Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Feb 13, 2018 14:20:39 GMT -8
Luxeria's eyes became focused orbs of orange as the creature began to lunge at Vasari, yet she didn't move as it stopped as quickly as it started, seemingly in defense of Vasari's grab for her saberstaff. However, something about the noise it made suggested it wasn't just taking up a defense out of caution, but rather, it was mocking the Zabrak. It must have felt itself superior, the actions they'd take but a futile delay of their demise. It was enough to warrant caution on their end as well. If it was that confident, it had to have some basis for that reasoning. And as the troopers began firing upon it, the reality began to set in as nothing seemed to drive home any injuries, only scorched armor.
Her head dropped as Vasari's second command came to her. There was no techniques she had that could blind her enemy, nor had she come across any in her training thus far. But there were other ways to blind the creature, a gift left by its own entrance. Standing, she lifted her left hand up just in front of her, arm parallel to the creature and palm facing back to her. The shatter stone from the dias began to rise, aside from those being used by Vasari for defense. From what lay on the ground to what had fallen into the lava, they all quickly rose into the air. With the sudden tightening of her fist, the rocks surged in on the creature, simply slamming into it in some spots, holding and building up on others. Most were focused around the feet, hands, and face. Mixing Telekinesis with Force Crush, she used the rocks to cover the creatures eyes to blind it, and hoped that by encasing its hands and feet under the added pressure, it wouldn't be able to move as she commanded the Force to crush the creature in those areas.
But she didn't stop there. As Vasari darted in for an attack, she felt the flow from her partner's mind, sensing her plan to go for its knees. It seemed unaffected by the heat and momentary exposure to the lava, but what would become of it if it was submerged? As her left hand remained raised to manipulate the rocks, she gathered the Force quickly into her right palm, having just enough time to create a palm size red orb of energy, to which she released at the creature's head in tandem with Vasari's strike. If they were lucky, the flow of their attack would topple it.
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Feb 13, 2018 16:00:20 GMT -8
Vasari moved around the creature's feet, half crouched but darting with skilled and acrobatic speed for someone moving with while crouched so low - the strain her muscles was intense and her entire body burned with energy being so close to the lava. The thin aura of the force she had wrapped around herself to keep herself from being burned came harder and after a time she was forced to split her mind between her defense and her assault upon the creatures knees. She had struck four more times, and activated the other end of her staff but nothing seemed to be effecting the creatures thick and seemingly impregnable armored casing. There were no wires, circuits, or conduit that seemed to carry energy or electricity through the things body - for a moment Vasari was curious how the thing even lived - she felt nothing from it within the Living Force, heard no heartbeat, felt no pain or emotion from it. Either it was in a deep meditative quey'tek trance while assaulting them, or it simply did not exist within the Force.
The rocks and rubble began to fall around her, that batted away or crumbling beyond Luxeria's control, or perhaps as a result of it, but this did not bother Vasari, she simply danced around it in the same show of grace of movement she had in moving between the creatures limbs. The beast seemed to be irritated at most by the presence of the rocks surrounding and slamming into its limbs and face. The armor that protected it from blasterfire and saber contact would not break under the strain of the rock, or of the force. It seemed truly beyond harm. Vasari grew bold and lifted herself upon one of the creatures hind legs leaping from limp to rock and with a fierce and primal yell of strength she brought her blade down hard against the distracted beasts face. The blade and the force of blow caused the great beast to cry out in pain but otherwise seemed to be unaffected as the rocks returned to obscure his vision and focus.
The troopers had taken cover, continuing to fire at supposed weak points but their shots found no purchase, only seemed to aggravate the creature as it writhed and flung its limbs away from its face crushing and batting away the debris with such force some of the larger pieces dropped into the surrounding river of lava heading towards the cliff face and rained down hell upon the troopers and the Sith opposing him.
"I don't feel anything... nothing from him... its not natural!"Vasari gasped landing near Luxeria who seemed to be still struggling to keep the beast distracted with the remaining bit of rock she still held under her control."Its almost as if the thing was created from nothing!"
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Feb 14, 2018 14:53:01 GMT -8
Luxeria watched as her Force Burst made impact on its target, though there was no sense of victory or satisfaction to be had. At most, it knocked the head back a few inches, but aside from that, remained unharmed. Even the impact did little to move it. Instead, the collection of energy exploded slightly as it normally would, followed by a shattering and fading affect as it broke apart and disappeared. But she continued on lifting rocks and grinding them into the being before them. In time, the rocks became dust and dirt under the pressure she exerted on them, but just like the Force Burst, it did nothing to harm the creature. She couldn't even hold its arms and feet in position as she worked to crush them.
Her agitation grew with ever ill attempted attack. Nothing any of them were throwing at it was working. She merely growled slightly to herself as Vasari landed next to her and spoke of what she felt. All the rocks that had remained were but dust now, allowing the creature to once again have clear sight and focus on them. And with nothing working, the irritation was only surging within her more and more. With it, the Force grew in her as well, building and building, coming close to the boiling point. "So how do we take something like that down? Lightsabers, blaster fire, the lava, not even the impact and pressure created by the Force seem to affect it." The words she spoke pushed her frustration to its breaking point. She lifted her hands to her sides, fists clenched hard as if trying to fight back against an overwhelming pressure as she focused and channeled the Force that was surging within her. With a single thrust of her hands, she pushed out at the creature, hands sparking with violet lightning. Mixing her Force Lightning with a strong Force Push, she created a wall of lightning that flew at the thing in front of her. She doubted it would work any better than what had been used thus far, but she needed to unleash the frustration before it got the best of her.
Giving off a few heavy breaths, she turned her focus back to Vasari. "I don't know about you, but I'm out of ideas here."
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Feb 15, 2018 13:00:41 GMT -8
Vasari seemed at a loss, she knew they only had a moments breadth of time come up with something. She worked the problem over and over in her mind scouring the shelves of information she had locked within her mind in moments searching frantically for an answer. The soldiers continued their deadly barrage - they did not seem put off in the least that the beast was seemingly immune to everything they had to throw at it - she saw locklear passing orders for heavier ordinance and decided it best if they cleared the area. She looked to Luxeria the moment she unleashed a heavy wave of telekenetic energy towards the monstrous creature - the view of which caused the troopers to hold their fire as the wave struck the beast and Vasari saw the lightning course along the surface of the beasts armor as if it was drawing the energy into it somehow... it almost looked like it was absorbing the energy of the force throught Tutanimus, but that couldn't be... this creature was... then it slowly dawned upon her and her thoughts vocalized themselves in answer to Luxeria's question that she only half heard...
"Creation... not Creature!"
Her vision blurred slightly at the thought, as if her mind had to reorder everything she was seeing and look at it from a different light. It made perfect since, Vader was not known to be a student of such practices but his master was one of the best in recent memory, no small bit of alchemy went into Vaders formation, it only stands to purpose that others were created as well... failed projects, or experiments from one time or another. Now she looked on as the creation seemed to buckle under the strain of the push. Vasari's eyes narrowed as its pointed limbs fought to gain purchase in the smooth stone to keep from slipping back into the lava filled pit it had emerged from. Looking over at Locklear she called out...
"Break its roots!"
Locklear seemed a step behind her as he and several others let fly their already primed explosives towards the creatures feet. Vasari had only a moment to erect a barrier strong enough to protect both her and Luxeria from the blast. The explosion was accompanied by a scream from the thing as his precarious footing was lost and he slipped back into the hole, its back two legs falling into the pit of fire. Following the sound came a sound of machinery moving and from the multiple arms of the construction shield casings were drawn back to reveal multiple blaster ports which shot recklessly at the troopers and Vasari and Luxeria as well. Vasari's saberstaff was out within moments deflecting the few lucky shots that would have hit them and took half a step forward in case it fired again.
"Thats your answer... we need to lead it to the mouth of the cave... and send it over... that pit isn't deep enough to hold it all so long as it has something to hold on to..."
As if anticipating her words the half droid construction dropped its great arms to the rim of the hole it had crawled out of and pushed itself back up onto solid ground, moving recklessly towards the two Sith bringing its large limbs down intending to crush the two of them together.
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Feb 15, 2018 15:34:46 GMT -8
Her previous attack had momentarily drew out her focus, leaving her slightly open for the moment. She processed all she could from the few words that Vasari spoke as she kept her eyes on the being before them. She might have needed time to refocus to allow for continued attacks, but she'd still be able to push something out should she need to. But Luxeria made a mental note to be weary of the large outbursts from quickly built emotion in the future.
As she thought on the reality of this being a creation, much of what was happening made far more sense. She didn't possess the knowledge Vasari did about alchemy, what could be achieved by it, or even the realities surrounding the art and Vader and Sidious. So where as her friend interpreted this thing as a failed attempt or another experiment, Luxeria saw it simply as created to endure what it was. And its place here as a guard only reinforced the idea in her mind. However, the truth of its origins was a moot point. The question was how to take it out. And it seemed that Vasari was already forming a solution when calling out to Locklear. However, it all moved in a swift moment that left Luxeria unaware of what was going down. This time, Vasari was the one ready to defend them both from the explosion and the coming blaster shots. She didn't even have the time to lift her arms as a simple reaction. But that loss of focus also allowed her to regain it without the sudden disruption.
She heard Vasari's words, her observation picking out that key detail that would grant them victory. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath of the hot air, letting it out ever so slowly before returning her gaze to creature before them, her focus realigned and ready to move again. "Alright then. You and the troopers start heading back that way and get ready to send it over. I'll bait it in and draw it to us." As she spoke the words, she was already removing her lightsaber. In her mind, they couldn't just move back and knock it out of the opening. Even as reckless as it was moving, it had enough focus to catch on. And with nothing keeping its attention, it wouldn't break that focus easy. She would be the bait, attack and infuriate it if it was remotely possible, but otherwise draw it in with lesser focus.
She didn't even give Vasari a chance to argue the point as the creature came them. Letting the Force move through her, she used Force Speed to quicken her few steps to close the distance and keep it back, giving Vasari and the others time to move. Shortly after those few steps, she pushed further, adding in a Force Jump that sent her flying quickly at the thing's chest. As a petite woman, she had no true strength in her punches, even when aided by the Force. But she knew kicks were another matter. Using the momentum from the run and jump, she brought both feet up to slam into the droid's chest plate, moving inside the attack by the arms. It pushed the creature back a step at most, but successfully halted its approach. Before she kicked off, she ignited her lightsaber and made two slashes at its eyes before flipping back to the ground. Nothing she'd do would truly do any damage, but that wasn't the point this time. She heard its cries as each arm came at her, one at a time. With each attack, she slashed hard at the coming arms, giving her the power to deflect it. After four blocks, it changed its attack slightly, attacking with both arms on the same side, one from the left, followed by the right. With the greater force in its attack, Luxeria threw up quick Force Barriers just before the attacks landed before crouching down slightly to form a dome variation as it finally attacked with all four arms at once.
Knowing she couldn't stand against the pressure, she used the momentary halt to jump and back flip away as the barrier broke and the arms slammed into the ground where she once was. Using the shield generators, it scooped up two handfuls of lava and threw them at her. Extinguishing her saber, she replaced it with her right hand as her left moved to the right, then lashed out with it back to her left as if casting something to the side. Once again she created a barrier to stop the lava, if for but a moment. In a fluid motion, her now free right hand pushed out, sending the lava back at it in a Force Push. Still a near useless attack, but its attention was fully on her now for the moment. And finally, it ignited the lightsaber it carried with it as it came at her, causing Luxeria to bring her's back to life.
The attacks grew more and more relentless, slashing at her with the lightsaber and firing on her with its blaster integrations. From here, she sharpened her focus the best she could, using the Force to enhance her speed and grace to stay ahead of it and stay alive, all the while leading it to the mouth of the cave were the others were waiting.
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Viox Savage
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Post by Viox Savage on Feb 19, 2018 20:23:36 GMT -8
As Xakire appeared behind him and spoke, a smirk crossed his lips. Ignorance. That was all it was. Perhaps it was time to inform his apprentice of what was really going on. Turning to face the young man, Savage spoke."I haven't lost control of anything. You have remained in the dark with what is going on with me because I have wanted it. Not for lack of trust in you or your abilities, but because it is a delicate matter."Savage inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly."During the invasion of Iridonia, I ventured to the ruins of my old family estate. A place long dead, but tainted by the past actions of my father. Restless spirits haunted the ruins...to fully understand, you would have to read the Tome of the Ancients, a very old, very sacred tome of the past. Dating back to the third or fourth generation of my people. Powerful rituals, locations of artifacts and a history of my clan. Most of it is irrelevant, but there is, however, many secrets that can enhance ones power, if you interpret the rituals correctly. I managed to succeed in one such ritual. A ritual of Force-Walking. And in so doing, I was able to acquire the powerful essences of several long dead Zabrak elders. They now reside within my mind, granting me power that hasn't been seen in eons. But everything comes at a price...my...sudden outburst before we reached the Castle was the Elders becoming restless. This last 'outburst', if you want to call it that, was confronting an apparition of Darth Vader himself. He has since been defeated. Aside for whatever else that lingers within these walls, Vader will plague us no more. Of that, you can be certain."Savage watched his apprentice closely. What he had just said was a lot to digest. And to understand. Unfortunately, Xakire would never truly understand, as he was not a Zabrak. But that wasn't his fault. Vasari, on the other hand, would be made privy to the Tome of the Ancients in due time, once she became more disciplined. With Vasari's natural affinity to mind control and understanding of ancient texts and tomes, she was a natural choice. Xakire would have to find some way to prove himself, eventually. Only one human in the past had been worthy of being Savage's apprentice, Amaris Jade. She, despite all odds, managed to push through the brutal physical training regime, learned to harness her powers and became Savage's equal in many aspects. Not that he'd ever admit to that. She had been his most prized pupil. Xakire now had very high standards to live up to, but with the proper training, Savage was certain he could carve Xakire into an apprentice that would rival Jade's abilities... |
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Mar 5, 2018 14:56:04 GMT -8
Vasari turned at once - her connection with Luxeria giving her perfect trust in the girl's abilities and her sense of strategy concerning how best to lure the beast to the edge - that part was no longer her concern. Linking herself with her partners mind as she moved off towards the creature Vasari made her way back across the crumbling cavern floor to where the troopers lay under cover occasionally still firing shots at the construction that had emerged from the fire.
"Fall back to the edge... Find a fault point and deploy an explosive line, then find cover. Wait for my command."
Vasari pushed on past them as they gathered themselves to follow. She was already planning on how to get the creature over once Luxeria led it her way. The explosives would make the ground unstable enough to cause the creatures pointed 'feet' to not be able to find purchase but they needed more. Following the stream of Lava towards the mouth of the meditation chamber. Pausing she quickly surveyed her surroundings. The mouth of the cavern seemed barely large enough to fit the creature out of it, let alone be able to tumble it over the cliff. Clearing the way would take too long, it had to be lured out. She looked up and noticed the rock face above them was not perfectly sheer, perhaps jagged enough to ascend to the Castle - at least until they reached the obsidian walls of the building itself - then they were left with nowhere to go until about a hundred feet straight up to where the hanger bay entrance was.
Gathering the Force she leapt into the air grabbing hold of the rock face with practiced and strong fingers. Setting her foot against the ledge she half hung in the entry way and half called out - perhaps louder than necessary to the Soldiers below."Ascension cables... up to the castle - all of you!"It was a poor ploy, but if the construction was designed to keep them from entering the castle then it might help Luxeria in bringing the beast to them to know they had found another path up the mountain and into the castle. Disappearing from view she climbed higher before turning her back to the rock face - standing precariously on a jagged bit of rock - now there was nothing yet to do but wait until the troopers finished their task and joined her above the entrance their cables shooting up in clear view of the beast and pulling them up. Locklear himself handed a gun to Vasari, which she took without hesitation but did not use it to climb higher. She thought for a moment she noticed a slight shake of the soldiers head - though she couldn't discern the nature of it - mocking and distasteful or amused. She exhaled softly sensing Luxeria heading this way... reaching out to her she thought simply ~We're ready~ and waited...
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Mar 5, 2018 15:45:22 GMT -8
Luxeria worked to lure the creature in, but knew to also keep it bay long enough for a plan to be made and everyone to get themselves in position. She couldn’t deny how tough it was, fighting this thing. Nothing worked against it, no matter the attack or the power behind it, nothing could stand against it, at least not here in this place or position. The perfect defense, one could say. But that alone wasn’t what made it difficult. Drawing it in, staying close and holding it in a slow pace out her under serious pressure. If she had to keep at it like this, she wouldn’t hold out much longer.
Then came Vasari’s words. They were ready and she could end this taunting barricade. She lashed out hard in an attack, forcing the creature’s arms to recoil slightly. Leaping back, she replaced her lightsaber. Upon finding her footing, she began back flipping towards the mouth of the cave. The act was a taunt, daring the being to follow. After a few flips, she stopped to ensure it was, indeed, following her. With a smirk, she turned then towards the entrance, knowing it was close behind. Taking off in a run, she gained some distance until she was outside. She turned towards the construction one final time as it closed in on her. From here it was in Vasari’s hands. Drawing on the Force, she leapt up, reaching out her hand to Vasari. There were no words exchanged, nothing message in the Force, only the shared thoughts and sensation to understand what to do. From here, she’d trust her partner to pull her up to her level, use the Force to launch her higher, or whatever else came to the Zabrak.
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Mar 5, 2018 17:30:44 GMT -8
Vasari felt Luxeria's strength begin to fade - the girl was doing a marvelous job of taking on that monstrosity single handed but it was all coming down to this, one last trick she was dedicating her entire mind to concealing from the enemy as it raged forward in attempt to stop Luxeria from following the rest of the team up the cliff face. But what the construction could no longer sense was the entire team just above the lip of the mouth hanging against the cliff face waiting for it. She only had seconds now... and she still had to get Luxeria out of harms way. Seconds remained and she turned to Locklear - trusting the veteran soldier with both of their lives now.
"When I leave... 2 count - then blow it. 3 count - fire your Ascencion cable... there-"Vasari pointed to a spot of empty space well over the ledge nothing was there it was just empty air. She gave a wink as she lowered herself and extended an arm for Luxeria, her legs coiling up like a spring as she held her own cable gun in her hand."-and strap in soldier!"
A second later Vasari felt Luxeria's hand grasp around her arm and she grasped tightly to her partners, using her own upward momentum and then adding to it as her legs released and she leapt off the cliff face into the empty air hundreds of feet over the lake of lave below. She thought she had called out 'Get ready to push!' but her mind was so focused on what she was doing the intention never left her own thoughts as she turned in air and shot the ascension gun at the beasts neck - her eyes locked with the monsters black orbs that served as eyes. The cord - with the aide of the force - wrapped itself around the beasts massive armored throat just as Vasari locked the gun in place. Her hands were full - one holding Luxeria, the other holding the gun but she channeled a burst of telekinetic energy outwards towards the lower rock face intending for Luxeria to do the same - if she did the combined force of the push would pull the beast with them into the pit of lava.
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Mar 6, 2018 4:54:07 GMT -8
When she grabbed Vasari’s hand, she her mind was expecting the direction that she friend decided to go. Yet, she didn’t question, didn’t hesitate, didn’t doubt. Those seconds of pure trust and confidence finally pushed the bounds their bond had currently formed. It wasn’t a transfer of thought, wasn’t spoke in any form. It was her thought, just as it was Vasari’s. In this moment, they were of one mind in two bodies. The very moment that Vasari started to release her Force Push was the exact same time Luxeria shoved out with her free hand. In perfect unison, they released a strong enough push that would work to send it off balance as the explosion came to take out the ground below it.
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Mar 6, 2018 6:29:42 GMT -8
With the combined force of their mutual telekinetic push the cable drew taut and pulled against the creatures neck just as the second second clicked by and the ground disappeared below the constructions pointed feet now failing to find purchase. Vasari then channeled the remaining power she could muster into her own body and pulled on the gun this time pulling them towards the creature just as it went over the cliff - the beast was too distracted to find purchase but lashed out at them all the same just as a panicked roar of defeat issued from its tortured mouth. Vasari's feet made contact with the creature and she leased her own gun - keeping a tight grip on Luxeria knowing in her mind that she would know where to leap and then leapt without another seconds hesitation this time right towards a cable that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere - Locklear had came through and shot his second cable right on time to save the two Sith from a thousand foot freefall... Vasari gripped onto the wire with her gloved hand as they fell towards the cliff side. Even with the glove the wire and the force of their fall tore through the armorweave and Vasari screamed in pain but kept hold of the wire - and Luxeria as her body came crashing into the rock. In moments Locklear had them both up and the team of soldiers where working on securing the two Sith onto the cliff face just above the ruined lava filled mouth of the cave...
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Mar 6, 2018 6:45:44 GMT -8
Luxeria smirked as all went according to plan as the creature fell from the cave towards the lava below. Even it’s attack seemed pathetic as it tried to lash out at them as they pulled themselves back towards it. Her own feet found footing on the being as well, their combined jump only adding to the falling construction. Their bond continued to do its job as she leapt with Vasari in the proper direction, right for the cable that had been launched at them. While she didn’t grab when Vasari did, helping to cause the extra pull that cut through her glove, she did take hold shortly after to lessen the weight her friend had to hold.
Once they were secure on the ledge the others were at, she leaned back on the rock face, breathing heavily from the fight in the cave. She kept her gaze downward for a few moments, watching the path that thing had followed though it was already out of sight. Taking a deep breath to gather herself, she finally looked to the Zabrak."Nice job."
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Mar 6, 2018 6:57:04 GMT -8
Vasari was a little more worse off than Luxeria - her hand was bloodied and from the awkward way she was huddled against the wall it seemed her shoulder was out of place as well. Her mind was racing as she shifted somewhat painfully to look down at the lake of fire many hundred feet below."You too... You think its really gone... I couldn't feel it then and I can't feel it now..."She shook her head slightly cringing at the motion. Locklear and his team quickly made a path back down the ledge below and the mouth of the meditation chamber that had not turned into a lavaflow pathway over the cliff and they were able to make their way back into the ruined meditation chamber. The runes upon the walls were dim, all the power they had sensed before seemed to be dormant within the place now... still there if you but reached out to touch it, but the manifestation of illusion within the place was gone - the Nexus was at peace for the moment.
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Mar 6, 2018 7:39:10 GMT -8
It wasn't hard to see Vasari's current discomfort, the dislocated shoulder and cut up hand from the grab and pull of the cable. The feeling of pain resided in her mind as well, due to the bond,
whose effects were settling out again. She wished she could help in taking care of her friend's injuries, but she didn't possess any medical knowledge, healing abilities, or equipment to even dress her hand. Unless the others had what was needed, all she could do was hope there was nothing left to fight and wait until they got back to the ship.
Looking back down at the lava, she shook her head. "I doubt it couls survive that. I don't think anything could be created to be that indestrucible. But if it survived and comes back, we'll be ready."
Making her way back down with the others, she moved into the cave,
ready to head into the castle. She didn't feel as if there were any other threats. Still good to be on guard, though, she knew. As they moved towards the back of the cave, her settled upon the now dim runes. She could still the power as strong as ever, but it was calm now, no longer an issue for concern. Soon it would be thier power to wield.
Reaching the stairs leading into the castle, she looked back at the others. "Come on. We need to regroup with Viox and Xakire. No doubt their waiting for us now."
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Mar 6, 2018 7:59:48 GMT -8
Vasari found herself nodding along with Luxeria's words - though whether she was agreeing with her assessment, or simply hoping her partner was correct and agreeing on principle she was unsure. She looked around the room for the cloak that she had discarded during the fight but it was no where to be seen - this is exactly why she did not bother with frivolous clothing often. Noting Luxeria pushing on she straightened up and moved to fall in line behind her - the troopers followed after without another word leaving Locklear and Vasari to bring up the rear. She noticed the soldier that had pulled her up - practically out of the fire pause at the base of the stairs and wait for her. She looked up at his expressionless helm for a moment wondering why he had paused for a half moment - her mind too exhausted to delve into his thoughts. He didn't give her long to ponder, simply shouldering his own rifle and raising his hands to her shoulder and her bicep - taking a firm hold of her arm and her shoulder he jerked. Vasari let out a half stifled cry - mostly out of shock - as her shoulder popped back into place then felt better almost instantly. Vasari nodded her thanks but Locklear was already moving up the stairway after the rest of the group. Vasari looked over her shoulder once more - eyes surveying the room they had fought like hell to make it through, then shouldered on up the stairs - hoping to find Viox and Xakire soon. This mission was already shaping up to be much more than she had expected...
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Mar 6, 2018 14:28:35 GMT -8
Luxeria led the group in a quick, yet casual pace up the stairs. The other troopers might not have needed as much of a breather as she did, but as far as she could tell, the threats were eliminated and they could breather a little easier, thus entitling them to a little bit of a rest. She had no thoughts about what could have activated the droids, feeling they had handled the only threat involving the cave. But time was still important so she would have to make the most of it while on the move. She didn't want this first mission with the Sith'ari present end with her group lagging behind. That wasn't the best way to make an impression.
It wasn't too much longer before they finally hit level ground, now inside the castle itself. She could feel both Viox and Xakire clearly and not too far ahead of them. She moved in silence, taking slight glances at the magnificence of the building around them. Sight seeing could come later once everything was secure and clear. A bit of a walk, followed by a few turns, the Sith'ari and his apprentice came into view. Looking around, there were no artifacts of any sort. This meant either they were simply waiting for them here, or were stopped for a fight of their own, or figuring out location.
She approached Viox ahead of the others. Taking a deep breath, gave a slight bow. "We have cleared out and secured the cavern below, Lord Savage." She did not address him as Sith'ari, entirely due to the sudden revelation of what was happening. She had been used to following her master, knowing about the resurrection of the One Sith only to suddenly find out from Malvus that he was now the second in command of the Blackguard Sith and she was being sent of on a mission with the Sith'ari. The reality just hadn't set in yet, but she knew well enough to show him respect by calling him lord.
If Viox paid her any attention regarding her presence, he would notice it was a bit greater than it was on the ship. Also, around her neck was a pendant that wasn't there before. It had been a relic once taken by a previous group, they learned, left in the cave by the creature they fought. It had been the item that drew her further into her illusions, thus lessening her care to have it. But Vasari ultimately decided for her to have it when the Zabrak placed it around her neck. An artifact used to intimidate by enhancing only the presence of the wearer, making others possibly back down from a fight.
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Xakire
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 229
Affiliation: The First Order and The Blackguard Reborn
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Xakire on Mar 7, 2018 2:30:40 GMT -8
Perhaps ‘outburst’ wasn’t the right word, though Xakire had no idea what to call it. Now though, his master had explained what was happening and so he was begining to understand, or more accurately was simply more informed. He was far from fully understanding. He knew he still had a long way to go to even come close to understand the Force in the way that his master and even Vasari did. He knew that being a Sith apprentice was fundamentally a completion amoung his peers, and he was determined to stand out, determined to make himself useful. For now, however, none of that mattered. They were in this castle for a reason. Maybe I’ll even find something for myself, he thought.Xakire offered only a nod to his master signaling that he had heard him. He couldn’t tell Viox that he “understands” because he didn’t, not fully and his master no doubt knew that, so instead he stayed obediently silent. “Shall we proceed, master?” He asked eager to find what they came for.
He wondered who could have activated the droids. A separatist holdout? No, the Clone Wars were far to long ago. Scavangers? Possibly but it would be unlikely for them to have gained control over the droid army. Rival Sith, or even Jedi? That’s possible, yet to easy a solution. In Xakire’s experience answers were seldom easy, particularly when it came to hunting powerful relics. He wondered just how much his master may have known but was choosing not to share...
He followed his master as they headed towards the Reliquary, making note of where they were and possible exits or attack angles for potential enemies, as they walked. |
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Vasari
Blackguard Imperium
Tell me that I wont feel a thing...
Posts: 1,244
Affiliation: Academy of Iridonia - Blackguard Reborn
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Post by Vasari on Mar 7, 2018 11:34:59 GMT -8
Vasari was favoring her right shoulder when she ascended the steps leading from the caverns below the Castle. Unlike most duelists who might train with an off hand so they're not useless if literally disarmed - she had trained with both since she had first picked up a weapon. The traditional weapon of Iridonia required both hands used in perfect tandem with one another. It was a discipline that took years to master, knowing where two points were at all times so not to harm yourself as you sought to press advantage against your opponent - needless to say, a duelist of her specialization was useless with a lame shoulder. Everything she did would hurt, and every move she would make would be horribly telegraphed against another duelist.
She trusted Luxeria's sense of position to locate Viox and Xakire and soon enough they had found them right as two were approaching the Reliquary. Vasari gave Xakira a wary smile as she held her injured shoulder - cloak gone, and half covered in blood still leaking from the torn glove of her left hand where the ascension cable had nearly tore her fingers off. Yet she was still alive - she counted it as a win. She remained silent throughout the report however she took this time to reconnect with the two. Luxeria and her minds were linked more tightly than she had ever imagined possible in such a short amount of time - something was aiding in the link, and the Force Meld was the most likely target of inquiry. She was finally given a moment to explore the idea but something was drawing her attention elsewhere.
She shot Xakire a weary smile and then stepped away from the group following something that was drawing her down one of the nearby corridors. A long time ago she learned to follow the call of the force no matter where it led her. It was what had taken her into the dungeons below the Iridonian Academy and set her on the path that had eventually brought her to this castle... halfway across the sector. She prepared her mind and her body for whatever was like to come... viox was right - whatever was lingering around here had ill intentions for intruders.
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Viox Savage
Blackguard Imperium
"You want the same as me. My redemption, eternal ascension. Setting me free."
Posts: 2,938
Affiliation: Sith Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Viox Savage on Apr 16, 2018 9:29:21 GMT -8
Vader's Castle - Reliquary.
Pushing the large, ornate obsidian doors apart, the Reliquary was finally reached. Inside there were pedestals adorned with various artifacts. Tomes of various languages, holocrons of both Jedi and Sith origin, trinkets and baubles. Everything that one would seek to maintain the past and learn the copious amounts of knowledge of the Jedi and the Sith were stored here. It was truly magnificent. And seated on a pedestal within the center of the room, the Sith Chalice. His ultimate goal. Though, since arriving here, his goal had changed. Originally, he had sought to plunder this great place of power. Now, he sought to claim it as his own. This castle, once home to the famed Sith Lord Darth Vader, would make for a perfect base of operations for the Blackguard. Since the Blackguard had originally been situated on Mustafar, it seemed fitting that his version of the Blackguard followed in their footsteps. Walking ever further within the Reliquary, his comm pinged. It was High Admiral Petrovsky giving him the status update he had requested.
Orbit is secured. All droid ships have been destroyed. And our 'friend' seems to have fled the scene. We will maintain our position and I will inform you if anything changes.
A slight grin crossed his face. This was playing out better than he had hoped. He never planned on handing over Mustafar to the Harch Admiral anyways. Noting Vasari and Luxeria's arrival, he motioned for them to spread out.
"As a reward for the success of your appointed tasks, you may select one item from the reliquary to claim as your own. The rest will remain to be studied and added to the Blackguard archives..."
The Zabrak trailed off as he climbed up the steps to the Chalice. It radiated with a dark aura. Knowing better than to simply pick the item up, he called Colonel Locklear, who had followed Vasari and Luxeria.
"Colonel. Secure this room and send for a retrieval team."
As the Colonel nodded and motioned for what remained of his team to spread out, a low hissing caught his attention. As he turned his head to look at one of the Shadowtroopers that had wandered to the far end of the room, the trooper was suddenly knocked to the floor by an unseen force, and then dragged off behind some large, ornate crates, screaming. Knowing full well there was only one creature that could accomplish that sort of task, Savage reached down for his lightsaber, thumbing the ignition studs. The orange blades sprang to life. With a graceful spin on his heel, he spun the blades around and shoved the rear facing blade directly behind him. A hissing squeal emanated from behind him as a creature materialized out of thin air. It was a Hssiss. Commonly known as a dark side dragon, the creatures had the ability to cloak themselves within the Force and their bite contained a dark side poison. As Savage pulled his saber blade out of the creature, more hissing could be heard. A lot more. It was time to seal the Reliquary and secure the rest of the castle first. These beasts could be dealt with at a later time.
"Fall back now! Seal these beasts inside!"
Movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to bring his saber around to bear. With the flick of his wrist, he severed the tail of one of the creatures. It howled in agony. It was time to leave this room. He didn't fight all this way here simply to be taken out by a few overgrown lizards...
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Luxeria
Member
“Even the strongest mind can be manipulated. It’s simply a matter of finding its weakness.”
Posts: 1,898
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn
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Post by Luxeria on Apr 16, 2018 14:31:31 GMT -8
Luxeria gazed upon the Reliquary, amazed at all that lay inside. With time, she was certain there was much to gain from the knowledge that rested within. Relics and artifacts of power, holocrons stuffed full of knowledge. Yet, they would be limited to one for themselves. The thought was slightly irritating considering what they been through. Faced a creature that could have easily taken down any of them if each didn't provide something to gain the upper hand and a single thing was all that could be taken. Studied to understand all else that resided within, something Viox would have direct and quick access to with no truth as to whether or not that information would be shared with the rest of them. It wasn't as if they planned to load up and leave nothing for him.
Yet, at the same time, she understood deep down the reasoning behind it, which caused any agitation to fade without much notice. When it came to the knowledge of the holocrons, there was no telling what truly laid within them, so while there was knowledge to be gained, it might not have been anything of worth to her in the scheme of things. As for the trinkets, there was equally no telling what would actually be used and what powers they possessed. She could have chosen something that looked good and might have been useful, yet possessed an ability that contradicted her in some form. If anything, she could easily enough find something that looked appealing to her and see about the creation of a new artifact endowed with traits that worked best for her. With that in mind, he best option was to seek out something that held knowledge, not power. The question ultimately came down to which one. All she could do was look and see what laid among the previously restricted history.
She gave Viox a slight bow of her head before progressing into the room in search of her chosen item. She was still a bit uncertain about Viox and the Blackguard. She had little interaction thus far and knew even less about the mission and goals of this new order. However, she had to remember a single thing to help her push the thoughts and feelings aside: her master made the choice to join up with this order and abandon the desire to form the One Sith. From that, he trusted the Zabrak enough to work with him and join its ranks as second-in commander, Jen'ari of the Blackguard. If there was any reason to suspect the Sith'ari, he would have instructed her as such. As such had yet to come to pass, there was no need to worry about the man.
As she moved about the treasures of the chamber, she reached out in the Force. Like lightsaber crystals tended to do, perhaps something would call out to here, or at least let the Force act as a guide to what she could use best. After a few moments, there was something that registered in her mind. It was faint, barely detectable. She'd need additional focus and time to pinpoint it. But among the search, something else registered. It resonated with the dark-side and there were several of them located within the room with them. Were they artifacts that were radiated heavily with the Dark-Side? Possibly considering where they were and who these objects once held possession of them. Yet, something in her gut said it was something more.
This feeling was quickly confirmed as she turned her attention towards the screaming shadowtrooper. Whatever she had felt was alive and in the room with them. And worst of all, they were hidden beyond sight. Th final trap for those that sought to take the riches from the castle. As her focus sharpened and her stance took up its guard, she heard the slightest of hisses, the faint movement around objects on the ground. A swift and quiet attack coming at her from behind. In a quick motion, she removed her lightsaber from her belt, bringing to life the purple blade as she turned to cut into one of the Hssiss. It was then that she heard Viox's call to retreat for now and seal the creatures within. Not wishing to take a chance to move across the ground and be struck by the unseen, she took to the air, summoning the Force through her as she jumped high into the air, directing her body towards the door they entered through. She landed to the side of Viox as he turned to make his swing in the other direction. Lightsaber up, she began backing towards the door in a quick pace, keeping all her senses sharp so to keep ahead of these beasts.
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