Private The Bloody Witch of Denon

[Alleria]

It had been a bloody few weeks on Denon, though it’s not like it was anything new to the planet’s denizens. Two lesser gangs squabbling over territory, looking like children to the more powerful. But it didn’t make a conflict between the two any less dangerous, which is exactly what had killed Alleria’s mentor.

Just a random streak, a bolt that had missed its target and went into the crowd. Fate had deemed it to be Alleria’s death that day, but her guardian decided otherwise. The attack had pierced straight through her chest, barely giving Alleria enough time to pull her from the crowd before she collapsed.

The older Dathomirian died in an alleyway, lips parted to speak but death had already taken her.

It was a similar alley that Alleria found herself now. After her mentor's death she had started down a warpath, targeting the gangs that had caused her death. It started small, subtle, targeting lower subordinates for information. They either returned rambling like madmen, or didn’t return at all.

Eventually one of the gangs started to piece together what had been happening. Going so far as to arrange an ambush to capture whomever it was going after their men. They suspected it was the rival gang, and had planned accordingly.

What they didn’t take into account, was that their target was a Dathomirian witch, one who had a control over her magic.

That night had been the one of many bloody scenes people discovered the morning after. From there it all began to ramp up in intensity. The rival gangs started fighting each other more, and Alleria grew more vicious in her personal crusade.

In time though she became less subtle, and arguably more careless. To a point someone was able to identify the use of Dathomirian arts in the attacks. It paused the gang's retaliations against each other, but were quickly reignited due to speculation one of them had a witch in their ranks.

All in all, Alleria had acquired a moniker of sorts that day.

The Bloody Witch of Denon.

And despite everything that was happening, Alleria was still ever on her warpath. During her ‘investigations’ she had learned of the finer workings of Denon’s gangs. Much like how subordinates have bosses, and their bosses have bosses. Gangs also answered to the more influential gangs, ones that kept themselves from the public eye.

One of them were behind that fateful attack, and were now Alleria’s #1 target.

“Where. Is. Your. Boss.” She growled, eyes burned with green spiritual ichor. Before her was a man being held up against an alleyway wall. A trio of wispy green arms sprouting from said wall held him up, one for each wrist, while the other was wrapped around his throat.

“I…don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout.”

She applied pressure to the third hand, choking him. Alleria waited until she heard those telltale sounds, before she loosened the grip, allowing him to breathe again.

“You’re a rat, an informant for your actual masters. So I will ask again. Where are they?!”

Corin Trenor | Asajj Sejarra​

 

[Corin Trenor]

Denon was sick. Poisoned with a lethal dose of incurable venom, and it was a slow killer. Infested the ready-made corpse of the sleepless cityscape with crimwave after crimewave, only to beat the records of the one that came before it. The paltry excuse of a police force was overworked, the courts were overcrowded, the prisoners overflowed, and Azrael... Hell, whatever went on there these days was a real mess. His masked self held no favourable rapport with local law enforcement, seeing it for himself was far from a likely outcome these days.

And yet, Corin still hurled himself out there into the broken streets of Denon. Red Rdava, Red Mask, it was all the same. Some were able to piece together the timeline, the boy that became the man. Hit you with a firm kick that knocked the wind out of your lungs, now he cracked your skull with the wall. Someone else can clean up the mess, unless it warranted his own attention.

But with all the drunken robbers and addicted shooters, there was always another prime Azrael candidate out there somewhere. The Bloody Witch of Denon. Yeah, she fit the profile. He stalked the streets from rooftops, fire escapes, ledges, and the like. There was always word of someone to find in someone else, whether forced out or otherwise. In time, he found her. Just at feeding time, too.

Beneath him, the scene played out. Gruesome, all with a touch of something otherworldly. He couldn't place it, but neither did that much matter.

"Let him go." The voice from above demanded, "Or I'll ask the questions after I paint the pavement with you."

Alleria Asajj Sejarra

 

[Asajj Sejarra]

She watched.

The shadows were the only friend she had left, but she watched from them regardless. Another Witch. She could hardly believe it, here on Denon of all places. She'd just come by to visit out of curiosity. The other Padawans seemed to frequent the planet, so why not? But to hear rumors, well. She wanted to see what they meant. Was it a real witch? Someone impersonating?

Real it was. She frowned where she watched. Not at the Witch, no.

The stranger in a red mask who appeared from above. For now she watched. Waited. Something was about to happen.

Alleria | Corin Trenor

 

[Alleria]

Alleria’s fiery gaze snapped up towards the voice. She didn’t recognize it, but the mask was familiar. Oh she had heard stories about this particular vigilante

“You.” She hissed, eyes narrowing as she glared up at Denon’s ‘Red Mask’. Alleria grabbed the thugs head, yanking it up so he too could see the newcomer. “Would you look at that, little rat? The fabled Red Mask has come to save you.”

The revelation seemed to do nothing to reassure the man, if anything it cemented the fear gripping his heart deeper. And the way that emotion sang through the Force? It was music to Alleria’s soul.

“Why should I, Red? Let him go and he’ll go lick his wounds, then be back on the streets no doubt to kill again.” The wispy arms seemed to detach from the wall, forming into a type of mist/cloud. It dragged the thug off the wall, so he was hanging in the air. Then one by one, the arms gripping his wrists dissipated, leaving him dangling by the hand around his neck.

“What right does he have to go free? After playing a part in so much suffering?” Alleria positioned herself more in the middle of the alleyway. Enough space to move should she need to evade a potential attack. “All I want is to squeeze him for information.” Which wasn’t entirely true, anyone who followed her MO, knew that anyone who got on her ‘bad side’ was either left crazed, or found dead.

Amongst all this though, something in the back of the witch’s mind picked up a second presence lurking in the shadows. But it was ignored, brushed to the side as Alleria focused on the more open threat. Although to the hidden witch, there was something eerily familiar in the way Alleria spoke.

The tone of her voice was reminiscent of when Dathomirian ancestors spoke through the living. And if one were to get a good enough angle, they’d see a faint pulse in the gem affixed into Alleria’s forehead.

Corin Trenor | Asajj Sejarra​

 

[Corin Trenor]

He teetered on the would-be concrete rail of the apartment complex, or whatever it was. Of little importance in any case. Beneath was the abyss of an alley, as if a call to the void itself save for the oddly ethereal whisps that danced in the air and the crimson diamond that radiated in the centre of her forehead. His boots carried the Red Mask back and forth as he paced.

"None," Red answered bluntly in kind, "He's filth, scum, dirt. Let him be free, in time he'll be back on these same streets on the same scheme. Of the mind you moved on, I moved on, there's no one out there. Catch him, beat him, free him, ad infinitum."

The vigilante fell into a practised squat on the ledge, "Sounds like I'm on your side, huh?" The tilt of his red masked head followed, accompanying the sarcastic sound of his voice.

He shuffled forwards only to land with a thud beside the witch and her latest victim, no doubt to be left blind, deaf and dumb in a few uninterrupted moments. She was hardly short, but the muscle-brimmed man of an imposing stature stood above most humanoids housed on Denon. Herself included. If not for the shadows that shrouded them all, maybe he would have cast one himself.

"I'm not. You people flood onto Denon and think it's an open canvas, free to be painted in the blood of their own victims. Not anymore. So hang up the magic and get out of here while you still can."

Alleria Asajj Sejarra

 

[Asajj Sejarra]

Right or wrong, Asajj couldn't say. Just seeing the violence around them was enough to recognize there was something bigger at play. Had someone been lost? Perhaps one of her clan? Had to be. The spirits were restless. Worried? Maybe. She slipped further through the shadows, finding a new perch above the duo. Red Mask, potential sister. Threats of violence. Her eyes narrowed on that.

Green swirled around her hands, and she dropped down.

Faceless, she glanced between them. Stepped protectively between them.

"You should go, Mask."

Corin Trenor | Alleria

 

[Alleria]

The young witch didn’t seem at all bothered when the man dropped down into the alleyway. It was not the first time someone more physically imposing stood before her. Alleria just stared at him unfazed.

“Think it’s an open canvas? It already is, Red.” She let out an amused snort. “I’ve just been painting a bit of fresh paint on a measly little corner. That’ll be washed away by this time tomorrow.” Alleria took a step away from the masked vigilante, pulling the thug along with her.

“I might not be a native here, but I’ve lived here long enough to know nothing changes. At least what I’m doing has an actual purpose, a reason that isn’t fueled by credits, spice, gang warfare…” She didn’t need to continue, her point had been made.

But she also didn’t need to see behind the mask to know Red wasn’t going to budge. Either she was letting go of the thug, or they were going to fight. And there was no reason to not believe the latter was still going to happen either way.

“Eh, it’ll be a waste of my time prolonging this.” With a flick of her wrist, the last remaining hand that held the thug dissipated, dropping the man unceremoniously onto the floor. “Run along little rat, else Big Red here is gonna come catch ya.”

The thug looked between the two of them, debating who he’d rather run past. He opted to run away from Corin, and scampered to his feet and dashed past Alleria. The witch remained where she was, although ready to throw a little Dathomirian magic if Red tried to incapacitate the thug with something.

She stared at him, the green fire in her eyes not ebbing in the slightest. Alleria opened her mouth to speak, but it snapped shut when she felt a new presence suddenly make itself known.

What she had not expected was to see another witch dropping down into the alleyway. And despite the obscuring flames, it was hard to hide the surprised look in Alleria’s eyes.

“...That’s not possible.”

Corin Trenor | Asajj Sejarra​

 

[Corin Trenor]

Red fell into what was mostly silent, save for the few huffs filled with annoyance that followed. She could leave the criminal be, and in that the Denon local was content even despite the tone of her voice and the remarks that followed. Part of him called for the act of violence, but that impulsive nature of his earlier days had been (minorly) quelled. He folded arms over his torso instead, able to do little more than watch from behind the mask that offered him his name.

His helmeted head swivelled at the sound of another voice, one that warned him. Beneath the mask, brows furrowed and a hint of confusion fell over his features. Unencumbered by the otherwise revealed expression as a result of the mask.

"There's two of you?" The vigilante let arms fall to his side with the beginnings of a tensed fist, as if ready to be thrown. Had it been an ambush, he wondered, maybe. There was a bounty out for him after all.

Alleria Asajj Sejarra

 

[Asajj Sejarra]

What was or wasn't possible didn't matter at this point. Quite literally faceless, Asajj kept her hands up. Kept the spell at her fingertips ready, just incase. "Two, one, more, doesn't matter. You should leave." Was Alleria in the right or such to harm all these people? Maybe. But it didn't matter. Sisters protected their own, no matter what.

Alleria | Corin Trenor

 

[Alleria]

Alleria felt the rage and fury within her simmer down as she watched her fellow witch. Ever since her mentor’s death she had been on a lone wolf warpath. Believing the only other last member of her kind had been murdered, like a commoner on the streets. But now there was another of her kind standing before her. The woman’s presence changed things, a lot.

Rationally began to take over, and the burning green eyes dissipated to reveal a pair of violet-blue eyes.

Of course there was more of their kind out in the galaxy. The Witches of Dathomir had already been scattered before the Imperials descended upon their home with fire. But it was a matter of finding them.

Allera sighed.

“Listen Red, this is the situation.” She began, folding her arms across her chest and staring at the masked vigilante. “My mentor was murdered, and by our laws and tradition we’re owed a debt. The culprit’s life. I already took care of the one that pulled the trigger, but then I learned there was someone who orchestrated the whole thing.” If there was one thing Alleria hated, it was being played for a fool. Someone lurking in the shadows was the one ultimately responsible, they had to die.

“You want me to leave your planet?” Alleria paused, glancing behind her for a moment. She could feel the ‘trace’ she put on the thug beginning to fade. She couldn’t waste anymore time. “Then help me-us get the one responsible, then I’ll be out of Denon’s hair, for good.”

After that, she’d be more than happy to never look back at this cesspool of a planet.

Corin Trenor | Asajj Sejarra​

 

[Corin Trenor]

In disbelief, his brow raised beneath the helmet. His crimson shielded head pivoted between the two as either one spoke, one far more cryptic than the other. For whatever that was worth, the so-called Red pondered, with his own healthy amount of skepticism cast into the pot. Two witches on Denon? Hell, one was bad as is. Two is trouble.

Silence.

"Who is it?" He chimed in curiously.

Asajj Sejarra Alleria