Darth Malvus
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Post by Darth Malvus on Mar 2, 2019 20:17:28 GMT -8
The pillar flew past Luxeria, but the moment the end passed her vision, Malvus leapt into action. The ignition of his lightsabers would catch her ears as he propelled himself from the bottom of the stone structure, his body leaping forward at his apprentice with the intention to strike. And so his lightsabers did, slamming against her own prepared weapon. The Sith went on a grand offensive, attempting to not give Luxeria a moments time to even remotely attack. In a flurry, his twin blades struck left, right, up, down, and side to side, as the Sith Lord attempted to keep her focus solely on his attacks.
As the attack continues, Malvus had a moment to reflect. When Luxeria had come to him, she was but a misguided adept, a mere child who needed to be properly educated. Her time with the Order of Ruin had nearly destroyed her destined future and sent her down a tainted path. In truth, Luxeria would have most certainly fallen at Malvus's blade, one day, if she had not come to him. Now, she was honed and trained well. She had become an aspiring candidate for a true Sith title. No longer was she an apprentice this day as Malvus watched her trained instincts deflect and parry. Everything from that first day on Eriadu had led them to this point and Malvus could feel the truth within the Force.
Luxeria would best her master within these halls of the Old Sith Empire...
The flurry that Malvus unleashed had lost its momentum over time. The Sith kept up his attacks, but he needed a new strategy. One of his lightsabers was disengaged as the Force gathered at his fingertips. Sparks flew for a moment before the Sith Lord unleashed a torrent of force lightning at Luxeria. His desire to win, his fear of losing, drove him to the edge and beyond as the Force was thrown at her.
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Luxeria
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“Even the strongest mind can be manipulated. It’s simply a matter of finding its weakness.”
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Post by Luxeria on Mar 3, 2019 10:36:43 GMT -8
The familiar snap-hiss of lightsabers and the glow of red beams caught her attention as she looked down to where Malvus was coming from. His timing had been dead on and the distance he chose to make his strike from was short. Had she not already been prepared with her own lightsaber, his attack could have very well been the end of it already. Even still, he did not make it easy as his unrelenting assault came at her from all directions. She was thankful for the time spent with Gavin and the training he gave her to refine her combat skills, especially the basics. Though her skills were something to be proud of on their own, he had helped her take them further, allowing her to keep up with her former master's attacks.
Her eyes never left the Sith's as the attacks continued and they touched back down from the air. Now both of them had something more to further their offense and defense. He might not have been able to get a hit in, but neither was she finding the opening she needed to make a counter strike. Had she been able to spare the couple of seconds to grab one of her other sabers, she would be better off, but those few seconds were never allowed.
Bit by bit, however, the momentum of Malvus's attacks began to slow. Luckily, by keeping her motions tight, allowing the proper give to be allowed learned through her studies of Soresu and Gavin's refinement, her energy wasn't wearing as fast. Then it came, a small opening. Her eyes caught the deactivation of one of his sabers. Her time looking into Tra'kata, the lessons Malvus, himself, taught her told her that he would be making an attack with the Force. She might not have truly known what attack it was, but she had a moment to reach for a second saber. As Kyana Rendi held back the single saber he kept active, her other hand reached to one of the curved hilts on the same side as her free arm, making her grab it in a reversed grip. She ignited the blade as the lightning came, the beam of purple intercepting its path.
Once again, they hit a small deadlock as Luxeria worked to hold back his assault. In those few seconds, she thought back on the days she first came to him. It was only because of him that she was able to grow and achieve the power she sought and beyond. Under his tutelage, she had found no regrets in her path. He had opened her eyes, expanding her sights and her ambitions to become something more. It was only because of him that she was here now, able to face him down as she was. And she knew, while most Sith feared this day, feared being struck down by their apprentices, she knew that he held pride, knowing that he was successful in forging another true Sith. But she could also tell that despite this reality, he wasn't going to just let her win. No, he desired to still best her if he could. No one wanted to lose.
With a blink, the few seconds of reminiscing vanished and her thoughts returned to the present. His strength and sheer power were greater than hers, that much she knew. It was one of his advantages over her. If she continued to try and hold him off as she was, he'd overwhelm her and bring her to her knees. She had to act now. Focusing her mind, her eyes sharpened as the light of the sabers and lightning reflected in them. With the Force, she gripped the second of her curved hilts and removed it from its resting place. Angling it upwards, she activated it, hoping to cut him in two. She expected his instincts to kick in just in time, forcing him to move back as it was the only way she saw him able to defend himself.
But she wouldn't let him get away. As he'd move and her saber above him, she'd move as well, letting go of the sabers she held as they stayed to hold off his attacks for as long as they could as she closed the distance between them, seeking to get inside his attack radius. Bring her left elbow up, she sought to drive it into his sternum in attempts to knock the breath out of him then let herself turn so that she was almost side by side with him and turned her left arm up and brought it up to slam into the bottom side of his chin. To finish her assault, she dropped down in a spin in an attempt to avoid any attacks he made on her as she slapped her right hand in a chop to the back of his right knee to hopefully bring him down or, at the very least, disrupt his balance before leaping away to gain some distance, reaching out to her sabers to call them back to her.
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Darth Malvus
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Post by Darth Malvus on Apr 4, 2019 17:26:43 GMT -8
The next thing Malvus knew... the Sith was kneeling on a wounded knee before Luxeria, the buzz of her lightsaber inches from his ear. The humming was the sound of dread for all alike, especially given this close proximity. His jaw hurt badly from the first attack, which only served to off balance him and prevent his attack from continuing. Then, a searing pain soared through his body as her lightsaber clipped his right knee. She had expertly warded off his attack, countered splendidly and, for the first time in ages, forced Malvus down on one knee.
It was over.
Luxeria was the victor.
The Sith Lord remained where he knelt, the humming of her lightsaber having not moved away. He had failed in defeating his apprentice, failed in striking her down and preventing her from rising any further. In the days of old, the apprentice would defeat the master, kill them, and take their place as the next Sith Lord. Time and time again, he saw this happen. From his days as a youth among the resurgent Sith Empire of the Great Galactic War to the New Sith and the Brotherhood of Darkness, and, in a more extreme fashion, the One Sith under Darth Krayt. The apprentice had defeated the master in this case... his fate was within her hands.
DO IT!
He bellowed at Luxeria.
Finish the job and claim your prize, Luxeria! Prove to the galaxy your power! Prove to the galaxy your resolve!
Malvus continued to bellow at her, urging her to do what the Sith of old always did in such circumstances.
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Luxeria
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“Even the strongest mind can be manipulated. It’s simply a matter of finding its weakness.”
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Post by Luxeria on Apr 5, 2019 6:53:40 GMT -8
As Malvus fell to a knee, Luxeria moved around him cautiously, bringing up her saber close to his face as she gazed down at him. The burning orange glow of her eyes as the Dark-Side coursed through her veins, bore into his as she held her place. For the moment, it seemed as if she had the upper hand. No reason to lose it due to arrogance or any other ill-conceived feelings. Yet, the temptation was only further drawn out as he yelled at her, commanding her to end his life as was the way of the Sith of old. Her fist tightened its grip upon her saber, her curved hilt held down at her side. Just one swing and it could all end. One final cut of her lightsaber and she would truly prove her superiority over him.
But despite that egging feeling deep inside, she didn't move. Was this truly a victory? It didn't feel like it to her. She had started this fight with the notion that she wanted nothing more than to kill him and prove herself when such a reality couldn't have been farther from the truth. This was meant to hold the illusion of a battle to the death. If her battle with Gavin prior to this showed her anything, it was that one didn't just give up until they could no longer move. A fight for one's life drew out the limits of the body and mind as she discovered in her own defeat against him. But here Malvus was, seemingly accepting his defeat though, despite his injury, could have still pushed an onslaught against her in some form. Surely he hadn't been pushed to his limits yet as she hadn't yet herself. A hard and tough battle, yes, but a true fight for her life? She couldn't have surpassed him so much either that he believed himself defeated. He had decades and more of training and experience over her five or so, even if it had been dedicated. At best, she would have seen herself as an equal, at the very least, smart enough to find advantages in which to overpower him.
No, this couldn't be right. It had to be a ploy. The moment she made her attack would be when he'd strike. She couldn't refute the idea that he was still ready to fight, only using this to deceive her and draw on her over-confidence. No, she had been trained better. Never think a fight was over until one's opponent could no longer fight back. And she had a way to ensure such an outcome.
Drawing on the power of her left bangle, Midwan, she gathered some of the energy that had been spent in the battle, giving her that power needed to ensure she could execute her next move effectively. When she was ready, she began manipulating the Force around her, shaping it to her image. First one, then two, then a third, doppelgangers of Luxeria began to pull away from the original, or so it might have seen. Her real body was, in fact, the first to move, leaving a copy in front of Malvus as she circled behind him with the remaining two copies taking up a place on each side of him. Only the real one could do damage, but she hoped it disrupted his senses enough to keep him from noticing she had moved behind him.
So many ways she could go about her next move. She could cut into him, ensure his body was useless. She could step into his mind, use her skills in Torture by Chagrin or Force Fear to break his mind. There was so many options, so many ways she could continue this battle, to show him the full extent of her powers. But no, that wasn't the way, not why she was truly here. Doing so would mean she didn't respect the man and what he had done for her. There was but one way to end it, one that would still carry her ploy for a few moments longer.
Using her enhanced skills of Telekinesis, she drew out five of her senbon from her left pouch, each of them coated in Senflax, her most preferred poison. It was the perfect tool in almost any situation, something most people never saw coming. By numbing and paralyzing him, he'd be helpless against her. By disrupting his concentration, he'd be unable to use the Force against her. Perfect for someone as such as herself: refined and elegant. Lifting the needles up, she drove them in to pierce the back of his next.
Should he be true in his words, there would be no fight left. But this would reveal his intentions. Should it work and he was on the ground, she would have truly bested him and would bring about the truth of the fight. That was, after one final scare.
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Darth Malvus
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Post by Darth Malvus on Apr 8, 2019 13:33:08 GMT -8
Malvus watched Luxeria quietly, wondering what her move was going to be. Yet... what he had egged her to do did not come to past. Several doppelgangers appeared, a perfection of her illusionist magic that she had so desired to master. There was so much she could do and simply end the duel, rendering the Sith Lord useless perhaps for life or ending his very life with her hands. It's what the Order of Ruin had tried to teach her, maybe those teachings still haunted her. Maybe, she would act upon them in this very moment, betraying her master to the full extent that she could. The ultimate end, the ultimate betrayal, and none would know that she had done so. Luxeria had been trained to be a master of illusions and deception, a woman who used her beauty and powers to seduce, divide, and manipulate. He saw her hands move and knew the end was coming.
Then, a light prick was felt in the back of his neck. There was no cutting feeling, no smell of burning flesh, no darkness taking his vision. Malvus glanced to the side to see senbon within the air, one of which had pierced his skin and another was moving to do so. Suddenly, his muscles began to tighten and his person felt weak. Something was going on... Malvus could feel his entire body changing. It was poison! The thought of which came to a realization when Malvus felt his legs lock up from the paralysis that was inflicted by the Senflax. His connection with the Force wavered slightly as the poison coursed through him. Malvus then felt his right arm lock up entirely, forcing him to remain on his bowed position. The Sith could yell a curse at her, but... there was a reason why she did this.
He could easily siphon the toxin with the crystal that surged within his chest cavity that had replaced his heart. Malvus could easily turn this around... but then, to do so, meant Luxeria would forever be unable to beat her master. And this poison was not meant as a disrespect but as respect. Luxeria was not going to let the old ways of the Sith, and that of the Order of Ruin, corrupt her at this moment. The teachings and training of Malvus still influenced her.
A Sith defeated does not mean that their usefulness has run out...
Malvus spoke those words quietly as the poison took full grip upon him. Some of the earliest words spoken to Luxeria and the earliest philosophical lesson that had been given to the female upon her arrival to Eriadu. The Order of Ruin had attempted to corrupt her from her true destiny, she was smart enough to realize that and come to him for true guidance. He had trained a handful of apprentices in the past... Luxeria was the first to truly succeed and defeat him. The Sith could use the crystal, but that would be a disrespect towards Luxeria who deserved her elevation.
You have reached the limits of what I can teach you, Luxeria. Now, you are no longer my apprentice. Now, you have defeated the last obstacle towards the stars that lie above you. The boundaries of your apprenticeship are over... and so begins the limitless potential of your days as a Dark Lady.
Malvus says, unable to turn to look at Luxeria. The poison still gripping his muscles.
You have done well, Darth Luxeria. I, and Lord Savage, are very pleased with this victory you have achieved.
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Luxeria
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“Even the strongest mind can be manipulated. It’s simply a matter of finding its weakness.”
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Post by Luxeria on Apr 9, 2019 5:22:41 GMT -8
As she saw that the poison was beginning to take effect, she stepped up, ready to push him over to the ground then make her final move of acting like she'd cut off his head, stopping just over his next. However, the words that came from him proved that he was seeing the fight differently, saw that she had no intention of killing him. As such, she wouldn't finish off with her ploy, even for the sheer amusement it might bring her. Letting the Doppelgangers fade, she moved to step in front of him, her lightsaber deactivating as she replaced it on her belt. For a moment, she merely looked at him as she tried to hold back the heavy breaths that the fight had brought her.
In the end, she had forgotten about the crystal within his chest. Then again, perhaps she never forgot but thought nothing of it. The crystal that was his heart served a role not too different from the Ancients that existed within the Sith'ari, a truth she had come to realize in time. It granted great power that could resist many things. With such aids, it was near impossible for someone like her to ever defeat him, taking nearly her whole life to obtain the power required to stand against it. But she figured that if he respected even the old ways of seeing an apprentice rise, he would have to avoid using its power. And thus it had come to be.
The moments passed in silence before Luxeria finally nodded to him. "This fight was never meant to be one that ended in death. It was merely a ploy to ensure you faced me with all your strength. It was the only way to truly prove I was ready to take a title of master within the Sith. Only then, could I say I had reached a point where my power and skills were equal to yours. I have no interest in surpassing you, as to do so means that I would have had to walk in your footsteps, learned only what you knew and never been who I wished to be. As we had talked about in those first days of my training, there is always more to learn, things that can continue to make us stronger, things that we can still take from the other. Killing you would be a waste to myself and the Blackguard as a whole. And despite what the Sith of old believed, killing you doesn't truly prove that I surpassed you, only bested you in the moment. Next time, things could go much differently."
For a moment, she looked up as if looking through the roof of the building, a smile coming to her face before her eyes returned to Malvus. "Now, I will take the apprentice I have sought out and teach her the same lessons you taught me. In time, those lessons will be passed on and on, until they become inscribed in history as a new way of the Sith." She then gave a small laugh. "Soon, the poison will fade and you'll regain control of yourself once more. Once you are ready, we can either continue our original mission or return home." Closing her eyes for a moment, she looked up once again, knowing that all had happened as she desired it to.
After all the work, her final trial had reached its end. Now, she truly was a Dark Lady of the Sith.
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Darth Malvus
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Post by Darth Malvus on Apr 13, 2019 21:10:41 GMT -8
It took shorter though for the toxins to wear off. With the defeat acknowledged, and Luxeria having gained her victory, the crystal within Malvus flared to life and drained the toxins from his body. Motion and feeling returned to muscles as the Sith Lord gradually rises. Even his wound upon his knee healed up, though it left a scar where the lightsaber had slashed. Malvus listened to Luxeria as she spoke and knew that she would find the right apprentice in due time. The Force had brought her to him and, one day, a potential apprentice would come to her or she would find one on her travels.
If so desired, you may utilize the facilities on Eriadu to train your apprentice when the time comes. Eriadu has been your home as long as you have been my apprentice and it may continue to serve as your lair and base as long as you desire it so. But there are plenty of worlds we control now... your base could be anywhere.
Luxeria had entered the world of being a Sith Master now and the stars were her limits. Malvus knew this day was long overdue. She had been ready for this trial ages ago after the Sith Lord reviewed her directly and indirectly, seeing the strides in her progress and the skills she acquired. The Blackguard had gained a new master and her rise would certainly be the standard set for future apprentices to come. Malvus suspected that he would begin looking for a new apprentice someday, but the duties of Jen'ari were starting to grow heavy with the Sith'ari's plans growing and coming to the final stage. Even now, troops were being moved, garrisons trained, and ships readied for the greatest of expeditions.
Malvus looks at where they were, gazing at the old Sith pyramid that they had dueled within. The spirits had been disturbed, yet intrigued by what had happened. The Sith had come for what he needed. Thus there was no need to remain. The former master looks at Luxeria, nodding back in the direction of his craft.
Let us depart and report our findings to Lord Savage.
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=A link of what is to come on Dromund Kaas=
As they departed, the Sith Lord paused for a moment, noticing a strange symbol etched upon the wall. In all his time, Malvus had never seen such a symbol before. Even the Old Sith Empires and Orders had never once utilized what his eyes gazed upon. It was small and almost easy to pass over, walking down the hallway, but his trained eyes were able to notice the subtle detail. The carving into the stone was recent, depicting a diamond with four eyes and a large eye in the center. As Luxeria continued moving forward, Malvus gazes down the hallway that the symbol had been etched into, noticing nothing else out of the ordinary.
Quietly, he pulls out a scanner and makes a copy of the symbol with the device for later examination. Malvus looks back the way they came, contemplating for a second. There had been a time, during their duel, that the Sith Lord felt something else... watching the two of them. And it was not a spirit nor a phantom. Unbeknownst to him, the Sith Worlds were not entirely uninhabited...
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