Desolation Peak

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=14pt]Deep Core – Sith Space[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Byss – Near Desolation Peak[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Early Afternoon[/SIZE]


Despite a home on Coruscant, Matsu had never set foot on the Sith planet of Byss. It seemed a shame, something that needed to be rectified, and she took the opportunity in the guise of a mission for a potential apprentice. It would be a dangerous journey, to be sure – but if he survived, she would consider him a good candidate for what she could teach him. They’d been put in contact through Darth Isolda, a Lord that she was just getting to know but didn’t need to be well-acquainted with to know she wouldn’t waste Matsu’s time.

Banking down over the planet she eased her stealth ship down towards the surface, looking for a relatively flat spot to put down outside a somewhat unpopulated space of the planet that was otherwise an urban sprawl. She’d done her homework, scouting out regions of canyons and lakes relatively untouched by expansion to find somewhere that would present a challenge both physical and mental for [member="Darth Legion"]. She’d given him coordinates, a time to meet her, but no details on what would be expected of him.

Landing on the edge of a canyon yawning in to the crust of the planet, she shut everything down and double-checked her gear. Her lightsaber hung lightly on her hip, clipped to a belt around her waist over a black bodysuit. Her Mohc-knives were sheathed on her other hip. All in all, lightweight and easy to carry for wherever they decided to go.

Slipping down and out of her ship, she moved to the edge of the canyon and looked down, the breeze whipping through her hair as she waited.

 

[Talos Rygat]

The Byss system was somewhere that Talos had never been, but he was told that Byss was where he would meet his new master. Darth Isolda had set up the pair for training and possible apprenticeship. A Sith Lord by the name of [member="Matsu Xiangu"], a well known Sith Sorceress among the ranks. Talos felt that she would be his final master, as his last had gone underground when the Artisan Empire fell. Since then, Talos had been wandering the galaxy, stopping where he needed for supplies and food, until he followed the Force to the One Sith. It was there, he discovered his true purpose, to become the nightmare in everyone's dreams.

Talos guided his worn ship onto the surface near the coordinates given to him by Lord Matsu. He saw a ship already landed in the area, so Talos set down nearby. He opened the hatch and got out. Now facing the woman in black, Talos walked forwards.


"We are Legion... We are here to train... We will follow..."

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

To say his signature was strange was glossing over the subject. As a mentalist, it was second nature to be filtering through the minds of those around her, registering presences in the Force with emotion and intention first before capability. Beings ranged from comatose in their lack of thought, to being so busy it made Matsu’s heart race to be inside the river of their mind. But they all were one, a single being – this one’s head sounded like the abyss whispering back and forth to itself, souls reaching across a void to embrace, to conspire.

And he spoke to confirm her impression. Interesting. She couldn’t tell much about him between the clothing he wore and the cacophony in his head beyond the fact that he was much taller than her – but then again, who wasn’t?

A small smirk tugged at her lips in response to him, tilting her head in consideration. “With intention to one day lead, I hope.” She didn’t introduce herself in return – he clearly knew who he’d been looking for.

She had a fairly straight-forward approach when it came to her apprentices. It was a trial basis at first, a session or two to see if they were what she was looking for. Once they’d proved themselves she would take them on full-time, but she had no intentions of passing on what she’d learned to someone inferior. She’d worked hard and expected the same from others. However despite a cold outlook on the potential of others, she took no pleasure in torturing them randomly, surprising them with violence as someone else might – like someone else might test Legion now, use a telekinetic push to send him tumbling over the cliff. (Catch yourself!)

No, only if they deserved it.

“Fine then. Something simple.” With that, she threw herself over the edge of the cliff, tumbling for a moment before reaching out with her durasteel arm and digging her fingers in to the almost completely vertical earth, placing her feet down on the steep slope and sliding down backwards until she reached a lip that deposited her on a flat strand of ground further down within the canyon system.

She hadn’t pushed him, but she still wanted to see what he could do.

[member="Darth Legion"]​

 

[Talos Rygat]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Legion watched the woman go over the edge. He was uncertain as to what her motive was. Was he supposed to save her? Or show how shallow he was to let her fall? Though when he peered over the edge, she was there on a ledge below. He figured he'd join her down there. So, Legion stepped off.


Half way to Matsu's position, Legion became envelopes in a green whirlwind of the Ghosts that followed him. And when the whirlwind vanished, so too had Legion. In the next instant, Legion stepped out of a second whirlwind directly next to Matsu, on the ledge.

"We figured this was the course of action to be taken...Follow the Leader??? What next???

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She responded with another reptilian tilt of the head when he made his way down. His method was…unique, she would give him that. Listening to the whisper of his thoughts made her feel as if the canyon they were scaling were filled with an audience rather than just the whistle of the wind and their questionable company for each other.

Maybe he wondered what the point was, but she didn’t feel like wasting her time with someone who couldn’t even perform what he considered a basic feat. Clearly he’d received more training than she’d been led to believe however.

Without an answer she scaled the rest of the canyon, a series of force-jumps with cushioned landings until she reached the bottom.

The floor was dusty but cool, free from the weak sunlight that managed to cast through Byss’ fog. It was eerily silent, even more so in front of the yawning mouth of a cave in front of them – small enough to go unnoticed for the most part from above. A nice place to live free from interference. At least from most.

Turning her head to watch her potential apprentice, she nodded towards the cave. “What do you feel?” She wasn’t simply asking for the basics. Most with some proficiency in mental areas of the Force could discern vague emotion…but with training, with focus, one could discern far more. It wasn’t like reading exact thoughts, but one didn’t have to – one could read intent, feel someone’s actions before they made them, get a feel for plans being made. Matsu could feel beings deeper within the cave system, unwary of their soon-to-be guests...but there was intelligence there.

[member="Darth Legion"]​

 

[Talos Rygat]

Legion followed Matsu down to the canyon floor in a similar serious of jumps. Figured he should save his energy. Once at the bottom, Matsu gestured to a small cave. To Legion's knowledge, there were few species of fauna on planet and they were all nocturnal. So what he could discern was that she knew there was something in the cave, Legion felt its presence yes, but also it's sense of safety and freedom from something. He could also sense mass intrigue coming from Matsu.

"We feel Life, but within life there is Safety and within safety We sense Freedom...We sense that whatever life form dwells beyond, is unaware of us, as well as under the impression a cave it the safest place it knows...We deduce that you want to enter the cave..."

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She nodded as his – their? – deduction, looking back to the pitch-black entrance of the cave system. Within the minds of its inhabitants she could get the sense that it ran deep, had its twists and turns, but her connection to their unguarded consciousness could expedite her journey downwards.

“Good. They will not remain unaware, but we will know when they realize what’s happening.”

Her desire to go further was two-fold – she wanted one of those beings, untainted by the outside world, for research on their mind. And she had a feeling there was something of value for her potential apprentice.

However, he’d proven himself capable so far. “You first,” she said with a little grin. "All of you," she finished, growing evermore curious about what rested in his head. He wouldn’t be able to prove herself if she led the whole way down.

[member="Darth Legion"]​

 

[Talos Rygat]

It seemed as though he was spot on, there was 'something' in the cave. Matsu seemed to want to be in the cave, and whatever was inside. She told him to lead the way, so he stepped into the darkness. He wasn't sure if light was necessary for their journey or not so he'd wait a moment before calling upon a Ghost to assist. Their aura gave off an eerie, incandescent green glow that lit up enough to see where you were stepping.

"Follow Us Master...We shall lead as asked...Watch your step..."

Legion moved further into the cave, unaware of what inhabited this place or what to expect once they found what did. All he was concerned about was his training, and if that meant walking into a dark cave, why not.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She’d seen all manner of spirits and manifestations in her the last ten years, those most spent studying the Force in all its uses. Sorcery was no stranger to the incorporeal. But this was an anomaly, a manifestation most acolytes would find killed them before they could control it. She’d heard hundreds of voices in his head – whom was this beside him?

Was it real? Did it fight for him?

Within moments she’d conjured an illusion in front of him, in the dark of the cave. Two assassins – one male, one female and created with sith magick and therefore just as dangerous as if they were real – appeared from the shadows, their sabers coming to life with a snap-hiss that illuminated their presence. They circled him, stalking potential prey and sizing up the man and his shade. Matsu watched quietly from behind the trio – she wanted to know more before she went deeper with this stranger within a deep, dark cave system.

[member="Darth Legion"]​

 

[Talos Rygat]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Legion should have sensed the being that appeared before him, but after witnessing their incorporeal state of existence, he figured it would have been near impossible at his skill level. They ignited sabers and started circling him. Without thinking, Legion summoned the collective conscience of the Ghosts within him under Mind Meld. Their collective goal was survival, so it was easily decided to attack the assassins. Ghosts appeared around Legion in the dozens, an aura of green most shrouded Legion. A black silhouette in the cloud of souls, he awaited the first move of the assassins, his distorted image was his advantage.

The assassins would not know which he was facing, or if he was there at all. He reached out with his mind to the assassins with a false 'image' that he was 'hiding' in the mist. A false opening for them to strike. When really, he was about to pull a Sorcerer out of the mist.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

In truth attempting to manipulate the minds of her illusion was an attempt on her separated consciousness, little pieces of her creativity made real. She could feel him trying to make an impression on them, to confuse them. Her mind was a fortress she’d spent far too long building for just anyone to rock its foundations, but she could feel every attempt. In truth the technique she was using was impervious to someone at an apprentice level – perhaps unfair. But he’d proven himself competent so far. There was no reason to go too easy on him. However she allowed a certain level of laxness in her shades, enough for him to get the upper hand if he continued to push.

<<The technique is good. Illusions are most effective when born from the environment or circumstance. They’re already surprised and you pushed them further…>> she said, speaking quietly in his head to the dozens listening. <<However, they belong to me. And I want to know what those things in your head are capable of. >>

She wondered if calling them things would make them angry.

The assassins were surely confused by the light push of the man’s mind against ‘theirs’, searching for his form within the mist. Matsu sent them hacking through the shades, wanting to know exactly their capabilities against the ‘living’.

[member="Darth Legion"]​

 

[Talos Rygat]

Legion scoffed at Matsu's admittance that the assassins were just shades. But when the shades attacked Legion was not inside the fog. At each slash, the Ghosts moved out of the blades paths. Instead, Legion stepped out from behind Matsu and the combined energy of the Ghosts in the presence of the shades funneled into a whirlwind lance and sent through the torso of the first shade.

A Ghost woul appear in front of Matsu, the little green skeletal face staring into her eyes.

'We don't appreciate the trick...We will kill your shades...We won't be happy...'


[member="Matsu Xiangu"]