Private Monster with a Smile

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

Word of the survivors of Jedha - refugees and injured folk alike - had finally reached the ear of the Devaronian beast who responded to the news with a mixture of glee and fury. It was Jedha that had attempted to tame his wrath in the form of leaving him to die buried and battered in the ruined desert. Yet, it was also the same place that taught him how to survive death. By way of an old adage of his horned devilish people lost to the histories of dust, telling them to accept the pain and hatred of their lives and reputation, Laoth had denied himself the demise Jedha had planned for him. But it was not victory that he found in its place, for he had still been beaten by the defenders of such a horrid world. He had still lost.

But if there were survivors, corraled into a new location ripe for the taking, then perhaps he could redeem himself and do away with such a defeat of his spirit and body. Such was his reasoning - confusing though it might have been - for secreting himself off to the world of Ponemah, a desert hellscape of storms and dehydration. Why the Alliance had felt it good to place refugees of any number on this planet escaped the Devaronian's understanding, but he cared very little in the end. What he did care for was the descent onto the planet, something barely achieved through the scrambling efforts of his tribe's tac-com officers, and his charge into the settlement.

A small host of his personal tribesmen accompanied him in this sudden assault upon the refugees, soldiers from the rank and file of the Brotherhood who had piqued the Devaronian's interest when he was given leave to create his own tribe within the Maw. Roughly fifteen or so, each armed with a blaster rifle, vibroknife, and power maul. Each had been re-trained over the course of the past few weeks through the rigorous toils of Devaronian regimes, and psychologically or otherwise cybernetically augmented at Loath's behest. Reborn as killers without fear of death.

This was put to the test.

A hail of blaster bolts had showered the Devaronian and his host within moments, dropping two of his soldiers dead to the sand, their faces deformed into smoking craters. The rest roared in response and increased their feverish speed, actually outrunning their leader for a moment as they slammed into the walls of the settlement, pressed far enough below the ramparts as to avoid being shot down. Laoth did the same, his own alchemized strength outmatching theirs and - with a shove of the Force - a hole in the wall was made within seconds. The Devaronian and his soldiers charged in with cackles and curses, and the slaughter began.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

It has been quite some time since the battle on Jedha, which had been Valery's first true encounter with the Brotherhood of the Maw. Their defense of the planet had been a success, but a costly one — precious buildings were destroyed, ancient Jedi temples were in ruins and worst of all, families were torn apart or left without homes. In the aftermath of the battle, this had led up to a huge refugee crisis, and the effort to move so many people had been intense.

But with help from neighboring worlds such as Ponemah, settlements were set up for them, and even though they weren't perfect accommodations by any stretch of the imagination, they had shelter, and food supplies were delivered regularly as well. It was going to take a lot of time and a lot more effort, but the people who had left behind Jedha were going to be guided into a better future.

That was, at least, until reports came in about a sudden attack made against one of the refugee settlements. Of all targets the Maw could have picked, choosing to hunt down already mentally broken people was an act of true cowardice in the eyes of Valery, but she understood why they made their move there as well. To break the morale of a nation, one had to do much more than shatter its military might. The people had to suffer and feel like the war was getting close to their own homes, thus striking true fear into their hearts.

The people of Jedha would experience this twice, as a monstrous Devaronian and his followers attacked.

But those people weren't alone and while there was very little support in the initial surprise attack, a starfighter would soon break through the clouds over the city and turn its way into a steep attack angle. The fighter's S-foils shifted into attack position and with great accuracy, powerful bolts began raining down on the attackers. Some of the incoming fire was meant to actually take them down but with civilians close, some of the powerful bolts were just meant to force some separation between the attackers and people running from them.

After making the attack run, Valery flew over the Devaronian and his men, hoping her loud engines would make them just a little more hesitant about pursuing the refugees. Her path then continued until she gained a safe distance from the ongoing fight, and she made her landing as quickly as she could.

Hang in there,

Valery thought, as she jumped out of the cockpit and drew her newly built weapon into her right hand. Then, with the Force as her ally, she began to move towards the settlement as fast as she possibly could.

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

The slaughter had begun quite smoothly, all things considered. The settlement was not entirely that large - at least by comparison to other encampments Loath had seen in his life - thus allowing the Brotherhood monstrosities to lay waste to the miscreants and cretins of the Alliance with savage rapidity. In minutes, blood and organs caked the sand and corpses littered the stone floors of the settlement and its buildings. Entire abodes had become drenched in the carnage, families once broken now annihilated, the injured left to die screaming out to the dead. As for the defenders of the place, they did their part in whittling down the invaders to a more manageable number than the fourteen they stood at, five of the thirteen soldiers accompanying the Devaronian beast gunned down or skewered in close combat. But it was not enough. They were unprepared, undermanned, and too far from any true support of the Alliance.

Or so they thought.

It happened without warning, much like the invasion of the Brotherhood. First came the screeching of engines in the sky, whirring to life against the backdrop of death and horror. Next came the sensation of the Light bursting into the blackened heart of the beast who turned his gaze from a pleading man and his wife up to the air lit by a blinding sun. Laoth growled in defiance and watched as a shape began to form in the sky, racing towards the settlement with such speed he thought it a ray of the sun perhaps. But then, it opened fire upon him and his men.

Dodging the bolts with as much agility as his bulk could muster, the one-horned Devaronian sprinted for the cover of a nearby municipal building as his soldiers either continued fighting or died in explosions of crimson energy and charred body parts. Civilians ran in the break of the assault. Alliance soldiers shouted orders as they trudged and carried each other to regroup and lead the civilians to safety. Laoth roared with fury and leaped back into the center of the settlement, burnt sand kicking up into the air like plumes of smoke from the impact of his feet.

The sensations of the light continued perverting his senses, growing distant as the ship raced away from its attack run. Had they gone? Was that all they could do? Were they more along the way? Laoth asked himself these questions as he checked for survivors of his cadre. Only three remained in stable fighting condition. The rest were either dead or dying. Useless, all together.

"My Lord, what do we do?" asked one of the soldiers.

"We stand and fight," he replied tersely. "I will not have us run from a single attacker."

No ship returned to the fray. Instead, to Laoth's indignant rage, it was something else. Someone else, appearing on the horizon outside of the settlement, visible through the hole he had made in the wall. Laoth growled and began his march forward, silently ordering his soldiers to continue their fight inside the settlement. If this person wished to fight on land, then he would give them a fight.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

When Valery neared the buildings at the outskirts of the settlement, she slowed down her approach and extended her senses outwards to feel the tremors of the Force that echoed from within. A combination of fear, desperation, and anger struck the woman all at once, forcing her to pause to distinguish between friend and foe. But with the powerful darkness that tainted this village, that distinction was easily made, and her approach continued.

From afar, it had at least seemed and felt like her attack run was somewhat successful — the intensity of the battle had decreased, and the anger she felt was largely focused against her. As long as she could draw away the biggest threat, the refugees stood a chance at surviving this disgraceful attack, so she sought to draw out this darkness.

Without her presence in the Force even remotely suppressed, she moved directly for the leader of this attack and removed the hilt of her new double-bladed lightsaber from her belt. While she was extremely comfortable and well-trained with it, the recent encounter on Selvaris had been the first field test for it. Now she was going to test it against yet another great force of darkness from the Maw.

"Time to show yourself,"

Valery stopped at the very end of the road that ran through the center of the village, now close enough to where she wasn't just an outline on the horizon, and her features could be easily recognized. With a flick of the activation switch, the two violet blades of her weapon then ignited, and she'd simply wait for her opponent to present themselves. Her fiery eyes scanned the environment, her mind shifted into a cold focus and every bit of her demeanor screamed she was ready for battle.

There wasn't a thing in the Galaxy that would get her to leave now.

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

The Devaronian surged forth through the shrapnel, rubble, and sand of the settlement so assailed by him and his dogs of war - and so subsequently defended by the sudden arrival of one being boasting the Force of the Light. Each step brought him closer to that being, further down the main road towards the front wall which he had broken apart with ease - though the gates had been opened by those seeking to flee. He growled, eyes latched onto that encroaching figure, and swung clean the blade of his sword. A gurgle came to the surface of his throat and he swallowed hard with disgust as the chunky contents of sick rushed back down his gullet. It was a singularly sickening sensation that had washed over the beast of a man, like charnel slime in the depths of a black sea. Salt and rancid ichor stained his tongue in phantom tastes alongside memories of his fights with those of the Light. How each time, he felt sick and barely contained the vomit and vileness inside his stomach and lung. This was no different.

Laoth grumbled as the figure drew closer, her features becoming clearer and clearer until they were as sharp as a holofeed. But then, his sights shifted to the right of him, suddenly tracing the divets in the sand and the trail of blood leading to a small outcropping of tumbled crates and supplies. Just as the figure reached the end of the road, Laoth had moved after this trail, finding himself out of their line of sight and standing over the wounded form of a young man barely in his twenties. Laoth's face cracked into a smile so sadistic one might have assumed him to be a devil incarnate.

The sound of the figure's lightsaber activating turned his eyes back over to the direction of where they stood, though they too were now out of sight by way of debris. With a swift gripping of the boy's throat, the Devaronian hoisted him up in a single hand and began marching back out into the open, his eyes wide with icy blue and his fanged mouth split into a wide Cheshire grin.

He tightened his grip on the boy's throat and examined his new foe. It was a woman, her long hair long and wavy like ocean waves and the dark brown of old tree bark. Even under the armor she wore, the Devaronian could easily tell that her physique was outstanding even for a Jedi, curves of rippling muscle indicating to him that was perhaps a minor match of physical power. In her hands, she wielded a double-bladed lightsaber of violet, its blades sparkling with untempered fire for the art of combat. But what took his attention the most was her eyes, blazing orangish-red one would see mostly with a Darksider...yet her soul was undoubted of the Light. Curious, but something to consider later.

His grip on the boy's throat unwavering, Laoth lifted his blade to point at the woman before him, the sounds of the carnage wrought by his surviving soldiers a crescendo of exclamations behind him. "You picked a horrible place to come to, Jedi," he drawled. "Turn around and leave...and you might survive."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

There he was.

Valery had felt his presence from the moment her fighter had exploded down through the clouds, but standing face-to-face with the actual source was always a different kind of experience. She recognized him as a Devaronian, but he was quite unlike most others she had encountered — he was incredibly tall, and truly felt like a monster of the Dark Side. A feature he only further confirmed when he made his appearance with a civilian held in a tight grip by the throat.

Regardless of what he hoped to gain by it, Valery's grip on the double-bladed lightsaber only tightened and without a word spoken, her right shoulder began to angle towards the devil-ish Sith.

"I'm not going anywhere," Valery stated without any emotion in her tone. While she felt sorry for the man in his grasp, there was very little Valery could do for him, and leaving now wasn't going to allow more people to live either. So this wasn't a situation that she'd allow to break her spirit. It only ignited the fire within the woman's heart, and those orange eyes appeared to be set ablaze even more, as they remained fixed on his. She had been determined to bring down those responsible from the start but with this act of evil, nothing was going to stop her.

Valery then raised the right arm that had been holding her weapon and leveled the double-bladed lightsaber horizontally in front of her. Ready in her combative stance, her gaze narrowed and her mind set aside any lingering thoughts or emotions. She looked and felt cold, focused and it was clear that she had no intentions of leaving or discussing anything further. There was no asking for them to surrender or give up now.

She was going to take them down, no matter what.

A final breath was taken and with sudden, explosive speed, Valery began her approach towards Laoth, her weapon drawn ready to initiate the battle. But before she reached the Devaronian, a wrapping motion of her fingers called a small container over from behind him, directed towards his back with great speed. With any luck, it would result in him releasing the man he was likely going to kill otherwise, but whether or not it succeeded, her path continued.

The second she was within range, the opening strike came — a quick and powerful sweep of the rear blade aimed at his torso, meant to get him moving so she could analyze his behavior and find weaknesses in his form. It was unlikely that this attack was going to land, but it started what she fully expected to be a fierce battle.

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

"I'm not going anywhere," she had said.

"So be it," Laoth had replied, his smile deepening and spreading so painfully wide it should have been physically impossible for all but a mutant. But he was a mutant. He was an aberration of the Force. And he loved this.

He quickly shifted his own stance to that of a defender, ready for the woman to charge him with all her might to undo the chaos he had brought to this world. The young man had fallen silent in his gagging, limp in his hold, purple in the face as the blood had collected against the surface of his skin. Not dead, not yet, but soon to be another number on the casualty list. And in the Devaronian's hands, he was little more than a barrier of meat, held in front as if he were a tower shield braced for an onslaught of arrows or spears.

But it was not arrows or spears that made his stance buckle in the bracing. It was the woman herself.

There was something off about her, he now realized. Something not quite worrying, nor terrifying, but certainly disconcerting to some degree. As if Laoth had become a primate in the jungle who grew slightly aware of danger nearby, yet not knowing what that danger was. For a few moments, as the two avatars of Dark and Light stood in the deadlock of quiet tension, Laoth wondered what it was that sparked that odd sensation of that discontent.

Was it her weapon? No, the Sword of the Tenth had clashed with lightsabers plenty, so there was no way her weapon could be a true threat to his own. Her physique? No, he was larger than her by an insurmountable degree, even though she possessed perhaps the greatest lean-musculature he had ever seen in the Jedi. Her aura? No, it merely matched his in strength and potency. No, it was...it was her eyes! The way they looked. Not the color, but the cold almost dead stare that they gave him. Like ice that was resistant to the heat of a burning tar pit and collecting the flames underneath its frozen crystalline shell to unleash at any given moment. It caused the grip on the young man's throat to tighten and for Laoth's own to catch his breaths in a near-stranglehold.

And then, in a flash quicker than the spark of a lighter, the cold stare erupted in a blinding flurry of speed and Force and lunged for the Devaronian with breakneck pacing. He roared in shock at her tempest of motion, whirring back from his stance and bracing the body of the young boy in front of him to take the brunt of any attack she intended to throw. Except, that would not happen. Instead, faster than he could process for the briefest of moments, a surge in the Force behind him lunged with similar speed as the woman. Laoth growled and rotated his body just in time to see the crate of the young boy's hiding spot racing toward him with malicious intent. Thrusting his meatshield forward, Laoth crunched the body of the man's body against it in a violent heave of power, careening both crate and body off-course and away.

"Another life lost, Je-"

Turning back, Laoth grimaced as the violet hue of the woman's lightsaber crashed forward in a sweeping arc across his chest, carving open flesh and leather bindings and sparking against the resistant material of his pauldrons. By virtue of his coiled muscles and alchemized structure, the blade of the saber did not cut too deeply, but it was enough to mark yet another new scar across his chest that wept with burning black ooze.

"I've had enough being cut open by the likes of you people!" he boomed with tantrumous choler, throwing a sharp left-handed hook for the woman's face intended to knock her off balance on the upswing of her attack. If successful, he would then swing down with his sword, aiming directly for her neck and shoulders to decapitate her in an instant.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

With the cold stare in her eyes, Valery focused on the large Devaronian hoping her plan to strike from behind would go unnoticed. But only an instant from the crate slamming into Laoth's body, he turned rapidly and used the man he still held in a choking grasp as his shield. Bones shattered, flesh was torn apart and Valery could feel his presence in the Force fading instantly, resulting in the fire within her orange eyes to truly ignite.

Saving this man had seemed like an almost impossible task from the start, but the way he lost his life fueled her determination to bring this Sith down even more. No longer would she accept his surrender or retreat — he was a force of evil beyond redemption, and to protect these refugees and other innocents in the Galaxy, she had to return him to the Force.

So with great power, the rear blade of her weapon was swept into an attack and due to her speed, he was not able to turn around in time. The scorching mark of plasma was left behind across his chest, but she had expected the attack to be more damaging and found herself in a less advantageous position.

The large fist that came swinging in fast was noticed, but rather than trying to avoid it, she strengthened herself with the Force and took the hit against her cheek. A few drops of blood exploded away from the woman's face but if it hadn't been for her augmentation, the damage would have been a lot more severe. Now, she spun around and raised her weapon in time to catch the sword that came swinging down to take her head, forcing the two into a blade-lock. Valery's eyes met his briefly but as she glanced down at their weapons, she noticed something. The special Hurrikaine crystal she used produced a stronger blade than most lightsabers, and it was affecting the structure of his blade. Slowly, but noticeable enough that a plan began to grow within her mind.

In an attempt to break the blade-lock, Valery then strengthened her core, twisted her body, and sent a devastating kick towards his chest, right underneath his weapon that she attempted to keep up higher. She hoped to create some distance and only if that was successful, the woman moved to engage him again with a flurry of strikes from both blades, hoping to use speed to her advantage and either land hits or weaken his weapon more.

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

His strike connected as he had hoped, hard knuckles cracking against flesh and sending streams of blood across the stone and sand of the settlement. He had expected, however, for the hit to do much more damage than it did, and his surprise was augmented into hasted irritation as the woman spun with the momentum of the strike and brought her blade to bear the threat of his sword.

Metal struck plasmic light, shooting sparks and screeching wails across the dry battlements as his power pressed down against her in the expectation that his own strength would outmatch hers. An expectation - or perhaps, a hope - that was shown as clearly as the sun in the sky when his eyes met hers. His face was contorted into a gruesome smile laced with fury, blood speeding down in rivers from his charred wound as his muscles bulged against the seams of his body with straining effort of the blade lock.

"Give up," he hissed lowly. "You cannot outmatch me, Jedi...many of your kind have fallen believing they could meet my power."

But, something took his attention then; something he should have remembered from the blasted world of Jedha and the jungles of Selvaris; something his brutish, bloodlust mind had never truly considered beyond the moment of battle; something he would have to take into consideration later. The edge of his sword where it clashed and screamed against the burning heat of the Jedi's violet lightsaber began to glow, his enhanced vision honing in on the point of connection and settling on the ever-growing microfractures only a trained battlemind could perceive.

Laoth growled to himself and began forming a plan to break the lock and gain some distance from this woman. As it was on Selvaris, the Force would need to be used much more than it ever had in the Devaronian's arsenal of attacks. He could not keep relying on the goring ways of the blade. Not now. Not in this w-

A kick suddenly struck him, the woman having twisted her body to break the lock herself and throwing his arms and sword up to reduce his balance and defense. Boot met the wound, squishing bolts of blood from the open gouge and sending the giant careening back on his feet, clouds of sand kicking up with his flailing motions to retain balance. He roared in pain and anger, and as his vision refocused on the woman, he barely had time to bring his sword up in curving defensive swings against her sudden onslaught of attacks. Each connection brought the glowing point of the sword to a hotter and hotter degree until, just as his plan was finalized to regain control of the bout, it was a searing baleful white.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

Valery could feel the stinging pain as blood was running down her cheek, but it did little to shake the woman's resolve. The brutality this Sith had displayed made it easy to set aside any physical pain in pursuit of justice, and Valery now seemed relentless in her attacks. She always had this fiery spirit and the unbreakable will. It was, at times, difficult to control but she had someone who helped her with that now. No matter how far away, the dyad between her and her husband kept her from ever slipping up — he was her shield in so many ways, and it allowed her to be the sword against darkness.

So after landing the kick against the injured chest, she offered him no time to breathe and continued her barrage of attacks until his weapon began to glow from the heat it had absorbed. Valery knew there was great risk in deliberately striking at just his weapon, as he would certainly figure out her plan and adapt to it. So rather than striking at it again in an attempt to break it, she distanced herself with a slight jump back and allowed it some time to cool off while she engaged in a different manner.

Making her landing a few feet away, she balled her left hand into a fist and drew it close to her chest while she channeled as much strength as she could muster in this brief lapse of time she gave him. Her jaw clenched, her body tensed up and with a brief but loud scream, she directed her arm forward and released the powerful telekinetic pulse towards him.

This time, the intent was to send him flying, either into a wall or across the street — it didn't matter as long as she could unleash all that fiery energy against him. She knew this wasn't going to finish the fight, nor would it really hurt him physically unless he hit something hard. But it would set everything up for her plan to finish this battle.

She needed him angry, she needed him to hate her and attack with all his might using that sword. So with the strength her family gave her at her side, she wanted him to feel just how powerful Jedi could be when they were fighting to protect others, and she was a particularly strong Force of the Light.

"I'll never give up," was the only thing she'd tell this man.

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

Had he truly dug himself so deeply into the pit of impotence that he could hardly defend against a single woman's onslaught so soon into the bout? A single Jedi where he had once easily slain hundreds, if not thousands in his prime? Had he fallen so low from the rigorous damnations of his entombment that he could no longer muster the techniques of brutalization that had gained him infamy and fear? Laoth could scarcely understand the events transpiring before him since the arrival of this woman, who fought him with more flame than any other - save perhaps the two he encountered on Selvaris.

Truly, if not for the weeping gash on his chest and the searing rage-inducing pain of it, he could have found himself respecting her in some way. As it was, he could not and would not until she was dead and buried in the vast plains of this dune-riddled world.

That is why he only roared in frustration when she danced away from him, narrowly dodging a reactionary arc of his glowing blade for her back. He intended to charge immediately, thundering across the land to carve her head off in a single sweep, only to find himself once more bracing against a sudden impact of power. The Force was a dangerous thing on any given day, but when tempered by a singular purpose and channeled with singular intent, it was a threat unparalleled. Telekinetic power struct him with great speed bolstered by the momentary roar from the woman who cast it. He was shot into the air, spittle and blood raining up and then down from his flying body. He landed hard on his back and skidded on the stone and sand.

Laoth rose to his feet immediately after, the crystal blue of his eyes melting into a passionate field of blackened midnight as his muscles surged with tension and wrath. Lips parted into a deep grimace and his snake-like tongue darted out as a roar left his throat in drumming waves. The ground beneath him shook as dark energy began to form in his free hand, the Dark Side of the Force called to him through bitter passions and made to take tangible shape. With curls of his fingers and the cracking of knuckles, the ball of black energy swirling against his palm began to flatten and form an edged tip. A spear, a spear of midnight black that he had summoned once only on Jedha when his choler had risen to its peak.

"I have had enough of you!" he cried out in a voice that could have shaken the resolve of the heavens. He took the position of a man throwing a javelin and in a flash quicker than the spark of a lightbulb, he threw it towards the woman in a beautiful arc of tantrumous anger.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

Having unleashed her telekinetic prowess, Valery watched as the much larger and bloodied Devaronian was sent up into the air. Thus far, her chosen strategy of maintaining constant pressure had been working, and she felt like she was gaining the upper hand. Many Jedi played a far more passive or defensive game than her, and while this was useful at times, some Sith required a very proactive approach in her opinion. Especially when their darkness ran as deep and powerful as Laoth's, which only showed as he got back up to his feet quickly.

To take such hits and rise again each time, still fueled with anger and the almost insatiable desire for bloodlust, required a true Master of the Dark Side, and what he began to conjure next was far beyond the skills of apprentices and fresh Sith Lords as well. The spear of Midnight black was a weapon of pure corruption Valery had encountered before, and it was easy to be caught off-guard by its sudden speed and devastating power.

So while he directed his attack towards her, Valery took a quick breath and raised the palm of her left hand to meet it head-on. At the center of her hand, a blue funnel formed and through this focal point, she siphoned in the energy of the spear as it connected with her hand. But as she expected from the start, the attack was incredibly powerful and not all of its energy could be drawn safely into her body.

The skin and flesh of her hand began to burn and dark side energies rippled through her arm to cause tremendous pain, but the Master showed no signs of weakness and neutralized the attack in the end, albeit at a cost. But with much of the attack's energy stored and ready to be deployed, she suddenly exploded up into the air and straight for the Devaronian. It didn't matter how much blood ran down her cheek or hand; she needed to take this man down.

As she neared his position, a sequence of fast-paced attacks followed in which she danced around him using the acrobatics of Form IV. It shifted from quick grazing strikes aimed at the torso to dragging slashes at the limbs where her own momentum provided the strength behind her blades. But in an attempt to finish the sequence, she found herself up in the air above his head, her body twisted, her eyes burning into his soul, and her feet on an augmented collision course with the Sith's head.

While she had hoped to send him down for good, his own speed and ability to read the flow of combat was incredible as well, and thus the augmented kick was inbound to shatter the one remaining horn on his head instead...

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

Darkshear. One of many abilities that relied on the conjuring and bending of pure Darkside energy, and perhaps the most potent in terms of lethality in adaptability. While the power was normally imperceivable in its conjuring and subsequent usage, Laoth produced a singularly unique version by virtue of one trait: it was entirely visible. A spear of true midnight black, absorbing all light of the world around it as it was held in his hand and then sent in a dangerous arc of deadly intent. On impact, it pierced, seared, poisoned. It was utterly lethal.

And so, Laoth expected it to kill the Jedi before him. After all, it was a power not many - if not most - had ever encountered and lived to talk about it. Instead, he was further infuriated. Scorned. Maligned. Embarrassed. To his shock, the woman not only caught the spear but absorbed it, ignoring the pain of it stabbing into her palm and injecting the poison of the Darkside. To say he roared in this fury would not do the sound that escaped his body justice. It was a noise unlike any other that he had ever uttered. A sound that shook the very core of the Darkside within him, and the fire that rose to the surface of his skin was so scorching that his blood boiled in his veins.

The Devaronian charged in response, thundering across the battlefield with steps that crystalized the sand and shattered the stone, his blade brought to bare despite its myriad of microfractures and worn edges. He would kill this woman and he would relish in the showers of her blood as he tore her apart limb from limb. These were the thoughts that fueled his berserker's mind as she met him in the charge, their weapons clashing without any indication of holding back. Grazing strikes met arced metal. Dragging slashes met pivoted armor. Stabs met gorging swipes. His body split at the seams from each strike that she managed to land on him through his furious offense. Black blood spilled from his wounds, yet he did not waver or care. The pain merely added to the basin of rage sustaining him in this bout.

Until he was knocked clear off his feet and sent tumbling to the sand. There was a sharp cracking sound that had accompanied it, and the feeling of his head suddenly feeling far lighter than it had before. Once more, the Devaronian rose to his feet, hands brought up to his head, vision fuzzy and barely aware that his blade had become shunted into the ground. Wet, intense pain met his roaming touches, and a shock of fear, disgust, and sorrow filled his chest as he pulled his hands away to the sight of chunks of bone and squelches of blood. She...the...the queen had shattered his horn.

Laoth's capacity for reason was shot. His mind snapped. His brain fried. His senses reduced to pudding. His faculties overcharged into nothing but such rage that blood exploded from the corners of his eyes, the roots of his teeth, and his nostrils. He turned to the woman as black ooze filled his hazy vision and he roared the most obscene curse imaginable in the tongue of the Devaronians, his body literally shaking with the indignation that had become his soul. Blindly, he reached for the hilt of his buried sword and a thunderous wave traversed through the earth as he ripped it up.

Elsewhere, something under Ponemah perked at the thunder and moved to answer it.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

Despite the near-constant pain that echoed through her arm from the Darkshear, Valery seemed relentless in her assault. The wounded Devaronian was taking more hits and while she was bruised and bloodied herself in the onslaught, she was still gaining the upper hand. With a powerful kick that relied on both her physical strength and her prowess with the Force, she shattered the Sith's horn and sent him down to the ground filled with rage.

Valery made her landing and kept her eyes fixed on him while her weapon flourished back into a defensive position. He had taken some big hits but he was still going — a true testament to his own strength, but also the way his anger and hatred for her were helping keep him going.

With a thunderous roar, Loath then removed his weapon from the soil and sent a powerful tremor through the earth, forcing her to focus on her balance while he prepared to engage with newfound strength. He was going to strike with great ferocity, and for her, it was finally time to execute her plan, which meant that she stayed in place and waited for his charge. Weapon drawn, the Devaronian Sith came in with powerful attacks, and with a series of elegant deflections or dodges, Valery kept herself protected.

But as a powerful swing came down for the top of her head, she caught his blade and in the blade-lock that followed, Valery's perception shifted beyond the physical realm, and into the pathways of the Force. The blade of his weapon was covered in micro-fractures and other imperfections — weaknesses she could perceive and pour the Force into.

All of a sudden, the Sith's blade shattered into tiny fragments, which not only turned his downwards momentum against him but also left him unarmed while the blades of Valery's saberstaff remained in a horizontal guard above her. Another quick flourish followed, this time meant to strike across his torso once with each blade to hit the body but also the legs on the return swing. He needed to be crippled and this was the right moment to do so.

But like last time, she wasn't going to let him stay close and pushed out her left hand in an attempt to send him flying across the rough, sandy surface right after the blades hopefully connected with his body once again.

 

[Laoth]

Equipment: Sword of the Tenth | The Panoply
Tags: Valery Noble
Location: Ponemah | Sometime after Selvaris​

---

What happened? Between Selvaris and this world...what happened? On Selvaris, he contended with a Master of the Force and his Padawan in equal measure and held his ground - loss of the first horn not disregarded. He had used powers of the Darkside he had not used in centuries, each locked away by the rigors of his imprisonment. Yet, in the weeks following that day, he used none of them again, even as he hunted down strike teams, pilgrims. Had he somehow lost a step during that time? Become complacent with his power and skill? Had he no longer the fire in his heart to drive forth the Darkness unto the Light?

Yes, this woman before him - demolishing him - was a warrior of such skill he had not seen the like of in years. Yet, even then, he should have been able to do so much more to her than what he had thus far managed. Instead, he has found himself absent another horn, cut up to ribbons, and forced into a ravenous hatred of all things around him because he...could not help himself when the opportunity for slaughter had been presented. Was that it? Was he too overzealous and not prepared enough for the inevitability of the Jedi arriving to defend their people? Or was it something more that he could not see yet? Something, perhaps, with the old man in his head...

Laoth had no time to reflect on that possibility any further as he continued the clash with the evil-eyed woman. Metal sang as it crashed into vibrant plasmic light, screeching a crescendo of noise that could split flesh. Over and over, he swung at the woman in the effort to drive his blade through her body and rend her in twain. But nothing he did, no matter the power or ferocity, seemed to accomplish this goal. This woman deflected it all, speed and dexterity her assets where Laoth's were sturdiness and strength.

She was quick, too quick, and blocked what she could not deflect, their feet digging into the sand and kicking up a cloud that surrounded them like cutting vapor. And then, their blades were locked once more, the sparks of fury exploding from the point of contact as the duelists met eyes. He was prepared to shift his stance and swing the blade into the space between the edges - try to drag her weapon out of her grasp and throw it away.

But that did not happen. He had barely finished the thought, in fact, when the very same weapon in his hands burst into shrapnel that skewered his alchemized flesh. Black ooze poured from a thousand small wounds across his body and Laoth screamed in agony as the shock vanished the instant it formed. How could this be? Never in the history of a Devaronian...no...no that...that had to be it. He had lost something, but not just in between the days of Selvaris and this world of dunes. Devaronian...he was not a Devaronian. He was a monster, a freak who had abandoned his people the moment he awoke from his prison. He was a failure of his people. And the injury...the injury on Selvaris...was it...worse than he had imagined? Even now...after the kolto and bacta and rituals...was it still...affecting him. Had Ishida Ashina done him in...after all?

Laoth had time to reflect on this as the violet blades carved through his flesh with ease, sending waves of pain throughout his walking corpse. Blood oceaned from his many cuts and gashes, painting his pale flesh a tar-black as he struggled to maintain balance against the slices across his legs and knees. Then, he found himself once more upon his back and staring at the blindingly blue sky. He had been pushed aside, shoved, reduced to a mere scrap of meat just as he had done to the people here. Yet, his mind was not set on those things.

It was, instead, set on his people.

His homeworld.

His family.

Elsewhere, something under Ponemah begins to rise up from the sand, roaring its challenge to the thunder that had called it.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ponemah
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Valery's Fighter
Tag: Laoth

After launching the disarmed and bloodied Devaronian across Ponemah's sandy streets again, Valery could taste blood in her mouth while she watched him closely for movements. But unlike the last time she sent him flying, he wasn't getting back up anymore. Rage and pure hatred could fuel one to push themselves far beyond their natural abilities, but there was always a breaking point, and it seemed he had finally reached his.

This meant that Valery's body was finally losing its combat focus, which left her breathing heavier and the stinging pain from her injuries became more noticeable as well. With the top of her hand, she wiped some blood off her cheek, and slowly, she began to approach the tall figure on the ground while she adjusted to her own physical state. It was always the difficult part — even when injuries seemed minor, each one could have been the end of her if they had struck her body differently. And while she wasn't exactly afraid of death, she couldn't help but think about what she'd leave behind.

Her husband... her daughter. Family once meant nothing to her, as a Jedi raised in the most traditional way imaginable. But now thousands of years after the Jedi of the Old Republic, family meant everything to her.

"This is the end. I hope you'll find peace in the Force," Valery said as she approached his position to end the Sith's life. Purely because of her husband, she had grown a lot more faith in the ability for Sith to redeem themselves, but Laoth was far beyond that point, and she believed purging his darkness was the only way to offer salvation now.

But before she could reach the wounded Sith, a sudden tremor in the earth below her feet forced her to stop. It was far more powerful than anything surface explosions could cause, but it wasn't quite an earthquake either. Whatever it was, the source of the rumbling seemed to shift around and when her senses finally extended into the ground, she could feel it. With eyes widened, Valery turned to the village just in time to see a giant worm explode up through the earth, killing some civilians who were hiding in the process.

No...

Quickly, Valery glanced back at the Sith but deep down she already knew — there was a decision for her to make here. Either she charged back and helped those people against the worm, or she'd slay the Sith and leave those refugees to be killed by the enormous creature. But as was to be expected from a Jedi, it wasn't really a difficult decision to make for her at all. A deep breath followed and without any hesitation, she turned away from Laoth and directly for the refugees.