Ask Bath in Fire

[Darth Malicia]

Malastare, Late Afternoon.

There was something Demolly was certain of: a cult or two under her thumb wouldn't hurt. Especially not for the plans she had. That was why she found herself on Malastare. She'd come across a little report about cult activity. A group was starting to take root on part of the planet.

Apparently, the cult believed the galaxy would end. According to them though, loyalty to their leader would bring them salvation. More importantly, they were violent. Running into buildings and lighting up the place until they were gunned down by blaster fire violent. It was perfect for her, though the article left Demolly with little more information than that.

Now it was close to dusk. A man floated in the air before the small Sith woman, gripped in Force choke. She waited until his life began to slip away, then let go.

When he hit ground, she dug into his mind. He'd feel the pain of the act, but not just that. Demolly made sure to make it as painful as possible. She showed him his worst nightmares and flashes of memories that haunted him. She amplifed his emotions to make it worse. Forcing him to endure unimaginable pain, confusion and fear as she ripped every morsel of information out of him.

She couldn't stop herself from making it worse and worse. She... enjoyed it. It excite her.

Once she got it all out, she stopped and kicked him over. "So, the cult enjoys underground bases hmm?" she said to herself. He hadn't given her too much information, but enough to find her way into heart of the operation. On another good note, it seemed the cult enjoyed black and silver just as much as she did. She'd fit right in, minus the whole worshipping thing.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys had come to Malastare on a bit of an impulse. He had been watching the news for the local sectors on the holonet, trying to get a grip on what was going on in the part of the wide wide galaxy that he had begun to operate in. Most of it wasn't very interesting or informative, until the story about some sort of death cult blasting buildings and fighting until the death for reasons unknown. Asminys didn't know their reasons, or really care what they were, but he hadn't been impressed with the loyalty that most people gave to their leaders so far. These guys seemed exactly like the kind of people he wanted raiding buildings and fighting to the death, just for him instead.

The planet was a rather miserable looking affair. Fuel mining had ravaged much of the environment in the main population areas, though there were still vast wilderness areas outside of that. The air hung like smog as Asminys stalked walked the afternoon streets. He didn't know quite where to look but he figured the darkside would lead him to what he was looking for. It didn't take long for his highly attuned senses to pick something up, a pulse of fear and despair, a palpable presence of the darkside. A familiar presence.

Following the trail of darkness, it didn't take long for Asminys to find find his quarry. Suppressing his presence, he stalked quietly towards the black and silver garbed woman as she finished her torturous interrogation.

"Underground huh? Thanks for that." Asminys sneered as he stepped out of the shadows. "Enjoying yourself?" He snickered as he motioned at the soon to be corpse laying at her feet.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Demolly spun around at the sound of a voice. A spike of anger shot through her until she realized who it was. At that point, the anger cooled into annoyance. One day he'd likely sneak up and stab her, but she doubted that was now.

Despite him obviously overhearing her and suspiciously being in the same place, she couldn't help but snark back. "You're still alive? That's shocking," she spat, though after her head tipped somewhat as her attention drifted.

Her eyes lingered on his features she'd enjoyed in the past, when there was little more to keep her distracted and sane. She reached out after a moment, uncaring of whatever his reaction might be, and ran the back of her finger down his chest. "Mm, but, I don't mind."

She spun around after, this time to face away from him. "Unless you try to stop me from taking over that cult," she added with a suspicious tone in her voice. Even though she was suspicious, she still started to walk towards the location of the cults base. Well, it's entrance. The base was where the real fun was at.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys was ready to reach for his saber as Demolly spun on her heal, ready to defend himself if she decided to try to take his head. She had always been quick to anger. It seemed today wasn't the day though as she cooled off quickly. "I'm not easy to kill. But you already knew that." He snarled back, fingers twitching slightly as his anger rose.

It seemed that now wasn't the time however as her expression softened and she grazed a finger down his chest. Exhaling his anger, he watched as she turned away from him. "Good to see you too." He replied softly, his mind torn between memories of violence and some not so violent, eyes lingering as he watched her walk away.

"However, it seems we might have a conflict of interest," He said to her back as she mention the cult, it seemed they had their sights set on the same goal. She wanted the cult, he wanted the cult. Things always got complicated. "Perhaps we can come to an arrangement of sorts."

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

She did know that, that was why she choose to say it. Demolly knew how to needle at the man, which is probably one of the reasons Sith "friendships" usually didn't last long. It was dangerous to know one another intimately.

She ignored his reply to her comment about his looks, instead focusing on the last unpleasant thing that came from his mouth. "I don't like compromising," she growled. Although, she wasn't stopping him from following her still. Demolly wasn't sure what she wanted to do with him yet; she wasn't sure if she'd try to stab him, or use him, or simply try to 'get along. It depended on a lot of things. "But make your proposal."

Was it all on him to make the proposal? No. He could simply attack her if he wanted. She was just being difficult, because she could be.

Her attention on him wavered when a large, obviously neglected building appeared in the distance. The building that had the tunnel down into their bases. There were guards at the entrance, obviously. "Kill all in sight, or play a game of subterfuge?" she asked, regardless of what he pitched.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

And just like that anything resembling a fond memory was gone. He quickly remembered how much of a pain in the ass she was. He debated taking her out of the equation now, but fighting for control of a death cult didn't seem worth the effort. Sure he'd wanted their loyalty, but there were other things to gain from this situation that would suit him just as well.

"I could kill you and take what I want." He said coldly, his burning yellow eyes flashed with malice at her back. "Or," He let the word linger in the air as he assessed her reaction, "I help you this one time, and you lend them to me, once." It was an easy trade for him. He would get a little bit of a workout, and in exchange he got a one time use death cult.

As they approached the abandoned building he scoffed at her suggestion. "Do you want command of a cult or a building full of corpses?" He sneered. They were no good to him dead, at least not yet. "Their loyalty is their leader, right?"

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Demolly was aware his threat was a real threat, though the idea of fighting someone as strong as him excited her, it was a waste of time. Also, possibly a waste of an asset if he turned out worth using. Possibly, using in more than one sense of the word.

After taking a moment to think, she sighed knowing she'd take the deal. But, she was still suspicious.

Demolly turned around once again, after he made his offer. There was a slight pause, and then she'd get close to him unless he moved away. Close enough, that they'd only be a hair's breadth away. She'd be able taste his breath, and she'd smile as she ran a finger tauntingly along his face. "That is quite the good deal for me," she replied, but despite her playfulness, he'd be able to sense the sheer amount of suspicion she had through both the Force and the way she spoke. "It's a deal, but I'll be keeping a very, very close eye on you, Asminys," she added with a toothy smile to match her threat.

She hadn't planned on killing the whole cult, just the guards, but it seemed he didn't get that. That or, he did understand what she meant and well... he was right. She probably shouldn't kill anyone she could avoid killing. They'd be better used as fodder. "Yes, their blindly loyal to their leader," she answered at first. "They call her the Fire God. All we need to do is say we are here to take the Trials of Fire and they should let us in without a fight."

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys knew it was a good deal, knew she wouldn't be able to turn it down at any rate. He also knew she wouldn't trust him. Which was fair, he didn't trust her either. Asminys especially didn't trust her as she sidled up close to him, the animal part of his brain tempting him as his eyes watched her warily. His hand hovered by his saber as he enjoyed the thrill of her finger running down his face and the closeness of her scent.

But he could feel the paranoia radiating off of her while she played the seductress. He knew that for all her beauty that her temptations were that of a blurrg. Quick passion followed by her gorging on his corpse. "Ogle me all you want," He purred back in her ear at her threat, "Should I lose the shirt too?" He teased back, unwilling to let her get the last word.

"The Fire God? Trials of Fire? Seems they have a bit of a theme." He wondered just what had inspired this cult to worship their supposed fire god. "Sounds simple enough, just waltz in their, challenge their goddess in this trial of fire and then declare our-you, their new goddess." Like that plan couldn't go exceedingly south. Well if it went sour then at least he would get to have a little fun.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Her smile didn't leave as he whispered into her ear. She didn't trust him. She was half expecting an attack and was perfectly willing to kill him, but his confidence in his strength—his ability to be unfazed by her—was something of a thrill to her. "Mmm, we'll see, maybe later if I'm in the mood," she replied to his shirt comment. He wasn't the only one that was stubborn and liked to have the last word. Plus, she'd enjoy adding Asminys to her conquests.

"That's what I was thinking. I never got a picture of her from the guy I interrogated but it shouldn't be that... hard...." she paused, biting her bottom lip and running one of her hands along her "friends" belt before adding, "....to find her."

Although right after, once again, she turned around and began making her way towards the guards. One of the guards had long spotted the pair, and so as they began to close in, him and his buddies held up their weapons. "HALT! You're nearing holy ground. State your business, outsider," one of the guards barked.

"We're here to take the Trial of Fire," she said. They all looked at each other. Only those who sought out what they considered the true way would know about the Trial of Fire. They all nodded at one another before the one guard spoke up again, "Then enter, hopefuls, and begin your path towards acolyte."

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys had to refrain from rolling his eyes as Demolly continued the game. He wasn't sure how much of her sultry demeanor was an act, but he figured most of it was just her insanity. They had spent so long steeped in the darkside that surely something must have broken within her. Following her lead as they approached the guards, Asminys was a bit twitchy as the guards levelled blasters on the pair, his hand yearning for the hilt of his saber.

He played it cool however as Demolly stated their intentions. Acolyte, as if they knew the meaning. Cultists playing pretend at real power, if only they knew. They were escorted inside and blindfolded, presumably so they wouldn't be able to find their way out once they were led to wherever the Fire God laired. They might as well have left them their eyes with what little affect blindfolds had on a Sith. Not like the cultists knew what they were dealing with however.

Asminys memorized the turns they took, counted the number of life forces they passed, and measured how deep they went down under the abandoned building. He doubted the information would be needed once they took over the cult, but it was habit. Eventually they reached their final destination and were brought to a halt by the cultist guards. He was growing irritated with the whole process, and he was pretty sure that they had taken at least two loops around the complex by his judgement. It seemed these cultists were perhaps almost as paranoid as he was.

Almost.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Demolly laughed when they took off her blindfold, which was once they got inside a building. This whole thing had been amusing to her. It wasn't the first time she'd been blinded, but it was the first time it wasn't for training. Asminys didn't seem to find it amusing, but Demolly barely noted that. He could be boring if he wanted to.

The building had several doorways, and blown open or broken down walls. It looked like it might be a maze, and she didn't have time for a long maze. She reached out with the Force before their last guide left, grabbing the man by the neck and throwing him down in front of Asminys. "Your turn," she said, referring to ripping information from someones mind.

It was shortly after that that she heard a hissing sound, and then smelt some sort of gas. Thankfully the Survival HUD was able to detect toxins, and three short beeps in the row let her know. She began to focus on the Force, and filtering anything toxic out of her lungs. The issue now was if they could rip information of the guys brain fast enough, or if Asminys would even listen.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

The blindfold came off and there was no Fire God to be found. The room was barren and quiet except for Demolly's random mad cackling.

Asminys wasted no time as Demolly pulled the last guard who tried to flee the room back into the trap with them, the doorway sealing as he fell to the ground. Leaping over the fallen man and pinning his arms to the floor with his knees, Asminys relished the panic in the man's eyes as he looked first at the tattooed sith above him and then to the corners of the ceiling.

"Should have left the blindfolds on." Asminys laughed as he grasped the man's forehead with crooked fingers, tearing through his mind with the force. Holding his breath as he heard gas begin to hiss into the room, the screaming man who's mind he dug through wasn't quite so lucky as he slowly succumbed to the effects of the poison gas at the same time his mind was ravaged by the careless Sith who made no effort to preserve the man's sanity.

Having torn the information free, Asminys left the broken man to whatever his fate may be. Whether that was death or gibbering madness, he didn't care. Pointing to the door through which they had came, Asminys ignited his saber with a snap-hiss, the crimson blade's glow projecting strangely in the gas filled room.

Plunging the blade into the door, he carved a hole in it and ducked through. He knew that there were at least three guards, the ones that had escorted them to this trap. His sense were extended and blade held at the ready as he passed into the dark and decrepit hallway, ready for anything.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

It seemed Asminys was amenable and did his job quickly. He didn't share the information however, which was something Demolly should've expected. She'd remember to be more careful in the future, but at least she could follow him.

When he drew his saber, she did the same. The same red, eerie light reflected off the walls as she followed Asminys. She could sense that he was wary, and that he was keeping his senses out. Was this the Trial of Fire or had she upset the cultists by grabbing one of them by the neck?

It was probably the neck thing. Oops. She suspected it just made things more fun anyway.

WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? a female voice rang through speakers set up throughout the building. WHY HAVE YOU COME? it added. There was a wariness to the voice that Demolly picked up on. IF YOU'VE COME TO BRING GIFTS, YOU'LL FIND THAT I AM A VERY BENEVOLENT GODDESS

Demolly laughed loudly, amused by the tone and completely convinced that the woman was scared. Although, she didn't reply to the voice, deciding to see what Asminys would say, or how he'd act. The only time they spent together was training or hunting down target that were close enough that their teachers could keep an eye on their progress. They were still going to kill someone, but this was different in many ways, and a chance for her to watch him more closely.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Much to his surprise no guards awaited them in the hallway outside the gas room. Perhaps the cult had assumed the pair would succumb to the gas. Or perhaps they were just stupid.

Then came the voice over the speakers, the voice of a scared woman about to lose everything. Or that's how Asminys interpreted it anyways. Closing his eyes while she spoke, he reached out within the force. Already possessing the layout of the cultists lair, he cast his mind out, in search of the area where the "throne room" should be.

He felt fear. Fear, madness, and a small hint of the force. Perhaps this Fire God was an adept of some small skill, exerting her subconscious mind over the weak willed to inspire their loyalty. It seemed that Demolly had no interest in talking back to the woman, but Asminys couldn't let go of the opportunity to stoke the goddesses terror.

"WE ARE GODS." He spoke with in a calm voice, his will amplifying the sound to echo throughout the building. "WE HAVE COME FOR WHAT IS OURS." A rather ambiguous statement, but he was sure they would get the gist. "WE ARE NOT MERCIFUL. THOSE WHO DO NOT BOW WILL DIE."

It wasn't but the length of an order shouted over private coms before a pair of scruffy looking thugs stepped out at the far end of the hallway, each wielding repeating rifles. As soon as they rounded the corners they opened fire from the hip, filling the hallway with deadly if poorly aimed blaster bolts. The spray and pray method.

Asminys lightsaber flicked back and forth, his blade catching the bolts that neared him. Luckily their aim was pretty atrocious and he was able to keep the wall of laser fire from his own body.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

It was an interesting approach. She wouldn't have let them believe Asminys was a god too if she'd been asked, but they still had that deal she'd hold him to. She felt a spike of fear from deeper in the building when he spoke, much more than before. Now she wasn't guessing the woman was afraid, she knew it.

The sound of guards boots against the hard cement ground caught her attention, and shortly after that an endless spray of blaster bolts. Demolly stayed behind Asminys, allowing him to block most of it. Instead of stepping into the fray, she waited for a moment where she could stick out her hand, where sparks began to grow between her fingers.

Seconds later, she poured all her anger from her past into a stream of lightning. She purposely let it nearly kiss the side of Asminys body as it shot past. Partly because of the position, partly because she didn't care and partly because she still drew amusement from irritating him.

It didn't take long for the bolts to hit its mark. The guards twisted in ways men shouldn't as the Dark Side manifestation ravaged their bodies. It was only moments until they laid limply on the ground. "I'LL SEE THAT YOUR DEATH IS MUCH MORE PAINFUL, FALSE GODDESS," Demolly sent after, projecting her voice the same as Asminys.

She stepped out from behind of Asminys and started to walk forward, towards the sense of dread. She'd still follow his lead, though she was almost certain she could find the ball of fear that was calling to her. They made their way to a large door. The underground base was obviously a decent size, but it didn't open. Demolly took the lead this time, cutting a hole into the door. The moment the metal fell to the ground however, she heard blaster fire and was the one who started to bat it away this time. There was at least six guards in their way, and the goddess herself sat on a throne at the end of the long room.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys growled in anger as he felt the Demolly's dark lightning kiss his skin before moving past him to fry the cultists. Shooting her a dark look behind him as the men danced and contorted in excruciating ways. He supposed it was a retort for his declaration making them equals in the eyes of the cultists, but he wasn't about to bow in subservience to his Cadre-sister no matter what kind of deal they had.

Letting Demolly take the lead as they approached the false goddess's lair, Asminys took in the sense of terror and fear that lay ahead of them. Watching Demolly cut through the large door that led to the throne room, he briefly toyed with the idea of betraying their deal, claiming the cult for himself and sending her packing. A deal was a deal though and there was little benefit to breaking it at the time.

As soon as the hole fell inwards, blaster fire sought out the flesh of the pair of Sith. This time it was Demolly's turn to block the brunt of the attack, leaving Asminys free to counter. Raising a hand, the chunk of durasteel that no longer barred their passage rose from the ground, and with a quick wave he flung it at the center of the cultists who had raised their blasters in defense of their goddess. One man managed to dive out of the way in time, but another took the metal disk in the chest, crushing the life from him as it skidded him across the floor.

The cultists' formation disrupted and their screen of fire halted momentarily, Asminys dove into the room through the hole, coming up out of the roll with a sweep of his saber that sent a blaster bolt screeching back at its sender, catching the man in the chest dropping him to the floor, leaving only four remaining foes to be dealt with as far as he could tell.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

The whining of the metal as it was sent flying, the screech as bolts flew by, filled Demolly's ears before Asminys leaped froward into the room. She took advantage of some of the guards changing focus, making her way in right after.

Instead of focusing on sending a bolt into someones chest, Demolly let loose a stream of fire. It engulfed one of the men completely and his screams filled the room. The guards firing stopped as all their gazes switched to the woman creating fire. "I am the true Fire Goddess!" Demolly yelled, capitalizing on the attention she'd drawn.

At first she did it because she wasn't a stranger when it came to using Force fire, but the attention after made sense. "Stand down or I will kill you all. I am not merciful. The false goddesses fate is already sealed!" she added. The fire steam came to a stop, a burnt floor and crispy corpse laid in its wake.

The men started to slowly back away, and a wicked smile curled on Demolly's face as she turned towards the now false goddess. The woman scrambled to her feet, the sound of the silver trinkets all over her outfit announced her ever movement. While she scrambled, Demolly raised her hand again. With only a moments pause in awkward silence, Demolly sent another burst of flames at the goddess.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys was ready to slaughter every single one of the cultists in the room, they had fought back after all. That all changed however when Demolly unleashed a gout of force fire on one extremely unfortunate cultist, screaming about how she was the true fire goddess and all that. The rest of the men stopped firing, looking first to Demolly and then to their leader.

The cult's leader, the Fire Goddess scrambled to her feet, silver jewelry and trinkets jingling with her every move. As Demolly unleashed a gout of force fire at her and the woman held up her hands, Asminys noticed two things. One, the woman's complexion was that of flame, her red skin marred only by two black dots where horns might be. The second, a brief shimmering of the force coming from the woman, clearly some manner of force adept.

As the flames engulfed her, there were no screams to be heard. Fear, pain and anger radiated from where the woman stood as she was engulfed in flames. When the flames dissipated, she still stood, her naked Devaronian body gleaming red as her clothes had been burnt to ash, her silver jewelry melted to her skin, but otherwise leaving her very much alive.

The fire goddess howled in pain. He could feel the darkside in her, she had likely been a force adept who escaped the notice of the Jedi or Sith. It was clear that she had used her latent powers to influence the minds of her followers. The pain of melted metal on her skin fueled that power, and she lashed out at Demolly, a powerful telekinetic blast thrown with animalistic instinct.

Asminys extinguished his lightsaber, the cultist's too enthralled by the battle between the two "goddesses". They were no threat to him, and he watched the ensuing battle with interest.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Demolly was caught somewhat by surprise. The lack of screams gave her a heads up, but not enough to fight against the push. She was sent back, a wall stopping her from going too far. Not that hitting the wall was the nicest experience. It hurt, and a grunt left the small Sith girl.

Of course, she didn't stop there. She reached out again, this time with something more precise. She wrapped the Force around the adepts neck and raised her up. Demolly still had her lightsaber in her hand and watched for anymore outbursts. She'd choke the woman to death in front of everyone, if it worked out.

Usually things didn't go smoothly, however. The "false goddess" shot her own hand out, using the Force without realizing it again. She wanted to press a button, that was all she knew. And the button was pressed. A metallic creaking noise filled the air, before a loud clicking noise washed it away. The floor started to move, from the center out. It began to open, revealing a fiery pit below. One of the guards fell into the pit, and screams once again echoed in the chamber.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys watched the fight with fair interest. He figured Demolly would crush the false goddess with ease, so he was surprised when the cult leader put up a fair bit of fight. Her force powers were untrained and unfocused, but they weren't weak, as evidenced by Demolly being slammed against the wall.

He kept an eye on the cultists, to be certain they wouldn't make a move in support of their leader, but they seemed too enthralled with the battle at hand. So enthralled that when the floor began to open one of the cultists fell shrieking into the flaming pit. His shrieking didn't stop for an awfully long time.

Asminys shook as the floor began to move beneath him. A quick glance around the room revealed that the swiftly disappearing floor would open up all the way to the walls. The dais on which the throne sat was the only part of the floor that wouldn't soon be an open pit above a roaring flame.

Not eager to become barbeque, Asminys moved along the side of the room towards the throne, watching the spectacle of the fire goddess clutching at her throat as she floated in the air. She still reached towards her throne with one hand though, panic fueling her survival instinct and the force listening to that instinct. From a recess in the throne, a blaster pistol shot up into her hand, and with bulging eyes she aimed at Demolly and fired twice. She would have to defend against the blaster bolts while dealing with the floor disappearing from under her, possibly disrupting her concentration on the force choke.

Meanwhile, the three remaining cultists noticed Asminys' moving towards the throne. Assuming that he meant to disrupt the duel and uncaring for their own lives, they levelled their rifles at him once more.

@Dread