Private Never Bargain with the Devil

[Allyson Locke]

Continued from Here

//: Dagobah //:
//: Darth Carnifex //:

The vibration of the weapon connecting with His armored leg coursed through Allyson's forearms. She fought against the recoil of the weapon, wanting to bounce away. Allyson would have found herself in several pieces if the weapon had its way. Quite the unfortunate ending for the Corellian. As Carnifex drew His blade, the Force aided the Jedi, letting her move slightly faster than the counter. She leaned back, feeling the heat burning off the ion blade. Skin threatened to blister as she moved away from him. Distance was going to be her best friend in this fight.

"I answered a call from Destiny once," The Corellian smirked as she drew another arrow from the quiver and faded into the Force Cloak. The trick was only going to buy her a sliver of time. Carnifex was brighter than most Sith, and He had fought her several times before this. As she strafed, trying to be as light on her feet as possible, she drew another explosive arrow. Returning to view, she fired the explosive at His core, "Didn't realize it was going to cost me more than a drink, never trusted another woman named Destiny after that."

As the arrow sang through the air, Allyson drew again, the Force fueling her frame and making her move faster than usual. In quick succession, she fired Force light-infused kyber-tipped arrows. Instead of Carnifex being the target, she focused on his shadow companion. Taking out a source of his defensives would buy her time in the fight. She had to figure out how to overwhelm the runes on his armor.

"It's not fair you get to have a friend, you know? Should just keep it between us." Allyson already figured he knew how to escape her explosive arrow, but she just needed to have him mentally and potentially physically distracted. She kept her distance, taking another step back, trying to find a way to edge her victory in the fight.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He swung, but the blade missed the Jedi Shadow. He didn't give His all into the attack regardless, He wanted to capture her more or less in one piece rather than kill her or dismember her too gruesomely. Still, a lost limb could be replaced, as could organs and other bodily features. Turning to face Allyson as she disappeared into the Force, the Dark Lord held His blade in a forward defensive stance. He was feeling out with the Force, searching for the tiniest disturbances in the natural surroundings to try and pinpoint Allyson's exact location.

As He did, He spoke. "How long will you keep fighting against this, Allyson? Neither Taeli or I want to cause you harm, we only want you to stand amongst us. Of your own volition, not forcibly made to, to stand by us willingly and proudly."

His senses were alight. He pivoted at just the right moment, slicing through the explosive arrow right as it would have struck Him; detonating the whole thing but containing it within a bubble of the Force. Fire licked at His armor as the bubble dissipated, the contained energy dispelling as smoke and flame. The Shadow was not as fortunate, for while it did weave between several of the light-tipped arrows, one managed to pierce it through what amounted to it's stomach.

A loud, piercing cry went up through the swamp as the Shadow writhed in pain, the umbral entity's form burning away around where the arrow had pierced through it and stuck into the ground. Amorphously, the Shadow pulled itself away from the arrow, reabsorbing the wound and filling it up with more shadow-flesh. Pain had caused the Shadow to take on a more tangible form, and the body of a woman could be seen taking form amidst the darkness, the darkness clinging skin-tight around her.

The face of Irina Volkov, Darth Ananta, stared viciously at Allyson as her face contorted with rage. Darth Carnifex's expression was a pained one as well, but more well-controlled. The faintest swirls of smoke could be seen slinking out from between the armor fastened around His torso, emanating from His gut. The Shadow of Ananta withdrew around Carnifex, her arms draping over His shoulders in a conciliatory manner, her expression still rageful but softened with concern. Shadowy lips caressed and kissed the skin of His face.

"You will find that there is more than one that inhabits this body, Allyson, we are many." He angled the lightsaber towards Allyson, as though He were going to strike her through. He took a step forward and...

Disappeared entirely.

It was not as though He faded from view, it was like He had never been there. Light particles briefly surrounded the sihlouette of where He had been before rushing in to fill the void, creating a strange mirage-like apparition of empty black space. His presence in the Force seemed to disappear as well.

Before suddenly reappearing like a bright flame at her black, His blade rushing out as He lunged forward to pierce her from her back to her front.

Allyson Locke ​