Ask Further into the shadows

[Alyse Ti'Varnus]

An eldritch hiss emerged from the entity's mouth, revealing a maw of aged and near rotted fangs standing against the pit of darkness that lay behind it. Its darkened eyes raised skywards away from the darkening ground, its attention pulled away from what it was doing, drawn like a Kath hound picking up the scent of it's quarry. The tendrils of Force energy being used by the Jedi Master as she manipulated the movements of the dagger, presenting the entity with an immediate source of sustenance within easy reach. The Figure's head tilted backwards as it widened its gaping maw, as if it were about to inhale the energies that were being manipulated around it.

The knife wobbled and bucked in it's trajectory, as the strands of the Force energy controlling it's movements were pried away, one strand at a time. Pulling the ethereal grip that the Jedi master held away from the knife and towards the maw of the entity, and drawing and pulling on the strands of the force as it consumed the manipulated energies - forcefully wrenching it out from it's wielder, now that a connection had been made to a larger pool of the Force within the Jedi.

However the blade was still successful in it's intended course of action, but perhaps not connecting where the Jedi had intended. A pained and infuriated howl ripped out of the entity as the tip of the blade plunged down and imbedded itself into the side of the entity's neck just to the side of its collar bone. With an intense fury the entity pulled on it's grasp of the force energies with a greater intensity, where the rush of the Force out of the Jedi had been at first like a stream of water escaping from a tap, it was now being drawn like a torrent of water cascading over the edge of a waterfall.

The blonde Sith, looked towards the Jedi Master, sensing that the entity had now was exacting the same effect on the Zeltron as it had done on herself earlier in their encounter with the abomination. Before looking towards the hilt of her lightsaber, eyes narrowing briefly in scrutiny. Before suddenly widening as if struck by an epiphany. "Break it's hold" Alyse shouted towards the Jedi, giving a short sharp direction for the Jedi to act on should it be needed, but also to break the Jedi's concentration on it's use of the Force.

Once Kori's attention had returned to the Sith, the blonde took a deep breath before handing over the hilt of her primary lightsaber, knowing that in doing so it was as if she handed over perhaps one of the most intimate pieces of herself to someone else - after all the lightsaber, more precisely the Kyber crystal that was contained within it's hilt was a reflection of the wielder's connection to the Force, giving an intimate insight into the emotions of the force user that it was bonded to. The kyber would resonate with the determined and controlled connection to the Dark side that the Sith Lord held, something that she suspected the Jedi herself would be reluctant to channel the Force through, but as much as Jedi may be reluctant to do so - there was also a reluctance from the Sith lord for handing over such an intimate piece of herself. Something that would only typically come with a deeper trusting bond, but given the circumstances there was little option available.

"Take this and use it as a conduit" Alyse explained as she passed her hilt over to the Jedi's grasp, before reluctantly reaching for her second, darker lightsaber and taking it into her grasp. With a snarling hiss the volatile crimson blade erupted into life, but as it did so the Sith took a deep breath as she she felt the energy of the Darkside flood through her - steeling and bracing herself for not only the leaching effects of the Entity, but also the battle of power that would be held against the will of the Darkside and that of her own.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kori realized too late that her adversary could in fact leech on the Force not applied directly to her. An expression of surprise appeared on the scarred purple face when the blade's trajectory changed. The Zeltron's eyes grew even wider as she realized that she couldn't avert her hand; it was trapped, pointing at the abomination, palm open. But before Kori could say anything, the fiery tendrils of pain shot through her palm, steadily flowing to the wrist.

A pained grunt soon turned into a scream that the Zeltron couldn't muffle. Despite all her effort, the hand wouldn't listen to her. Neither did the wrist now. Powerless to stop it on her own, for all her connection to the Light, the Zeltron fell on one knee, writhing in pain. She could hear Alyse shouting something at her her, but it all was as if she was hundred meters away, and steadily going farther. All that remained in the galaxy was a sliver of Light that was Nykoria Tallis, and a giant whirlpool of emptiness, seeking to extinguish her light and leave only ashes.

It was there, at the moment of great peril, when the strings connecting Kori to those closest to her would be tugged at. @Nara Allam and @Izel Thral—the two Jedi who had been with Kori since the beginning, and had become closer than sisters to her—would get a murky glimpse of what she was going through: Kori, in pain, struggling against the odds that seemed insurmountable. The whereabouts and the circumstances of the struggle would remain hidden, even from them. Other people who might've had a connection to the Zeltron Jedi—like Lani Tallis, Eisa Wex, Hannibal Grayza, Mnoc Quipac, and others—might only get a soft painful nudge in the chest, if anything at all; clearly ethereal in its nature, but not indicative of anything.

Holding onto those connections, no matter how thin, dim, and feeble they felt out there, was the only thing that allowed the Zeltron to contain the spreading anguish in her arm. But even they were soon eclipsed by the gaping maw ahead. The Jedi Master was left alone, with only one destination: into the whirlwind. That is, until she sensed the fingers of her hand being wrapped around something. Something that soothed the pain that Kori was going through. Another sliver of dimmer, dirtier Light in the Zeltron's palm.

Although charred and weathered by Darkness, this "tainted Light" wasn't yet consumed by it. Despite the apparent "taint", it lacked the malevolence that Kori had experienced on Sullust. Instead, it carried something else. Confidence. Determination. Foresight. Rationality. Even a sliver of sacrifice. The traits characteristic of the bearer of that "Light"; perhaps they were different from how the Jedi would qualify those traits, but they were there

For a moment, Kori returned to the real world, seeing the eldritch creature that she was fighting again... And Alyse's lightsaber in her own palm. She could even sense Alyse now; standing by her side, and channeling the power through another saber. Somehow, through the "tainted Light"—the purple crystal of Alyse's original lightsaber—Nykoria could sense both the blonde and the weapon she was wielding. The new red lightsaber was different. Its crystal betrayed arrogance, ruthlessness, trickery, estrangement, and a trace of avarice.

With the four beings—two sentients and two crystals—resisting the ever-consuming whirlwind, it seemed like the fight had reached a stalemate. The pain in Kori's arm was numbing down, but yet the Jedi Master still struggled to keep herself anchored against the tide...

@Topher

 

[Alyse Ti'Varnus]

The entity it seemed, now had elected to do away from reaching for the ground to spread is draining corruption, having siphoned off enough energy from the Jedi master to be able to draw upon the Force energies of both the blonde and the Zeltron, though it's maw. It was as if the abominations mouth had became a literal black hole, as the more Force Energy it syphoned off from the two, it appeared to get stronger, yet for all the Sith and Jedi could feel ahead of them was just an emptiness, a void within the Force.

As for Alyse, with her grasp around her primary and native lightsaber relinquished, handed over to the Jedi for her to try better draw on the Force. Knowing that had she gave Kori the lightsaber that was being held in a tightening rage filled grasp, any attempt to turn the Jedi to the Darkside would likely have been met with ease, giving her such a gateway to the concentrated malevolent darkness that was held in the Sith's clawing hands. As to why she didn't, there were too many answers but not enough of the correct questions for the matter.

But what was done was done, Kori was able to channel the force through the better half of the Sith's essence, whilst Alyse was drawing upon the deepest and darkest corners of her connection to the Force. The use of which creating a stark and notable contrast to the Sith lords stature, no longer was her stance carried with an air of reserved dignity, but her posture had hunched, as muscles tautened like coiled springs, her mouth parting to reveal teeth her eyes blackening into dark onyx like orbs - the blonde governor looked almost predatory in her stance as she glared at the entity.

Perhaps against the earlier rationale of the Sith, the blonde lifted her free hand and pointed towards the entity, as a whisping cloud of black energy formed at her fingertips, growing and crackling with crimson arcs that encompassed the energy as it formed into an orb thrusted forwards. Like a projectile, the concentrated dark energies that had been launched towards the Entity, drew it's attention away from the Jedi and the Sith. Creating an opening that had clearly appealed to the killer instinct of the blonde

As without warning, or indication the blonde lunged forwards. Her lightsaber crackling with a malicious delight as it cut through the air, reveling in the prospect of soon being able to sear its way though the flesh of another. But that the predatory elation was short lived as at first the lightsaber blade screeched, like a red hot shard of metal being abruptly quenched in water, the Entity had intercepted and consumed the burst of dark energy and focused it's attention onto the advancing sith.

A gut wrenching scream of pain could be heard from the blonde, as her charge swiftly lost momentum. Her movements becoming heavy and laboured, and seemingly fall into slow motion as if she was forcing each step forwards against a hurricane like gale as the eldritch energies from the abomination lashed at her body. However the pained screams and cries continued with each driven and forced step forwards, the violent crackling of the blade seemed to subside as if the pent up rage and malice was being siphoned from it, the crimson light fluctuating and dimming. But it wasn't just the force that was being leached out of the weapon, but also that of its wielder. The blondes eyes once again phasing back to thier natural state, her alabaster skin growing pale, the sandy blonde hues of her hair looked as if they were being drained of all colour, and replaced with ashen white locks.

Yet despite the visible toll it was taken, the Sith continued with each labouring step, closing the distance between her and the entity, until she was close enough to plunge the lightsabers blade into its chest.

But there was nothing, the blades life was extinguished, as the kyber crystal shattered within its casing before it fell unceremoniously into the floor with a metallic clatter. With a deep breath as she summoned every ounce if strength, physical and ethereal. Alyse reached both hands up towards the pearl handle of her knife that was embedded into the entity's neck. With an exhaustive scream, swiftly accompanied by the pained howls of the Entity, Alyse dragged and pulled the blade from its embedded position over to the opposing side of the creature's neck, before slumping down onto her knees, a hand slipping from the blades handle, and gripping onto the bleached fabric that clothed the figure, tearing off a chunk of the brittle fabric whilst the body of the Entity pulled itself away as it collapsed backwards into a limp withered lifeless form. Followed by that of Alyse as she fell onto her side, hands loosely clutching into the hilt of her knife and a Swatch of crumbled and frayed fabric.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

THEME​

Saved from being drained and withered by the abomination, the Zeltron managed to hold on to her dear life, but only just. It took Kori extra effort to make Alyse's purple crystal shine its Light through the taint, as it was meant to do. The blonde, on the other hand, seemed very in touch with the Darkness blossoming in her. When she hurled the cloud of dark energies at their enemy, the Zeltron finally returned to the real world. Even more so, her hand was now free of the pain and the entity's ethereal grasp. It fell limply to Kori's side, barely holding on to the lightsaber that Alyse had given her.

Still on one knee from pain and exertion, Kori could see and hear everything. The blonde's transformation. A reckless, almost predatory lunge towards the enemy. An unexpected scream of pain that made the Zeltron fall on her fours, as she attempted to stand up and get into the fight. The Sith Lord's red blade being rendered useless, just as Kori finally got on her feet. Alyse grabbing at the handle of the knife and severing the creature's head in a desperate attempt to save herself and Kori both. Two bodies falling onto the ground.

"No," the Zeltron ran towards her fallen comrade. Half a meter away, she fell on her knees, not giving the pain any thought. The pistol and the saber slipped from her grasp onto the ground. "No, no, no..." she mumbled, as the purple hand reached for Alyse's forehead. The Jedi Master desperately searched for any sign of life in the blonde. It seemed that even her visage was affected by the clash with the abomination.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the Zeltron called upon the Light still remaining within her. And then she let her very life essence pour from her to Alyse. Intent on restoring the blonde to good health and consciousness, or at the very least to avert death, the Zeltron would give it her all. Saving only a little strength to survive herself and wrap up the business on the planet.

When that was done, she'd collect everything: the knife, the pistol, both lightsabers, and the fabric that Alyse held onto. One of Kori's hands would support the blonde's head and shoulders, while the other would slide under her hips. As light as Governor Ti'Varnus was, it still took the exerted Nykoria some effort to just stand up and take a step. And another. And one more. One step at a time, she would carry the wounded Sith—if that term about Alyse even mattered to Kori now—towards her ship, and away from the abomination that she had slain.

@Topher

 

[Alyse Ti'Varnus]

- Some time later -​

It seemed like an eternity, or maybe, no! More probably much less time had passed since the last thoughts of pulling the handle of the blade had faded into darkness. And, the slow but gradual stirring of weakened senses coming back to her. Slowly and almost reluctantly the Sith's eyes opened, blinking a few times as she shifted her gaze around the communal living space of her ship. From where she could see the various shelves and racking, and the slight outline edge of the basic kitchen, Alyse figured that she was laying on the couch - before scrunching her eyes up once again as her eyes strained under the glare of the artificial light.

With a heavy grunt, the ashen haired Sith weakly tried to prop herself up a little, so she could get a better look around the interior of the Cabin. More to find where the Jedi master had gone to in all the wake of all that had transpired. As her weary eyes eventually feel upon the sight of the Zeltron, her lips curled a little. It seemed that what ever the gambit she had played, had payed off. But given how exhausted and drained she felt, she was humble enough to accept that it was by a narrow margin.

Trying to keep her head raised, and more importantly her heavy eyelids open, the Sith looked from the Zeltron and towards the small pile of possessions that had been recovered, her lightsabers, the dagger, blaster pistol and thankfully the swatch of fabric she had managed to tear from the abomination. "Nykoria" Alyse spoke, her weak voice sounding as if she was still half asleep. Before raising her hand and pointing a finger towards the swatch of fabric. "The symbol on the fabric" she added, drawing attention to the faded golden outline of the dual winged lightsaber, before her head suddenly grew heavy and flopped onto the cushion.

With a groan Alyse raised her head once again, before pointing towards the rack that was littered with various books, in what had became the Sith's little reading nook whilst she was taking a break from being at the helm of the ship. "Myths and legends, page 39" she advised, as her eyes rolled in her head a little. "That will explain everything about what we encountered" she added, before with one more final roll of her eyes, the white haired Sith's head and upper body flopped back down onto the padding of the couch. "I'm going to take a nap" she murmured lazily as she drifted into a deep sleep. Leaving the Jedi Master to either follow up on her possible curiosity to what the Sith had directed her attention towards the legend that surrounded an ancient Jedi knight who in his attempts and experiments to making himself a living symbol of the light side of the Force, had ultimately became the monster that they had just encountered.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Alyse would hear the low hum of the ship engines, and would find the Zeltron resting in a seat nearby. Kori had just only managed to bring everything aboard, take off and put the ship on autopilot before dozing off in her seat. It was the blonde's weak voice that brought Kori into reality.

Needless to say, the Zeltron pushed herself up from the chair wearily, and approached the wounded woman as she called for her. But the mention of the symbol on the fabric, and the subsequent gesture towards the book made the Zeltron roll her eyes. Alyse had just avoided certain death, and was risking her health just to give Nykoria a piece of information on something that they had already defeated. However, Kori herself was too weak to reprimand the patient. Only when Alyse indicated that she was about to take a nap, would the Jedi Master finally nod in agreement and proceed to grab the book

The revelation proved difficult to handle. Of course, Kori knew that the Jedi of old had practiced some messed up stuff. The worst that the present Jedi had done was the attack on Sullust, and the sacrifices it led to. The past Jedi did stuff like taking Force-sensitive children against the wishes of their parents. But the past mistakes had always felt so remote...

The Zeltron regretted that she couldn't stay and give everyone at the site a proper burial. Now that she had learned of the legend, she kind of felt sorry for the ancient Jedi whom they had defeated. A somewhat hypocritical point, as Kori had to admit to herself. She wouldn't have shed a tear for a murdered Sith... Well, all but one Sith, as it turned out.

One more piece of evidence that the world isn't black and white.

// End thread