Seven Times Struck (Vornskr)

[Galatea Raste]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

A deep breath of fresh air washed into her lungs as she stood within the temple. So much weakness around her. She glanced at those about her and tsked, shaking her head as she moved further along. She didn't have a Master yet, but that was why she was there in the first place. After several hundred years of traveling, and amassing a decently large amount of wealth and knowledge, it was time to actually do something about her Force sensitivity. Not that she was overly eager to deal with the various amount of rejects that she knew would hang around the Sith. If nothing else they'd make a good meal.

Her eyes passed over the surrounding room, though she wasn't seeing with them. In fact, even when she talked to someone her eyes didn't focus on that person. It was her mental sight that allowed her to see around her, which was, in some respects, a great attribute as she could see behind as well as in front, unlike those who relied on the easily influenced orbs within their skull.

She tapped a gloved finger against the leather on her thigh and stood in the very center of the room, waiting. Someone was coming, she could feel it, but she didn't know who. She was curious though, and a sense of excitement abounded from her. She grinned as she waited.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

With the war raging on against the Republic, the need for properly trained Sith was in the highest of demand next to more and more weapons, armor, and vehicles for the Sith Warmachine. That was why Darth Vornskr was strolling through one of the temples erected to the higher learning of the Sith on Coruscant, to search for a worthy apprentice that he could pass some of his knowledge to. His imposing frame was covered in his iconic silver-colored armor, with a great dark green cloak flung around his shoulders and a hood covering most of his head save for the face, which in itself was concealed by a mask that covered his entire face with small slits for the eyes and the mouth. It was a very imposing sight to behold for those unfamiliar with this particular Sith Lord and his mannerisms, and many inexperienced acolytes fled before his fearsome visage as he made his way towards the center chamber.

When he did make it to said chamber, everyone would know of his arrival due to the combined nature of his six foot nine tall frame and the volatile Dark Side aura that followed him wherever he went. Not only that, but Vornskr was one of the only armored beings anywhere in the temple besides the guards and sentinels, but he was stronger than all of those combined. Vornskr scanned the crowds as they looked up to him in awe, fear, and slight admiration, but there was one who looked at him differently, at least different in the basic traditional sense, as that her eyes no longer functioned. He could sense she was looking up at him, but not with her eyes, but with her mind, and that instantly caught on to Vornskr's interests.

All he did was extend his right hand, and point one armored finger directly at her in the crowd.

"Bring me that one."

[member="Laufeia Carzi"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

Perfect.

As she'd expected, and felt, someone had indeed been coming for her. They may not have known it before they arrived, but when they did, they knew all the same. She'd watched him as soon as he'd come into the room. Not in awe, fear, or admiration, but in expectation. She was tiny compared to this being, but that didn't make her any less than him, not in her eyes. She preferred to be smaller than people anyway. It allowed her to go unseen to most.

When he beckoned for her, she moved. She respected this mans power. He felt strong to her, and the looks that he commanded from those around him told her that she should be in admiration of him. She wasn't yet. She'd never seen this man before, so she had no reason to be in awe of him. But she could respect that he commanded such attention. She approached but didn't bow, caressing him with her Force Sight as she took in everything that was available to her about him.

"You called?"

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Darth Vornskr looked down at the small dark-skinned woman who appeared from the crowd to stand before him.

"Yes, I have called for you, Acolyte, and you have come."

Vornskr's outstretched hand slowly fell back to his side, but his left hand quickly formed into a fist as he spoke to her. "I have called you to me because I have sensed a power within you, acolyte. A power that reminds me of my own when I was but a mere worm wriggling among the masses, and it is a power that allowed me to rise up and carve out my own destiny in this galaxy. Such potential much be nurtured, and I have chosen you to be my newest student, so that when I am done, there will be another powerful Sith to further our Dark Lord's vision." His words reverberated throughout the chamber with such intensity it caused many of those yet unaccustomed to such a baritone rumble to visibly flinch.

"Accept, and I shall elevate you to a new plane of existence, but should you decline..."

Vornskr chuckled darkly.

"Then you shall be crushed beneath those that would take up my offer."

He was, of course, referring to the hungering mass of bodies not far behind her, who would kill to receive such a gracious offer from the infamous Darth Vornskr.

[member="Laufeia Carzi"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

She listened, because not listening would get her killed. She wasn't stupid. She was older than almost everyone around her. In fact, she probably was older than everyone around her unless some of them happened to be from one of the long lived races. It was possible, though she doubted it. Most of the Sith tended to be from younger races, trying to amass things quickly in their short lives. She always felt these were the most pitiful of all.

When he mentioned accepting, or being crushed, she shifted her minds eye behind her and took in all of those people back there. A smirk touched her lips.

"I look behind me and all I see are meals. None of them are worth anyone's time."

Focusing back on [member="Darth Vornskr"] even though it appeared she'd never looked away from him, she nodded.

"I accept."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Of course you do, you're not stupid."

With one hand the Sith Lord regarded his new apprentice, and with his other he slowly began to remove the metal mask that covered the entirety of his face. He gently removed the mask, and some of the less-hardened members of the crowd shuffled uncomfortably as Vornskr revealed his face to the masses. Generally, he had a rather handsome and well-sculpted face, but it was the horrible mass of scarred tissue that comprised the entire right side of his face that threw many of those in attendance off. The mirroring contrasts spoke volumes of the duality of most Sith in general, how they could be benefactors and speak so nicely to others, while on the other hand they could be capable of infinite cruelty against all things.

Besides the ruined face, there was evidence of a mane of thick graying hair flowing down from his scalp, but most of it was concealed within the hood that covered the parts of his head that the mask did not.

"My name, kulravk*, is Darth Vornskr, voice of the Dark Lord of the One Sith. What is yours?"

*kulravk is Epicant for 'darling'

[member="Laufeia Carzi"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

Of course she wasn't stupid. She'd been alive too long to be stupid. Stupid people died. Only smart ones lived in this galaxy. Unless they were stupid people who latched onto someone smart. Then they might survive.

As [member="Darth Vornskr"] removed his mask, she stared at him. Part of her was extremely hungry for his brain, but she controlled that side of her. She'd just eaten before coming to seek training. She didn't need to eat for a while. Besides, there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that she'd be able to eat his brain before he killed her. No, this one was much too powerful to fall victim to her wiles. Even though he was scarred beyond belief she didn't blanch. Part of that could be because she wasn't seeing in color.

Then he spoke and she smiled. Darling. How cute. She was no ones darling and she never would be. Still, let him play his name games if he wished. She didn't care.

"Laufeia Carzi. Despite your strength, I hadn't yet heard of you. That's good. Teach me."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Perhaps you know me by another name, but it does not matter now anyways."

Vornskr then lightly pulled back the hood that concealed his hair, which lightly spilled forth in return. He was naturally wary of his new apprentice, and from what she had said earlier and his initial analysis of her, he suspected that she could be an Anzati. He had dealt with Anzati before during the time of the Old Empire, but he had never taken one on as an apprentice. He would have to monitor her closely, and if need be keep her in line with force. He had small hopes that she would learn her place under him, and he wouldn't have to take such measure, but he was ready for such an event all the same.

When you're a Sith, you always assume the worst will happen and prepare for it.

"Come, Laufeia. I will show you your new home, and will show you the ways of the Sith."

He would motion for her to follow him, leading her out of the temple and into a planet-side shuttle that would cart both of them to the Imperial suites, of which Kaine owned a personal suite saved for him when he was here on business. However; with the war never-ending with the Republic, he hardly ever used the room as he was off fighting with his brethren on the front-lines, or organizing a new covert operation against the Republicans.

For now, this suite would serve as Laufeia's home on Coruscant, and the suite even came with it's own custom training chamber requested personally by Vornskr himself to keep his skills sharpened whenever he was here. A Sith should never let their skills relax even for a moment, constant honing and training is what kept a Sith strong and alert, and Vornskr was one of the strongest Sith Lords in the One Sith.

That said a lot.

[member="Laufeia Carzi"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

No, it didn't matter. He was right about that. All that mattered now was that she was here, she was with her new Master, and she was going to become the terror that the galaxy had long deserved. She was old, but she would live a much longer life than she had so far. There was no doubt of that fact. She was more than ready to grow even older, progress even further into the darkside, and take control of the One Sith for herself. That was why she'd come. She wanted control. Of everything and everyone.

She was beckoned to follow and she did, leaving with him in the shuttle. Flying to the suite that would be her new home, she took a look outside, examining Coruscant. She'd been there before, of course, but it was always different when someone new took over. More order, this time. A sense of foreboding. She really liked that feeling.

When they arrived at the suite, she looked around, examining everything, sauntering about like a sexy woman normally does, though she didn't care if anyone took notice. She had no intentions of ever seeking to take a mate, and she didn't really care about the intimate side of life except that it was enjoyable from time to time to have company. Here, though, she was seeking to train.

"It will do. The training room is nice. Where do we begin?"

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"We begin soon, but first your road to power must be paved with knowledge, for it is the foundation upon which your greatness will be built upon." He touched a hidden panel on the nearby wall, which opened a nearby bookcase to reveal a hidden chamber illuminated only by archaic braziers. What was the purpose of such an ominous and hidden nook? Well, Vornskr was about to reveal it's purpose, "When I was but an acolyte such as yourself, my master put me through a ritual that I have since put all of my apprentices through ever since I reached the rank of Master." From an alcove in the dark chamber, Vornskr removed a single creme colored robe, and a trio of simplistic holocrons that bore no significant markings.

He did not give any of these to the apprentice just yet, rather placing them gently and neatly upon the nearby table, and then removed a single green-tinged dagger from the confines of his own robes, and held it up before her. "The first rite of your training is to take this blessed weapon, and baptize it in the blood of the unworthy. You will go out into the streets of Coruscant wearing nothing, using the shadows to hide your presence from others, and successfully kill ten individuals, and drain their blood into an urn of silver and steel." He then regarded a single ornate urn that would be resting softly on a nearby shelf, its decorative surface reflecting gleams of light.

"Go forth and perform this task, my apprentice. Should you succeed, I will continue your training."

Vornskr then gently flipped the dagger over in his hand, and extended the hilt for [member="Laufeia Carzi"] to take.

 

[Galatea Raste]

She followed him out of morbid curiosity. Where was this dark place taking her? It seemed so strange, and yet she couldn't help but follow it into the depths of oblivion, not knowing where she would end up, or if she was being led to her death. She doubted the latter because even the grandest of Sith was foolish to waste talent. Vornskr was no fool, either. She could see that in him as soon as she'd met him.

She watched as he pulled forth the holocrons, studying them curiously, but it was the dagger which was offered to her. Offered with a task. A most curious one at that. But so be it. She'd grown up on the streets, selling herself and the like. She could live and she had no qualms about being seen naked. In fact, she stripped in front of him, no shame, and took the dagger. Then she went and collected the urn.

"I'll be back soon."

She turned back to the door and swept out, descending through the building, she chose the back exist so as not to be so obvious. Every city had its underbelly, where the darkest of dark things could happen and no one would ever know they had. She descended. Ironically enough, she chose to make her victims the same people she had emulated in her young life. It felt sweet to her, to kill those that were like what she'd been. Fools, they were. Fools and weaklings, as she had been.

She slipped from shadow to shadow, plunging the knife into the back of an unsuspecting dame before dragging her into the alley and draining her blood. Then she ate her brain because it was sweet and delicious and oh so free. It would keep her going for a long while.

Next a john, because he was high class, and an abuser. She hoped he had a wife to find out that her husband was missing. The sadistic thought brought a twinge of delight coursing through her as his blood drained free. She could kill most of this planet if she wanted to. It would be really easy with the men, since she looked largely human, and had a rather voluptuous form.

In fact, more than once during her assignment she merely walked out, hiding the knife and dagger in the alley, and pretended to be a naked victim. The males around fell for it easy, and she tried to run away from them. They followed her back to the knife. A slit throat, cut hamstrings, a dagger through the heart. She didn't care. Their blood and brains belonged to her. It was delicious, and it was fun. She enjoyed using her body to her advantage. No one would ever touch her as she'd been touched in the past. Vornskr's training would ensure her of that.

When she was finished, she returned to where she'd come from, ascending to where she'd received the dagger and urn, and offering both to him.

"I'm stuffed."

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

While she was out performing the task he had given to her, Vornskr continued down into the darkened chamber until he reached the farthest tomb to reveal a pit deep enough to fit an entire adult Human. He quickly went to work preparing the chamber for when his apprentice returned to him with the blood-filled urn, and in order to prepare for the next portion of the ritual he discarded his cloak and shirt, leaving him bare from the waist up. He inscribed the sections of brick lining the pit with ancient runes written in the ancient language of the Sith, and with an added verbal incantation the rune would glow a dark crimson. He would continue inscribing the bricks around the pit until he heard his apprentice returning from her task.

"The first part of the ritual has been completed, my apprentice. Now we can truly begin."

Vornskr accepted the urn of blood, and gently swirled its contents around for a moment before he gestured towards the rune-inscribed pit in the center of the chamber. "Once you enter the pit, you will be baptized in the blood of those you have butchered, and you will experience all the pain and terror they had experienced in their last moments of fleeting life. Then you shall be reborn..."

Once she had entered the pit, then Vornskr would stand menacingly above her and slowly tip the urn over to spill the blood down upon her. The crimson liquid would cascade down upon her body, coating it with the blood of the murdered. The runes would blaze brightly, and the magic imbued into them would begin to take effect as the blood swirled violently around her in the pit, coating to her skin and plaguing her with the last memories of those she had killed. Above the Pit, Vornskr would begin to channel electricity into the pit, scorching the blood as it clung to her skin and further baptizing her being in pure agony.

[member="Laufeia Carzi"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

Pain. She had felt pain so many times in her life that she'd come to find it absolutely delicious. The pain of her loss of family. The pain of being beaten. The pain of hunger. The pain of remorse. The pain of her first sexual encounter. So much pain. Pain had consumed her so long ago that she'd nearly taken a new name because of it. Pain was not a new thing to her, but a familiar ally. The fact that she was to be subjected to it once again did not bother her in the slightest bit.

She moved to the pit and settled herself within it upon her knees. She was still naked, but that didn't bother her. It didn't seem to bother her Master either. Such was life. She'd lived naked for a time before, simply because she had no other choice. It did manage to cure the desire to hide away, and bring a comfort with ones body, which was more than most women ever held onto.

When the blood came, agony washed over her. Everything she had just done was thrust upon her person. Not merely the physical pain that she had caused, but the mental as well. Her brain felt like it was on fire. Someone was jabbing it with flames. Burning. Her body felt awash with flame as if she'd just jumped into one of the inferno pits on Mustafar and her skin was melting away. That wasn't the case, but the feeling was the same.

Her mouth opened in a defiant scream as [member="Darth Vornskr"] pumped the pit full of electricity that washed over her, cascaded around her, burned the blood. Some of the red liquid entered her mouth and she relished in it before spitting it out between screams.

"This... is... nothing... Try harder!"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He did not answer his apprentice, but rather smiled rather sadistically as the lightning continued to pummel downwards into the pit. Her screams were like the most brilliant symphony, and he pushed down the desire to dance to the delicious music of her agony. The ritual was nearing completion, and with another intense stream of lightning Vornskr would cement his own mark upon his apprentice as the lightning-infused blood burned various symbols into her flesh through the power of the magic that had been blessed upon this pit.

"You may have known pain before, apprentice, but now you are baptized in glorious agony, and your new life shall begin. No longer shall the memories of the past continue to be of relevance to you, and all of your past allegiance shall hereby be forfeit and forsaken. Rise from the pit of your rebirth, and declare your new allegiance."

Rather than actually wait for her to pull herself out of the pit, a hydraulic lift beneath the floor of the pit would engage and begin to push the base upward until Laufeia was back up at the top of the pit. Vornskr would simply wait patiently for his apprentice's new oath of allegiance.

[member="Laufeia Carzi"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

Oh the pain. So glorious. It destroyed her, but it felt so good. How could she resist it? A grin splayed across her face, even as blood seeped from her mouth. This time it was her own blood, and not just the blood of those she'd killed. Still, she wasn't worried. It was minor bleeding, not from internal hemorrhage or anything of that nature. Biologically she was fine and would continue to be fine. This ritual wasn't enough to cause permanent harm to her body.

When she was commanded to rise, she did, even though the platform rose with her. Her body was now covered with strange markings, but that didn't bother her. She rather liked all the markings. Power coursed through her. She felt immensely more in control of herself. Her past was gone, she didn't care about it anymore. She only cared about her future.

As she was commanded to swear allegiance, she pondered this. Swearing herself to this man was dangerous, possibly a curse, but there were ways around it. Nefarious ways, but ways nonetheless.

"I wear my allegiance to you, Darth Vornskr. I am forever your apprentice."

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"A foolish statement, for one day you may yet surpass me, but for now you are still the apprentice."

The Sith Lord stood tall and proud above his newest apprentice, his eyes twinkling with a hungry malice and a yearning to utilize his newest weapon in the unending war against his most hated foes, the Jedi and their consorts. He snapped the fingers on his right hand, and a hunchbacked that resembled a cross between a man and a rodent servant scurried forth from the outlying darkness of the chamber, a bundle of dark clothing clutched in his hands as he knelt down before the newly christened apprentice and held out the clothes.

"These are for you, apprentice. I had your old trappings disposed of, and had these brought for you. I believe that they will suit you well."

What was brought to her was a slim fitting set of leather clothes with a black woolen cloak, along with a cloth armband displaying a blackened blade upon a white background surrounded by a black ring. The set of clothes also came with shin-high leather boots, gloves, a belt, and other assortments that the apprentice might find fashionable and what not.

[member="Darth Villam"]

 

[Galatea Raste]

"That would not unmake me your apprentice. It would just make me better than you."

She grinned at this. He said she was foolish for making such a statement, but what she'd said was true. Vornskr was her teacher. Even if she surpassed him in strength and knowledge, he would still be her teacher. He was the one that made her. Of course she had every intention of eating his brain when it came to that point in her life, but that wasn't the point in this particular instance and she wasn't going to say anything of it.

When the servant came forward, she tilted her head at the thing, but didn't say a word. Instead, she inspected the offered clothes, found them worthy, and began to dress herself. Clothing, for her, had to be comfortable. Anything that wasn't comfortable was a no go. Freedom was her life. Constriction was wrong to her and she avoided it like the plague. Once dressed, she looked back to her Master.

"What next?"