An Explorer's First Steps

[Vaylin]

She nodded shortly, and remained in the dining area while Sumiko was off getting a change of clothing. Vaylin watched with mute fascinating as the two Xioquo got about their work and began cleaning up the table. They worked diligently with how they picked up the plates and cups, nipping at some of the leftovers as they worked. There was a rather sombre air to how they moved, despite seemingly relieved to be away from their mistress' presence for the time being.

After a few minutes Sumiko returned, and the Zabrak followed with question as they made their way off the ship.

Vaylin took in a deep breath, practically absorbing nature and the fresh air. As nice as it was to be tucked up in a comfortable bed, surrounding by the walls of a ship. Nothing was ever going to beat the rawness of nature for the Zabrak.

She stood there listening to the Atrisian's words, nodding with understanding at least what she was saying. Experiencing it was another thing entirely. Vaylin could nod her head as much as she wanted, but until she got into the actual nitty-gritty she had little idea what she was getting into.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

Her years spent on Dxun had been a trial for her mental state. The first year or so, being isolated and alone led to an untold impact on her mind. The fear and being terrified of everything around her, it slowly eroded her barriers and allowed for the jungle's boogeyman to gnaw away at her. It wasn't until she began accepting the darkness in her, that Vaylin slowly started to rebuild those walls. Even then, it was a constant rollercoaster of whether she was mentally sound or slipping somewhere. Always teetering on the edge, but never going too far to fall off one edge.

But that was also a more natural attack of her mental defences. It had nothing on what the Sith spirit had done. And as Sumiko had mentioned, she wasn't going to be any better if comparison, in order to help her bolster her defences. Despite that, Vaylin nodded.

"I'm ready to start."

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


Sumiko struck without warning. Such courtesy would not have been the way of the Sith. Or of the Atrisian Inquisition, for that matter. At times, they'd made the Sith looked like mere kittens. Of course, the clairvoyance that every Force-user possessed, albeit with varying intensity, might give Vaylin a warning just before the attack was launched.


The mental onslaught was two-fold. The first step was pure textbook: Blindingly bright light, deafening noise, sensation. The noise should take Vaylin back to a recent encounter, for it resembled the blood-curdling roar of a terentatek. All of this would, of course, only take place inside her mind. It was meant to throw her off-balance. The second attack was incisive. It took the form of a psychic javelin that Sumiko hurled towards the Zabrak's brain, aiming to pierce her mental defences and establish a foothold, so to speak. Upon impact, the javelin would explode into countless burning shards. Each was meant to bury itself in Vaylin's subconscious. All of this was, of course, just the start.

 

[Vaylin]

In some part Vaylin was expecting the unexpected, her time with Sumiko had ingrained the notion that the Atrisian was likely the type to attack without warning if possible. Rather to get the surprise advantage over an opponent before they can manage to concoct a plan to oppose her.

The blinding light and the accompanying roar were like alarm bells for the Zabrak. Countless nights, hours spent with her senses stretched out for any potential beasts that desired to sneak up on her resting place. It meant Vaylin was to some extent prepared. Her reaction was to raise her guard, though with the foresight to focus on her mental shielding rather than physical.

However her mental barriers appeared paltry in comparison to her physicality. The walls were a mix of stone and metal, the majority being the first and the latter appearing sparingly. They were visual evidence of how poor Vaylin's defences were. There were even cracks and holes in it, the aftermath of the Sith spirit's attempts to try and take control of the Zabrak before.

As such, when Sumiko's javelin came soaring towards her, Vaylin wasn't able to stop it. She attempted to, trying to reach out and stop it. But the psychic attack was barely halted by the wall. It pierced through it and slammed squarely into the Zabrak's mind. Vaylin physically winced, only to seconds later crumble to her knees in pain. The javelin exploded on impact and its shrapnel spread as intended.

Somewhere in the back of Vaylin's mind, there was gleam of doubt. Worry that she wasn't quite ready for this. But she gritted her teeth and held her ground, she wasn't going to let this stop her.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


She was inside Vaylin's mind. Like a malevolent parasite. This did not translate into having free reign over it, of course. Many mentalists made the mistake of assuming such. Push too far and too hard and you risked overreaching yourself...especially if you were stuck in someone else's mind when something...unforeseen happened.


So she began building up to bigger things. Those burning hot shards that had buried themselves in Vayin's subconscious began to dig deeper and deeper. One could consider this to be salami tactics - taking pieces of her mind slice by slice. Sumiko was not gentle in the least, making no attempt to limit any agony Vaylin might feel. The noise remained, but now took the form of torturous wails, like of a thousand souls crying out in agony without pause.


Sumiko would dig deeper and deeper, seeking to latch onto painful memories, fears and doubts that might plague Vaylin. Contrary to what some Sith thought, such techniques were not 'I win' buttons. To Sumiko, they were a test of one's willpower. One a strong mind could overcome, once they had been put through the ringer. This was the intention here.


Perhaps, if Sumiko was successful, Vaylin would relive a particularly frightening encounter with a beast during early days on Dxun, when she had been new to the jungle, scared and all alone. Perhaps she would be thrust back to the awful day when she awoke in the jungle, after being suddenly abandoned by the Jedi. Perhaps she would see the judgemental gaze of her Jedi Master, turning his back on her and calling her a failure...or perhaps one of her new Sith allies would turn on her. All alone and abandoned, betrayed and forced to relive these moments, she would either overcome or break.

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin's screams of agony echoed across the clearing they were standing in. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, and not certainly in the 'I'm on a winning streak' kind of way. Nor was nothing as simple as flames licking at her bare flesh. No, instead it felt as though her insides were trapped in an inferno. Her mind being twisted about like kindling to a fire, and sending the burning sensation across her body.

The Zabrak's hands began to pry into the ground beneath her. Fingers digging into dirt as she tried to focus and grasp ahold of the pain. But as she attempted to do so; to morph it into power and strength. Sumiko's efforts struck a memory.

Within her mind, Vaylin was thrown into the ever familiar surroundings of Dxun. Immediately she felt fear; scared for her life as she sprinted through the jungle. She tried to move, to take control of the situation but the Zabrak quickly discovered she couldn't. Any attempt to act was halted by...something.

It only took a few moments for her to realize it was the fear that was keeping her fixed. Vaylin was trapped within her own body, unable to do anything other than watch. She was fifteen years old again, her Jedi robes still fresh and her blue lightsaber clutched in her shaky hands. The sound of thunderous of a beast tailed behind her; that of a single Boma. The young Vaylin's heart was beating erratically, breath was beginning to grow short and her legs tiring from all the running.

After another minute or so, the young Zabrak suddenly darted behind a large tree and remained there. The Boma skidded to a halt, realizing it had lost its prey. As it began to sniff around, Vaylin slid down the tree and began to sob, hands fumbling to deactivate her lightsaber. She tried to curl herself up into a ball, hide away from the darkness and the beast that was hunting her. The emotions continued to rise to a crescendo, at which point Vaylin; the current version took advantage of it. She gained control of her body, the younger form fading out and replaced with the current. The Zabrak jumped to her feet, ignited her lightsaber and moved away from the tree to confront the beast.

Only it was no longer there.

Then there was the snap-hiss of another lightsaber behind her. Vaylin spun around to face the new threat, only to falter at the sight.

"Well, if it isn't my failure of an apprentice." Her master; [member="Aria Vale"] stood before her. One of her double-blades ignited as she glared at her with amber eyes.

One of Vaylin's fears had surfaced.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


Now this is intriguing, Sumiko thought, smiling broadly. She had considered it possible that Vaylin might have another master, but now she had confirmation. The face seemed familiar somewhere. Oh, right, Darth Vitamin's apprentice. Sumiko had had another fun idea, but she would save that for later and take advantage of this glorious opportunity to test Vaylin and force her to confront her fears.


Some Sith yammered about their glorious, needlessly convoluted master plans and tried to pursue them no matter what happened. Sumiko preferred exploiting tangible opportunities. Thus she dug further, intensifying the illusion. There was a flash, as she perceived the original encounter between the pair on the Demon Moon.


Pure contempt was written across the face of the faux Aria Vale, whose aura radiated significant dark power. There was no pity in those amber eyes as she looked upon the failure that was her apprentice. "What? No witty comebacks? I should have left you to die on Dxun. You're no Sith, you're not strong. You're just a weak, scared little girl, following me around like a lost puppy," she spat. Would the real [member="Aria Vale"] act like this? This writer actually has no clue. But the point was that Vaylin clearly feared her master would reject and abandon her.


"Time to die," and with that she would move to attack with her double-bladed lightsabre, moving with almost blinding speed as she called upon the power of the Dark Side to strengthen herself. Vaylin would pull herself together and fight the illusionary menace...or the consequences would be most unpleasant. Sumiko put a lot of herself in the illusion, empowering it. The illusion looked real, felt real and if she managed to land a blow, it would hurt an awful lot lot. The mind was a powerful thing.

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak stepped back; stumbled even as she tried to keep the distance. This was not just a fear, it was Vaylin's greatest of the lot. When it came to the Force she was always abandoned. Before it had been her old master and the Jedi in general. Now she was stood before her current one, a failure this time. Abandoned to the wilds again, and now she was coming to erase the failure from the galaxy.

"M-master?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper as the fake Aria came surging towards her. However, Vaylin's training urged her to move even though a large part of her didn't. So, she dived to the side dodging the attack but was moving rather clumsily.

"I'm not your master anymore, girl." She lunged again at the Zabrak, but again Vaylin evaded it. "See, this is what I mean. You're weak, can't even muster the strength to fight back!"

"I-I can't...You're my master, my fr-" Vaylin's sentence was cut off in order to avoid another attack. This time ducking as fake Aria's cleaved her lightsaber through a tree.

"I took you in, away from Dxun and under my wing. Gave you a bed, clothing, food. Training. And what did you with that? Nothing!"

Despite the empowerment Sumiko had imbued into the fake, Vaylin was still able to dodge. Emotionally conflicted she may be, but the Zabrak was still able to keep her head level enough to move and evade. Years of experience drilled into her head wasn't about to go away just like that.

Though if Vaylin had the sense to try and look at this more closely, she would've realized this was out of character. Or rather, it was nothing more than her worst case scenario that had plagued her at times. Coupled with memories of her mother, hanging the notion of being a failure over her head as a child. The line between reality and illusion was starting to blur, the more Vaylin refused to fight back, the more it grew worse.

"Stop trying to run, failure! Where is the feral beast I found? The anger and fury that once flowed through your veins." Another swipe, nearly taking Vaylin's head as she backed away. "You're nothing, not even worth licking your mother's shoes."

Vaylin paused, the mention of her mother was like a bucket of icy water falling over her head. The mental illusion buckled slightly, a flame igniting within the Zabrak as her eyes shifted from their normal ember into something that more resembled an animall. Bearing the same colour, but with slitted pupils.

She wanted the feral beast?

The Zabrak lunged at the fake Aria, who moved to intercept with her lightsaber. But the blade went slightly wide, striking Vaylin's side instead. She hissed in pain, but pushed through it and slammed into the fake. Vaylin straddled her, lifting her hands up. Again, the landscape around her shifted as the Zabrak thought back against the illusion. Her human hands blinked away, replaced with a set of talons each; resembling a Maalraas. She went to town, claws stabbing and tearing into the fake Aria. There was nothing but bloodlust in Vaylin's eyes throughtout, and it didn't stop for a few minutes. Not until she stopped and let out a bestial yell.

Then she looked down again, at what remained-

Vaylin immediately scrambled away, scuttling across the dirt. She had succeeded in fighting back, but not a moment after she was stumbling again. One step forwards, but two steps back.

Slowly she stood up, her hands; the ones that had just torn through her master, were shaking uncontrollably. Vaylin flinched, unable to take her eyes away until she just ran. Sprinting further into the jungle.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

Vaylin channelled the beast inside her and slew the illusionary apparition of [member="Aria Vale"]. After defeating the faux Sith, she took off into the jungle, shaken by what she had done. Sumiko maintained her position inside Vaylin's mind. Guilt is nothing but a leash holding you back, these words would echo inside the Zabrak's mind. Indeed, it would appear as if they were being said by several voices at the same time. A leash the Jedi left you with. Embrace your true self. Or you'll remain weak.

Had [member="Vaylin"] ever wondered how her life might have developed if she had not been abandoned on Dxun? If rather than embracing the Dark Side, she'd become a Paragon of the Light Side? Well, she was about to find out. Or at least witness Sumiko's interpretation. The Sith Lady could not be accused of lacking bias, but this writer digresses. The Atrisian put a lot of herself into the spell, seeking to make it as realistic as possible.


In reality, Vaylin would remain in the jungle, but her perception should shift. Instead of the jungle, she would see the Jedi Enclave she'd called home before she was stranded on the Demon Moon. It would be a bit like watching a movie. This Vaylin, the illusionary one, was never abandoned, and never fell to the Dark Side. Instead, she became a Jedi paragon. When she met Aria Vale, she tried to convert her to the Light. Sadly, Aria refused to turn away. They fought and the Sith perished. Poor Aria. Sumiko is so mean!


Jedi Vaylin never suffered the hardship the real one endured. The Jedi praised her as a heroine and eventually she became a Master. She never experienced what it is like to be alone, forced to fight every day to survive in a jungle full of menaces. Instead, she remained certain that everything the Jedi Code dictated was correct and passed its teachings on to her students. In short, she was boring - and weak. She did not know her true strength.


At the end of all this, the real Vayin and the 'perfect' Jedi would face each other. "Look at you, you have become an beast," the white robed apparition would say in that typical Jedi tone that was supposed to be compassionate, but also came across as awfully patronising.


Her aura was sickening, radiating naught but the purity of the Light. A lightsabre rested on her belt, ready to be ignited. "Turn away from the wicked temptations of your dark mistresses and embrace the Light. The Jedi can help you."

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin had just simply ran, further and further trying to get away from the vision she had left. There was no doubt it would leave an unseen scar on the Zabrak's form for while longer. The transition itself came sharp and quick, Vaylin's foot snagged a root and she was sent crashing face first towards the ground. She raised her arms up to cushion the fall expecting to hit softer dirt, but instead was surprised to hit harder ground.

She pushed herself up slightly, hands brushing against the smooth stone beneath her. The Zabrak's eyes widened slightly as she recognized it.

T-the Jedi Enclave...

Slowly, Vaylin stood up fully her eyes taking in the familiar sights around her. Even though it had been years she could easily recount everything about the place. But what caught her attention was the fact everything was speeding around, as though someone had put it on fast forward. Vaylin watched as a version herself; the complete opposite to reality as years seemed to pass by. Initially she saw herself and her master, continuing on as if the Netherworld had never happened. She had risen through the ranks, becoming a Knight then Master and eventually taking on her own padawans.

Vaylin did however flinch when Aria had appeared, the previous vision still sore in her mind.

There were pros and cons, that's what the vision was showing her. While she had achieved her previous goals in quick succession, it was incredibly drab and lacked any of the spark she currently had. Sure, the illusion her never went through the years on Dxun, but those were hardships that had shaped Vaylin into who she was today. Tough and scarring as they had been, she didn't look back at them with a sour veil. No, they had strengthened her, and all this did was make her feel sick.

So when the Jedi Master Vaylin appeared to confront her, the real version was seething with anger.

"You're damn right I'm a beast. The Demon Moon forged me as such, after the Jedi abandoned me."

"We both know the Netherworld was the cause of that."

"Excuses! I was abandoned to Dxun, did the Order ever came to find me? No. The Jedi were never there to help me, but instead to take advantage and ensure my potential was squandered."

"The dark side is a blight on the galaxy, you can still turn away from it."

"The Jedi and the Light are the disease. And I will see it obliterated utterly and completely!" The time for chatter was over, as Vaylin's lightsaber snapped to her hand and she lunged towards the illusion.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


The time for chatter had passed. The Jedi looked disappointed when a very enraged Vaylin came at her like a force of nature, fury personified. But she rallied herself. Her own lightsabre flared to life with a snap-hiss and she parried the blow, driving the real Vaylin's sabre aside.


"So be it. I will cleanse you," she declared piously, looking pained, but resolved. One could almost hear that she was mentally reciting the Jedi Code in her mind. Drawing upon the serenity and peace of mind the Jedi cultivated in their students, she sidestepped and launched a counterattack, slashing at Vaylin's wrist.


It was not her true attack. The power of the Light coalesced in the palm of her free hand and was expelled in a strong blast of dazzling, cleansing energy. Such was her devotion to the Jedi that she would draw upon the blessed Force Light to smite the darkness.


Of course, this was an illusion, no matter how potent or realistic, and still the real Vaylin's mind. If she overcame this challenge and shattered it, she would go a long way towards reclaiming control over her mind - and steeling herself for future attacks other mentalists might launch against it.


((Overcome the illusion as you see fit. Vaylin can go all ape on her.))

 

[Vaylin]

If there were one thing that both Vaylin's shared, was that they each desired to begin and end the fight with a single definitive strike. Whereas the real Vaylin moved like a beast, intending to strike strong and take her enemy out. The fake version was more calm and collected; as per typical for a Jedi. As a master she had the skill to back her up, and such held that usual arrogance.

Vaylin attacked, but the Jedi easily evaded it and went to cut at her wrists; to disable her from fighting any further. There was a spark of indignation in the Zabrak, noting the fake would rather not strike her down outright.

Then the woman's true attack struck, and Vaylin was frozen in place as the Light energy tried to wrap itself around her like a cacoon. It wasn't obviously real, but a placebo could be effective enough, especially when in someone's mind. That line however was becoming less blurred again, Vaylin had gradually come to remember that none of this was reality, that she was currently in the midst of her mind fighting against Sumiko's attempts to strengthen her defences.

"No. You. Wont!" The Zabrak growled, summoning the Dark to her side. It was wrapped itself around Vaylin's body forming a shell that the Light couldn't penetrate through. Then she expanded it out, shattering the cacoon and stunning the Jedi in her place. Vaylin didn't waste time however, and she immediately darted towards the fake version. They clashed blades once more, though this time the Jedi was forced on the defensive until the Zabrak found an opening and took the Jedi's hands with a single slash. Before the illusion could crumble to her knees, Vaylin spun and delivered one last slice across her neck.

Silence fell as the illusion around her fell apart, away from the Jedi Enclave and back to Dxun. Vaylin looked up at the sky, letting out a triumphant yell.

"Well come on then. What else do you have!"

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


Vaylin's fury had made her strong. She was retaking control over her mind. But her trials were not quite over yet. As soon as she let out her triumphant yell after finding herself back on the Demon Moon, her surroundings shifted once again as she was enveloped by a massive cloud of black smoke.


One the somewhat melodramatic cloud dissipated, Vaylin would find herself...back again in her old home on her homeworld. Seemingly, everything would look the way things had on the day her father smuggled her out of the land. The day she escaped the tyrannous reign of her autocratic mother. Except it looked very rundown and in a state of decay.


A familiar presence would appear. The imposing, domineering figure of Vaylin's mother stood before her. "The prodigal daughter returns," she hissed. "How dare you show your face here again, after you abandoned your family. I curse the day you were born. Your siblings are dead - murdered by our enemies. All because of you."


More tribe members moved towards the Zabrak, looking hostile. On the surface this appeared like the challenges Vaylin had faced before. Overcome the illusionary constructs, then she'd be free. Not very original at this stage, right?


But some things were...different. The place looked like Vaylin's old home...and yet not. It was bigger on the inside than it could possibly be. There was also no visible exit. The deeper you walked into the house, the more it would become clear that the entire place was a veritable maze, from which there was seemingly no escape, just an endless number of rooms, dead ends, chasms and doors. Doors might turn into walls, rooms might turn upside down. Take a wrong turn or linger in one spot too long, and vicious traps like in the Sith Lord's tomb would be sprung on you.


If the mind endured enough pain and it seemed believable enough, you would suffer in the real world as well. If Vaylin did not find a way out, she should be locked inside the illusion forever, essentially be stuck in catatonia. That was the test.

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin knew where she had been taken even before the cloud had faded away. This vision was potent, enough so she could remember the smells that were ever familiar within her family's estate. It stirred childhood memories, though the more numerous bad ones gleamed like diamonds, and the good ones were stifled beneath them.

But as she looked around, the Zabrak realized this wasn't an exact replica of what she remembered. The overall layout was the same, but everything was wrecked. Furniture was either gone, or in tatters. Flooring torn up and walls eroding away. It all gave away to a foul stench, of death and decay.

"The prodigal daughter returns,"

Her entire body twitched at the familiar voice. Vaylin turned around to see her mother, a woman she hadn't laid eyes on in nine years.

"And if it isn't my schutta of a mother." The Zabrak cracked her neck, then the knuckles. There was no doubt what Vaylin's intentions were as she watched more tribe members join her mother's side. "I'm glad they're dead, the only good sibling I had was the one that got away early. And I've never even got to meet him." She unclipped her lightsaber and brought it to her hand. "My only wish, was I could've saved father from you."

Vaylin ignited her weapon, the red blade gleaming along with her smoldering amber eyes. As her enemy approached, she lunged to meet them. Despite the fact they were very adept in combat, they couldn't contend with a lightsaber. Vaylin carved through them like lambs to a slaughter, a gleeful look in her eyes as she fulfilled a dream she had for years.

Sure none of this was real; Vaylin now had the sense of mind to remember this was all in her head. But it was still very therapeutic to cut through her former tribe. Her dear mother tried her best to fight against her, but the elder Zabrak was swiftly decapitated before she could vocalize another curse.

Standing in the midst of a pile of bodies, Vaylin shuddered with adrenaline and excitement. She could feel the Dark Side flowing through her, humming in harmony to the carnage. But the Zabrak knew she couldn't linger long, and pushed on heading towards where she remembered the door out was.

Only to find it was not there and as she turned around to go back, the hallway she had just gone down wasn't there anymore. Something was amiss, and Vaylin quickly resumed her trek through the maze. She had no intention of stopping, but the further she went the more apparent it became this wasn't going to be as simple as first thought.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]

Vaylin had struck down the illusion of her despotic mother and slaughtered her clan, erasing her past on her war-torn homeworld. At least within her mind. However, now she faced a greater challenge, namely the mental maze. One wondered whether Sumiko had ever inflicted such an abomination on her Apprentice @Illyria.


As Vaylin made her way through one of many rooms, various things would occur. Firstly, the room was abruptly and rapidly turned upside-down. As if that was not annoying enough, the walls seemed to suddenly turn alive and close in on her from both sides. Unless Vaylin was quick and got out of the room, she would be squished, similar to how Luke, Leia and Han had almost been turned into paste during their daring escape from the Death Star.


It would also suddenly become cold in the room. Indeed, Vaylin would feel a very familiar sensation, as if invisible, ice-cold hands were suddenly touching her face while the walls got closer and closer. A strong feeling of dread and malevolence filled the air...again familiar. The dark aura was almost suffocating. Then there was mocking laughter. She would recognise the cackling - and the voice.


"Silly girl. Did you really think you broke free? Your Atrisian mistress abandoned you when she realised that I could give her power to transcend death. Everything you believe happened after I took possession of your body was an illusion. I gave you the delusion of hope...and now I shall take delight in crushing it since you refused to submit." It sounded exactly like the Sith spirit who'd confronted her and Sumiko inside the tomb.


The walls were coming closer. What was real? What was just an illusion, a ploy to make her doubt herself, construct more dead ends and entrap her? "There is no escape from your cage. You are mine - body, mind and soul. Soon your dear Aria will bend to me as well."

 

[Vaylin]

Oh for karks sake, what now?!

The Zabrak had ran into a room only to find it was another dead end. It hadn't taken long for Vaylin to realize how twisted the illusion of her home had become. She couldn't rely on her memories of the place, as every supposed exit was nothing but a fake or a false hope. She kept running, trying to find a way out, but slowly it dawned on her that simply trying to run away things wasn't a solution.

She turned around intending to go back, but found the doorway she had entered through was now another wall. The Zabrak was now locked in the room, as the walls began to close in to squish her into a pancake. Vaylin inhaled deeply, not allowing the panic to get to her. But when she felt that familiar coldness press against her back, the Zabrak went rigid. She knew full well who it was...and it was impossible.

Vaylin frowned, listening as the voice of the sith spirit began mocking her, taunting her with words that tried to break through her will and stab at her doubt. She could feel the dread trying to claw its way at her, like talons sinking into her flesh but she kept forcing them out.

"No, you are a fake I know what is reality and what is not. And you, spirit are nothing more than another insignificant speck within Sumiko's sword. All you speak are lies."

Perhaps if the illusion had happened immediately after the fake confrontation with Aria, then perhaps it would've been able to properly sink its teeth into Vaylin.

But now there was just fire and fury running through her veins. Although there was clarity amongst that anger, and the Zabrak realized there was no way she would escape or run from this. So why not destroy it instead?

"This is my mind. I will not let someone like you ever get into it again. Never again will I allow myself to fall to a whims of some deluded spirit!" Vaylin yelled as she stretched out her arms, summoning the Force to each palm. She could feel the cold sensation suddenly shift its pattern, changing into icicles as they stabbed away across her body. It was an attempt to knock her focus off kilter. But Vaylin powered through it, curling her arms into her chest before unleashing the Force against the illusion around her.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


Vaylin had learnt an important lesson: Illusions lost their power once you deconstructed them and stopped believing in them. There was a bright flash of light when her power slammed into the illusionary spirit, banishing it.


However, the illusion had still served a useful function. It had given Vaylin pause and kept her in place, compelling her to respond to it. While the brief confrontation had taken place, the walls had continued to close in on the Zabrak from both sides. They were durable enough to resist a lightsabre.


By now they would be extremely close. Standing upright would be difficult. The same applied to making any sort of movement, or avoiding the fate of being turned to paste. As the air grew heavy, it became difficult to breathe, creating the risk of being suffocated. Would Vaylin's body inevitably be turned into Zabrak pancake? Well, no. Firstly, that would constitute an auto-hit and secondly this one still wants to thread with her.


There was no visible exit. But if Vaylin remembered her time in the tomb with Sumiko, she might remember that she had to look beyond the physical. If she looked upon her surroundings through the Force, she would detect arcane symbols. Invisible to the naked eye, they could be perceived through the Force. As always, blood was the key, just like Sumiko had said.


If she acted quickly enough, she could activate the symbols and create an opening. Provided she was not squished. What would await her in the next room? Presumably something unpleasant.

 

[Vaylin]

Aside from obliterating the illusion that had been mocking her, Vaylin unleashing the Force had also cleansed her mind in a way. The anger and rage was still bubbling under the surface, but the Zabrak now had the clarity to look at things without the emotions dictating it.

The walls were still closing in on her, and time was running short. Thankfully Vaylin wasn't claustrophobic and didn't immediately fall into a panic as things got a lot more tighter. The air began to disappear from the small space, the Zabrak focused on trying not to use up her oxygen and tried to find a way out. There was no obvious exit, and clearly trying to attack it with the Force wasn't going to suddenly stop them from crushing her.

So, Vaylin focused on her senses. Stretching out with the Force to try and pick up on anything that could aid her.

It was like a veil was lifted, and little blips began to shine in her mind. In front of her, to the sides and behind.

When she opened her eyes, the Zabrak saw a glowing rune etched into the wall approaching her. Sumiko's words rang in her ears, and she remembered what the Atrisian had done before.

As such, Vaylin took the reins of her mind and summoned a knife to her hand. With a quick slash, she cut open her palm and swung it towards the wall before her. Blood splattered across the rune, then she moved and did the same to each one. By the time she got to the one behind her, she was practically in a cubicle with how close the walls were. The arcane symbols shifted to a crimson red colour, followed by a thunderous crack, and the floor beneath Vaylin's feet crumbled apart sending her falling into the dark depths below.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


Vaylin would fall - and fall and fall. After what might have seemed like an eternity, her descent would come to an end. Perhaps unexpectedly, she did not crash into the hard stone ground of yet another room. Instead she landed in deep water. The pool, if it could be called such, seemed without end. There was no land in sight. The water was rather cold. One thing would immediately become apparent to the Zabrak. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to call upon or feel the Force. It would feel as if one were stuck inside a tight, insulated bubble that suppressed or nullified the Force.


Deep beneath the water, so far down that she would have to hold her breath, lay several levers. If activated in quick succession, they would open a door for her to escape through. Alas, things could never be simple. The moment Vaylin fell into the water, a swarm of Sithspawn creatures that resembled piranha fish would be attracted to her, having picked up the scent of the blood on her hand. They were fast, had extremely sharp teeth and hungered for her flesh.


Speaking of underwater combat, it was impossible to use a lightsabrer in such conditions unless it possessed a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse. Without such a device, a lightsabre submerged underwater would short out and require repairs.

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak had let herself plummet, and made no attempts to try and stop her descent - especially given it appeared to be an impossible feat. So instead she simply controlled it, prepared for the inevitable impact that would arrive.

But rather than the expected hard ground, she struck an expansive body of water with a loud splash. Vaylin grunted in pain as her body struck it at a bad angle, having not anticipating needing to dive. At first the cold water creeped across her skin, pushing her body into icy chill. Although it didn't bother her a great deal, the water on Dxun; both with the lakes and waterfalls had been equally as cold.

With nothing in visible sight above the water, the Zabrak immediately dived and began searching. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the glint of something metallic situated deeper down. Instinct is what pushed her onwards, kicking her legs as she swam, though he attention was deviated when she caught something - or rather somethings making a beeline for her.

Chit!

Vaylin pushed herself further, trying to get closer to the levers before the piranha-like creatures reached her. She tried using the Force to propel herself, but it refused to respond to her call.

Unfortunately she only got within arms reach of the levers when they finally got to her. At first the Zabrak simply used her arms to knock them away, it was clearly a fruitless effort. Although as she swung her arms, a moment of clarity struck and Vaylin realized she was still holding the dagger she had summoned in her hand. She immediately began fighting back, stabbing and slashing at the swarm as they nipped at her skin.

The Zabrak grunted in pain, trying as best she could to hold her breath. Eventually the creatures seemed to break from their attack and flee. It gave Vaylin enough time to start moving the levers, swimming over and pulling back against each rod. Trying to apply force to something like that while underwater was not easy, but slowly she managed to get two of them.

That's when the creatures returned, their numbers seemingly replenished. Vaylin braced herself, readying her dagger for another assault.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]​

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Vaylin"]


Once again the piranhas would attack. Their numbers had seemingly been replenished. After all, the entire scenario was a magical construct. The little beasts would seek to swarm Vaylin and extract their pound of flesh from her. Or at least as much tasty meat as they could sink their teeth in.


However, they were not the true threat. For within the pool the water began to drain like a bath where the plug had been pulled. This was good because it would help get rid of the fish. But it was also bad because it affected Vaylin, too!


The Dark Apprentice would have to pull the last lever and get onto the platform - one that would only materialise once the task was accomplished - before she was sucked down to her doom. If she failed, she would be sucked down into the reservoir, where there was no air to breathe, and drown. The Force would not be her ally in this endeavour, for it continued to be nullified. But she had her own strength, resilience and fortitude.