Within The Dark

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val didn't move from where he was, only because he didn't want the man moving. "It's fine. He won't hurt you anymore."

What else was he supposed to think?

"He's down." Val told her. "Not going to be getting back up again."

At that the man below his heel seemed to let out a bubbling laugh. Val turned towards him, a confused look on his face as he glanced back towards Ryssa. What the hell was he laughing about? The situation was far from funny, at least from where Val was standing, and yet here he was giggling like a little schoolgirl who discovered that someone had a crush on her. He frowned and slowly leaned down, inspecting the man for a few seconds.

"She's a freak!"

He suddenly burst out saying, blood spitting into the air as he did so.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Freak!

She's a freak!

Voices echoed in her mind along with Tionas' outburst. Huddling into a small ball, the Changling did her best to try and focus on the shifting of her skin despite the pain. Sinew and muscles stretched and adjusted. Bones moved and settled into place. Her olive scales seemed to flex and fade into a light blue hue. But even then it took time.

"Isn't that right Ryssa!!?" The curator spat out in a bloody glob, the blonde nobleman jerking jos chin towards the lift where Ryssa huddled in.

"Don't be fooled by her! Everything is a lie isn't it you little echuta!"

Just breathe.

"Just... sshut up!" She cried out to Tionas, barely looking through her fingers to see a very confused Val. Through those color changing hands he'd be able to catch the odd vertical pain filled pupils of the Changling as they changed to small black circles.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val shrugged. "So?"

The confusion that played across his face slowly slipped away. He didn't quite understand what was going on, though from the way Ryssa looked, the odd slit of her eye and the change of her palms he realized that she wasn't exactly human, or...well whatever she had been before. That fact didn't really bother him, it actually cleared up quite a bit. From the tone of her voice he could tell she scared, terrified even, but...well Val didn't really understand.

"I'm a man." He looked at Ryssa, then at the man on the floor. "Who can lift several tons."

A bit of an exaggeration. "I've survived blaster bolts, poisons, stab wounds, any one of a dozen things that should have seen me dead."

The man ceased his laughter.

"I've walked this galaxy for over a century, and she's the freak? He let out a laugh.

There were plenty of aliens in this galaxy, some could change their appearance, others didn't even need to. Val had long ago learned that racism, speciesim was nothing but wasted thought and effort. No one was who they were because of their race. It was ones actions that defined them, not their appearance or origin.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

As the pain ebbed and Ryssa was once again shrouded in the thick mass of sapphire hair, she was taken aback by Val's words. What? Maybe it came from a point of view if naivety, but what he said surprised her. She hadn't expected that. Of course the guy didn't quite understand the reason why Ryssa tried her best to hide. Why she was so adamant at her privacy. It wasn't as much as the fact she was a Changling as the stigma and violent lashback that had come back in her homeworld.

The woman had long learned that it was simply best to blend in. Blend in and keep to her job and what she wanted to do.

By now the more Val towered over Tionas the more the curator cowered, stumbling over himself.

"You won't get away with this! There is security everywhere! How dare you attack me?!! Don't you know who I am!"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"I don't particularly care." Val said simply. He really didn't either. In truth he had no real concept of law and order, not really anyway. There was only right and wrong, there was no influence of power, no shift that could make him stop doing something unless they made him do it. That was a simple fact. This man had tried to kill Ryssa, had tried to kill him. What invisible force would be respect that would stop him killing the man?

Nothing.

"Ryssa." The pressure of his foot increased to stop the man from moving anymore. "Are there any other questions you need to ask this man."

He didn't even acknowledge the changes that Ryssa went through, mostly because he simply didn't care. "Otherwise, I'm going to kill him."

The man let out a whimper.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Questions? It took a second for the Changling to realize that while she was still in cuffs, the person in control had switched. With Val holding Tionas down on the ground, they now had a way at getting information from him. Blinking rapidly she took stock. Wait hadn't Tionas said that he'd sent people to her ship?

"How did you even manage to.." a pause as the curator under Val's food gave another whimper. Right. Prioritizes. If Val was here then theship should be ok. Maybe.

"What do you know about the artifact and the Count that did the contracting?"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

The man looked up at Val in fear, but for the Viking that hardly seemed to register. The truth was he didn't particularly care about this man. He didn't care about his wants, his needs, or whether or not he lived. There were few things that would stop Val from killing him at this point. Vengeance was perhaps petty, but right now...right now he felt that it was more than fitting. A scowl was plastered on his face as the man bubbled something, barely registering.

"Answer her." The pressure of his heel increased.

The man blubbered.

"It's some remnant of Moridin! I don't know! It's used to heal wounds, all sorts. The Count...The Count thinks Moridin used it to heal the corruption of the force!"

Val looked over at Ryssa, he had absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean. As far as he knew the Force didn't corrupt anything...well from what he had seen. It wasn't like he was an expert or anything in the subject matter. They would probably have to find a Jedi or Sith to ask if they wanted to know more, but he doubted that Ryssa had any contacts like that. He frowned for a moment and then looked down at the man expectantly.

"The Count is a Sith!"

Oddly enough Val smiled at that, feeling a bit of vindication. He gave Ryssa a smug look.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Ryssa's lips grew thin at that. Great, they were dealing with fanatics and Force users at that.

Bloody hell.

The Changling didn't miss the smug expression that carved itself over Val's face. He felt vindicated that wa for sure, and odds were that Ryssa would be hearing more about that later. Trouble was that now they were actively dealing with a Sith and the Moridin remnant.

"What do you know about the Count? Is he working alone?" It was one thing if he was working with the Cult- but that didn't seem to be the case. If it were then he could have done so with the Cultists back then. He wouldn't have a need of hiring a third party.

"Do you think I'm crazy? He'll kill me if I say anything else!" Tionas spat out.

As if he wasn't aware of his own situation.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val looked down at the man. "Perhaps you don't understand your situation."

He leaned down so that the man could better see his face.

"I am not a Jedi or a police officers. His words were stern. "I am not some good guy or Knight. I have no issue with killing you. I will snap your neck without a second thought. I will kill you, and then never think about you again."

His expression was stern, Val was entirely serious.

There was no moral quandary here for him, no question. Aerith would never have approved of course, but...well she was long gone, and Val had hardened over the last few decades. This man had tried to hkill him, had sent Ryssa to her death. There were no more games to be played, there were no more moves to be made. Val didn't particularly care about anything he wanted nor his fate. He cared about what Ryssa asked for, and the pressure of his foot told that story.

"I-I-I-He's alone...but He's a Sith! He has a fortress on a world not far from here...mercenaries, former Sith soldiers. You''ll never get close."

A challenge.

How interesting this was all becoming.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

That troubled her. In another world? This didn't bode well. What else were they exactly up against?

"Where?" Tionas turned towards Ryssa; well more like his bloody face attempted to under the pressure of Val's boot.

"Ehh.."

"What planet?!" She demanded, emphasised by the pressure of the manbun's foot. He gave a groan, squealing a bit like an Ugnaught caught in a trap.

"Vjun!!" He finally squealed out.

Well bloody hell.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val looked to Ryssa. From her reaction he guessed that she actually knew where 'Vjun' was, though he himself had no idea. He would have to study up on this new planet, perhaps even hoogle around a bit to see if he could find anything interesting. Though he would leave the flying to Ryssa of course.

For a moment Val waited, then looked over to Ryssa.

They had the information they needed. The man had given them everything they needed. They knew where the Count was, that he had a fortress, and what the gauntlet was used for. There wasn't really anything else that the man could do for them, at least in his estimation, so now all that was left...Val looked down at the man, then cast a glance towards Ryssa. Terror suddenly filled the man's eyes as he realized what was about to happen. "Thank you."

His foot kicked up.

Val's heel landed on the mans chin, and then applied pressure. There was a loud snap of bone as his head was wrenched to the side, neck instantly snapped.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"WAIT--"

By then it was too late. There was a rather sickening crunch and Ryssa turned her head away. She might not have liked Tionas and yes he was a jerk, but that was no way to die. Her stomach rolled and she couldn't help the shudder that ran down her spine. It felt like ice had driven it self there and it took a moment to breathe.

"I needed the keys to the cuffs." She added, grimacing as those bright yellow eyes panned to survey the man through strands of cobalt hair. That was going to be a problem.

That and the fact that they now had a very dead academy curator on academy grounds. It wouldn't be long before security caught them.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val looked over to her.

She had a small point of course, and without knowing what kind of cuffs they were he had no idea whether or not he could break them. A sigh escaped his lips. Perhaps he had been hasty in extracting his revenge, but it had felt rather nice. In the end a shrug rolled over his shoulders. He had made his decision, and there was no point in looking back on it now. Instead they would need to move forward, and probably rather quickly given their situation.

"Come here. He motioned to her. "I'll break the link. We can cut the cuffs off you later."

She would have a plasma cutter on board her ship.

Oh...her ship. "I left some corpses on your ship...sorry."

He motioned to her.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Wait what?!!

Her eyes went wide, completely moving past the awkward stage that she'd have at the knowledge that he caught her half shifting. At first it was due to the claim he'd just rip the cuffs off. Second because of the mention of dead corpses on her ship. So that answered what happened to Tionas goons.

"Wait, no!" She took a step back, holding her hands and the cuffs away. In her mind she'd end up getting her wrists hurt if he tried anything.

"What do you mean corpses?!!"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"Men attacked me. I killed them. Three of them, two are still alive but unconscious." He doubt that they had woken up, in fact one of them might have died since he'd gotten no medical care. It was an unfortunate school of thought or...well probably for Ryssa, though Val took it in the same way he took the Professors death. These men had tried to kill them, he had simply turned the tables and made the outcome better for himself.

One couldn't blame him for that.

"I'm just going to break the link." He told her. "It's so you don't walk around looking like you're wearing handcuffs."

That would get them spotter better than any number of things. The bodies they could simply keep in the cargo hold until they were in space, and this man...well security forces would eventually discover them but by that time both he and Ryssa would be long gone, they would just have to avoid this world for a little while and everything would be okay.

Probably. "We don't have all day."

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

You have got to be kidding me.

Ryssa stood still, processing all of what Val had revealed to her. Just how many...eyes seemed to bludge then. Her mouth opened only to close.

"How many and are they...still on the ship? Did anyone see you?" Well hell Ryssa look how big the guy is?? What do you think?!! Oh bloody...

"It's a small link!" She shot back. The pressure to even attempt to break the link will still be set against her wrists. These were durastell cuffs!

"You'll hurt my wrists doing that!" Or maybe even rip her hands off!

"Check him for the keys!"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"They are on the ship." Val said simply. "I moved them into the cargo bay, and no one saw."

Probably.

His head swiveled again and he glanced towards the body of the now dead professor. He shifted slightly, leaning down and patting the dead man down in order to find what he needed. Quickly he pulled out a wallet, then a set of keys that looked like they belonged to a house and speeder, and then another set of keys that looked far...well stranger. Val frowned for a moment, inspecting them and then stepping over towards Ryssa so he could unlock the cuffs.

"Don't worry about them. We'll throw them into space once we're off this world. No one but this guy will miss them." Val pointed out. Maybe they had families, but...well who cared. They made their beds, and now they had to lay in them.

To Val it was that simple.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The key slid in smoothly. With a turn to the right they gave a slight click. A small breath of relief came to Ryssa as the cuffs gave a small beep and the light indicator went from red to green. The cuffs gave a solid thud as they clattered to the ground. Ryssa took to rubbing both of her wrists, fingers moving over the bright red welts there from how tight Tionas had placed them.

Right. Tionas.

A gulp and she once again paled at the thought of the dead curator and however many would also be dead in gercship. How casually Bal discussed how they would get rid of the bodies was rather chilling. Just how the heck did they even get to this place?

"We... we should probably place him somewhere he wouldn't be spotted."

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"I'll take care of that." It was clear that Val really didn't mind dealing with the dead. He put the mans wallet aside for a moment and then scooped him up. His head flopped about rather comically...or so Val thought, but he quickly stopped all that and pulled him towards one of the edges of the parking garages. There was a dumpster there, probably usually used by those within the Academy that had to throw refuse out their way out to the parking garage.

He took Tionas there, and tossed him inside much as one might throw away a bag of day old shrimp. There was a loud thud as he went crashing against the metal wall of the dumpster, but Val was already walking back towards Ryssa. He scooped up the wallet on the way back, opening it up and inspecting the contents for a moment before pulling out a twenty credit chit.

"Here." Val offered it to her. "I still have four left. So you can consider that rent for an overnight stay in your ship."

It usually would have cost more probably, but...well he didn't really have come.

"Come on. Let's get going before someone shows up and asks questions." That was the last thing they needed.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

It was uncanny how he went through all that. As if having a casual conversation over tea. Oh yeah, just took care of this dead body, here, some extra credits for you for room and board. It was surreal and with everything that had happened thus far, Ryssa wasn't quite sure how to take it. She blindly took the credit chip before nodding silently.

Right.

"Yeah let's go." In the back of her mind all she could think about was that at any time what had literally happened to Tionas could happen to her. That wasn't even including the sith they would have to deal with on Vjun.

"Might as well use his speeder." Faster to get out of this place and to the spaceport.