Hiss*Hiss*Hisssss

[Allyson Locke]

Click, click, click, click.

Boots pattered against the cold stone flooring of the Sith Palace, the boots belonged to the young blonde woman that moved through the place, her formally brown cloak was now jet black and moved fluidly behind her. As she approached the chambers belonging to the Empress, in her hand twirled a small disc with some of her research of the ruins on Yavin IV. Spencer continued to walk until she arrived at the large gates, her force signature cloaked so that no other Sith could recognize who she was.

Her time with Ashin before she left the order was brief, but she had encountered many of the Sith especially those with influence to the Empress and her ascension. The doors opened revealing Ashin and Spencer picked up another figure. This meant she couldn’t do what she wanted once the doors closed. A mask adorned the young woman’s’ face showing no emotion, just a gold decoration rippling under the mask’s eyes.

Stopping she bowed slightly towards the Empress, even though she wasn’t apart of the Empire—Spencer still showed her respect to the woman. A little glint in her eye as she held the mask with her fingertips pressed against it, she was quite curious why Ashin has summoned her so formally. Pushing the questions behind her, she sensed something in the room…it wasn’t her empathy that picked up on it though something deeper, something within her blood cried out to the other presence in the room.

Under the mask, Spencer suffered silently as her skin crawled and burned. It was that same sensation she felt back at the temple that horrible day. The Sith came and she was left with something when she tried to save the younglings.

Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke to Ashin.

“Empress, you summoned me?”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

The masked girl was her lover. That amused her terribly.

"I did, child," she said, standing. Time to play the role a little. "You've come far, and I'd like to introduce you to one of your peers, Val'Ryss Zankarr. Val'Ryss, this is my associate Sanctuary. Both of you have served with distinction; you are equals, or near enough. Val'Ryss, I will see to it that you receive training in such areas as you prefer, but for now it is deeply important that you teach Sanctuary to control and resist the Force taint you bestow on people, places and objects. You are, of course, not alone in this skill or quality, and Sanctuary is to become invulnerable, for reasons that are my own. I have already taught her to resist Force Drain and some Sith magics; your assistance will not go unrewarded, but it is required."

 

[Darth Hauntruss]

Val'Ryss stood behind the Empress, slowly her image melted into view. Turning her hood to her Lord she nodded and hissed with compliance, "As you wish my lord". She approached the masked woman. Val'Ryss' eyes glowed with a golden orange hue and the gazed at her. Rolling around they surveyed the lady. She could feel that her taint had touched her, the one she discarded upon the Younglings. A slim smile cracked across her face. "Ah...the girl was at the Jedi Temple. The girl tried to fight the dark seed." Val'Ryss rested her hands in each other's palms, "Most interesting." Val'Ryss then began to circle her and pace about. Her force swirled about her and began to surround Sanctuary, with the blonde masked woman at the eye of the storm. Stopping for a moment, Val'Ryss out-stretched her hand, her dark gloved and thin fingers uncurled presenting themselves openly to her.

"If the girl does not mind, this one shall have a look", Val'Ryss hissed and with her eyes motioned Sanctuary to extend her hand out to meet hers. "To control what this one has cursed you with, the girl must learn to dive into the darkest pits of the force. This one's hand is girl's key and guide." Her words slithered from her lips and crawled into the ears of the girl. All the while Val'Ryss' corrupt force aura was becoming more putrid and vile- and violent. The door was opened and the blackest essences of the force began to bleed out of Val'Ryss. It would up to the girl to jump in.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Listening to Ashin, Spencer looked towards the third person in the room. The woman or what Spencer assumed to be a woman stepped into the light. The dark knight held her breath as she felt the presence take over her entire body. Spencer had felt this before, she had sensed the darkness before everything happened at the temple. It was Ashin’s order for her to learn everything she could and this woman would be her tutor to resist.

Shit she knows…

Spencer listened as Val’Ryss speak about controlling the curse, which meant she knew exactly what was going on with Spencer. She had remembered trying to cut the ties with the force the Curse was eating away at – though she failed she ended up retaining much of the curse herself. The hand extended towards her and the way she as talking was quite…creepy. What did she mean by ‘this one’? Spencer reluctant didn’t extend her hand just yet, her eyes looked towards Ashin for guidance and reassurance. Knowing that their relationship was to remain a secret for both of their sakes, she didn’t linger long and placed her hand into the creepy woman’s.

“Yes, I was at the temple that day…I attempted to sever the force connection between the younglings and the curse you put upon them. Well in hopes of saving them…it seems though your curse decided to turn on me instead of being stopped.”

Through the white and gold mask, flecked green hazel eyes narrowed looking towards Val’Ryss.

“What is this curse of yours?”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Ashin watched in silence, and would continue to do so.

 

[Darth Hauntruss]

Val'Ryss' fingers tightened and enveloped Sanctuary's fingers. She squeezed on them and her eyes closed. Val'Ryss' breathing became low and silent, her heart slowed as well. It was as if she was slowly dying. Suddenly her eyes opened and they were black, with no pupils, filled with a malevolent darkness. Something arose from Val'Ryss, it was no longer her aura it was the curses it rose up and spoke from Val'Ryss' body. "Curse? This is no curse child. This is me." A voice darker than usual spoke out to Sanctuary. "You did not contract a curse, you contracted a bit of me child. The force is strong with you but your experience of darkness is woefully limited.........But we can change that now can we." Darkness swarmed around her and then began to eat at Sanctuary. It poured into her and attempted so break her, mould her and condense her into the darkness. The curse was trying to take into a different world, soon the environment would bleed from view and only darkness would be visible- soon Sanctuaries eyes would match Val'Ryss'. Soon they would fall into the inner-sanctum of Val'Ryss' and this dark-spirit's mind- transported to another realm.

A realm where the force lingers and breaks apart in a dark purgatory. A bleak and dark landscape she has transported her, a endless sea of black sand dunes and a sky with no stars. Here in the distance a black shadow drifts in the distance, with no visible image of a body all but for a pair of glowing orbs that could be considered eyes. "Welcome Jedi. Welcome to my doom, my prison, my home."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Once the woman touched Spencer’s skin, she felt her entire body catch on fire. Everything that was her being burned and her blood boiled. It was as if whatever was inside of her became excited knowing that its Master was near. Spencer tried to pull her hand away, but felt whatever dark spirit this was quickly take over. There was no way to fight it and Spencer lifted her free hand, which was now glowing a bright white light. She didn’t like the way this felt, but her mind willingly let go and the light faded from her hand.

On the outside, Spencer’s body fell limp against the Sith woman, the mask somehow remained on her face. Inside of where ever Spencer had fallen she looked around and looked down at her hand. She remembered wanting to blast the thing with Force Light, but she was taken before she could press forward with the Force technique. She made a mental note of the failure and figured she would fix it when she got out of here. There was a sense of reassurance though; Ashin was out there and if anything got nasty she hoped her lover would come to her aid. Another thing she needed to fix, she needed to become strong enough so Ashin didn’t have to save her.

This place was horrid on Spencer, the force created her and here the force seemed so unstable. The girl struggled to remain standing as she felt every fiber of her being being pulled different ways. She didn’t cry out in pain and reached up to make sure her mask was on, it wasn’t. Figuring out what had happened she knew she was in a place only her mind could be. Hazel eyes looked at the orbs fighting the cry of pain. Spencer took in a deep breath and gritted her teeth.

“Your home? Who are you and why is a part of you in me…”

 

[Darth Hauntruss]

"You already know child." The dark shadow growled, floating in the distance she vanished into a poof of black smoke and the re-appeared closer. The figure wore a hood that covered a corpse-like face, her lips cut and her teeth balckened. A skeletal hand with thin layer of skin rose up and rested on the figure's chest. "I... am Val'Ryss Zankarr, Dark Lord of Jedi long past, long gone....long forgotten." The hand then left its resting spot and descended to her side. She turned and vanished before appearing further away, she beckoned the Jedi closer. Her voice spoke as if she wsa still right next to her however.

"I am taint itself, corruption manifested. To curse, I merely break a peice of my soul and pour it into others. Much like a virus, my foreign force aura consumes the victim. Until no ounce of the original local energy is left." The dark shadow hissed lowly, "Even now I am devouring you. Eating your force peice-meal, bit...by...bit" Then the scenary abruplty changed to the inside of a warped temple with a black altar that consisted of a twisted statue with its eyes covered by a tattered rag. "Your master....is indeed a powerful being" The figure paused and then randomly appeared in front of the girl, her eyes only a few inches from her's ,"But she will not reach you here. Here is the stark truth, girl. To master the curse, you must let it devour you. Let it consume you. Let it bleed into your being. Do not be afraid, it shall not destory you and you shall not end up like my vessel-the Dathomiri girl-you must traverse its darkness and come out the otherside.....That is the only way."
Suddenly a door opened and it led to a dark corridor, she pointed to it and snickered, "I shall watch your progress with much interest. But, be warned the darkness reveals secrets not everyone is ready to face, secerets of one's future and one's doom...Whatever that may be"

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer did her best to keep her eye on the figure that seemed to bounce around the room. The voice chilling and cut into her soul. The young woman did her best to keep herself sane as she listened to this Dark Jedi explain the essence of the Curse. Narrowing her eyes Spencer came face to face with the being, fear sunk into her as she listened to her state that Ashin couldn’t save her from this. Spencer held her breath and relaxed her face the best she could. Everything in this realm felt as if it was ripping her apart.

“I have to accept the curse which from what you say…the curse is you – your essence. What if I don’t want it inside of me?”

Her eyes shut and she remembered what the goal of this whole thing was. She was to build up a tolerance so that she would be safe from this again. It was the horrible truth and once again in her life she had to choose the dark of choices. Hazel eyes fixated on the long forgotten being, narrowing as she spoke.

“Fine, I’ll allow it to consume me – but never underestimate Ashin again or underestimate me. I'm not scared of the darkness, whatever happens will happen. I have to master this curse and eventually make its power my own. Mark my words...Val'Ryss.”

Spencer gathered up her strength and headed towards the door that was laid before her.

 

[Darth Hauntruss]

"Hiss, hiss, hisss" the dark figure chuckled, "Consider your words marked...girl" The boney fingers of the shadow rose up and the force burst from their finger-tips bombarding Sanctuary with a powerful motion attempting to throw her into the dark corridor. As the doors closed from the decreasing space left in between one could she the shadow slowly dissolving away into the distance. Suddenly the doors will shut and then nothing can be seen. Now only images of the traveller's past and future will be seen, her own fears and her own darkest desires will be illuminated by the darkness. "A word of advice girl, touch nothing and crave no desires. Or else the darkness will imprison you here. You must travel this corridor and the darkest parts of your mind, and then...only then...will the dark powers I possess come under your control."

[OOC: I'll leave it up to you Spencer to write up what images of past and future Spencer sees while she travels the corridor, also how she exits is up to you as well, as the dark corridor shapes and transforms to those who travel it]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Audiomachine - The Truth
“Touch nothing eh?”

Spencer shrugged off the creepy feeling and stood up. The powerful blast that threw her into the corridor was a bit rough. Spencer looked around and saw memories flowing around her, she looked down and there was nothing but the fast reaches of space and time. Pressing her lips together she wandered down the path, she stopped and saw an image of her father whom she had just met with her mother. She had never seen this memory, but it was a memory none the less. It was the moment she was conceived; unlike normal people she was conceived by her father using the force to force the cells in her mother’s womb to form life.

She watched as her father reasoned with her mother asking her to do what he wished. A voice flowed through the force as she closed her eyes. It was her father and her mother, both of them she hadn’t heard from in some time. They were comforting especially her mother’s.

"Can you... feel them?"


"I feel them"

The memory faded as she watched her father leave the woman after he gathered his strength, she was a bit saddened to see that the man that raised her like a daughter seemed upset at her existence. Madoc was the best father any child could ask for. Something pushed her along as she moved along the path. The following memories were small; it was mostly her brother and her growing up on Dathomir. There she learned the language the way of life, her mother wished for them to stay but knew the children should go to the order. At a ripe young age both headed to the order to start their schooling and training to become Jedi. Spencer closed her eyes once more and searched for that feeling with her brother, a feeling that she hadn’t called upon for some time now. His warmth was something that she longed for, the companionship that came along with being a twin. He was something she could always rely on. In this darkness, she searched for his light feeling it take over her. Using their connection she searched for where he was and wished to see what he saw. Of course, the boy was in the training room becoming stronger – he seemed more determined than ever before.

“I will stand by your side regardless of the consequences…”

Two Steps from Hell - Good bye for Now

His words lingered in her mind as she releases his vision. He was going to come find her soon and she feared for their reunion. Shaking her head the path pushed her forward once more and she stumbled a bit to notice the other memories that followed her and her brother, they were ones she wished to ignore. The lonely feelings as she watched her brother become well liked in the order and she being the one that was the outcast. Her empathy was a plague and a curse for her. She couldn’t feel what she wanted and disliked being around a large number of people. Remembering the pain she cursed and forced her way through the next memories until she had first ventured out of the temple. The coldness that set into her skin made her cringe. She remembered this, it was the prison she where she was being fed to the Garhoon. The man’s eyes returned her memory as he focused on destroying those that captured him. He ripped them apart and Spencer reached up and touched the scared marks on her neck.

Once more she had gone looking for the Garhoon and the moment they had alone after he had fed on her to regain his strength she shared something special with him. Spencer never really knew if he understood the impact he had on her, either way his voice returned her.

“I did not come here just to leave you behind. You and I both will be making it out of this forest alive. I swear that on the blood of my family.”

The memory continued to show the night he took her innocence.

Gothic Storm - We meet in Dreams

The image blurred and Spencer turned her face away, she hadn’t realized how much she did miss Erich. Despite everything he was still someone important to her, but he was gone now. Biting her lip she was surrounded by several images, each moment being of recent events. In every image there was a common factor, a person who continued to reappear in her mind.

Ashin Varanin.

Spencer closed her eyes, these memories were some of her favorite they were the turning point of her life and brought her to where she was today. Her arms wrapped around herself as she could feel the surge of emotions that were of her own and her hand reached up touching the mask which the identity was given to protect her.

Ashin’s voice entered the Force and Spencer found herself relaxed once more.

"Imagine that. Whole worlds free of the kind of slow, repressive sadness and torpor that have been imposed on them by the tyrants of politics, economics and ideology. Whole worlds that could feel hope again, and energy enough to accomplish things or better themselves."

"Trust me, Spencer...soon you'll be able to create your own miracles, without guidance from me or anyone else."

“I still consider you, well, useful to have around. Lucky. You make my life easier. But it's not a matter of using you if it's just us helping each other, doing things for each other.”

"When you did your work at Gand, I was a little afraid of you, and I liked it. Loved it. I want to feel that way about you all the time -- that you're a little bit dangerous, maybe more than a little, and you're mine."

Audiomachine - Double Helix
Her voice disappeared into the Force and Spencer reached out, but retracted her hand quickly. She remembered the warning and decided to push farther along hoping she didn’t relive the one memory she didn’t wish to relive. Suddenly a man boomed over her, his muscular arms crossed as his piercing eyes glared into her. Darron Wraith the Grand Master of the Jedi loomed over Spencer. She knew what he was going to say and waited for his voice to enter her mind like the others.

"So it seems we are at an impasse, you won't let her go, and if I order you to you will simply rebel or leave. My intent is to save you from yourself and from Republic justice. You will make an amazing Jedi one day, but it seems this lesson is one that you have to learn on your own young one, and I intend to let you do just that."

After hearing it again, Spencer realized he was only trying to help her. Though he was right she needed to learn this lesson on her own. Pushing the thought away from her she suddenly came to emptiness. Raising an eyebrow, Spencer figured this is where the present resided. She didn’t see anything since this was where she assumed she was at right this moment. It was an odd place to be, the more she thought of it. To be in the present you stood between the past and the future, even the thoughts you were having at the moment were no longer there they were in the past. Deciding not to confuse herself with more of the philosophical stuff Spencer searched for the future.

Audiomachine - Nameless Hero

Looking down, she noticed a barrage of images and realized she needed to jump. Groaning she took a couple of steps backwards and then launched herself off the edge. Her body remained suspended in the air floating for a moment as she looked at the stars. Her body twisted and soon she was lying horizontal. Spencer felt her body float for a moment suspended between the past and the future and before she could even begin to relive some of the past Spencer plummeted quickly into the future.

Landing hard onto what felt like the ground she saw an image of herself. The woman looked nothing like the bubbly blonde that stood there. Spencer noticed her frame was stronger, she stood with confidence. The robes a little tattered from the journey she was experiencing. Faces of different Sith Lords flowed around her and she wondered if these were the favors Ashin had mentioned. The faces of the Lords disappeared and all that as left was Spencer’s future self. She watched as Ashin was there as well, they seemed to be discussing something. Trying to listen in she only heard a few bits of it.

“She’s gained too much power…planets are falling under the curse.”

“I’m the only one with the control over the curse besides Val’Ryss herself, so it looks like I’m the only one that is immune”

Spencer raised an eyebrow as the image faded and she saw a woman in crimson. The hissing echoed in her mind as she looked around. The woman didn’t look like the creepy being she had just met. Val’Ryss was now a being close to the gods. The presence sickened the young Empath as she stood there watching the image. The woman’s curse bleeding into the planets and utterly destroying them, her twisted red snake like eyes burrowed deeply into Spencer’s mind. Spencer watched reading every bit of what she was seeing, a cold sweat dripped down her spine as she watched herself go into a chaotic battle with the corrupted Dark Jedi soul.

“Hisss…hiissss…hissssssssssssssssss”

The hissing continued and Spencer not wanting to see more started to run, she searched for the exit and as she did her future self-did the same yet she ran towards Val’Ryss. The motion between Spencer’s current being and the one in the premonition were similar as they ran and moved towards something in the distance. Her future self-drew a sith blade forged by Moridin himself, with a swing of the sword the exit revealed itself to Spencer. She reached out grasping for her way out of this darkness. Spencer continued to search and reach out for the exit. She needed to escape and she needed to stop this from happening. It seemed because she was the one to learn to control the Curse, she was the one destined to stop Val’Ryss.

 

[Darth Hauntruss]

Once the visions stopped the corridor decayed and a dark horizon came into view. Before Spencer there was a person chained by black forces that mimicked black vapours. Held by her hands and feet, along with various chains across her torso, this person was pulled into a crucifix hanging from a giant monolith made of a shimmering black metal. The woman held red skin and long black hair. This person, was the vessel that Val'Ryss had taken control. This person was the Dathomiri woman trapped by a darkness centuries upon centuries old. This was the other Val'Ryss Zankarr. But she did hold her dark aura nor her sinister looks. No. As she raised her head too look at Spencer, her eyes held supreme sadness. No darkness, no power. Just sorrow and pain. The dark streams that stained her cheeks suggested years of painful crying, and tainted tears. Her eyes looked upon Spencer and her limbs shivered. Her soul was broken and her confidence as a being torn away from her. She is but now a puppet and prisoner.

The sad creature spoke in a weak and dying voice, "Hello, Spencer." gasping for air and coughing violently she stopped, but forced her voice to speak again. "Welcome to my prison. My church of regret and sorrow." For some reason, she tried to present herself like she once was, a proud and noble Dathomiri warrior, but as she summoned lost strength to reach out and grab Spencer, a dark lightening struck across the surface and burned its way into the Dathomiri. The lightening burned, crackled and tore at her flesh. The red-skinned prisoner screamed and shaked in pain,

"YRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!" ​

Her screams could pierce through even the most concentrated of force users, it carried such pain and desperation. After the lightening was finished, the head limped down and hung low over her chest. Her skin stills mouldering and smoke exiting her wounds, she spoke again, but more gingerly and the warrior-like calm decayed, now it was but a girl, lost and scared spoke to Spencer.
".....please" crying now dark tears black as the horizon, "please, sa-...save...." then her words were cut as a dark monster shaped like a gargantuan worm burst from the ground. It dove over the monolith and swallowed it whole before sinking back into the dark sands. The sinister voice of Val'Ryss spoke once more, "I think that's enough Spencer. You have mastered my essence and my curse, time for you to leave." The ground opened and Spencer was hurtled into an abyss that spat her conciousness back into the realm she belonged. Val'Ryss was still in a trance with blackened eyes, frozen and in paralysis.