Rise

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak ducked low as Siedra let loose her own bolt of darkside energy.

The web of power crashed into the pillar behind him, slicing into the heavy rock and pulling it apart. The Pureblood half turned to the destroyed stone, his lips thinning as he watched the crumbling material. A curse left his lips as a realization dawned on him.

She had powers that he didn't even understand. He had no potential for Sith Sorcery so he'd never studied it. Vrak had never even opened a single tome upon the nature of Sorcery, never even looked into it. Now that he was facing Siedra head on he realized how much of a mistake that was. He had no idea what she could do, what she was capable of. His lips thinned as he ducked to the side, his lightsaber swiping out towards the woman only to be caught by an opaque sort of bubble.

A curse escaped his lips. "Neesa!"

He called to her, his hand jerking up to tell her to come from above.

They had to split her attention, it was the only way they would get through.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Neesa had come to the conclusion than being close would give a better chance to last the fight. If Siedra could crush a pillar so easily with a web of power then she had a delved deep into the Derkhteth branch of magic.

Perhaps if the assassin had listened more careful to Sitas she would have had a more appropriate plan to counter. He had frequently chastised her for skipping section of her studies, moving quickly on from the fundamentals to find the applications she found most useful. It had annoyed him that he had had to each her what fundamental meant. He had explained that she should have had a thorough grounding before they'd even met and it was important to build the foundations before the tower. Neesa often thought he was a boring man.

There was a terrible screech as twin blade struck the bubble from above. As Neesa landed lightly she let the edges of both trail all the way down. Heavily imbued blades met magical barrier and peeled away at it. The barrier held, but before it became transparent once more it was clear it was starting to falter.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak battered away at the barrier from his side.

First came his lightsaber, the bright crimson blade smashing into the bubble over and over again as Siedra hid herself away. As Neesa's blades struck the field he could just make out Siedra on the other side, a scowl on her face and her expression growing more and more strained by the second. He watched as the assassin drove her blades home, swiping away and breaking the bubble.

"ENOUGH!"

The other Pureblood boomed, the force rushing from her and a wave of darkside energy bursting forth from inside of the bubble. Vrak felt himself left off of his feet, thrown half-way across the room before he came crashing down onto the stone pillar.

He heard the echoing crack of one of his ribs breaking as he landed.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Neesa was more fortunate than Vrak. She was lighter and thrown out into the open. She had to drop her swords as she tucked into the roll. As she stood both hands came up and reached for the blades through the Force.

Siedra charged past both blades at Neesa. The sith swords skipped across the ground and leaped up into her grip a fraction of a second before that lightsaber came down. She crossed both blades over her head and stopped the strike.

She pushed out with the left and brought the right down and in at Siedra's arm. Three quick exchanges and Neesa realised something. Siedra had seemed an exceptional swordsman when they had last met. She couldn't say the same today.

Only being used to feeling the way the Force reacted to a spell being cast gave her enough of a warning to back off. The ground she had been on flared white and was left scorched. Some kind of magical trap. Siedra summoned another and used them to prevent Neesa from dictating the battle, sending the Nagai into a rapid retreat.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

A scowl wore on his face as he pulled himself up and off the ground, his hand pressing against the heavy stone floor. A grunt escaped his lips, his scowl deepening into a snarl as he drew himself up. His fingers wrapped around the saber-staff that had fallen to the floor, his eyes falling on Neesa and Siedra.

He saw the desperation within her stance.

The way that the other Pureblood moved, the way she pressed and pulled at the force. She used every ounce of her power, every little bit of her ability. Siedra was driving herself closer and closer to the edge of a cliff that she would not recover from. She would fight until her last breath and probably then some. Vrak's lips thinned, his fingers sprawling over his broken rib for just a moment before he drew himself up. A sharp pains tabbed at his side, his face contorting with pain for a moment before the Darkside built within him.

His free hand raised.

Neesa would get in the way, but that hardly mattered to him.

While Siedra battled back and forth with the Assassin, Vrak built up a charge of power. A heartbeat past, and then he unleashed a powerful blast of force lightning. Purple sparks crackled over the hall, bounding towards Siedra.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

It was a raw, emotionally driven build of power she could sense. The pain he channelled resonated through the Force as the lightning lashed at them both.

The attack disrupted the flow of her motion. She had to stand her ground and Rooted to the spot Siedra managed to summon another trap that fixed her left foot down to the ground. There was nothing for it now but to ride out the storm.

Siedra didn't even scream as her barrier collapsed. Her saber was all she had left to keep the bolts at bay. Her lips curled back as she faced Vrak. Wisps of smoke rose from her shoulders. Without a glance she threw a telekentic blow at Neesa. With her foot anchored in the trap she was almost knocked from her feet.

Siedra marched towards Vrak with lethal intent, never taking her eyes off him. A dull red wave appeared between them as she tugged at his connection to the Force, trying to drain the last of his reserves.

Neesa looked down at her foot. It was the end of her limb tied to the manifestation of the darkside, not just her boot. The ankle throbbed with pain from how it had caught when she'd been struck by the telekentic blow. She needed to work out a way to dispel it and join the fray before the pair of them finished each other off.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak charged.

He knew Siedra, he knew her skill, but the barrier was gone and all she had left was the saber in his hand. This was his venue, his power. The saber-staff within his hand flicked up, the other end igniting just as he swiped low towards her feet. The other Pureblood countered, bringing her weapon down and blocking the first strike of his blade.

As soon as their weapons met, Vrak wheeled forward.

The momentum of his blade carried forward, the back half of the saber-staff wheeling up and towards Siedra's face. The Sith let out a hiss, taking a step back before the blade could slice into her face. Vrak angled the blade, catching the tip of her nose. The smell of burned flesh immediately touched the air, and Siedra screamed.

Vrak pushed his advantage.

His leg flicked out and caught he knee, a snap ringing out as the bone was shattered.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Sometimes there was no time for subtlety. Without warning she slammed her blade down on the circular disk that formed the trap. There was a purple flash as the energy it had stored was discharged. A cry was ripped from her lips but she was freed.

There was a permanent sneer on her face as she limped forwards. Every step was agony, but even seeing Vrak get the edge on the wounded woman Neesa knew she had to see this through to the end. Three quiet words were uttered in the language of the Sith. As Siedra fell purple tendrils appeared wrapped around her hand and saber hilt. They cut deep into her forearm and hand, searing her flesh and tightened around the saber. It deactivated with a 'pop' as something broke. It was almost a parlour trick compared to how Siedra had used it, but the Pureblood's defences were done.

Siedra was left with nothing. Neesa kept limping on until she came to stand at Vrak's side. The sneer faded and there was an almost somber expression on her face as the disfigured woman looked up at them from her knees.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak scowled. He had waited so long for this. He had wanted this for decades. To see her broken and in pieces. His gaze fell onto Siedra, his lips thinned into a scowl. This woman had caused him more trouble throughout his life than any other being. Even Jamie had done less to Vrak than Siedra. She was his antithesis. The one block that had always stood in his way no matter what happened.

The Pureblood scowled, glancing down at his lightsaber.

For a moment he considered the blade, he wondered, and then he pressed the small switch that extinguished the blade. He lingered for a moment more, and then dropped the saber-staff. The weapon went clattering onto the hard marble surface, and then Vrak struck out. His fingers balled into a tight fist, his knuckles impacting against Siedra's already scarred face. In an instant the woman fell back, but Vrak gave her no reprieve. He was upon her within a heartbeat.

His fists came down on her over and over again, the sound of cracking bone and a broken skull ringing out within the hall.

Blood spurted onto the ground, onto the floor, and on his face.

A snarl escaped him as he beat her, broke her, finally ending a feud that had lasted decades over.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Neesa stood and watched silently. No one has ever made her feel like a rat being hunted like Siedra had. Her body was still scarred from sternum to hip from the kiss of the woman's blade. She didn't take great pleasure in watching her life snuffed out, but it was at the very least satisfying.

She waited as he crouched over her, chest heaving from the exertion of unleashing every shred of hatred he'd fostered over the years. At the end of it all she had stood by his side. She would likely be there again when new threats came to Athiss. Neesa hadn't even realised quite how deep it ran. Only when he pushed himself back to his feet and turned away from Siedra's remains did she speak up.

"I'm going to search upstairs. If she had any more trinkets or holocrons she would have brought them here once the city was fortified. Then I need to pay Rathelsa a visit." As she stood she tested her weight on her left ankle. It held, just. The latter was the least trustworthy of their alliance and it had been decided that he needed to quietly vanish before the opening on the council was claimed.

They also needed to get Vrak somewhere more safe. There were more minor nobles who hadn't shown their hands yet that might take a risk if he was vulnerable before the seat was claimed.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Blood soaked him from head to toe, crimson fingers stained with maroon. He frowned slightly as Neesa spoke, though her words fell on deaf ears. The Pureblood looked at his hands, glancing at his palms and the liquid upon them. A small smile touched his lips, the taste of blood spotting his tongue.

He couldn't help but feel...complete.

Vtak had waited so long for this. Decades spent on planning her destruction only for it to all fall apart. Everything that had brought them here today, everything that had happened had been in flux until just a few moments ago. Now Siedra lay dead. Her skull crushed, her bones broken. Every hardship he had endured was suddenly worthwhile, those months he had spent on Naboo, all of it seemed to fit perfectly fine in the path of his lifetime.

The Pureblood grinned maniacally.

His fingers curled into fists.

"Good." Vrak said quietly to himself as Neesa wandered up the stairs and began to search Siedra's suite, leaving the Pureblood to revel within his victory.