Duel Respect the Crossroads

[Sycorax Laveaux]

The dagger sank into Alicio’s palm. Instead of the enticing aroma of blood, Byron smelled burnt circuitry. Alicio wrenched his hand away, causing him to lose his grip on the knife.

He took a swing at the king with his other fist. Whether it connected or not, a moment later he found himself jerked upward, his back slamming into the ceiling. The bodyguards opened fire. Byron wrapped himself in his cloak as blaster bolts sprayed the area. The cloak protected him from the worst of it—but it sustained enough damage that it could no longer hide his presence. He became visible again, a black bat-like shape above the group.

An unseen force yanked their weapons out of their hands. Gill leaped after his blaster, trying to catch it, only to fall on the floor. Then the bat’s “wings” opened, flinging a cloud of fine white powder into the air.

Gill was the worst affected, his neck swelling up when it came into contact with the dust. Karl slumped in his hoverchair, while Erik coughed violently and eventually collapsed. Sycorax dropped to the ground in an effort to avoid the powder, but her crawling away grew slower and slower until she finally faltered. To outward appearances, they looked to be dead, but their spirits did not leave their bodies. Comatose.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

His initial plan was successful, as the blaster bolts found their mark on the ceiling, revealing their opponent. He held him there as long as he could, but when his allies lost their weapons, and the dust was dispersed, Alicio had to drop the man.

It took all of his concentration to purge the mysterious poison from his body, even as he felt his mind begin to tire, and his limbs begin to slow. He was lucky detoxifying himself was, quite literally, the first skill in the Force he'd ever consciously learned how to do.

If his teacher had been anybody besides Rhiannon, he would have thanked them, then.

Focused on his own body, Alicio could do nothing but step forward, initiating a simple series of short slashes and probing stabs, gauging the man's skill level in true Form II fashion. He couldn't allow Byron to coup de grâce the defenseless people behind him.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Byron was ready to fight the telekinesis pinning him to the ceiling, but to his delight Alicio proved less formidable than expected. With the pressure gone he floated down to the floor unimpeded, the iridescent layers of his cloak fanning out in a rainbow of ragged color as he descended.

Sycorax and her bodyguards lay still, victims of the bocor’s tetrodotoxin powder. It would be easy to finish them off, after he had dealt with the Alderaanian.

Recognizing that he was detoxifying himself, Byron patiently waited for Alicio to recover enough to fight, watching him all the while with a little smirk on his face. Werdegast’s most feared enforcer, the infamous Byron of Many Colors, was a lanky youth of below average height. A few raven curls peeked out from under his hood, below them a pair of pale gray eyes that gleamed with merry malevolence.

Alicio stepped forward, initiating a series of short, probing attacks. Byron dodged the first few blows. “You’re a unique one, aren’t you?” he said, laughing as he darted out of the way of the burning sword. “I see a little Jedi training, but the rest I don’t recognize. Did you come up with these moves yourself?”

Finally, as Alicio executed an overhead slash, he caught the blade between his gloved hands. The Jedi called what he was doing Tutaminis—energy absorption. “You didn’t just make your lightsaber. You made the crystal, too. Interesting. I wonder how stable it really is…”

The blue blade began to shrink in length, glowing brighter as he funneled the plasma energy back down into the hilt, intending to overload and potentially even destroy the weapon.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“You’re a unique one, aren’t you? I see a little Jedi training, but the rest I don’t recognize. Did you come up with these moves yourself?”

"Oh, you're a talker. Wonderful." The sarcasm dripping from his voice was nearly as biting as his lightsaber. But then, the glimmer of a eureka touched his eyes, as he finally found the path ahead he was looking for. Byron's toying had given him the time he needed.

Twenty-two seconds. Alicio needed to stall for twenty-two seconds.

His opponent seemed able to dodge his half-committed attacks easily enough, denoting skill that made Alicio cautious. Subconsciously, Alicio put himself on the backfoot, pulling back instead of pressing forward. He wasn't fighting to win, only for time.

Byron caught Alicio's lightsaber- that was certainly interesting- but the king had no desire to study the technique. Instead, he relied on another of his old lessons. Sadly, Kai Bamarri was another tutor he couldn't thank.

Alicio simply flicked off his lightsaber, and flicked it back on as he continued the swing. Trakata was not a skill he practiced much, if at all. But it was a simple enough maneuver. He followed it up with a few wide slashes, to ward his opponent away.

Seventeen seconds.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

“I could kill you quietly, if you prefer,” Byron said amiably.

He expected Alicio’s death would follow shortly after he grabbed his lightsaber. In all his years, every time he had fought a Jedi or a Sith, they never thought to simply turn it off. Such was their folly.

The trakata move caught him off guard, but he managed to avoid being skewered when the blade reignited. It did however catch on the edge of his cloak, piercing through all but one of the layers. Nothing a good weaver couldn’t fix… right?

Byron may have been physically unimposing, but being small and nimble had its advantages. He ducked beneath those wide sweeping slashes, rolling across the floor and past Alicio. At some point another dagger had found its way into his fist; he took a swipe across the Alderaanian’s spine. “Keep damaging my threads, and I’ll curse your whole bloodline!”

Despite his snarl, he hadn’t run out of patience yet. The bocor still had a few tricks up his sleeve, to be deployed when the time was right. For now, Alicio was a fancy new toy he intended to play with until he broke.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I would," Alicio said back, coy despite the lack of humor in his face.

The king's wide sweeps didn't work as well as he'd intended them to, as his opponent rolled through them, and got behind him for a brief moment. He felt a stinging line open up on his back, thin, but noticeable. He hissed through his teeth, and spun quickly, graceful as a waltz. His cape floated gently to the ground, cut straight through.

A shame. That was one of Claire's.

It would seem Alicio hadn't learned from his previous engagement, as he continued with wide slashes, still warding the man away. But this time, he ended his assault early, anticipating the man's artful dodges, and released a heavy Force push, to send Byron into a wall.

The man was light on his feet. That could be a weakness, too.

Thirteen seconds.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

An invisible force shoved Byron backward. His feet skidded across the linoleum, then left the floor entirely as he was thrown through the air. His back struck a wall hard enough to crumble the plaster.

Fighting against the telekinetic push, he clawed his way free. His gray-eyed gaze was stormy with annoyance. He held up his dagger—and saw red royal blood on the blade. A smirk curled his lips as he sheathed it. That could be useful later.

He stalked forward, slower and more cautious than he had before. “You’re planning something, aren’t you?” he asked. “I can feel your anticipation.” His fingers waggled in the direction of the fallen bodies on the floor, where Sycorax and her bodyguards lay unmoving. “They won’t be waking up anytime soon, if that's what you're counting on.”

While he spoke, his other hand was obscured by his now tattered cloak, fingers closing around the handle of an illegal disruptor pistol. In seconds he’d have it out of its holster, ready to fire a shot at Alicio.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio abated his telekinetic pressure quickly, careful not to exert himself too much. For what he was planning, he'd need every bit of focus he could spare.

Byron was taking the duel a little slower, more cautious of the former Count. Either he hadn't realized Alicio was stalling for time, or he was curious to see what the senator had cooking in the Future. For his part, Alicio brought Introspect diagonal to his face, then swiped it down in a classic Makashi salute. "You seem to enjoy hearing yourself talk," he said, dry as a desert. "Sound it out."

In a burst of energy, he struck, lashing out with abrupt ferocity. No longer testing the assassin's defenses, his blue and black blade stabbed for the heart, cut at the neck, following each evaded strike with two more. He was fluid, precise, beautiful in the way a heron trying to spear a fish was beautiful.

Partially, Alicio hoped the sudden intensity would dispatch the man, then and there. But his attack's true purpose was to cover what was happening in the Force. Alicio's presence began to gather...

Around the statue in Sycorax's arms. Collecting the threads that had been unwound, but were still there.

Three seconds.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

As he continued to dodge and weave, narrowly avoiding Alicio's ferocious attacks, Byron had one ear to the Force, trying to figure out what he had planned. By the time he realized the Alderaanian was stalling for time, it might be too late.

But then, like a spider sensing the vibrations of its web when prey became caught in it, he felt Alicio taking up the torn threads of the high priest's ward. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked, his eyes widening with fear and delight.

As Alicio tried to revive the protections of Legba, it latched on to him. This was not just some static spell. It had a crude consciousness to it, a fragment of a psyche, rippling with power.

Though Sycorax's faith may have seemed distant, worshiping beings she had no way of knowing were real or not, it was only because she lacked the sensitivity needed to perceive them. One who was sensitive to the Force was not so blind. He would see the reality of what the loa truly were. There was a Legba, a spirit. The spirit could grant the wishes of those who invoked it. But not without taking them for a ride first.

Byron took a step back, his body hunched over in almost a crouch. He sensed the presence of He Who Guards the Crossroads, summoned just like in a voodoo rite. He had never seen a non-initiate even attempt such a thing. Terrifying as it was, he couldn't help but be curious to see how Alicio would handle possession.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

No, Alicio thought. But you may leave me no choice.

The latent power of Legba's spell was all-too evident, as the unwoven spiritual threads began to grasp him. The only thing that kept him from stumbling, from losing focus for a moment, was seeing it in the future. He continued to gather the stray energies, a quick application of the Force spinning Alicio around the vampire, demanding the assassin's attention. The crystal within his lightsaber began to sing.

One se-

Alicio waited at the edge of his world.

The Sea, that endless expanse of black water, had frozen mid-storm behind him. The tumultuous blue sky had stopped completely, it's incessant winds paused. He'd been here many times- it was his realm, his mind, his own little conceptualization of Time and the Force. But this time, it was different. His influence stopped where he planted his feet. Ahead of him was a different scene. A different form.

He hadn't invited anyone along, but he was not alone.

Legba. The prophet's voice echoed around the space, his mouth unmoving. Small trails of smoke left his closed lips, creating two thin, curling horns above his head.

If I do this... what will happen to me?

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Legba had no true form—but to fit in with the rest of Alicio’s mindscape, he took a shape similar to Sycorax’s statue. An old man with a beard, dressed in simple clothes and wearing a straw hat. A pipe was wedged firmly between his teeth; he blew smoke from between his lips in time with Alicio.

“I don’t usually mount people,” the loa said. “Especially not someone who didn’t even believe I existed until he accidentally summoned me.” He laughed, puffing on his pipe. “I usually just open the door for the others. But you don’t have time to wait for someone else to come along.”

In the real world, Byron was whirling around to face Alicio, disruptor in hand. He would assassinate the king, blast him to ashes, if something were not done.

“If you do this, you’re mine until I am finished with you. Which won’t be very long. A few moments, really."

But what he would do during those moments, he would not reveal. Alicio would simply have to trust in him. He would have to have faith.

"Maybe you’ll be forever changed. Maybe it will make no real difference. But you will survive, I can promise you that." Legba shrugged. "It’s up to you.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

It wasn't the first time Alicio stood face-to-face with a god. But this time, perhaps he could be convinced they were real.

Legba had a sense of humor, which deflected off Alicio like water from a duck's back. There was some amount of awe in the Count, some hidden caution, but he wasn't afraid. He didn't know much about the loa, didn't know much about Legba, but he knew he wasn't in danger.

“If you do this, you’re mine until I am finished with you. Which won’t be very long. A few moments, really. Maybe you’ll be forever changed. Maybe it will make no real difference. But you will survive, I can promise you that. It’s up to you.”

Alicio stared at the scene just beyond his vision. Byron was raising a blaster towards him, murderous intent in his heart. If the vampire killed him, it wouldn't be long before he turned on the others. The Alderaanian's hand hesitated to stretch out, as if to shake Legba's.

Then, he slowly retracted his hand.

"Trust is... given. And I'm not ready to give mine, yet." He spoke with his actual mouth, plumes of smoke trailing his words. He folded his hands behind his back, wondering at the loa's reaction. "I'm not going to accept power I haven't earned. And... I think I can do this."

It was a different leap of faith than what the loa was suggesting. Legba basically guaranteed his survival. This did not. But he had to have faith in himself. He had to trust his own instincts.

I can do this.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Papa Legba. Though... if I'm wrong, I suppose you may be needed in the area, anyways." The king chanced a morbid smirk. "If you could entertain one final question, before we see if I'm right, or dead..."

"Would you have made this deal? Were you in my shoes?"

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

“Suit yourself,” Legba said with a shrug. “It would’ve been fun.”

"If you could entertain one final question, before we see if I'm right, or dead... Would you have made this deal? Were you in my shoes?"

“Is that a trick question?” Legba asked with a chuckle. “I don’t know. I’ve never had a body. Or if I did, I don’t remember it. But if you’re asking if I can be trusted… Yes, I think so. More than Byron can trust the Baron.”

His bushy gray brows rose. “Before you go, a fair warning. He has your blood on his blade. Might want to make sure he doesn’t walk away with it.”

With his disruptor aimed straight at Alicio, Byron pulled the trigger. At such a short distance, he figured he couldn’t miss—and the pressure was on to finish this duel before his opponent cut him off from the Force.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Fun," Alicio repeated, skeptical. Perhaps he'd made the right choice after all.

Legba seemed to take his refusal, and follow-up question, in good humor, and Alicio reciprocated, finding a reserved smile in return. "Not a trick. Just curious. It isn't every day I get to speak with a deity." He folded his hands behind his back, watching real life play out in slow motion ahead of him. "The Baron... Another loa?"

“Before you go, a fair warning. He has your blood on his blade. Might want to make sure he doesn’t walk away with it.”

"Understood." Alicio's own brow set, a look of grim determination etching itself on his face. "Thank you. And... should I survive... How do you prefer to be thanked?" He would nod to Papa Legba, then close his eyes. He had to trust.

-cond.

A lot of things happened very suddenly.

In the blink of an eye, Alicio disappeared in a crest of black water. The disruptor shot passed through empty air. Instead, he was directly to the side of the assassin, one hand lazily grazing the vampire's temple-

K-KRAK!

A bolt of green lightning arced from his fingertips, pure light-side energy seeking it's natural enemy like a lightning rod. The skill had been forced into his head, but in this moment, he made it his own power.

Finally, the two Shi'ido bodyguards that hadn't been caught in Byron's spell rushed around the corner down the hall, timed perfectly with the blast. They raised their heavy blasters, and fired at the would-be kingkiller.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

"The Baron... Another loa?"

“The Lord of the Dead,” Legba explained, blowing out a long trailing plume of smoke from his pipe. “I only open the gate. Once a soul passes through, it enters the Baron’s realm. He decides if they rot in the ground or are brought back as a zombie under the control of a bocor.”

"Thank you. And... should I survive... How do you prefer to be thanked?"

“It’s no trouble. Survive this, and maybe we’ll talk later, Alicio.” The image of Legba started to fade away, but then became solid again. “Actually, I’ll take some candy. Namana twists, Bama Bars, figdas… I’m sure you’ve got some decent sweets on Alderaan.”

Then he well and truly vanished, dissipating from Alicio’s mind like a dream, leaving behind only a faint smell of fragrant smoke. It drifted in the air of the hospital hallway even as Alicio performed his little trick.

What is that? Byron wondered, eyes widening in shock and intrigue. The disruptor beam shot forth from the muzzle of his gun, passing through empty air and vaporizing a cart at the end of the corridor. He hardly had time to blink before he felt something brush against his side. Whirling, he slammed his elbow against whatever was there—

K-KRAK!

Pain. Vivid, searing pain.

He couldn’t move when the lightning first hit, the electric current rendering his limbs inert and twitching, out of his control. With his nerves already on fire, he almost didn’t feel it when the bodyguards started shooting.

Almost.

When it was over, Byron was still alive. Riddled with carbonized holes, steam rising from his ionized flesh, he spat out blood. He’d bitten his tongue while he was being electrocuted. His knees buckled, sending him crashing to the floor. As his body fell he covered himself with the tattered remnants of his cloak—and vanished.

Re-emerging in a dark cellar far away from the hospital, he shuddered and vomited onto the floor. He felt like his guts had been rearranged. Teleporting while both he and his cloak were in such terrible condition was a bad idea, but he had no choice if he was to survive the encounter.

Admitting that the Alderaanian had gotten the best of him was a nasty blow to his pride. At least he had partially accomplished his original mission. Senator Laveaux might not ever wake up again—and he could always come back later to make sure. But for now, it would take time for him to recover...

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Zero.

The trap worked nearly perfectly. The assassin took the brunt of Alicio's lightning, and the blaster bolts. He started to fall, and Alicio felt a stab of danger from the Future. The former Count clawed at the man with the Force one last time before he disappeared, leaving the darkly-dressed Alderaanian alone, save for his guards, and the unconscious forms of the Dartahgians around him.

Alicio's voice raised. "Help me get them to rooms!" The Abzu rushed forward, growing extra limbs to help tote the poisoned victims to hospital beds. Alicio moved to assist, then paused.

He glanced down at the dagger in his hands. The one he'd managed to snag with the Force from Byron's waist. Carefully, he hid it in his belt, then started tending to Sycorax, the blood still oozing from the slash on his back.

They were alive. It had been far too close, but they were alive.

Alicio looked down the hall, tasting smoke on the air. He found a morbid little smile.

Not today.

- Sycorax Laveaux -