Murder Your Maker

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Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-rIsocAba4

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Location: Utapau--Lower Levels

Objective: Eliminate Darth Vulcanus




The wind whipped past Graxin's plummeting form at a deafening volume. It exploded in the Knight's ears, and drowned out the sound of war echoing all around him. Utapau was being wrestled from the Republic by the Graug force, and there was truly only one way to put an end to it. Darth Vulcanus had to die. The others thought him dead after falling from the upper levels, but Graxin knew better. The job wasn't done until the Sith Lord's head was paraded through the streets of the besieged world.

He called upon the force to shield him as he fell past each level. With every docking bay he flew past, he only increased in speed. His heavy leather robes flapped violently behind him, and his cowl had been blown back by the wind. His eyes watered from the piercing gale, but he would not allow himself to falter. Below, he could just barely make out the landing pad Vulcanus had crashed down upon.

He called upon the force as he neared. The power of the Light would shield his form and cleanse any doubts from his mind. All that remained was a deadly certainty. His jaw set in grim purpose, Graxin came crashing down onto the landing pad. The impact sent out shock waves, knocking two repair droids over the edge of the railing and sending those dock workers who remained fleeing.

Slowly, he pushed up to his feet. His single lightsaber came into his hands from his belt with a quick motion, and he held the all-too-familiar hilt with both hands in the opening movements of Djem-so. Then, he began to stride further into the rundown spaceport. Debris was everywhere from Krag's fall, and bodies littered the floors. No doubt they had suffered his ire.

He strode into the opening hall of the spaceport, and ignored the various boxes left unopened and the trash littering the floors. Standing up straighter than usual, he pulled his hood over his head, and called at the top of his lungs.

"It's time we finished this game father. There are no servants here to save you now!"

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-rIsocAba4​

Vulcanus rose, a shadow of death being caste upon the floor at his feet. The dim light from the landing pad illuminated him from behind, making him appear only as a figure of pure darkness as Graxin moved in closer to him. The beast's helmet was still missing, but his face was obscured in the shadows of the hanger. The slave before him reeked of the lightside, but it was tainted by hate. Brewing like a chaotic storm in the midst of a calm ocean, the boy's hate for his former master was upsetting the very balance he had striven to achieve since his abandonment of the New Order after Krag's death.

"Foolish boy" came the slithering voice of the Dark Lord, "I have had but a taste of blood today, have you come to quench my thirst?" the beast taunted through the darkness of the shadows.

vshoom

A black column of energy shot into the darkness from Vulcanus's hand. The blackened core of energy seemed to crawl and wind around itself like a grotesque mass of tentacles, its ghostly white outline illuminating the shadows with an almost demonic glow. "Do you not see what I have become? I have ascended, slave. Ascended to the likes of the gods and so, I offer you once chance of divine mercy. Bow before me, lesser, become an instrument of my power!"

 

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There was a righteous hate to the Knight's words. He knew he was abandoning his teachings for the moment. He knew his actions were against everything the Jedi stood for, but this had to happen. Vulcanus could not be allowed to draw breath so long as he lived. Not even the ethereal glow of his father's lightsaber would deter Graxin now. He had no fear over the Sith Lord. In his mind, the outcome of this battle had been decided in the force.

"Godhood?" He laughed arrogantly. "Krag, my former master, you've made yourself a tool. Where once you had a slid form and the ability to manipulate what you saw fit, now you're nothing but a weapon. You willingly turned yourself into something for others to exploit." Graxin stepped forward with a foul smile. He felt the power burning at his fingertips. It was familiar, though he couldn't place its origin. "I have outgrown you. I have outshone you. I have learned all I can from you, and I have surpassed you. By the Rule of Two, when I kill you, I will be the Master, and you will be nothing."

He thrust a hand forward, and for a moment, set his Jedi teachings to the side. He would not win if he relied on them here. A small spark of crimson flame sputtered from his fingers, and exploded into a torrent of white hot flames a moment later. The jet of flaming death shot toward Vulcanus with incredible speed. Clearly, Graxin had been practicing.

"You have made yourself the slave!"

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]

The tide of flames came quickly, his slave had been practicing the arts of pyromancy it would seem. Valiant, but not worth the time of a beast as well trained in the form as the Dark Lord Vulcanus. Thrusting his hand upward in a diagonal motion, Vulcanus summoned what energy he could and deflected the flames into the distance. Still, even with his deflection, Dredge's body was not accustomed to the heat as Krag's was and the tongues of the flames seared dark lines into the Vong's skin.

"Impressive, for a worm!" Vulcanus shouted, stepping from the shadows and thrusting his hand forward to unleash a cloud of embers that moved to dust Graxin's location. They were harmless on their own, but that was only the first step in the devastating attack. "You disrespect me by using a dead name, but now you shall learn what it means to be a Darth!" closing his fist, the embers exploded into a series of small flames that were means to burn the man to death.

His vong face now in the light for Graxin to see.

 

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The Knight cracked a wicked grin as the embers came toward him. He readied himself to block the flames that would follow, but oddly enough, they never came. He lofted a brow, and extended a hand forward. The beginning crackle of force lightning began to play across his fingertips when the embers exploded.

A pained scream tore itself past his lips as flames enveloped his body. His entire form was caught in the monstrous torrent. He would have died then and there, were it not for his training. He thrust his hands outward, letting a wave of telekinetic energy disperse around him in a sphere. The fires went with it, and though virtually every part of Graxin's body was burnt to some degree, he stood tall. "You've grown weak, Krag." He growled.

His free hand thrust forward. Veins of arcing purple lightning shot from his fingers tips and darted for Vulcanus. Whether it was electric judgement or force lightning, Graxin couldn't say. He simply called upon it, focusing on the pain he felt from Vulcanus's attack to fuel his power. The veins split into doubles, and then split again, threatening to encompass the entire left side of the landing pad before they even reached Vulcanus.

"You took everything from me!" He roared over the electric torrent. "I will do the same to you!"

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]

"GAHHH!" a monstrous scream of pain shook the walls as the purple lightning coursed through the body of the Vong host that Vulcanus had commandeered. The judgment of the lightning was absorbed by the armor and reflected out of the spikes in the armor, sending currents of electrical spectacle into the air and through the smoke filling the pits above. Not all of the lightning was reflected, however, and Dredge's body was exposed to the shaking effects of the torrents.

"​You whelp!" the beast cried, throwing his saber in the way of the electrical current and deflecting it into the rocks above Graxin's head. Massive chunks of boulders shattered and began to fall towards the ground where Graxin stood, dust and other debris threatening to bury the former slave forever. Despite what happened to Graxin, Vulcanus would begin his long march toward the boy with his saber held by his side and ready to plunge into the heart of the man.

"You are weak" Vulcanus grinned cynically, his Vong host's teeth baring in the slight glints of the light, "just like your father and your wench, Drea."

 

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There it was. He had done some form of damage to his former master, assuring Graxin that victory was possible. The veins of violent lightning faded from his fingertips as Krag referenced his father and former lover. The Knight swallowed heavily. He easily recognized the bait that Vulcanus presented, and did his best to ignore it.

Then, Krag was charging, and the roof was falling in on Graxin. "I was a child then." He stated with assured purpose. His hand rose up toward the ceiling as it caved in. The bits of rubble hung suspended for a moment as Krag readied to spear him through the heart. "Now I'm more."

His hand cast down in a throwing motion. The boulders cracked and split into a thousand different pieces. They flew as a single storm of rubble toward Krag, with larger pieces meant to send the Sith Lord stumbling back. Graxin's lips curled into a small smile with the act. Despite the fresh burns over the entirety of his body, he still had control of things. He brought the hand holding his lightsaber up as well, and ripped down more of the ceiling to hurl at Krag.

His attack had been turned against him.

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]

Vulcanus brought his arms up to deflect the rocks being thrown at him, but it was no use. The massive boulders impacted liked meteorites, sending the already weakened Sith flying backward through dust and debris. Even so, the barrage of rocks didn't let up; more and more were thrown in his direction as if the whole pit were coming down on his head. Already he could tell Dredge was bleeding from the back of his head, his host's bones were beginning to strain under the pressure and they'd no doubt snap soon. Damn this inferior body, it was not nearly as sturdy as the blaster-resistant hide of his old body and now it was costing him dearly.

He had to halt this attack quickly. With a growl of pain, the beast burst from the rock and began to belch a steady stream of fire in the direction of his former slave. Rock turned red hot in its wake and was deflected by the force energies imbued with the flames, energy that was turning the stream into a vortex of death right before Graxin's eyes. With his attack underway, Vulcanus burst into a sprint toward his former apprentice. This body was faster than his last, but the weight of the armor was slowing it down.

"Your father was a coward, just like you! Now, you will die just like he did." the beast screamed, bringing his saber down in a violent slashing motion.

 

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[member="Ozamu Tzang"]


Graxin saw his victory at hand. He was beginning to make Vulcanus falter. Where the Dark Lord of the Sith was wounded and weakening, Graxin only seemed to be gaining energy. His need to end this monster fueled him each time he spent his energies. Abilities that should have left him fatigued only seemed to drive him onward.

The flood of flame caught him by surprise. The sheer force of it sent him stumbling back, and the flames served to sear the flesh along his arms painfully. The leather melted away, and blisters began to line his skin wherever the fire touched. Graxin felt a roar of outrage tear from his throat, and thrust both hands forward. His skills in Tutaminis were nowhere near masterful, but it was enough to catch the remained of the superheated energy.

It was only then that he saw Krag charge. He brought his lightsaber close in the form of Soresu, and stepped forward. He brought up his blade to intercept Krag's, allowing the monster's momentum to carry him forward around Graxin as the Knight span. He drew a deep breath, centering himself. He reigned in his emotions, and readied to parry Krag's next assault.

"Your words mean nothing Krag." He stated with purpose. "You're beginning to fail. We both know it."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]

"You believe you can defeat me by throwing away the very thing that makes you powerful." Vulcanus spat as he felt his old apprentice gripping at his emotions before they got the better of him. "You are more pitiful now than you ever were as a slave. There is no life form in this galaxy lower than the Jedi and their council." Vulcanus taunted as he regained his energy, calling on the power that the armor absorbed for his exploitation. Holding his saber in one hand, Vulcanus saw that his blade had stuck into the ground behind Graxin...it would prove to be useful. For now, he would continue to distract his former apprentice and servant.

"Did I ever tell you what happened to the slaves you were once housed with on Gratos?" Vulcanus asked as he sent his dark energies through the ground and to the blade behind Graxin in as discreet a manner as he could.

 

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Graxin whirled about on Vulcanus. Even now, the Graug seemed so assured that he would succeed. Graxin knew better. He would see the Graug driven to desperation soon enough. He took two steps forward. "Tell me." He demanded.

As he said this, he lifted one of the heavier crates through the use of Telekinesis. Muttering a curse, he hurled it at high speed toward the Dark Lord. He was rather sure Krag would simply send the crate flying before it ever drew close, but that wasn't the point. The Knight charged, his blade held high overhead. He cleaved downward as he adopted the form of Djem-so, augmenting his strength with the power of the force. Not for the first time did he thank the training in the Art of Movement he had taken under Darth Ferus.

"Tell me what you did to them!" He repeated as the yellow blade arced for Krag's neck, and the crate sailed toward his midriff. Regardless, Graxin had not noticed the power Krag was using...and he likely wouldn't until it was too late.


[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00fQMOcFKx8#t=95​

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The first rock was sent away with but a swing of the beast's hand and a lash of flame, but the attack by Graxin would require a more direct touch. With a swing of his saber, he caught Graxin's bade with his and aimed to keep them in a dead lock as he spoke directly into the boys face.

"You are so blinded by the Jedi that you cannot even see the truth before you." Vulcanus hissed, the Overlord's eyes filling with the same crazed glare that used to occupy the pits of Krag's eyes. "The slaves were brought to Sabarene to be worked in the slaveyards there, but it was not the Graug who ended their pitiful lives. When I attacked Coruscant, the Jedi followed me back to Sabarene when I was forced to flee with my hordes." The warlord began to push back hard against Graxin's saber a devilish grin cracking across his face, "the Jedi sent troops to the slave yards. But the slaves were being funneled. Funneled to the hallows! The hallows where my Graug were being deployed! The Republic knew they were there! There were even Jedi masters controlling their fleets! I could sense them! They fired on your brethren! Your Jedi slayed them all!"

Vulcanus screamed into the young man's face as he surged all the power he needed into the blade behind Graxin, shifting it violently in the ground as he grabbed it with his full concentration. "YOUR MASTERS KILLED YOUR FRIENDS! EVEN YOUR LITTLE LOVER, DREA!" Vulcanus bellowed in laughter as he jerked his free hand backward, dislodging the Sith Sword from the ground and sending it blade first toward Graxin's exposed back.

 

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It was a lie. It had to be a lie. There was no way the words Krag spat in his face could have been valid. The Jedi never would have dreamed of harming the Graug's slaves, yet...

It explained why Graxin's friends had never made an effort to contact him. It explained why Drea had never spoken a word to him after the New Order was demolished. It explained why she didn't love him anymore.

Whatever focus the Knight had garnered was lost in that moment. He could feel the Sith Sword closing in on his back. His life was going to be over soon, and he accepted that fact.

His lightsaber remained locked with Krag's as the Sith blade neared its destination. Graxin was at peace. He was alright to die like this. He met Krag's gaze with a calm acceptance.

"Then I owe them nothing." He stated in a hollow voice. "And you, even less so."

The Knight suddenly pulled back, and would have given Vulcanus the advantage, were it not for his next action. His right arm thrust upward, and sent forth a repulse of telekinetic energy in every direction. It was strong enough make Krag stumble, and slow the Sith sword. Despite his efforts, the blade cut a deep gash into his left side. Blood splattered across the blade and the floor, but it only seemed to drive Graxin over the edge.


Normally, that would have been the end of things. Graxin would have found himself too drained to continue. He would have been at Krag's mercy. Not today.

In that moment, the Knight hated his former mentor as much as anyone could hate another organic creature. It was an inferno of an intensity few Jedi could ever begin to fathom, let alone call upon. It flooded his veins with power he had long forgotten, and his body moved entirely on its own. The sharp amber of his eyes seemed to glow in its intensity as Graxin tapped into the very essence of the Dark Side.

"Her death is your fault." He growled. " Your actions are unforgivable." He gripped his weapon tighter as the force rage took hold of his very thoughts. "Your title is mine. Your people are mine. I am your future, and you are nothing. Generations of Graug to come will remember you as an old weak fool."

Regardless of whether Krag stumbled or not, Graxin pressed forward. His blade was everywhere as he adopted the stance of Niman. It jabbed here, stabbed there, whirled about to slice through and arm, or carve through a leg. His assault was relentless, fueled with years upon years of pent up rage.

Everything had led to this eventuality, and Graxin finally understood that much.

"Darth Vulcanus becomes a bitter memory today, nothing more!"

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L63In39n86c​

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Vulcanus gripped the Sith Sword in his free hand, but Graxin's attack was relentless. The boy struck out at the beast, his hatred pure and concentrated as he battered away at the beast's weapon. Sparks spat into the air, Graxin's saber moving with the swiftness of a Nexu and the power of the dragon he now faced. Vulcanus tried to block with his Sith Sword. Graxin would have none of it. The weapons clashed together violently, the Sith Sword spinning out of the Darth's reach as he was forced to a knee by the battering of his former apprentice.

His saber shot up, Vulcanus calling on the full extent of the darkside just to fuel Dredge's body with enough strength to hold out.

"Darth Vulcanus becomes a bitter memory today, nothing more!"

Graxin screamed out as he slashed his blade low, the tip of the searing blade carving a smoking gash into the Vong's leg. Vulcanus howled to the air. The beast fell backwards, barely catching himself with his free hand. That's when Graxin's blade came down for the finishing blow. Sparks shot into the air and the voice of Dredge shook the pit with a scream of pain. His hand disappeared, replaced by a sizzling stump.

"GAH! DAMN YOU!" Vulcanus cried out as his shoulder impacted the ground, his left hand swinging over his body to clench his smoking arm.

 

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Victory. So many years of slavery, torture, and abuse finally culminated in this last moment. Graxin stood over his former mentor, the executioner waiting to deal out the sentence. The Dark Side clung to him now. Its bitter flames pumped through his veins and filled him with raw power. The yellow blade hung just over Krag's neck. Any movement would spell instant death for the Graug.

"Now you finally understand." He stated condescendingly. Krag had always come out on top before, but now, Graxin was the Master. He alone could carry on the true Sith Order. An old ambition long since smothered when he joined the Jedi Order suddenly sparked to life. He could destroy his tormentor and the chains that kept him tied to weakness, surely he could cultivate the power of the Sith. "I would have let you live, had you only surrendered father."

His chest heaved as he drew in heavy breaths. His jaw set, and he readied to deliver the final blow. In that moment, images of hi smother, the Jedi Knight who had trained him, and a certain pilot flashed through his mind. What would happen to them if he took control of the Sith?

Graxin swallowed heavily, and shook his head. He would relish these last few moments. "Understand this father. I am going to undo everything you have created. Your legacy will amount to nothing. People will remember you as a mad man." He leaned in close, and the lightsaber brushed close enough to Krag's face for it to singe skin. "You could have never lead the Sith to victory. You were too ignorant and concerned with proving your strength. You were a failure."

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]


A shallow laugh began to wheeze from the Vong's lips, the voice of Vulcanus leading them. He had become a god, but he could feel the weak body of the Overlord failing him. Even with all that he had learned and all that he had grown, he had overestimated himself. He was confined to the limits of an organic body that had never before felt the surge of darkness that Vulcanus was capable of shaping. Still, the beast was a proud warrior and he would not die without his last words...not to a lesser whelp.

"No...NO! I have achieved more than any Sith since the time of Sidious! I led the Graug as they conquered world after world in name of the Sith! I destroyed the brother of the Grandmaster! I HAVE RULED TWO EMPIRES AND I HAVE OVERCOME THE ULTIMATE ENEMY OF THE SITH!" Vulcanus shouted throwing his had toward Graxin in an attempt to summon a bolt of flames, but managing only a puff of embers that fell harmlessly to the ground. He scoffed at his own weakness, ignoring completely the blade near Dredge's face...it would not harm him anyway. Letting his head fall backward, Vulcanus gritted his teeth.

"You think you are one of us, don't you? one of the Graug! No, you are a failure in your entire existence. You failed to even complete the simple duties of a slave! Your family is dead! Your lover killed by the very scum you now lick the boots of." turning a dark eye in the direction of his former servant, the Dark Lord hissed. "You will never be one of us. You have always been a leach sucking on the blood that made the Graug strong, nothing more. You would have never crawled your way from the dirt without me. If I had not chosen to use you as my instrument, you would have died with the others on Sabarene."

Taking another long breath, Vulcanus shook his head "I never planned on leading those lessers of the Sith Order to victory"

 

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Krag would not have the last laugh. Even now, the Dark Lord was dying, but he had proven death could not contain him. The solution would have been to call upon the power of Force Light, but that was beyond even Graxin's capabilities. Strong as he was, he was no Master of the light, not yet. He was, however, a Dark Lord by right. The Dark Lord. Another method was open to him, one that would damn his soul, but also ensure that Krag never again entered the mortal plane.

"You led the Sith into dust. You allowed lesser creatures to study and call themselves Sith. This weakened the entirety of the Sith Order. I, like the Sith'ari before me, was called upon by the force itself to cleanse your impurity." He crackled victorious laugh the reverberated off the hollow caverns of Utapau. Krag was still tryng to fight, after taking such a beating?


"I rose above the duties of a slave. You picked me because the force urged you to. You were a tool for my succession, Krag. A stepping stone." He cracked a cruel grin. "I am above your Graug. Your people were created to be servants, and try as you might to fight that, it is what you are. At your base nature, Krag, you are nothing more than a tool. A tool that has rusted and lost all its use. Your Graug will serve me now, happily so. I will lead them to a golden age, and your destructive teachings will be condoned."

Graxin twisted the lightsaber somewhat, though he made no move to drive it through the Sith's skull. "You did not choose me, lesser." His grin widened as he used the title Krag had bestowed on almost all other beings. "I chose you."

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]


"You dare spit such disrespect at me! The Sith were never anything more to me than stones to be used to climb upon! The Empire of the Sith is a tool, you slave scum! The weak die and the strong prevail! THEY WILL ALL DIE, SO THAT THE GRAUG MAY RISE!" The beast's soul called upon one last pull of the force, focusing the energy on his blade and calling it to his hand. "I will prove to the galaxy that the Graug are not slaves!" words filled with emotion, much deeper than the simple minded hate that the creature usually employed. Sadness, worthlessness, despair, anger, frustration...fear.

"You are but a broken instrument!" Vulcanus cried out, the hilt of his saber zipping into his hand and igniting. Summoning what strength Dredge's body had left, Vulcanus swung the blade for a decapitating blow on Graxin...the last attack he'd ever make.

 

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Many years ago in his chambers on Mytus, Graxin had found himself obsessed with old Sith tomes. He made a habit of collecting them, and learning all that he could from the ancient Sith Lords. One such tome held a dark ritual used to bind the spirits of others to one's will. It was a demanding ability that required a strong connection to the Dark Side, and at the moment, it was the only way to obliterate Krag. Graxin had never shirked from doing what was necessary. He understood the actions he took next would impact him for the rest of his life.

He held out his free hand. It was a simple gesture. The force bent to his will, and stopped Krag's blade inches away from his neck. So close that Graxin could feel the pure energy emanating off of the blade. Graxin held that position for a moment as he readied himself.

Tendrils of pure blackness stretched out from his fingertips. They stretched out toward Krag, greedily clawing at his armor. From there, they would invade deeper, past the the corporeal and into the Sith Lord's very being. There, they wrapped around his black soul, and yanked. Graxin was ripping his very spirit from his being, a fate worse than any kind of death.

"I will prove to this galaxy that your teachings are flawed. I have surpassed you." He stated the fact, and balled his fingers into a fist.

[member="Ozamu Tzang"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

[member="Graxin Rade"]

The tendrils reached out, gripping at the armor like the feelers of some dark monster. Vulcanus could feel it, he could feel the tendrils reaching through the dark abyss to retrieve his soul from the armor he had bound himself to. They pried and clawed away at the very fabrics of reality that were keeping him bound to the physical world; the pain was immeasurable. It was not a pain that could be measured on a scale of physical being, no, it was a pain that stung at the very core of what had entwined him with the force. "No! Chaos can't have me! I am a god! A GOD!" Vulcanus screamed but he had lost all control over Dredge's body.

Darth Vulcanus, the beast who was born on a dark patch of jungle on a planet barely on the radar of the galaxy, was helpless at the hands of his own fate since the day he could walk. No thoughts of home or past or family could quell the fear he held of death, the sad creature was far beyond help from such creature comforts. All he could think of, as the black tendrils ripped and tore at his soul, was the hate that he kept stored inside a vault deep within his icy soul. Images of [member="Darth Vornskr"] , the Dark Lord who Vulcanus wished to slay more than any other. [member="Ashin Varanin"] , the vile Empress from the Fringe. [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] , The Jedi from many battles before who he would never be able to slay.

He had only wished for the ascension of the Graug and he was willing to see the entire galaxy burned to cinders just so that his people could claim the ashes. Now, he would face his judgement for all the pain and suffering he had caused throughout his long life of murder and conquest. The Darkness would consume him, tear him from the physical world he had sacrificed so much to keep hold of.

Graxin slowly faded from Vulcanus's view as he struggled against the tendrils of energy that his former slave was unleashing, his face being replaced by a burning vortex. Lighting cracked and demonic apparitions beckoned him forward, calling him by name as they latched onto the armor and pulled his essence inwards. Hell had come to collect its dues. "NO! I defeated you! You cannot subdue a god! I will destroy you all!" the beast thrashed about, but it was no use. He was slowly drug into the dark pit in the center of the burning vortex that had made itself visible to he and only he.

Vulcanus's spirit turned and tried to pull away, but the deeper he got into the abyss the more hands latched out to grab him. He could see the face of Dredge drifting away into the distance, his armor losing the gleam it once held as the last bits of his essence were drug from it. "NO! I AM WARLORD VULCANUS! GOD-KING OF THE GRAUG!" he screamed back to the outer world as the darkness began to collapse around him, "I was meant for greatness!"

And then, there was silence.....

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49 years ago....​

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A babies cries filled the palace, echoing down the many floors of the Graug structure. Inside was the Horde Mother, queen of the Imperial Graug Clan and ruler of the Gratos System.

"Already it cowards and the blood from the womb has not even been cleansed from his hide." a beastly figure scowled, his hulking form adorned with spikes that glinted in the sun seeping through the black curtains. "This child will only slow the progress of the Graug, mother. Look at it, the eye has been blinded by the gods." the Graug snorted, gripping the infants head tight in his hands and observing the pink eye it wore on its left side. The youngling cried as the brutes sharp claws dug into his tender hide, his tiny mouth trying to bite at the beast with its toothless gums.

"It seems that already he wishes to taste your blood, Grax." the near-human witch holding the child mused, her clawed hands peeling away those of the man who spoke so ill of the child in her arms.

"Surly you do not expect to raise this pest? Give him to me and I shall throw him from the roof right now!"

"So eager to destroy your own brother. Do you fear that your son will destroy you, Grax?" the Horde Mother questioned, her eyes a calm storm of darkness.

"I am not afraid of a mutated whelp" Grax snarled, "I simply do not wish to see our people held back by a worm"

"Ha" the Horde Mother laughed, "if you had foreseen what I have, you would not be so eager."

"Foreseen?"

"Yes, Grax. If you knew what I knew, you may even wish to name him Graxin in your own honor"

The beast scoffed, "I would sooner see him named Hi'kasin in honor of those extinct ingrates."

"No" The Horde Mother chimed as she stroked a clawed finger over her son's forehead, "this child will lead our clan to victory. His actions will see the Graug posted atop the throne of a mighty Empire...I have dreamed it."

"Forgive me, mother, but you intend to put your faith in dreams?"

"The gods speak in mysterious ways, Grax." The Horde Mother looked back at her first son again "this child will destroy us both, but his actions will save the clan from annihilation. Without him, our entire people will be doomed at the hands of the outsiders."

The room fell silent for a few moments and the two Graug stared at one another as the infant child continued to cry out in confusion and trauma. "What do you plan on naming this...whelp?"

The Horde Mother smiled deviously, her hands wrapping around the chin of her newborn child. "A name of my own creation, one derived from the only words I could use to describe his fate."

"What is it?"

"Krag..."

"Krag?"

"Yes."

"What does it mean?"

The Horde Mother grinned as she looked into the deformed eye of her newborn son. "Hope of the Graug"