Private The Next Generation

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

Valery circled along with Aedric, hoping to prevent the beasts from getting between them. Together, they were at their strongest, so she knew the predators would want to split them up. But with their backs constantly facing each other as they moved, they wouldn't get a chance, and they'd have to go for a more aggressive approach. Some predators might not take that risk, but these beasts were tainted by the Dark Side.

It was pure, mindless aggression.

As one beast began the charge at Aedric, it was met with a far more confident Padawan than before. His blade cut into the claw of the beast, causing it to shriek before it yelped in pain again when the blade of violet plasma left behind a cut along its chest. It wasn't enough to kill it, but it sure made it angry. Angry enough for the third beast to join the attack, this time with a flanking maneuver down Aedric's left side.

At the same time, one of the beasts had jumped Valery as well, but the Jedi Master had been up against Sithspawn many times before, and acted quickly. She stepped right into its attack, raised her blade and thrust it up to meet the beast's torso. With a loud screech, the Sithspawn was impaled, and crumbled to the floor while the two others attacked Aedric from different sides.

"Watch out!"

 

[Aedric]

Almost. It was almost frustrating how close he had gotten to killing it, perhaps as little as one more step forward and all the difference would have been made. It was hard for Aedric to not get annoyed with himself, but the third beasts approach was enough to keep his focus. There was no reason for the Padawan to check back, as the screech told him enough that the older Jedi had dealt with her beast already. The difference in how easily she had beaten it did no favours to Aedrics frustration, who otherwise would of been quite happy with his performance. Why hadn't he been able to kill it with a single blow?

As the two leapt at him, his gaze flicked between the two, as his free hand shot down to free the training saber from his belt, quickly igniting the notably weaker blade. However, as weak as it was. A blade to eye the eye would be a blade to the eye at the end of the day, and that was what Aedric was relying on as he suddenly dashed towards the closer of the two beasts, going to smash the training saber into the beasts eye. "Damn." He muttered, the other beast having closed the gap too much for him to completely dodge. He leant back as far as he could, the tip of the beasts claw opening a long cut from his cheekbone down to his chin. As soon as he had felt the opening of his cheek, he shifted his body around to a less awkward angle, before going to thrust the blade straight upwards, aiming to impale the underside of its chin.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

Valery was unable to jump to his assistance in time, and was forced to watch as Aedric blinded one of the creatures, but was clawed open by the other. A flash of worry struck her fiery eyes, but she was relieved to see that the Padawan continued to fight. With his blade, he shifted himself in position, and thrust the weapon up to impale the beast through the jaw. It was dead on impact, and crumbled to the floor by his feet.

But the other beast remained.

With an outstretched arm, Valery extended a telekinetic grip to the beast, and applied enough pressure on its entire body to pin it down to the ground. It screeched, thrashed its head around, but there was nothing it could do. Valery wasn't at all going easy anymore, and made sure it couldn't ever try to attack the Padawan she was supposed to protect.

"Now, Aedric!" Valery then called out, urging him to finish the beast off before it could make any attempt to free itself.

 

[Aedric]

The moment he felt his blade passing through the beasts jaw, he pushed it off with a kick before whirling around to face the other, dropping the training saber. His now free hand moved to wipe the blood from his cheek, which was quickly replaced. "That's annoying." He scowled, before beginning to walk over towards the beast which had been pinned by the Jedi Master.

As she called out for him to finish it off, he lifted the saber, intent on doing just that. A single, powerful slash downwards the beasts neck was all that it took, Aedric striking with intent to behead the beast if he could. As soon as the blade made contact, he took a step back, disigniting the saber before turning towards Valery.

"That was pretty fun." He said with a grin, despite the cut on his face. "Should probably work on my physicallity or something. I knew what to do, but I just couldn't react fast enough to the second."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

With a single sweep from his blade, the beast's body fell to the ground, and the tension they'd have felt in the Force began to fade into the background. Valery let out a soft sigh of relief as a result, and looked over at the Padawan. He had been sliced across his face, so she was worried that he was badly hurt, and would really feel that pain with the adrenaline going down. But, much to her surprise, he seemed completely fine.

He even called this whole thing pretty fun.

"Never hurts to hone the body even more," Valery said, now walking over to him. "Mind if I take a closer look? It might not hurt now, but it can easily get infected from Sithspawn claws." If he allowed her to, she'd lean in close enough to inspect the wound, and luckily, it hadn't messed with his eyes or torn apart too much.

It could have been a lot worse.

"We'll have to get it patched up when we're back, but you should be fine. So if it doesn't hurt, we can keep going."

 

[Aedric]

"Sure." He nodded, turning his head and leaning slightly closer so that she could better see the wound. "I don't think it's infected or anything, it feels fine." He didn't comment on any kind of pain it was causing, as it didn't outwardly it didn't appear to be inconveniencing him at all, and all he could really feel from it was a constant stinging pain, which likely would increase dramatically as his adrenaline calmed down.

"We can keep going, yeah." He once again raised his arm, wiping his face clean, before taking a deep breath and attempting to focus in on that feeling from earlier, searching for something to follow. After a moment, he set off, going to exit down the nearest corridor or exit from the hallway, assuming the Jedi master would follow.

"Were those things guarding something, or just creatures that have lingered behind?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

"Uh-huh," Valery said, clearly not entirely convinced about his condition. But she knew that heading back, with the way the walls had changed, wouldn't really be all that easy. So as long as he wasn't in any danger, moving forward and making sure this Temple was cleared would likely be the better approach. Perhaps it'd change the walls back too, and thereby make it a lot easier for them to return to the ship.

"Alright, well just let me know if you do start to feel too much pain. Or if you feel anything unpleasant, for that matter." The Dark Side had its way of making even scratches cause almost unexplainable things to a person. Not that she believed he'd just turn into a zombie or anything, of course.

That would be unfortunate.

The two Jedi then began to walk further into the structure, and Aedric was quick to ask a very good question. "They were definitely guarding something, or just left behind by someone. I just fear that it might be difficult to find our way through this maze if we're not careful." She paused and hummed.

"Do you think your senses can guide us to the source of all this darkness?" Valery already felt it more clearly, now that the beasts were gone.

 

[Aedric]

"I'm fine." He repeated in an attempt to reassure her, his finger subconsciously going to prod at the wound.

"If they were guarding something you think we'll encounter more of whatever those were? It doesn't seem like a particularly impressive guarding force, or at least not what I imagined Sith would of left." Then again, Aedric wasn't sure how long this place had really been abanonded, so some could of abanonded their posts, or whatever it was didn't warrant a large guard force.

Aedric simply nodded at her question, not wanting to distract himself as he focused solely onto that darkness, making his way deeper into the structure seemingly with a stronger sense of direction and purpose.

"I'd say we're pretty close now." He eventually spoke up, slowing the pace of his walk, his grip tightening around the saber hilt once again, evidently expecting a similar situation to early.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

This time, Valery gently swatted his fingers away from the wound, and glared at him a little, "Stop touching it or it could get worse," Valery told him before she kept moving forward. He didn't really seem impressed by the beasts they had killed, which got her to raise an eyebrow, considering the scratch on his face that easily could have been a lot worse than what it was now.

"They might not be the most dangerous to us, but most people wouldn't even make it this far. Their minds would have long shattered." Or if they somehow resisted, they'd be too weakened to fight these beasts and they'd die anyway.

But with that out of the way, they continued forward, and followed his senses through several more hallways and empty chamber, until he mentioned that they were getting closer to the source, right as one last chamber appeared in front of them. Valery could feel the darkness inside too, and carefully followed after him...only to stop when she spotted a pyramid shaped object on a pedestal in the center of the room.

It wasn't guarded, or at least didn't appear to be, but felt strong in the Dark Side.

 

[Aedric]

Aedric grinned as she swatted his hand away from his face, almost moving to touch it again to see the reaction, but stopped as she made a point of worsening the wound. As it currently was, it may not scar still, but Aedric wasn't keen on worsening it and increasing the chance of it scarring.

"I guess so." He muttered, having not considered that despite being a fairly weak Jedi at this moment, he had likely faired infinetly better in that fight than any 'normal' person might of. The mental strain inflicted by this place was also lost on him, his mind subconsciously having fought off anything attacking his mind.

Aedric immedietely started forward upon seeing the pyramid, but stopped himself after a single step, glancing back with a frown. It just felt too easy walking straight up, his gut was screaming at him that there would be a trap or something blocking such a straightforward solution. "Uh.." He began, his eyes glancing over the floor, trying to look for anything before he remembered what was said earlier. Let the force guide him. And he did just that, walking straight forward, light on his feet to feel any kind of disturbance, and be able to dash away at a moments notice.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

He was wise not to do it again.

She had that almost motherly type of glare, whenever her kids were doing something to test how much they could get away with, and that type of look from her meant trouble. Luckily, Aedric focused on the mission again because as they walked into what seemed to be the last room they hadn't yet entered, they spotted a pedestal with a Sith Artifact sitting on top of it. At first, he wanted to walk right up to it, but he quickly stopped himself.

"Be careful," Valery said while she watched him, and turned her gaze to the object. It definitely seemed a little too easy, unless whoever built this place never expected anybody to make it this far. Either way, Aedric walked with the Force as his guide, and found himself getting closer and closer to the pedestal without running into any traps.

But right as he reached the object, a gust of wind blew all around him, and a voice seemed to whisper along the currents of the wind.

"You shouldn't have come here Padawan."

Behind him, he'd suddenly no longer be able to see the Jedi Master at all, as if she had entirely vanished, but was instead greeted by a tall, skinny figure in dark robes. Yellow eyes stared at him from underneath his hood, and a powerful yet strange presence could be felt in the Force. As if he was in this room, but not really there at the same time.

 

[Aedric]

Her saying to be careful barely seemed to register with the Padawan, who was already deep in concentration and allowing the force to act as his guide as he marched forwards towards the artifact.

The closer he got, the more he felt that it had been far too easy. It was hard to believe there was that the Sith hadn't left behind some final layer of defence, or any kind of detererent, and yet, as he got step by step closer, it seemed exactly that way. Seemingly, those couple of Sith Spawn had been all that lay between any would be explorer and this Artifact, whatever it would turn out to be.

The gust of wind and sudden whispering behind him broke his concentration, and he whirled around, expecting to see the Jedi Master. He frowned, however, at the sight that was now before him. This time he was almost certain that the yellow eyes staring at him would mean exactly what he thought they would, the strong presence unsettling the Padawan, his finger instinctively moving to rest ontop of the lightsabers igniter.

"Who are you?" He eventually asked, doing his best to keep his face impassive, not wanting to show how on edge the mans sudden arrival had made him.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

"Do not bother drawing your blade," the man said, his voice deep, hoarse and unnatural, as it seemed to resonate through the entire chamber. He then stepped closer towards the Padawan while a single arm began to rise, and the Force responded. The doorway that Aedric and Valery had used to enter this room shifted until he was surrounded by nothing but walls, and the torches that allowed him to see faded out, until only darkness remained.

"You enter my sanctuary and you do not know my name?"

A booming laugh echoed through the room this time — an ancient laugh that seemed to come from every direction. The Darkness of his presence was only growing, tightening its grip on the Padawan who stood alone. It was an almost claustrophobic feeling, but one that you couldn't escape from very easily.

"Who are you, Jedi?"​

 

[Aedric]

A small frown appeared on Aedrics face as he was instructed not to draw his blade, having thought that his grip readjustment had been subtle enough to go unnoticed. Evidently, however, that had not been the case. As the mans arm rose, Aedrics leg slid back across the floor, adopting a very loose stance, preparing himself to react should the arm raise turn out to be some kind of attack. The doors disappearance almost felt worst than an attack, as Aedric immetiedly felt trapped, and almost helpless.

"No." He said bluntly. Though, despite not giving away much of his identity, it did almost certaintly confirm that this man was a Sith. Or is a Sith, perhaps, Aedric was unable to tell if this man was truly here, or simply some kind of ghost, or image of who was once here. As the darkness seemingly tightened in around him, Aedrics grip on the saber tightened substaintlly, his knuckles turning white, as well as his breathes picking up in speed, seemingly panicked for a moment.

"Aedric." He responded, taking deeper breathes to calm and compose himself. "What do you intend to do now?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

"Aedric," the voice echoed with a sinister tone, and despite his natural defenses of the mind, Aedric would feel the Dark Side closing in on him. It wasn't trying to harm or kill him — it was trying to entirely consume the Padawan, and drive him down the same path of madness this Sith had once taken.

"I intend to break you, Padawan Aedric," he then continued, the pressure of the Force ever increasing on the young Jedi's mind and soul. The more he resisted, the more it pushed back, and the longer it lasted, the more demanding it would be. It slowly and gradually became a painful process — one that felt as if he was being turned inside out, just so this stranger could destroy who he was and corrupt his soul.

"Only the Darkness can save you."

 

[Aedric]

The intruding feeling in his mind was entierly unfamiliar with the Padawan, having naturally warded any other attempts for the entierity of his life. He wasn't even sure how to actively defend himself from such an attack, but he would have to figure it out, and quickly.

"I gathered that." He snapped back, before refocusing, desperately using the force to push back back, which only worsened matters for him. It slowly became a thumping pain on the inside of his head, the pain being reflected across his expression. If the man intended to corrupt him, then he'd need to make them believe he had been. The Padawan effectively dropped all defences, some of the pain from his resitence immedietly subsiding, allowing him a more clear thought process, if only for a few moments before the pressure returned in force.

"If I'm right." He forced out, his voice very much strained, finally igniting the saber, and pointing it straight at the artifact, the tip only a few milimetres away from making contact. "This would probably not be ideal for you, so please stop, or I'll stab this." It almost seemed like a win win for the padawan, at least from his theories. Either the man lunges to stop him physically, at which Aedric turns the blade on him, or he tries to restrain him with the force, when he was confident he could force the saber forwards that tiny amount to damage the artifact.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

Despite his attempts to break the Padawan, the Sith spirit watched Aedric resist, and even threaten to destroy the artifact on the pedestal. This wasn't something he could allow to happen, but he didn't show any fear, panic or emotion at all. No, there was just his whicked smile, before smoke behind him began to swirl around. Within the movement of those clouds of smoke, Aedric could see Valery, walking through a hallway with her lightsaber ignited.

She was alive, but was she safe?

"If you try to damage or destroy this artifact, she will die," he told him. "The device you're looking at powers this entire structure, and its sudden collapse will make the walls change to their original design. Your little friend will be crushed." He showed a wicked grin and took several steps forward.

"Put down your lightsaber, Aedric."

 

[Aedric]

Aedric glanced over towards the hallway impassively, before returning his gaze to the man. She was a Jedi Master, he had every confidence that she would be strong enough to get herself out of this situation, he was more worried about himself in case of a collapse. However, there was no reason for that to happen, as far as he could tell, this man was keen for the artifact not to be destoryed, at the very least more keen on preserving it than has attempting to corrupt Aedrics mind.

"Look, I'm still not entierly sure who you are, but as I see it, you're in no position to be trying to negotiate here." His saber remained steadily aimed at the artifact, despite the man approaching. "You want this to be kept safe no more than I want you too well.." He waved his hand dismissively, as if he was telling the man he wanted him to leave.

"Answer me two questions.. No three, actually. What happens if I take this artifact? Who are you? Are you actually here, or some kind of ghost or holocron? If I so much as suspect you're lying, I'll destory it." As much as he outwardly appeared to be set on his words, he truly wasn't keen on destroying the artifact that had been the sole reason for them coming.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odacer-Faustin

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aedric

"You're in no position to be demanding anything of me in my own home, Jedi," The Sith spirit said, and as anger flashed into his eyes, the entire building around them began to shake. Dust and debris started raining down on them, and what little torches remained lit in the hallways all dimmed under his rage. Still, he made no attempt to physically attack the Padawan - either because he had other plans, or because he couldn't.

But then he finally moved forward, floating his way through the Padawan before rising up into the air. The experienced brought a wave of painful darkness, hate and other powerful emotions into the young Padawan, before it all disappeared.

"This Temple will be your tomb."​

The sound of his voice faded into the background and rumbling of the walls and ground grew more rhythmic. It wasn't that the structure was collapsing, but something was approaching one step at a time.

Something very big.

 

[Aedric]

"Oh.. Didn't quite go as I imagined." He muttered at the Siths response, seemingly very much unphased by the Siths sudden anger and the shaking of the building. As the lights dimmed, he let out a sigh, frustated by his sudden need to strain to actually see anything that wasn't illuminated by the sabers glow.

"That's an awfully dramatic thing to be saying." He commented. Despite the easy going nature of his words, there was a sudden shift in the Padawan as the Sith rose from the ground, his face setting in a much more serious nature, as well as shifting the saber from pointing at the artifact, to being held out infront of him defensively, preparing himself for anything the Sith could launch at him. The flood of emotions into his mind had not been expected, however, and it actually caused the Padawan to take a step backwards, as some of the emotions actually resonated with the growing frustation he had already felt.

The Padawan didn't flee at the approaching footsteps, instead he simply widened his stance, and tightened his grip on the hilt of the saber. Ready for whatever it was that was approaching.

Valery Noble