trouble, to blow up a part of the underground networks, and cause what was above them to collapse down. However, this was her new home, and that of her master. If they succeeded, security would be much tighter from now on. Besides, it was fun. Besides, her Master's intelligence network was incredible, tracking this group down had been simple. The pain in her body was intense, almost all consuming, as she hung from the ceiling. But it would soon be alleviated

As the group dragged the explosives into the room, they chatted with themselves. Honestly, she cared little about what they were going to say. Her eyes were on them as a whole, and as soon as they laid down the bomb, and prepared, she leaped into action. It was death from above, dozens of sharp, spear like tendrils drove poison into each of their bodies. Swords slashed, cutting off arms and legs. However, at no point did she kill them with this initial assault. Three by the door began to open fire. Once again, the dovin basal opened up, and the bolts were swallowed into the singularity. Powerful legs pushed forward, and she leaped. Tendrils caught on the ceiling and she swung herself fully into the shooters. Even though a blast or two got through the defense, the blaster pistols were simply not powerful enough to get through the shell with that few hits.

Blade swung out, severing the hands of the shooters, before she stabbed each of them with the tendrils too. The fight lasted all of thirty seconds before it was finished. One by one, she drained the force energy from, and the remaining blood. While prepared for a fight, they never expected this. When done, in the same way she devoured everything else, she took in the bodies, the blood, and all until nothing was left to prove they had ever been here. Even their guns, and clothing were dissolved into their base molecules and ingested.

In time, all that was left was the bomb, and while it took a sizable amount of time more, it too was taken in. The nanomachines were such useful things. It was simply time consuming, but worth it. When she was done, no sign that they had ever been there, or that a fight had happened, remained. Criminals were easy to target, they were fairly unpredictable, prone to fleeing if they had been spotted, and were looked down on by the polite society. Few in the security forces ever missed them. Even the Green Jedi tended to prioritize other cases before the missing reports of criminals. And by destroying all their objects, it made it easy to not let one use psychometry to track her down. Corellia was thrilling in a way her other planets had not been. It was dangerous for her. She was NOT the top of the food chain here. No, the Green Jedi were. A Sith could think otherwise, but they were the ones who held the numbers, the resources, the powers...as much as she would love to consume that much raw force energy from each of them, she had to keep out of their notice for now.

She snuck out of the tunnels and quickly shed her armor. Under, it was a fairly normal dress, it was lavender in color, frilly, but modest. It protected her sensitive skin from the sun, as well as from brushes against other people. After a bit of quick shopping for more cute outfits, she rushed off to the tower she was beginning to call home. It was a slow turbolift ride up to her room, through the security check points and powerful doors. However, once she slid into the darkened room, she was quite happy. The only lights were above two vats in the corner. They held the most precious of cargo, seedlings of her own nanech, that she was beginning to mold into useful tools and servants for herself. Beyond this the room was sparse, almost no real source of comfort, a simple bed, a bare floor, a wood armoire, a computer station and not much else. Luxury wasn't something that entered the child's brain, beyond cute clothing. She placed her new clothes in the armoire, and then answered the comm unit going off.

As she entered the room where Animus was, no expression crossed her face. She was still wearing the dress from before, her hair long and brushed out, along with the ever present backpack, black bead bracelets and the black choker. So small, she looked frail, but every movement gave off a hint of power just barely being controlled. As such, her foot falls were nearly non-existent even on the hard metallic floor. Eyes narrowed a bit at the light of the rooms monitors. Almost undetectable, a small film of her material separated from her choker and created a light film over her large hazel eyes.“My Master. You called?” As Raven entered, she gave the woman a beautiful, charming smile. “Good day, Lady Raven.” Her hands came out, and she gave the pantoran a polite curtsy. Soon however, her eyes were back to being focused on her master, expression blank once more.

[member="Raven Ashe"]
[member="Darth Animus"]

 

[grammaticus]

Animus was silent for several seconds as the two entered his office. He then rose from his desk, walking towards them with his hands hanging loosely at his sides. He did not wear his armor right now, it would serve little point.

"Indeed I did call you, both of you. I hope you are finding Corellia to your liking..." The lady few words were directed at [member="Layla Solari"] as he passed the two by, but he turned his attention to [member="Raven Ashe"] before he finished his journey. "And I hope you find your quarters acceptable? I would offer you both a tour of the Grimhold, but there are more pressing matters at hand." He came to a halt beside a large bookshelf, covered I various books and relics from across the galaxy. Several were spoils he had claimed after the fall of the Jen'ari.

At the bottom of the shelf was a large bo staff, covered in various sigils and glyphs. He picked it up carefully, turning it in his hand as he began to speak again, not looking at the two. "In truth, I need to see exactly where both of you stand when it comes to combat. Once I know more, I will be able to begin your educations."

He began to turn then, beginning to flip and twirl the staff as he got a feel for the weapon again. Then, without warning g he launched forward, slamming the staff into first Layla, sending her flying backwards against the door of the office, before turning and snacking the end of the staff into Ravens but, then slashing it up into her exposed skull, hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to do permanent damage. Every move he made against them was calculated and controlled. He needed to gauge their power and ability, not kill them.

However, he would do it in the way he had been taught. Once his first attack was done, he twirled the staff into a guard position, looking between them. "Defend yourselves."

 

[Raven Ashe]

Raven found herself nodding fluidly to the youth-appearing woman that Darth Animus seemed to favor. The curtsy had been unexpected, though the Pantoran wouldn't deride it. "Layla." Pleasantries had been short, however, as the young one's attention was on Animus in short order with none of the levity a moment ago. It was that almost mercurial quality that kept Raven from mistaking Layla Solari as merely a young girl -- that just happened to have a Sith Lord's personal attention.

With Animus' comments about there being no time for a personal tour, Raven quipped, "Pas de repos pour les méchants."

Spoiler

No rest for the wicked.

Not that she was complaining. As someone that'd taken to exploring ruins, a modern and intact structure such as this one would pose no problems. Getting into some of the rooms -- should Animus be secretive -- would be more difficult than some long forgotten dwellings, but not impossible. So if the Sith Lord wished to spend his time on more 'worthwhile' exchanges Raven saw no reason to dissuade the man from his path.

That's when things got interesting. By that, the Pantoran could feel a shadow falling across her back, and its arms gently laying atop her own. It was that sense of impending danger. Of knowing without understanding. Something was coming, and it was likely from that sta--

Raven's foot shot back and both hands started to lift when Animus struck Layla. There wasn't time to think, only to react, and there was all too clear when the staff bashed into her side in quick succession. A sharp pain blossomed in her side from the assault, but not so sharp as to dull her senses. Every effort was put into drawing back as the tip streaked through the air toward her head. With a flip, the blue figure rolled off to one side where she came up on a hand a knee. If that had connected Raven was sure she'd have been limp on the floor that very moment. Little in the way of holding back, was it? Darth Animus didn't seem to be the type to waste time explaining the conditions of the test either.

Kill.

Now wasn't the time to kill Darth Animus. Disarm him. Demonstrate--

Kill, or die. He will devour you.

Drawing in a deep breath, Raven drew herself back up to her full stature as it became apparent the Lord awaited their counter. He wasn't overconfident facing both of them; he was assured of his ability to handle them with nothing but a staff. Well, Raven never said she was the foremost combat expert the man had ever met. Couldn't end up too disappointed if she didn't somehow lay him out in the first attempt.

"Une fois de plus sur la brèche," Raven exhaled before she shot forward. She rushed straight at Animus, bare handed, and eyes hooded by her brow. Such a tactic was sure to fail against Animus, but her intent was to slid below the strike and to his other side. Layla might or might cooperate in assaulting the man, but striking from the opposite direction would give her an ever so slight advantage; at least compared to an attacker coming at him from a painfully predictable direction. More than likely it would fail. But she wouldn't surrender before the battle was even fought.

Spoiler

Once more unto the breach.

[member='Darth Animus'] | [member='Layla Solari']

 

[Layla Solari]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8BwHHEopec​

Equipment: Armor, swords

The moment he moved at Allya with the staff, in that brief instant, the black choker moved, it coated her chest in it's protective layering, seeking to protect its host. As the girl was knocked back, even in the air, the control suit coated her body. Millions of cilia drove into the pores of her skin, latching on. Long tendrils drove into her veins, and connected to her nerves and muscles. By the time she hit the door she was already halfway through the complete metamorphasis. As she stood to her feet, the outer armor grew in an instant, two extra arms grew out of it, dozens of black lashing tendrils on her back, and it hardened quickly. In her hands, the bracelets phased out of existence, and grew into the two grotesque living monoedge swords that were her primary weapons. The pain the living armor and weapons caused her body was intense. She focused all of that pain, and the dark side swirled around her. Oh she would do her best to kill anyone who struck her. If Animus died from this, he was never worth training her in the first place, and certainly couldn't protect her. She would see if he would survive, or die like the ones who tried before him.

Like a Starweird, she focused the darkside and let out an intense telepathic blast aimed at Animus' mind. It was like a powerful, mind shattering scream. She knew of his mental barriers, however, it didn't need to get through. It just needed to make him remember his very mind was also a target at all times. Her two lower hands began to move, and the monster soon used pyrokinesis to gather intense flames. However, she did not target Animus with them. No, instead, she targeted the room itself. The banks of consoles, the desk, any types of drapes or seats. She would burn it all to nothingness, and while doing so, attempt to suck the very air from the room, consuming the precious oxygen until there was nothing left.

If successful, she would launch herself at the opposite direction of Raven's attack with all the speed her armor and body allowed her. One of her swords would swing at Animus' torso, with intense strength. Inside of her armor, it would be comparable to, or greater than, a wookiee swinging it. Even if he blocked with the bo-staff, which she hoped he did, the attempt could potentially be enough to dislocate his shoulder as he tried to deal with the shock. Now, she wasn't sure what he would do, dodge, block, faint, so, to add into the assault, she drove four of her black tendrils. They aimed for his feet, attempting to trip him up. As the tendrils did their work, the sharp spear like tips attempted to find ways into his pants from below, to either stab into his flesh or release their poison into his body.

FEAST ​

​

​

​

[member="Raven Ashe"]
[member="Darth Animus"]

 

[grammaticus]

The assault came faster than he originally anticipated. The warnings in his mind alerted him to the mental attack a moment before it struck, his mental barriers pushing it out and away in a sort of funnel. The attack was powerful, but not experienced. Brute strength was useful, but without the practiced precise hand that training brought, its ability to do significant damage was limited to those who had little practice in the art of mental combat. At the moment, the threat was marginal, but he could not afford to let his guard down. A surprise now could very well be fatal for him.

The second attack from Layla was more surprising and hazardous for more than just Animus. The fires spread out around the length of the room, beginning to consume all in its path. Animus felt the first pin pricks of oxygen loss, but that realization was by far less of an interest for him. The destruction of his relics and tomes however was much worse. Animus watched in fury as the shelves lining the walls of the room began to catch fire as well, as books more ancient then he could even comprehend lost to the spreading inferno. He could not control the rage building within him, and he turned his attention to the fight at hand. Animus thrust his hands back, leaving to staff planted in the ground on its own as he sent a wave of Force energy flying behind him. The glass surrounding the entire back half of his office exploded out in a wave of shrapnel, flying towards the water far below. A majority of the fire went out with the explosion as well, leaving just anything still being made. Animus would have to explain the explosion to the authorities later.

Snapping his head to the other way, Animus saw Raven approaching him in the confusion, a smart tactic given what was going on. However, he did not care for the genius of the two pronged assault right now. Animus took a single running step, throwing his feet off the ground and spinning using the staff. His left foot shot out towards Raven as she darted forward, hopefully striking her but Animus continued his momentum either way. He launched himself forward, forming a barrier of Force energy around his legs as he shot into Layla. He could not afford to let her touch him.


[member="Layla Solari"] [member="Raven Ashe"]

 

[Raven Ashe]

The Pantoran's brow furrowed as the room around them caught fire. This was not the response she'd expected from Layla -- and the bio-suit or whatever it was went without saying. Obviously something had been off about the young-looking woman, but literally turning into some kind of monster? Animus seemed to have a hell of a taste for people... later Raven might question what interest he possibly found in someone like her. At that very moment, however, there wasn't time to think. No time to doubt. Observe, react. Deal with ramifications and fallout later.

She clenched her teeth at the explosion of pressure as air surged throughout the chamber. A crescendo of glass fell at Raven's back as she neared the pissed Sith Lord.

The man struck her as she tried to rebound back into him, which didn't shock Raven in how fast his reflex had been. Another well of pain sprang forth as she skid backwards along the floor, arms crossed over her chest where she'd absorbed the impact. A thump sounded as she stopped at the foot of a bookcase. "Merde," she whispered. A soft warbling sound then caught Raven's ear as she righted herself once more. Both hands cupped themselves before her in time to catch a small statue as it toppled off a shelf. "Is this from Korriban?"

Go!

The statue was set back upon the shelf it'd fallen from. Raven rolled one shoulder than the other to work out some of the stiffness from the mind abuse so far. There was Layla -- some girl Animus brought here -- wearing a suit and conjuring Force "magic" left and right, and here she was, someone that thought to be a Sith Lord's Apprentice barely able to lift a finger? Her fingers slowly curled into fists at her side. Where was this potential he alluded to? The Force? Was Animus really going to patiently wait to undo some... constraining ritual?

Intolerable. Insufferable. Indignant.

Raven took one step, then another. Her pace quickened until she bolted back the way she'd come at speed. She wasn't getting crushed on the first outing. Not here. Not now!

The Pantoran woman launched herself at Animus once more, but this time not bothering to try evading. She drew her right hand back and with a hearty roar felt herself ready to shatter his defenses and send him flying. And in that instant the Living Darkness billowed up from the floor on Animus' other side. Two clawed appendages viciously swiped at the man. Whether they assailed him on three fronts, or only two while Layla retreated to formulate her own response didn't matter. Raven wasn't being shown up without a fight, and if she had to crack the foundation of this tower mustering the strength to prove herself then that was what she would do.

[member='Darth Animus'] | [member='Layla Solari']

 

[Layla Solari]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq3oc64Nh2U​

And it was here, Animus may have made his greatest mistake. He knew he shouldn't get close to her, instincts which were exactly right. Her entire existence was created to kill people like him. Now, she was unfinished. She was still a child, not fully grown, her training in the force was never completed, so she was limited to what skills she could use, and she wasn't at full pack. However, her mind was sharp and she learned fast. This time when Animus came at her she was ready.

Four tentacles stretched out, two to the ceiling, pulsating and latching on to the roof, and two want down to the floor anchoring. The other dozen tentacles stretched out and around into a bell like shape that would close behind Darth Animus as he hit into her. However, like a bell, there was a stem inside, where some of the spear like tendrils would turn inwards towards his back. When his foot impacted, she attempted to Force Drain a small amount of the force on his leg when it came into contact with her. But it was no where near enough. The contact was too small, his power to great, and her skill with it not as grand and all encompassing as she would like. So, she was knocked back and hard. However, thanks to the anchoring tendrils, while she jerked back harshly, she didn't get sent across the room. In that instant, the bell “knocker” that had been formed rapidly went towards his back, using her own momentum.

Her armor had a small amount of force protection which lessened the blow from that, and kinetic protection, however...it hurt like hell anyway. As pain bloomed in her body, her two lower hands not holding the swords, attempted to grab hold of the leg as it impacted her. It was a clumsy attempt due to the pain, however, either way, she would attempt to slam him into the ground, after attempting to impale him.The bell dissolved, and the tendrils were pulled back, to make it easier for her to attack next. No matter the outcome of her attacks, she would try and bounce backwards, and began using her dozens of tentacles along with Raven's attack. Each was sharp, strong, filled with poison and able to move independently. They worked to attempt to block Animus' escape route in a wide direction, while taking chances to attack. As she moved towards a more pack mentality with Raven, she stopped using Pyrokinesis. This time, she began to use ever increasingly hammer like telepathic attacks, trying to force him to have to defend on multiple fronts if possible.

No matter how powerful Animus was, he was still human. His mind could only do so much at once, while hers was designed to do so much more from the get go. He could out match her, but could he out process her? It was time to find out. Along with Raven, and this new beast, they would push their master to his limits too. Or at least try.

[member="Raven Ashe"]
[member="Darth Animus"]

 

[grammaticus]

Several things began to happen at once. First, Animus felt the sudden change within [member="Raven Ashe"] as the barrier he had once seen within her began to fracture. In an instant he felt the presence that had been on Pantora emerge behind him. He did not have time to address the monster behind him at the moment however as the monster before him was reacting. Animus grimaced as the tentacles of [member="Layla Solari"] erupted in multiple directions, anchoring her in place and forming a trap to pin him into place. He spotted the spear like tentacle in the center of the trap just as his foot made contact with the monster. He felt the pinprick sign of Force draining, though not enough to entirely negate his attack.

He was not going to get out of this situation undamaged, that much was obvious. Perhaps it was also time to not hold back any longer himself.

As his Force strike made contact with Layla, he pushed backwards, tucking his knees close to his chest, barely avoiding the tentacles aiming for his leg. In the same motion, he slammed the staff in his hand down onto the spear at the center of the bell, not long enough to get trapped and pushed off with it. He shot out of the bell a moment before it began to dissolve and alter to continue the assault against him. He did not give it a chance to catch up however as he shot through the air, his body pulled tightly into a projectile all of its own as he shot his legs out. He sent arcs of Force lightning down along his legs, grimacing at the agony he felt but continuing the move. He tore his way through the shadow monster that had formed from Raven, dissipating it for a moment before landing on the ground. He stumbled forward as one of Layla's tentacles managed to cut across his back, but he moved forward quickly before too much damage could be done.

He held still for just a moment as he slowly turned to face his two apprentices, the curiosity and interest from seeing what they could do finally gone. Now, all that remained was his rage. Animus began walking back towards the assembled group before him, breaking the staff in half as he picked up speed. The sigils along the length of the two batons began to glow a bright blue as lightning arced along their lengths, and pure blue flames erupted from the end. Animus's first strike dissipated the shadowy monster again, with the follow up strike sending it flying across the room as if it had physical form. His next move sent him flying at Layla, the two batons and their owner weaving through the flurry of tentacles and spikes until he came face to face with her. In that moment he lashed out at her face with both batons, before dropping to the ground and rolling away, turning and throwing one of the batons back at her for good measure to try and buy himself time. Whether they struck or not was not his concern.

Finally, he leaped forward, propelled by the Force as he drove his shoulder into Raven. The impact itself was solid but Animus did not stick with it, instead flipping over her body with the hit and landing directly behind her. He brought the remaining baton around to strike at her exposed neck, intent to end this battle.

 

[Raven Ashe]

As Darth Animus turned following his escape of Layla's grasp, Raven stood her ground. Light poured into the chamber from the ruined glass wall that had existed behind the Lord's desk; it caught on the rims of the Pantoran's unusually bright eyes. A strange sense of mutual understanding between herself and Layla had occured in the heated exchange with their Dark Master. One members of a pack might feel in the desire to bring down a powerful or elusive prey; and only once they'd managed that feat would they then fight over who got to devour the juiciest bits. It was not an agreement Raven could say she ever formed before -- not on this level. You did what you had to survive on the streets, but this was different. Layla was different.

Perhaps, even Raven herself had changed. But as she stood there in that brief moment of calm, Animus readying his weapon once more, she knew one thing: she would not be forgotten again. Not abandoned. Not overlooked. Not pitied, or even tolerated. Darth Animus had chosen her, and he would either live or die by that decision. Raven had already fallen out of favor once, and accepted the consequences of it. It would not happen again.

It was then enraging when the Sith plunged himself back into Layla's embrace where Raven could not follow. Not without risk of being collateral damage or worse, prey of opportunity. Yet this did not weaken the Force that slowly coalesced about the blue skinned Apprentice. He would come for her. He would come, and she would stand ready. This time it was Animus that would face the women on their terms. This time, he would come to them.

Just as predicted, the man flew straight toward her no doubt intent on ending the fight. Raven's body suddenly grew firmer and her feet felt as if they'd found new purchase on the floor as the Force was focused inward. The man's strike to her shoulder caused her to flinch, but her footing was not as broken as he might have intended. That did nothing to stop his own momentum, however. She fought to turn in time, forcing the Force out into her extremities again, but found herself moving far too slow. The next blow was sure to land.

Just as it did an obsidian hand shot forth and caught the baton. A dark, vaguely humanoid figure appeared looming over Raven; it stood opposite of Animus and gazed upon the Dark Lord with four, red eyes. Its grip tightened on the instrument of Animus' instruction. As it caught the weapon, a deep voice reverberated loudly throughout the chamber for all to hear,

"Mine!"

With that another hand was pressed to the side of the Pantoran woman's face; her body went limp and collapsed to the floor. Yet the surprisingly solid figure with a red glow eminating from within did not vanish. A deep growl rumbled as it watched the Dark Lord carefully. If he sought to pull the baton away it would go easily. Should the man try to do anything further to Raven, however, similar circumstances as to what happened earlier would reprise themselves anew.

[member='Darth Animus'] | [member='Layla Solari']
[member="Darth Animus"] | [member="Layla Solari"]

 

[Layla Solari]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzSv9JfYRUA

In this battle, Animus was beginning to show his true power. It made Layla's body race. All her hearts pumped quickly, priming the core for the being that was fighting Animus. His agility was otherworldly as he dodged her dozens of tendrils, that closed in on him. However, the tendrils, her swords, her body, it was not a normal material. With every strike against it, the material would begin to curl around the weapons, and anything that touched it, attempting to hold it tight. However, the force lightening that ran down his legs made the tendrils withdraw.

However, they didn't give up, and soon the tendrils slashed his back. As they did, they injected their paralyzing poison into the man. Once he bound away to fight against Raven, Layla took a step back, and prepared herself. Her weapons were held up in a defensive position, and her tendrils began to undulate. As he prepared another assault, trying to hit her face with the batons, her swords interrupted, blocking the attack. The living swords sizzled slightly with the flame, however, the material was designed to withstand fire for a good length of time, due to Layla's own usage of fire.

With great force, she pushed back, trying to stagger the man. When he left again, the man threw the flaming baton at her. A tendril wrapped around it, and then with intense strength, as he was turned back towards Raven hurled it back at his own head this time. When Raven went down the battle truly began in her eyes. Another powerful telepathic scream went out from her mind, to wash over his mental barriers, as she began to advance herself this time. Up until now, she had been mostly defending.

She rushed forward. Her powerful legs propelled her at nearly the same speed of a Jedi using force speed. However, not an ounce of the force was used in this. It was not something anyone had ever taught her to do. Instead, it was the intense genetic manipulation and the power of the nanech that connected to her body. One of her swords swung attempting to clear his stomach just above his hips. The other weapon was held in a defensive stance, ready to parry any incoming attacks. Seven tendrils lashed out, they puffed out from her body and arced in from the sides, in an attempt to limit that fierce mobility. While even if the tendrils hit, this time the spear tips were not pointed at the man. This was merely an attempt to restrain his movement, as such, if they came in contact with his body, they would attempt to wrap around him.

[member="Raven Ashe"]

[member="Darth Animus"]

 

[grammaticus]

Animus dropped the baton, jumping backwards as [member="Layla Solari"] began her new attack against him. It would seem that force abilities would not get him much further in this battle, and he would need to rely on his own combat strength to fight. Just as he was about to turn he felt a flash of agony run across his back, staggering him momentarily before he recovered, jumping backwards into a flip as the lethal tendrils were coming at him again. In an instant his mind ran through all the possibilities, the simplest being he had been poisoned by the brief contact with Layla. Problematic to say the least, but he could not focus on that for now. He began to slow his heartbeat through controlled breathing, slowing the rate at which the poison might progress. He would have to deal with this after.

Coming to a halt, Animus slammed his foot down on a seemingly random panel of the floor, cracking it in half. He then reached down and drew out two crimson blades from within. He did not spend time to test their weight, instead launching himself immediately back towards [member="Raven Ashe"] and the creature that guarded her. The swords he held were designed to counter force users in combat, able to distort the control of the Force in those Animus faced, though at the cost of also limiting his own abilities. It was a cost Animus was willing to make under the circumstances however. Both of his foes were deeply connected to the Force, and hopefully these blades would give him an edge.

He put himself between the creature that had come because of Raven and Layla, attempting to see if he could potentially get them to fight each other. If he could divide their focus he would be able to handle matters quickly. He still had to deal with the first wave of tendrils though as they came towards him. Rather than try to avoid them, Animus focused on redirecting or cutting them. The Wratih blades were well designed for quick agile movement, and Animus rolled and ducked through the tendrils as best he could while advancing on the creature. Finally, he rolled to his feet, one of the Wraith blades cutting a tendrils away from Animus as he drove the other blade up towards the creature. Hopefully the nature of the blade would give the strike a much needed bonus.

 

[Raven Ashe]

Darth Animus. Strong. Capable. A worthy host, but his strength served to shield him.

Layla. Strong. Brash. Enjoyable. Incompatible. She was already possessed.

Her. Inexperienced. Already in its possession. Its best option for host.

Darkness had stirred about the looming beast that stood near the collapsed Pantoran. Animus had new weapons and charged back in their direction. Unwise. Until his movements carried him around and to the field of battle. Good. Leave the blue one.

Black tendrils curled about the female's body. It could not leave to chance the other two might harm the vessel. Awareness of its location and life was paramount.

This conflict had gone on long enough. It endangered the vessel.

Awaken, blue one. Awaken, vessel.

The room was bathed in the light that poured through the broken panoramic windows of Animus' office. Every object could be seen in clear detail with nearly perfect color quality. Until the Darkness stirred. Its touch reached out -- light became darkness, and darkness light. Every color around those in the room appeared inverted. The very floor beneath their feet began to take on an otherworldly stretch to it. Each step seemed to go no further than where it had come from.

"Enough," a raspy voice hissed throughout the room. "End this... or I will end you." Crushing even one of these creatures would put the blue one's life at risk, but if they continued to fight as they were the vessel's life would still be in jeopardy. Now white tendrils began to slowly grow out of the floor ready to clutch at however many appendages they possessed; in case they did not understand its voice. Many centuries had it been since it last spoke. They hardly seemed worth the effort except for what it brought the beast.

Tag: [member="Darth Animus"] | [member="Layla Solari"]​