One Must Fall then All Must Fall (Kei Raxis)

[Raien Keth]

One Must Fall then All Must Fall
Power is owned by the Victor.
But What is a Victor [member="Kei Raxis"]

Korriban
The Betrayers Canyon.
Raien Keth’s Tomb.

​

The Destruction of the One Sith was part of the cycles which occurred in life naturally. Krayt’s armor was a memory of that time. An echo. Keth’s spirit within the armor another echo. Things did not last.They changed and became what followed. Long as he might have tried to endure, to hold, even Keth had one century too many and crumbled. This was the nature of things. Which only in death and his transition into the armor had he fully accepted. That even the long running plans he had put into play had a finite ending, here in this tomb. Crumbled was a kind word. Blown into pieces by [member="Taeli Raaf"] was accurate. Which now lay at the heart of this place. Life of a sort remained. Twisted sith alchemy awaited inside, and many tests along the way for one brave, foolish or curious enough to try. The artifacts of this place, the history, the spirits and voices within called. It was a place where all returned to the sands. Understanding what a Sith was in that, was the education that lay within. Deeper understandings of what you were at your core, lay for the taking here.

Each room was a test. Each room another occupant. And every one of them lethal to failure. Why were Keth’s former acolytes here? Some by choice, some unconscious in stasis, and some prisoners that would rather be far from here. All were ahead of those foolish enough to come, and one or two skeletons lay on the way of those who had tried unprepared.

Dug into the sandy betrayer’s canyon lay the red stoned carved entrance. Ancient languages Keth had once explored looking for answers to deeper mysteries of the Sith Code lined the walls, devotedly attended to by his remaining sith acolytes and loyal kethenites that visited regularly. Finding the canyon was the first task. Surviving the wildlife outside was another. Everything was a predator on Korriban. Indeed the very first challenge was surviving long enough to reach the tomb's open door.

Dark, lit by warm embers on the wall, providing just enough to see but no more. Shadows danced around the entrance, having more life than perhaps they should. Two sunguard armed with old force imbued blade's stood guard at the tomb door, or those that would be sunguard if they were not black as midnight. Like statues the Echani inside remained looking ahead, cultists, twisted creations inside the armor, psychologically and physically deformed from what they once were. Not users of the force, the cultists would be easily dispatched for someone worthy, but dispatched they must be to enter. To shed blood and cross the threshold, so that the alchemy of this place may begin.

Inside the first corridor lay the next test, a long corridor which ended in a dead end?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t54e9NKg-xE​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Pessimism leads to weakness​

Optimisum leads to power​

[member="Raien Keth"]​

Korriban​

852 ABY​

​

It felt wrong to be back on Korriban.

Korriban was the place where so much had changed for Kei. Korriban was the place where so much had happened. Korriban was where Kei was bombed by those who claimed to be the "good guys". Korriban was the place where Kei had been orbitally bombed by The Silver Jedi Order in their "liberation" of the planet. Walking the streets of the city made the former Jedi feel uncomfortable, it made him feel strange and weird.

It made sense in his mind though.

It was originally the place where Kei had joined forces with The Silver Jedi Order. He had blamed the Sith for the orbital bombardment but he knew now that he was wrong. He had joined The Silver Jedi Order on Korriban and it felt like a complete circle that he returned to the planet after he had left The Silver Jedi Order. It was like the circle of life, complete and final. It felt like he was completing the chapter of his life.

There had always been a darkside presence upon Korriban. Kei had noted that presence the last time he had visted the planet. There was a Sith lore with the planet that Kei didn't know. He didn't know and he didn't have the time nor energy to learn the lore of the planet. He just knew that there was an obvious darkside presence that could be felt upon the planet, he didn't know if it was a result of the Sith or not.

It wasn't the same feeling as the last time he was on the planet however. This was enhanced, more powerful. Granted, last time he was on the planet he was being beaten to a bloody pulp by a gang of angry Sith but even then the darkside presence didn't feel this strong. No, there was something on the planet surfance that Kei didn't know. There was something on the planet bleeding the darkside.

Of course he was going to explore it.

He grinned, a little reminder of the Corellian blood flowing, forcing itself through his veins, arteries and capileries. He was still a Corellian at heart, no matter how much he had fallen. He would always enjoy the adventure, the thrill of adrenaline that coursed through his entire body and tickled his soul every time he did something that could be classified as just a little bit of a risk. To him, it was less a risk and more just some sort of fun.

The place that Kei arrived at almost surprised him. It was much like a tomb, it reminded him of a tomb. It smelt like the darkside, it was full of the darkside. Kei wanted to dive in, he wanted to explore and learn and study and enjoy himself. He reminded himself of what he had once been before the stumble he had taken towards the dark. He reminded himself of a Jedi Knight way too much, wanting to learn and study.

Every tomb was full of traps. That was just experience, every darkside thing seemed to be full of traps and other things that would try and kill him. He had yet to come across killer spiders however, that filled him with some sort of confidence. At least it wasn't a massive killer spider. The Sith would probably use wild, large killer spiders as weapons, some of the weirder Sith would probably keep them as pets.

What was it with Sith and large, scary pets?

He pushed open the door and stepped back. If anything was in the first room of the tomb, it would come out to meet him. Kei wasn't willing to dive in blind to a Sith tomb that could possibly contain large killer spiders. He was right, the two Sun Guard stepping outside. Both guards raised their weapons, both of them seemed ready to take out Kei for interupting them and for trying to raid their tomb, their little Sith tomb.

Kei dealt with them with ease. He hardly had to blink. He was a rubbish swordsman but they were worse. They couldn't keep up with him, though admittidly he was high on adrenaline and the force so he had a slight advantage. Alright, less slight and more amazingly stupid advantage. Kei didn't even have all that good force proficieny so the Sun Guards had to be extremely bad, even worse than a regular bloke.

And then, Kei threw himself into the tomb. He assumed the first room was empty, nothing had come out to try and execute him when the guards had began to scream, when the screaming had started. Kei could justify the killing, of course. They had attacked him first, it was simply self defense. That's all it was, self defense to keep himself alive and save his own life. That would hold up against an intergalactic judge.

The room ended, it was a dead end?

No, it wasn't. They never were, Sith tombs were full of traps and tricks and whatever else. Reading had helped Kei for a change, that surprised him. Reading had been useful, the knowledge he'd learned during his time with The Silver Jedi Order had come in useful in the galaxy and in his regular smuggling life. The adrenaline high was carrying him, he just set off towards the dead end. He'd phase through, the tombs always worked like that.

Right?

 

[Kelon Amadis]

[member="Kei Raxis"]

Almost walk through. Did the wall just move? As he got closer he’d see the end of the hallway had holes in it, and on closer inspection was cutaway from the rock. Alchemical blood spilled behind from the dead sithspawn soldiers he'd killed and lit a fire creeping down the sides of the corridor, the door closing and sealing Kei Raxis in. Alchemical fire which was burning the remaining oxygen.

A door, Kei could almost push it aside to continue. So simple. There was just a 6ft6 200 pound tank of muscle in the way behind it. One Kelon Amadis, whose feet braced, digging into the ground behind the thick rock door, heavy black armor adding to his already sizeable mass. Crushgaunt on. A favorite of his stuck up half brother Darth Centax, but Kelon had found use in it too now and again. Like here.

Kei might well see the door shape fully now. A large thick boulder being gripped in place by the heavy man and crushed in his grip, held by duraplast handles to be locked in place by his crushgaunt. “Bout time.” Kelon said with a mocking tone. “Haven’t got all day.” Nor did Kei! Kelon was being well paid for being here. The big Sith wasn’t hard to understand, an utter bastard but a simple one who enjoyed credits and the fine life of spending them more than anything else. His armor was usually covered in trinkets and other jewels from his movements around the rim, a glorified pirate some might say. Sure he followed the Sith's code and teachings to a point, walking a fine line. Masterless that was a hell of a lot easier.

Kei's first test was simple. Get beyond that door. Held by tank of a man wearing a crushgaunt. Not surprising perhaps Keth had wanted to tire the interloper at the first hurdle, because at the moment that’s all Kei was, an intruder. Awaiting judgement of worth by this tomb? Was this just a test of strength? Or test of who he was?

How long had Keth's acolytes been planning this? Kei would come to find that out the deeper he went. It only got stranger from here. More importantly for him, his oxygen was now running out. Kelon's test could never have been a 'fair' one, whatever that meant. A grunt from behind the boulder came as the large man dug his feet in further to the ground, holding the boulder upright. "Come here often?"

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Kelon Amadis"]​

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

​

The room was on fire.

That was a good place to start, a good thing to point out. The room was burning, the fire creeping down the sides of the room, the tomb. The reat of the room was dark, another good thing to point out. Mental cataloguing, it always helped in certain situations. The room having gone dark must of meant the front door to the tomb had been closed. That meant a lack of oxygen access into the tomb. The fire was using up his oxygen.

Okay, he was going to suffocate. Useful.

How could he get out? He didn't just phase through the wall like he first hoped. That then meant that there was something else, another way out. Kei pressed his hand against the wall and he found his other way. It wasn't a wall, it was a very big rock. There was a voice behind the rock. The voice was a male, probably a Sith. A good move by the man buried in the tomb, an immovable rock with a very large and strong man behind it.

Priority one. Oxygen.

Priority two. Move the big rock.

How could he get oxygen into the chamber? He couldn't open the front door, the Sith would of very much trapped that. The walls were thick stone, they were useful to him. He had to assume that the Sith had access to oxygen however, it was only the lobby of the tomb that was being deoxygenated. That made sense, the angry Sith who was buried in the tomb wouldn't want his friends to die. Kei had to assume they were his acolytes.

He ignited his lightsaber, the yellow blade sliding from the metal barrel. It was buring the oxygen up quicker but it was fine, Kei had a plan. He stabbed the lightsaber into the top corner of the bolder, the thinnest part of the bolder. The lightsaber would poke through the other end, a small hole in the rock. The oxygen from the rest of the tomb would probably oxygenate the lobby of the tomb. A very big probably.

It would burn up, but it would give him a good while longer before he died.

Priority two. The boulder, the stone door. He had to move the very large rock blocking his way through the tomb. At least the boulder wasn't a large spider, that was a good thing. It was just a very strong man using crush gauntlets and handles to hold the very big rock in place of the very big opening. He pressed his hand against the door, attempting to use the force to push the boulder away or back, over the Sith acolyte.

That didn't work. Of course it didn't.

He was going to have to apply so much more effort into this one. He pressed his hand against the rock again, using all of his force strength to push against the rock. He saw it move, he saw it open slowly. The Sith was struggling, The Sith had to of been struggling. Kei began to kick at the door as he pushed with the force. Eventually it began to creak and crack, it began to open slowly, very very slowly.

And then, it was open.

 

[Kylraya]

Crack Crack Crack he was through! An echo inside this place, its gritty rebuilt voice speaking into his mind. ~Crack and pick apart your challenge. A piece at a time. Everything becomes smaller. You make your own way to breathe~ [member="Kei Raxis"]

Yes Through! And then the floor came away... Kelon waving goodbye smugly as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Assisting the knight down if needs be by sealing the top of the tunnel below at the flick of a button. Smooth polished stone greeted Raxis on the way down, not likely to give him more than a bruise or two under the attire he wore. It wouldn’t be a long trip through that small dark tunnel either for Kei, but that was likely little comfort for where he ended up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTSwIwKMPNk​

Coming out at the wall toward a pile of leaves and sticks, an insect skittered below the leaves and a snake hissed. It might take Kei a moment to adjust. Deep blue dark lights gave this room a different hue to it. The room around him was huge, a jungle, lit by dim blue artificial lights for the plants. Animals that lived and preyed upon each other in a never ending struggle for dominance, not all were large and not all were obvious. At entrance of this new body, or prey named Kei Raxis, the wild calls squawked, roared and skittered around. Korribans finest predators about to feast.

Eight obvious Red Doors led out of the room, across every wall, along with two Black ones in the ceiling and Floor. Or did they. Once opened they were just large mirror walls behind them, reinforced and pointing him back inside. Maddening. Keth had wanted to start to tire him early. The actual exit was cut into a tree somewhere out of the way in the corner, masked and covered by bush. This was a test of what he used to find his way. Thick jungle lay in the way, and a chase was about to happen, because no matter how hard Kei fought or how many animals he killed, including spiders, there was always someone else wanting him dead. That was the moral of this story, that and something else.

​

In all of this animal noise. One definite sound was heard, that of three Hssiss breathing. Stalking. Waiting. Kylraya prowled through her domain as one of her pack, assuming their characteristics as was her nature. Here that was torment at being locked up, natural darkside twisted rage their birthright and hunger for fresh meat their motivation. Salivation dripped off the head of the first beast to appear ahead to him, two others stalking from different directions, and Kylraya among them.

Hssiss, or darkside dragons were no Joke even for Korriban predators, taken as some of the fiercest creatures and twisted by alchemy to be more so. One Hssiss wearing Kethanite shock mount armor, because Raien has wanted to use them as shock troops to unleash upon population centers. A plan he thankfully never saw to fruition.

The woman ahead of Kei that came out with her lightwhip, crawling on all fours like a beast, was perhaps the most twisted part of all of this. You could see she was once beautiful, tall, proud. Keth’s parasitical infection of her arms had twisted them beyond recognition into a black exoskeleton, but the swarm had infected her beyond even this, giving her skin a hardened off color quality. All encouraged by her former Master to unleash her inner potential. A natural conclusion to her bestial nature.

The Pack was Hungry.​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Kylraya"]​

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

​

This tomb really wanted him dead.

He saw the Sith Acolyte lean against the wall as the floor gave way beneath him. The tomb was out to kill him, or at least maime him just enough to stop him reaching the buried corpse of the constructor of the tomb. He felt himself slipping, nothing to hold onto. Why were the walls smoothed? Wouldn't a sharp rock to the spleen kill him just as quick as whatever other beasty that was buried in another room would?

It was dark.

Alright, priorities. Keeping priorities helped keep Kei calm. It was dark, the tunnel was dark. It could of been a few feet or it could of been a good few miles. Kei wasn't sure how deep the tunnel was, the darkness both above and below him. He attempted to use his hands to slow himself down, the smooth walls making that attempt redundant. He couldn't build the friction to slow himself down, he was plummeting to his death.

Then he hit a pile of stuff.

His eyes were adjusting, from pitch black to darker with dark blue lights. He wasn't dead, that was amazing to note. He was still alive. The Sith buried in this tomb was just toying with him now, the Sith just wanted to keep him alive to kill him later on this tomb. This Sith was one amazingly clever dead guy, one amazingly clever dead Sith Lord. He'd fought well but Kei was going to fight back against the tomb.

Then he heard the noise.

Then he saw them.

Darkside Dragons? He'd heard the legends of them but he had never seen one. He had never seen one until now. Armoured Darkside Dragons? Alright, this Sith was desperate to kill him now. Kill him or test him, it was one of those. Why would the Sith be testing him though? He couldn't figure that out, he couldn't figure out why he was being tested by the very angry Sith who was buried in the very angry tomb.

Right, dragons.

Sith Dragons.

And a person. A person with a lightwhip. Another acolyte to the Sith buried in the tomb perhaps. He had too many apprenticies, too many men and women and aliens and other species and other things that he had trained. The Sith was brutal, he was dedicated to protecting whatever what buried in this tomb along with his corpse. There was something worth so much money in that tomb, or something that could offer unlimited power.

So dragons and person armed with a lightwhip.

Wait, no. Less person and more beast. The Sith in this tomb had twisted and manipulated her into less human and more creature. That was fine though, just another creature who was going to try and kill him. Or another person who was going to try and confuse him. Kei wasn't going to try and fight the dragons, nor the creature. He was going to be killed, he wouldn't be able to hold his own against them.

He was already tired after the boulder. The dragon was going to finish him. The female would probably do double the damage to him.

Doors, there were doors. One of those doors had to be the way out of this room and the door to lead to hell, or the next room in this tomb. They were practically the same thing, both would try and kill him. It was just that the tomb was doing it first, the tomb was trying to kill him first. Kei shook his head, offering a grin towards the dragon and the human creature thing before he opened his eyes again.

The force would ripple through the room, opening all the doors in order.

Nothing, no exit.

Alright, now they were trying to kill him. There had to be a way out of the room, they wouldn't drop the floor on him again. The Sith was cleverer than that, he'd used that trick already and he wouldn't use it again. There would be another way out, another way to get out of this room. There was a jungle in the corner, that would probably be a good place to start. That would be a good place to look for an exit.

"Into the spiders we go"

He lept over the dragon, growling as the creature began to try and bite at him. He landed the jump, running towards the jungle in the corner. It was thick and dense but it had to be masking the way out. Kei used the lightsaber in his hand to cut through the overgrowth, to cut through the green. Yellow slashed through green, cleaving a path towards the exit. The exit had to be in there, there was no other option.

And then he found the door.

Smart move hiding it in a tree.

And through he went.

Into hell.

 

[Niaana Ren]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR28G204z5k​

Far into Hell
This was just the beginning

Nashing of teeth, hounding of claws and spitting of snakes came after Kei Raxis all the way to that door that he found, right at his back. A sense of dread, of an infantile hive mind biting, clawing demanding he fight and feed them. ~There is always another to face you.~ Keth’s gritty voice said in the force, ~the only way to endure is through~. For Sith that was the only way. At least for Raien Keth.

Fear might have gripped him in the jungle but here fear was in the stone, in his breath, in his skin with no escape or respite. A hollow echo calling and chilling the spine. It was palpable, you can taste, hear and almost see it. It wasn’t a thought or sense, it was the fear inside of anyone, of anything no matter how small magnified to be unbearable. Inside this fear sat an echani girl, a spirit, one more dead pawn in Keth’s many conquests. The very hall would shift and move, uncertain of what was inside of it.

Niaana had been redeemed at her death by the Jedi Master [member="Mantic Dorn"], she was no longer full of the same drive to take life, consume and feed. That didn’t stop the hold Keth had over her for reasons that would become clear, contained within this place’s heart was what bound her to him.

FEAR. You could avoid it. Laugh it off. Do regardless and be brave. It didn’t mean it didn’t exist in all beings, whatever it was that drove them a certain way or into a certain behavior. Here in Kei Raxis any fear was screaming at him, as it was in Niaana who now feared being trapped here for an eternity as a shade of her former self. She looked through him, eyes a milky white and simply said. “It’s not worth the price.” Her dead hollow voice, cold and without end. The darkside gripped deeply, bit inward, and every step would want more of Kei to proceed, want more from him, that he give up more of what he clung to for security, safety, certainty or warmth. Family, friends, pride, strength, armor, whatever it was had to go. The opposite met him.

The black door at the end of this sorrowful hall had perhaps never looked so far away. Mourning for dead of those who had died in Keth’s and his acolytes might be seen in every step, whatever caused him to hesitate, whatever it was in his head or heart that told him no turn back, that was thrust into him heavier and heavier like a lead weight on his shoulders, choking the breath from his every step. Swallow it, drink it or die here. Alone.

That door. Just a few more steps. Required everything he had.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Niaana Ren"]​

Korriban​

852 ABY​

​

Why did the tomb want to kill him?

Spiders, they induced fear. They were creepy and had eight legs and got everywhere. You could swallow up to eight spiders a night if you really wanted to. No, spiders were just freaky. They were horrible and small and gross and had weird eyes! Spiders were creepy little things, Kei was anti spider. If there was a group that would go out and slaughter all the spiders in the galaxy, Kei wanted to be on that group.

This that he was feeling now wasn't anything like that. This was real fear, true fear. This was like a nightmare with no end, a nightmare that seemed to begin randomly. This was like someone had taken all of his worst fears, bottled them and throwm them towards him at one hundred miles an hour, attempting to paralyse Kei in the spot, fear coursing through his every vein and his every bone and every bit of him.

The first step hurt to take.

That first step was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Pushing his body forward was like being the hay in a needlestack. It was like he was diving into everything he feared, diving into every little thing that scared him. Spiders, the death of his friends, power. He plunged into him, that first step was a dagger to the soul. That first step hurt, that first step was the worst and hardest thing Kei had ever done.

One more step.

The room was tiny, that was the worst bit. The door was but three steps away from his starting point and those three steps were the worst thing that he had ever done. He would rather take the dragon five times over than the fear room. The dragon would kill him but it would kill him quicker than the fear room would. The fear room was killing him mentally, at least the dragon would be over and done with.

One more step.

He pushed the door open, falling through. He fell to a knee, panting for breath. What was the tomb going to throw at him next?

 

[Sera Inkari]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxbERvOE6Bg
The question, the repeating thought why the tomb wanted him dead was answered.​

~All those who unlock their potential face this. Face the emotions that others fear to look upon or allow inside of themselves. It is not death I give you but life.~ Keth dictated to Kei.

And a huge blast of heat hit Kei, like an ovendoor taken to a factor of ten from the next room, there was no way back, the room behind him was disappearing into shadow. If behind had been slow dread, ahead was burning light, the ascent toward Sith perfection held within its furnace.

A circular room lay ahead, here the stone was lit like amber from somewhere out of sight, searing hot, burning to the touch. His armor or clothes might heat, he might sweat, and begin to feel the tormenting furnace he had entered. There was no visible fire but there was a wave of heat unnatural and so very uncomfortable that it might slowly sap his will to stand, if not melt him alive.

Through the middle of their arena, Facing Kei through thick transparent material. Kintan’s priestess stood in ritual prayer. Why had she come? To face her past. Trapped here now like he was in the middle of it.

~Stand against the elements. Move not for pain or for others. Choose your own time.~

No doors were in this room. None. There was no way out from this furnace. Sera began to stagger and sway ahead of him, exhaustion and overwhelm setting in. Red robes running down her body, sinking closer and closer to the floor. Uttering rituals under her breath to focus herself. Her shoes were beginning to burn and melt to the floor, she could feel the agony beneath her.

Which of them would fall first?

Both were in this together. Both must endure the elements with no way out. No way but through. Lesson upon Lesson built. Sera had kinship with fire, having been burned in it and so practiced to control it, repeating the words over and over in her mind. Though her hair was thick with sweat, and her feet white hot she held her stance gracefully for a long time.

Only when she did fall, and her knee hit their searing stone, she screamed in agony and their glass shattered ahead of Kei. Sera had not been there… but in another part of this maze. Through the shattered transparent material, and past shards of what Kei had experienced, would stand a Golden Door. So very proud, huge, engraved with Sith markings and stretching half the width of the wall. But it would not open for Kei. Not at a desperate shove to escape this hell. Not at a heavy pull. Not running into it with his full force. Only when he slowly put his hand into it and turned a palm print, and picked his time, not Keth's, not the Pain's, not the fear. When he claimed it at HIS. For the door was shaped to his hand.

And because the door ahead radiated PRIDE.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Sera Inkari"]​

Korriban​

852 ABY​

​

He'd died.

This was hell. That was the only way to explain how warm it was. Warm wasn't the word, it was boiling. Someone had left the heating on a little too long, the room was like walking across the surface of the sun. It scorched, everything in the room was burning hot. It was as if a fire was right underneath him, tickling at him. It was buring, it was a form of hell on earth. Kei knew it was how he died.

These rooms were designed to trap him, trick him. Every room had a way out, Kei just had to find it. There was a thick material in front of him, transparent. That was obviously going to be used later, everything in this tomb was placed perfectly. There was also a woman, desperate to get out. Sweat dripped down her head, down her face. She wouldn't last long, the heat was burning into her, boiling her blood.

"It was a good life"

Then he heard the scream.

The material shattered, the girl had touched the floor and her scream had shattered the transparent material blocking him from the door. The door was golden, covered in Sith markings. The creator of this tomb wouldn't allow it to be pushed open, that was too simple. There was another test to get out of the furnace, somehting else he had to do. He had to find the switch, find the button or something to open the door.

Sweat dripped down his forehead. He was running out of time.

He ran to the door, pushing all of his weight against it. He didn't have time to find the switch, he needed to get out of the room before it boiled him alive. The solid door wasn't moving, not under Kei's weight. There had to be another way, the designer of this tomb had always made sure there were other ways. Kei began to fumble, stroke his fingers across the door. There was a switch, there had to be a switch.

There was a hand print.

Kei's handprint.

The door was shaped to Kei. Why? Why was the door shaped to Kei, unless it had built the handprint the moment he had pushed against the door originally. Why would the door need his handprint though? That's what Kei couldn't figure out, why the door needed his hand print. He was running out of time, sweat sticking his hair to his forehead. He needed to get out of the furnace room before it killed him, boiled him.

The door opened.

Kei had only thought it breifly. What if the door had been designed to be opened by whoever had opened it first, whoever claimed it as theirs. That had opened the door, the door radiated pride. It made sense, mostly. Kei fell through the door, the cool air a gift to him. He ran his hand through his hair, climbing back to his feet. He was tired, sweaty and he had nearly died so many times, so so many times.

"Come on then"

 

[Darth Centax]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eE03jOftbk​

The was nothing to say. The voice was silent for once. Strong emotion radiated ahead. His to claim and conquer.​

Golden inscriptions paved this room from head to toe. Trophies of Keth’s conquests and that of his apprentice Darth Centax. Ancient dead languages with hidden secrets and starmaps. A black crystal taken from a tribe who were slaughtered by their own daughter, betrayed to ensure a saber construction was given ample malice, and she made a worthy acolyte. A statue of his daughter Ressa Kae, exwife [member="Hana Kae"], both kneeling in servitude and submission, as their family line was slowly hunted to extinction [member="Chiara Viren"]. A process going on even today, by [member="Taresa Kae"]. A list of those with the Kae gene who had been found and exterminated was kept for reference.

To the other side lay treasures such as the spherical coin’s built out of a living Sith sphere. Weapons of dead adversaries, including his former Masters who he’d betrayed just to darken him further, to increase the intensity of his own training. The depths of sanity were shown on the wall, tortured echani and the processes used to reform their minds. Finally the biodroids on Byss, and the hive constructions which felt a bit like what Kei might have experienced in the jungle.

What was this hall. A hall of Sith Pride. Self indulgence. Why had Kei been asked to walk through it? Because at the end of this long throne room sitting on a golden throne of his own, sat the challenger for Kei’s prize. Darth Centax. He too sought the armor Kei had come for. His red upon red Zeltron skin dipped in the darkside like a wash of crushed dreams and ambition. Emotion hardened and crushed to be realised as Sith strengths and used against his enemies. Emotion which now was focused like a pin point knife on Kei, crushing down toward him.

No challenge was issued. The pressure and focus on Kei just increased.

Standing and igniting Keth’s old crimson red lightsaber, a clawed hilt and construction. The white door which lay behind Centax was blocked by the armored Darth and his throne. Centax Stood, and pushed a heavy pressure down on Kei’s shoulders, trying to force him to kneel at the end of the hall. Sith Pride came off of Centax, facing the darth in the prime of his life and peak of his martial excellence. Centax was coming for him. The second the grip on his shoulder was released, bright flashes of lightening bounced off the walls, arcing out towards Kei. The air burning and the metal around them melted to Centax’s will. The trophies ultimately meant nothing.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Darth Centax"]​

Korriban​

852 ABY​

​

Metal room.

Force lighntning.

Well then.

Kei shook his head, eyes locked on the Sith who had just risen from the throne. He had his red lightsaber in grasp, but he wasn't using it. He had reverted to older Sith methods, the pure darkside energy that could flow through one's body and show itself as physical lightning styled energy. It stung when it connected, burned flesh and shocked hearts and lead to lots and lots of Jedi deaths. Force lightning was a good weapon.

A metal room made it worse. Metal was highly conductive, the entire room would become an electified coffin, frying both men into ash. Kei had rubber soles, he'd survive a little longer than the Sith opposite him. The entire room would turn into a weapon though, a violent killing weapon. It would fry the duo stood within it, shock to the heart that killed them near instantly. It wasn't a good idea to remain in the room.

Kei shook his head, lightsaber deflecting the lightning that was coming directly towards his face. He was alive, mostly. He wasn't going to be though, a metaltic electric floor would really cause pain if not death. Kei had to beat the Sith somehow, disable him before the floor disabled both of them. The electic floor would kill both of them if Kei wasn't careful, that was always a risk, a very big risk.

It was slightly comedic that the throne the Sith sat upon was his downfall.

Kei used the force to pull the throne from the floor, so much effort havng to be applied. It was the distraction that Kei needed it to be, the distraction that stopped the lighting. Kei used it to push the Sith against the wall and pin him them. He would eventually free himself but it gave Kei the perfect chance to break for the door and into the room behind it. He really hoped it was the last door, he was tired.

He was so tired.

 

[Taiden Keth]

Lightening had gone everywhere, into both men. Sith Pride standing there as Darth Centax’s novice use of emotive lightening poured out into the room. Yet to learn its application to be more pinpoint, his heavy focus was there but the technique wasn’t what it would one day be.

~Pride burns out. It fuels you but rings hollow in the end. All the trophies will turn to ash. Power comes from shedding them~ Raien’s gritty voice announced in the hallway, as his former student electrocuted, burned and melted priceless artifacts. Comically the throne hit Centax in the back and knocked him out cold, which was probably good for both of them, as Centax was feeling the white hot heat of darkside energy biting him as it turned the room into a conduit.

All part of Raien’s plan, his schemes even in death were executed with cruel finality.

The last room. Almost. For all Kei's trials, and conquests. He was almost there. Worn down in body and mind, burned, electrocuted, and thrown about in this hell. Kei was almost there.

White light. A pure room greeted Keth Raxis. Polished. Purity. Not a spec out of place. Perfection, an unattainable goal some sith embodied. A single Echani sat near the door he had entered. Not a Sith though he once was, Taiden was now Jedi and meditating calmly.

This room was the most tainted area of the entire arena that Kei had encountered. It was a darkside nexus, and the Jedi beside Kei was the only part of it that didn’t reek, curdle and almost boil with the darkside. Turning the blood in their veins, gnawing at the insides, bleeding into the body/mind. Yet it looked like perfection. The lofty height of reaching for something you could never be, a pure darkside energy.

“It’ll take everything you are. And leave you with nothing.” Taiden said. His aura and force light shining out at the door. Inside it Kei was safe, inside Taiden’s force light the nexus was held at bay, but that was just this door. The only safe space.

To Kei's left lay a door up and out of the temple, to freedom and escape, but beyond them. Beyond that sickening, eating, consuming feeling was the final door, and inside one possible destiny.

“Trust me please. It isn't too late. You can’t survive it.” Taiden warned. “No one can.” To go all the way. Past what others gave of themselves. The ones that talked. The ones that held back. That wasn’t what waited for Kei Raxis inside of that next door, the pull and call of the armor, of the Darth’s that had worn it, untamed power. Beckoning him to walk through that taint, to feel twisted beyond recognition inside of that room. To become what the full unleashed Sith he'd be at the end of it.

If he looked down he’d see the floor beyond him was not solid. A bath of black Sith alchemical liquids that would prepare him for a journey he’d never return from, the blood from the guards at the door, running into it.

“Don’t.” Taiden said once more. But perhaps it was too late.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Taiden Keth"]​

Korriban​

852 ABY​

​

The white room.

Kei was tired. He had given so much to fight through the tomb, he had given so much energy. He had fought, nearly died. The Sith who had made the tomb was trying to slaughter him and kill him in the most creative manor. It had tried to burm him alive, suffocate him and teach him a life lesson about pride. The tomb had tried to torture him, confuse him and finally slaughter him. It had tried to leave him for dead.

It was very possible that the white room was heaven, that the tomb had finally killed him. Heaven didn't hurt though, it was unlikely that it was exhausting. No, he was alive. He felt the Jedi presence near him, he knew that he was alive. He dropped to a knee, sweat plastering his forehead. He had given so much and he was still alive, it was amazing. It was pure luck, he had survived the tomb via luck alone.

Then the Jedi spoke to him. The Jedi told him to take the exit, the Jedi told him to run away and no go deeper. The Jedi was protecting him and the Jedi was using force light to protect him. If he didn't take the exit then he would be killed. He had put too much effort into this tomb though, whatever was in the final room was dangerous. Kei was desperate to know what it was, why it was so well protected.

And he made his move.

The final door.

 

[Taresa Kae]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTRTGtM1hAU​

Judgement, The final sister to fall.
~And they will always tell you there is another way. There is only one way now.~ Keth's voice was stronger here.

Through the alchemical liquids. A Trap? Blackness. Nothing. The door locked behind him. There was nothing ahead or behind. Just Kei in total darkness.

Stuck between two doors for what seemed like an age. The darkside swelling, gnawing and attempting to bite inward. Infuriatingly the harder he pushed the huge doors the less they moved. There was no escape and no way out. He would be all that remained and endured. As it was for any Sith who lived long enough.

How long was he there? Who can say. Long enough for Keth's minions to arrange what was ahead.

When the door ahead opened, Kei would see a circular stone room carved again in ancient sith symbols, made out of old sith stone. A red amber color to most of it, the stone was in a very slow state of flux over the ages, it had shifted and changed to be different shades of red, to be uneven, twisted, even with no wind here to cut at it. At the edges of this pillared room, Kei would see cracks of residue energy so black they absorbed light around them. Tombs of other Dead Sith Lords were scattered around, and at the very end was Keth's tomb looking down over a central pedestal. No body lay inside, it was ceremonially done by the more fanatical of his acolytes, Keth himself would have dismissed it as pointless.

At the centre every single Acolyte, Jedi or other Kei had met today was kneeling restrained head bowed, and unconscious in a ring around a pedestal. The final sister, Judgement stood on her own, apart from them, just as she stood apart from time. Clothed in a sith assassin's black, you could barely see who or what she was. The force ghost of Niaana Ren was tied to a crystal in the circle, others were bound, and others merely unconscious, forming a wall of bodies around the central pedastal.

Atop that grand pedestal beyond his last test, lay Darth Krayt’s reborn armor. At least the beginnings of it, shattered shards laying in wait. Having been bathed in alchemical worship of the past sith's power. The voice of Raien Keth was inside of them, the scattered original memories of Darth Krayt and also the reborn sithspawn Darth Strife were also present and they bled into the moment. Mighty Sith Lords and their spirits spilled out into this place, the pedestal, the stone, and the acolyte present around Kei felt overburdened, overwhelmed. It would take strength to take the dagger, force of will to see it done. Other spirits had been drawn here, as Keth's acolytes had been collecting ancient dead sith for a thousand years. Presences moved, horrible tortures radiated, maddening and blood curdling darkside entities watched, some with amusement, others in disgust, others in envy for the one alive.

Watched him.

Judgement handed Kei a ceremonial knife of Keth's and said one simple word. “Choose.” One must fall. For Kei to rise. He must slaughter an innocent, there was no chance to run, no chance to be a nice Sith, or be diplomatic, there was just the way. The blood or death of one was needed to unlock the golden pedestal beyond them. As it would often be asked of him.

But what was this... as he got closer... was he looking at himself? Yes he was. How did Kei think Raien had his handprint, had known what would test him or how hard. A clone of Kei Raxis was restrained along with the rest, naïve, innocent and completely unaware of his surroundings. Was this the only one? Who could say.

If not for feeling almost crushed by the presences surround her, Taresa Kae almost laughed, stepping backwards. [member="Hana Kae"] How many Kae had she killed for Keth? Dozens of Kae, and there were so many more to follow, but nothing had prepared her for this. Kei had a lot options, free the spirit, kill the clone, kill a threat before it became real, kill a Jedi, or something creative. But all had one thing in common, they were defenseless before him. In the end. All would perish in front of him, and it would take everything he once was.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy ~ Carl Von Clausewitz​

​

He dropped to a knee.

He heard the Sith laughing but she was distant. Everything was distant, everyone in the room had become so very distant. Kei was hardly breathing, he was hardly thinking. Kei didn't know what was going on, he couldn't focus on what was going on. Kei felt nothing but shock, surprise had overtaken his entire body. He was hardly breathing, forgetting to breath. He couldn't focus on breathing nor could he focus on the others in the room.

He could only focus on himself.

It was him, but it wasn't him. Chained to the wall, looking completely lost. He looked so confused, unaware of everything that was going on in front of him. Kei looked so scared, chained to the wall like a regular slave to a Hutt master. Kei didn't know what was going on, he was more interested in the shackles holding him to the wall. Kei was like a small child, innocent and naive and sweet.

It wasn't Kei.

Kei was Kei. Kei Raxis, the man knelt as he was overcome with shock. He was Kei, the real Kei. The other Kei was the clone Kei, it was the slow Kei. He was slow, or no-one had taught him anything about the world. Both were completely fair options, an issue with cloning could of perhaps caused issues with clone Kei mentally. It would explain why clone Kei appeared to have none of the memories of real Kei.

"Choose"

The only way to exit the tomb. The ceremonial knife in hand. He was expected to kill one of them, he knew that. He could kill himself, the cloned version of himself. He could slaughter one of the many men who had attempted to take his life as he moved through the tomb. He could pick anyone of them, it was the only way to exit the tomb, that much was so obvious to him, to the real Kei, the true Kei.

He locked eyes with his clone, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"I'll do it"

He held the knife tight, knuckles white. he wanted revenge against whoever had cloned him, he wanted revenge on whoever had left a clone of his suffering. He walked over to [member="Kelon Amadis"], pressing the dagger against his throat quickly. He was drawing blood from the throat of the man, drawing blood from the throat of the Sith. He pressed the knife harder, blood pouring from the wound quicker.

Then she fell.

Kei turned, thrusting the dagger into the stomach of Taresa Kae quickly. Kei heard oxygen escape her lips, almost shock. Kei had stabbed judgement itself, he had disabled judgement itself. She wouldn't die though, Kei was well aware that the place the knife had hit would not kill her. He had chosen such a good place, damage and pain without the death. Judgement would suffer for everything she had done. She wouldn't die.

Yellow blade.

Head rolled.

[member="Kelon Amadis"] was dead. Kei had chosen his target.

 

[Paareth]

​

Silence….
Forcefields erupted around the remaining captives, and they woke. Those remaining imprisoned still but the fortunate ones. The shield around the pedestal dropped and the armor lay open for the taking.

Two bodies lay twisting and turning on the ground, one coming to an end, one fighting for survival.

The blade had cut through Kelon Amadis, and as it did he was released from his restraints. No chance to utter his last words. He couldn’t believe he was the one chosen, always so smart to flee or run before trouble came his way. Here, to die in this place helpless to avoid it was delicious irony at its best, at least most of the Sith spirits around the tomb thought so. His head rolled loose, well and truly dead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU9jdjuDA8w​

​

Judgement, now judgement wasn’t expecting to feel the bite of the blade. She had laughed as Kelon was struck but now… Not quick enough to resist the turn of violence unleashed from Kei Raxis, she lay gasping on the ground near him in massive amounts of pain, pulling herself along toward the release of the cages. She knew she had one chance to escape this tomb alive, because nobody getting out of those cages was going to leave her here alive. But they hated each other just as much.

She hit the release button and EVERYONE got out. None of them were pleased. Darth Centax immediately struck at Taiden Keth who parried with his weapon. Kylraya growled and pounced out, smashing whatever was in her way.

The exit door opened for Kei alright, he was home free?

"Now" Darth Centax ordered.

Sadly stood within the doorway was a hulking great Trandoshan, Centax’s apprentice. Darth Centax had betrayed them all. One Sith storm troopers started firing from within the doorway, and hope seemed lost for anyone to get out. Holding against the wall for support, Sera Inkari burned a bright ball of superheated flame across the floor and it engulfed the troopers, Paareth Centax's apprentice actually catching fire and staggering around! But behind more were coming, the endless marching boots of the legion from the exit way. What to do? Not much time! A Hssiss from below crashed through the floor eating unfortunate One Sith in its way, Kylraya’s pack coming to her call, the jungle room from below threatening to come up and join them soon enough to even the odds.

Keth’s former disciples had turned on each other well and truly. Kei and oblivious Kei was stuck right in the middle. Oblivious Kei looking up at the ceiling and falling over a small rock as he walked backward, scratching his head.

Was Keth’s tomb to be the death of all of them? Would Keth end it so arbitrary? No. Keth’s actual stone burial casket was there overlooking the pedestal. Inside it was hollow, nothing to remember Keth by, just the way. In this case, the way out for Kei if he wanted to get out alive. If anyone else would was anyone’s guess. Probably better not to find out! Breaking it open would reveal the alternative exit passage. One final sadistic game from the deceased Sith Lord. Could Kei get the shards, deal with his clone, and find the exit, while not being killed?

The tomb wasn't trying to kill him anymore. It was just everyone else. Such was the life and legacy of the owner of this tomb.

~Well done.~ Keth's voice would announce. That is, if he made it out alive.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Paareth"]​

Korriban​

852 ABY​

​

Okay.

Prorities.

The door was open. Kei could finally get out, he could make a run for the door and leave. Every other Sith was free as well though, they were brawling and fighting between themselves. The entire room was a battle, men and women stabbing and blocking and fighting and generally just causing a mess. The clone was still pinned to the wall, so confused as to what was going on in front of him. Kei didn't envy that clone.

Kei had his yellow lightsaber still in hand. He ducked the violence and got over to the clone Kei, quickly freeing him from the shackles that pinned him to the wall. He wouldn't let himself be killed, that clone could be so very useful in the future. Kei looked around, pushing the clone to the floor just in the nick of time to save his life. Kei raised his own weapon to parry that from Darth Centax.

Then the shooting started.

Centax had brought soldiers in the room. They weren't the only one's shooting however, there was shooting from the exit of the tomb. Kei pushed Centax back against the wall, hitting the Sith with the pummel of his weapon to down him. He turned quickly, trying to duck below the gunfire while keeping the clone low as well. One Sith soldiers clashed with those breaching the exit door, One Sith soldiers clashed with the saviours.

The Security Detail.

One by one they broke into the tomb, shooting at anything that moved. One of them broke through the fighting, ducking besides Kei and the clone slowly. Gunfire kept raining down around the temple, men falling on both sides. Neither side stopped, one thousand of Kei's loyal men breaching the tomb. He looked confused for a moment before he explained that Kei had been missing for three weeks and that they had been searching for three weeks.

So the tomb was also messing with time, huh?

"Get him.."

Kei pointed at the clone, shaking his head. There was too much blaster fire, they needed to pull out and get off of Korriban as quick as they could. He wasn't leaving without that armour however, that armour was special. If the entire tomb was guarding that armour, that armour was so very special. Kei nodded to the soldier again, shouting at him to get the clone from the tomb before he pushed himself to his feet.

And he charged for the armour.

 

[Kylraya]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDr91S5gMdY​

Feed. Hunger. Expansion.​

Kei had conquered the tomb. The tomb was chaos. He stood atop it like a champion. But like many of those here, could easily fall into its unending pit. The everlasting march of the OS legions continued also in perfect time. One that would never die while their commanders drew breath. These unremarkable clones not questioning the order to advance despite the funneled space they found themselves in. Bodies were used as cover and walls made with dropped equipment and men. The OS leadership, look how low they had fallen. This was a momentary blip on the Radar for Darth Centax, something he sort to end before he left this place. This legacy had been a stain on him for far too long, all pretenders and outcasts would perish before him.

​

No blips on the Radar for Paareth or thoughts of grandeur. Just a snarling and blood curdling yell because he was on FIRE! Trandoshans were known for their hyper aggressive states, and these states were something that alchemicalized juggernaught was being bred to utilize. Red mist descended across his vision, his veins began to bulge just like his Master’s once did. Becoming fury despite the danger and pain overloading him. Despite being lit ablaze, he charged towards Kei Raxis like a battering ram. A large battering ram on fire we should again point out. Going for the armor or the man himself, rocks were thrown ahead of him, like a churning mill of dust and debris looking to batter Kei into submission. A simple enough threat, but not the only thing going on.

Taresa Kae saw her opportunity and disappeared in a stealth field, blinking out of sight with a pained laugh. With Centax down Taiden recovered his strength and tried to escape, so far unable to move. He did however score a hit on Centax as they again started to duel. Sera Inkari had taken a hit from a blaster and chose to drop through the floor holes that various Hssiss were making as they crashed upwards, bravely taking her chances in the jungle below.

Security forces continued to meet One Sith head on, and between them predators crawled, because everyone underestimated the most lethal of all the force users here. Kylraya, snakes, spiders, large beasts howled out and began chewing down on anything and anyone that they decided to feast upon. It wasn’t like they took much encouragement, all she’d said was fresh meat up here, then pointed the way. However the more she linked with the wider variety of animals, the less she was herself, and the more the infection across her arms, neck and now back took hold.

“Ugggggggggnnnnnnn” She dropped to the floor, hands out ahead of her and convulsed. A vine snatched toward [member="Kei Raxis"]'s leg, among others...

The howl of the hive mind grew stronger, crawling through her mind. The same as it began to crawl across the walls and ceiling of this place, vines branching out, slowly creeping forward, and preparing to wrap around the unwary. It was time to feed, and she… no the hive was ever hungry. Feed. Hunger. Expansion.

[member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Korriban​

852 ABY​

[member="Kylraya"]​

​

Who knew the clone would have his moment?

The clone hadn't the feintest idea what was going on. He was being dragged along by one of the soliders, dragged towards the exit. Blaster fire rang around the entire tomb, men and women falling on both sides. The entire tomb was cast in chaos, for one had fallen. One had fallen but then all would fall. The clone knew that was the final test of the tomb, the clone knew that no-one was meant to survive the tomb.

The genetic template had charged for the armour, the same armour that they all wanted. He didn't know it was a trap, he couldn't have known it was a trap. The clone however, he knew. He had watched a number of people attempt to get the armour and get caught, locked in cages to be slaughtered by the next man who tried. The clone was being dragged towards the door at this point, but he knew he couldn't leave just yet.

He charged the Trandoshan.

He forcefully charged the creature against the wall, flame surrounding them. The rocks stopped falling, the genetic template was free to handle the vines and run. The clone would die like he was supposed to but at least no-one else would die within the tomb. The clone didn't know much, he hardly knew anything but he knew that what he was doing was morally correct, he knew what he was doing was a good thing, he knew that the true Kei would of done the same.

And then he was pulled away.

The real Kei, the genetic template had three crystals in his hand. He must have broken them from the armour during the fighting of the vines. He had braved the flames to rescue his own clone. The sunlight was almost blinding to the clone, but it meant they were free. He heard the thud as the door was forcefully closed, the exit sealed. He heard soldiers running so they could flee from the planet.

Then the real Kei feinted, exhausted.

And the clone ran.