Sifting Through Ashes and Lava For My Precious

[Darth Timoris]

Melori stood panting. The efforts had been taxing and they'd achieved what they needed to with not a lot to spare. She may carry the title Sith lord, but she was still on a learning curve and was barely progressed from being a Knight.

Of late she'd been lax in her own training and realised she needed to up her game.

The last beast had been slain with Force Lightning, quite literally convulsing to death as it's natural armour served it no protection from the Force. Of course, this was where there was a temptation to use Force Drain, to replenish her Force energy - but she resisted. She was sometime arrogant but never foolish.

So she looked across at her partner-in-crime - who seemed to be doing most of the work right now and nodded once more at her prowess. "I wonder if the others are having as much fun." If she was joking, it was difficult to tell, her delivery as dead-pan.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]
((Feel free to throw in what beasties or treasures you like. ))

​

And so by the power of space magic, glowsticks and armour-piercing bullets, the pack of Xandanks was slain. The air was filled with the smell of burnt and charred flesh. Then again it was already rank with poisonous gasses, so it's not like environmental rights groups had much cause to complain.


The orange tendrils of Force Drain dissipated as Sumiko relinquished her hold on the beast. She took a deep breath as she did so. The power was useful in many situations, but there was always the danger of becoming addicted and ending up being overwhelmned by the hunger. At least if you took it to extreme lengths like a certain Sith Lord with a cool mask, sadly unintelligble dialogue and a weakness for eating planets.


With the beasties all slain, she glanced over to Timoris, who seemed to be in the mood for deadpan one-liners. This was also an essential thing on any dungeon quest. "If they're lucky. Would be a shame if Mustafar did not spread the love and toss a welcoming committee at them," she said just as deadpan. Verily, she was the height of wittiness. She took a moment or two to catch her breath as she surveyed the cadavres."


"Anyhow, let's go, before Mustafar throws more fun at us." Clouds of smoke billowed up into the sky and occasionally the ground was shaken by what seemed to be minor quakes, though it remained stable enough. Ahead of them lay the ruins of the once pround Jedi Enclave, former home of the Blackguard. Decay was evident in the ruined structure, though so far the walls had withstood the test of time. A strong looking door still stood, baring them entrance. Elaborate runes and sigils in some archaic language were inscribed on it.

 

[Komo]

Despite what [member="Darth Veles"] said, the blonde knight found it difficult to believe the Calamari was out of his element. While she knew that your usual Mon Calamari would prefer a much colder and humid environment and would feel intense discomfort in a fiery world such as this, Veles looked so calm and unaffected that it was difficult to believe that the heat affected him as well. If he indeed was really affected by the blistering heat, he must have been a master at concealing his feelings. Darth Noxia had to give him credit for that. It was not an easy task. Especially not for her.

Her attempts at doing so in the past have been largely unsuccessful. She would voice her surprise once again. "It's hard not to be, when you see a fish such as yourself looking so calm." As the pair neared the structure, Noxia guess was it was once a factory or a mine of some sort. Abandoned machinery lay scattered around the premises, signs of neglect clearly present in its appearance. Veles then went on about his time training in Korriban and Ziost. That did make some sense to her, but when she thought about him being a fishy like creature in a fiery environment, sense went out of the window. Puzzling.

As she followed the Sith Lord's lead, they eventually came to the entrance of the abandoned facility. The power to the control panel had long been drained, preventing them from entering through the robust metal doors. As he asked her about their entrance method, an idea came to mind. Noxia spoke up. "The power is out right? How about we try to provide the power then?" As soon as she finished talking, her hand was faced outstretched towards the control panel as a stream of force lightning erupted from its fingertips.

 

[Darth Veles]

The purest manifestation of the Dark Side burst out in sparks of blue and touched the control panel with its long branches, lights on the display flicking to life and giving the door just enough energy to open for the Sith duo – as soon as [member="Darth Noxia"]’s display of her control over the Dark Side ended, so did the control panel stop working once more. One mere glance into the gaping hole leading inside gave Avreet an idea that lack of power was going to be equally spread throughout the entire structure. This also meant that despite being a gentlebeing, the Mon Cal entered first to face any and all dangers that might have waited for them inside, unwilling to let a woman be the one to face a threat hidden in shadows.

A terrible stench of animals hit his nose as soon as he entered and breathed the air within the metal monster – beasts have taken residence within the facility after its sentient owners moved away. The Force revealed no life presence in their near vicinity though, so both curved hilts serving as Veles’ trusted companions remained silent still. Instead of going for lightsabers, both hands automatically touched the walls next to the door to find a switch, but even after discovering it and flipping the lights on, nothing happened, confirming Darth Veles’ fears. No power, no lights, nothing.

That alone did not present much of a problem; his cybernetic eye could work with the little light that cut through the occasional crack in the walls here and there. As soon as the artificial replacement adjusted to the night inside, Avreet spotted the reception’s true state – the lonely massive desk did a poor job at making the visitors feel welcomed, as its faithful chair companion laid down on the metal ground, broken and motionless. Papers and worthless documents joined the chair on the floor, filth started to grow in corners. Something rhythmically dripped from the ceiling, water disguising itself with dirt. This place had seen better days, no doubt about that. Gracefully moving further in to let his fellow companion into the facility’s mouth before they moved deeper into its intestines, Avreet’s booted feet silently strode over the papers scattered on the floor. The woman would often find her steps producing a tortured moan of the old metal beneath her, lacking the perks of assassin training and powers.

A howl from within the mine’s depths caused him to sharply turn his head in the sound’s direction, the piercing shriek resonating through the otherwise silent and abandoned structure. As soon as the sound ended, Veles calmly went the way it originated from, passing through a short hallway filled with motivational posters, only to reach another door - open and less reinforced this time - and looked at his ‘sister’, a wave of hand inviting her to go through the newly discovered entrance labelled with the symbol of a staircase. He did not even try to use the elevator cabin right next to it – broken, as he could tell just by the looks of it. Whatever sorts of beasts lived within the old building, Avreet took it as a test. If the two Sith found something of value – even better.

“Shall we proceed deeper, lady Noxia?” he offered and followed the woman and her plans, watching her back.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori felt a shiver despite the heat. She lay her hand on the crumbling stones that once stood might and proud as a wall that surrounded the enclave. The Blackguard had clearly rebuilt the main building when they'd taken up residency - but some parts had clearly been allowed to remain in disrepair.

As she ran her fingers along the wall, she closed her eyes. Yes...she could feel it...her presence. It must have been recent for the residue of her aura to still linger. Melori searched her surroundings. She was not here, she knew it.

"My sister," she said, looking at Sumiko. "No...my sisters." As if this was an explanation she promptly withdrew her hand and looked to the building ahead. It's fin-like stone structures a tell-tale sign of its origins. She strode forward, through the main entrance - its doors now ajar from countless forced entries no doubt. And she headed into the small courtyard that served as a hub to the building. It was unkempt but free from the weeds you'd expect - but doubt due to the harsh climate.

But what to find, if anything? She searched with the Force but found nothing. She didn't expect to. Anything obvious would have been looted a long time ago. She nodded to her left. "The dormitories," she said confidently. "Been in too many enclaves not to know my way around. The Jedi? No sense of fun when it comes to architecture. Visited in one enclave and you've been in them all."

"And so we need to find whatever people have hidden and fortunately, before I became a Sith, I was a very, very naughty girl. And I used to borrow things and hide them. In a place just like this. So I know where to look."

"So...you don't strike me as the sort that was once a Jedi. What's your story?"

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]


It had been a long time since anyone called this enclave home or used it as a base. The Blackguards had not been completely wiped out during the purge that drove them out of Mustafar, but even if at some point they had returned to reclaim this place, much of it had fallen into disrepair. Crumbling stone formed walls that once might have stood tall and proud, cobwebs had formed on the ceiling, dust had accumulated on the ground.



Still, the trace of the Blackguard yet lingered here. The Dark was strong, but decayed. Traces of the Light could still be found, perhaps a residue of the fact that Jedi had once dwelt here, or perhaps a result of the peculiar teachings of the Blackguard, for they had sought to balance the light and the dark side within themselves in their quest for enlightenment. Or at least that's what the party line said. Sumiko had strong doubts about things being this harmonious.


There was not much in terms of light in the hall because power seemed down, so she activated a glow-rod to provide some illumination for them. She cocked her head slightly when Timoris spoke. Apparently the young Sith Lord had some family issues since her two sisters were with the hippies with robes. Well, Sumiko knew a few things about annoying family members! "Good, then we should make a good salvage team. I was a very, very naughty girl when I was younger," she said with a slight chuckle as they headed to the small courtyard, free of weeds to the harsh climate.


"As for my story, no I wasn't a Jedi. I take it you were? Atrisian Imperial Intelligence, for me. Specifically the Emperor's personal, force-using hit squad. Till we got purged. That was unpleasant." And the prize for massive understatement goes to Ms. Tanaka. Anything obvious would have long been looted, but some treasures might still remain. The Blackguard had been obsessed with the collection of arcane knowledge, holocrons included, and this had been their lair.

 

[Kendrix]

Kendrix smiled light watching and listening to the woman as she spoke about Limbthír. Kendrix understood now, and she no longer felt curious about the feelings between the two. Her words were indifferent, but the excitement in Raisnaneth’s eyes gave away it when she spoke about him. Kendrix thinned her lips curling them inward as she kept from grinning. Her father spoke so much of this sort of love. He believe he shared it at one time with his wife. He was wrong. She wasn’t one to play matchmaker however. If love is true the two will realize what they share. It all seemed like a childish tale.

Kendrix paused in her steps the tip of her fingers touching Raisnaneth’s arm, “There is something ahead.”

She switched to the lead. Something drawing her deeper into the cavern. Kendrix walked faster than she had before entering into a large chamber filled with falls of lava and extreme heat. Kendrix hit the ground as the sudden heat caused her get light headed and lose her footing. Several minor scrapes and bruises. Kendrix's skin was easily bruised and broken so it wasn't a big deal for her. She forced herself back up looking around the chamber trying to find what drew her forward. Something. She didn't know what it was, but something beckoned her to the chamber. A series of clicks drew her attention from the chamber walls and deeper into large room. She winced as she realized what she just did.

It looked like large insect. Heavily plated. It's eyes weren't visible but the barb on it's tail told her it was angry. It held it up as it's mouth open to make another series of rapid clicks. Her mind told her it was saying get away. She began it back away slowly but her eyes focused on a stone on the other side of it. It called to Kendrix. Kendrix glanced between the creature and the stone.

[member="Darth Zarrah"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori listened and made a note to find out about this Intelligence unit. She knew little of life outside the life of a Youngling, or a One Sith. But then, she'd had precious little time for anything else.

As expected, they soon found themselves in the dormitories. Large rooms with lots of beds for the junior members and smaller rooms with a single bed for the higher ranking Blackguard no doubt.

Melori ignored the obvious places - like cupboards and drawers. Not only did they make poor hiding holes but they were also the first place anyone looked.

Instead she looked behind furniture for tell-tale signs that the walls had been hollowed out. She checked under furniture for cubby holes and finally she checked under beds for loose floorboards.

It was doing this in one of the larger rooms that she glanced across — her head currently under a bed and just above floor level. On the other side of the room she saw some of the floor was uneven — and at a spot that put it directly under a bed in the corner. If she was the type to steal and hide things (which she was) then that was the bed she’d have chosen for herself. She sauntered over and moved the bed. Pointing at the poorly fitting floorboards, she grinned at Sumiko


“After you,” she said. If it not for her companion, they would not have got this far and she felt her compatriot deserved first crack at any spoils.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]


And so the hidden hiding place of the Blackguard was revealed to them. Loose floorboard - oldest trick in the book. Timoris had been so kind to give her first dibs at the spoils and Sumiko was not one to waste such a chance. "Thank you," she said as she moved over to the bed, then bent down.


The Dark Side was weak in here, nothing more than a whisper of its contents' true power, thanks to high-grade nullification resin. However, her lips curved into a smile when her hands found what appeared to be two talismans and she picked them up. Removing the resin she ran her hand over them as she put them onto the bed. Could it truly have been hiden here all this time? One amulet looked very familiar to her from her studies with the Sorzus Syn holocron. If there were other items hidden, she did not notice them because she was far too occupied. "Beautiful. The amulet of..."


However, the plot demanded that things could not be this easy. After all, Sumiko and the younger Raaf had fought plenty of beasties on the way and braved the hellish climate, but they still needed to face a boss enemy or two. And so it came to pass that before Sumiko could say anything a breeze of cold air sweep across the room, with the temperature suddenly dropping dramatically until it was close to freezing. A chill ran over Sumiko's spine as the numbing cold suddenly washed over her. Something was very wrong.


Then she was suddenly grabbed by what seemed to be an invisible force and hurled across the room into a wall. The only thing she could do in response was call upon the Force to cushion her crash, but it still bloody hurt. Ouch. Her back made its displeasure known.


Around our two ladies ethereal shapes manifested, spirits that were the guardians of the Blackguard relics, forever bound to this place. Their spectral shapes oozed power and their eyes were ablaze with fury. As she was gripped again she managed to call upon her power to crush the invisible mental pincers enclosing around her throat like a constricting snake. As Sumiko tried to focus she suddenly excruciating pain surge through her body and before her eyes...her hand began to melt.


Well, at least it appeared this way to her mind. What was actually happening was an illusion that made it appear to her as if her flesh was vanishing before her eyes, much like a chicken leg if tossed into a pile of acid. Breathing became more difficult and her heartbeat was racing to a point where it felt like she might burst. Her sensation of pain seemed to have been heightened tenfold as the spirits wove their web of power, catching her in it, and her vision began to darken, pulling her deeper and deeper into the spell. Deep breaths, calm, focus. If not for Souldrinker, she might not have awoken from the illusion, but the bond with the dark sword strengthened her.


What was the first lesson? To separate truth from illusion. Fear was the mind-killer, the small death. So she tried to focus and calm her mind. There was a brief moment of clarify as her flesh seemed to reform, before the illusionary acid kept burning away her arm. It was not real. Drawing upon the Force she shored up her mental barriers, withdrawing behind walls of protection, as their mental talons tried to tear through her defences. Then she lashed out towards the guardian spirits with a massive mental shockwave born out of her pain and anger, aiming to drive the spirits out of her mind.

 

[Grima Volitu]

The heat from the cave the duo entered was pushing it's way through them. The young girl dropped to the floor in response to it. Zarrah refused to lend an aiding hand to the girl. To grant aid was to rob one from finding their own strength in times of need - a lesson she had learned numerously from her former Master. For Zarrah the heat was causing her stomach to twist and turn. Zarrah conjured up the Force inside her allowing it to combat the sickening feeling and slowly it began to disappear. Then came the sounds of clicking.

Zarrah had sensed something in the cave just as the young girl did - hence the reason she believed for her taking the lead. The eyes of the Sith Witch scanned the area around her looking for the culprit that was playing that awful tune. There it was sitting waiting for prey to lumber into it's liar. The insect's name was lost to the Sith Lady. She had never seen anything like it or resembling it in nature. A new species maybe?

Zarrah stood in confidence that whatever this thing was - nasty barbed tail and all - was no real threat to them. If this was a new species then killing it would rob the galaxy of a new member to live along side of. Zarrah began to back away just as the young girl was doing - giving the creature and themselves a berth between them.

"Don't child," Zarrah said when she saw the girl's head swivel from the creature to a stone. "Remember we are uninvited guests in it's home." Just as the young girl proved it was pointless to kill the other creatures in another chamber - she reminded the girl it was the same here. The insect did not share the two woman's sentiments. With a louder series of clicks it charged toward them whilst it's barbed tail swayed right and left. Then Zarrah realized - almost to late - that the clicking wasn't a warning or anthem it used to charge into battle. The clicking was how it communicated. With others of it's kind.

From the left and right of the cave three more of the insects emerged adding their clicks turning the cavern into a deadly symphony. Zarrah ignited her blade - throwing a red wash of light around her. Zarrah never encouraged killing those weaker than her - yet something was nagging in the base of her skull these insects were not weak. Intelligent creatures that managed to lure two followers of the Force unsuspectingly into to it's feeding grounds.


[member="Kendrix"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was a young woman of simple tastes. She had her sabers and – if she ever got round to collecting them – had some fancy mood armour that also defended against saber attacks.

She had some gauntlets tucked into her belt that came from Marka Raagnos’ tomb. Not that she ever wore them.

As she mused the delight in tomb-hunting for others, she was aware of an issue. The room suddenly became very cold and her Teräs Kasi training told her to prepare for an attack. So she crouched low yet the Force was not forthcoming in advising her what or where to defend against.

And then she saw Sumiko thrown against a wall by an invisible force. Demons? Cloaked fighters? She had no idea but was suddenly was hoisted off her feet as something gripped her by the throat – threatening to crush her windpipe.

As stars formed in front of her eyes, she closed them. It didn’t help. And then she felt as though her lungs were filling with fluid, literally drowning her. It was an oddly familiar feeling. A fellow Acolyte had used the trick on her in a competitive duel. So she closed her mind down as any user of Teräs Käsi would.

The sensation ended but the pressure to her throat did not. So she summoned the Force to her and pushed against whatever was holding it. It broke the grip but like any Force Ability, it followed the rules of physics. Her action had an equal and opposite reaction and she was flung backwards, cracking her head off one of the beds.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]


When it came to lightsabre combat Sumiko was probably average. Or something like that. Thus continuing this writer's tradition of characters who aren't great at duelling. In any case, they had now reached the climax of their adventure. Like every good dungeon quest, there had to be a final battle with boss level enemies.


The giant beetles had been the generic mooks, the Xandanks the elite mooks, the malevolent ghosts represented the boss enemies. Three episode structure and video game mechanics for the win! Such 4th wall breaking thoughts were far from Sumiko's mind because right now things were quite unpleasant for her.


Her mental shockwave rippled from her the ruined confines of her mind towards the invisible talons that were trying to claw through her mind. Pain surged through her as mental shards sought to slice through her nervous system. The spirits had switched gears, for rather than trying to make her believe her flesh was melting she was now being pushed towards catatonia. Fear and desperation gripped her, but Souldrinker brought her the clarity she needed, as did Inquisition discipline.


Thank you, [member="Mirien Valdier"]. It was a bit difficult to fall for illusionary horrors trying to pull her fears from her mind after having been that woman's student. Mental talons were crushed as she drove her shockwave through the mind pincers like a battering ram, smashing them brutally. Briefly her mind was free, though she could already feel the pressure building up again, but it was a break she needed. Physical weapons and blades would not help them here, but the Force could. Her hair stood on edge and she was clattering strongly as frost spread across her skin. Oh, and she was chucked against a wall again. Ouch. Being tossed like a ragdoll was both painful and a bit embarrassing.


"They're spirits, our weapons won't help. I can cast a spell to contain them. Weaken them by draining their power!" she called out. Her hands found her dagger and her bag, removing a crystal, which pulsed with dark energies. Even as an invisible hand came for her, squeezing bones tightly, she sliced across the palm of her hand with the blade, for only fresh blood freely given would do. Then as blood dripped out onto the crystal she began chanting, in the tongue of the ancient Sith, speaking words of power and malice.


Exar Kun had possessed the power to obliterate Freedon Nadd's spirit, which was obviously a power level Sumiko had not reached. However, with enough effort she ought to be able to pull the spirits into the crystal and contain them, if helped by Timoris. Force Drain ought to weaken them notably since they were made of the Force, perhaps destroy the weaker ones. So Sumiko chanted, an aura of power slowly building up around her as she exerted her will to pull their attackers into a crystal that could be their final prison. Illusionary talons clawd across her skin, leaving burns and bloodying her, but she pressed on, ignoring the cold chill that had descended across the room. The spirits struggled with all their power, but they were being noticeably weakened as the spell took effect. Bit by bit, they were being ensnared by the tendrils.

 

[Bundori]

[member="Darth Venefica"]

She was walking and enjoying it, skipping on the hot rocks while almost dancing with her master until they came upon something. The others had found things and been heading towards their goals. While the two of them were moving she stopped as her master was looking at something and the word droids came to her while she was thinking about it. Killing droids wasn't as fun they bled black smelly blood compared to the red metallic kind the humans did. The little girl rubbed her hands together thinking about it with the mention of a lab as her eyes lit up. "Oh yes yes lets see what they have in the lab master."

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was fortunate that her mind was free of pain – but her back was in agony and there was blood trickling from a wound at the nape of her neck. She was shaken and on the back foot.

And she was bereft of ideas. How she tackled the foe was unknown to her. She was a duellist. Give her an opponent with a saber and she fancied her chances against anyone. But ethereal opponents? She was unsure how to act.

So Sumiko’s reply was not just helpful but most likely a life-saver.

She had one tool and so she went for it. Scrabbling to her feet, she pulled the Force to her and channelled it. Her irises morphed to a sulphuric yellow and around her left hand a red light coalesced. Finally it arced towards the creatures – like crimson lightning and it drained their life essence and their Force energy. And the longer it went on for, the more powerful Melori became.

And she had the creatures on the back foot – but was aware that the Force Ability was addictive and she needed to stop soon. But her life came first at the moment and so she continued – to allow Sumiko the time to act.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]


The ripples could be heard resonating strongly through the Force as Melori channelled its power to vampirically suck out the life essence and power from the spirits. The longer it went on, the stronger she was becoming and the more they weakened. Downside was the addictive nature of Force Drain. One need only look at Nihilus to see it taken to extreme lengths. Admittedly the whole becoming enslaved by one's hunger to the point where one devoured planets was an extreme case!


Regardless, it helped Sumiko a good deal as she worked her dark ritual. Truth be told, a good deal of it was based on hasty improvisation since under ideal circumstances there would have been far more time and preparation to set it up. However, things were not ideal so she would adapt. Thus was the law of survival.


Her chants grew to a crescendo as she spoke the words of power and made the appropriate gesures with her hand. Out of her power shadowy tendrils were manifested, gripping the spectral shapes of the weakened spirits and pulling them seemingly inexorably towards the crystal. Soon the first ethereal attackers had been forced inside it. Of course they struggled and fought back with all their might, though their attention was split because Melori was also leeching the very same power they were seeking to channel. And, boy, they were truly oozing dark side energies.


Sumiko reeled as a shattering mental blast slammed into her mind, of such force that she dropped down to her knee. For a few moments her thoughts were scattered. One might compare it to tossing a very heavy object into a pool and watching all the water splash.


To expand upon the analogy, it soon felt to her as if she was drowning as her lungs seemingly filled with liquid. In her mind she was being pulled deeper and deeper into a river by the spirits. Again the landscape shifted and her mind was assaulted with visions of power and knowledge...like the alluring call of sirens tempting her to take the plunge, while mental talons sought to claw at her sanity. Her will was close to being eroded, but Melori's Force Drain had the effect of momentarily shaking her out of her daze as the illusion weakened. So it had been a life-saver as well.


An Atrisian curse left her lips as she tore at the unwanted intrusion on part of the spirits with invisible claws. The tendrils had been dissipating during her daze, now they manifested with renewed strength and poured every bit of energy she had into forcing the last spirits into the crystal, which pulsed with dark energies.

 

[Darth Timoris]

In one sense Melori felt like a by-stander. Once more it was her partner-in-crime that was doing the heavy lifting whilst she watched on.

In truth they were a partnership and it took both of them to vanquish their foes - but it did not stop Melori's feelings of inadequacy. Which in part was why she was so keen to drain the Force from these entities. For the energy she leeched from them made her feel good. No, better than good. Powerful. Very, very powerful.

Her irises were now ringed crimson and the colour was bleeding into the yellow now. She'd never held so much power before. It was intoxicating and she understood how easily it could become addictive.Yet she continued to allow the red arcs of lightning strike the demons - to suck the very Force from them that they were trying to use. The more they tried to fight Sumiko, the more they fed Melori. It was a beautiful twist or irony.

Her pupils were entirely crimson now and the colour was starting to bleed into the whites of her eyes. She felt...invincible.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]


For how long had this lovely collection of malevolent, aggressive spirits been bound to this enclave? Had they been here since all the Blackguards on Mustafar were murdered more than eight hundred years ago? Were they even older...or more recent? After all, a lot had happened during the Four Hundred Year Dark Age that is only occasionally referenced.


Regardless, it did not really matter at this stage. What mattered was that things had turned rather unpleasant for them now that Melori was gourging herself on the beautiful, tasty feast that happened to be their Force energy. Suffice to say that their dark energies were bountiful, but this was what worked against them in this case. The more they sought to claw their way into Sumiko's mind and rip it apart, the more energy was leeched from them and so they weakened.


Poetic irony was a beautiful thing. At least unless you were on the receiving end of it. The dark crystal glowed with Force energies as the last, struggling spirit was pulled into it, cursing all the way and trying to unleash one last massive blast of mental power that was directed against both Sumiko and Melori, but it was futile.


Sumiko spoke one last incantation in ancient Sith, ensuring that the spirits would be entrapped inside the crystal with no escape - at least until someone had the brilliant idea of letting the jinn out the bottle by breaking it! Abruptly the coldness receded as the room's temperature turned back to normal. The former Inquisitor, who found herself experiencing an appalling headache, slumped on the ground. A moment or two passed before she managed to pull herself out of her daze and tried to get to her feet.

 

[Darth Timoris]

In an instant they were gone. One moment Melori was feasting on the power they were feeding her and the next she was left feeling empty.

She was fuller than she’d ever been but she wanted more. Her eyes were now crimson apart from the black of her pupils and she felt not bloated but hungry. So this is the addiction that she was warned of?

And she needed to vent the power – to use it in some way – less it consume her. With a guttural roar, she pushed upwards, at the ceiling of the one story building. The roof tore away as if it were made of polystyrene. Huge chunks of permacrete flew into the air, landing tens of metres away.

And regardless of exposing the room to the open air, Melori continued to push Forcre energy upwards, as if she were trying to alter the planet’s very orbit.

Finally she was done. She felt exhausted and her eyes had returned to normal – except they now looked blood-shot. She felt weak and vulnerable but the logical aspect of her personality knew she’d done the right thing.

She sat on a nearby bed and then collapsed backwards, panting. “It better be worth it,” she offered, quietly – although her voice carried. “Just saying...right?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Darth Timoris"]


And so the spirits had been sucked into the crystal and vanished. Later on Sumiko would have to think about what to do with them or where to put the crystal. In the light of the fact that the spirits had putten the pair through lots of trouble, perhaps it would be appropriate to devise creative ways to torture them. Maybe [member="Mirien Valdier"] could assist her in this task. Her former boss really loved breaking in recalcitrant subjects and bending them to her whims. Perhaps they would eventually reveal useful knowledge.


But that was something for the future. For the next couple moments she could only watch with some awe and a measure of concern whilst the Sith Lady vented her power by tearing the roof asunder. Presumably Siobhan Kerrigan would approve of such massive property damage. However, it made Sumiko relieved that Timoris had found an outlet by wrecking the ceiling instead of continuing to indulge her hunger by draining her. In her weakened state, it was unlikely that Sumiko would have been able to resist that well, even with Souldrinker at her side.


"Agreed. Nice work," Sumiko said hoarsely as she tried to catch her breath. "I think...I need a drink...or several." Clearly this was the moment for a Corvus drinking gif! "Spa weekend would be nice, too." Breathing heavily, actually more like panting, she pulled herself up to her feet, though she was leaning very heavily on the bed railing. Certainly more so than she would have liked. The battle with the spirits, along with the damage caused by Timoris, had wrecked the room rather nicely, tossing artefacts all around, but fortunately Sith toys were difficult to break without space magic.


A few talismans and amulets were strewn around, Sumiko's attention was, however, drawn to the amulet she had been nerdgasming about earlier before the spirits decided to crash the party. It had been deposited on the bed before the tussle began and then falling to the ground. The Atrisian bent down and picked it up, sitting down on the bed. "The Dreypa Talisman. One of the three great amulets created by Sorzus Syn. It was supposed to trap Dreypa's spirit, but he altered it to help him survive the tortures of his oubliette whilst extending his life span. It's a work of beauty. Of course, as always, things didn't work out for him the way he envisioned. Quests for immortality never do," she said with a strong sarcastic edge to her voice. Her breathing was rather laboured, but she was apparently not too tired to nerdgasm and make snarky commentary.

 

[Via Dolorosa]

"To the labs then," she agreed.​

​

The inside of the building looked like a battle was waged inside; which was probably true. Droids, like Sith, held no regard for life. Droids had no moral compass and would kill and kill until there was nothing left to kill. The carmine stains on the walls was clear evidence that the organic life that once ruled here had been overthrown; while tracks and claw-like foot prints from droids were smeared on the floor. She hoped that the droids hadn't completely destroyed everything here; or at best left the labs intact.​

​

A map on a wall, made of duraplast rather than the holo kind found in most places, showed them their exact location compared to where the labs resided. They had to go up two floors to reach it, and with the turbolifts probably out of order they would need to hoof it. ​

​

"Lead us to the promise land, Apprentice."​

​

[member="Bundori"]​