Private Clipping My Oshi Until She Notices Me [Dekaltis]

[Darth Carnifex]

Adarlon was unlike most worlds in the Outer Rim.

Where most worlds were industrial, agricultural, or outright primitive in nature, Adarlon was an epicenter of entertainment. Glimmering cities of glowing neon illuminated the mountainous landscape, interconnected pockets of vice and spectacle. Though primarily catering to more above-the-board ventures like music and opera, the world maintained its own seedy underbelly. Places beneath the glitter and glam where flesh was traded as currency, and exhibitions of the most vile nature were shown to those who knew where to look.

It was not entirely strange then that a Dark Lord of the Sith found Himself on this world. Though just beyond the margins of the Blackwall, Adarlon was frequented by many of the Sith Empire's less scrupulous denizens. Chiefly for the loosened provisions on art that Adarlon represented, but also to seek different channels for illicit goods than what could be found in the state-sanctioned black market of the Empire. It was a tolerated deviancy of Sith-Imperial norms so long as it didn't spiral into something that couldn't be ignored.

Fortunately for Adarlon, that hadn't yet come to pass. It was not why the Dark Lord had come.

He'd come for something else.

Hooded and cloaked, He stalked the rain-slick streets of Balderdash. While not the capital, it was fairly larger and more extravagant than Belrand. Holographic displays lined every corner, not just advertisements but also live broadcasts of everything from amateur holotubers to professional influencers. His eyes scanned the displays, one sight standing out above all the others. A virtual holotuber, one who had made a name for herself among the competitive scene, enough to be monitored by the Dark Lord's HoloNet agents.

Moonrunner.

Her two-toned white and red hair and exaggerated features made her a standout among others of her field. The Dark Lord's agents had gone to great lengths to monitor and document her activities, attending every holo-stream, and even becoming leading patrons by donating funds. Some had even gone as far as to purchase merchandise. Through their actions, they've tabulated quite an exhaustive profile of Moonrunner. They'd presented their findings to the Dark Lord, who decided to engage with Moonrunner face-to-face by Himself.

He did this because of the truth. Moonrunner wasn't just a HoloNet influencer.

She was a Sith, just like Him.

Just like Darth Carnifex.

Darth Dekaltis ​

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Tag: Darth Carnifex​

The truth was always a bit stranger than fiction.

Moonrunner claimed to be a cute, if excitable and ADHD ridden streamer who played Holo-games she created off stream for her viewer's amusement. She claimed to be supremely talented in game development, and quick at her craft.

The truth was, it was all a filter of perception. The real Moonrunner, the real girl, wasn't much of a girl anymore. Her eyes, her body, her hands and legs, all robotic. Her mind a shattered mess.

The truth?

It was all real, every 'enemy' she slain was a real person. Someone she was killing. The 'games' she played were just a facade over her murders.

She played the part perfectly, and kept her crimes light. Out of the way. No one mourned the homeless, the outer worlds, the downtrotten.

She wanted to be loved. Malum had abandoned her. Her parents had abandoned her.

What Carnifex found her doing, was a massacre. In a back street, bodies scorched with lightsaber slashes. Duracrete slashed to chit. One thing was clear, Deklatis was someone who prefered style over efficiency in her lightsaber style.

Another thing was notable. Every piece of tech, every bit of metal, every scrap of equipment, had been stripped from the victims and surrounding areas. Missing like it was ripped out of their hands, their pockets, their mouths. All gone.

And as Carnifex turned the corner, he found her. She danced with her double-bladed saber like she was in a trance, slicing right through a well armed mercenary. Or at least, he had been. She was in the middle of telekinetically ripping his gun apart, disassembling it mid-air as she cut the man down.

"Oh, my gawd, guys. I really need to adjust the difficulty on these levels. Can you imagine how cool it would look at max diff? I hope I can-"

She turned, looking to the massive man in front of her. Her eyes glitched a moment, the stream suddenly ending. Her head tilted, as if she were a droid, her blinking a few times.

"...you are Lord Carnifex."

She said it as if she was trying to register the thought.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord of the Sith watched impassive as she sliced through multiple armed opponents, disassembling their guns before cutting them to ribbons as a final insult. One of these victims attempted to flee, trying to put the Dark Lord between him and his attacker. Without lifting a finger, the man was thrown back into a wall at such velocity that he mangled on impact. It was probably one of the last things Dekaltis' feed captured before it was abruptly severed.

"Indeed I am," He drew back His hood, fully revealing His face. Those harsh, imposing eyes stared down at the smaller woman in the same manner as one would regard a small insect. "And you," He continued, "Are Moonrunner. Or, perhaps more accurately, you are Darth Dekaltis." That He also knew her birth name was something He did not reveal, only going as far as to use her Sith name.

He stepped closer, eclipsing the smaller Sith by a full meter in height. He did not wear armor, only dark maroon and black robes ubiquitous among the Sith Order. Yet even these plain vestments seemed grand and regal when placed upon Him. "You were once known to associate with declared apostates Malum Marr and Serina Calis, though it appears you no longer align with either of them. How did that come to pass, Darth Dekaltis?"

The softest smile tugged at the corner of His mouth, though there was nothing warm in His expression.

He wore the smirking mask of a predator.

One that has caught something in its paws.

Darth Dekaltis ​

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Tag: Darth Carnifex ​

Abandoned. That's the answer she wanted to give. The answer she felt was honest. But she couldn't be honest, not anymore.

"I was cast off. Malum thought me too difficult. Too erratic. I killed his staff, his other apprentices. I couldn't be controlled. And Serina, she tried to manipulate me. She tried to twist my thoughts. She failed. I couldn't be, not these thoughts." Her face was completely neutral the whole time, like a snake watching it's prey, waiting for the moment to strike.

"Do you offer me better? A sith lord of your caliber wouldn't waste their time without knowing what I want..."

Her saber twirled idly, like a little light show that hummed in her ear.

As did the metal that orbited her. She knew better. She knew that Carnifex wouldn't seek her out unless he wanted something out of her.

He wanted a weapon.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Both wanted to make you into something you're not," confirmed the Dark Lord, His eyes glinting with unnatural light. "I imagine their infatuation with you had more to do with your body than with your talents, Lady Dekaltis." He was well aware of the apostate's proclivities, though one might declare Him a hypocrite to speak in such a derisive manner. It mattered not what others thought, however. The Dark Lord had the refined palette of an exceptional gourmand, the woman before Him did nothing to arise a reaction out of Him in that regard.

"I, however, seek to cultivate true worth. For a long time now, my acolytes have been watching you. They've attended your every broadcast, Dekaltis. Some have even become your top donators, community managers, and even your most fervent clippers." He spread His hands, gesturing to the wide range of rolls His followers have played in monitoring the HoloNet celebrity. "Your holo-presence, Dekaltis, that's what I want to see strengthened. Your literacy with HoloNet technology, your understanding of media culture, the range with which you can reach the disaffected youth who seek your streams for solace and comfort. I would do nothing that would change who you are, but I would see those parts of you emboldened and given new life."

He leaned forward, hunching slightly like a bird of prey ready to strike.

"I would take you as my apprentice, Dekaltis, and open your eyes to the deepest mysteries of the Dark Side."

Darth Dekaltis ​

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Tag: Darth Carnifex

Once more, her head tilted the other way. She wasn't in the dark on any of this. She knew her fans. Her viewers. Her Darksiders...

Carnifex was not the only sith keeping an eye on her. Every lord from the Order to the Covenant had at least one eye on her. It was natural for a sith to want to keep track of hopefuls, of powerful people, of those capable in the dark side. But Dekaltis knew that for most of them, it was only a matter of keeping tabs on her. Of making sure she was distracted, away from something they deemed valuable.

Her last master had been the same. Keeping her satiated for the sake of keeping her away from matters he didn't trust her with.

The truth was, she always sort of knew. But she trusted her master had larger plans. Perhaps she had been wrong in that trust. Perhaps she should've challenged him. Perhaps she should've taken his place.

No matter now. He was gone.

Another sith could've come along and taken her. Another could've trusted her. No one did. No one trusted her with anything.

But Carnifex...

He was an apex predator, looking to train a new apprentice. He had top billing, far above those bottom feeders who looked up. Carnifex had name value. She wanted to be trusted with power. She wanted to be trusted with influence. She wanted to rise through the ranks and MAKE people watch her.

Malum had promised her that long ago. A planet to rule. He never gave her that.

But Carnifex...

"What is in it for me? I want to be trained in power. I want to be shown more than just mysteries, I want fame. Glory. A planet to rule. Can you promise me that? Malum promised me that, and lied. I don't like liars."