Private A Berserker's Gambit

[William Ames]

Location: Outer Rim, Point Nadir
Tags: Nyxira Valis

“Aaaaand your winner, and undefeated Champion! The Undying…AKSHAR!”​

William had left the arena before the announcer had even gotten half way into talking. There was no point to hang around unless there was a fight to immediately follow. His last bout with a pair of particularly tall and stubborn Klatooinians had been his last for the night, leaving the K’paur to enjoy the remaining hours to himself.

Of all the arenas that he had fought in, ‘The Cage’ was the fanciest of the lot. Sorba had practically dragged him around the galaxy, showing him off like some kind of prized animal. Which wasn’t exactly untrue, depending on what rumour mills you put an ear towards.

Words like animal, beast and monster were always floating around when talking about ‘Akshar’. He certainly fought like one, showing none of his opponents any mercy once the bell was rung. The only thing William refused to do, was taking a bite out of his foe. Bloodthirsty he might be, he didn’t have a taste for flesh.

As William walked, he drew practically every pair of eyes nearby. It didn’t help that he was half naked, whatever had consisted of armour was now in tatters, barely hanging off his muscular torso. Sweat and blood marred his exposed skin, though the man showed no concern towards the kind of impression he was giving people.

His still burning red eyes just glared towards anyone who dared to get closer.

Once he was in the elevator, William let out a heavy breath. He could feel the adrenaline and bloodlust finally simmer down enough. Eyes returning to their normal green, and the urge to just punch someone disappeared.

William let out a groan as he massaged his left shoulder. “Damn Klatooinians. Might not be as fierce as Wookiees, but they know how to throw a punch.” As much as William was incredibly durable, he wasn’t immune to aches. Eventually the elevator dinged as it reached the correct floor.

The Red Tower was expansive, having levels that went down through the entirety of Point Nadir. Of the numerous levels, the Cage was situated within the Nest district. The apartments that were attached to the arena were arranged for the different ‘tiers’ of fighters. And of course, the very best got the top level.

Sorba had arranged it in order to provide William all the incentives possible. Basically screaming at him ‘look at all this good stuff you could keep having’. Alas, the K’paur wasn’t particularly attached to such materialistic things. Making the Hutt’s efforts to convince him to remain in his service entirely futile.

William unlocked the apartment door, the metal sliding open as he stepped through the threshold. But in that same moment the K’paur inhaled sharply, catching an unfamiliar scent.

He let out an audible curse.

“I told Sorba to stop sending more girls here, and yet he just doesn’t seem to get the damn message.” The K’paur growled as he walked deeper into the apartment, turning the corner into the expansive living space…

 

[Nyxira Valis]

The luxurious interior of William's apartment was a sharp contrast to the storm of power and menace that stood waiting for him. Darth Nythera was no "girl" sent by a meddling Hutt, and the moment William rounded the corner, he would know it. Her tall, imposing figure stood near the large window that overlooked the sprawling chaos of Point Nadir, her silhouette framed by the flickering neon lights outside.

The storm seemed to follow her even here. Though no lightning cracked overhead, the air felt charged, heavy, as though reality itself bent under her presence. She turned slowly, her violet eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, fixing him with a piercing, unyielding gaze.

"Disappointing," she said, her voice low and smooth, carrying an edge that could cut through durasteel. "I expected the Undying Champion of the Cage to be more perceptive."

Her lips curved into a faint smirk, one that carried no humor. She let the silence stretch for a moment, her piercing gaze never leaving his.

"I'm not here at the behest of your Hutt patron, nor am I interested in the... usual distractions offered to you," Nyxira continued, her tone sharp as a vibroblade. "I came because I've been watching you."

She took a step closer, her dark cloak trailing behind her, her presence filling the room like a stormcloud ready to burst. "You fight like a beast, unyielding, relentless. But I sense more than that in you. Power — raw, untapped. Potential, wasted on spectacle and entertainment."

Her smirk deepened, her glowing eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm here to offer you a choice. Stay here, caged and leashed by your own bloodlust, fighting for credits and applause. Or step into the storm with me, and become something far greater."

William Ames ​

 

[William Ames]

He felt that addictive nature of the Dark Side before he even laid eyes on the stranger. William's eyes were drawn to hers like a magnet, green meeting violet. The K’paur steeled his face into a neutral expression, shrugging in response.

“Wouldn’t be the first time one showed up with a whole theme.”

William continued his stride across the apartment, his plans to step into the refresher put on hold for the time being. He spared a glance towards Nyxira, sizing up the raven-haired temptress. Even without prying a bit deeper, William had a suspicion of just the type of person he was dealing with.

The K’paur stepped into the spacious kitchenette, his immediate focus being the fridge. Her comment about ‘usual distractions offered’ almost had William fire off a snarky response. You wouldn’t be able to handle me.

But for as much as William portrayed the ‘brawn over brain’ stereotype, he wasn’t stupid. One doesn’t just casually piss off a Sith. Sure, he knew he could physically go toe to toe with some, but Sith? They could be…creative.

William continued to listen, though seemingly not paying attention at the same time, as he shifted around the fridge grabbing one of his usual beers. Taking a step back, the K’paur closed the door and turned around to face Nyxira, who had since stepped closer too.

The berserker felt his nerves tense up as he looked into her eyes again. A tempered storm at the forefront, but a deceptive serpent hidden beneath it.

With a simple flick of his thumb, William popped the bottle cap off and lifted it to his lips. But just as the liquid was about to pour, the K’paur paused. Poison. Well, not quite it but it was definitely laced with something it wasn’t supposed to.

Damn it, Sorba.

Placing the bottle down, the K’paur turned his focus to Nyxira. “Tempting offer, but I know how your ilk likes to work. What’s the catch, Sith?”

Nyxira Valis​

 

[Nyxira Valis]

Nyxira watched William with an air of cool amusement, her smirk deepening as he discarded the tampered drink. His composure, the way he feigned indifference while subtly assessing her every move, didn't go unnoticed. Beneath the casual demeanor, she could sense the tension, the awareness of what stood before him.

This one wasn't stupid — she liked that.

"The catch?" Nyxira echoed, her voice low and smooth, laced with faint amusement. She took another step forward, her violet eyes locked onto his, their faint glow cutting through the dim light of the apartment. "The cath is that you help me shatter the thrones of Sith undeserving of their titles. The kind that hold power unchallenged and rot away in fancy chairs and castles."

She gestured faintly to the apartment around them, her cloak trailing like a shadow behind her. "You've carved out a reputation here, but tell me — does it satisfy you? Does fighting for applause and credits truly give you purpose? Or does it leave you wanting, always looking for the next fight to fill the void?"

Nyxira tilted her head slightly, her smirk fading into something sharper, colder. "I see it in you. The hunger for more, the defiance against being caged by the limits others place on you. I'm offering you a chance to use that hunger and take what is rightfully yours."

She crossed her arms, her stance poised but unyielding. "But it comes at a price. You will have to break the chains that hold you here. Your bloodlust, your past, even your sense of self — they will all be tested. If you survive, you won't just be a fighter. You'll be a force of nature."

She fell silent, letting her words settle in the charged air between them, her piercing gaze never leaving his. The storm she carried seemed to rumble faintly in the distance, an unspoken promise of the power she offered.

William Ames ​

 

[William Ames]

William’s gaze remained unflinching as he stared at Nyxira, mulling over what she had said. She had done her research, hell she struck him as the type that wouldn’t have bothered personally coming, if she hadn’t. There was something she needed, and it seemed the K’paur was just the right candidate she was looking for.

But do I want to get involved with Sith, that is the question.

He had no desire to get involved in the historical clashing of the differing sides of the Force. But then again…who was the epitome of ‘law & order, but the Jedi? The woman before him made no mention of them, but did it really have to be said?

For as much as the Sith fought amongst themselves, their eternal enemy was always the Jedi. Of those that had failed him, let his wife and daughter’s murderers go unpunished until he had taken matters into his own hands.

William was unsatisfied being nothing more than a prized pit-fighter. And he wasn’t one to shy away from admitting he had no purpose. What could there possibly be after he had lost everything that had mattered to him?

The only thing the K’paur regretted, was allowing himself to fall into vices. The very ones that landed him into slimy clutches of individuals like Sorba the Hutt.

Whatever my decision is tonight, Sorba has to be dealt with.

“If I am going to strike a deal with someone…” William started, stepping away and around the kitchenette island, striding towards Nyxira.

Was he willing to essentially trade one leash for another? To no doubt become a piece on whatever game of holochess the Sith before him was playing?

“...I prefer to know their name.” He finished his sentence, raising a large hand towards Nyxira.

Yes, yes he was.

Nyxira Valis​