Return to Me

[Ax'no]

The Spectre touched down in the thickly-protected hangar of Vain Hollow, it's pilot known to the citadel-like palace and its security. Priestess Briga Tiin had returned to continue her training under Sith Knight, Darth Prazutis. Neither of them had spoken since he summarily executed twelve of her fellow Adepts in the Iktotch temple during a sermon. While the murders likely satisfied the Anzati Zambrano's thirst for blood, the result was a harrowing ordeal for the Caprine mystic. For weeks, she was deposed by Iktotchi authorities, answering vague questions under near-duress designed to trap her into a series of lies and or half-truths. But all of her witnesses supported her claim that the deaths were revenge upon the Priests for transgressions against the goddess Ax'no and the Caprine species. And the Ikotchi officials grew bored of the superstitious goat people, their strange customs and cult leader and eventually let Briga go.

Her goal had been to go on a spiritual journey of sorts, but the only spirit the horned seer ended up satisfying was herself in the form of bacchanalian revelry appeasing her tongue and her loins with any food, drink or sex partner she fancied.

You are growing soft, Priestess. And it's time to resume the training you started no matter the cost, she thought.

Darth Prazutis was neither a kind nor generous Master, and while she wasn't afraid of him - she actually revered him for his strength, power and tenacity - there was one fact which she was quite nervous to tell him.

Livna had disappeared. And Ax'no only knew what information she took along with her.

It was as if all of those warnings he gave her had come true. Despite repeated torture and re-education, Livna had betrayed her. But instead of lamenting over her cliff-stalks, a fire burned inside her to find the impudent maiden and kill her. Even if she knew the smallest amount of information, the fact that she'd fled her Priestess's side was enough that Briga couldn't wait to throw her ashes straight into the dirtiest public refresher to watch them swirl down a filth-ridden toilet.

Walking down the ramp in a one of her normal, long-sleeved black gowns, he would notice that her appearance hadn't changed:

Spoiler

But the fire within her had. It was significantly stronger and burned more brightly.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Thick black storm clouds sat overtop the mountainous citadel that was Vain Hollow casting shadows across the landscape. The citadels defense turrets briefly shifted and locked on target with the ship descending from the skies but the moment it was hailed, the turrets resumed their idling. The Prime Designate knew immediately who it was docking in the private hangar it was his apprentice Briga Tiin. The two haven’t spoken since that day on Ikotch where Prazutis came upon his apprentice in that cave, and she forced a startling realization upon him. Despite his training and conditioning of the caprine Briga still was weak, a slave to her own desires.

The fault was his just as much as it was her own fault for being unable to control it. He was her master, her mentor in the arts of the force and that meant mastering your emotions and not letting them control you. The failures of the student reflect the teachings of the master after all, but was it? Part of him wanted to feed her to the pack of terentateks kept contained deep in the citadels secret labs, punishment for her failures. But a different part of him knew that despite his failings so far, Briga wasn’t too far gone. She was still malleable and he could still work to correct the problem that plagued his cunning apprentice.


Prazutis stood in the hangar she would notice his appearance still hadn’t changed from the rich infamous robes and clothing of black and gold, to the signet rings on his hands. Even the dark gold amulet around his neck that held Valthris, a purple dark side crystal he always wore. But there was a new addition to his outfit and that was a new sword, a runeblade strapped to his side instead of the usual rudis. What she didn’t know is of his expedition through the galaxy, and his acquisition of the legendary Daesumnor. Briga knew he always carried some blade, and surely his lightsabers were tucked away somewhere in the folds of black clothing.

As Briga walked down the ramp and towards him he scrutinized her with his gaze and his senses. Something had changed inside her that wasn’t there before, a powerful fire and determination raged underneath the skin. When he left his words chastising her weakness cut deep, and she was coming back more determined than ever. Good. As she moved closer to him he gracefully spun around, gesturing with his hand for her to follow as he moved towards the exit of the hangar at a graceful pace. For a while they walked through the upper Zambrano palace without saying a word, the halls empty with the exception of the full force of Crownguard and Imperial Sentinels mulling around.

Prazutis led her out of the constructed ornate Zambrano Keep that was built onto the mountain and deeper down inside Vain Hollow. The citadel itself was honeycombed in and built on top of the large mountain known as Blacktalon Peak. The halls switched from the familiar black marble to richly carved stone and the occasional room with its differences. The hustle and bustle of the keep was busy down here with servants, lower palace security, members of the Blackblade Legion, guests, dignitaries. Even large imposing graug were seen down inside the citadels, and especially as you neared the lower levels near the entrance. Briga knew well these graug were from Imperial Horde Guard, elite troops from the Iron Horde of Fornow.

“I sense a great fire burning within you my apprentice, a fire that wasn’t there when we last spoke.”

[member="Darth Ax'no"]

 

[Ax'no]

Briga gave the Panathan Prince one subtle glance, barely imperceptible to anyone but him, a glance that read devour me now. And then it was gone. She’d erased it as quickly as it had flashed upon her pale features.

Darth Prazutis appeared as sacerdotal as always had in his long, sumptuous robes. Her yellow eyes flit to the new sword with a careful inspection of it. It was a fine weapon and she'd ask him about that after they settled in. As he turned, she kept pace with his stride as though she’d never left his company.

But this time, Briga was all business. The Priestess of Iktotch had some adventures, sowed some wild oats – well many wild oats – but she had also made some new alliances, some of which put her in a more powerful position. And this was visible in her more confident gait. Yet it had been quite a few weeks since she’d visited Vain Hollow and some of the less savory memories of the citadel came bubbling up unbidden as though bile in her throat. The ecstatic surrender to Darth Prazutis as his apprentice and the subsequent torture of her handmaidens. But there were many fond memories as well, she reminded herself. And so many opportunities to watch her own skills flourish under his capable tutelage. While she may never be Zambrano royalty, she was learning under one and that in and of itself was a prestigious position for the young, ambitious Priestess.

“Yes, indeed,” she said, nodding at his perceptive words. “Yet, I have some troubling news.” Might as well just come out with it, Briga, she thought. “Livna is gone. She escaped over a week ago, and while I have sources tracking her, I fear she may have gotten a good head start. But I’ll have you know I caught the perpetrators who allowed her to escape, and they have been executed.” She also pocketed the 500,000 credits that she found on the warriors who were bribed to have Livna smuggled off of Iktotch.

Still, Briga braced herself for her Master’s anger. He had every right to be furious. If he was going to kill her he would have already done so upon first sight of her exiting The Spectre, but she had not fully heeded his warnings of coddling her servants, and now the one most capable of surviving and doing the most damage to her reputation was no longer under her thumb.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

The desire that briefly bubbled under the surface was palpable but she would see he was utterly cold, and unmoved at her reaction seeing him. Prazutis before during his failed attempts might have reacted but now after so much time, and so many things had changed? No longer. As they scaled down deeper into the citadel through the warm cavernous corridors, the winding halls he didn't look towards Briga or stop, that was until she hesitantly admitted of troubling news that apparently he needed to be aware of. Livna was gone. White hot anger burned under the surface as she told him Livna had escaped from her clutches and was running out into the galaxy. It wasn't a main concern of Prazutis's after all she didn't have anything on him, she didn't have any sensitive information and anything she might have seen or glimpsed was wiped immediately after.

Prazutis held his hand out in front of him, slowly rising it while holding his fingers in a pinching motion. Immediately Briga would be lifted off the ground the power of the force slowly crushing down on her throat. He didn't intend on killing her so the pressure wasn't immediately bone crushing, but it was getting stronger and stronger. "I didn't think you could disappoint me any more than you already have, but you continue to do so." Prazutis said as he turned around to face her, now she could see his hand that was gripping her with the force, a scowl of disgust on his face as he looked at his floating, struggling apprentice. How could she have been so incompetent as to let such a foolish maiden escape from her clutches? It was surprising.

"I taught you better than that, and now a girl has made a fool of you. This girl happens to have enough information on you to ruin your precious reputation and now she is out of your control. You will hold the responsibility of finding her." Prazutis said to her as he stepped closer "I will not protect you if because of your incompetence she reveals your secrets and leads to your downfall." Prazutis released his grip on Briga and let her drop to the ground. While his words were cruel and biting, they were in his eyes true. Briga would know herself that they were true he taught her better than to treat these servants like friends and with compassion, he warned her what they could do and he showed her. But still she laxed and one slipped through her grasp.

Prazutis gestured for her to follow and he continued until he pushed through a set of double doors. Inside was a rather large Colosseum-like arena, a massive spherical fighting area surrounded by stands. A massive gate sat on one side of the arena which led deeper in, and down to the beast pens where beasts were held in varying environments and containment pens. He stood at the top of the steps and spoke into his comlink "Have you brought Magnus up?" There was silence on his comlink for several moments before a voice spoke "Yes My Lord."

"Good. Open the gates."

Just as he spoke the large gates shifted open and Briga couldn't possibly have been prepared for what was inside. A massive beast with thick powerful muscles over twenty meters in height stood there with large claws, rows of many sharp teeth and long horns jutting out of its face. This wasn't just a Rancor, this beast was the larger Bull Rancor species. The creature stomped out into the arena its thick hide black as night. Magnus sniffed into the air its powerful sense of smell immediately recognizing that of his master, but the fresh new scent caused him to growl as he turned and moved towards the section of the stands they were descending down. The walls were taller than the rancor and normally containment devices were set in place but Prazutis deactivated them he didn't need them when it came to Magnus.

As he had done so many times before he reached out with the force and grasped at Magnus's mind. Magnus was one of his favorite beasts and countless times had he ridden and commanded the beast. The creature stuck out its large clawed hand with an open palm and immediately Prazutis ran towards it jumping into it, the beast immediately picked him up and put him on its shoulder and it turned staring at Briga. There was no containment devices stopping it but still it didn't climb towards her and in fact it stopped growling. "We are going to start this lesson with the mind."

[member="Darth Ax'no"]

 

[Ax'no]

There was no escaping this punishment. Darth Prazutis would find out soon enough that Livna was gone. He was the bloody Director of Intelligence of the One Sith after all, and nothing escaped his cold, scornful gaze. Not a crumb of evidence. Whether Briga let the news slip over a glass of wine, or whether he found out on his own, the point was – he would know.

The indignity of being lifted off her feet, her windpipe constricted was nothing compared to what her Master would do had he found out she’d lied or tried to cover up this unsavory news. She coughed, her body’s involuntary response to being choked, but no more was the young Priestess afraid. She merely closed her eyes, grit her teeth and pressed her lips together as she endured the discomfort. At the tail end of his lecture, her amber eyes opened, and she did not break eye contact with him until he let her go. Her nostrils flared with rage, breathing so heavily he could hear it, but she did not say a word. The Dark Councilor would feel the anger roiling off of her like stormy waves lapping upon a rocky, debris-ridden beach.

Briga hit the floor a bit splayed at first, but she pulled herself up on her knees, her hands folded in her lap and said: “You are right. You taught me better. I will find her, and I will be the first to torture her with my bare hands, a torture that will leave her begging for mercy and wishing that she’d died along with the twelve Priests that you so eloquently slaughtered, my Lord. And then you, your family, whoever is here in Vain Hollow will do as they wish with her until she is a withering husk, unrecognizable to all.” The blue-haired Inquisitor looked down at her hands which were balled into fists, claws digging into her palms and almost shaking with fury.

The Caprine rose and followed dutifully behind the Sith Lord. Yes, there was still desire there for Prazutis, but she was determined this time to not let it get in the way of their training. Even if I have to sneak out of my chambers to make love to Gorkai I will, she thought bleakly. Anything to not break the glacial façade she strove to show the Anzati God-King. Perhaps if his apprentice showed more promise, he would allow her some whores to sate her desires, but the more she thought about it, the more it was on her mind, so again, Briga had to literally empty her head of all thoughts, mediating upon the echoing sounds of the citadel, including their boot steps as they continued through the winding corridors.

Vain Hollow still held its sublime surprises as the duo emptied into a large arena. The air was redolent of animals, sweat and even fear, perhaps her own terror, but she focused on the words of Prazutis and the opening of the gates. A bull rancor lumbered out in all of his terrifying glory. Briga could only smile at the cruelty of the Panathan Prince. The beast was both majestic and bone-chilling, a species that could snatch a speeder out of mid-air and crunch through the thick hide of a Subteroth.

“Very well, My Lord,” remarked Briga, with only the slightest tremble in her voice. Watching him astride the behemoth, with a canine smile she said, “Let us begin.”

[member="Darth Prazutis"]