Death and Transfiguration

[Demiurge]

It had been over a decade since the Dark Lord had heard that name spoken again... Daemon; the birth name given him. But far longer had it been since he'd heard his name uttered by another. It was the name of one who was dead, devoured by Darth Exodeus. And yet, he could not deny it as she spoke his name... as it resonated with him as if it still belonged.

"It was once said, to err is natural... though to rectify? That meant glory."

Exodeus closed his eyes briefly as he felt the heat from her hand against his skin, against his face.

"But to be free from error... to be free from that which lingers even with triumph... would you not take it? If you could scour the weakness of the flesh... would you not embrace it?"

At that, he opened his eyes again, staring to meet her gaze with his own. He remained silent for a time, dwelling on the question she raised to him as her voice lingered in his mind, as he reached out, and grabbed the back of her head, drawing her closer to his face.

"We are bound, Andraste, until the end of days. Then whatever it is that will be chosen... will be chosen together. Your path, and mine. And if it shall be our destiny, then let us choose it... as one."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste said nothing for a long moment. His words caused her uncertainties to abate. She looked down for a second, not removing her hand from his face.

"My flaws and errors give me something to strive towards. If I were perfect, there is nothing to fight for, nothing to improve, nothing to enrich my existence. I find that an empty life. My flaws make me who I am."

She looked up at him again, his next words taking her by surprise. It was the first time he had openly acknowledged accepting the bond, something she had trouble with still. Andraste could say nothing for a moment, her heart beating furiously as he grasped the back of her head and pulled her closer. She was still at a loss for words, never having expected him to say such things. Although he retained his more human appearance, Andraste could see through it and see his true visage, the one she had been drawn to so long ago despite all its flaws. To her, that was who he was, not the mask he outwardly wore. Andraste leaned in closer, wondering if there was a need for words to begin with. For a moment, there was nothing but pin drop silence, and the sound of her heartbeat and his slow breathing. The subtle instances of human qualities he possessed surprised her every time. Andraste felt his breath against her lips, caressing her skin every so lightly. She was at the point of no return, her eyes closing half way.

"AHEM!"

A loud series of very human-like coughing, hacking and sputtering ensued. It was convincing enough to make Andraste jump back about a foot, whipping around in surprise. ATLAS stood at the doorway, appearing completely oblivious to his intrusion. He happily zoomed into the room, holding up a tray.

"Refreshments!! Let's see, we have some juma juice and some Corellian wine. Random, but our stocks are running rather low."

He set the tray down on a table. Andraste still hadn't said anything, staring at ATLAS with wide eyes. She quickly glanced over at Exodeus, suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable. She took a few steps away from him, tightening the sheets around herself. It felt as if she had been knocked out of a trance. ATLAS buzzed around the room, happily cleaning up the remnants of the shattered shield columns. Andraste tried not to look at Exodeus, suddenly very much aware of his state of attire. She stared vacantly at a wall, thinking for a moment.

"I want you to teach me. You've abandoned me in the past. While it helped me become stronger, there is much I do not know."

She finally gazed at him, but only into his eyes.

"Teach me how to become a warrior. A beast on the battlefield. Show me what my title as your apprentice means."

 

[Demiurge]

"AHEM!"

Exodeus eyes trailed sharply to the droid at the end of the room, standing with a tray full of beverages. His narrowed eyes and stoney face said all that was needed to relay his reaction, but he said nothing to ATLAS' announcement, as Andraste pulled away from him.

"Refreshments!! Let's see, we have some juma juice and some Corellian wine. Random, but our stocks are running rather low."

Exodeus stared away in concealed annoyance, turning his attention to a rack behind the droid. And mounted on it was his armor, polished and tempered. For all of his antics, ATLAS was a reliable machine. He served his purpose, however dauntingly.

"I want you to teach me. You've abandoned me in the past. While it helped me become stronger, there is much I do not know."

Exodeus then averted his attention to Andraste, while at the same time, she brought her eyes up to gaze back into his.

"Teach me how to become a warrior. A beast on the battlefield. Show me what my title as your apprentice means."

Exodeus stood silent for several moments, simply maintaining contact with her eyes, almost as if they were locked to each other. Abruptly then, the Dark Lord turned his sights up and walked toward the entrance of the medical bay, telekinetically pulling the rack with his armor into the room and to the side of the wall.

Levitating into the air, Darth Exodeus pulled the plating and pieces of his disassembled armor into midair with him, and began telekinetically reassembling the armor back onto his body, locking every gear, bolt and latch in place as the suit returned to him, leaving only his helmet off, falling to his hand. After that, Exodeus turned back to Andraste.

"Follow me then... I will teach you what you shall need in the war to come."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste quietly observed him as he pulled the armor to himself. He had always looked just as imposing out of armor as he did within it, but that did not change the fact that his armor was truly his trademark appearance. It was what she had seen since she was a child, before she ever believed there was a face underneath the helmet. Back then she believed that he was merely a walking suit of armor, completely hollow inside. She had never felt him breathe, and could never fathom him having skin and flesh.

By the time Andraste was pulled out of her musings, he was completely dressed. To her surprise, he had agreed to her request almost instantly. It was a stark contrast to the past where anything she had ever asked of him was usually met with violence. It was staggering to adjust to his new behavior, though she kept the thoughts to herself. Andraste remained quiet as she watched him walk out, following behind him. On the way, she used the Force to open a drawer and pulled out a medical robe, quickly replacing her makeshift clothing with it. She also grabbed a glass of juice from the tray table ATLAS had brought, falling into step behind Exodeus.

"Did you plan for this all along?"

She did not know what abruptly caused the words to slip out. However, it seemed odd to her that after so many years, she would at last be truly training under him. Most of her time with him had been spent focusing on theoretical knowledge, combined with her doing most of the training on her own. He had never truly been engaging until now. For the first time in a while, she felt nervousness begin to trickle up her spine.

 

[Demiurge]

Exodeus continued walked on, knowing that wherever he went, she would follow. Yet even from his growing parting from her, before her catching up to him, he could still feel her bewilderment. Now, he no longer treated her as a slave or a burden. She had evolved past that state and emerged into something greater. Now, she was ready to truly be acknowledged as his apprentice, the first of the Dark Lord's.

"Why ask the question to which you already know the answer?"

At that, Exodeus glanced back at Andraste as they walked.

"Search your feelings, Andraste, if you have not... the truth - the reality - lies buried beneath the surface. You must only seek it out."

At that, Exodeus turned back and lifted his arms, putting his trademark helmet back on, completing the image known and feared across the galaxy. Now, he was the monster again, the dervish of a lifetime of pain and torment. Now, he was again, the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Galactic Emperor, Darth Exodeus. Within only a few moments, the two reached a large durasteel door.

"The time has come for you to embrace the role awaiting you."

At that, the Dark Lord casually placed his hand toward the large metallic door, placing his index and ring finger against the door. In an instant, the durasteel door shattered, detonating as shards of metal sprayed into the room. Exodeus walked into the room, stepping over the metallic dust and shards in the ground.

"There is much learn. Come now... destiny awaits."

 

[Sreeya]

OoC: And the award for the most cliche dialogue goes to... :P

Andraste's thoughts remained on his question. It frustrated her that he had gone right back to being cryptic. She watched him put his helmet back on, once again becoming that faceless figure that had haunted her thoughts for so many years. As soon as he donned the mask, there was an invisible wall between them, one she could never penetrate through. He was Exodeus once again, the imposing figure from her darkest nightmares, the same figure that took her away from her civilian life so many years ago.

The nervousness welled into fear within her, blossoming like a dark flower with roots embedded within her bloodstream. She was afraid of him, her fear emanating off her like a scent he would be able to pick up on. Andraste did not fear pain, but the memories of violence since she was a child were still fresh on her mind. She was afraid of the blood that would be spilled, the agony that she would have to suffer. Exodeus was not a merciful master, despite how he had come to feel about her. It was a fact that Andraste knew without ever being told.

She flinched slightly as he blasted through the door, destruction always so casual to him. Andraste knew he had not hesitated to kill at the slightest chance possible, something she still found herself difficult to mimic. Her curiosity would be her bane, and it was something she had long ago accepted. Andraste quietly followed him inside, gingerly stepping over the debris. She remained silent, clearing her thoughts and letting her fears abate so she could focus on the task at hand.

 

[Demiurge]

OoC: Please, drama queen... :P

​

The air in the room was thin and stilled. The scent of rotten flesh and foul breath consumed the vicinity, and yet warmth resonated from within. All the while, the silence was omnipresent, as if the room had been empty... save for the mellow sounds of what sounded like the beating of a heart, booming powerfully, yet quietly. And as Exodeus walked into the darkness, he did so to a point, and then stopped, almost disappearing in the blackness.

"Do not speak... do not ask questions, do not deviate your attention on anything by my voice... mark my words, this will mean your life, and it's end."

After that, the Dark Lord remained silent, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in until he continued.

"Where there exists life, weakness follows in its wake. It is the way of things, and it what separates the purifying ways of the Sith from the rest of the galaxy. Without embracing and understanding the true nature and power of the Dark Side of the Force, even the mightiest of entities may be annihilated."

"Like the fault lines of a gem, all that exists is fractured, imperfect. Vulnerable locations seen through the Force in what may appear to be indestructible. And it is the way of the Sith to seek out the weakness in others, to exploit it and dominate."

"There is a nexus where all these mass of lines cross - a critical point - and only the keenest of minds perceive them. It is not unlike the heart of a beast, which when lost slays even the mightiest of them. This is phenomenon in the Force called Shatterpoint. When the Force is poured into these lines until they reach the critical point, the line of destruction will pass through the realm of invulnerability. All that exists... may be destroyed. All that it takes it the seeing of the Shatterpoint."

Exodeus remained silent after that, ending the only aid he would give his apprentice. Several seconds passed, until the Dark Lord continued to walk on, disappearing in the darkness.

"Ky'Vyaxr!"

In that instant, countless lights beamed down, engulfing the room in a ubiquitous light. The flash of the sudden brightness would have stunned any typical person, although this was merely second to what the light revealed. When the creature roared, the entire "cage" rattled, vibrating as it's booming howl shook the room from every corner. The creature stood over two hundred and fifty meters tall, with electromagnetic shackles binding it at it's wrists, legs, and spinal protrusions at it's back. The creature made another deafening roar, keeling it's head up toward the ceiling of it's prison as it heralded it's outcry again.

It was the Colossus... a Sithspawn made from a gorog beast. It was one of many creatures Exodeus had created, one of the many experimental war beasts he would soon unleash upon the galaxy, and all who opposed Sith rule. His rule. Looking back, at Andraste, Exodeus spoke his final words to her.

"Slay it."

At that, the Dark Lord propelled into the air in a blur, using the Force to grant him flight up to the levels far above. As he landed, Exodeus used the Force to remotely active a function of a panel nearby to empower an energy shield where the door for the Neuranium "cage" had been destroyed. A few seconds passed again, and finally he commenced with the voice sensitive controls in the room.

"Nemoka!"

At once, the electromagnetic shackles binding the Colossus flared and gave way as the power flow ceased. The beast roared curtlingly as it wasted no time, and wildly tightened both of it's hands into fists, and brought overhead down upon where Andraste was standing.