Ask Flashpoint Byblos: Razing Hell

[Ezra Thorne]

While most would have flinched at her harsh words, he gazed at her with a blank face. It was a real possibility for him. He knew what manifested inside him and where it came from. In that split moment, he looked surprisingly like Emryc Thorne, an entirely vacant expression on his visage and his mind just as difficult to decipher.

“I’m more susceptible to it,” He said after a while, removing his goggles. He looked a bit silly where the goggles dug into his face, but the silver eyes were as vibrant as ever. He ran his fingers through his hair that was disheveled from their earlier ordeal, “I will compromise us if that happens to me while we’re facing an abomination. I could compromise us if we’re right by the Dark Side nexus.”

It was a hard pill to swallow - the fact that he was a weak link. But then was he? Renfry had appeared and shattered whatever creature was created from the influence of the nexus, hadn’t she? He no longer felt that overwhelming sway of the dark side or the whispers in his thoughts. Ezra exhaled and tilted his head back, gazing up at the ceiling with a vacant gaze.

 

[Vanya]

Vanya said nothing as he mentioned that he was more susceptible to it, but she didn't seem to look at him in judgment. Instead, she nodded in silence as he gave his assessment.

Then how do we proceed? she asked. There was no one who could give a better assessment than him, and while she may be skeptical, she still respected his decision. She got a sense that he even had doubts about what he was saying.

Why are you more susceptible? she asked after another moment. It was a very personal question, but one that he had brought to the front. You've harbored malice and hatred deep down? she asked, genuinely uncertain if that was what he had meant.

She didn't actually stop long enough for him to answer before she spoke again. I don't know what has happened with you, Ezra, but I've seen enough of your mind to know that even if that's in there, you've fought against it. We defeated it once, and we will do it again, she said.

I have faith in your triumph, she said. It was as simple as that. Vanya had decided that he would be victorious, and she refused to consider any other possibility any longer.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

He shook his head at her guesses, “It was something I was born with,” He said simply with a vague shrug, “Like a…curse I guess. I found out as soon as I began my Jedi training,” He looked at her then, expecting her to look at him like some science experiment. In many ways he actually preferred that over her just looking at him as Ezra Thorne, Emryc Thorne’s son. Did she truly know who he was? Most Nightsisters kept to themselves and in many ways it was a nice reprieve from having someone know his entire life story.

“Well if you’re not worried about it, then I’m not either,” He said at last. It was no use thinking about the what ifs. They had no choice but to keep going on and prioritize the purge of the nexus. He felt much stronger this time - at least he knew what to look for when it came to influence.

To pass time, he drew out his EZPhone and began to play a game on it. He wasn’t exactly the best conversationalist, and he withdrew into his own thoughts. His mind briefly wandered back to Renfry. Did Vanya even realize what happened? Did she call for Renfry or did it happen entirely by chance?

 

[Vanya]

A curse? She knew some Nightsisters who were able to break up curses, but she was not so well-practiced in such things. The basics were far from a mastery, and she considered trying to pry, but decided they had both had a trying enough day. Perhaps someday.

And just like that it was decided: they weren't going to worry about it. Was it wise? Probably not. Would it come back to bite them? Maybe. For now, though, Vanya just wanted to sleep. She had a knack for being able to pass out almost on command anywhere, anytime, and within five minutes she was snoring lightly and making a very unattractive face of nearly drooling on herself.

---​

Her eyes flickered open nearly three hours later and she had a moment where her head jerked around and she tried to remember where the stang she was.

Right: abominations, Byblos, the escapade through Ezra and my shared mind, she thought, it all came flooding back and she reached into her pouch to pull out a jerky bar, offering some to Ezra.

We should get moving. You feeling better? Did you get any sleep? she asked, finishing up the jerky as she moved for the door.

She popped it open and gently peered outside. The sun was coming up and beginning to peep through the cracks of the broken roads above them.

We need to find a way to the surface. The undergrounds will likely be flooded with the monsters now that the sun is up, she said.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was unconcerned with her falling asleep, though he marveled at her ability to do it so easily. He couldn’t sleep unless he had his perfectly fluffy pillows, bed and blanket and white noise. He stared at her in wonder as she snored and looked ridiculous. He caught himself gazing at her longer than he expected, ending with a small smile to himself as he shook his head and went back to his game. Eventually, he decided to do deep meditation like his Pops had taught him. He centered and cleared his mind, focusing on suppressing the darkness wherever he saw traces of it.

His eyes opened a while later when he heard her moving about. The smell of the jerky hit him before he saw it. His eyes fell on the meal suspiciously before he politely declined, getting out his own granola bar instead.

“The freak that’s making the abominations down here is the key to the surface,” He recalled from what Tendy was saying, “He drags people from above. I think we’ll see…evidence to line the path to the surface,” He said grimly.

With that, Ezra opened the door and stepped out. Though there were cracks of light here and there, it wasn’t long before the goggles had to come back on. Already Ezra could see bones and streaks of dried blood here and there. Eventually, his sensitive ears could make out voices in the distance along with some unnatural groaning and other sounds.

“I think we’re getting closer,” He whispered to Vanya, cautioning her to be on her guard. She may not have been able to hear it yet, but that sense of dread was returning. Ezra fought through it this time, already having mentally prepared himself.

 

[Vanya]

Vanya nodded, wondering what they were going to be up against with this. Who was down here turning innocent people into monstrosities? Who could twist another person's body as they listened to the agonized screams and begging and be unmoved by that pain.

Vanya had no compunction with killing. She knew some Jedi were vehemently opposed to it, and while she wouldn't go on a vengeance-induced murder spree, she had a difficult time seeing how this was anything but justice. Let's just say that if they could take him alive, she would, but she wouldn't break her back to do it.

They drew closer and streaks of blood began to line the floors, and they entered into what seemed to be the lower levels of a building. She could tell it had been occupied by people because the insides of several doors were barred up in an attempt to keep the monsters out, but she already knew that it hadn't worked. The blood on the ground and the handful of mangled limbs told her that.

Her nightvision allowed her little peripheral vision, and she found herself reaching back to take hold of her lightsaber and grip it tighter. Her heart was pounding, and she was almost paralyzed with fear. She couldn't force her feet forward for a moment, and Ezra would notice her pausing a beat before pressing forward.

You are here to destroy this evil, Vanya of the Singing Mountain. Do not shame your Clan. Do not shame your Order. Jedi Knight Vanya, she told herself. She didn't have a choice, she had to go forward.

She noted that same swell of conflict within Ezra, and she reached out, placing a hand gently on his bicep for just a moment before withdrawing it, perhaps letting it linger just a moment longer than was necessary to denote her presence.

Hmm, no. No, I don't think so, she now heard a man's voice saying. There were whimpers and moans of pain mixed in with the speaking, and some handful of lights seemed to be emerging from a room at the far end of the hall. She wanted to peel off and go a different direction, but she couldn't.

Please, please let us go. Pleeeeease, she heard the sobbed words from down the hall, and it it boiled her blood. The fear began to melt away instead replaced by righteous fury. They could stop this and save that woman if only they got there in time.

And yet, if they rushed into a trap and died, they would save no one.

Screams erupted from down the hall, and Vanya finally drew close enough to be able to see inside of the room. No matter how many years she lived, she would never be able to unsee what she witnessed in that moment.

There were bodies in various states of mutilation strewn about the room in a half circle around a man who had his back to them. He was actually quite an attractive man, likely in his early thirties, and he held a large dagger or knife in his hand. Its edges glowed red and it absolutely oozed with dark presence. Strapped to a board was the begging woman, and next to her was a body that had had the head and a chunk of the torso cut out and although the two parts of the body were separated, they were both still very much alive, suspended by some immoral magic in frozen agony.

Next to the man on the other side, Vanya could also make out an amalgamation of heads and upper torsos that had been seemingly welded together by horrible power, and the man seemed to be evaluating it as if he were a sculptor trying to make out the best way to carve out (or in this case graft in) the next piece.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

To his credit, Ezra kept it together this time instead of vomiting right then and there. How another individual could stand there so casually molding and shaping real people was beyond him. And this wasn’t even Raze. This was a peon. Did the depths of Raze’s depravity know no bounds? Was this truly what existed within his father? Traces of what existed in Ezra? He felt lightheaded, frozen in place. He always had a high opinion of himself, but everything had shattered since the Raze revelation.

Ezra felt Vanya’s touch against his arm and it anchored him back to reality. He didn’t mind her touch, which was a shift from his usual snootiness about anyone making contact with him. He slowly turned to look at her, both of them looking goofy with their goggles. He gave her a nod to indicate that they were in this together.

The part Sephi closed his eyes and focused on the binds that trapped the woman. He specialized in shatterpoint and he had a small window to release her without tipping the man off. It would alert the man when Ezra did it, but at least the woman may have a chance to save herself. The Jedi focused and concentrated, his mind clearer now since Vanya broke the darkness in him.

There were a series of clicks as the binds collapsed and fell away. The man growled in rage, stepping back to inspect what happened. The woman didn’t waste time, shoving the man back and jumping off the table in an attempt to limp away. The man turned to face Ezra and Vanya.

Before the Jedi could do anything, there was a heavy thud. One of his creations immediately came to life.

 

[Vanya]

They shared a glance, and then it was on. She could feel the flux in the Essence as Ezra did... something, and then slammed the power with precision into the woman's chains. She leapt at the man, the man got knocked back, and then Vanya darted forward.

Her lightsaber burst to life in her hand, lighting a purple glow across the half-dark room. She was going to strike him down when she heard the dull thud that resounded through the room, and it brought her skidding to a halt on her heels.

Her head flung around almost wildly in search of the origin of the sound. Kriff this stupid headset, she mentally cursed, tearing it off now that they were in something of a lit room and jumped to the side. Unfortunately, her foot caught on the blood slick coating the floor, and nearly went sprawling as another of the arm-and-head monsters barreled down on her.

Kriff! she shouted and puffed out in a flash of green only to appear - once again unceremoniously - across the room from where she'd nearly been plowed over moments ago.

Meanwhile, with Vanya having disappeared across space and time, head-and-arms turned its attention not to Ezra, but to the woman who was now free and trying to run from its grabby-hands.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was temporarily distracted when Vanya randomly slipped and ate shit. He was torn on whether to help her or go after the creepy guy, and he decided she could handle herself. The part Sephi drew out his saber and charged in to slice at the man. He still had his blade in his hand and of course it clashed against the saber.

In the corner of his eye he saw the green smoke and Vanya materialize across the room. Ezra didn’t have time to process what he saw - wasn’t Raze known to do that?! The part Sephi Force pushed the man back, bolting after Armsy as it chased the woman.

The man took his window of opportunity to pick up a severed arm and fling it at Vanya before he bolted in the opposite direction. With Ezra now fighting Armsy and some of the other abominations coming to life, the two had almost no shot at going after the man.

However, they would realize his path took him past the pulse of a nexus that was very dark and very alive. It was exactly what they had been looking for.

 

[Vanya]

Vanya scrambled back to her feet, and only narrowly avoided the arm that had been thrown at her. That wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd have to dodge, and she started making to chase after him before she heard the scream of the woman they had released.

Her jaw clenched as she momentarily weighed the options of chasing the man and saving the woman, and decided to do the latter. She had once told Leon that she saw herself as as shepherd, and her job was to protect the flock: those who couldn't protect themselves. To hunt the wolf was only a side-piece to protecting others.

With hesitation, she turned back to the monstrosity that they would both have to work together to bring down. It was huge and it wasn't like you could just take off a limb or even a head to end the fight. The whole thing was a series of limbs and heads, and the worst thing about them was the sound. Their vaguely human moans that betrayed something akin to life within them still.

She hated this place. She hated that man that did this. She hated Raze. She hated the darkness that she could feel clinging to the air, and she was tempted to simply let it in and unleash it on this beast. It seemed to whisper in the back of her mind.

But instead, Vanya darted forward and swung her lightsaber down, chopping through several limbs and heads at once, causing the creature to recoil backward with a moaning roar.

Use your Light! she shouted across to Ezra and a spark of green flame began to glow in her own palm. Their purging fire had worked before, and while it wouldn't be quite the same with them on opposite sides, the effect would hopefully be similar.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra thought he had seen every kind of enemy there was - Sith, mercenaries, abomination hounds. Nothing prepared him for animated limbs and the unnatural, pained groaning of human beings that remained in agony. This was something that would stay with him and haunt his thoughts for years. The smell of rotting flesh was all around them and it made him sick to his stomach. However, he did his part in cutting and dicing with his saber, chunks of flesh dropping as the abominations fell.

When Vanya called at him to use Light, he channeled the Force. It was difficult to do this move when they were so close to a Dark Nexus, but his resolve won in the end. Right in sync, he unleashed a blast of Light in concert with Vanya’s fire. The combined efforts would send a blast throughout the chamber and collapse the creatures.

Ezra didn’t stop there, powering through towards the nexus, “Come on, we have to purge this!” He called out. He wasn’t given instructions on what to do, but he trusted in the Force. From deep inside, he knew what it would take to purge this darkness. He had to focus the Light and concentrate more than he had up until this point.

The part Sephi closed his eyes and raised his palms to face the nexus, channeling all the thoughts and strengths he had been taught as a Jedi. He thought about how his friends had supported him, how Vanya said they were in this together, all of it worked together. A brilliant, white light formed in his palms before it blasted out into the nexus.

“Join me,” He called out to Vanya. Even if she hadn’t done it before, the energy around him was inviting. In some ways, he was holding out his hand and guiding her towards using the Light.

 

[Vanya]

The room was suddenly filled with heat that was both physically burning away the flesh of the creature in front of them and spiritual, touching the soul and filling it with hope and strength. Vanya felt herself renewed despite everything that had happened as the light and fire mixed together.

The creature couldn't survive such an onslaught for long, but the planet itself was still infected. Not only with the monsters that roamed the streets, but with the darkness that cut through the Force on this world, the darkness that clung to the very spirit here.

Her eyes flicked around for any sign of the man, but she saw nothing. For only a split second she paused, debating the merits of chasing him or purifying the nexus. But she was a shepherd and the wolf had been driven off, which meant now she needed to ensure the safety of the herd.

She rushed over to join Ezra, falling into place beside him and rather than reaching out directly to the Essence and the Winged Spirit, she reached out to him. She let herself draw not off of his power, but off of the energy that surrounded him in the Essence. She let those thoughts and emotions wash over her, and mixed them with her own energy. She let her own inner sense of duty and valor and righteousness permeate her energy before letting it flow through her extended palms. Her eyes closed beside him, and once again, for a moment, their minds were almost mixed.

In the room itself, the the Light burned away all darkness, purging the evil that remained there, but Vanya and Ezra were not there. They were on the beach again, the gentle waters lapping at the shore and small sand crabs that had no doubt come from Vanya's mind scuttled about the ground around their feet. In the distance, dying smoke rose from the island, but the evil that had been setting new flame was notably absent.

It was serene. Calm and peaceful in a way that was slowly being externally transferred onto the world outside of them.

My home has been steeped in darkness and poison for a long time, and I had almost lost hope that there was anyone in the galaxy that was willing to fight against that, she said, her tone melancholy and a million thoughts flashing behind her eyes.

But I'm glad that I found you. The darkness doesn't feel as insurmountable anymore, she said.