Pride and Ambition (Demoly's training)

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Walking through the crowd, shoulders cascade across each other; some businessmen, others on their way in an errand. A pickpocket's place of work, and a fugitive's place to hide; the crowd shuffled in harmonious chaos through the streets.

A particular person, of particular note and worth roams the inner lanes of the mob. Slowly she'd notice, all eyes shifting on her. People pass, unable to disengage their gaze. As if to coax her into confrontation, each insignificant body after the next. Over time, their paths would broaden; the mass of moving bodies alter course to widen a large opening at the center, encasing the female at its center. Still starring, the body of cattle move with a like mind; chest to back, shuffling with no room to squeeze between. Should she wonder for a weak spot in the crowd's structure, she would find a hooded figure in darkness; the only other besides herself to populate the inner space of zombie-like citizens. If not absolutely sure, a thought would ring true that this character is the one responsible. Soon she wouldn't have time to think, as the figure's right hand would emerge to open; the bottom two fingers holding a sparkling lightsaber hilt of heavenly majesty. Was this a dream? Perhaps... But as his middle finger curls in to flex upon the activating button, one would wonder: how much do dreams hurt?

 

[Dread]

If this was a dream, Demoly would not think twice about attempting to slice open a few people in the crowd if she should need a escape. If this was not a dream, she still would slice open a few people as she had seemed to draw too much attention to herself in either case.

She held out her left hand to the air, palm upwards towards the sky. A sky that seemed to be filled with paint-like clouds, almost as fake seeming as the crowd around her. Demoly brought her right hand to her side, facing it downward to the ground. Between her right hands fingers was her lightsabers curved-hilt. Soon she ignited the lightsaber; the crisp sound of raw power cutting through the air echoed suddenly. The dark red lightsaber blade glowed on her grey cloak.

Demoly's eyes flashed, "Who are you? Answer me, or die." The words rang from her lips obviously empty of emotion.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

The hooded head tilted at the fiery anger that erupted instantly without question, drifting blackness wafting from the cloak's material. The red beam extended off to the side, nearly reaching an arm that did not flinch in reaction.

The figure began circling the female, utterly silent; though with a tilt in his step, his evil teethed grin melted out into stale light. As he made his way around her, his wrist swooshed a swirl of the beam into the crowd cutting down a bystander - only to be replaced by another, in a sea of endless bodies. In his display of the tightly bound trap, he peered out from under his hood; leaning an ear to his shoulder, eyes inferring to the sky as it changed color. Quickly, as the female would see, a flash of reality would show the true colors of his power. They were in no dream, but an illusion. A powerful swarm of dark energy that had captivated the minds of all around them. There was no avoiding conflict, and so he stopped in profile with a challenging stare; wide-eyed, yet to smile with the flexing of his cheek muscles into the lower eye lids. He looked to her as if to say, what can you do?

 

[Dread]

The beam of light lit up her eye color, the amber seemed to take over her eyes as her pupils retracted. Her hand that had been facing the sky moved back closer to her body, tilted sideways to cover her body, palm near her face.

When the crowd member reappeared after the sudden death, then it clicked in her mind. Something was very wrong with this picture. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of real life, then she was cast back into the place she first thought was a dream. "This is all a illusion..."

Demoly brought her right hand back to the position it was in before, returning the challenge back to the stranger. "I have read about power such as this before. This may not be real, but something here might be. I'm willing to put my bets on you. If not - I will still enjoy stabbing you in the heart. I do hope this illusion has blood. I will revel in it as your pathetic body convulses on the ground." With that overly prideful speech, the girl leap forward in a great showsmenship of speed. Her lightsaber rose to the air above her head and struck down towards the mans chest.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Leaning into the female, the dark figure slammed a Force enhanced shoulder-check beneath the overhand attack into the open ribcage; using her speed against her, the silent evil bounced back with a lifting into an over-handed slice of his own - to bring down like the guillotine of her end.

 

[Dread]

Demoly took the hit pretty hard - her body flung to the ground, back hitting the ground so hard it sent a shaking sting of pain throughout her body. Her lips open, letting a short gasp of air escape. "Ah!"

However, she quickly brought her blade up to above her chest, attempting to block the incoming blade's attack. She could of rolled out of the way - instead she attempted to kick at the mans knee - a weaker spot that might give her a far greater advantage to strike him if he should be hit and fall.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

An evil hatred for the end of this woman snarled out from within the darkness of the hood, yet interrupted by a swift kick to his knee. Luck had nothing to do with it. Hidden from underneath the robes and shadowy cloak, the angle in which this figure twisted in his stroke allowed his bending knee to take the brunt of the damage along the inside of his leg.

As he swung down, his leg was struck, and he spun with the momentum of the force. His robe flew up unnaturally, lifting as he came around with a speed of downward force greater than before. Again, the figure brought down a hammering slice, now upon one knee. His mouth stretched open with a scratching howl through whisper, satisfying his emotion in the act.

The crowd, still in constant movement, held their stares; widening their eyes upon the strike, as every person seemed to over stimulate with the rise of emotion.

 

[Dread]

Clearly she miscalculated this situation. Now, she was in far more peril then before. Damn it all! Her body filled with adrenaline as she watched the mans strike fall even quicker down on her.

She had to act much quicker then before - there was no way she could stop this man completely. Gathering the force around her to quicken her speed three times, she let her lightsaber go out as she rolled over once just out of the strikes range but not fully out of the mans grasp - a feat only a force user could make. It was as far as she could get in such little time and left her without her lightsaber ignited and on her stomach.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Grinning wickedly, the figure stood and began circling her clockwise. Seething from his teeth, he whispered, "I see your weaknesses, now... show me your power, Alamat!" That's right, he knew her name. Flourishing his lightsaber in show, he whirled it around in waiting of her attack; it was not his desire to kill her, though she may well earn it through failure.

 

[Dread]

Demoly pushed up on her hands and knees then onto her feet. "Wait a minute. Why didn't you take that time to try to strike me?" Her amber eyes moved back and fourth between him and her lightsaber in burst of temper. Was this man here just to play with her or was he after something else from her? Then she heard her last name being used, "You know of my past then, too, hmm? Then you're surely after something dark from me."

Out of the blue she tipped her body weight forward and pushed on her feet pads to get a quick sudden charge at the man. As she did she ignited her dark red lightsaber. This time she struck towards his stomach in a side ways slash. She was not sure how fast he was but this time she guarded the distance between her and him.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Quickly he spun into his opponent, swirling with the direction of Demoly's slash. As he pointed his lightsaber down to block the slash only partially (he wished for her movement to continue forwards as he retaliated), he pivoted under his arm to situate himself just behind her as she passed - slamming down a force enhanced elbow to the back of her neck with that same arm holding his lightsaber hilt.

Spinning out of the strike and away, he'd commend her. "You've a great speed for one so young. You'll push your limits or die!" More of a promise than a threat, the dark one held his lightsaber straight up before him; one hand ready to fully grip the hilt like the other before his pelvis. He awaited her next act of talent. His eyes fiery with a sinister thirst, welcoming her potential.

 

[Dread]

Yet another good hit to Demoly from her opponent sent the young woman to the ground - her knees touched down on the street and her head flung slightly forward. She was able to keep her body from fully falling down but for a minute she felt a shock threw her body. She stumbled up and turned around to face the man. Her lightsaber shook between her fingers in anger - people like her didn't like getting angry. The anger, however, fueled her power more. It didn't matter that she didn't move her body - the force gathered around her and pushed out in a rush of power towards the man.

At the same time as the force bellowed towards the man Demoly reached back with her left arm and pointed her hand towards the crowd. Her aim was to pick up a few people and toss them towards him. This might be his illusion but she would still try. She was attempting to coax him into attacking her this time.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

"Yesss...!" Ledo reveled in her anger, almost feeding off its power. "Let the hate pour through you. Release its power!"

His hands lifted up as the darkside gathered massive amounts of density encasing him, snapping random streams of lightning out to connect with lifting bodies all around. Nothing would be able to avoid this encompassing Maelstrom of the Force, as portions of his 'Ledo's' mind control lifted from the people's faces - now in terror of the nightmarish storm hurling them into each other through the air.

In his state of euphoria in temperament, Ledo stressed himself into holding back. He did not wish to kill the female at this time, yet if only to further aggravate her tendency towards the Darkside.

Screams filled the air, as swirling citizens bashed into one another. A man choked a spitting cry at random lightning's crack. And finally, with an inconclusive end, Ledo simply dropped the entire crowd; releasing his hold over them to collapse upon themselves, as he resisted any temptation of blasting a devastating lightning show through force wave like one normally would. Instead he brought back the building power in on himself; as few could perform such an attack, and even fewer could retrieve themselves before executing the culminating blast.

And just as the people hit the ground upon each other, they would stand again as if nothing had happened. Ledo's illusions were second nature to him, though the strain of the last attack would hinder him from further using such power in the current battle. Though one thing had been revealed to Demoly, had she thought to notice: the people around her were actually there, real people in pain from the attack - but resuming their zombie like walking after untangling their limbs from the levitation's drop. Ledo stood, with his magnificent glittering lightsaber pointed down to the ground, waiting with an evil grin. His teeth shifted from slot to slot, grinding against themselves. Now would be the telling tail of Alamat. Ledo would see what her reaction...

 

[Dread]

The show of this mans power changed something in Demoly, she watched as the people around her turned out to be real and suffered at his hands. She fed off it. She was exhilarated. The dark side rushed around her, engulfing her into its grasp and fueling her power. She smiled at the man as if to respect his power instead of loath him for hurting her. She was expecting to die in the mans attack and rebel one last time with a force attack of her own but then he suddenly stopped.

Wait...


He was holding back more then Demoly had first thought. She was sure she was going to die but instead he simply goaded her over and over - was he testing her for some reason? Suddenly she liked this man before then before. In answer to his test she, Without a second thought, swung her arm back then forward, loosening her grip on her lightsaber to let it fling forward. She guided it so that it would go far up in the air behind the man. Demoly, still in her rush of power, pushed at him again with her fueled force power then at the same time guided her lightsaber to come at him from behind. A attack from both sides. It was done as quick as she could and she aimed to kill even knowing she didn't have to power to do so.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Peeling a shoulder back to watch the lightsaber fly, the powerful Ledo stepped one step back still relaxed as he let the beam of his own saber almost sit upon the ground. It was as if he was waiting to be hit, allowing this female's attack... No, he merely wished to further fuel the fire within her.

At just the right moment, Ledo's extreme speed through the Force would nearly evaporate his image in his dash to the left; the female's saber and force push attack, canceling each other out as there was no target obstructing their path towards collision. The hilt spun to the ground, and just as quickly as he sped left - Ledo zipped back over the retracted saber. Light enough not to break it, yet firm enough to keep it in place, Ledo stepped a foot over Demoly's prize. He looked at it with interest, in a way mocking it but unassuming as to its skill in creation. Ledo was more than fond of the complexities in lightsaber hilts, and could see deep into this one's makings. His head remained down, though he could sense everything around him down to the molecule, as his eyes popped up to Demoly. "Interesting design... surely you did not create this?" The last bit would no doubt sink sharply into the female's heart. She had shown her best yes, but not her darkest. His back was almost turned to her. It would be a curious thing to see how she reacted to this?

 

[Dread]

Demoly's eyes widened watching the mans speed. She had never been able to archive such speed and never seen it before either. Her enchantment with his powers abruptly ended, however, when he pinned down her lightsaber with his boot. Partly because now she had nothing but the force to fight with but mostly she was worried about him crushing it - it would be as if he crushed one of her limbs. She had spent a lot of time on her work of art.

Her amber eyes shifted back and fourth, she thought carefully about her words so that the mans "hostage" wouldn't be damaged, but at the same time she couldn't help but lash out at him at lest a little bit. "So you don't know /everything/ about me then? Good...I did create my lightsaber. I know every part, everything I would change for the future for it...and it would be great if you took your boot off it."

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

His head tipped back as he cackled silently, the hood over his doming cranium clung to still conceal his face as it defied gravity's pull.

Stepping off of the delicate delight, Ledo had regained a bit of himself in the permitting time lapse. Simultaneously he'd lift the two masses: partially out of spite from his corrected lack of knowledge, though he'd let the anger speed his strength. Gripping the two, Ledo's single left hand openly clutched the air in rising might; feeling like a growing number of spiders crawling up Demoly's consuming body, his choking grip would restrict her from any movement. Though as he began to fully control her frame, it was not immediate; though once he had full control of her levitating body, the tainted power that is 'Ledo' would begin to show her the darkness of pain. Her lightsaber, however, held most still in full control in parallel to her place above ground. The hilt sparkled just in front of Ledo's face, though straight up. Should the female try to retake the hilt of her affection, she would find herself struggling against a power far more dominating in total control of the object; she would have wasted her chance at attempting to freedom. Though concentration in multiple densities and locations was a complex feat, and nothing was absolute. Each reaction held its own odds. Should she wait too long to react, the pressure about her neck would have reached an encompassing might now squeezing on every joint and every nerve of her entire system. He would not kill her. She was the object of his vision, to use her in the ways she had already demonstrated. Ledo tried to read her further in this state of physical strain, as her mind would be less guarded in this moment of truth's reveal. "Should I return this beam to heart?" He cracked, smiling through the artificial shadows over his face...

 

[Dread]

It was well she started to feel something start to crawl along her her body and start to take it over when she realized perhaps she had went to far with her comments. She wasn't sure which one had trigger him but that was irrelevant now. She could feel her body slowly being taken over completely in certain parts - breathing was becoming restrictive. Her jaw felt under pressure when she went to gasp for air.

Demoly then noticed he had set her lightsaber before her. She wasn't sure if he was just toying with her but she called on all her force power she could in this restrictive position. Wrapping the force around her arm she enhanced her speed and strength in her arm to reach out and suddenly grasp her lightsaber against all the odds. It was a pointless expenditure of her energy because once her thin fingers had wrapped around her hilt she could no longer move. All she could feel was pain - all she could focus was on that and trying to breath.

She had no idea he was trying to probe her mind, and if she had known she would of fought against it. As much as she was proud of her doings she had never told anyone about being the true assassin of her own father and brother nor about the murder of her ex-"lover". She was cold and ruthless and had never been loyal to someone before. Demoly had used everyone in her past then threw them away like garbage.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

As she grasped her weapon, Ledo was satisfied in his surprise. Though he now held her, entirely. The slightest application thereof, Ledo would Crush her body in the very vacuum of the Force. Yet as he did so, his squirming thoughts of probing had wormed its way into memory's emotion.

"Ah..." He held her still, releasing the pain a bit for her to hear him and understand his words; though his grip in control would not change, as he still held her in utter commanding Force. "And so you've come full circle..." It would be unclear as to which he referred, as he had spoken very little up to this point; only to challenge her in physicality, but now he would begin her devoted path unto him. "First the father... the brother", he took his sweet time in saying each word as slowly as he liked, "... then the lover, and what next? Perhaps one, to be killed, more with a specific purpose? Perhaps you can be made capable to see?"

His words would chime reverberations of truth through her being. Could she put forth the effort behind a goal? She had killed, but had she seen the better meaning of what that gained her self? A goal to limitless power would carve its path through many bodies, yet could coarse with the sensation only freedom could bring; freedom in truth. He let her head move, to free the strain in her neck so that she may respond; even if only to nod, Demoly would know that this figure had come to recruit.

 

[Dread]

Even if he had only lessened the pain slightly she felt relieved. Now she could focus on other things. Although, a moment later she wished she couldn't hear what he was saying. As the first words fell on her ears she felt her mind pulse in sudden shock. Then again her mind pulsed as he talked about her ex. The slower he spoke the more the words dug deep into Demoly.

How did he know that all? It clicked a moment later when she figured out which comment had triggered him. She had fallen right into his trap.

As he kept talking she now partly understood what was going on. She knew he was here to recruit her. It was clear to her that even if she didn't agree right away to join that she would would likely either be convinced through whatever means where necessary, to agree with him, or be killed by him. Dieing was not her favored option even as prideful as she was about working for someone, he and his actions where the exception to her stubbornness.

When her neck and head became free her mouth opened wide as she tried to use the moment to breath easier, but her chest and lungs where still tight. She looked him were she assumed his face was then nodded slowly - she didn't say a word. In a way she felt like she was selling her soul because of the situation she was in. The man was so powerful, he was a inspiration of power, and she craved power but she still didn't know exactly what she was getting herself into.