Nemeses on Nar Shaddaa (Completed)

[CaliforniaWinter]

Nemeses on Nar Shaddaa

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Clearly, this was the planet where all hopes and dreams went to die. The sheer amount of filth, drunkards, and urban decay around here indicated as much. And what in the name of Andraste was that odor?! Indeed, things apparently did come here to die. The Sith Acolyte known only as The Black Hag continued down the busy walkways of Nar Shadaa, her black cloak and ominous cybernetic eye causing the nearby citizens to move out of her way, no doubt afraid of what she may be hiding under her cloak. Nothing at all, unless three deadly lightsabers counted. The Hag loved this feeling of power, to influence those weaker than her by merely making her presence known. She noticed a young couple up ahead leaning over the railings, gazing out at the wonderful city scenery. She rolled her right eye, the only one still left intact.

"Ignorant fools! The sign clearly says no leaning over the railings. Time to teach them a lesson in safety." She chuckled maniacally to herself and approached the couple as if she was an old woman on a leisurely stroll, and not a one armed Sith Acolyte about to cause some mischief. She slinked through the crowd until she was right up behind the Rodian female.....and pushed! Not with the Force, but with her bare hand. The woman screamed, her arms flailing widely, as if she was bird about to take flight for the first time, before she took the inevitable plummet down, down, down....and down.

She turned towards the Human male, a wicked grin upon her wrinkly face. "The sign says no leaning on the rails, you ignorant scum! Perhaps you'll be so kind as to relay the message to your next lover?" The Hag asked sickly sweet. She cackled loudly, a few passing citizens turning their heads to glance at the elderly woman, perplexed by her sudden outburst. The Human, on the other hand, looked completely horrified, not sure how to handle the situation. The Hag calmed herself down, and began to walk away, not before shouting over her shoulder "I hope she got hit by a speeder on the way down!"

My, my, my she hadn't laughed that hard in years. To see the look on his face...Coven should of been here to record it all! Speaking of that damn medical droid, where was he? He had told her to meet him in a nearby shop to gather medical supplies. It wasn't easy being this old. She used the Force to tap the comlink on her right arm, not being able to use her left arm since she, well, didn't have one.

"Coven! You bucket of bolts! Where are you? You told me to meet you at these coordinates, and now that I'm here, you're no where to be found. Explain yourself!" She yelled, frustrated she had to put up with this droid and his nonsense. The frustration rising within her forced her to shut off the comlink, not wanting to hear what Coven had to say for himself anymore. She felt like pushing something else, and continued to travel along the walkway, looking for the next unlucky fool to cross her path.

 

[Arterius]

With a tremendous howl as it tore out of Hyperspace, the Doomtreader known as "Dawn Charger" wasted no time in stampeding towards Nar Shaddaa... even though the world itself made it's captain's stomach turn. Had it been any other day Leah would've kept well and truly clear of the decrepit planet, finding the absolute domination of the criminal ruling class to be detestable in the extreme, to such levels that she had to swallow it for fear of genuinely becoming angry. But there was nothing to be done about it, at least, not right now. Setting up a landing trajectory she took the vessel in and landed it in one of the world's many space ports, and took an internal wager whether or not her ship would end up vandalized upon her return to it later.

Leah took to the streets in her Combat Bodyglove, wearing a long leather duster coat over the top to keep it subtly masked as she walked amongst the population. On Nar Shaddaa any day could be your last if you werent careful, in some respects, it was worse than Tatooine- and so she kept her two curve hilted lightsabers safely attached to her hips, and out of sight beneath her coat.
In some ways it was a homecoming to be back on this cesspit of a world, having spent so long here once upon a time in her past, lurking amidst the filth... thugs, bounty hunters, dealers, she had moved about them all and shown her a side of the galaxy that though she never wanted to see it again, still called out to her. It was a twisted sense of ironic nostalgia that gripped her heart, and with a sigh she continued with her ostensibly aimless walk.

Why am i here? she thought, Whats drawn me back here?

Since the Nightmares had begun to coil their spindly fingers about her resting slumber, crushing any hope of blissful sleep, she had felt a power begin to... pull at her. Leah couldnt fathom why, only that it had something to do with the visions of horror and ice that came without fail almost ever night. It was more than enough reason to leave Kothlis, if only briefly, to explore the source of that pull.

That was when she felt the darkness, a black mark in the Force. She went rigid only for a moment, cautiously peering through the crowded street, before ducking into a nearby alley. There were no bodies here to get in her way, and that was when she saw her. The One Armed Woman. Reeking of malice and darkness.

"Who is that...?" she mumbled to herself, warily thumbing the pommel of one of her sabers beneath that flowing brown coat. The pull in her chest felt as though it had tugged her sharply forward as the Black Hag drew closer and closer, and Leah watched her, possibly catching her eye accidentally before moving deeper into the Alley to collect her thoughts.

What's she got to do with this?

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

The Wicked Witch heard a distinctive beeping, and glanced down to notice her comlink was blinking, indicating she was receiving an incoming transmission.

Coven.

"Buckelt of bolts?! I beg your pardon, but I do believe this rather stunning bucket of bolts has saved your life more than fifteen times! Even now I'm gathering your medical supplies, you whithering prune, you!" The Hag stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the comlink wide eyed. What little of her lip could be seen under her hood was twitching rather erratically. But, The Hag did not let loose in a fit of rage, but instead burst into laughter, amazed that Coven would dare speak to her in that matter. After a moment, she willed herself to become sane once again.

"Now you listen to me, you rusted scrap pile! I have been walking for ten minutes down this damn crowded walkway! Do you know how long, and painful that is for someone in my condition?" And just like that, the Hag had once again demonstrated her unnerving ability to store her anger and hate until it was truly needed. Something she believed all Sith needed to use against the Jedi and each not other."My apologies Coven, you are but a droid and do not understand the true meaning of pain. Oh, but do not worry my mettalic friend, for when I reach you, you will receive a free lesson!"

With that, she turned off the com link, satisfied in her knowing that Coven would not be so bold when next they meet. She continued down the walkway, then on to the streets below. She stopped, turning around in a circle slowly. Why was she here? Coven was the other way, not down here....

She turned around swiftly, her ruby red cybernetic eye scanning the surrounding environment. She had felt it, a strange surge in the Force. Someone was nearby, and they were not aligned with the Sith, that was certain. This aura was too light, too peaceful to belong to anyone of the Dark Side. She breathed in slowly, cloaking herself in Dark Energy, before releasing it out slowly at the same time she exhaled.

There. Jedi! She activated the thermal vision on her left eye to see if this was not a deception of some sort. No, it was not. There in that dark alley, a Jedi was stalking The Black Hag, no doubt preparing to pounce on her at a moments notice.

She could feel the serenity of this particular being, and yet there was something else there, something that should be foreign to the Jedi. She reached out with the Dark Side, prodding the emotions of this newcomer. She loved this part, for tasting the minds of another was like trying to critique a very expensive dish. So many flavors.....

Fear? Is that what she had felt? Perhaps she was wrong, but she would find out soon enough! She grinned under her cowl, turning around slowly and walked off, making sure to let the Force wrap around her, a beacon for this Jedi to follow.

 

[Arterius]

Am i being pulled... towards that!?

With a force assisted leap she lunged upwards and onto a nearby lowdown rooftop, luckily along this walkway there were plenty of shacks and seedy drinking holes, all with their rooftops low enough to reach in a bound, and high enough to be out of sight to the people in the crowd. Good. She didn't want to attract undue attention but she couldn't afford for the swarming mass of human and alien getting in her way... not now.

No... it cant be her... she rationalized Perhaps via her...?
Yes, that must be it!

Leah jogged forward and leaped across a divide to the next rooftop, keeping the Sith in her sights. It wasn't hard, the Warped Elder had enveloped herself in a swirling mass of sickeningly twisted force essence... lighting her up like the brightest star in the night sky to the eye of her Force Sense. Did she want Leah to follow her? In her own heart she could feel through the force that there must've been awareness on the Hag's part, but there was no choice. She had to take what was potentially bait and proceed cautiously, creeping along the rooftops in stealthy pursuit.

"What are you doing here, Sith? Where are going?" she muttered to herself, watching the Dark One move like a Pariah's power through the crowd... visibly influencing people the move around her in fear.

Up ahead Leah spied a ruin, a burnt out husk of a club that had been standing in charred disrepair since her last visit. If she remembered it was a gang attack gone bad, instead of killing a rival gang, the attackers were tricked and ended up trapping about thirty innocent people inside instead... with incendiary grenades. Nothing remained... just the haunting, wounded remnant of a blasphemous event.

Is she going there?

Carefully Leah jumped down into another alley and pushed back into the withering crowd. The Hag was easily visible now has the bodies between them began to peter out, leaving the area in which they both approached... as though they knew what dark travesty had occurred in that area.

"This is going to be interesting..."

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

So, she had found a Jedi at last! Or, perhaps it was the other way around. But that was of no concern to the Black Hag, as she was focused on the very fact she had encountered a Jedi here in the armpit of the galaxy.

"Move out of my way! Can't you see an old woman trying to go about her business? Children these days...." She mumbled to herself, rather annoyed there were so many people here. And for what for? Who in their right mind would want to live on this ball of dirt anyways?

The Hag continued to stroll along, not exactly sure where she was going until she saw it up ahead. A rather large decrepit ruin was looming up ahead, it's windows busted out, it's metal frame twisting towards the sky like a skeletal hand. There.

That is where the two Force users would meet. Her cloaked still tightly wrapped around her body, the wretched Acolyte stopped at the ruined entrance of the building, a sly smile spread across her face. This place was teeming with the Force, so many lives lost here in whatever fiery explosion consumed this place. What Dark Side energy was left around her spread out over the nearby streets, indicating to wherever the Jedi may be that it was here where they would meet.

"Come now darling....don't be shy!" She said aloud to herself. She threw her head back, letting loose a loud cackle. The dark cloak she wore dropped to the ground, yet another clue as to where the Hag had scurried off to. She entered the building, breathing in the stench of ash, letting the fetid aromas of the once proud establishment fuel her desire to let loose the power of the Dark Side upon her Jedi follower.

The elderly woman reached the main room, perhaps what was once a lively dancefloor was nothing more than a gaping hole in the floor. "Well, someone knows how to party hard...."

She called upon the Force to aid her, and leapt across the massive chasm in a manner that was not natural for the elderly. The things she could do with the Force....

The Black Hag then leapt up to the second floor, which was consumed in a natural darkness. She stood there silently, her right and only hand placed firmly on the pommel of her lightsaber. Her ruby red eye had deactivated for the time being, so as to not give away her position. The witch stood there, as still as a statue.

"It appears the hunter has now become the hunted!"

 

[Arterius]

Leah crouched and took a curious grip of the cloak left puddled before the entrance, rubbing the fibres between thumb and finger before releasing her grip and rising from the corrupted garment. If it was so steeped in darkness, she could only imagine what its wearer was like. With a sigh Leah had to centre herself as the stood before the cadaverous wreck of the former night club, letting her eyes scale its gnarled skeleton, reaching high into the clouds like a rotten talon scratching at the already rotten sky. It felt as though all it would take is for one of those pestilent clouds to lance itself on those claws, and the area would be bathed in sour rain.

She could feel it. The Darkside was strong here, permeating the very metal and stone with its taint, resonating with the anguish of souls long perished from unspeakable pain. How could there have been any doubt that the Acolyte would come here? to bath in that malignancy and enrich her foul connection to all things chaotic and furious. Could it be here that was calling to her? in truth she had no idea... but anything had to be better than being drawn towards a being so warped as this Sith felt.

A quiet moment passed, and cautiously she stepped inside, shrugging off her longcoat just inside the doorway. In the ill lit travesty that was once the central dance floor Leah stood in her form fitting Combat Suit and drew her Lightsabers, though she did not ignite them not yet... instead she moved cautiously towards the middle of the scorched room.

I cant pinpoint her, she thought with a small stab of worry... the essence of the darkside was like a mist here, obscuring her ability to track with Force Sense at its current level.

"I know you're here, I've not come to fight, but i will defend myself" her young voice called out into the umbra surrounding them, and finally peering upwards. One could see the sky from where she stood, the floors above crated and in some case missing to such an extent that there pale light of the night could eek in eerily. It was a shock to her how this building could stand at all.

"Come out"

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

"I know you're here, I've not come to fight, but I will defend myself." Tsk, tsk, tsk.....ignorant child. The youngling had decided to brave the fortress of solitude the Hag had entered, and was now standing in front of, her lightsabers held tightly in the palms of her hand. Attempting to persuade the witch to leave her dark sanctuary would not work. She hadn't come to fight, eh?

Lies!!!

This young woman stood before a Sith Acolyte, the Light Side of the Force radiating from her in great waves, trying her hardest to appear brave in the face of an unknown and deadly foe. And yet she had not come to fight, but to have a pleasant chat? Brave, but very foolish. "Come out."

The Black Hag laughed, the sound echoing off the walls of the ashen ruins, causing the building creak. To the girl, the sound would be coming from all directions, and yet the source of it was right before her very eyes. "No my child. You do not wish for me to reveal myself to you. Your feeble mind can not handle my true face, my being in it's rawest form." The Hag begin to walk around the second floor, circling the Jedi, her chains dragging behind her. The sound of metal scraping against metal was music to her ears, and yet she knew the Jedi would not enjoy her malevolent symphony.

"Since you are such a pretty, pretty little girl, I shall reveal myself to you if you answer my next question. Truthfully." Without waiting for the girls opinion on the matter, the Sith spoke. "Why were you tracking me? I have done the Jedi no wrong in decades, my child. And what little Jedi I slaughtered, I made sure to take care of their friends as well. So why have you come after me? To imprison me? To slay a helpless old crone where she stands?" She snickered to herself, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Treating this as just another game to play was perhaps one way the Jedi would break, revealing her origins to the Hag.

The sound of the chains screeching along the mettalic floor continued, sending pleasant shivers down her back.

"Or have you come to test your resolve against a true Sith?!"

The Hag had fully encircled her newest vitctim, and was now standing in front of her once again. Her eyes remained closed and she focused on the Force to lift up a small group of debris on the second floor behind the Jedi.

The twisted objects hovered above the ground, ready to throw themselves at the Jedi should she turn hostile.

 

[Arterius]

As the Sith circled her as a hungry Vulture would Carrion she stood resolute, her nerves steeled enough to withstand to encroaching darkness that surrounded her, and though she'd never show it, the hideous sound of those chains put shivers up her spine like the cold saliva of a wampa.

Quietly she listened to the Acolyte, paying attention to her words carefully. It couldnt be helped however that as Leah listened to her, she felt as though that voice was familiar to her, as though a part of her recognised it from some unknown and forgotten dream long since passed her by. Though she was certain she had never met a creature such a this before... this was her first time encountering a Sith, and she was living up to the tales spun about their love of spitting terror from the shadows.

"So you knew i was tracking you" she announced, grasping the piece of information provided to her.

The thought had crossed her mind to lie, to spin a yarn for the Sith, to explain away the situation as something far more cliché or contrived... but she couldn't bring herself to do it. With a deep breath her chest rose and fell, and firmly she spoke once more.

"I'll answer you, Sith. I came to this world because i felt... a pull... i dont know how else to describe it. Like the Force had taken me in its hand and pushed me to this pit of a planet. I didnt come to fight you, to hunt or imprison you... i came because the force willed it" she paused only for a moment as her deep blue eyes scanned the darkened upper floor and the ring it created around her. The Vulture was up there, she knew it. "And yet the pull lead me to you... tell me, was it the same for you? Why did you come to this world?"

The grip on her Lightsabers instinctively tightened then, her need to know the answers forcing her nerves to heighten a touch. Leah fully expect the Sith to lie, but a part of her hoped that some humanity left in the unseen crone would permit her to share the truth.

"Please tell me"

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

The Sith silently gasped as the young Jedi padawan explained her reasoning for visiting the rotting cesspool that was Nar Shadaa. While her purpose for entering the Vertical City was quite the opposite of this Jedi's, the Hag had no doubt in her mind that the Force had led her to this Padawan, and the ensuing chase that followed.

But it was not the way of the Sith to reveal their intentions to the enemy, no matter how easy they were in revealing theirs. The Black Hag opened her right eye, revealing her location to the woman below. It was menacing in it's gaze, giving off the distinct feeling that it was aware of all that occurred.

"One who sees all, knows all, my dear."

The wrinkled woman gathered the Force around her chains, and propelled them towards the weathered floors below her. They landed in front of the Jedi's feet, embedding themselves in the cold stone. She rappelled downward, using the chains as a sort of makeshift grappling hook, allowing her to almost instantly appear less than a foot away from the Light Sider.

She was hideous in appearance, her head horribly scarred and disfigured, resembling the a Hutt's back, not a strand of hair to be found anywhere. Her right eye was reminiscent of a swirling black cloud, constantly shifting about, resembling the calm before the storm, and the Hag's skin reeked of the Dark Side itself, a result of horrific experimentations performed by the Sith Order.

But what perhaps the most disturbing feature of this malignant creature, was her left arm, or rather her lack thereof. It was but a knobby stub now, riddled with what looked like disease and infection, the results of which had caused the skin to blacken beyond belief. Yellow puss oozed out of miniature orifices along that revolting section of her skin.

"See, my child...." Her breath was warm, carrying with it the smell of death. "The Black Hag always keeps her word. As for your little inquiries as to why I too am here. Well...."

She encircled the woman, her phrik enlaced chains now coiled around the Hag's torso like the deadly vice of a snake. She stopped behind the girl, near the entrance to the main room.

"I am here to rid the galaxy of those that would wish to force themselves upon the helpless. Those who would seek to devoid themselves of emotion, the essence of their very being."

If she was well attuned in such arts, the Jedi would be able to sense the growing state of rage rising like a tsunami within the Acolyte.

Pointing her right hand at the padawan, the debris she had levitated with the Force would come hurtling towards the Jedi.

"I am here to rid the galaxy of you!!!"

 

[Arterius]

Leah could've recoiled in disgust the moment that the Black Hag suddenly descended before her, the look of the unholy Sith Crone alone was more than enough to turn her stomach and her face would twitch just a little in repulsion... before it softened a little in unrequited sorrow. Never before had she seen something so broken and twisted, so warped and mangled by their own seething rage and the blackened foulness of the darkside, and in truth, she doubted she would ever see anything quite like the Hag again.

What the name of all that is good happened to this woman?
That was a thought that would not leave her for a long while, she wagered.

The padawan never took her eyes off the Acolyte as the vulture circled her once more, listening to those ominous words, and despite the soup-like dark energy all around them, she could feel the rage storm with the Black Hag build until-
Lightsabers suddenly engaged their blue blades flooded the area in azure light, and with a loud hum and hiss they cut down what debris she could before launching herself backwards with a force jump, clearing some distance between herself and the Hag as those pieces she couldnt hit slammed into the ground with breakneck speed.

The sith wasnt playing around, she could feel it if not see it written all over the diabolical face of the Hag.

"We dont have to fight, im just searching for answers!" biting her lip, her frustration bit into her harder, and she assumed a defensive stance... one that a fellow practitioner of Niman might recognise as those blades rose and angled themselves at the Hag.

"But if i have to defeat you to get the truth out of you, so be it!"

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

The witches dark eye twitched in frustration, rattled that her sudden debut did not have the desired affect. Clearly this child was capable of keeping her wits about her in such a perilous situation. But could she keep up this facade for long? Only one way to found out.

"So you wield the blue blades of the Jedi? My darling, red seems like it would compliment your skin tone much, much better." She replied, mocking the girl's choice of weaponry. Her form was rather magnificent, very fluid in it's execution. Niman was something she rarely saw during these troubling times, and to find a user if the rare form was quite the stroke of luck. She slowly clapped her hands.

"And a practitioner of Niman as well! Well, we're just full of surprises today, don't you agree? But I'm afraid my dear you'll have to do better than that to out rank me!" Calling upon the Force to aid her, the old crone summoned not one, not two, but three light sabers to wield in combat. The first one was placed firmly in her right hand, the second one was attached to one of her many chains that now hovered to her left. Finally, the third saber appeared, hooked to yet another chain floating over the Sith's head.

With the unique hiss of a lightsabers activation, all three blades gave the Hag a vague appearance of a scorpion poised to strike! "I have three...I win!" She yelled gleefully. The final two chains presented themselves, raising the witch up on crudely made stilts. The Black Hag had been perfecting the art of Telekinetic Lightsaber for decades, surpassed by no one in the rare skill. Things were sure to get interesting.

"Darling, I never did catch your name. Why don't you come closer so you may whisper it in my ear?!" Outstretching her only appendage, she would call upon tendrils of Dark Energy to form around the blue bladed warrior. After a brief moment of concentration, she would close her hand into a fist and yank hard, aiming to pull the Jedi towards the Sith and her deadly blades.

If she did not some how resist the pull of the Force, The Hag would swing her right blade in a wide horizontal arc, aiming to slice the girl in two.

 

[Arterius]

The Padawan's eyes never left the withered Hag and her fingers coiled almost restlessly upon the curved hilts of her igniting sabers. She could feel the stab of irritation emerging from her foe, no doubt due to the fact that she had managed to escape her debris weaponry.

Did she think it would be that easy?

"Red's nice, Black Hag, but I always preferred blue" Leah answered back with a wry smile, though her eyes became colder the moment she saw all three of those lightsabers... telekinetic dueling what something she had only heard of, but never witnessed, and with the look of the great hovering shadow looming before her in these forsaken ruins, she looked as though she was greatly adept with the style. Leah knew she'd have to be on her toes.

It was then she felt her waist suddenly feel constricted, too late to act upon it as the Hag mockingly spoke of names, and she gasped in surprise. As those tendrils twisted in a deathly grip upon her body she had to act fast or else the consequences would be dire indeed. With all her might she resisted the pull of those eldritch tendrils, calling upon the Force to help her stand her ground... before snapping her binds entirely with a gasp of effort. Quickly, she caught her breath.

"My name..." she said, booming forward at great force enhanced speed, both lightsaber tips buried in the ground beside and behind her as she approached, leaving a trail of sparks and melted earth "...is Valkyrius!" and with that she would leap forward and bring both her lightsabers down upon the Hag with great strength.

"This close enough for you, Black Hag?" In such proximity, the Hag would be able to feel something in Leah, something that had never had the opportunity to be spotted before... something small and condensed like coal slowly being compressed over time into a diamond. It was faint, but as their lightsabers locked together they would have time to look each other in the eye, and the Sith Witch would have her chance to sense it. A potential for something... else. It sat in her like a black pearl lost to the bottom of the sea, hard to spot, to gleaming.

"Now tell me, why did you come here? Dont tell me its for the view"

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

The Black Hag was caught unaware as the youngling was able to resist the Dark ethereal tendrils that had formed around her waist. Unfortunately for the Jedi, the witch always had a backup plan in case ingrates such this Jedi decided they didn't wish to die.

"Clearly, this girl must be some sort of assassin sent by the Jedi! Or perhaps this is a test from the Sith Order? Either way, I will reign triumphant upon this day!" She thought to herself, watching the Jedi come rushing forward, no doubt assisted by the Force to close the distance between them so quickly. The Hag's left and right lightsaber quickly moved in a horizontal position in front the Sith to block the Jedi's attack.

"For your information I did come here for the scenery. I hear the slums are rather pleasant this time of year." She replied, her voice devoid of any resemblance of seriousness. Suddenly she slammed her forehead into the Jedi's, hoping the unforseen assault would stagger this Valkyrius long enough for her to slink away. The chains that were being utilized as stilts, suddenly lost their hardened stance, and shot themselves into the opposite wall, the Hag quickly following behind them.

She was not fleeing, no.....there was to much at stake for that. She had retreated to gather her thoughts. She had sensed something within Valkyrius, buried deep within her soul, her essence. It was a door, cracked open ever so slightly, that led down a path that only few could return from.

The Dark Side.

This woman fought with such anger, such passion! If the Crone could some how turn this woman against her Jedi brethren, teach her to wield her emotions with such devastating fury! Well....

The Hag quickly faced about, shooting two of her phrik enlaced chains toward the young padawan. This offensive strike was merely but a distraction, as she concentrated on the ground beneath Valkyrius' feet, and with a great scream, the floor the Jedi stood on would come tumbling down.

 

[Arterius]

Leah pushed hard against the block in an attempt to drive the Hag back as their lightsabers howled with such brutal contact, and Leah stared at the Hag through the glowing frame of their blades. Her soul was calm, though determined... she would know what the Hag was doing here. There had to be some reason this... thing... was at centre of the pull to this vile world, it couldn't be just some cruel happenstance.

'For an old buzzard, she's pretty ferocious' she thought to herself, impressed with the saber work as they struggled against one another's blades... but she had the Crone engaged enough not to retaliate with all three blades, Leah had her focused on defense. That was good for her.

"You're sense of humour is as dire as you appear-Argh!" the block broke as their heads collided, and Leah stumbled back with a pained gasp... and a sharp sting in her forehead. A twist of frustration twirled in her gut, and she had to calm herself before continuing... she couldn't give into anger, nor would she. She was better than the emotionally dominated sith, and she would prove it.

As those two phrik chains came down upon her she space elegantly towards them, bringing her Lightsabers to bear upon their resistant metals, the hope to slash them to pieces dash as instead with great force she slammed them hard into the earth- where the Hag had intended to put Leah, too. The ground about Leah's feet erupted into chunks and imploded, and with a yell she too disappeared into the darkness of the basement below... but not before she took a grip of a nearby girder with the Force. As she fell painfully into the blackness she tore it loose with an unrefined but powerful bout of force telekinetics and launched it like a spear at the Hag as she disappeared below, its forked tip aiming to pin a chain to the wall in which the sith crone was mounted.

Leah hit the ground below with a solid thump, and groaned as she lay there for a moment, regaining herself as her once marine combat armour was now matted in dust and dirt... though her blades still blazed their loyal and steady blue.

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

Snickering could be heard from up above, before the Hag opened her mouth in a massive guffaw, laughter echoing off the walls of this forsaken tomb. Soon, there would be one more life to add to the list of those that perished here. The Sith slowly regained her composure, steadying herself she swayed to and fro, her body weak from such a loud chortle.

"Where are you going my dear? Leaving so soon?!" A horrid grin slithered onto her face, a look of satisfaction and twisted glee. The Black Hag could not see Valkyrius down below with her naked eye, but instead activated her thermal vision, pinpointing the fallen Jedi's location. There was an eerie silence as the Sith descended to the basement below, the only sound to be heard was the rattling of her deadly chains. "Sleep my dear. Slip into an eternal slumber, the likes if which you have never felt before. In assure you, no one will dis-"

The Hag suddenly stopped, one of her chains not moving like the others. It appeared to be attached to something! The Hag hung there for a moment, her arm and legs dangling like those of a puppet. It would have been a rather comedic sight, were it not for the lights of the city around them that gave the Hag the appearance of a specter floating in mid air. "What the....?" She twisted her body rapidly, causing the troublesome chain to coil itself around her, lifting her up towards the source of this new predicament.

"You piece of wretched, moronic scum!!! How dare you, you, you disrespect me in this manner?!" She screeched upon discovering Valkurius had pinned one of her chains to the wall. Using the Force, she yanked the crude spear out of her beloved chains, crushing it until it was nothing more than a ball of ruined durasteel. "For this, you will pay dearly, my child!"

Closing her eyes, she focused in the foul stench of the Dark Side that permeated the ruin, using it to enhance her connection to the Force. Slowly, chunks of debris, both large and miniscule, began to pour down into the gaping chasm, aimed for Valkyrius.

"I will bury you alive Valkyrius. No one shall remember you. Your loved ones will not find your corpse, for nothing shall be left. You will die here Jedi. You. Will. Die!" Her voice was unnaturally calm as she spoke. She examined the like of rubble from afar, and once she was sure there was nothing left to be done, she willed her chains to carry her up towards the hole in the ceiling.

 

[Arterius]

There was a deathly silence throughout the ruin as the last piece of debris joined the burial mound that the Hag had so potently built upon the body of Leah, and no a sound prevailed from the now filled pit. All was still, the only movement nor sound to pierce the veil of nothingness being the chains of the Crone as she began to ascend like some horrific spider up into the bleak rafters.

Then there was a rustle. A small thing, almost unnoticeable. Then another, louder than the last. Then another, and another.
A rumble began to fill the skeleton of their arena, shaking from its very core as though something was trying to uplift itself from the ashes of the blasphemous derelict.

And indeed, something was. With tremendous racket the fresh grave so lovingly tended to by the Hag exploded upwards and out, rod impaled chunks of structure and girders alike sent careening like slugthrower rounds and javelins all about the Hag... and if she looked down...

Leah.

Stood there blooded and battered and stood upon a pile of dirt and brick. She had managed to stop herself being totally entombed though the effort in doing so had visibly taken it out of her, and her face was a picture of something close to anger- an unsettling expression for someone usually so serene. Her cold blue eyes would sharpen on the Hag, piercing into her malevolent form like a lightsaber impalement.

"Thats the problem with a Valkyrius..." she whispered, panting "...we dont stay buried for long, you old witch!" and with that she would throw a hand into the air as she stood upon that pile of wreckage in the basement, and with all the power of the force she could muster, she would try and destroy the very surfaces the Hag was clinging too on her climb... trying to cause the deadly Sith Witch to come hurtling down to her level with the remains of the wall. The effort regardless would make Leah stagger, her energy low, but she re-ignited her sabers regardless. Her defiance admirable as she watched the Witch, panting, trying to recompose herself.

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

It was over. The Black Hag had smothered the young Jedi under a massive pile of rubble, filling the pit to it's entirety. It was a shame really. To think that girl had so much potential, so much to offer to the galaxy at large. Ah, the old crone could see it now; the Hag and Valkyrius conquering world after world, bringing those who resisted the long arm of the Imperium to heir knees! Such power they could have achieved together.....but alas, the child was so naive like the Hag once was. The Acolyte did not have the patience to deal with such stupidity!

As the first chain reached the brim of the abyssal hole, she felt a strong surge of power beneath, growing like a star until it imploded upon itself.

Pipes, tiles, furniture, and other miscellaneous objects assaulted the old woman, her chain's strong grip into the surrounding walls loosening. "No! How can this be?! You we-" Her rant was cut short as Valkyrius willed the Force to bring the spider like cretin downnto the floor below. She could not resist, and as she plummeted towards the Jedi below, she activated her lightsabers, the signature crackle and hiss of the blades signifying their urge to battle.

She brought all three blades together, a triad of sinister red evil aimed directly at Valkyrius. Calling upon the Dark Energies that called this forgotten ruin home, she surrounded herself in their cold, dark embraced and enhanced her falling speed with the Force. She was a missile now. A weapon of utter destruction, her only goal the conplete and utter annihilation of this rather persistent being.

"I have suffered your intolerance for the last time, child! Face the wrath of the Dark Side!"

If the Jedi did not move in enough time, she would be at the center of the now massive crater in the ground below, no doubt harmed beyond relief.

 

[Arterius]

If there was one thing that the Hag would be able to see on her rather fiery descent upon Leah, it would one thing.
The padawan was smiling.

The Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.
The words of a Class Teacher were prevalent in her thoughts as Leah watched the insidious Hag rocket towards her, and she felt a serenity wash over her.
Thank you, Taruna.

With her lungs having adequate time to fill themselves she had enough strength to leap out of the way, and indeed out of the pit as The Black Hag hit the earth like a world ending comet, sending a fracturing shockwave throughout the floor... but her exodus was short lived. The moment she touched down on the ground floor she quickly turned on her heels and leaped back into the pit- using the tactics of the Sith Crone. Like a falling blue star Leah came rocketing back into the pit with both Lightsabers raised over her head, intending to slam them down with all her might in a mighty Avalanche Strike. Her intention? to pummel the Sith Witch's own defense with a strength she wouldn't soon forget and possibly disarm her of a Lightsaber or two... before the Leah's legs began to buckle beneath her.

With the strength fading from her Leah sluggishly stumbled to one of the sloping walls of the basement and found her back slamming heavily against it. There was barely enough will left in the Padawan to keep her legs under her, but she rested there, thighs shaking with strain and hands laced with tremors as they held her lightsabers as though they were an impossible weight.
Keeping herself from being buried alive, pulling the crone down, and then performing the Avalanche? It had taken it out of her in a way she had not trained to prepare for...

And so she watched the Black Hag, panting away, moments from collapse.

"You know..." she started, unable to string full sentences together without tiring. She spat blood from her mouth before she continued "...when you're climbing the walls... you look like a bug..." wiping blood from her chin on the back of her hand she wheezed out a spluttering hack, her attempt at a laugh as she watched the Sith from afar. The ball was in the Acolyte's court now.

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

The impact was devastating. While the blast itself was confined to the basement of the skeletal crypt, the wave of Force energy that had dispelled from the attack was immense, affecting those that were within a few city blocks of the battlefield. Nothing major for them, perhaps a tremor and the rattling of glass and objects.

As the dust settled, the tired smiled that had formed on the Black Hag's face was quickly swept away upon the discovery that the Jedi had dodged her attack. She was expecting mutilated body parts and a new lightsaber to add to her souvenir collection, yet all she found was the Jedi standing before her in a state of serenity. How could this be?! How could one so young escape the wrath of the Hag?

They couldn't.

It was as simple as that. The Hag did not quit, she did not surrender until her foe was one with the Sith, or one with the ground beneath her feet!

Without warning, Valkyrius leapt into the air, her lightsabers ignited and a look of relentless determination was etched upon her face. The Crone realized too late what was about to occur, and could only protect herself with her chains as the Jedi slammed into her, backed up by the might of the Force.

Her body was thrown into a nearby wall, where a small crater had formed from the impact. The Hag slumped forward, her clothes tattered and filthy, her cybernetic eye cracked from the awe inspiring assault.

"So.....two can...." She tried to form a cohesive sentence, but found that her tounge would not allow it. "......play at that game.....eh?" She questioned the young padawan, who looked as if she would leave this world for another at any moment. Her chains slowly lifted the Sith up into an upright position, giving her legs access to the sturdy ground once again.

She chuckled slightly, wheezing from all the dust and dirt that was now entering her lungs. "Yes my dear. I am....well aware I appear as an insect to some." She raised her right hand in a gripping position, and called upon the Force to wrap itself around the girls neck, slowly tightening it's grip upon her throat. "And now......I shall squash you like one!"

The girl weakly clawed at her throat, until the old Crone could no longer call upon the Dark Side to do her bidding. Valkyrius slumped to the floor, unconscious. The Acolyte moved slowly towards her, a limp in her gait as she did so. Leaning closer, she put her mouth to her and whispered "Sleep, my child. Your worries are over, for your time here has ended. May we meet again. You have faced the Sith..." She leaned back from the Jedi's ear. "And failed!"

The chains of the Hag weaved to and fro towards the sky, until they reached the roof of the abandoned nightclub. The Hag began to ascend....and stopped. Why? Her work here was done, her goal reached. There was nothing left here but the unconscious body of a Jedi dog. And yet, she felt.....was this pity?! Could she feel remorse for the child? How could this be.....

Almost immediately the Crone swung around and levitated the girls limp body towards one of her waiting chains, where it wrapped itself around the woman. Once making sure she was secure, the Crone left their battleground behind, wandering aimlessly for a hour or so.

That is until something spoke to her, deep within the recesses of her mind, informing the Crone that this is where she must release the girl. But how could she? She had a Jedi padawan in her custody! She could slaughter her here, right now, or perhaps even turn her into the Sith for interrogation. No. Somehow, deep down she knew this is where they must part.

They were on a landing lad in the Vertical City, where a ship was stationed, no doubt Valkyrius'. Reluctantly the chains slowly unwrapped the woman before settling her down gently near the ship.

"So. This is where we must part. But not for long, my dear. The Force works in mysterious ways, intertwining those that reside on opposite sides of the spectrum. We will meet again. I am sure of it. The only question is: what will happen next?"

The Crone donned her black cloak once again, coiling her many chains around her torso. She pocketed her lightsabers, and headed off towards Coven's last known location

She saw an Ithorian leaning on the railings, and scoffed at his actions. When she walked past him, she nudged him hard with her elbow. The Ithorian teetered and tottered before setting himself upright again, looking weary from his brush with death.

"The sign says no leaning!"

 

[Arterius]

Gasping, choking, a thundering hum in her head, and the darkness swallowed her sight. Sweet numbness overcoming her.

As she startled awake beside the Dawn Charger those were the last things she could recall, and immediately she let loose a horrific gasp for air, clutching at her throat as though the phantasmal fingers of that demon's ethereal choking claw were still about it. It was only then she actually noticed her ship, looking up at it from an awkward angle from her spot on the floor, it was initially hard to tell.

'Wait a minute' she thought as she sat in a mucky heap 'Am i back at the landing pad??'

Quickly she peered around, hand still rubbing her tender throat. Yes, she was definitely back by the Dawn Charger... but how? Who could've possibly got her from what could've been her final resting place and dropped her here? How would they even know where to go? Cough she shakily rose onto her feet, casting a look over her torn and dirt covered Combat Suit. Her Lightsabers rested beside her, no doubt rolling from her deathgrip the moment she wheezed back into reality. They looked as battered as she was, but affectionately she smiled and took them in her hands, thumbing their lengths with a certain reverence before hooking them back onto her belt.

Activating her craft's docking ramp, she cast one final look over Nar Shaddaa, and breathed deep the air... happy enough to still be breathing it at all. In a way she had underestimated the Sith Witch, but that would be a mistake she would not make again. Not ever. Leah stood there for a few moments as that ramp slowly descended, disappointed in herself... not for failing against the Hag, but because she felt no closer to an answer- and tonight, inevitably, another of those evil nightmares would return. The ramp went with a clatter then as it touched down, awaiting her entry.

"We'll meet again, wont we Black Hag?" With a sly smile she closed her eyes "And when i do, you and i are gonna have a long talk"

Leah turned then, and entered her vessel... deciding she desperately needed a lie down.