Hallowed Storm Sonata

[Sreeya]

The cold chill of Rhen Var was a far cry from the glaring heat of Iridonia. The biting winds were enough to keep the area empty of inhabitants for centuries, the mountains forever left to reign over their vast domain. The sun was high in the sky, the snowy peaks glinting under the light. Thaed was amidst it all, meditating in isolation and drinking in the crisp, cold air.

This place was a sanctuary of sorts, even more pristine than the endless seas of desert. He felt exalted, withdrawn into a state of being that transcended the physical realm. His golden eyes were shut, the only sound around him the whistle of the wind, his robes flapping in protest. The Sith Lord felt an odd sense of peace, unorthodox for a creature of his design, forged to thrive upon chaos.

Although he sat there, at one with the Force, it only allowed him to see with further clarity. He could sense life, when it was not there before. This piqued his interest, his eyes opening at once. He did not reach for one of his four lightsabers, as he silently hoped they wouldn’t be needed. Thaed remained still, gazing ahead, reaching out with the Force to find the cause of this slight spike in energy. The clouds began to darken above, heralding the arrival of a storm.

 

[Damien Nightblade]

The nature of Rhen Var decided that time would side only with her, as it quickly moved in to blanket the planet in snow and sleet. Thick clouds contaminated with bolts of electricity shielded the already frozen planet from the only rays of sunlight it was permitted for the time adding to the already harsh weather conditions Rhen Var had provided for their 'meeting'.

The force fluctuated from a mere blemish of recognisable energy to reveal the unmistakable aura of the Jedi Battlemaster. The masked Jedi stepping forward and revealing himself to the awaiting Sith. He stood before his foe. Gazing into him from beneath the mask, his voice restrained within his own thoughts.

 

[Sreeya]

Jedi.

That's what that itch in the Force was. Thaed couldn't help but grin, sizing up the man that had come seemingly from out of nowhere. The Zabrak didn't move a muscle for a moment, staring at the masked figure that represented his polar opposite. He knew after today, only one would walk away alive. It was a daunting thought, but one that gave him an adrenaline rush. The clouds churned above, the wind slapping against his skin as the Zabrak finally rose to stand. With a single motion, the cloak he wore was cast off, flying off in the distance.

Thaed remained in simple training attire, the hilts of his sabers adorning his waist. He did not call a hilt to himself, highly amused at this foolish or brave man that had obviously come to destroy him. The Sith Lord called the Force to himself. Unlike the man before him, he clawed at the energy and took it for himself, enhancing his strength and preparing for what would be a decisive battle.

Though Thaed wasn't usually one to initiate the first attack, he knew what this was. No amount of talking would gloss this over. Without warning, the Zabrak leaped into action, starting off with an abrupt push from his left hand to send the Jedi toppling backwards and off balance. He followed it up by calling a saber to his right hand, igniting it as he got into range. It was a horizontal swing from his own left to right. If the push worked, he would be cutting through the Jedi's lower body as he was horizontally flying back through the air.

 

[Damien Nightblade]

Moments that contained only silence and a series of breath passed between the two combatants before one of them broke the silence with action.
The Sith he had come to know as Silentius released an outburst of force energy towards him deciding to claim the first movements as his own.
Darix responded. Mirroring Thaed's actions he answered with his own brief outburst of force energy the force of his own attack meeting Thaed's in the space between them and dispelled each other into the surrounding vacant.

As it happened Thaed closed on Talohn, Sith weaponry slashing horizontally towards the Jedi who leapt backwards just out of range of the oncoming blade as his own swiftly levitated into his grasp.
Violet erupted within his palm and flourished into a ready position. Stepping backwards as he did so to again position them at a stalemate.

 

[Sreeya]

As the Jedi master unleashed a push, it canceled out Thaed's push, which was what he expected. However, this meant that Thaed's follow up dash put him even in closer range to the Jedi. The Jedi had jumped back as Thaed swung, meaning his saber had completed the swing, returning towards his right. The Zabrak, always quick on his feet, simply pivoted in the direction of the swing, using the Force to speed his movements and placing him slightly lateral (left side) to the Jedi master.

From this new position, he swung his saber into one seamless movement from his previous attack by slicing through the upper left hand side of the Jedi. This put him out of range of the saber the Jedi had ignited, which was in his right hand. Because the Jedi hadn't launched an attack, Thaed could prepare for defenses ahead of time while still pushing his own attack.

 

[Damien Nightblade]

He tracked the movements of his opponent, every minor detail of his movement being carefully calculated and analysed in real time as he carried them out. After his rush down attack that had left him slicing through only clean airspace the Sith had positioned himself to Darix's left.

The Sith wasted no time in pivoting (counter clockwise?) to continue his arc hoping to strike the Jedi through his left side, near the shoulder. An attack sweeping right to his left. (From Darix's back towards his front)

Darix allowed himself no pause as the Sith made his necessary adjustments to carry out his follow through slash. There he stood, weapon pointed straight, held at the ready his right hand, his left foot forward.
Talohn stepped back with his left foot, distancing his body from the strike with a ninety degree pivot as he brought his own weapon across his chest, parrying the Sith's blow with moments to spare.

The two blades hissed and crackled as they made contact connected for a brief moment before the Jedi broke free from his guard. Leaping overhead, his own acrobatic ability carrying him through the jump, he called his other weapon to his grasp and thumbed the ignition switch as he landed safely behind Thaed.

He stood prepared, as a predator would, in the moments before it pounced a target
Violet and Sapphire rotating like chopper blades within his grasp as he stepped to respond to the Siths rude introduction with his own counters. A blink, and he was upon the Sith. Left handed blade coming down diagonally in an brilliant arc meant to cut through the Sith starting at his left shoulder ending through his right hip, at very least it would help direct his movements.
The other weapon, grasped in his right hand moved in concert with the left though it was swung more closely to the body to eliminate unnecessary physical risks. It would pass just as the left handed strike allowed it a clear path, on a horizontal plain aimed at left of the head or shoulder of the Sith Warrior

 

[Sreeya]

Darix was badly mistaken if he thought Thaed would allow him all the time in the world to perform his actions. The Darth was well known for his extreme speed and finesse in battle, and he wouldn't disappoint today. Admittedly, the fact that the Sith had to adjust his initial dash had allowed the Jedi Master to realize the change and shift accordingly. Instead of slicing through flesh, his saber instead met the Jedi's. The Jedi Councilor forgot one crucial detail: Thaed's left free hand. Instead of focusing on continuing the fight at close range, he wanted to jump and unleash a new attack.

The Jedi wasn't afforded the window of moments he thought he had. The very instant their sabers connected, Thaed pushed downwards with his saber, thankful for the saberlock. As the Jedi master prepared to disengage and right as he began to jump, a full blast of lightning erupted from Thaed's left hand in point blank range towards the Jedi's chest and upper body area. Unfortunately, Thaed pushing downwards with the saberlock ensured that the Jedi master couldn't use his saber to avoid the lightning. On top of that, the Jedi wanted to jump and perform a new attack, meaning his focus wouldn't be on any further attacks coming from Thaed. Furthermore, the lightning being at close range ensured there was no real way he could react in time, even if he planned to do something using his free hand. Any repulsive attacks like push or wave would still cause the stream to jump forth and encompass his body. Additionally, IF the Jedi master was still in the process of completing his jump, he would be further exposed to the lightning as Thaed would simply turn with him, potentially frying his lower torso as well.

If by some miracle of some Star Wars god the Jedi master was able to continue through with his attack despite being hit by full lightning, Thaed was prepared for that too. Turning with the master meant Thaed now faced the Jedi. As he saw both attacks coming, the Sith Lord knew he couldn't pull up a second saber in time. Fortunately, neither of the Jedi master's strikes were jabs, and instead sweeping attacks that took a wider range of motion. The Darth simply dropped into a crouch, at the same time swinging his right saber instantly in an upper diagonal fashion going from his own left to right. This would bring his saber up for defenses (should the Jedi bring his sabers down). However, more importantly, as the Jedi master had been aiming for Thaed's upper body (both his attacks aimed to begin at Thaed's shoulder area instead of his lower body), this not only left the jedi master preoccupied and out of range, but it left his lower body completely unguarded. If Thaed's attack succeeded, the Jedi master would lose both legs.

 

[Damien Nightblade]

The Jedi Master couldn't help but wonder why the Sith adored lighting as much as they did. For the second time in a matter of weeks he would be exposed to the unforgiving currents of Sith hatred.

Pain escaped his lips as he felt the electricity surging through his body. The current launched him back away from Thaed where he landed rather poorly, flat on his back. He opened himself to the force. Allowing it to fill the void that was Darix Talohn, the faceless Jedi Battlemaster, who embraced its unyielding scource of energy, guidance and healing, as all force users had accustomed themselves to.

Hoping to allow himself time to regroup, and his body time to rest, heal, even for the briefest of moments before the onslaught continued.

 

[Sreeya]

Thaed had been following the Jedi Master, the lightning pooling into him seamlessly. His method had worked, sending the man flying back while his torso was almost charred. It was a miracle he breathed at all. The Zabrak, who had been following the attack the entire time, would not stand around to simply let him heal. As the Jedi master flew back, Thaed dashed forth a second lightsaber finally called to his free hand. It was ignited in a flash.

It was as if time slowed down, the Jedi master's sizzling body shooting through the air and Thaed practically on his heels. The Zabrak wasted no time, bringing both his sabers into a cross section, and then slicing them out again. He burst into a methodical set of motions that would slice up the Jedi Master's body bit by bit, sabers cutting through flesh like a hot knife through butter. Thaed's expression was unchanged through it all, as he drove through a mere obstacle, uncaring about who this man was or what purpose he served. At the very end of it, Thaed would emerge on the other side, for a moment relishing the silence, accompanied by nothing but the hum of his sabers.

 

[Rev]

"...impressive."

The woman's cold and calculated voice would fill the still air, her presence finally revealing itself. Camouflaged within the base of a nearby mountain ridge the illusionist would approach the dueling ground. Her eyes traced along the white fluff where Thaed had stood, those footprints already filling with the copious amounts of snow Rhen Var found to create. Her gaze would continue to the starting point of the Jedi Battlemaster before finally ending where the destroyed body of Darix Talohn lay dead.

Her light frame and long strides would carry her close to the Sith Lord responsible for her former friend's untimely death. Once closing the distance her Force signature would lash out at Thaed, her control of the Force burrowing its way into his mind. It was there that true suffering would begin its manifestation; pain surging in a place that no mortal could reach it. Starting as a mere splinter his mental connections would crack if only for the coming minutes. Thaed's very mind shattering under itself as the dark lady went about shifting and mixing his thoughts. She may have been too late to save the Darix's life, but she would surely save his dignity.

"Do you know who this is, Silentius?"

Her strides would carry her around the Sith, encircling him just as a firaxen would to injured prey. Staring into his eyes she made sure she kept all his senses in tact, she wanted him to hear, feel, taste, and see everything from his paralyzed state. Taking a close step to the man she'd stand before him, looking into the eyes of the devil himself.

"Darix Talohn, the Battlemaster of the Jedi Order."

Rubbing a warm hand on his cold face she would lean in and kiss the man on the opposite cheek before a hard slap would meet his flesh. A smile as cold as Thaed's very flesh would grace her face as she turned away; her joy of having such control over a man who demanded it rushing over her. Leaning over Talohn's corpse she'd pick up two objects: his violet blade and the 'face' which he wore; the mask. Staring at it for a long moment she couldn't find the energy to turn from its casting glare.

"I'm sorry old friend."

The thought would fade from her mind as she gave her fellow Sith one last look, staring at the broken man from over her shoulder.

"You left me here to rot in this frozen hell and for that, I condemn you to these wastes."

Reaching into her cloak pocket she'd extract a smaller than average datapad. Looking it over one last time she couldn't help but think about what she was about to do. Giving one glance at Talohn she shook her head and tossed it to him.

"Use it wisely, I know you will."

She would nod to the Sith one last time before turning from him and walking in the direction Talohn had come from. His ship was in that direction and by that their only means of escape. It was time to repay a debt to an old friend.