With a Spirit Like Mist (Animus Malgus)

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Ophidia could hear his feet on the stone and the flapping of his clothes. She couldn't pin him down, but she was vaguely aware of where he was. While Animus was in the air, she threw out a torrent of lightning, but it connected with nothing but air and dust. He was doing well, but not perfectly. As she turned around, her sabre held out in front of her. She heard a small sizzling sound as the drop that fell from Animus' face hit her sabre. Her body stilled and her sabre whirled in a circle as she turned her back on him and took a few steps away. The sizzle had given him away, but had he noticed that she knew of his approximate whereabouts? She took a moment to remember her surroundings and the sounds Animus had made. In her mind she was reconstructing a trajectory so she could pinpoint her apprentice.

To her, it felt like a day. However to Animus it would only seem like a split second before she turned around and extended her left hand. A web of lightning spread from her fingers to envelop the apprentice on his pedestal.

"Well done my apprentice, but not perfect."

He needed practice, but his efforts had earned him a gift: A fistful of Force Lightning.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus was certain he had evaded her, as she turned on him he felt and eerie relaxation, as if he had just achieved his objective. Suddenly however his Master [member="Darth Ophidia"] spun and looked directly at him. His eyes popped open as she spoke. Impossible. He thought.

However in his incredulity a bolt of lightning was headed into his direction, too fast for him to evade and got him dead center. Animus had never felt the pain the likes of being surrounded by lighting, every inch of his body was in pain, his muscles clamped as the electricity passed through his body that fell twitching to the ground.

Sissling and twitching in pain, he found it worse than other abilities. His body was just struck by lightning and his cloaks were sissling from it's impact, holes everywhere the arcs had hit. The electricity itself made it hard to recover, the pain was immeasurable... he still tried tho.

With all his strength and will, he tried to get up, and we would, given enough time.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

After having sent her apprentice sizzling to the ground, her left hand gripped the blindfold and pulled it from her face. Her eyes opened and stared at her apprentice, while a wry smile curled the corners of her lips. Despite his failure in evading her, she was pleased. Which was a combination she would only allow in such a training session. Darth Ophidia was an expert in stealth and assassination. It was expected of her to be able to detect a rookie, even when blindfolded. She had to admit, he would have a good chance if his sweat had fallen from his face.

"Animus Malgus. It would seem I have one more thing to teach you. If you are not too exhausted."

Her sabre swung back and forth as she stepped towards him with smooth and elegant steps. She believed he would greatly appreciate the next skill.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus took some time to recover, he felt as if he had failed his task, now he was ready to face the consequences. Exile, execution, reduction to a lowly worker or footsoldier, the thoughts raced through his mind as he fought his body to stand.
Once he had risen, his master offered him one more skill... it sounded to him like one more chance instead.

He shook off his pain as he saw the saber swinging towards him, it's deadly hum slashing again and again in his direction. "Yes master, i am Ready" He said as he unclipped his saber from his hilt and unleashed it's blue fury upon his side.

The saber had well accustomed to Animus, and Animus to it, Blue and once belonging to a Jedi he felt it proper for him to use it now that Ferus had tested him and he had grown adept at various styles as of late. He did not know what his Master [member="Darth Ophidia"] would have in store, but he adopted the stance of Makashi, courtesy of Darth Pyrrhus, as she came forth. An elegant style Makashi, well balanced, and a decent defence.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As Animus stepped into the stance of Makashi, so did Ophidia. As lightsabre combat went, it was her style of choice, and she had near perfected it. With a step forward she turned her shoulders and hips, presenting her right shoulder to her apprentice and now opponent. Her left hand tucked the blindfold into her sash before coming to rest on her hip so to give her better balance and be out of the way.

Animus' blue blade shone in contrast to Ophidia's scarlet, and reflected in her burning eyes as she watched the acolyte before her intently. From pointing at the floor, the tip of her sabre lifted itself until it pointed right between Animus eyes. There, it traced a little circle in the air as she tried to catch his gaze. The second rule of bladework: Do not watch the sword; it will entrance you. As the serpent ensnared its prey, so did the Rattataki attemtpt to ensnare her opponent.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus was entering battle with a smile, Finally his Master would engage him in combat, every master that had trained Animus in some way, had fought him to his brink, had shown him the extent of their power, or at least, to the extent Animus could handle without dying. Not [member="Darth Ophidia"] however, which made this all the more special to Animus.

His master came inside the area with the work of her blade, Animus found it hard not to pay attention to it, however, When he was dueling master Pyrrhus he learned a great rule of Makashi, you could tell everything your opponent would do, not by looking at their blade, but by paying close attention to their feet.

As his master's blade opened wide to the side, Animus Saw his chance, Quickly he changed stances to Juyo, pouncing hard and engaging with ferocious strikes, not concerned about defence, he would then attempt a force jump of Ataru over her swiping upstairs then landing adopting the Shi-cho defense stance. He enjoyed battle, he enjoyed fighting, he loved Juyo because of this, it taught him to enjoy combat and relish in its brutality. Ophidia would find her Apprentice eager and with a wide variety of Lightsaber moves that he prided himself on earning, every single strike driven with ferocity, brutality and with the desire to impress his Master.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

When Animus pounced, Ophidia stepped to the side to avoid the brunt force of his charge. His cuts, she redirected with ease by working with Animus' momentum and simply leading his blade out of her way. It was classic Makashi, and conducted with such fluency that the blade seemed impossibly fast, yet all the movements of her hand appeared slow and nonchalant. As he jumped over her, she swayed her body out of the path of his blade, then turned sharply. She had faced Ataru users before and found one very effective way of dealing with their jump.

Right before Animus was about to hit the floor, she enhanced her body with the Force for strength and speed, and threw a devastating kick to the apprentice's legs so to destabilise him in the air. Impossibly fast and terribly powerful, it had thrown greater masters on their backs and at her mercy. All the while, her blade covered the central line of her body and her extended leg.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

While Animus' attacks were being deflected with such ease, it burned inside him, frustration and anger consumed him, but did not blind him, it was a well of energy from the Dark Side he had learned too much how to summon. His Jump was quick and standard of Ataru, however when he fell, his legs were knocked from under him and he was falling hard. During the fall he remembered Sage Banes teaching on force Augmentation, something before his training with the sage he had no idea of. Using that ability to enhance his speed he prepped for the fall.

Determined not to fail his master he moved with his body, placing his wrist to break the fall and executing a low kick in an effort to know his master to the ground, like a dance he kicked and using the momentum of if started to rise with a vertical slash directed at her midsection, hand at his back for balance returning to Makashi. [member="Darth Ophidia"] was proving to be the most formidable lightsaber combatant Animus had yet to see.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Ophidia's skill came from the singularity of her form. She had dedicated hours, weeks, months and years of her life to the form of Makashi. She knew little of the other forms, except how to defeat them. When she was still an acolyte, she had found that the mixture of styles that many, like her apprentice, employed was more effective. However, as she grew, she had found her singular style to outmatch many.

When Animus legs came for Ophidia she jumped. Adding a spin to her jump, she barely had to leave the ground to pass over the obstacle as one leg passed over Animus at a time. Upon landing, her sabre swiped downwards in a fast, but subtle cut aimed at Animus' elbow in order to intercept his cut for her abdomen. It gave him three choices she could see: Continue his cut and lose his arm, withdraw from his cut and attempt to block or parry her attack, or withdraw entirely. There was no rest to be had, no mercy, no compassion even for her apprentice. She would prefer not to kill him, but she made no promises.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Juyo was a mentality, Juyo was more than an attack form, Juyo was way of thinking, a train of thought... the way of aggression, Pulling from an attack withdrawing, or defending was not part of this Mentality.
Animus followed this mentality as he followed the Code of the Sith, Unblinking, undaunted and undeterred from his opponent.

Darth Ferus had taught Animus this, and through his encounters he had relished in Juyo and it's brutality, to perfect Juyo one could not fear pain of death upon his attack, there was no room for fear. Animus rose with his slice to her Abdomen, and he was not about to relent from the attack, Juyo did not sport defensive moves, but the style taught the user how to attack, through an attack.

Angling his body to the slice of his master [member="Darth Ophidia"] he took the attack, the crimson blade slashing to through side of his face, passing through his shoulder and cutting a deep line along his arm, whose pain fueled his attack. This was part of Juyo, one had to accept attacks in order to push forward with one's own.

The Scent of sizzling flesh from his left arm and face who was now sporting a two foot long line of 2 inches deep in his arm left it slow, and basically useless, but leaving that arm to the mercy of the crimson blade gave his other arm freedom to continue the attack forward. The shouts of pain turned quickly into psychopathic laughter from Animus, he almost lost his entire arm, and his veins were split open along side it, he did not know he would not last much without medical treatment, but for now little did he care as he plunged into the attack routine as he executed a Juyo style slash and switched to the Vertical swipes of Atarus Hawk bat form.

Without the use of his left arm the moves lacked strength and umph, but the intense pain and agony from his new wound and the passion and desire to impress his teacher made up for it surprisingly. If he could just land 1 hit, he would feel accomplished, and giving up and arm of a leg for it at this moment (which he almost did do) was not out of the question.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As the attack came through despite her disabling of Animus' arm. Ophidia repositioned her blade to swipe it aside. It singed her fabrics, but not her flesh. Still, it was too close for comfort, and she had to commend her apprentice on his dedication to harming her. Fortunately for Animus, she had medical personnel on board her Fury and a healthy supply of bacta treatments.

As Animus pressed his attack, Ophidia continued to employ the redirecting cuts to lead his blows astray, be they vertical or horizontal in trajectory. WIth the fleet footwork of Makashi, she practically danced around her apprentice. As she kept her body turned to the side, she was a rather narrow target, and easy for her to cover with her scarlet blade. Her dance was defensive, but she kept a continuous threat from the tip of her blade on her apprentice. Her goal was for him to wear himself down with his strenuous styles, while she maintained her energy.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus thought he had succeeded in his attack, but he missed the chance and his blade only singed her clothing, again his Master was out maneuvering him, out fighting him and most importantly... Making short work of his best attempts.

Animus continued his flurry to no Avail, [member="Darth Ophidia"] was too much of a small target and her makashi worked to that perfectly, Animus was in a bad way, yet he still refused to surrender, his left arm virtually useless he realized... he was not going to make it out of this encounter if he continued to play fair.

Using the surrounding as advantage he crept into the dark part of the ruins, where shadow was the cloak that hung in it, he could see in the darkness, he knew for a fact she could not, at least not as well as him (as far as he knew), but he still needed space to back off and get to the Dark Areas, areas where only his lightsaber light would identify him.

He found it extremely hard to break off contact, Juyo was about the aggression, the second you were no longer the aggressor... you were in Trouble. He switched to a one handed Shi-cho form in case of a counter attack but before it came he grimaced through the pain and brought his wounded hand up, with his telekinesis he would drop a crumbling pillar between them, no more fair play, then he would use the chance between them and the impact of the pillar to back away and retreat into the shadows of darkness.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Ophidia allowed Animus retreat and when the pillar fell between them, Ophidia disappeared completely. She was without sight or sound. Her presence shrunk to the size of a single molecule, virtually undetectable even to a Miraluka. Animus wanted to play hide and seek? Then she would show him how a master played. Donning the Cloak of Shadows and utilising the Art of the Small, she was nothingness.

To conserve her energies, she extinguished her sabre. While animus backed off against the shadows, she slipped to the sides to cut him off at his back. She could hear nothing, but at the same time, she could not be heard. Closing her eyes, she dug out the third element: Force Sight. An ability she had been taught by a Miraluka in the Covenant of the Black Rose. Darkness became no limit for her any more. Light was inconsequential as she could see Animus' presence radiating in the Force. If he decided to utilise the technique she had taught him, then she would see him fade, and she would have to return to her eyes for sight.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus felt the pain of a saber slash to his back before rolling away in the darkness, Quickly he closed his eyes and activated the force Sight he learned from Darth Erebos and made his Cloak of nothingness again, the ability was now being used again, this time it came up easier and better than the first.

Animus was exhausted, the battle had taken his toll upon him and utilizing both skills strained him even more... still, he was not about to surrender. To Animus' surprise he could not see Ophidia even with his Force Sight, that plan was gone, he was as Blind as anyone else in the darkness, that could not help him, the saber of his master was gone, and he could not hear the hum, or sense it's presence.

Animus made a fatal mistake, he tried to Out stealth the Master of Stealth and now he was in quite a pickle. Now... he was relying on something else than his still... he was relying only on the force.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As Animus dissipated, Ophidia opened her eyes once more. She knew her apprentice would not be easy to hide, but she had the one thing he did not; she had time to wait. Quickly she moved to cut off her apprentice's retreat by entering a hole in the wall of the main-hall where they had fought. From the room she then entered, she would move through a corridor which intersected with the one Animus was moving towards. Ophidia was quick and she knew this temple from the many lessons she had taught there.

While Animus trusted in the Force, Ophidia commanded it. When she came to the intersection, she let go of her hold on sound, then listened for her apprentice. She saw nothing, but her fingers caressed the metal cylinder of her sabre as she tried to locate Animus' approximate place. Herself, she was nearly soundless still. Not due to some trick of the Force, but due to her own training. She followed the sound of footsteps in the darkness and then she let her sabre re-ignite. Her invisibility was cast off, but her presence was still minimised as she bathed the corridors in the scarlet light of her bloodshine blade. Immediately as the light was cast, her eyes looked for Animus. Upon sight she would send a telekinetic noose to ensnare his neck and lift him into the air, followed by a torrent of lightning.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus closed his eyes, not to activate his force sight, but to meditate on the force and hear it, bending it to his will he forced it to tell him what was going to happen... Suddenly he saw himself being lifted, choken and the blasted with lighting, but it was not real... it was an Illusion... A vision.

[member="Darth Ophidia"] appeared, her lightsaber could be seen and her invisibility was off, Animus' eyes were upon her, he pushed through the exhaustion with sheer will and determination rolling and darting to her attempting to stop what he had seen in his vision, the time meditating in darkness gave him the little strength he needed to activate a shield of the force, it was something that the Academy had taught him, it was made as a defense to force attacks, however the shield could be broken with ease by a powerful force user.

He dashed with full force to her, using all the energy he had left.
This was the last ditch attempt at a come back Animus had, get close and surprise his master before she could unleash the attack he had clearly seen, however, even with his precognitive vision, he was still open to the attack, although the force choke was blockable, the lightning was not, if he did not land close and throw her off balance in the dash, the lightning would find his chest and send him rocking back to the pillar where this time... he would not get up.

His arm was split in two from shoulder to Elbow, Animus in intense pain and exhaustion found a way to push... No surrender, Success or Death.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As her apprentice came dashing for her, Ophidia changed plans. Rather than a noose, the Force shaped a wall of energy which came rumbling towards Animus as she tried to smash the charging Acolyte against the wall. Following the push would not be a torrent of lightning, but a pressure which, if the push was successful, would threaten to unify Animus with the stone wall behind him. Success or death had been her mantra, but there was one exception. A master should see his acolyte submit himself in heart, body and soul. She would show him her strength, and so she let go of all, but the push. It was all about knocking him down and back. It was a final confrontation. What would persist? Her pressure or his bubble?

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus had never been in the position where his force bubble was put under pressure, almost effortlessly to his dismay his Master summoned a wall of Force and energy to push him back.
It would have been enough, Animus was exhausted, his left arm was gashed, and his energy was spent. I would have been enough... but it wasn't.

Under any other circumstance Animus would have not only broken, but folded, however this was [member="Darth Ophidia"], his Master, and this was his first actual chance to show her he was worthy of her teaching, that he was strong enough to be her apprentice... to be the Shadow of Death one day...

Animus pushed with every ounce of his will and strength, pulling the power of the dark side within him as a wall of brute force came at him like an Oxibeast of invisible muscles. Animus was in front of her, a torrent maelstrom of the force tried to push him away. Akin to fighting against a massive current of a deadly Sea, Animus found himself stepping back more than once against the torrent of Force.

Somehow however, Animus did find strength, a measure of power swelled within him, coursing through his veins like an immeasurable bountiful well of power that engulfed him, rejuvenating him... making him stronger than ever before, lifting the veil of exhaustion and pain and replacing them with Hatred and Fury the likes of which he had never experienced before.

It was then that for the Third time Animus Unleashed the force shout, a primal scream from the bowels of his soul and spirit channeled through his body into a wave of force in front of him. To this day he could not command it on will, it came on instinct... he was not an Instrument of dark side of the force now... He was its master and it bended to his will as he came crashing upon his Master with lightsaber in his right hand, rage and fury inside him like a maelstrom of fire and death. He was Unleashed.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Her apprentice was pushing back, and doing so quite excellently. She increased the pressure on him, attempting to pressure him down into submission. However, Animus' Force enhanced shout took her off guard and weakened Ophidia's concentration enough for her to let up. She did not have time to bring the wall back, and while it looked effortless, it was far from so. She was able to conceal her efforts most of the time, but it was indeed taking a toll on her. Even a Master of the Dark Side was not beyond weariness.

As Animus charged, so did Ophidia. Her face contorted in a grimace of anger as she attacked her apprentice with a flurry of quick and fluent slashes of her lightsabre. They came in from a variety of angles and some even changed directions as she manipulated her blade with expert deftness. This came at the cost of power, but she did not need it. The cutting ability of her blade would be enough to cut his flesh to ribbons, and by working with his momentum she did not need power to defend herself from his attacks. This time she was not dancing around to tire him down, now she was simply out to put him in his place. The Dark Side fuelled her, her own anger and the pain that reeked from Animus helped fuel her. She would not let some measly Acolyte lay a finger on her pale skin.

[member="Animus Malgus"]

 

[Mythos]

Animus did not think about a follow up other than just, attack, so when his efforts actually came through and he broke into his Master's' guard zone he had little other plan than to just attack, attack and attack, not thoughts of defence whatsoever, was consumed by rage and fury, engulfed in a torrent of the dark side, everything in his wake was geared to be destroyed.

He was exhausted, physically, what kept him attacking however was not his stamina or his skill and technique, when his Master had pushed him to the point to where he unleashed a force shout his nose started bleeding and his ears too, the pressure of the Dark side within him exploded and coursed through his body like fuel. His energy, was his anger and hatred, his fury and his Pride... He would not back down now, not when he was so close, even with his arm useless, he needed to fight... he needed to show her he was worthy beyond the shadow of a doubt.

However with only 1 hand being useful, even with the full power of the dark side behind him, he was not match for a master of makashi, he was outmatched before this battle begun and now it was evident, the final confrontation was now and although he was able to block and parry many of her attacks he could not block them all, one struck in, then another and then another.

Animus fell to the floor covered in gashes from her scarlet lightsaber kneeling before his master, the wounds in his body were countless, from his back and arm, abdomen and ribs, the sizzling sound of flesh and bone scorched and the pungent smell of burning flesh covered him.

"No.." It was a whisper in his ear rather than coming from his mouth, his body was fighting him along with his sense of reason not to get up, not to continue fighting. His knees were scraped and scarred due to his fall yet this did not buckle but they shook with purpose... he was trying to stand.

The massive pain in his head and body, in his ears and head made him woozy, the room began to spin until he forced himself to snap out of it.

"Im not done..." last time he said those words were during his duel with Asajj, seeming like an eternity ago a memory of his defeat came to his mind. He rose one foot and put strength under them, what little he had. Shaking heavily he rose... lightsaber in hand and back into his position.

He was a sight of nightmares, eyes blazing in yellow glow with rage and fury that fueled him as he stood, he could not stand, he did not have the stamina for it, what kept him standing was will... and the Dark Side that swelled inside him like a vortex of Dark Energy.

In his left hand, without his notice, static began to gather, his right hand came to his head and light saber tilted upwards, his left hand was unmovable, but the force began to gather in it, static electricity focused on this one point in his fingers.

Battered, wounded, bleeding and near the brink of toppling over but undaunted. Was it Pride that kept him standing? Was it the desire never to fall again? or Simply the desire to impress his master and refusing to surrender when her eyes were upon him? Animus did not know, but the only way to crush his spirit.... was to kill him
[member="Darth Ophidia"]