Invasion Dance with me |TSE vs SJC (Turf Wars of Anzat)

[Risen]

Location: Snowy Hill Pass, Approaching Warehouse
Dramatis Personae: Joycelyn Zambrano​

Risen, too measured his opponent. Her eyes, like embers framed in black shadow, darted across his weapon, his footing, each line of attack. They were commander’s eyes. But behind them, something chained, something that struggled to free itself at every opening. There was fury, quiet but pulsing.

The fire-stepping giant was every part the warrior that Risen was, and every part the tactician that Risen wasn’t.

For an instant, he left himself open. The opportunity did not escape his enemy. Cold metal battered Risen against the stony cliff. He raised his spear to absorb some of the impact, but even then he felt something fracture. His head slammed against the wall.

Again he saw the heft of the greatshield through stars in his vision, its edge threatening to cut him in two. Risen struck his spear’s haft against it, to knock the shield away or to vault himself aside. Stone crunched where the giant pierced the mountainside, where Risen had been a moment before.

He rolled to a stop. Distance. Rare and hard-fought, distance was his only defense now.

He remembered hunting rancors on Dathomir. Words of an old master surfaced. How do you fight a beast that can crush you without a thought? The young Matukai looked to each other without an answer.

Wait for allies? one offered.

What if no one is coming?

Lay a trap of some kind, said another.

But the beast is already upon you.

You don’t fight it. The young man spoke clearly, confidently, like he knew he was right.

Very good, Method, the master said. I’m sorry to say it, but most things worth fighting are stronger than you are. Your only hope… He smiled slyly. Is to become the better hunter.

Risen exhaled deeply, willing air to swirl around him. In a cloud of snow he held his breath, and was gone.

 

[Kascalion Giedfield]

Lightsaber: X | Armor: X | Location: Anzat Caves | Post: 3 | Tag: WelshGuy | Theme: X​

The first arrow whistled through the air of the cave quickly, undetectable, and hit hard, easily piercing through his cuirass and into the hardened muscle of his chest. He immediately felt the Force inside him take a step back from the forefront, recoiling and whatever the arrowhead was laced in. His arms suddenly felt a touch heavier, his muscles a bit aching, and his head - or, well, his skull - a bit more filled with pressure. It didn't take the Devil long to figure it out. Only one thing in the universe could make his heart suddenly thump thump thump with increasing, instant worry.

"Void Stone..." he growled as he was mere feet from the man he now could identify as a Jedi - strange for a Force User to use such a material, he decided - using the briefest of seconds to pull the metallic stick out from the wound. The word was a curse in his mind, a recurring nightmare that almost always led to his defeat. He knew he had to careful here, lest he fall in battle to- the second arrow launched, dangerously close to him now due to his rush down the cave's hall.

But Kascalion was prepared for it now, effects of the first be damned. Despite being unable to sense its approach, and lacking the overall space to move properly, he was able to swing downward and away, deflecting it on dexterity alone. He stopped his advance and held the lightsaber in front of his body, tip pointed at the man who now quickly adopted his bow into a melee stance.

The Devil nodded to himself as he looked down at the remains of the arrow - confirmation that while the first arrow was afflicting him and likely would for the rest of the fight, he still had enough to remain a threat - and looked up to his foe. He was an elder man, mid-forties or early fifties. He read of both Dark and Light, a mix of energies that seemed in conflict which each other. And something else, something now hidden because of the Void Stone rushing through his veins like nanites. Confusion? Uncertainty? Something lost. That was all he could fully tell through the haze that coated the man like wispy slime.

His breathing began to return to normal as he adjusted his stance, but slowly. His muscles still ached, his chest still bleeding electric blue. The orbs in his empty sockets began to shift to a very faint pink and appeared to lower to the man's weapon. An energy bow with a drawstring likely formed out of the same energy that a lightsaber produced, but on a more condensed and thinner scale. The Devil cackled lowly and lowered the blade to point directly at his foe, "Strategic weaponry, Jedi. I commend your ingenuity."

He then launched himself forward like a torpedo, white blade aimed for a straight thrust through the man's chest. The Devil hoped that the sheer impact of his attack would somehow snap the weapon's drawstring or push it out of the way. He had to win. What was he if not...victorious?

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Location: The village, Anzat
Equipment: Ashlas wristguard | Blaster pistol with a stun setting | Stun baton | Two Lightsabres | Brion Substance Regulator | Electromagnetic pulse emitter | Heavy Covert Armour
Allied tag: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala
Hostile tag: Ingrid L'lerim

It was amusing to see the Jedi Master taken by surprise. Apparently, she did not expect to be offered a sandwich but she accepted it nonetheless. It brought him joy to see her open-mindedness and that her natural response was 'yes' rather than 'no'. The same could not be said for Ingrid - for she refused. But then, she had been a bit grumpy since they met - maybe she was just like that. While it was a shame that she would not accept something that might have been able to bring them closer, it ultimately did not matter. He would enjoy his meal regardless.

Neither Mathieu nor Sakadi had said a single word about feeling things out loud for Ingrid to hear. Yet she asked if he was not feeling it. It was eerie, the timing of her question. But nonetheless, Mathieu shrugged with an innocent "No" - he was not sure what Ingrid was referring to or whether it had just been a coincidence or not. He was feeling many things, so before a 'yes' could be provided, he would need more information.

An intrigued and amused eyebrow rose upon hearing Ingrid's comment. It was laughable, really - she proved once more how incredibly honed in she was in putting blame on others and never seeming to take an responsibility of her own. Mathieu leaned in towards the Sephi "You hear that, Master? She's stuck here because of our stubbornness!" His voice was laced with sarcasm. Ingrid did not really seem to be talking to him, however, so after that point, the Padawan would stay his mouth and let Sakadi do the talking.

 

[WelshGuy]

Equipment: Armour, Energy Bow, Lightsabers, Force Resistant Arrows, Explosive Arrows
Interacting with: Kascalion Giedfield
Location: Anzat Caves

The first arrow connected and Yuroic knew that was all he needed, it was enough to limit this Sith's Force powers and gave Yuroic the upper hand. At least, in his mindset, it was a chance of having the upper hand since he could fight better with melee combat than using the Force. His bow was not conventional but when his enemies were not always Sith, or were not always using conventional weapons against him. He had seen many Sith not use Lightsabers, but large powerful blades. Yuroic decided long ago that he needed to combat that in his own way. He watched the Sith stand back up and recompose their self, the arrow seemed to do a lot of damage to them as he twirl the bow ready for an attack. Sith were very obvious in their need to strike first, especially when they taken a bad hit like that.

Yuroic parried the attack, however, the space of the cave was not ideal. His armour having the absorb the attack where his parry was not good enough. He knew that he couldn't keep letting the armour take the blows since it would just break. Yuroic did have his Lightsabers ready if he felt the bow could not do the job properly. He kicked at the kneecap of the Sith and then slashed at the Sith with his bowstring, going on the offensive as he let his training kick in and direction his body. It was precise and deadly as he went on the attack, adapting from Lightsaber Form to Lightsaber Form, showing how versatile his combat skills are, and showing his strength lies in Niman mostly.

Doubt was creeping in his mind, whispers of voices not present asking him where he was, what was he doing. At first, he feared a Sith spell, but realised more and more that they were voices of past friends and loved ones, that it was his mind that was getting him to slip up.​

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Location: The village, Anzat.
Equipment: Lightsabers, Cosaint Bracers, Covert Jedi Robes, standard equipment (Bio)
Ally: Mathieu Brion
Opposing: Ingrid L'lerim

Sakadi responded with an overexaggerated nod to Mathieu's sarcasm. The Empress Regent kept shifting the blame of her actions to anyone but herself, and the Jedi Master no longer felt inclined to try and correct that behavior.

Although that by no means meant that she wouldn't heed the warnings of the red-haired woman. Like Ingrid, she felt the feral determination of the newcomers creeping up on them through the Force. What creatures approached them were sentient, but had a degree of mindlessness to them. Peculiar indeed.

"Your presence must've drawn them here." Her voice would echo rather curtly. It was her first attempt to directly reach out to Ingrid again after her tirade. Whether she picked up on the telepathic message, however, remained to be seen.

"We arrived here two days ago, and haven't encountered these creatures before." Despite the impending danger, the Sephi felt no need to prepare for battle. Instead, she kept her hands clasped around the sandwich, calmly staring at the Empress Regent as she took up her blades.

"Are you really going to fight them? Summoning the Dark side will do nothing but attract more of them. It tends to have that effect." She wasn't necessarily referring to the techniques at the Overlord's disposal, but rather the two abominations who faithfully guarded her. Unleashing them on this wave would send ripples through the Force. Ripples that served as a beckoning call to these feral Anzati.

The Sephi turned to Mathieu the moment the first few monsters came within sight. "You can sense these, right?" She asked, her head once again cocked to the side as she studied his expression.​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

"Yes I feel them. Sneaking toward us, what worms they are."

Words uttered in the dark carried like hushed whispers as the abyssal shadow coalesced and devoured their towering forms, vanishing beneath its cloak. Intruders. How many or where they were located were unknowns thus far. Sith forces would've notified of their approach, there was only one group they could've come from.​

​

Jedi.​

​

"They will not hide from me."​

​

The Lord of Lies held his open hands outward as he called upon the powers of darkness, the shadows stirred and writhed around the pair as he called upon magic of the blackest sort. A group of shapes rose from the darkness to stand around them, four shadows, demons that had crossed the veil and had come to his side. Only the black hued demons teeth and claws appeared with any sense of physicality to them, the rest of their forms were completely lost in darkness. It was a challenge to see where the darkness ended and where they began, their bodies melded with it and their eyes bore down on them.​

​

"Find them."​

​

The shadows surged with lightning speed through the walls then vanishing from sight deeper into the warehouse to hunt their quarry, the Shadow Hand could see what they saw due to their link with him. ​

Darth Carnifex | Allyson Locke | Jyoti Nooran ​

 

[Lark]

Location: Sith Warehouse
Tags: Alyssa Shinobu

One of Lark's small joys was taunting people only a bit younger than him, an impish grin covered his face after Alyssa's response. Perhaps his station here wouldn't be so boring after all. The trail mix flew into his hand, most of it was crushed but it was better than nothing. He poured a bit into his mouth, keeping a wary eye on the Jedi as she fought to keep hold of the downloaded data. Impulsive. Fiery. A bit reckless. And she's already picked out all of the chocolate. But she somehow managed to evade hordes of security, so she's not to be taken lightly. It was nice to finally eat something, though his stomach was still complaining. "You don't... happen to have a second pack of this, do you? There's not much in the way of snacks up here."

It was then that Alyssa proved that though impulsiveness and bullheadedness were highly exploitable traits, there was strength in them as well. As the downloader finally flew into his other hand, Alyssa used the strength of his pull to shoot herself at him as fast as a bolt of lightning. He couldn't retreat backwards, she'd be on him in the following moments regardless.

So he bent backwards using practicing methods that were drilled into him on Bastion. Lark got down just in time to avoid her strike, though it passed mere millimeters over his face. But he didn't completely dodge the attack. The bag of trail mix was in singed tatters, pretzels and wheat pieces were either charred or turned to ash. "Aw man," Lark said, stomach still rumbling. "That's a bummer. But hey, nice move!" He raised himself from his bent position, like he had just crossed under a limbo bar.

"Apologies, but since you won't let me have my snack, I'm afraid I can't let you have this," he said, waggling the downloader. Once again using the Force, Lark crushed the test tubes and beakers that lined the shelves and the floor of the laboratory into little glass shards, and sent a storm of razor sharp glass towards Alyssa.

"Now then, let's see how you dance."

 

[Pom Stych Tivé]

T h e C o m p o u n d​

Goal: Deal with ship saboteurs​

Engaging: Eina L'lerim-Vandiir​

In the Vicinity of: AMCO & Auteme | Taeli Raaf & Darlyn Excron​

'Reading Runes?'

"Rune stones mean absolutely nothing without the attention of the spirit realm to first be commanded to convey the secrets of the universe," she replied. "You'd do best to not attempt to master spirits you have absolutely no charge over. Jinn are quite mischievous." The idea that the child has zero knowledge regarding a witch's existence, is something Pom expects of most everyone whom she has ever met; and that is exactly how she prefers it remain. The Nightsisters thrive as an enigma because of their persistent mystery and notorious past conflicts with outsiders.

Inside the shipyard Pom heard an explosion in addition to shots being fired. The child surprised her by expressing her intention to assist the people seeking charter off the planet surface. This is exactly the reason the Nightsister is here as well. 'Most unusual,' she thought, of Jedi to respond to the call for assistance and not hesitate join forces with their mortal enemy. The kid had a laser light-rod, and seemed to have a better clue of what she is doing than the Nightsister originally perceived.

She glided across the vast tarmac lot while reaching into her suede conjuring purse, drawing out a series of tiny crystals strung together by thin weave of hair, their contents inactive until charged by her desire.

An astromesh droid Pom had instructed to read the ships' diagnostic systems set off in an alarm, chiding off unintelligible beeps and whirs in a frenzy. The Nightsister turned towards the closest hangar ramp to see mechanics scrambling back out of danger, while lanky cloaked figures huddled over officers whose bodies were sprawled over the ship's metallic floor. As the Anzati were clearly feasting upon their victims, many lay convulsing, periodically one's finger jostled the trigger of his blaster, the sound ricocheting across the compound. The close quarters of the vessel proved a poor layout to escape the violent advance of the vampiric beasts. Pom cringed at the haughty sight while fresh blood and gray matter streaked across the hangar floor, which the beasts sucked from their victims nostrils. She thought the natives such a waste of skin, and their killing of loyal Imperials wasteful as there were people of less worth who could have become their victim.

The beasts raised their eyes from the tortured victims, threw their heads back emitting screams to alert the rest around them to the presence of more humanoids. They appeared to approach from all angles.​

_____________

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[Kascalion Giedfield]

Lightsaber: X | Armor: X | Location: Anzat Caves | Post: 4 | Tag: WelshGuy | Theme: X​

The mixture of white and blue energy made the tunnels of that cave look almost alive in perfect harmony, disguising the violence that was unfolding in that dank, dark hollow.

Cringing as the sparkles of Void Stone coursed through his veins in an unimpeded assault, Kascalion quietly marveled at just how quick and aggressive the Jedi was in those early moments. He had recoiled in surprise when his opening attack was so effortlessly deflected and responded to. He had barely evaded the sharp kick to the knee by bringing his leg back, lurching backward with it. And he was only slightly quicker to raise his blade to perform his own series of parries of the Jedi's threatening advance.

It was humorous - perhaps - that he had thrown himself into this situation just to prove a point. Where was the intelligence of the warlord millennia past? The fellow who craved to control all of space? All of time? All of the gloomy shadows that reality had to offer? Was he here, contending with this skilled Jedi, or was he yet another figment of a beast of labor well past his due? Yes, that may have been it, but admittance of such was hitherto and would continue to be impossible. It would remain - staunchly - something he would not admit until he was sure that he was strong. He would not die without being sure.

The Devil promptly discovered himself having been pushed to an area that further restricted his ability to swing his weapon, forcing him to instinctively deactivate the Lightsaber and hook it onto his belt. Thus, he could only sway back once more to avoid the precise slash from the bowstring that still managed to carve through the first layers of his armor, slicing open his chest. It would have been a deeper cut if not for his retreat and could have been nullified all together if not for the damnable Void Stone lowering the protection his body offered to damage.

Left with few options, his only saving grace would have to be the Force, the power he did not want to rely on so quickly - so early into the fight. The mist of the unknown still encompassed the Jedi through it his entire advance - a confusing conglomerate of the Dark and Light with a haze of disorganization. Where his physical resistance was up, his mental endurance had to be down, his mind focused almost entirely on the physicality of ending the Devil like so many have before him. That had to be the factor in this duel that would give the Devil back the advantage.

Even without the speed he normally held due to the Void Stone stuck within him yet, the Devil's sudden shift - moderately dulled by the anathema in his veins, but powerful still to a degree - to the Force was quick. A flash of movement that virtually lacked animation. It was a forward shunting of a blast of telekinesis intended to send the clearly experienced Jedi far enough down the tunnels so as to allow Kascalion to gain control of the fight. All that was needed was the Jedi to not expect it, to not have his barriers up. To be caught off guard like Kascalion was.

You must gain control, Kascalion. I do not permit you to die in this somber hollow.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: The Village, Anzat
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Heilagr MK. I Assassin Armour | Shield talisman | G1 OmniLink | BCR-X10 Sniper Rifle | Empyrean gland | Taozin amulet
Ground forces: 2/2 Smoke demons
Tags: Mathieu Brion | Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

Background music:
Elena Siegman - Abracadavre​

How was this possible? She didn't know why Padawan didn't feel that the city was already almost completely surrounded by the enemy. Ingrid heard on the comm. channel that several other places had indicated that the Anzati had shown up in the same way. But she kept that information to herself. Luckily, she was able to stop herself from sighing. Which for the time seemed to be a mistake. She continued to answer in a cold, calm voice, objectively.

”If you have to choose… You two cause greater vibrations in the Force, Jedi Master. It's not my fault that they came here, maybe not yours, I don't blame you. You could be a lot tastier to them anyway than I am anyway. What if you stopped baseless accusations? I know that it is not a Jedi custom to judge someone without any background information. Don't you say "only the Sith deal in absolutes"? You have already decided that I am the evil monster, the person working with the Sith and nothing will change that as long as you are neutral to me. Which is worse?”

She waited for a moment, glad in such cases that she couldn’t get nervous about these things or be angry because she immediately suppressed feelings in that direction. But the red-haired woman could think with a calm and cool head. Had she not suppressed her feelings, she might even have felt pity for the two Jedi being pulled by the Force on the invisible cords.

”But it has nothing to do with me, not to you, something happened. This is not the only place they come, they report it from elsewhere on the communication channel. This affects the entire planet.”

She was not interested in the reasons, she was surprised by the question. What did she think? Can you convince Anzati in nice words that they don’t want to eat here and leave here as if nothing happened? If so, this statement could probably stand for the most naive statement of the Universe in the entire millennium.

”I could do that I would be invisible and imperceptible, leaving it all to you, but that’s not me. You may consider me evil, but I am also a soldier, I would never stand idly and watch others kill the innocent civilian population. I know most of the Galaxy knows that my Emperor wiped out Bakura and burned both Orellon II, you may also know that I wasn’t there on Bakura, I opposed Orellon II. I have never contributed to any genocide or the commission of war crimes, wars are fought by soldiers, the involvement of the civilian population is not acceptable. If I can do something here against those outdoor animals to stop them from hurting any Force Sensitive or Force User, or any villager, I will do it. And I’d be glad you didn’t lie. It is not the Dark Side Force that attracts them, but the “soup”. Anyone, but Force Users is better. So feel free to blame me, I don’t care, unlike you, I’m more interested in the village population than thinking at this moment about who might be responsible for a global disaster. There will be plenty of time after the village is safe.”

Even if the young man had not felt them before, the shadows reached the border of the village and the Anzati had now become visible to the naked eye.

​

 

[WelshGuy]

Equipment: Armour, Energy Bow, Lightsabers, Force Resistant Arrows, Explosive Arrows
Interacting with: Kascalion Giedfield
Location: Anzat Caves

Yuroic's aggressive attacks were working in his favour, it was clear that he was more skilled in the close combat. The cave's confining space was a detriment to both of them, Yuroic's bow was long, similar to a double ended Lightsaber, good for strong attacks but in the more confined spaces of the caves it was getting harder to move for the attacks. Yuroic adapted to hard jabs and short slices, the Sith was showing skills in their dexterity as they ducked and weaved to avoid the attacks, clearly they were used to depending on the Force though to enhance their natural skills since Yuroic was still able to get strikes in and damage the Sith. It was common for Force Users to rely on the Force to boost their abilities, Yuroic never let himself do that, focused on training his abilities naturally. Made him fast and agile even without the Force, not supernaturally skilled but above average, he was surprised that this Sith was still able to keep up. Forgetting that for a good few years Yuroic had not honed his skills and so he was no longer as in shape as he use to be, so his speed was not as sharp as it use to be.

Feeling the Force flowing around the Sith, Yuroic was surprised that with the Voidstone, the Sith was still capable of drawing a deep connection in the Force. Holding his bow in his left hand, Yuroic slammed his right into the wall, metal fingers digging into the rock to secure him. It revealed that his arm was metal but Yuroic wanted to anchor himself to the ground, avoid being blasted prone and at a disadvantage. The Force Push came in hard, his stance firm and the hand cut across the rock as he was dragged back. He wasn't flung away but he was further away from the Sith than he would have liked. However, he decided to try something bold.

Aiming high, above the Sith, Yuroic fired an explosive arrow to the ceiling. His goal was to explode the ceiling and send a load of rubble on top of the Sith. Using the advantage of space to launch the arrow and not wanting to hurt himself. This was somewhat risky move by Yuroic since the arrow could be sent back by the Sith but he hoped that using the Force like that, might take time to try another Force attack. It wasn't much, but Yuroic had to try this, it would also could give him time to recompose as he could feel his focus slipping and the memories swimming around, aiming to distract him and pull him away from the fight.​

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Snowy Hill Pass - Near Warehouse.
Joycelyn’s stuff: Castellan shield, Zaudraka, Zealot’s Maille, a big, fluffy cloak, Jin’wodasir x3, SIF-7 Minos.
Risen

Her shield cracked the snow- and ice-packed ground, and the metal shield rang with a dull hymn. His speed had saved him, but she could tell she had put him on the defensive. Joycelyn knew she needed to push the offensive, lest he turned the odds back in his favour.

As he made distance between them, a move favouring his mobility and long weapon. She needed to extend her own reach as well.

Her hand went to Zaudraka. The hilt jumped into her hand before her fingers had even wrapped around it, eager to be wielded, to cut, to rend. In a single, swift and fluent movement, the Sith drew the sword from her side and pointed it at her foe over the top of her shield. Heat rolled off her, snow and water melting and evaporating, rising like steam.

She charged forward to close the distance, seeking to parry with her shield and cut with the sword. But when she entered his measure, her vision was obscured with a flurry of snow and he was gone.

Joycelyn turned, covering her front line with her sithsword and her rear with her shield. From experience, that was how these attacks often realised themselves. And in her mind, the warrior and the commander engaged in another debate: How do you fight what you cannot see?

The commander considered, when fighting a hidden foe, they would bombard the hiding place until they had nowhere to hide. Smoke them out, so to speak. The warrior was quiet, contemplative. Then closed her eyes and whapped the commander at the back of the head. She did not have to see to fight. The warrior whapped the commander in the back of the head again, but the commander slapped the hand away. With the commander’s focus on preventing the first strike, she did not see the warrior’s far more potent slap raking over her cheek.

Joycelyn nodded in understanding and closed her eyes. Zaudraka shifted back, resting on her shoulder. The frigid air filled her nose and lungs then rushed out of her mouth so hot it warped the air. The snow and ice around her began to rapidly melt while the stone dried under her feet.

Her mind reached out as the heat extended

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Lirri Vendar
Padawan​

Location: The compound, Anzat
Equipment: Gilenwave Jedi cloth | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit undersuit | Yellow blade lightsaber | G1 OmniLink
Tag(s): Pom Stych Tivé

”I still have plenty of time to learn the right way to do this!”

She said firmly, then began to run in the direction of the sounds. From what the Dark Side woman told her, Lirri only became more determined that she would have to learn in the event that she wanted to successfully take up the fight with those on the Dark Side. It barely started when there was even a huge explosion after the shots. Meanwhile, she got to where the voices came from and Mistress Malcontent joined her.

The little girl saw fresh blood on the ground and the gray brain attached to it trickled down the ground. She had read about the Anzati before, so she knew how to feed, that “soup” was what they wanted. And it is best if the opponent is a stronger Force User. It turned her stomach up for a moment from the sight. She felt no anger, only helplessness and sadness, empathy for the dead.

Meanwhile, the Anzati also noticed that they were here, this fact was signalled to each other, so now they were surrounded by countless “vampire” creatures. Lirri hadn't activated the lightsaber yet, she didn't want to draw attention yet. Rather, she asked a question to the witch with her.

”What's wrong with them, Mistress Malcontent? From what I've read about them, they shouldn't be like that…”

The first two, tentatively beastly, jumped to the two women, Lirri then activated her lightsaber and did a somersault, while she cut off their heads in a single motion, then arrived on the ground. Now she was really sure something was wrong with them, they shouldn’t be behaving so wildly.

​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Location: The village, Anzat
Equipment: Ashlas wristguard | Blaster pistol with a stun setting | Stun baton | Two Lightsabres | Brion Substance Regulator | Electromagnetic pulse emitter | Heavy Covert Armour
Allied tag: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala
Hostile tag: Ingrid L'lerim

His eyes opened wide as he drew a long breath. Disbelief. Ingrid was once more entering one of her long tirades on how horrible they were. Already having given up on continuing the dialogue, he let the breath out again as his eyes fell back onto the sandwich he held in his left hand. Continuing nomming away at it, he listened to the woman speak but had no intentions in countering her statements.

The large Morellian looked down to the Master by whom's side he stood. While his expressions remained largely neutral, an amused glimmer could be seen in his eyes if she looked to him. It was now her turn to be on the receiving end of Ingrid's words. That, was a great relief - for he was tired of being verbally assaulted and the Empress Regent had proved to be most adept at launching those kinds of attacks.

Eventually, the Jedi Master asked if he could sense the feral Anzat who were just starting to arrive. He looked to her and nodded but remained silent otherwise. It was time to ready himself and with that, he showcased an impressive capacity to finish his sandwich in a hurry.

The village they were in was not a large one and was, in fact, similar to many other Anzat villages in how it was built on a massive stone spire. The reason as for why started to become increasingly obvious - for all the feral Anzat who arrived seemed to come from the same direction. They came from the only path which could reasonably be used to get in and out of the village while on foot - the way up was far to steep at the other sides.

There were no massive numbers but still enough to be a threat to the village they were guarding. From Mathieu's count, there may have been somewhere around 5-8 of them who had now arrived up at the front. The Padawan's hand went to his belt, ready to pull out either his lightsabre, or preferably, his stun baton. Still, he stayed his hand for the moment and remained without any unsheathed weapons. As a little precaution, he did take a step forth - this was the first time he had been in a combat situation with the Master and he was not sure where she liked to be when things got tough. But he did know where he liked to be - so he made the move, offering to stand at the front or let her position herself according to her own preferences.

While he did appreciate Ingrid stating that she would defend the village with them, Mathieu still remained silent. He had spoken too much already - this was Sakadai's theatre.

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Warehouse //:
//: TSE //: Darth Prazutis //: Darth Carnifex //:
//: SJC //: Jyoti Nooran //:

​

Allyson received the message and quickly responded back. Her fingers pressing into her palm, typing out the words for the Echani on the other end. The benefit to Starlight meant that their communications wouldn't be disrupted or infiltrated. It was the most secure line of communication. The pair could have to cross lightyears. Allyson put her hand down as she retrieved the bow from her back, her quiver hanging from her hip as she waited. ​

<Scary? Spooky? It's Carnifex and Prazutis.> ​

The pair were thicker than thieves, and where one went, the other wasn't too far behind. Prazutis was the known muscle, but even then, Carnifex was a warrior in his own right. The Corellian had enough broken and bruised ribs from their last fight. Allyson had hoped she would have been able to remain quiet and out of sight for long enough, but it seemed her several interactions with the Zambrano patriarch had conditioned his senses to spot her. ​

Her fingers moved quickly again as she relayed the message upon hearing Prazutis agree with his Lord about them not being alone. ​

<Spotted. Remember Remnicore.> ​

Allyson had heard the word floating, but nothing concrete. Whatever it was - it had to be something that the Sith were keeping hidden. It was obviously something that only Carnifex and his inner circle knew about. She had her connections within the Empire - maybe she could use one of them to find out what this Remnicore was and what they would be sent there. She moved quickly, now seeing the shadowy figures starting to manifest around Prazutis.​

Why does he always have to be so spooky? It's not Halloween yet, chit. The Corellian thought to herself as she started to move around the shadows. They were just as bloodthirsty and houndlike as their master. Mentally, Allyson whined as she did her best to move and find a footing. She remembered when she first laid eyes on the wonderfully handsome Darth Prazutis; he was strong and able to rip things from a plane beyond their own. Allyson also remembered that day - she lost her favorite sandwich on the feet of Taeli Raaf . ​

A moment of silence for the loss of the sandwich. She wasn't going to have Taeli's bending of time and space to save her from Prazutis this time around. Finding a decent place to hide. Her hand made its way to her lips as she whispered through the comms. <Engaging>​

The arrow strung and pulled back; Allyson lost her camouflage for just a second as the force shifted around her. Focusing on infusing the tip of the arrow with Force Light. Her target the Dark Lord of the Sith Carnifex's throat. Her hand was released, and the arrow ripped through the air around them, aimed true to her mark. ​

Allyson ducked behind crates and fell back into the shadows of her camouflage. She stepped back and moved along the walls hoping to find another nest to fire another shot towards Prazutis.​

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

Location: Sith Warehouse
Objective: Get back the intel
Equipment: 1x Blue Lightsaber, An Iron will
Tags: Lark

Alyssa swung her saber like a madman as she bolted towards Lark desperately trying to separate his hips from his torso. Instead, her weapon cut through the air missing Lark completely and serving only as a brace as the girl skid along the floor her Lightsaber impeding her movement somewhat. The girl spun around quickly her blade bridging the gap between her and Lark as she knelt on the floor angrily listening to him go on about his stomach. He wasn't taking this seriously, taking her seriously and like the rageaholic she was Alyssa stood up determined not to be looked down upon by an adversary such as...whoever this guy was.

"Not much in the way of snacks? There's not much in the way of cleaning either it seems!" Alyssa steadied her blade surmounting that her enemy was likely to counterattack...but in what form? She had made the right decision in not showing Lark her weakness in the Force as now he knew about as little about her as she did of him. Panic rushed through her mind horrid scenarios playing out as to how he might assail her until evidently by the raising of his hand Lark had come to a decision.

Alyssa felt the Force ripple through the air like a cryptic wave hitting the shore over and over until the shattering of glass could be heard all around her. Oh no! She bobbed, she weaved, she bobbed AND weaved but despite her struggles shards of glass tore and ripped her skin exposing the blood and tissue underneath. Ruby fluid dripped onto the floor its origin mapped out by Alyssa's split and mauled clothing. She looked like she got rammed by a Philak! But she couldn't show signs of deficiency less her enemy taunt her mercilessly.

"Sorry, but I was never one for dancing." Alyssa looked frantically around the room desperately trying to hide her ineptitude. Then her eyes fell on a small vial of liquid its clear color and sweet smell alluring to the girl. Upon closer examination, Alyssa realized what the liquid was, This is Toluene! Extremely flammable and an ideal diversion. Alyssa threw the small vial at Lark the tip of her saber striking it on the way over. The vial was engulfed in flames as it darted towards Lark a smoky trail tracking its movements. Hastily Alyssa rushed in from the side her blade aiming for an upward diagonal slash. He had chosen to mock Alyssa, first with the trail mix and then AGAIN with the downloader...and now he would pay for it...

"That trail mix will be your final meal! I'll teach you to mess with me!"

 

[Kascalion Giedfield]

Lightsaber: X | Armor: X | Location: Anzat Caves | Post: 5 | Tag: WelshGuy | Theme: X​

The Force blast - although its efficiency was unavoidably dulled by the Void Stone - was enough to shove the man back enough to give the Devil a momentary breather and enough space to move forward and bring his weapon back into play. But that did not happen. Instead, the Jedi - perhaps in a bold move of desperation to remain in his position of power - fired an arrow just above Kascalion's head at the rocky ceiling. Everything went dark a half-second later. Sight, smell, hearing. All went away for those next moments, the Devil buried once again, doomed to survive for hours, days, maybe weeks in that position - pinned and incapable of moving.

Strangely, he felt nothing at all despite this dire situation. Nothing that could have boosted his strength to get him out. There was no hate. There was no anger. There was no fear. There was only a bite of disappointment in himself. A shame as old as the stone that now served as his tomb. And with that shame came chastising - scolding for the greatest weakness that the Devil had yet to shake. The weakness that ever since the war with the New Imperial Order began and the Sith Empire faced enemies on every front, this always happened.

Minutes into a battle and he would nearly fall as if on cue. As if it were a rehearsed gag. As if it were his trademark. Every single fight, win or lose, and he would make that one mistake - that one slip up - that would grant his opponents the chance to find victory. Because his mind was so caught up with its own doubts and confusion about who he was meant to be. Who he was truly meant to be.

Ever since his first defeat at the hands of Cotan Sar'andor during the Mandalorian invasion of Kashyyk when his brother was going through his own metamorphosis. Ever since he fell to Irveric Tavlar on Velmor and failed to kill him on Borosk. Ever since he encountered the enigma that was Lyra Voi'kryt and could not escape the craving to corrupt her. Ever since this damned war with the Silver Jedi Concord began, he has failed to live up to his own legacy.

No, the birthright left by Kavar, who went on to serve Empire after Empire, fight in life after life, endure reincarnation after reincarnation, refusing to enter that great beyond and becoming hated and reviled and adored and loved all at once for generations that he built by hand.

But Kascalion Giedfield? What was he? A former Dark Councilor, maybe, but in the end he was a Sith who had forgotten what it meant to be Sith. While Kavar, and by the same extension Kascalion, never held idolization of the Sith Order's religious facets of the Dark Side, they once both knew how to be a Sith. How to use their power as a weapon and hone it to reach ambitions too high for mortal men. Now, he was content being stagnant. Like so many others like him. Unchanging. Unadapted. Just a cog in the wheel of a dying machine.

…

This could not be what he was meant to be.

…

The noise of the explosion and the crash of rubble falling down onto him came back into focus. With a greater effort than he wanted to admit because of his weakened power, Kascalion heaved the rubble off of him. Black nails dug into the rock and stone, creating fine dust and pebbles to cluttered that hollow even more. He quickly stumbled out into those cramped tunnels once again and with a sharp motion, removed the tattered remains of his chest piece, ripping it to shreds and leaving it in thin clumps on the wet floor.

"Jedi..." he growled, the orbs in his sockets now shifting to the burning magenta that brought forth a rage as ancient as any alignment of the Force. With thunderous steps, he galloped towards the Jedi, a roar of deep abyssal wrath escaping the grinning skinless skull that opened to reveal a void of nothingness. His muscles ached, the Void Stone now working faster to counteract his rising power, hoping - as if sentient - to keep him down for the count.

But he would not.

He could not.

A subconscious call upon the forbidden mutagenic might of his people burst forth through his musculature as each step brought him closer to his quarry, increasing his speed, his power, his endurance. This utter damnation of the soul mixed well with the shame, rage, despair, doubt, pain, all mixed together into a fat soup that would get him through this fight, one way or another. And he swung, violently, at the Jedi's head with a series of crosses and hooks and jabs, all intent on putting this man down. Ending him. Allowing the Devil to leave the cave and go in search of the truth regarding who he was.

 

[Risen]

Location: Snowy Pass, Approaching Warehouse
Dramatis Personae: Joycelyn Zambrano​

Risen hid. Below the ledge where the giant stood, Risen had noted a narrow shelf in the cliff face when he appraised the terrain earlier. Stone or ice he couldn’t tell, but it was stinging cold where he lay across it.

Above, the warrior seemed at conflict with herself. Sky above, he heard it. The ponderous lurch of a plan forming — in this case, it formed to doom Risen, and although he knew that stealth was his only option, he didn’t know where to go from here. Suppose he were in a better position, in a high perch rather than a low one. He’d seen already how a sneak attack fared. That was before she’d drawn that wicked blade, which Risen feared as much as the fire itself.

There was retreat, of course. He could push his pride away and escape. But at this point, would it even be possible? Would his enemy allow it?

Heat congealed in the air. It searched for him. Risen’s presence in the Force was muted so long as he held his breath — but the strain of the skirmish, not to mention his cracked rib, taxed even the breathing techniques of his Matukai training. Risen could hold his breath for hours in meditation, for upwards of twenty minutes underwater or in exercise. As for how long he could last lying flat on a cliffside, injured from a giant’s strike while the air began to bake around him…

The narrow edge began to melt. Ice, then. He crouched on unsteady feet. It strained his core muscles to stay upright while gravity and the slippery footing pulled him toward a crooked fall. It hurt. A small breath escaped through his nose while he righted himself.

He cut it off with effort, praying that she didn’t notice.

The battlefield is no place for hope. Risen raised his spear onto his shoulder, like a javelin thrower, and summoned up what breath he had left. Assume she senses you. Assume she is coming to destroy you. What then?

On the disappearing ledge, Risen planned.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Location: The village, Anzat.
Equipment: Lightsabers, Cosaint Bracers, Covert Jedi Robes, standard equipment (Bio)
Ally: Mathieu Brion
Opposing: Ingrid L'lerim

She certainly had a lot left to learn. In the time it took her to eat half the sandwich, Mathieu could've been three ahead of her already. It was most impressive. Only after finishing her sandwich, did she bother to respond to yet another tirade from the Empress Regent.

"I'd appreciate it if you could stop putting words in my mouth. It is most unbefitting of a ruler. We did not give you a choice only to be blamed and insulted." Perhaps the straightforward approach would work better than all their previous attempts to communicate with Ingrid combined.

"And forgive me for doubting your sincerity, but you do realize you ordered a strike force to assault us in an inhabited village? And now you claim to have their safety as your higher priority?" The Sephi shook her head. "But contrary to the warped view you have of us, I do not see you as a monster." In truth, she felt pity for the woman. Her life could not have been easy. To Sakadi, it seemed cold and alone. A life devoid of emotion was one with no warmth, no empathy and no grief. Suppressing that which made you unique, that which made you human, was no way of living at all.

"Anyway..." Sakadi continued, her eyes trained on the approaching danger. Judging from their shape, appearance and ragged clothes, the creatures they faced were once Anzati. Something had contorted them into this broken and feral state. But they still were Anzati.

"They may be driven to insanity, but they are no beasts. Look at them. They were people once, like us." The Jedi began to open herself to the flow of the Living Force, drawing it close and welcoming its warm embrace. "We can't fight that which we're meant to protect." Innocent beings, twisted and contorted, sent in a mad frenzy. That was what they faced. She did not want to accept that they were lost. There had to be a way to undo their curse.

She then turned to Mathieu. "By the way, do you think the birds will eat the crust?" The Sephi asked, holding up a hand full of the sandwich's crusts. For a moment, she really appeared unaware of the danger. It wasn't exactly a ruse, for the Sephi was neither tense nor on guard. Why? Because she could exercise her full strength and mastery over the Force in situations like these. She wasn't all-powerful and it wasn't going to be easy, but this was something she could handle. Plus, it amused her to see Padawans stress out in these situations.​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: The Village, Anzat
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Heilagr MK. I Assassin Armour | Shield talisman | G1 OmniLink | BCR-X10 Sniper Rifle | Empyrean gland | Taozin amulet
Ground forces: 2/2 Smoke demons
Tags: Mathieu Brion | Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

Background music:
Elena Siegman - Abracadavre​

It was all getting more and more tiring. She would have sighed very gladly, but she couldn't afford that luxury.

”I was always great at bluffing! You shouldn't be a diplomat either…”

She said honestly again as she shrugged. It was just an attempt at blackmail to finally get out of here. Nothing more, but the Jedi were even more catastrophic than anyone else. She was genuinely shocked at her response, though it was not visible because of the helmet, nor was it felt through the Force. Ingrid could and did say only one thing, because apparently the Jedi woman had no idea what Anzati was.

”The Anzati was never “human,” they had always been fed the soup of living beings; they don’t even have a biorhythm. These are perfect hunters who hunt the ones you want to protect...”

She did not continue, feeling nauseous and disgusted for a moment, this time with pity. Fortunately, she was able to suppress these in an instant. Meanwhile, she had already heard screams from behind them, from the other part of the village, looking at the Anzati who had already entered the village and attacked the people. Because they had greater physical strength, they immediately attacked people who didn’t have much of a chance against them. One thought, the two demons set off immediately and Ingrid rushed as well. Ingrid was no longer interested in the two Jedi. If they are able to look through what the Anzati is doing and do nothing…

She didn't think about it anymore. By the time she arrived at least two dozen villagers were lying on the ground, blood mixed with greyish matter on the ground. It was a massacre, and the villagers had no chance. The two demons attacked the Anzati, who, however, considered Ingrid a prey, half a dozen of them, attacking the woman at once. Because of the two demons, only four reached her. She danced aside from their attack, she managed to cut two, hoping she could slow them down, but these crazy creatures didn't even care about the pain caused by the poison.

Meanwhile, she saw another Anzati break into the village, and heard more screams from all over.

​