Private The First Step

[Sofiel]

"You know the deal, You only need to let me in."

The voice echoed within the abandoned building. Blood scattered the walls. Some in chaos, but most of the markings were.. Markings. Sigils, none that seemed to have a direct meaning, but they were enough to initiate the bargain. Within the center most sigil, a black raven sat. Actually sat. It was almost a raven, with large black wings. But oddly humanoid legs in those same feathers. And a white, almost porcelain mask. With startlingly golden eyes within it. And it was speaking. It's voice, hollow and echoing, spoke out in the chamber.

Before it, the only survivor. The ritualist. The Sith who summoned them. Her hands trembled with the knife in her hands. Everything had gone wrong, everyone had gone crazy. But she didn't think this would work. She thought they were all crazy.

Yet here it was.

"Y.. You can..? .. Who are you?"

The wicked bird just spread it's wings far and wide, it's yellow eyes filling with delight.

"Sofiel. The answer to your prayers."

Danton

 

[Danton]

Danton strode through the dark. On the hunt.

The outpost he arrived at was a miserable affair. Roads layered in gravel and dirt. Trees dead or decaying. Cracked rooftops and barely standing houses, clumped together from concrete and crumbling stone. One rough storm probably would've been enough to wipe the entire settlement out of existence. Perhaps Danton could've been that storm, but it'd have been a waste of time and he was in no mood to massacre. First, he needed answers.

Days ago, he'd received word of strange goings at the outpost, on this backwater world he never cared to read about. Its name, its people, was unimportant. What caught his attention were rumors of an arcanist, a witch, who was conspiring to summon things from the Beyond. Devils. Creatures from the dark. Things that no man or woman would dare to acquaint with.

Which made them a perfect match for the Brotherhood of the Maw.

What Danton didn't expect, however, was just how sinister of a mess he was about to walk into. Because at the end of the street, empty and heavy with shadow, stood an old and abandoned building, radiating with a dark presence he'd never felt in his life. Had he come too late? Or just on time? He didn't know. All Danton did was move, gravitating towards the building as if… hypnotized.

The front door was left ajar, and fool as he was, he reached for it.

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

The door swung on it's own as he reached for it. Slowly, on it's own. The only living person within that whole building pushed the door open. Now yellow eyes stared forward, towards the horizon. Just to stare up at the sky, uncaring of the blood on her cheeks, hands, body. Even the black robe of the Sith wasn't spared from the blood of the others around. Then, almost as if in a dream, her eyes shifted to the masked man before the door.

And the calm smile spread across her lips. The calm smile that never reached her cold, emotionless eyes.

"Hello. Who are you?"

Danton

 

[Danton]

Danton instantly took a step back. An overwhelming wave of the Dark Side swept over him, along with a sensation he couldn't quite pinpoint, a presence that made the skin on his neck prickle. He saw it in the eyes. Golden, mechanical and without feeling. The girl—if he could call it a girl anymore—offered him a calm smile, like she wasn't bathed in blood and backed by a room full of death and decay.

Gore slicked the walls. A few bloody footprints trailed behind her. A short glance over her shoulder told him enough of what had just occurred, and the sigils and markings he briefly caught said plenty. The so-called arcanist had completed their ritual. But who was it that Danton was seeing now? This same arcanist, or their victim? Maybe both. Maybe something worse, more powerful. Darker.

"I'm no one of importance," he answered coldly. "Who are you?"

He rested a hand on his lightsaber. If he was looking on what he thought he was, it was unwise to provoke the girl—but it especially unwise to trust her. Spirits were dangerous things. Even Sith as he was, they couldn't be met with open arms or a warm greeting, no less when they were fresh out of a ritualistic massacre. He needed to be careful.

He needed to see just what he was facing.

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

Slowly her head tilted to the side. And as she did, the raven from before landed on her shoulder. It's white mask, devoid of any eyes, stared intently at the man as she did. But she simply let her head rest against it's side almost like it was a pillow. Just to study him curiously, intently.

Then the smile widened.

"Sofiel. .. Are you one of those.. Sith?"

Danton

 

[Danton]

"I am."

His fingers continued to dance along the edge of his lightsaber. The raven's arrival, and how gently Sofiel relaxed her head against it, made Danton boil with curiosity. He had questions for her, and until he had enough information, he would offer only simple answers in exchange.

"I've come here for a girl. One who communes with the other side. She matches your description, but I'm not so sure if she's still here."

He stared at her through his mask, expressionless. The golden rings in Sofiel's eyes were strange, yes, but it was their utter lack of emotion in them that told Danton he was not looking at a near-human girl. Not even Sith capable of the most heinous acts could be without so little feeling in their eyes. There had to be desire, at least. Hunger, or hatred, or pride.

But there was nothing in Sofiel. Nothing at all.

"Who is your friend?" he said, gesturing to the raven. Was it even a raven? He couldn't tell. Its legs were too long and its face white and eyeless. Another mystery he intended to decipher.

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

"She's here. She'll always be here."

The deal was struck, so there was no alternative. Unless the deal was broken, anyway. But she had no intention of breaking it. Sofiel took a deep, deep breath, spread her arms out, let her eyes close. This was the living world. Who knew air tasted so good.

"Vorthruz. My.. Familiar. Will you try to strike me down? You seem on edge."

Danton

 

[Danton]

"I see," he replied, considering Sofiel's answer with a trace of suspicion. He clearly didn't trust her, and whether she had sold her soul to some otherworldly devil or bound herself to one, he couldn't tell. She just wasn't the same girl he came for.

No, if anything, Sofiel was better.

"An interesting name," he said and regarded her familiar, Vorthruz, with a glint in his eye. "I can't say I've seen many Sith in possession of a familiar. Unless, of course, you are not a Sith at all." Although it was a statement, Danton had phrased it like a question: Are you friend or foe?

He had no interest in fighting Sofiel. He wanted to learn from her, find out just what had happened only minutes ago, and perhaps, if possible, recruit her into the Maw.

At her next question, Danton offered a thin, unseen smile. "I won't. Not unless you try me first." He tilted his head, signaling back to the abandoned building and its blood-soaked interior. "It's hard not to be on edge, I will admit, when you are drenched in blood not your own and backed by a slaughter. Not that I don't mind butchering a few people every now and then."

"So, you can forgive my distrust of you."

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

"I am.." She paused for a moment. Thought crossed her face, leaving the smile to fade into a deeper expression. The host, she could feel their thoughts and memories. Where they were leading her down was interesting to say the least. Which meant-

"I am Sith, yes. And I am not a threat to you. I am here to help. .. Where am I, exactly?" The calm smile returned to Sofiel's face as she turned her gaze up towards the masked man. Calm as ever. That's right. That was the deal.

"And how can I help?"

Danton

 

[Danton]

Danton should have relaxed at hearing Sofiel admit her allegiance to the Sith, to the Dark Side, but he didn't. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith were prone to stabbing one another in the back, betraying comrades for a taste of greater power, or destroying loved ones for fulfilled ambitions. They lied, deceived and manipulated. He would know, of course, because he did the same thing.

"I don't know the name of this settlement," he answered. "I scarcely remember the name of this planet. Just another barren rock no one would think twice about if it was glassed overnight." Danton cast a look over his shoulder. Since his arrival, the outpost had stayed mysteriously empty. Even if it was the dead of night, the silence was eerie.

"I'd came here to find a cult. An arcanist in possession of intimate knowledge of Chaos and the Netherworld. Knowledge I hoped they would be generous enough to share." He looked her up and down. She was a masterpiece of composure, and the cold mirror of a Sith Lord who'd lived for centuries. "I heard whispers they were meddling with the dark forces that live beyond. Attempting to invite a Devil into our mortal plane."

"Tell me, Sofiel. Did they succeed?"

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

A nameless backwater world?

Well, it could be worse. Then again, her eyes fell up to the star filled sky. And for the briefest of moments, a genuine smile formed on her face. She was here, finally. Here and free, save for the deal at least. Her smile deadened shortly after, returning to the same calm, emotionless mockery of a smile as her gaze shifted back towards the Sith beside her. To stare up at the mask he wore, as if she could see through it.

"They made their deal. You needn't worry. I am here to help the Sith."

Danton

 

[Danton]

Danton watched curiously as Sofiel looked up into the night and smiled. It was the first real, visible picture of emotion he'd seen yet from her, and he knew exactly what it was. Freedom. Like tasting fresh air after years of living underground. He was almost jealous of her, because it was a sensation he hadn't felt since before his sister died, back when his life meant more than just killing Jedi.

At her final answer, Danton nodded. His hand began to slip away from the hilt of his blade. "That is good to hear. Whatever deal either of you struck, as long as it's not in favor of the Jedi or the Empire, I see no reason for us fight."

He took a step back, farther out into the dark and silence street. "The townsfolk," he said, changing the subject. "Where are they now? Since I arrived, I've seen no sign of anyone here besides you."

The more he thought about it, the stranger it was. He'd seen no lights on, heard no sounds, seen no shadows behind curtains. It was like the entire outpost had been abandoned. Which had him wondering… had Sofiel disposed of them herself? Surely, the bodies and blood of every civilian here couldn't be smeared across the entire building she'd been in, could they?

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

"Jedi, Empire? No. They were not part of the deal struck." She kept the calm smile, though it seemed to widen as he stayed his hand from the blade. A lack of a fight was always a good thing. The last thing Sofiel wanted was to have to find a new vessel so soon after finally getting one for herself.

"Where are they now? Since I arrived, I've seen no sign of anyone here besides you."

"You came here because you knew something was being brought from beyond. Just a handful of sacrifices isn't enough. The price was paid. In full."

Blood costs weren't the only ones needed. Their souls, their bodies, they resided now in her realm. Where they would for forever more. She walked with him, hands behind her back, clasped together in such a calm way. Her gaze continued to wander. The buildings. People made these. Fascinating.

"Do people not like looking at the stars?"

Danton

 

[Danton]

"An entire settlement," he murmured. If he wasn't already so acclimated to the cruel, twisted machinations of the Brotherhood, he might've shuddered at the thought of this girl being directly responsible for so many deaths. Dozens of people must have lived here. Families, mothers, husbands.

"Incredible," said Danton, "I almost wonder how a girl such as yourself managed to accomplish it. Killing everyone else." He surveyed her, and although Sofiel was of decent height and build, still, clearing out the whole outpost without any visible weapons on hand was impressive.

Unless, of course, she hadn't been alone. Danton had heard conflicting rumors. Word of a single witch, to an entire cult devoted to the worship of Nether Devils. Since he hadn't been able to get a look good of inside the site of the ritual, he'd no idea if Sofiel had received help in her… work.

"Do people not like looking at the stars?"

"Some do," he answered. "People only hide themselves behind these walls because they're afraid of what lies outside them. Raging storms. Nocturnal beasts." He placed both hands on his hips and observed the desolate town, doors hanging open like broken jaws. "Or monsters like us."

At that, he cast her a dark smile. She might've not been able to see it under his mask, but he'd a feeling she could sense it with that piercing stare of hers.

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

"I haven't killed anyone yet."

Sofiel herself, anyway. She watched him for a moment, tilted her head. Monsters, were they? Perhaps he was. Her gaze turned back up to the stars as her smile returned, just briefly.

"I'm not here to be a monster. That's not my deal. Though, if the common folk will view me as such, I suppose I will be. We'll see, when the time comes. .. How do I travel the stars here?"

Danton

 

[Danton]

"Not here to be a monster?" Danton repeated, incredulous. "We're Sith. All people will ever see are monsters when they look at us." You, especially, he wanted to add. She was covered in blood, fresh from murdering an entire settlement, and clearly had brokered a deal with a Netherworld demon. She was as much a monster as he, if not worse.

But he supposed that was the past. How Sofiel intended to use that girl's body, her newfound abilities, was completely up to her and her alone.

"Traveling the stars should be easy. I have a ship nearby. I can take you back to the homeworld of my master. To Exegol, the birthplace of the Sith, or to whichever planet you desire." He hesitated. Part of him didn't want to let this girl slip through his fingers. Part of him wanted to drag her back to Exegol, to convince her to join with the Maw, to spill all her secrets to him or his warlord master. That was why he was here in the first place, wasn't it?

Danton grimaced. Before he could say more, though, he caught a flash of light in the distance. Then, another. And another. Speeders were coming in over the hills, at least half a dozen, and were fast approaching the settlement. His neck craned to see them, hand instinctively reaching for his lightsaber again.

Danton knew a witch mob when he saw one.

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

"Is that so?"

It was a question, and a genuine one at that. A frown settled on her lips as she mulled the thought over. Always a monster to the people here? Well, at least it wouldn't ruin her deal if the common folk did indeed view her as such. Even as he seemed to view her as such. The smile returned as her gaze fell on him, her head tilting to the side. Her yellow eyes focusing in on the mask he wore. There was emotion there, more than initially seen before. Just brief.

The look of someone searching for some kind of revenge.

"Take me to Exegol."

Danton

 

[Danton]

“I’m afraid galactic history does not look on us Sith very fondly.”

The Brotherhood of the Maw, in particular. They had razed entire worlds. Murdered billions. Enslaved thousands. They were perhaps responsible for more death and destruction than any empire in the last century, so it was only natural that they were seen as the enemy, the monsters. And Danton was fine with it. As long as he got the chance to kill Jedi, he didn’t care what people saw him as.

Sofiel’s answer surprised him, though. He half-thought she would ask him to drop her off at the nearest habitable planet, where she might wreak havoc on another poor, defenseless settlement. But Exegol? His master would be pleased.

Unaware of the glint of revenge in her eye, Danton bowed. “Of course. I would be happy to take you. Only…” His head tilted over to the horizon, where the mob approached, “...I’m not sure if I have enough room aboard my ship to take your friends.”

Obviously, they’d come to kill Sofiel. Rumors of a dark cultist couldn’t have only just reached Danton’s ears, and now that the girl had just committed mass murder, little wonder that she’d have attracted the attention of outsiders. Mercenaries, perhaps, come to claim the bounty bound to be placed on her head.

Sofiel​

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[Sofiel]

"I can't say I've ever made a friend."

Her gaze drifted from him, towards the approaching group. Her head canted to the side, this time purposefully to nudge the Familiar on her shoulder. Black wings spread wide before it took off into the sky, seeming to grow with each flap of it's wings. Sofiel in turn raised her hand. Put one atop the other as her gaze grew distant. They were a threat. She could feel their intention from here alone.

That wasn't allowed.

"Be not afraid of what comes next."

She spoke calmly before focusing ahead. Her gaze, now through the eyes of her Familiar, watched the group below. And where her gaze fell, the sky lit up with a deep crimson. The white mask of the bird had split apart, revealing a void beneath it. Actual nothing, save for the stark crimson as a bolt of lightning ripped out to scorch through the center of the group. Mercenaries were turned to ash in a second.

Then Sofiel faltered. A frown settled on her lips as her eyes found focus, and a hand reached out to brace herself on the nearby building.

"I trust you to deal with the rest. This vessel is not strong enough yet."

Danton

 

[Danton]

"Yet."

Danton smiled thinly. He never made friends either, but in Sofiel's case, perhaps that could change. She was clearly in possession of power that could rival most Sith Lords, power that he coveted, and she might serve as an important ally to have in the future. That became especially clear after her next display of strength.

As he observed her familiar, Vorthruz, growing in size, Danton wasn't ready for what came next. The sky turned red, like the color of blood. Clouds swirled and twisted. A deep chasm opened up, nothing like he'd ever seen, just before a thunderbolt screamed outward and shattered into the middle of the approaching mob, rendering men to dust in a blink.

He glanced over to the girl as she leaned against the nearest wall for support. Little wonder that was. She'd just murdered a town and had only recently struck her bargain with the Netherworld demon. She would not yet be at her full strength.

But imagine the day that she was?

"Of course," Danton answered, igniting his lightsaber and bathing the both of them in red light. "Take a seat, please. I will give you a show worth watching."

Then, without another word, he sprinted forward, heading for the closest speeder. Just as it seemed ready to ram into him, Danton slid to its right, carving his lightsaber through its hull and into its rear engine. Fire sputtered out from its end. In moments, the speeder veered out of control, along with the men inside it, and crashed into the nearby building. An explosion ripped through the air, like music to his ears.

Sofiel​

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