Mending Through Fire

[Maiev]

It had been awhile since Maiev had seen Elpsis. The last time had simply crossed paths again, a fitting scenario given how they had first met on Felucia. It had proven to be an enjoyable time, but unknowingly to them, it had merely been the calm before the storm.

Tephrike.
Kalax.

Both women had been thrown into hell, in different manner and ways, but still managing to crawl from the flames.

Maiev had lost Kalax. The spirit that had been both teacher and mother since childhood. Even the information of Kalax's original intentions couldn't mar that. Sure, Maiev had been angry at first, but was quick to realize the spirit she knew was a far cry from what she had been then.

And now she was gone, and Maiev was bearing the reminder of it.

Having a spirit torn from her body had taken a significant toll on the witch. Physically, mentally and spiritually. So much so, that Maiev had lost her connection to the Force.

Fortunately it wasn't permanent, but that in itself wasn't exactly the best thing. The sudden loss of both had almost sent Maiev into a self-destructive spiral. It had been Siobhan Kerrigan who had stopped her from descending any further. She was repaying the favour owed from Maiev's help in restoring her memories previously. Finding Maiev wandering aimlessly; much more so than the witch had ever been before. Sio had reined her in, ensuring Maiev remained in once place so she could recover.

And not try to lose herself in the galaxy, in an attempt to escape the phantom pain.

She set Maiev on a more...constructive path. Making suggestions here and there, until the witch eventually found herself drawing up ideas for a business. It had been some time since Maiev had dived into alchemy, and it wouldn't hurt to make some credits off the products she created. Even if it didn't become something, it provided a distraction that kept Maiev's mind active and away from darker thoughts.

Which made it ultimately unsurprising that Maiev had started slipping when she had decided to leave the Arx Aeternae for a time. Albeit, it was for a good reason.

Nyssa had contacted her barely twenty-four hours ago, alerting her that Elpsis was on Arkas. Maiev didn't know a whole lot of what had happened on Tephrike, but the mood around Firemane had made it apparent something had happened. That, and the Pureblood's tone said more than the woman had spoken. Elpsis needed her.

So, Maiev had made quick work in packing away some essentials and jumping aboard her ship. But the witch had found herself lost in her thoughts, so much so that she didn't even hear Iggy speaking until the droid raised his voice.

"Mistress!"

"Wha-what is it Iggy?"

"We've arrived."

"...Oh." Disappeared so far into her own thoughts, that Maiev hadn't even realized they'd left hyperspace.

"Where shall I go once we're planetside?"

She mulled over what she knew about Arkas, remembering the more memorable islands it had. "Head over to that one, where the Woshan Base is located." A volcanic island definitely felt like a place Elpsis would go.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

"Stupid litle girl with stupid dreams who never learned."
"Elpsis is dead. I am Jedi Roxane now."
"You will serve the Dominion well, Jedi Roxane."
"My name is Elpsis!"
"I can still feel it. I don’t mean ‘in my tender heart, it still pains me so.’ I can still feel what they did, in my body and soul, standing here, right now."

She had been weak, and paid the price. Foolish. Trusting. She had allowed herself to be used. Like a meatpuppet whose strings were so easily pulled. She had retreated to the abandoned pirate base - away from civilisation and hovering crowds. Away from almost everyone. Milky white eyes travelled across the landscape of the volcanic island. Her head was shaved bald. There were bags under her lifeless eyes from lack of sleep. She eluded slumber wherever possible.

In her sleep, she drowned. Just as she had done in the brainwashing camp when they plunged her body into the cold waters, leaving her to suffocate and for her to be reborn as a obedient puppet. In her dreams, she burnt the Grand Inquisitor and his minions again and again. She charred them, reducing their bodies to ash and skeletons. Sometimes she flayed them alive. At other times, they made her turn on her friends. It was yet another weakness she had to surmount.

There was living fire and molten rock all around her. She had been a force of nature when she cast her opponents into the fiery inferno. Fire and smoke had arisen from the ruins of the camp. It had been enough to free her. But not enough to raise her from the spiritual and emotional pit she found herself in. This angered her.

Her anger found its physical expression, as if the elements reflected it. Blazing heat permeated the air. Fissures appeared in the rocks and lava was bent from beneath the ground. Lava began to flow freely. Portions of the rocky ground she stood on broke off and the landmass beneath her boots began to float on the pool. Still, the lava did not touch her. Her eyes flared, and tendrils of lava rose up.

 

[Maiev]

Arkas.

The last time Maiev had been here, was to help Sio with her legs and locked away memories. It was during the latter's ritual that began the witch's downturn. She had witnessed several moments, pulled from Kalax's memories before Maiev's birth.

Nothing revealed was explicitly stated.

But a single seed of doubt had been planted in the witch's mind. Something that she didn't capitalize on for a long while. Out of fear? Avoidance? Both?

Ultimately it was something Maiev couldn't ignore forever. Her chance encounter with [member="Julian Imani"] had seen to that. It had become apparent that all that time she had wasted, was time on her life. Maiev's partnership with Kalax had reached its end, straining against the last remaining threads.

So, with the help of Julian's familiar, they performed a ritual that would eventually save Maiev's life. And it also revealed her lost connection to the Force - through the fact she couldn't see the Shadowman afterwards.

Maiev sighed.

"Mistress, I'm picking up a sudden spike in geological activity with the volcano."

The witch chuckled, bringing a genuine smile to her face. Yeah, that's Elpsis alright.

"Whereabouts? In the volcano itself?"

"I cannot say. The closer we get, the more the heat interferes with the ship's systems."

"Fair enough, set the ship down as close as you can to the abandoned base."

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]


Tendrils of lava arose from the depths of the fiery lake. They grew in size and morphed in shape. Elpsis' milky-white eyes flaed. Heat spread across her body like wild fire. She was one with the Flame. Here, she could imagine it devouring the unjust who had hurt and violated her. Envisage them sinking into the lake and being burnt to ash. In dreams, it consumed the camp again and again.

I am fire and fire is in me. Strain was etched across her features and sweat dripped down her. Here and there, it looked like her flesh was glowing. Then burning cracks appeared on her face. The tendrils were shaped into pillars of blazing heat. As they rose up they surrounded the landmass she stood upon, though they did not touch her.

The closer one got to the volcano, the more the activity inside it would mess with the ship's systems. Iggy would, however, be able to land on what passed for a landing pad. Years ago, Woshan Base had been a hub of activity on Arkas. Corsairs had deemed it the proper place to nest, hoard their loot and oppress slaves in. Then they had been put to the sword - or dropped into lava - and the base had been forgotten. Abandoned buildings and the grisly memories of the freed, long evacuated slaves remained.

Until Elpsis decided to set up shop here. Regardless, once the ship landed and Maiev left it, she would come across Nyssa. "There you are. Quicker than I thought," the Sith Warrior said without bothering with preamble or pleasantries. She gave the witch a one-over. It seemed to go deeper than just appraising her with her eyes. "What the frak happened to you?"

 

[Maiev]

Maiev raised an eyebrow at Nyssa, reminded at that moment just how blunt and straight to the point she was. Though in this instance, Maiev appreciated it. She didn't want to waste time.

"What? I decided to have a change of attire."

Call it whatever you would, both women knew the witch was avoiding the metaphysical Bantha in the room.

Or lack of it.

Maiev's outfit had indeed changed since Nyssa had last seen her. She had swapped out the usual dark dress for a simple buttoned up shirt and trousers. But neither was particularly suitable for the current climate, albeit there was no flowing gown to get potentially set aflame.

Even the once untamed mane of raven hair was also different, now held up in a bun. Though, the heat was already making progress towards undoing it.

"Where's Elpsis?"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

Nyssa snorted. "You know I did not mean that. And for the record, I liked the old look more. I swear, I cannot turn my back to either of you two without everything going bust, can I?" The Pureblood had a glorious, self-aggrandising ego. Elpsis alternated between finding it annoying and oddly endearing. "Whatever, come on. She's in the volcano. Hopefully hasn't fallen into the lava lake."

Without waiting for Maiev to respond, the Sith Warrior turned around and made her way towards the volcano that loomed large ahead of them. For her part, Nyssa wore Firemane fatigues. They showed off her impressive muscles. Moreover, a lieutenant's rank insignia had been pinned to her uniform. Her raven hair was cut short. She walked purposefully and with a confident stride. "Anyone filled you in on what happened?"

 

[Maiev]

While she didn't voice it, Maiev also missed her old look. It had taken a while to get used to the change, but it had been a convenient excuse to distance herself from that side of her past.

It was still too painful.

As they got closer to the volcano, the heat intensified, and the ground beneath them rumbled and shifted in sync with Elpsis' movements within.

"I think I'd be more concerned she'd make the volcano active."

The witch had managed to catch up with Nyssa. Fortunately, Maiev had opted to wear something more comfortable, that weren't heels.

Something that wouldn't also melt from the sheer heat.

"Unfortunately, I've been told very little. Only thing I've heard were murmurings of some place called Tephrike?"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

"Real hellhole of a planet. Apparently it's been isolated since the Gulag Virus broke out. Most of it is ruled by the so-called 'Dominion of Light'." Nyssa did not make air quotes because it was not a Nyssa thing to do. But her tone was filled with disdain.

"Jedi fundamentalists. You know, I've done some messed up things. Can't say I feel too bad about most of them. My first kill was when I was a little kid. Fought for the Resurgent Empire. Killed men, women, children. But I never claimed to be righteous and noble. Those guys on the other hand...," she let her words hang.

"Anyway, for some mind-boggling reason Firemane attempted diplomacy. They sent a delegation down to have a chat with the Jedi in their Coruscant copy. Elpsis went with them. Some Jedi extremists betrayed us. Elpsis being Elpsis, had to be the idiot and save everyone. She was captured. We went to war."

For a moment she halted her stride, turning to look Maiev in the eye. "I killed my way through a bunch of Jedi and their brainwashed lackeys to get to her. I found her in a concentration camp she had just put to the torch, with the skull of the Jedi Master responsible for her ordeal in her hands. Bastards tried to brainwash her into being their obedient drone."

 

[Maiev]

Maiev had seen what isolation did to society if only one a smaller scale. The Dathomirian Clans were more than content to remain disconnected to the galaxy as a whole. Albeit, it had been a long time since Maiev had kept consistent tabs on her homeworld.

Perhaps there was now a metropolis, a shining beacon of spacefaring connectivity. The idea amused the witch greatly. Mainly because it wouldn't stand for long before it got burned to the ground.

Then again, such a thing would require the Clans to co-operate. Something they have a history of rarely ever doing. A vast majority made a point to keep themselves isolated from their neighbours.

Maiev's clan had been very religious, to a point of killing anyone who dared to worship a diety that wasn't their own. To say they were hostile to others...would be a grand understatement.

"A balance has to be struck." She glanced over at Nyssa as the pair continued walking. "It doesn't matter the side, what, who, why it is. Every side always has it's extremes, and if you weigh to heavily on one..."

They pressed on, only to stop when the Pureblood paused to look directly at her. Maiev held her gaze for several seconds, before it shifted and looked around.

"I take it everyone else involved...are also dead?" Her gaze snapped back to Nyssa's, and even though the witch was currently devoid of the Force. Maiev's eyes had a dangerous glint to them.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

Nyssa snorted. "If only! She let the Jedi queen who captured her live. Her jailer. Who stood by while she suffered and helped torment her. And yet she's here. Some nonsense about her being forced to live with her sins being worse than death for her. Absurd. The queen's name is Diona," she all but spat the word.

"Elpsis says she helped her escape. Suddenly she's turned a new leaf and feels oh so sorry. But it's clear as crystal to anyone who's not a fool that she only did it to save her own skin." If she did not know better, she would that residual indoctrination had caused Elpsis to develop whatever this Galaxy's version of Stockholm Syndrome was.

"Where I come from, we'd have fed her to wild animals. I should just toss her into lava and say she slipped." They were entering the volcano. The heat was extreme. Elpsis was not far. They would ultimately find her floating on a piece of land, while lava danced around her.

 

[Maiev]

The witch wasn't sure what to think of Elpsis keeping one of her captors alive, let alone close by. Maiev's instinctive reaction was similar to Nyssa's, but she reined it in.

Elpsis likely had a reason for keeping this 'Diona' around.

She had seen what the redhead could do to those that harmed her loved ones. The wrath that followed to those that had tormented her...it must've been one hell of an inferno.

"Not everyone has the same mindset, Nyssa. It's not always so cut and dry." There was a pause, a beat as particular memories surface in Maiev's mind. "But sometimes it's a lot easier."

They were soon within the volcano itself, following a path that had presumably been dug out by the previous inhabitants, however long ago. The heat was tremendous, and it surprised Maiev, mainly because this was her first time going into a volcano. It didn't take long for them to find Elpsis, following the sounds of disturbed lava wasn't difficult.

Maiev felt anxious as they neared, looking up and over to see Elpsis floating with her back currently turned to them. The witch's first thought was to use her presence within the Force to alert the redhead, but she couldn't. Not like her presence here wouldn't have rang any alarm bells to begin with.

She was a void.

Where there was once the presence of Maiev; when Elpsis looked at her, now that was nothing but a void. One that was albeit slowly refilling.

"Elpsis?"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

"It keeps people from stabbing you in the back," Nyssa argued. "I didn't kill my way through that chitty planet just so that the queen who hurt her can do her in just because she won't kill her." For a moment she sounded...almost agitated. "Whatever. Go see her," she grunted.

The Pureblood fell silent as they passed into the volcano. Following the lava was easy enough. As was pursuing the sheer presence of Elpsis that permeated the air. With each step, the heat intensified, growing almost to the point of being oppressive. Breathing might become a bit of an effort down here.

The hooded shape of Elpsis was floating on a piece of land. Lava danced around her. Indeed, the piece of land she stood upon was not only floating on a fiery lake, columns of lava had risen up into the air and surrounded it. Yet they did not seem to touch her. Her back was turned to them. Here, her presence was at its strongest, as palpable as a physical force.

Her aura was noticeably darker than it had been before Tephrike. A dark phoenix with sharp claws and teeth. Nyssa and, inadvertently, the Inquisitio had taught her much about harnessing the darkness. She glowed red-hot. She seemed to ignore or not even notice them. Her eyes stared into the lava.

It took a few moments before she turned around. Slowly she lowered her hood, revealing a bald skull and a face marked by new scars. Her vacant, milky-white eyes locked with the Forceless witch's. One hand was missing some fingers. When she spoke, it was almost in her whisper. Thanks to the Inquisition's torture, she could not raise her voice without pain.

"Maiev."

 

[Maiev]

Even without the Force, Maiev could tell there was something different about Elpsis. The lava moved almost contradictory to itself. Both calm and violent at the same time, responding to the redhead's motions and emotions. The columns churned like tornados, artificial in structure but angry in their movement.

Lava spitting out from the sides, like venom from a viper. No matter how calm you could make your mind, the experiences Elpsis had endured would never disappear. Not even a memory wipe would do it, it was that deeply embedded.

That was Maiev's observations at least.

Disconnected as she was, the witch still maintained her innate connection to the spirits, the soul. Perhaps in even more clarity, now that she had little else to focus on. That is what she saw when she looked at Elpsis.

A scarred spirit.

To say the witch was incredibly concerned, would be a grand understatement.

In that moment Maiev wished she had the Force just so she could simply leap up there and give Elpsis a hug. Instead, she stood somewhat awkwardly on the ground below, looking up at her.

"I heard what happened."

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

"Big red bird told you, did she? Told you I was some broken thing? I broke the Jedi."
"Come off it, Elpsis," Nyssa snapped harshly. She was never a patient sort and inherently inclined towards abrasiveness. "You're a mess, and I should know. She's here to help."
"Help me? I don't need help. And I certainly don't need fixing," Elpsis all but spat the last word. As if reacting to her emotional state, the columns of lava churned ever more angrily.
"Elpsis, quit the drama and come over here now," Nyssa growled.
"You came to rescue, Nyssa, but you don't get to decide for me. Just like you don't get to decide what happens to Diona." The columns rose so high that Elpsis seemed to vanish inside them. "No one decides for me anymore. Not mother, not the Jedi...not..." the stream of words coming from her mouth suddenly stopped. Her white eyes looked at the witch - truly looked at her. "Oh, Maiev, what happened to you?"

 

[Maiev]

And there was the proof of change, watching and listening as Elpsis and Nyssa snapped back at one another. It was expected of the latter, the Pureblood was not known to sugar-coat her words. If Nyssa had something to say, she wasn't going to hold back.

But still, it surprised Maiev just how much anger was spilling from Elpsis' lips. While she wouldn't have just brushed off Nyssa's words before, the redhead had never replied with as much venom as she was right now.

It concerned the witch, but not more than the reaction to Elpsis' anger.

The lava pillars churned even more, and while Maiev was fairly sure they wouldn't reach them, the same couldn't be said for the heat. A sudden heat wave blasted across them, knocking whatever remained of Maiev's bun out of shape. Long raven locks fell down Maiev's back, forming the usual wild look associated with the witch.

She went to speak, but whatever it was died when Elpsis spoke again.

"Oh, Maiev, what happened to you?"

The heat was suddenly dialled down, allowing for Maiev to lower her hand. She looked up at Elpsis, only to look down at the ground. Eyes closed, and hands clenched, the witch could feel the emotion welling to the surface again. But she stopped it, forced it back down.

She had done enough crying for days after the ritual.

With a deep breath, Maiev looked back at Elpsis.

"She's gone, Elpsis. Kalax is gone."

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

"She's...she's gone?" The lava pillars that just a moment ago had rose into the air like a fiery columns suddenly sunk back into the scarlet lake from which they had risen. Heat continued to permeate the air, but it was dialled down significantly, as if Elpsis was pulling back her fury into her heart.

Elpsis lacked the physicality to leap towards them. Her bad leg had yet to fully heal from being shot on Tephrike and then subjected to shoddy medical care. Instead, she she seemed to rise into the air. The piece of land she had stood upon was consumed by lava the moment her feet lifted off.

Slowly Elpsis glided through the air. She winced once she landed on the ground. Pain flared up in her leg when she crossed the distance and threw her arms around the witch. "Oh, Maiev, I'm so sorry." There were tears in her eyes. Had they formed for Kalax, Maiev or perhaps herself and her lost innocence? Maybe for all at the same time.

Nyssa stood a bit away. Half glad about Elpsis showing some sense, half confused. Despite herself, she felt something that came close to sympathy for the witch. It was a disconcerting feeling. "Who the frak is Kalax?" she exclaimed.

 

[Maiev]

Without hesitating for a second, Maiev had wrapped her arms around Elpsis. It was a fairly strong embrace, clear as day that the witch needed it. She hadn't the opportunity to find comfort from someone, which also became a sad realization to her.

She didn't really have that many people to go to. A few she was still in contact with were just too far away, and most others had seemingly disappeared across the galaxy. Before that hadn't ever mattered, she still had Kalax there, even if the spirit did annoy her from time to time.

Now there was nothing. She was alone.

Nyssa's words brought anger to the surface, and Elpsis could likely feel as Maiev's hands curled into fists against her back. But the knee jerk reaction; the tension, quickly dissipated as the witch calmed down.

She pulled away from the embrace, giving the redhead a smile she wouldn't see, but the gratitude could be felt. Maiev let out a shaky breath before turning to look at the Pureblood.

"Kalax is-was a spirit that inhabited my body...for as long as I can remember. She was my mentor and guide, and I wouldn't have become the person I am now, if it hadn't been for her."

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

Elpsis held on tightly to Maiev, hugging her close. She felt her grief. Viscerally. It hit her like a flood. Yet she refused to close herself off. She felt the surge of anger as well. Maiev's hands curled into fists on her back. Yet she held on. Until Maiev withdrew.
Nyssa, meanwhile, looked awkward. "Oh...I'm, um, sorry for your loss," she said awkwardly. Her words sounded lame to her. She found that she meant them though. She was not sure what to make of that. "Sounds like she was one hell of a woman...spirit, whatever."
Elpsis saved her from awkwardness. "What happened? How did...she die?"
"Let's swap stories some place that's not next to a lava lake, shall we?" the Pureblood interjected gruffly.

 

[Maiev]

Maiev nodded in agreement with Nyssa. Being beside a lava lake was a bit too much, far too stuffy and hot. So the witch led the way out, a trek from the volcano's depths to a small beach not too far away.

She didn't hesitate to remove her shoes, sinking her toes into the sand as she sat down facing the ocean. Maiev sighed, taking in the cool air.

Once both Elpsis and Nyssa were settled, she began explaining.

"I was on Yavin Four..." She started with her reason, which had been to retrieve a stolen relic she knew was on the moon. What she hadn't accounted for, was the surprisingly large presence the Sith Empire had. "I was outnumbered so I ran, winded up falling down a muddy slope and crashed into a weakened part of the wall." She remarked that she must've fallen into the lower levels of the temple. "And I ended up literally falling on top of the person who'd eventually...help me. His name was [member="Julian Imani"]." Maiev recounted how they worked together to find a way out, after helping Imani finish his research. But throughout that time, it became increasingly clear that something was amiss. "Right from the get go apparently, Kalax was wary of him, or well the companion that lingered against him like a shadow."

Maiev's voice trailed off. There was more to say, much more, but it was clear remembering the event was unnerving the witch. The slight tremor in her body wasn't because it was cold.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Maiev"]

Elpsis had, as a matter of fact, not been wearing shoes or socks, for that matter. She had not even noticed the blazing heat on her feet. Or rather she had soaked it up. Seeing this, Nyssa looked at her rather crossly. "You a crazy masochist who wants to burn her feet now?" she growled.
"I eat up heat. Builds up endurance. You, of all people, should understand. Wasn't your training sink or swim?"
"Then don't be stupid about it," Nyssa said with an air of exasperation.

Regardless, the pair followed Maiev out. Soon they were away from lava lakes, stuffy and oppressively hot air. It was a beautiful day. There was a clear, cerulean sky above them, white sand beneath them and a blue ocean just begging for someone to go for a swim. Palm trees rose up into the air.

However, it was not a romantic date, no matter how the scenery invited the idea. Elpsis was quiet while Maiev spoke. However, her hands clenched. They might have sprouted talons if they could. "Did he or that shadow do anything to you?" There was a promise of violence in her tone, in case either had done anything untoward to the witch.
"What the frak were you doing there?" Nyssa interjected. "Never mind, if we need to gut someone...," the Pureblood a added, trailing off, though the implication was obvious. At least her and Elpsis could still find some things to be on the same page on.