Private A Conductive Experiment

[Darth Strosius]

"Both." The answer was short and nonchalant, as if he had no qualms about having to carve into himself. His healing would be a problem of course but this was far from his first time performing a ritual like this. Slowly weening off of Anima for the past couple days meant that his healing would be slowed enough for it to work and the Anima in the narcotic itself would keep him from succumbing to the red hunger.

It was merely another risk involved in the process, but at least it was one that he could manage.

Alisteri set to work making a chalk circle, setting the stone piece down in the center to act as the altar and placing the candles atop it before he continued writing more symbols onto the ground in chalk. "Oh you'll know. There is some chanting in the beginning but after that I'll have to focus."

"If I start screaming then feel free to run and fly out of here." Keeping busy kept the concern and worry from seeping into his words as he thought of the precise details of the ritual. He tossed the chalk aside and then pulled his dagger from his belt and began carving more symbols around the inside of the circle. "Go ahead and set the stones and gauntlet parts onto the altar if you would please."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Well that was alarming. Knowing how Sangnir healed, it wasn't hard to piece together why Alisteri needed the week now. Not just material preparations. She let out a sigh, but nodded her head. Put the pieces out where needed and just.. Stood to the side. This was the largest reason she wanted her connection fixed. Even if she couldn't use Sorcery, at least she'd be able to feel what was going on. Be able to help more than just, hoping that she might be able to protect him in time.

"I don't plan on leaving, you know."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

It only took him a few moments to finish up the carvings on the ground, glancing at the gauntlets components on the altar as he stood before it. His grip tightened on his dagger and he raised his left hand over the device, slowly pulling the sleeve up to reveal his forearm. "I know. That's why I only brought you." Without any further explanation Alisteri stabbed into his arm and bit back a hiss of pain as he began to carve the symbols into his arm. Blood dripped onto the altar and device below, the candles suddenly flickering alight with dim red flames, and the air seemed to shift in the cave.

When the last symbol was done he dropped the dagger, allowing it to clatter on the ground as he quickly moved to finish assembling the gauntlet. Blood seeped from both his arm and the blade of the dagger, following the circle and leading into the carvings as he recited the proper chants under his breath. Soon enough the last part was in place and the device was whole. All it needed now was the power.

"Here comes the hard part." He held out his right hand towards Alina and idly gestured to where he had left the syringe earlier. "Pass me the narcotic, let's get this over with."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina didn't so much as flinch as she watched him. Her family, their rituals. She had her own scars. Or did, until her change. When asked, she handed it over. Eyeing it suspiciously in the process though. "This won't kill you, right?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"So long as Salneva wasn't lying, it won't be the narcotics that kill me no." The ritual itself killing him was still up for debate, but it was answer that they would have soon enough. Alisteri took the syringe and didn't hesitate to inject it right into his arm, a small hiss leaving him as he felt the drug enter his body. Injection was the quickest way to get the effects of the narcotic going, even if it was distasteful.

He pulled the empty syringe out of his arm and tossed it aside before cracking his knuckles. "Okayyy...ugh. Letsh do it." Already the potent drug was clouding his mind and making him slur his words, which surprisingly was a good sign in this instance. His hands extended were laid across the gauntlet as he closed his eyes and stilled his thoughts.

"Stand back...it's gonna get weird."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"We're space vampires using runes in a cave on a swamp with some drugs to infuse a piece of metal to shoot endless amounts of lightning."

Just to put it in perspective. And, to calm her own nerves. She flashed one last smile before she stepped back and.. Focused. Waited. That's all she could do at this point. Wait and hope that he would be fine and not need her power to pull him out.

God she hated waiting and hoping.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Despite the situation, probably due to the drug swirling around in his bloodstream, Alisteri actually laughed in response. When he had recomposed himself however, he got to work. Summoning up his knowledge of Consume Essence he reached out with his mind and probed for the nexus that encapsulated the planet in darkness. It didn't take long to find.

He exhaled, sounding more like the wind rushing out of a tomb rather than a breath, and the ritual circle lit up in a brilliant crimson even as the shadows in the cave grew thicker. Lightning crackled across his fingertips as he drew from the planet's nexus and focused the power into the gauntlet that sat under his hands. "Zarchas midwan girdeti nuyak visita, bless nun su midwan ir flomba sis vessel su tu'iea ty!" The runes on his arm and around the circle began exuding a dark mist, swirling around the Sith for a moment before suddenly twisting into a point and stabbing into the gauntlet.

His teeth gritted together as he attempted to hold his focus on the gauntlet, ignoring the voices in the back of his mind tempting him to take the power unto himself. It would kill him if he did.

Outside of the cave the sound of distant roaring and movement could be heard, with blaster fire and yelling from the Legionnaires soon following. "Incoming! Wildlife breaching the perimeter!" "Defend the cave, kill them all!"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina's gaze shifted momentarily outside. Something was coming. Big. Angry. Something dark, most likely. A guardian of the nexus perhaps? Or just a creature who made it's nest here? She glanced back to Alisteri. Watched him. And sighed. His guard could handle it. Or they'd die. Either way, she wasn't about to leave his side.

Especially if that creature broke through.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

As sounds of the Legionnaires battling some beast, or many, continued on the cave's cold aura intensified. It seemed as if the cave itself was trying to run the inhabitants out with its uncomfortable nature. Alisteri hardly noticed the temperature drop himself, all his attention set on pouring more and more power into the gauntlet.

Lightning bolts traced along the insides of the smoke as it twisted and flowed into gauntlet, another roar echoed from outside the cave and a torrent of blaster fire followed. His own Force Lightning erupted from his fingertips and engulfed the device as he let out a strained breath.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Her blade snapped into existence, the crossguard unfurling as she pointed her blade towards the mouth of the cave. The blaster fire only increased, and her eyes narrowed. One by one she could feel life snuffing out. His legion, the intruders, she wasn't sure. What she was sure of was something was coming into the cave.

Alina shifted her blade up farther, just as a large reptilian head peaked in. Dragonsnake. Though clearly warped somehow, likely from the dark? Whether it was the only one or not she wasn't sure, but as it's red eyes glared down at her, she just grinned.

At least she had something she could do now. And a challenge at that no less. She moved, keeping between it and Alisteri. Waiting, watching. It lunged first, but her blade quickly made it think better as she carved a chuck from it's jaw. A screech resounded off as it brought a hand to it's now ruined mouth, red eyes full of hate and anger.

Alina shrugged. "You chose to come here."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri didn't seem to notice the creature nor the conflict behind him, instead lifting up the gauntlet as the ritual carried on. Voices of the past, those that empowered the nexus, tore at his mind and resolve as he continued to focus on the device. Being a conduit for the power was taxing but he would endure nonetheless.

Lightning arced from the ritual and scorched wherever it landed, ground and wall alike. It was almost complete. Unfortunately, an unforeseen complication began to rear its head as the ritual neared completion. Cries of agony, wrathful yells, screams of rage, the taint of the Dark Side which had so long seeped into Dagobah flowed into the gauntlet freely without anything to hold it back. For a moment, in a wide range around the cave, the wildlife of the world went into a maddened fury.

"Oh chit."

Suddenly the candles snuffed out and the distant roars of the planet's inhabitants echoed over the land as Alisteri fell back from the altar, clutching the gauntlet in scorched hands as he coughed and gasped for air. "Alina!" His eyes shot open and landed on the Dragonsnake, a raspy breath leaving him in surprise.

"The feth is that?!"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Dragonsnake!"

As alarmed as she should've been, Alina was just full grins as she weaved through the angered creature's strikes. Something happened as the ritual picked up. Lightning seemed to infuse into the creature. Her lightsaber no longer worked against it. She was being battered around, thrown by the creature with every swing of it's arm. Yet yeah, she was having the time of her life.

"Did you finish it!?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri groaned as he tried to clamber to his feet, only succeeding by leaning against the cave wall for support. He watched as her lightsaber seemingly had no affect, wincing as Alina was thrown around. "I mean, I think?" He looked down at the gauntlet in his hands and then back up at her. "There's only one way to find out right?"

With any luck it was working, the device was certainly exuding an aura of power nonetheless. He glanced at his own scorched hands and grimaced before rearing back and tossing the gauntlet to his fellow Sith. "Catch!"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

She caught it.

With an all too childlike grin Alina pulled the gauntlet on, ducking just under another swiping claw in the process. Only one way to test it. Her wild gaze shifted back to the lizard, fangs on full display as she reached that gauntleted hand up. A brilliant surge of lightning cracked forth. All her life she'd been learning how to use the Force in different ways. The knowledge was there, but her body couldn't do it.

The creature roared, then whimpered in pain. The surge continued, Alina too lost in the sheer brilliance and high of it all to realize how black her skin had charred. She couldn't feel it, not like she always heard. But she could see it. Power. Her power. Then she blinked. The smell of charred flesh and the lack of a heartbeat in the burnt remains of the dragonsnake pulled her back. Then pain.

"Fuck!" She swung her hand down as if to extinguish a flame, glaring at her ruined hand. Nothing that wouldn't heal in time, but she couldn't even move her fingers. For anyone else this would be lethal.

".. Shame it didn't come with a warning label, huh?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

From his, very undignified given that he was holding onto the wall for support and still smoking slightly, position he watched as Alina used the gauntlet with wide eyes. It certainly had more of a kick than his own lightning had. For now. Alisteri winced as he saw the damage done to her hand, pushing himself off of the wall and stepping towards her on unsteady feet. "A shame indeed. Perhaps we'll have to retry crafting it..."

He suddenly tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face with a groan. "...some other day..." The man quickly got back to his feet and managed to slip his mask back on despite his damaged hands, letting out hisses of pain the whole time.

"Note to self, when interacting with a Force Nexus, bring plenty of Anima for healing." He kicked the Dragonsnake's corpse with his foot and nodded to her as he started walking towards the exit. Before he got too far however a figure appeared, one of the Legionnaires panting and clutching his rifle as he gave a salute. "High Priest! Apologies for the creature, the perimeter was compromised and we started taking heavy damage from the south. Two casualties and three wounded."

Alisteri straightened up and nodded, putting on a show of strength for his soldier. "Gather the dead and wounded and load them on the ship. We're not sticking around much longer." The moment that the Legionnaire ran off to follow the orders he went slack again, clutching his damaged hands together.

"I need a drink."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"If the drink is at least two people, count me in."

It was a rough guess, but more accurate these days than before. Blood, Anima, it all was an equation. How much to heal, how much to keep their strength. How much to stave off the red thirst. She glared at her hand again, willing herself to move her fingers. Still nothing. Burned all the way to the bone, then. Mind-numbingly painful, but at least it'd heal.

Not the burn. She'd have to cut off the burnt parts to let her body regrow properly.

"Let's get out of the swamp before anything else comes by."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"I'll get Salneva to send us a whole fething smuggler gang to drink from." He spoke with a wave, as if dismissing the guess. Better to have four just in case. Burns did have a particularly hard time healing after all.

Alisteri forced himself to move out of the cave despite his body screaming at him to lie down and rest, his eyes scanning to check on his Legion. The area around the cave was littered with the corpses of various beasts as well as branches and vines from where they had burst through the jungle. The transport itself was fine and the last of the Legionnaires was climbing into it as the pair of Sith exited the cave.

"So Alina," He nodded to her as he moved towards the ship, doing his best not to limp in front of his cultists. "How did it feel weilding the power of a Sith? Other than the pain afterwards I mean."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Exhilarating. And.. Numb. I felt nothing, but just seeing the power I brought forth was intoxicating on it's own. I can't begin to imagine what a rush it must be to create your own." Alina gazed at the artifact on her hand for a moment longer. Had she truly felt nothing? There was a rush on it's own. Hard to tell what was and wasn't imagined in her case. Regardless, she shrugged it off.

The moment they stepped into the ship though Alina brandished a knife she'd stolen from one of the legionnaires and all too casually cut off the burnt portion of her hand. She didn't even bleed as she focused instead on making it heal.

Then, burnt hand and all, she'd hand the gauntlet over with a smile.

"Good work, though. I think this is how it was intended by the Ascendant."

Darth Strosius