Ask First Steps

[Darth Arcanos]

As the rage built up within the man, Azar’s eyes narrowed. He had been in the presence of the Force whirling within someone, but something was off about this. He stepped closer towards the duo, the other man’s attention solely fixed on Freyja. When she dropped the debris on him, the man growled and darted to the side, using the Force on her in an attempt to toss her to the side.

He recovered quickly enough, drawing out his saber and charging right at her to swing it across her body, “Let’s see if you’ve learned anything useful since I dumped you at that academy,” He said with a gloating laugh, expecting her to fail at once.

Azar still didn’t intervene, focusing instead on how the Force pulsed around him. The angrier the man got, the more he sensed that pulse in the Force like a sudden wave. The man’s eyes also started to look different and yet Azar couldn’t quite place what it was.

While he cared for his apprentice, it was important for Azar to see what happened with this man and this unusual Force phenomenon. For that, Freyja was temporarily bait.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Rage boiled under her surface and she was drawing from it, but the odd vibrations she sensed from her old master began to worry her. He had grown in power, but as he once again reached out to toss her, it was like a sinister pulse erupted from where her master was standing. At least she was ready for whatever he still had in store for now.

The rubble from above served as enough distraction for the bastard not to fully focus on the Force-toss he inflicted on her, but it was still more than enough to throw her off her feet and let her graze the stoney wall behind her, tearing open her skin in various areas and causing her to skid across the ground again before he suddenly charged at her.

Her lightsaber was up to meet his just in time, preparing to parry the blow in case she didn't leave his range after scrambling back to her feet and stepping backwards, intending to evade the blow. Her free left hand was clenched to a fist after she pushed herself up, blood running down her arms but a fierce, deadly determination written in her features. While he would turn with the swing, she'd either catch his blade and briefly lock it or use his swinging movement to use her free hand in an attempt to hurl the sandy dirt right into his face, hoping to hit him unprepared.

She knew that even if it hit, he had the Force to see, but it would stall him a little, giving her more time and opportunity to operate. She noticed Azar was closer, but still staying out of this fierce reunion.

Freyja felt a pang of exhaustion tugging at her mind while her muscles burned, but she'd show him she wasn't the lost broken girl he had dumped on Umbara. With what stamina she could still muster, her then empty hand would flick as she attempted to shoot a short burst of flames right into his face while her lightsaber was ready to defend her body if necessary.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

The man grimaced as his swing was met with a parry. And he certainly wasn’t expecting the dirt thrown in his face. He growled as he jumped back effortlessly, missing the laughable little sparks an acolyte managed to produce in an attempt at pyro. He glared at Freyja, veins bulging in his neck as black streaks began to course through his body. He began to growl and make guttural noises as he kept stepping back.

“Get back!” Azar said at last, jumping up next to Freyja as he watched the transformation before his eyes. It was exactly as he feared - this man was an abomination. He was feasting from the nexus nearby to empower him. He killed and destroyed in the village and returned here to recover. He changed into something grotesque that barely looked like it had a face. Power charged through him several times more than before as a thunderous roar erupted.

“I don’t suppose you knew about this little detail..” Azar quipped sarcastically as he called the Force to his hands. With Freyja already growing exhausted, this would be a tricky fight. He grabbed her by the hand and ran back, leaping upwards into an elevated rock formation.

The abomination roared as it slammed directly into the rock formation to try and make them fall over. It was always tough to fight an abomination as a Dark Sider because they fed off that energy. Azar could only focus on chipping away at it. Like Freyja, he conjured up fire and unleashed it on the beast. The monster shrieked and unleashed a massive Force Scream that would send both Freyja and Azar flying clear across the land and fall from their ledge.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja could once again sense how his anger started flaring up, but this time, it was as if it never stop bulging. The inhumane growls made her grimace in genuine concern before Azar popped up next to her. She felt exhausted, yet once again it was his presence that lent her some more strength.

Her gaze, however, never left the abominal monster that her old master turned into. While his insides now finally matched the outsides, she knew that whatever the fuck had just happened wasn't good for either, and so Freyja followed Azar up hastily. "No...that's new". And that was bad. How did you even fight those things?!

Drawing from the pain, Freyja kept her now golden glistening eyes fixed on the creature before it crashed into the stone wall underneath them. The ground began to shake and if it weren't for Azar, she would have fallen, but he gave her the stability not to. Could he use the Force in this shape? Her mind was racing, but there wast much to do before the beast shrieked and hurled them off their little ledge.

Tumbling from an incline, more and more cuts graced Freyja's skin as she skidded to a halt, her head spinning, but the adrenaline in her system making her stay at her senses. Welll, there was the answer related to the Force. Panting, she pushed herself up from the ground, immediately trying to locate this monster.

Her mind was reeling, the pain and subtle desperation fueling her determination to end this. Even if he was a terrible monster now and perhaps much more dangerous than before. She had grown a lot, and she trusted Azar. The Force around her felt twisted, pure dark sided energy focused on the abomination, so she doubted the Force would help much.

Also, she was approaching depletion, so instead she wondered how the fuck this monster would like plasma. She had a good view on where he had turned, so what still laid on the ground was his own fucking lightsaber's hilt. "HEY", wanting this fucker's attention, she yelled. Her own lightsaber snapped into her hand at the same time as she fiercely waited for the abomination to approach, drawing from one of her last reserves.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar groaned as he shakily got back to his feet. Like Freyja, he hadn’t experienced an abomination like this before - one that transformed from a humanoid? It was alchemy unlike anything he had ever seen and it made him even more curious about Raze. The Pureblood channeled the Force to himself, glancing over when Freyja called the abomination towards herself. His gaze flicked down to his things, picking up on her strategy.

“Good,” He said curtly, a faint grin touching his lip.

The abomination, in all its fury, wouldn’t suspect a simple thing like its own weapon doing anything. The beast saw red when it looked at Freyja standing there waving around her saber. The abomination charged full speed ahead, barreling right towards the pair of Sith. Exactly in the path Freyja hoped.

Meanwhile, Azar pulled from the heat in the air all around them, applying his power in the Force to ignite the abomination in flames.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja stood her ground, the subtle reassurance from her master adding to her fierce determination. "TIME TO END THIS". She doubted the abomination understood her words, and even if that bastard did, she didn't doubt he was convinced that he'd end his former apprentice here and there.

This bestial form was too inclined on ripping the young woman apart, and even if her master hadn't turned into this monster, the cocky, unreflected, power-hungry piece of shit probably wouldn't have anticipated her next move. Because it was a result of Azar's teaching, a culmination of cleverly using what resources she was offered and carefully analyzing her chances.

Fueled by that inner rage, all the pain he had inflicted on her and others, Freyja finally turned and started running, the abomination quickly catching up, but right before it would fully manage to snap at her, she'd use that last remaining strength to launch herself up in the air all of a sudden and spin across the beast.

Her own lightsaber remained naught but a tool for her feint - closing her left, empty hand, it was his own lightsaber that suddenly ignited and shot through the monster from behind, intending to slice the abomination, that was fully engulfed in her master's flames and thus partially blinded and screeching as well, open from its very middle to its head, hopefully incapacitating that dark sided culmination completely.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar had never been particularly skilled with sabers. However, when he watched Freyja jump into the air and expertly carve through the abomination, he couldn’t be more proud. A smile graced his lips as he poured into his attacks on the monster, their combined attacks taking it by surprise. Her master had grown too cocky and reliant on its abomination form and he thought it was invincible. Between the fire and Freyja’s excellent saberwork, the beast was torn apart.

An unnatural cry resounded loud enough to echo throughout the canyons. The beast landed with a thud, its grotesque form bleeding out into the sands. There was nothing but silence as Azar turned to Freyja. He knew she was completely depleted of the Force and would collapse. He would appear in time to catch her in his arms, gently lowering to a crouch to let her rest against him.

“You looked like a Holonet star,” Azar said with a smirk as he glanced down at her, “Good work, acolyte, let’s take a selfie for your followers, yes?” He asked as he helped move her next to the abomination. He grabbed his EZPhone and waited for Freyja to pose with him next to the dead abomination. How many acolytes could claim that kind of credit? Well after today Freyja would have far more street cred among the Sith ranks.

After the picture was done, he helped her to her feet, “We didn’t get all answers from him,” Azar mused, the only regret from destroying the man, “Do you feel you have closure?” He asked her.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja landed on the ground, blood still running down her arms and dripping down her hips. Her knees were weak and she felt oddly lighthearted, somewhat limp and numb, but she watched the gruesome abomination slump.

The erratic, twisted aura around began to fade just as her vision slightly blackened and she collapsed into Azar's arms who were right there to catch her. It took her a few moments to regain a more definite grip on her consciousness, and as she repeatedly blinked, she finally processed what had just happened.

"Wut", she mubled at first, obviously in disbelief, assuming she was hallucinating, before she actually recognized that smiem of his. "F-for real?", a soft grin followed as she forced herself to take a deep breath, before they actually took that selfie. She loved the idea and even if it amused her greatly, she couldn't muster more than a small chuckle for now.

He then started helping her to her feet before she was forced to fully reflect on what had just happened, the mood shifting back into seriousness for now. "I-", she held his gaze for another moment, slowly catching her breath. Her mind was still reeling and as she was back on her legs, she was staggering slightly.

Her gaze drifted to the slain heap of misery, and her lips softly curled into a tired but satisfied smirk. She extended her left hand and once again it was his lightsaber's hilt that stirred on the ground and snapped into her hand a moment later. "I do". The hilt was much heavier, the crystal inside somewhat reluctant. She'd make it obey.

"Thank you...you're always offering just the right guiding". She looked back up to him, meeting the champion's gaze. It was admirable. Without him, she hadn't gotten this far. "I'm pretty sure he wanted that...he wanted to live with that new part of him", it had made him feel powerful and in a way, it had mirrored his insides anyway.

"What turned him into that though? Was that...a ritual he inflicted on himself?". They hadn't gotten many answers...but Freyja knew Azar knew quite a bit about such things.

@Sreeya