Locked in Time

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

The planet Belsavis, a festering mess of dangerous jungles and crumbling ruins. On the surface, the remains of the Republic prison stood as silent reminders of the planet's history, at least to a point. However, it was the ruins below the surface that truly told the good story. These were the ruins of the ancient prison of the Rakata, the ancient holding place for the long-forgotten warriors, the Esh-kah. Millenia ago, hundreds had been held there, locked in stasis.

Many of the stasis cells were now vacant, their occupants long since released by the Sith Empire, but their was one that was still active, holding in its icy grip the last of the followers of the great Esh-kah visionary, Hallow Voice. The sole occupant's name was Blazing Eye, and he had been locked in the same cell for over four thousand years. His eyes were closed, his mind locked in a dreamless sleep. He had not seen light for millenia. He was a veteran of many wars, but long ago he had found his comrades gone and his honor lost. For millenia he had waited, for a chance to fight for an honorable cause, or simply to fight, once more.

Blazing Eye did not know it, but the chance was coming, and it was coming fast.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

The prison was awash with shadow and darkness, flickering movements hidden behind an impenetrable screen of night, the scuffing noises of scavengers; animal and sentient, rushing about throughout the place in hopes of discovering strange treasure or delicious prey. The Arue'tii stepped through the structure, walking along a thin path of light created by a crack in the ceiling. Rubble lined the floors of the ancient structure, and he found himself constantly ramming his foot into it, scattering it onto the floor and creating a ruckus that was no doubt likely to attract the attention of aspiring monsters. Abelain took a deep breath of the air, filtering it through his olfactory senses and taking notice of the presence of the iron scent of blood. There were many different types of blood which indicated various species, though a majority of them seemed to be somewhat far away.

One of the scents approached, moving forward rapidly, but not quite quickly enough to be a predator. Another scent appeared on his periphery, racing with the speed that indicated intense hunger, it intercepted the sentient before it could grow close enough to what it hoped was escape. Off in the darkness, a scream echoed and a vicious roar of triumph and death. Abelain ignored it, following the path until it led to a hole in the ground, apparently once a shaft for easy vertical transportation, rusted away into uselessness. He dropped through the hole, allowing himself to be swallowed in blackness. Blue hands traced down his side, grasping at the cylinder laying there and releasing it from it's entanglement, a gentle brush of the finger of the ignition and the room was lit in the crimson hues of the saber.

Far in the corner, something curious glinted beneath the light of the saber, a machine of some form, though it was difficult to discern it's exact purpose. Farther down the line, additional machines of the same type were easily visible, though these seemed to have already been opened and their innards removed. Curiosity flooded Abelain's mind, and it was only amplified when he caught sight of a living creature hidden within the eternal cell. His hand reached out slowly for the release lever, the other tightening upon the grip of his torch and weapon. With a mechanical hiss, the lever pulled downwards, and he waited anxiously for the result.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
With a gasp of life, Blazing Eye tasted fresh air for the first time in millennia. His eyes, their black centers wide, snapped open as he fell to his hands and knees before the stasis pod. His vision was blurred, affected by the thousands of years in stasis, and he blinked several times rapidly in a vain attempt to clear it. His muscles screamed as he drew breath after breath, gasping in huge lungfuls of air that was not recycled. He sat there for several minutes, before suddenly he sensed that he was not alone in the room. He looked up, his response slow and sluggish, and gazed up at a massive creature that looked down on him with eyes of blazing blue. Blazing Eye was confused, and a little curious. Had this creature released him from the blackness and shown him the light once more? Then Blazing Eye's gaze fell upon the crimson weapon in the creature's hand, and rage filled his mind.

This thing was one of "them". One of the dark ones that had killed his brothers in arms so many years ago when he fought by the side of Hallow Voice. He bore the weapon, the weapon, the one that had slain even more when they had stood against the Eternal Empire. Thoughts of rage, of pain and loss, drove all concious thoughts from Blazing Eye's mind. He had come back here, imprisoned himself, so that an honorable warrior, like the Barsen'thor of old, could come and free him, not one of these honorless scum that killed without thought and laughed about it afterwards. The mere sight of that crimson weapon was an insult.

"Dark one..." Blazing Eye hissed in Galactic Basic, "Dark one..." Blazing Eye drew himself shakily to his feet, cursing the sluggish responses of his stasis-weary muscles. He reached for the war blade on his back, and cursed himself again when he felt nothing. Then he remembered. He had left the weapon on the battlefield, the last one he had bloodied before relinqushing himself to the dark once more. Here he was, standing before an enemy who deserved nothing but death, and he was weaponless. No matter. He still had claws, and he still had strength. He would beat this scum into submission, and then resume his wait, for a millenia more if he must.

With a roar that echoed throughout the prison, Blazing Eye lunged at his hated enemy. He aimed to tackle his opponent, with one arm grabbing for the weapon and another shoving against the creature's chest. However, as soon as he moved Blazing Eye knew something was bound to go wrong. His movements were just the slightest bit too slow, his aim from his still-blurry eyesight just slightly off. He hoped this was not a veteran warrior, for if it was he was going to have a hard time fighting it in this state.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

The creature found itself born into the world once more, grasping pitifully against the ground as it gasped for breath that had escaped it for centuries. It's eyes locked upon the crimson lightsaber, the standard weapon of the Sith, and one that he himself had taken from one of their dead corpses. The blade had served it's purposes thus far, though he had not expected it to incite a sentient being to combat. The creature hissed it's venomous words, accusations against the Arue'tii that had freed it from a fate of endless slumber. It arose, it's senses and feelings obviously dulled by it's extended stay within the machine. It reached around it's back, apparently grasping for something that was no longer present; obviously a weapon that had gone away.

The being held no weapon, and in the hands of the Arue'tii was one of the greatest weapons known in the galaxy. It was hardly a fair match, even if the creature did appear to be quite strong, it did not possess the same resistant hide that he possessed, and a single blow from the saber would render him crippled and useless. There would be no honor in fighting someone without a weapon with such a device, and with a flicker of his finger it extinguished. The room once more found itself swallowed in darkness, and Abelain slid nimbly to the side, red cape trailing gently behind him as he dodged away from a lunge.

He could not see, though it was unlikely that the assailant could see either. The one advantage that he did possess was his ability to scent the inferior species' blood, allowing him to find it's position in the darkness with relative ease. The disadvantage that came with that ability however was that he would need to breathe quite heavily to keep up with any rapid movements on the part of the opponent. The cylindrical lightsaber was planted once more within it's bound position, and the Arue'tii began to circle the position of the sentient, taking note of it's general location while trying to minimize the noise that he was creating in his own movements.

"Why do you fight me, creature?" He growled from behind the 'smile' that protected his mouth.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
Just as Blazing Eye had feared, he missed his opponent. His battle skills took over, and though he was still sluggish, he managed to turn the dive into a roll and come up standing. However, the room had now been plunged into darkness, and Blazing Eye now could not see his opponent. And yet, he was curious. He had been in a vulnerable position, why hadn't the creature struck him down? He had had the weapon to do it, that much was clear, yet he had held his hand and put the fight onto equal terms. Strange.

But Blazing Eye would not allow such acts of honor to cause him to deviate from his path. No doubt the creature had done it because he did not think Blazing Eye to be a threat with no weapon. Such thoughts would be his inevitable demise. Even now, Blazing Eye's senses, honed by years of battle and not dulled as much as his muscles by his millennia in the darkness, felt the creature's movements. The creature's breath, the slightest breezes as it moved, the microscopic vibrations in the ground as it moved, all were signs to the Esh-kah. Any normal being could never have sensed such signs, but Blazing Eye was an Esh-kah Ranger, raised from birth to see, hear, and feel that which his comrades, and normal beings, could not.

When Blazing Eye heard the creature's growl he locked on to it, following the void in the darkness.

"You bear the weapon of the dark ones, the honorless, those who I watched slay, and who I slew on the field of battle," he said, his muscles tensing as he prepared to lunge, "No doubt you are one of them. You are not the worthy warrior I sought to release me, you do not deserved my service. I will make you pay!" With those words Blazing Eye discerned the creature's location and leaped for him, roaring with rage.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

The Arue'tii continued to circle, gently placing step after step to ensure that he was not located by his speech. The creature seemed to be standing relatively still, apparently attempting to discern his location after having lost it's eyesight. No doubt, it was trying to listen for him, to determine where he stood. Abelain was far too intrigued at the reason for the assault to care about taking his advantage and striking, and it seemed dishonorable to strike at a foe that was so crippled in it's perception. There was assurance that the inferior species would not feel the same as he, and it would without a doubt use any advantage it held to eliminate what it perceived to be a threat. Sentient life was not so different from the life of animals in that regard, that when it came down to challenges of life or death, all beings became far deadlier.

The answer that was given to him by the strange being; likely an ancient prisoner from archaic times, was reasonable in it's logic, but altogether disappointing. The hypothesis had proven true that the entire conflict was based on the use of a crimson lightsaber, something utterly ridiculous in terms of reasons for combat, but while theoretically it was foolish, realistically it was remarkably accurate. Abelain was indeed one of the Sith. Curious thoughts plagued his mind on how better he could hide his factional identity for later encounters with individuals such as the prisoner. The easiest choice would simply be to refrain from activating the saber when introductions were made, but other options would be considered at a later date.

The voice hissed out it's counter response, "I have taken this weapon from an Iridonian Sith champion, slayed by my hand with his own petty device." He corrected before continuing, "You are not incorrect however, I am of the Sith, though I believe you will find I am... unlike many of the others."

The sudden lunge from the creature caught him by surprise, and the echoing shout of promised retribution disturbed the relative quiet of the facility. The only other thing making such awful noise in the entire place seemed to be the hungry and hidden creature lurking on the floor above, satisfied with it's kill and engorging itself upon the flesh of it's corpse. The physical contact was heavy, and nearly threw him to the ground, but training immediately went into play, and his feet set against the stone to allow for traction to hold himself upright. His arms clasped against the arms of the prisoner, attempting to restrain them to his body to keep him from striking with his limbs, though it appeared that it would be a struggle.

With an awakening growl, the Arue'tii leaned forward and struck out with his right leg towards the knee of the opponent, a tactic with the obvious strategy of removing the height advantage created by the prisoner.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
Elation filled Blazing Eye as he made contact with his opponent, and instantly the two champions were locked in a close-quarters struggle. Blazing Eye grappled with the strange creature, his hands struggling to gain a grip on the slick skin that was obviously an exoskeleton. The creature was strong, stronger than he had expected, and to Blazing Eye's horror he felt himself begin to give way. His muscles were weak from the stasis, and even fueled by adrenaline as he was he was not at peak efficiency, and it seemed that he would have to be to face this creature on equal terms.

Then the creature struck at his leg, and Blazing Eye saw an opportunity. The legs of the Esh-kah were ditigrade in stance, their knees bent the opposite way. Attacking them with a kick caused no pain, and though it forced Blazing Eye's knee to bend, as it surprised him, he knew that he could use this tactically. As he fell, he grabbed ahold of anything on the creature he could concieve as a handhold and attempted to drag it down with him, using his weight and what strength remained in his muscles.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

In the darkness, and with such little time to examine his opponent before hostilities began, Abelain had missed the fact that the prisoner's knees bent in the opposite direction. The blow connected however, and the restraining on his opponent was going well. The creature was unable to land direct strikes against him using it's limbs, and on top of that, it's grasp was hindered by the smoothness of the exoskeleton covering the Arue'tii. It had been weakened exponentially by it's prolonged stay in stasis, and now it was suffering the consequences of it's actions with hindered strength and physical capability.

The creature fell, and Abelain released his grapple upon it's arms to allow it to fall to the floor without dragging him with it. Despite succeeding in his action however, the goal was defeated when a moment later the prisoner's arms wrapped about his leg and sent him flailing to the ground as well, unable to retain balance with only one leg having been on the ground at the time. He fell atop of the creature, raising his arms upwards in a defensive stance to protect his face while simultaneously slamming the elbows down into the prisoner's stomach, allowing the sharpened chitin it's opportunity to rend inferior flesh.

Whomever the prisoner had been before he had secluded himself from time, he had been a talented and skilled melee combatant. That much was discernible by his heavy blows, and subsequent rapid reactions to changes in situation. Thankfully, the Arue'tii had trained for decades to combat individuals of similar size and strength, and this allowed him to use his training to a far greater extent than would be capable if fighting a human or human-sized species.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
Blazing Eye's breath went out of him as the creature landed atop of him, and he screeched in pain as the sharp exoskeleton on the creature's elbows penetrated his battle armor and entered his stomach. The wounds were shallow, the armor having slowed a good deal of the force, but pain still struck him and he felt blood begin to flow. But even in this Blazing eye found an opportunity. The creature's arms were close together to protect its face and strike his stomach, leaving his sides exposed. Blazing Eye struck back.

With great heaves of his broad shoulders, Blazing Eye pounded his fists against the sides of his opponent, striking with speed and strength while simultaneously heaving upwards with all his strength. With some maneuvering he managed to get his legs up under his opponent, and with a heave released the blades from his stomach and shoved upwards against the weight, aiming to throw his opponent off.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

The iron scent of freshly spilled blood struck his olfactory senses, a blatant sign that wounds had been wrought upon the prisoner. Victory seemed near at hand with the mauling of his stomach, soon what little strength remained within him would no doubt seep away into ether, and grant triumph to the Arue'tii. His arms were still upwards, protecting his face while simultaneously striking havoc upon the gut of his foe, however that maneuver proved to be the downfall of his current strategy. It's flaw was revealed when moments later a powerful fist struck into his left side, eliciting a grunt and release of air from his body, followed by a second blow from the opposing side, fully knocking the remaining oxygen from his lungs and leaving him gasping.

The blows continued until finally; with a surge of force, the prisoner threw him off, sending him sprawling violently along the floor. The breath hitched within his throat, struggling against pain to insert itself once more into his lungs, and Abelain found it difficult to arise. Hateful thoughts filled his mind, anger rebuking his weakness at being stricken so harshly by an inferior species. Anger heated his soul, forcing him to slowly raise himself from his prostate position upon the floor. It was inconceivable that he should be defeated by the prisoner, and he intended to show proof of it by his actions.

Even with the pounding rush of adrenaline and anger, he withheld himself from drawing weapons other than those granted to him at his conception, inner rules dictating that despite his frustrations, combat would be held fairly and without advantage due to machines. The darkness enveloped him, and when his breathing finally returned to normal, he easily re-acquired the position of his foe, locking in like a missile upon the freshly rent flesh. He awaited another charge, moving his left foot forward, and twisting his right to the side to allow for a rapid pivot. He lay his arms closely against his sides, ready to shoot out at a moment's notice for necessity.

And with those preparations made, he baited his trap under the guile of perception, "Where have you gone?"

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
The weight lifted, Blazing Eye clambered to his feet and once more faced only darkness. He tried to stand tall, to face his opponent, but his wounds were painful, and he found it difficult to rise. He winced and covered his stomach with his hand, trying his best to stem the flow. However, deep down he knew it was useless. The wound, while not immediately fatal, would not stop bleeding without proper medical care, and continuing to fight would only make his blood run faster. He was dying, albeit very slowly and very painfully. He stared into the blackness, his head and body locking onto the source of the voice as it spoke. The voice was not moving, his enemy was waiting for him, waiting for him to make the next move. His enemy had to know he was injured, and was waiting to finish the job.

Blazing Eye was done. His instincts to survive at any cost were shattered. As he saw it, he had two options: he could stand and fight and die, as an honorable warrior of the Esh-kah, or he could run, disappear into the darkness, and live disgraced. He settled on the former. Soon, very soon, he would be with his brothers in arms once more. The rage he had felt so deeply was gone, replaced with a heavy sadness. Had he brought this on himself? Had his anger at seeing the evil crimson blade dulled his brain, and led him to a battle that was not worth fighting? Perhaps the creature had been the worthy leader he had sought, perhaps he could have been happy by its side. He didn't know, and he never would. Now there was no choice but to finish the fight. He had started it, and he would finish it. This was all he had ever wanted, to fight an honorable battle again. But this did not feel like an honorable battle. It felt like a useless brawl that would taint his memory for all time. Perhaps his choices were to live or to die, both in disgrace.

"I am here, but not for long," Blazing Eye said out loud. Mustering his strength, fighting against the dizziness that threatened to claim him before his enemy could, Blazing Eye drew himself to his full height and stood proudly as a warrior of the Esh-kah for no doubt the last time.

"Soon, I will walk among the stars," he said so quietly it was almost a whisper. Then, with a final roar, he charged at his enemy shoulder first. As he summoned his last reserves of strength, a black tunnel began to form at the edges of his vision. Long ago, he would have fought the tunnel. He had fought and defeated it before, by all accounts he was not even close to finished. He could continue to fight on, down to his last breath, but what was the point? This battle had been worthless, dead or alive he was disgraced. He did not fight the tunnel, and by the time he made contact with his enemy, it had completely closed.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

The drips of blood spilling from the prisoner's stomach pattered upon the floor, pooling slowly beneath him as he arose. The Arue'tii knew that it had not bled very much so far, but that it would continue for a long while, and likely eventually lead to either death by bleeding out, or death by infected wound. Both were somewhat unacceptable, though they would have fulfilled the requirements needed for one to have a chance at Escalation. No, Abelain; despite his anger, did not wish to kill the prisoner, especially one so old, rather he intended to capture them and learn their ancient knowledge to better himself. It would be a foolish endeavor to murder such a valuable informant, and he was by no means a fool.

The prisoner seemed to stand still for a long time, hand clutching against it's wound in the pitch blackness. Suddenly, the creature spoke, announcing it's own discovery of the grievous condition facing it. It stood to full height, though Abelain did not doubt the maneuver would cause it pain. There was no doubt that the prisoner was a powerful and proud warrior, unrelenting until it would taste the final barbs of death. He was an honorable opponent, one of the few inferior species still holding such moral codes hidden throughout the galaxy. As he awaited for his enemy to move, Abelain felt the gnawing pain growing within his sides where he had been struck, adrenaline gradually wearing off and allowing for the true injury to begin to take hold.

He fed on the pain, allowing the suffering to blossom out from it's center. The prisoner spoke once more, it's voice seeming infinitely more tired than it had before, and Abelain responded, his words hissing out from behind the 'smile' he wore upon his face, "You shall walk the stars." The prisoner charged forward, it's shoulder arching ahead of it, and Abelain listened and scented, awaiting it's arrival at his position. When it finally reached him, his plan went into play. His left foot; already outstretched, stomped down towards the right foot of the prisoner to trap it against the ground. His arms, shooting out from their position, grasped at the aforementioned charging shoulder. Finally, Abelain pivoted upon his right foot, using the momentum of the prisoner along with a surge of Force energy to attempt to hurl the large combatant past him, and head first into one of the stasis pods.

It was an attempt at rendering the foe unconscious, not dead.

 

[Blazing Eye]

(Double post)

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
Blazing Eye was limp in the creature's hands, his mind having gone dark long before from pain and a loss of the will to carry on. The Esh-kah had been unconcious by the time the creature grabbed him, and the smack into the stasis pod didn't help matters.

The once-honorable warrior was limp in the creature's grasp, at the mercy of the victor.

OOC: Just so you know, you have control of Blazing Eye until he regains consciousness

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

Abelain stared downwards towards his incapacitated prey as he drew near to it, feeling the sudden urge to consume it. That would go against everything that he had worked for however, and could potentially be poisonous for all that he knew. No, he had come to this prison in search of vital treasures and information, and he had found one of the most valuable treasures of all; a living sentient filled with knowledge of eras long passed and fully capable of leading him to their still hidden gems of learning. His sides ached fiercely, and for a moment he felt the need to sit upon the ground and allow the pain to pass, but that would not be very Sith-like of him, and he powered through his suffering, allowing it to flow in hopes of it increasing his internal Force reserves.

His hands grasped onto the forearms of the massive prisoner, and slowly he dragged them towards the hole that he had initially entered through, igniting the crimson lightsaber once more to light his path now that his foe had been properly defeated without it's help. A rapid glance at his own sides revealed a gentle discoloration of purple appearing in non-uniform spots. That indicated minor internal bleeding from the blows, but the Arue'tii was confident that they would heal naturally without need of extreme medical intervention, and it wouldn't have been the first time that such a diagnosis had been reached on his behalf.

Using the Force, and his own considerable strength, he hauled the creature through the hole, and continued to carry it outside of the large prison. Satisfaction filled his mind at the thought of the previous occupant of the floor having left, apparently well-fed by it's meal. He reached up to his head for a moment, activating the com-link that lay there, awaiting his beck and call.

"Prepare the shuttle for takeoff, I have returned with my prize. Inform the Paladin to prepare a bacta tank and a prisoner room for our guest."

And with that, he began to march once more towards his shuttle.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
When Blazing Eye's eyes fluttered open, he was instantly surprised. Why were his eyes opening? Why was he still alive? He was lying on a soft bed, his armor gone, his lower half covered by a sheet of bluish material. He turned his head to look around and saw that he was in some sort of medical facility. A strange looking droid, a medical one by his best guess, stood over him. White bandages were covering his stomach, and his wound had stopped bleeding. There was no disputing it, he was still alive.

Blazing Eye sat up, pain still coming from his stomach. The medical droid stuck out its arms to steady him, but Blazing Eye brushed him off.

"Where am I?" he said in a deep, somewhat angry voice.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

Abelain turned to his right, motioning for the soldier to repeat his message once more. "Sir, the prisoner has awoken" He spoke in a matter of fact manner. The Arue'tii simply nodded, dismissing the crewman without a word to return to his station and to continue his duties. It had taken nearly a day, but finally his prisoner had cast off his dismal state and returned once more from death's counterfeit to the land of the living. He began to march towards the room, eyes glancing at the passing crewmen, feeling the fear that gently stroked them whenever he passed. It was not a secret that many of the crew aboard the Paladin were afraid of their commanding officer, though they had no reason to be frightened beyond his physical appearance. He had never abused, nor mislead them in any matters, nor did he see it fit to execute subordinates to prove points as some had the habit.

Upon reaching the room, he noticed his previous opponent stirring and pushing away a medical droid that had been provided to care for him. Despite the appearance of a medicinal room, it was still very much outfitted for the handling of prisoners, especially evident in the reinforced durasteel door that enclosed the entrance. The idea occurred to him to simply enter within the room, and speak, however encounters in the past had warned him against such foolish actions, and instead he simply took hold of a nearby microphone; placed for the purpose of communicating with those trapped in the room.

He spoke, his voice low and gently rumbling in it's timbre, "You are aboard the Paladin, my vessel. You will recall that you assailed me upon the planet?" It was important to ensure that no concussive injuries had taken place, especially since sudden amnesia would render the prisoner utterly worthless and disposable. "I have brought you here, so that you might be healed." The Arue'tii held off on disclosing his ulterior purposes, instead taking the conversation slowly to allow the prisoner to accommodate to his surroundings.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
When the voice came to his ears, Blazing Eye thought at first it was in his mind. Then he recognized the slightly metallic tinge to the voice, and realized it was coming from a microphone. The creature must be afraid of him, fearing that he would strike if he saw him again. However, Blazing Eye had he entered, Blazing Eye would have had a much more different response. The creature said that he had brought him here to be healed. Therefore, he must have been the victor in their duel. And Blazing Eye had a way he dealt with victors.

"I hear you, dark one," Blazing Eye said. Determined to show no weakness now that he was mending, he slid off the bed, keeping the blue material wrapped around him like a kilt. Tucking it in so it was securely fastened, he turned to the source of the voice.

"I know you fear I will strike if you enter," Blazing Eye said, "But I will not. Enter, dark one, there is something urgent we must discuss." Blazing Eye's words were strong and clear, showing no signs of the circumstances of his arrival here. He awaited the entrance of the creature, so that he may bestow on him a gift of infinite worth.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Blazing Eye"]

The explorer stared into the image of his prisoner for a short while, determining many things about him and examining him carefully for any sign or signal of treachery, but none came. Finally, with a tired sigh he opened the door to the room. The reinforced construct made a metallic click as it was unlocked, sliding open with minor difficulty; a sign either that it was a well-worn entryway, or that it had not been used in a long while and thus fallen into disrepair. He slipped into the room, red cape trailing across the ground behind him and caressing against his back when he finally came to a full stop, only a couple meters from the sentient. The words of the prisoner were aggravating and foolish, though he expected no better from an inferior and therefore did not dwell on them for quite so long, instead he determined to refute them.

"Do you honestly think that I fear you?" A low rumbling chuckle emanated out from within his chest, a powerful noise that bounced around the room with surprising force. "If I feared you, do you think I would have fought without my weapon? No, I simply found no reason to incite conflict once more, especially having already been victor." His eyes locked upon his opponent's, distrusting anticipation for the sudden strike that he felt would come, but it did not. "Now, I am here. What must be discussed, in your eyes?" In this subject, Abelain retained curiosity. He had intended to interrogate the individual for information pertaining to his time, along with other interesting subjects, but the fact that he had been summoned intrigued him.

With evident curiosity, he awaited the prisoner's response.

 

[Blazing Eye]

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]
Blazing Eye at first said nothing. He only went to one knee before the creature that had defeated him, one on one, in relatively equal combat. He lowered his eyes, every factor of him submissive, like a knight bowing before his lord.

"Dark one," he said in a tone that dripped of respect and ceremony, "I am Blazing Eye, Warrior of the Esh-kah, Ranger of the Esh-kah, Honored of the Esh-kah." Blazing Eye had never performed the ceremony that the recounting of his exploits began. He had never had to. Until this day, he had never been defeated in single combat. But now, he felt both pride and shame as he told of the deeds whose purpose was to make him a worthy warrior in the eyes of the victor. His anger was gone, he knew now that the creature was an honorable warrior. He overlooked the slights against his ability, he knew they were not true. He may be ashamed that it was not he that stood victorious, but he found solace in the fact that he would again be serving an honorable commander, like Hallow Voice and the Barsen'thor before him.

"I am a veteran of the Battle of Corellia, and many battles since lost to time," Blazing Eye continued, "To this day, you are the first to defeat me in single combat. You also saved me when it was clear that I was to walk among the stars. And therefore, you have earned the honor of my service." Blazing Eye hoped that the creature understood what was happening. What Blazing Eye was proposing was not a simple life debt, it was a debt of blood.

"From this moment forward, if you accept, I will be in your service," he continued, "I will be the sword in your right hand and the shield in your left. Appoint me as an executioner, and the target of your wrath will not live to see the dawn. Appoint me as a guardian, and I will slay death itself before I allow the object of your value or affection leave my protection." Blazing Eye spoke the words slowly and clearly, keeping his eyes down.

"Only by death, or by my victory against you in single combat, may this bond be broken," Blazing Eye said, "Until I am strong enough to face you, I will serve you." Blazing Eye finally fell silent, and waited for the response. If the creature refused, Blazing Eye did not know what he would do. Would he take his life and die by his own hand, or challenge the creature again and hope to be victorious? He did not know, so he simply waited.