Friends With The Monsters Under My Bed

[Anara Valnor]

With a soft groan Anwen slowly came to, bright sapphire eyes fluttering open. As soon as she opened her eyes she wished she hadn't as she snapped them closed, small hands rising to hold her pounding head. As she massaged her temples in an attempt to soothe the pain she tried to remember what had happened. Slowly, as she lay there in the darkness, it came trickling back to her.

She had been walking home, it had been dusk, and then someone had struck her in the back of the head. Slowly she ran a hand to the back of her head and touched it, pulling her hand away quickly with a hiss when her fingers touched the lump there. With a sigh she slowly sat up, her eyes opening once more to study the dimly lit room she was in. The light was minimal and it was hard to tell how large the room really was, but to Anwen it seemed that it was sparsely furnished. After a moment she held a single hand up and snapped her fingers, causing a brilliant green flame to appear upon her fingertips. The flames light caused her head to pound harder, but she kept the fire lit as she got to her feet as she set about exploring her new surroundings.

Where am I?

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Upon further inspection the room appeared to be a cell of some sort, a single light illuminating the entire chamber. To Anwen's left is a single bolted door made of iron, a set of bars allowing one to look out into the dark hallway. Suddenly a pair of armored guards appeared on the other side of the door, shuffling around the door before it started to open with a loud clang. The iron door swung open slowly, revealing the two guards in black armor who parted to each side of the doorway to allow another figure garbed in dark robes of maroon and ebony into the room. Despite wearing only a cloak, the man was taller and more built than both the guards in armor, but his face was completely concealed by darkness. Not even the light of her flame could pierce the darkness surrounding his face, only slight glimmers of emerald gave any indication of what lied behind the veil. With a wordless command the cloaked man dismissed the guards, who closed the door behind them as they left.

Now Anwen was all alone with the cloaked man, who merely stared at her for a moment before saying, "So it is true... you do look like her." The voice was definitely masculine, but warped and distorted beyond anything normal. Anwen could also notice now that his right hand was completely covered by a gauntlet made of insidious black metal, which reverberated a darkness that felt very much like her father's. The man made no move to go near her, only observing with his unseen eyes.

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Fear was not something she could feel, but anxiety certainly was. As the guards left her with the mysterious man her senses were assaulted by the Darkness rolling off him, but there was something about his aura that was curious. She held her hands in a defensive position, muscles tense as she eyed the towering dark man. He was easily a foot taller than her, but she held her ground and her flames grew just a bit brighter.

"Who do I look like?"

As she waited for his response she tried to delve deeper into the oddly familiar sensation that clung to his own aura. Father? Her brow knit together and she allowed herself to relax just a bit, a frown upon her lips.

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The man simply stared at her, as if mulling over what would be best to say to her question, but for a long time no answer seemed to come forth from the darkness under the cowl. Then the man seemed to make a decision, and moved closer to her by a good four or five paces. "Someone I used to know..." was all he said at first, still contemplating on what to say next, or even if he should say any more than that. He sensed her lax after sensing the familiar aura surrounding his gauntlet, one that stank of Moridin, her father. Instinctively he flexed the fingers of his right hand, causing the metal to creak slightly as he did so which broke the tense silence between them, and he had finally decided on what he was going to say next.

"Someone your father used to know..."

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

The man closed the distance between them, but her lack of fear and her stubborn nature kept her rooted to the spot. The man towered over her, as everyone in the galaxy seemed to do, and so she was forced to tilt her head back a great deal in a futile attempt to meet his gaze. The man's hood hid his face, even her flames could not penetrate the Darkness there. Her brow furrowed as she mulled over his words, her mind reaching only one conclusion; it was the only woman in the entirety of the universe that she could possible resemble.

"My mother..." It wasn't a question as she was sure she was right.

Her eyes drifted from his face as he flexed the hand covered by the gauntlet that had once been her father's. Finally she looked back up, a frown upon her face. "Why am I here?"

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"For protection..." Kaine said as he pulled down his hood to reveal his rugged features, long black hair, and his new bushy mustache he had let grow out. He still looked every bit a monarch even with his old and weathered features, and he stared down Anwen with his bright emerald eyes. "Before your father died he gifted me with this magical gauntlet." He slipped off the gauntlet with his left hand, and held it out for her to see all the while he continued explaining why she was here. "He also asked one favor of me before we parted ways, to watch over his legacy. He wanted me to make sure you and Sven were safe, and thus why I had brought you here for safekeeping. Of course the methods were quite crude, but it's all my agents know." She was probably wondering where in the great wide galaxy she was right now, and Kaine would be quite fine with giving her the answer to that question. "You're probably wondering where you are right now, and that's a simple question with a simple answer. You're on Thule, deep in Sith space. I am King here, and I rule over all that you see, and much... much more."

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

She frowned and took a small step forward as she lifted one hand to touch her father's gauntlet. She ran light fingers along the cold metal and it felt as though the smooth metal pricked her fingers with every touch. After a moment she let her hand fall away from the gauntlet, rubbing her finger tips against the material of her pants. "A strange request from a man that thought of me as nothing more than an experiment." Her voice held no anger as she could never know such a feeling, but sadness was clearly written upon her features.

She found Kaine's words hard to believe as she now knew the truth of her existence with more depth than anyone else could imagine. Green flames flared erupted from her hand once more and she folded her arms beneath her chest. The flames kept burning, casting eery shadows upon the walls, but did not harm her clothes. "Release me...I don't doubt that gauntlet was once my father's, but he didn't care about his legacy...Sven and I are not what he considered his legacy."

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine frowned, "You'd be surprised what Moridin actually thought of his children, and I promised the man that I would do this." He turned away, turning his back to Anwen as he struggled with something deep in his soul. She looked so much like her, it was nearly unbearable to reach out and touch her face, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Not again, never again. "And releasing you is out of the question, you will remain here until I decide on what to do with you." The door opened up before him and he began to walk out, but stopped at the threshold and gave one last glance at Anwen. "Call yourself what you want, guest... prisoner, experiment, whatever you want. It does not matter to me, because to me you're my niece." With that he passed the threshold and the guards hurried to slam the door behind him as he departed.

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

With a gasp she ran toward the door, but not before it was slammed closed in her face. The green flames vanished as she grabbed hold of the iron bars within the window of the door. With a grunt she pulled herself up enough to be able to see through the window, her feet dangling above the stone floor. "Uncle!" For a moment she stared after him, a frown upon her lips.

To think of the man as her uncle was strange, but she didn't know what else to call him. After a moment she sighed and dropped away from window, folding her arms beneath her chest. "You shouldn't keep me locked up in here!" Frowning she moved away from the door and flame erupted from her left hand, illuminating the room dimly. It was furnished, but sparingly and it certainly wasn't a place she wanted to stay for any length of time.

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Keep a close eye on her. I don't want her leaving that cell until the time is right." The guards saluted and eyed the door warily after Kaine left, he himself heading to the upper levels to take some solace in his grand library. The dungeons stretched on deep beneath the castle's original foundations, creating a literal labyrinth beneath it that in itself acted as a defense mechanism. For it was easy to get disoriented within the dimly lit halls and find yourself wandering aimlessly for all eternity, but Kaine knew the way by heart. He had orchestrated it's construction and knew every nook and cranny, even placing several items within such crawl spaces for safekeeping. Underneath the labyrinth was a sewer system that was home to several alchemy-created monsters that hungered for sentient flesh, and were kept starved and closed off from each other to be used as a secondary defense against anyone who tried to escape. It was a very dangerous duel system of very simple designs, and Kaine was rather proud of that.

Once he had finally reached the library and reclined back in one of the many chairs situated in the library, plucked a book from the nearby shelf and began reading it's contents to pass the time. He would return to Anwen in a few hours time to give her a meal and perhaps further convince her to stay with him.

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Moving about the room with hands of fire as her only light she studied the few pieces of furniture, a frown upon her lips. The room she was in could be considered nothing less than a prison cell. Sighing she moved back to the door and placed her hands upon its rough surface as she allowed her senses to stretch beyond the door. Two guards were posted outside, but they were simple men that posed her no real threat. After a moment she allowed her hands to fall away from the door as she stepped away from it. Her uncle could not think to hold her in this cell, not with her power.

Standing in the center of the room she sank to her knees and doubled over so that she appeared as though she were sick. She slowed her breathing and closed her eyes, then she began to scream. Her screams grew louder and louder, her flames growing ever larger and brighter until finally her cell door slammed open. The guards rushed in, but stopped short at the sight of the girl. Their fear was evident in their eyes, but it was unclear if they were afraid of her or afraid of what evil they thought was tormenting her.

When it seemed she could scream no longer her voice grew an octave higher and her flames burned white. With tremendous force her flames erupted toward the roof of the cell, the light blinding. She heard the guards cry out and one even stumbled backward, falling into a piece of furniture that splintered under his weight. Smiling she was on her feet in a flash, her flames vanishing as she darted out the open door and down the hallway. Behind her the guards cried out for her to stop and to come back, but she was long gone in a mad dash away from them and the cell her uncle had thought to keep her confined within. Smiling to herself she moved darted left then right and right again, only slowing when she could no longer hear the guards.

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He had sensed it long before one of his attendants informed him that Anwen had escaped, and in one motion he slammed the book with a loud audible thud. "Of course she's escaped, she's too clever to be confined in such deplorable containment conditions. Are you tracking her?" The attendant stumbled over his words, "Well, yes Sire we are tracking her heat signature through the tunnels but she'll just out-run the guards." Kaine chuckled, rising to sit properly in the chair instead of slouching back casually. "Of course they won't, so recall the guards back up to the surface and open the beast pins." The attendant seemed a little hesitant to carry out this order, but a hard glare from Kaine silenced any objections the man would have, and then he hurried off to carry it out.

This information would be passed down to the guards stationed below, and as they started to retreat back upstairs the grates in the floor began to slowly slide open in many places to reveal the dirty water lying beneath. Dark shapes moved through those waters before suddenly leaping out to land, sloshing dirty water all over the hallways as they heaved their massive bodies out. They were all amphibious in nature, and shared many similarities to a reptile or a frog. Claws left large rents in the metal floor as they rose from their pens into the hallway, some even catching fleeing guards as they made their way topside for a quick snack which forced the passageway to the castle to be sealed off to prevent escape. Six creatures in total roamed the halls, all possessing a ravenous hunger for living flesh, and their howls and growls could be heard throughout the entire labyrinth.

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Her made dash that had quickly turned into a leisurely walk suddenly stopped all together as the very air within the labyrinth took on another feel. Monstrous cries echoed off the dank stone walls and a chill raced up her spine. Fear was something she would never know, but she was no stranger to unease. Frowning she remained still for a time, her ears straining to hear even as she used the Force to enhance the sense.

Frak.

With a controlled exhale and inhalation, she moved forward once more. Before she had been careless about how much noise she made, but now she was being as quite as possible. She trusted the Force to guide her to the exit, but she knew that at some point she would likely encounter whatever creatures her 'uncle' had decided to set upon her. He has a strange way of caring for me... Shaking her head, she softly crept forward with her hands at the ready should she need to call upon her flames at a moments notice. Her previous stun had weakened her, considerably, but she wasn't about to let some foul monster be her end.

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Something wheezed a deathly rattle around the nearest corner, before a battered and broken guard flung himself out into the open. His armor was torn viciously, and he was bleeding profusely from multiple gashes on his chest and face. Suddenly something yanked him back by his leg, but he managed to catch himself on the edge of the wall, a terrified look in his battle hardened face before he was dragged out of view. Blood exploded out from around the corner, followed by the sounds of ripping and tearing, flesh being consumed and bone being snapped like twigs. For a few moments all fell silent, but soon enough a bloodied claw gripped the edge of the wall, and a horrible looking reptilian face peered out from around the corner to glare at Anwen. Without any more hesitation it roared a gut-wrenching roar, and lunged at her, pushing it's muscular scaled body directly at her with both of it's vicious claws outstretched. No doubt there were many more like it lurking throughout the dungeons, feasting upon those that were unlucky enough to escape before they grew hungry again and sought out fresher meat.

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

She stopped dead in her tracks, her sapphire orbs holding the terrified man's gaze until he was ripped back around the corner. Naturally she moved forward to help him, but stopped abruptly as blood sprayed forth from around the corner. Immediately she backed away, eyes wide. Being of Kiffar heritage meant that she could gain some of the man's memories with a single drop of his blood, but in return for such information she would be momentarily stunned. Given her current situation it wasn't in her best interests to become so helpless.

Still backing up she eyed the corner warily as she awaited the silence to pass. Perhaps the beast would move on and never come her way. However, she wasn't so lucky as all to soon the beast was baring down upon her. Anwen gasped and scrambled back, but refused to turn her back on the creature. She was not afraid of the beast, but disgust was clear upon her face. With little effort her flames sprang forth from her pale skin once more, but this time they were darker in color. Holding her hands before her in a defensive she kept backing away from the charging beast, sending a blast of dark green flames its way.

The beast screamed in pain as Anwen's flames ate at its flesh, the smell of its burning flesh causing her to gauge. However, her attack did not stop the beast and only seemed to enrage it further. With a scream the beast barreled into her and its claws bit into her flesh as her flames tore at its body in kind. The beasts blood and the blood of its victims splashed across her, coming into contact with her exposed skin. In an instant her pained scream died upon her lips as her body went rigid beneath the dying beast, her mind swimming as she was assaulted with memories from the beast as well as others. Time slipped from her grasp and she lost all control of her flames as they died away, leaving the beast to die slowly atop her petite frame as it slowly crushed the life from her.

Anwen was trapped within the memories of the beast and its victims, she was completely unaware of what was happening in the world around her as her bright eyes glazed over and became almost milky in appearance.

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A high-pitched whine enveloped the dungeon complex, sending any remaining Sithspawn into a catatonic state that rendered them immobile. The doors locked to prevent the Sithspawn from escaping are opened, and squads of guards are sent down into the complex to move the incapacitated Sithspawn back into their pens, and destroy any that have been killed as well as remove the remains of the unfortunate guards who were locked in. Eventually a squad of guards reached Anwen, prying the beasts off of her and properly shackling her arms and legs together, and even muzzling her. They then dragged the stunned teen up into the castle proper, where she would be presented before Lord Kaine as proof that his system to deter the escape of prisoners was extremely efficient.

He looked her over, noticing that it was not the beast that had injured her, but instead the shock of the creature dying is what sent her into such a state. Her attempt to escape had disappointed Kaine extremely, and now he had to use more extreme measures to keep her locked away until there came a time where she could be brought to kneel before him. He had her sent to the deepest cell he had ever constructed in the dungeon complex, one where her arms and legs would be surrounded by heavy shackles of mandalorian iron that would completely encase her limbs. A collar of beskar would be shackled to her neck, connected by a chair to a device mounted upon her back that when she struggled would retract the chain attached to the collar, crudely choking her until she stopped struggling, and then go slack. Automated defense turrets would be installed in a short amount of time outside of the cell, and multiple levels of force fields would be activated throughout that wing of the dungeon, all of those being controlled by a single office on the opposite side of the wing, which itself was connected to the guard armory.

A flood of adrenaline would be pumped through her veins to force consciousness, and then Kaine's voice would waft harshly over the intercom system. "You deeply disappoint me, Anwen. I cared for you, and I was planning to let you topside once you had settled down in your cell, but now... You've wounded me, and now you must suffer for your insubordination. You will remain down here until there comes a time where I can forgive you for what you've done, and come to a conclusion to what your fate may entail. For now, you will enjoy your time in this cell. Good day, niece."

@[member="Anwen Talith"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

She was still stunned and hurting from her ordeal with her Uncle's creature, but his words and her new prison set a knot in her stomach that lingered for many hours. Restrained as she was she could do little in way of making herself comfortable and so she sat, quietly and with her head down. She would never know fear, rage, or even something as deep as depression, but Anwen could be sad.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, but she made no other sign that her Uncle's punishment had affected her. His words reminded her of when her father had reprimanded her, before she had been truly awake and he had invaded her dreams. Her new prison reminded her of her tank, but it was far harsher and the effect it had on her mind was more significant. While trapped within her cell she slipped into the Force, its Light and soothing flow allowing her to escape her new prison. Time became meaningless in the flow of the Force and her Uncle's harsh words started to fade, their sting meaning little.

@[member="Kaine Zambrano"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

At some point she was unable to tell if she were awake or dreaming as it all felt the same. The Force was her only solace from the prison her Uncle had placed her in and it allowed her to keep her sanity. Time became immeasurable, but through it all she remained as strong as she could. At some point, perhaps days or weeks later, her mother's presence suddenly entered her mind and she smiled, her aura swelling. Her mother was near, someplace above her with her Uncle. She felt their auras warring against one another, but then Anara's calmed. Bright eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked skyward as best she could, a perplexed look upon her face.

Anwen didn't know how long she stared up at the dark ceiling of her cell, but suddenly her solitude was shattered as the door to her cell opened, blinding light filtering in from outside. Disoriented she squeezed her eyes shut, her head swimming as her previously deprived senses were suddenly assaulted. In no time she was freed of her restraints and taken from her cell in the arms of an unknown being. Anwen could barely move as she was taken away from her prison as her body struggled to recover from her time being locked away. When she was finally able to reopen her eyes she found herself upon a shuttle that was preparing to leave the planet.

Relieved, but also curious about her sudden freedom she reached out to her mother once more before the shuttle left the planet's surface.

-FIN