Ask Event Zavus Turnyras: The Scarlet Letter

[Zoya Viktrov]

Zoya wasn't fond of the arid coliseum on Namadii, which somehow didn't remind her at all of the corpse of a planet she was born on. Nor was she fond of standing here, in front of throngs of spectators, their only interest being who won and who lost. Who lived and who died. She had come here for a far different purpose. The only reason a girl like her would ever set foot in a ring like this. Rumor had it that the winner of this tournament could gain the attention of the Empress.

That was the only prize Zoya was interested in.

The Empress was a Supreme witch. Her magic was famed across the galaxy. If there was anyone who could teach Zoya how to use her own power, it was the Empress herself. But such a Sith would not take just any stray off the streets as a pupil. Zoya knew she would have to prove her worth first; and this tournament was the best way to start doing just that.

She wore the crimson regalia of a Sith witch to her match. And though she had never heard of her opponent, she had heard the other Sith was present at the Battle of Felucia. A worthy foe. A good starting place to prove her worth to the Empress. Zoya stretched out her hand and a red mist gathered there, followed shortly by her lightsaber, which materialized out of nowhere. In the moments before the match was set to begin, she breathed deeply and called out to Korriban for aid. Then, she steeled herself and prepared for battle. @Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

-Theme-​

Deva didn't care that this was rivalry. She never met her opposition before, but she had heard of the witches. Of their powers, their mystic beliefs. In a way, she envied them their beliefs and claims to purpose... but she equally didn't care. She was merely here to prove her worth. And if she was defeated, so be it. She would not stop here, but push herself. She had lost in Felucia, but she had been the last one standing on the walls. She would prove just as immovable now, and if she fell, she would prove her worth in other ways.

She didn't care who watched. If the Empress watched, she hoped there would be a show worthy of her. She stared at the crimson witch dispassionately; pain lashed and burned through her back, imprinted into her spine. It clarified her thoughts, edging them with razor clarity. She too wore simple robes, the black robes of all Champions of the Sith.

The Darkness coiled within, a dark Snake poised to strike. Violet eyes blazed as she stared down the other woman, and her own blade activated with a sharp snap-hiss, a brilliant crimson that glowed and pulsated in time with her flickering eyes. Cores of violet, swathed in gold fire.

As the final moments before the match would begin, she took a deep, fortifying breath, feeling her scars tighten with pain, and felt the Darkness answer her call. Thin ribbons of black began to writhe from her form, and she merely offered a slight bow. Was it to the red Sith before her, or the Empress? Those watching would have to speculate. But she wouldn't take her eyes from her opposition. The battle was now to begin.

3...2...1... Start!

@Mockingjay

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

The second a buzzer rang, signifying the beginning of the fight, Zoya thumbed the activation stud on the hilt of her lightsaber. A scarlet blade erupted from its emitter to match the one blazing in her opponent's hand. The distance between them was negligible. She could have crossed it in a single bound if she chose. But she didn't. Instead, she inclined her head, bowing as the woman before her had. Then she flicked her free wrist and sent the Force singing through the empty space between them.

A simple Force push.

A distraction, an opening, she didn't care which. She didn't even care that it landed. Zoya simply used the opportunity to launch herself at her opponent, slashing diagonally from hip to shoulder in the hopes of landing a surprise blow. Already, her magic thrummed within her, begging for release. But that would come later. For now, she needed to know what this foe of hers was capable of. @Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

A simple Push was the door to many things; it was a matter of time until the two women would clash, but she wouldn't waste her time or energy batting back and forth. Using the Push, she amplified it to gain distance from her opponent's reaching slash, instead moving opposite the attempted swing with enhanced speed to the woman's unprotected side.

She would not allow mercy or poke at her opponent's defenses. Instead, she lashed out with the Darkness, wrapping it around the woman's arms and throat to pin them in place and immobilize her while she completed her swing, and then apply swift, brutal crushing pressure to her throat and arms, keeping her blade ready for the defensive for the inevitable retaliation.

@Mockingjay

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

Retaliation came swift. Her opponent had not reacted as Zoya expected, but her choice of counter was revealing nonetheless. The moment her limbs and throat became constricted by an invisible Force, Zoya let the magic building within her explode outward in a shockwave of mystical energy that would not only sever her invisible restraints but travel outward towards her opponent. If it was a contest of the Force this woman wanted, she would get it.

Her next action was to twist her hand through the air, all while chanting under her breath in ur-Kittât. The spell was a variation on the very chokehold the other woman had just tried to use on her. Red tendrils of ichor and Force sorcery materialized; but whereas the other woman had divided her energy trying to bind Zoya's arms and throat, Zoya focused entirely on the woman's throat, intending to create a stronger, harder to break spell, without dividing her focus.

All the while, her lightsaber hummed idly in her right hand, ready should the woman abandon this battle of wills for a battle of martial strength. @Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

She grunted as the power slammed into her, breaking her focus and sending her back and once more gaining distance. Bending her knees to adjust the push back and gain her footing once more, she felt the pressure around her throat, and an odd thing occurred.

Deva... smiled.

A full-blown, wicked smirk.

With all of the witch's focus concentrated on one thing, it made it easier for her to lash back. Lashing her own free hand forward even as the pressure grew, the loose dirt at the witch's feet would suddenly whip up to the woman's eyes to blind her or break her focus. Her lungs ached with the mounting pressure, but she relished it, thrilled in the challenge and the pain it promised. With that, she would then lash forward with her free hand once more in a rapid jerking movement, fire rushing forward from her fingertips and arcing wildly towards the witch's face and upper torso. It was a neat little trick she learned, witnessing it from Artorigas on Felucia and Bir on Arkania, learning from their examples. A power that hungered as much as she did.

No... winning was never the objective. But proving herself capable was one. If she failed, she would learn from it, or she would perish. Was there no greater cause in the Sith? Even if she choked out on the battlefield, it would have been a worthy endeavor to persist in fighting. All the while still holding her saber, wary of what the witches were capable of. It would be unwise to underestimate the woman now.

@Mockingjay

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

Zoya didn't have a choice. She had to release her spell to defend herself. Though momentarily blinded by sand, the Force acted as a sixth sense, warning her to the impending danger. Throwing up her free hand to block the incoming flames might have seemed stupid to the other woman—or perhaps she would think Zoya was about to conjure a shield—but the witch had something else in mind.

The spell she cast this time caught the flames issuing from the other woman's fingertips and redirected it right back towards her face with newfound intensity. Of course, the reflexiveness with which Zoya was forced to cast the spell was not without its consequences. The tips of her fingers were singed by the woman's flames, pain lancing through her. But the burns were mild enough and the pain was good.

The darkness of Korriban thrummed with delight at Zoya's newfound pain and anger. The magic burned within her like a black fire. Her eyes glowed blood red, clearing the dust from her eyes, and she tightened her grip on her lightsaber. The other woman's experience was showing, but Zoya was not out of tricks just yet. @Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

It was mildly disappointing the woman had to bring the flames back to her, but what did she expect? That she would simply perish in the flames like the witch she was? Naturally not, but feeling the pulse of rage and pain was a bitter satisfaction. When the flames roared back to meet her, Deva once more stepped to the side, feeling the bright heat lick close to her shoulder, close enough to almost bite. She hissed in annoyance, glaring down back at the witch in return.

So she had drawn first blood, of a kind. Flexing her hand on her lightsaber, she could feel the tightness of the scars sing along her spine, sizing up her opponent. So far, she had proven herself capable of dishing back what she was given, but how long could she sustain reflecting what had been brought? Even a witch had her limits.

Deva could bide her time.

The effect would be, at first, a subtle one. With the distance between them, and the witch keeping her distance for now, she could sense the woman's raw power, thrumming in the air with her red magick. It called to her, begging. So she drew herself out to focus. Siphoning that power, drinking from it to supplement her own defense, her own energy. The violet within her gaze vanished, glowing brilliantly in her pale face as she began to focus her drain, to sup upon her opponent's power, something she heard one Darth had used to sate herself in battle before being defeated at the hands of Stolas. Weaken the woman and her connection, but if the witch chose to close the distance so be it. She would have no qualms bringing her a little closer to blows.

@Mockingjay

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

Zoya smiled.

The red energy pouring out of her like blood from a tap was not just a pretty color she applied to her powers. It was ichor from the very core of Korriban, the source of her magick, her power. And, like all power associated with the Sith, it called to those who felt it, begged for them to take it within themselves. That truth was also its biggest trap. For only those born with Korriban magick could ever understand its subtitles. To those who did not, taking it in was like willingly drinking poison without having the antidote on hand.

So, she let the woman drink. As she did, the witch uttered but one word under her breath in the ancient Sith dialect. "Derriphan."

Devourer.

Once cast, the spell would seep into the energy the woman stole. Once ingested, it would begin to work like a hallucinogenic drug. She would see shapes that were not there. Voices she had not heard in weeks, months, years. Her memories would come pouring out of her mind, the worst of them appearing as illusionary figures in the real world that would crowd her vision, shouting at her. The more power she drank, the deeper the illusion would become. The harder it would be to break.

And though it would wind her considerably, Zoya would use that moment of distraction to teleport behind her enemy and hurl a disabling hex bolt at her enemy's exposed back.

 

[Deva Gendrel]

Ah poison, sweet poison.

Why was it so many of their legion assumed she cared for her life? They put so much value into their own, that the words that echoed back to her were no more than affirmations, that the objects that swam into focus would matter. Her ex's voice, mocking, sneering.

A freak. Freak. Junkie strung out and useless--

It snapped her focus, and abruptly the feeding stopped. She remembered the burning sensation of the poisoned barbs her Master lashed on her back, burning as though the wounds opened afresh once more. Indeed, so potent was the feeling, blood split from the wounds, filling the air with a coppery scent. She could hear his voice, and she lunged towards one side as though to attack it in a blind fury--

unwittingly, almost past where the Sith witch aimed to attack.

The energy crackled and hummed, mere breaths where her open back had been. It was strong, strong enough to whip her back and around, and she staggered and wheeled at even catching a glancing portion of it, her blood flecking her robes as it impacted, hard enough to shatter something. A rib, perhaps? The visions began to fade, but her lungs burned, her body ached, and as burning amber eyes settled on the other as she staggered to her own footing...

She smiled again, blood now flecking on her teeth. The pain was clarifying. She would have to repay the woman later.

"Dare I ask you out for drinks after this?" she called out to the other woman, flexing her grip around her lightsaber. This woman was too dangerous to fight from a distance; she'd have to think fast, or this match would be over too quickly. Not waiting for an answer, she moved swiftly to close the distance, lightsaber kept in her right hand as though to meet the witch's own defense in a powerful lock, but only to force the woman on the backpedal, or the defensive.

Her other hand uncoiled, releasing to Force Push her, not to force her back, but to act as a battering ram to her upper torso, to shatter bone and crush on surface wherever she would impact. This had to end quickly. If not, the recovery would be a lesson, the loss just another mark on the wall. Keeping her focus like this was risky, but she had to at least try.

@Mockingjay

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

Zoya could feel the ache building in her muscles. Her breathing came in gulps. Her master was still teaching her how to minimize the stamina drain her magick imposed; and his lessons had been successful. She'd made it this far, after all. But she was still an apprentice with much to learn. She needed to end this fight before her spells lost their bite. So when her opponent attempted to charge across the distance between them, she saw the opening she'd been waiting for.

The witch pushed down on the ground with the Force, launching herself into the air and landing awkwardly with a stumble at her opponent's back, the woman's lightsaber slashing empty air. As she landed, the blade of her lightsaber winked out of existence, the weapon itself vanishing into red smoke. She would need both her hands for her plan to work. This time, she formed two hex bolts—one in each of her hands—and hurled them one behind the other. If the first missed or was neutralized, the second might find easier purchase.

Only then did Zoya allow herself to answer the woman's earlier proposal, a smirk tugging up the edges of her mouth. "Drinks sound lovely," she said. @Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

Seriously. This woman was almost all innuendo, she wanted Deva on her back and they didn't even have drinks yet. She grunted in annoyance when the woman leaped up from her movement, immediately beginning to shift, and when she began to leap overhead, she reacted quickly.

As the witch began her leap, Deva twisted the Force from a Push to a Pull so that when the witch was flying through the air, she Pulled them back down to meet her. As she was doing this, her lightsaber would slash upward to the woman as she flew through the air, focusing on pulling off her disappearing trick when she landed, not focusing on being accosted mid-flight. Her blade would be focused on cutting through the woman at the thighs.

An attempt to ruin thigh-highs aside, it would make for a quick ending to her flight. The woman had already tried vanishing behind her back before, she would not allow that same trick to happen again. She would not allow the witch time to gather her strength once more or to once again assault her back with another one of her tricks.

She wanted this combat over so she could get a drag of spice and maybe, maybe, a good drink if she had the time for it.

@Mockingjay

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

What was a girl to do in this situation? Zoya had to hand it to the other woman. She was a quick thinker, and her reflexes were phenomenal. All that said, Zoya also had exquisite reflexes and could think on the fly—in this case, literally. She twisted to face the woman. Fatigue limited her options, but she was driven now by survival instinct, not just the will to win.

With what energy she could muster, Zoya loosed a concussive hex bolt from her free hand as the woman slashed up at her with her lightsaber. The bolt was little stronger than a mild Force push, unable to harm the woman, but carrying enough force to push her back and disrupt her swing. If Zoya had not somehow miscalculated, she would land nimbly like a cat a few paces away from where the woman stood. Winded, but at least she would have her legs intact. @Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

The hex bolt made her stagger back briefly, but the woman wouldn't escape that easily. The bolt got caught in her blade making her arm flick back from her swing, releasing a snarl, but when the woman attempted to land she wouldn't have the triumph to stand to. Catching her weight as the woman came towards the ground, the simple Push became an unrelenting, sudden harsh gravity as she brutally slammed Zoya's body into the ground with her continued Pull, violet eyes still burning a bright gold. The tang of blood touched the air as she forced the woman down, not granting her the time to rise, to even think of uttering spells, or to move, a stasis that would pin her in place as her blade crackled.

"Surrender."

The command was spoken, not with guttural tones, but calmly, an authority that held true weight. Even with the pain, even with the rage and the fierce anger, she would not relent. She was a Champion.

@Mockingjay