Duel Sith Civil War: Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back (open to two loyalists)

[Caulder Dune]

Vjun - Abandoned Sith Temple
Basement Level, Storage Room

The Noghri warrior held his fighting sickle aloft, expertly poised to block an overhead strike. It must have come as something of a surprise when Adekos' lightsaber instead swept up from below in a circular motion, rending a terrible glowing scar straight from gut to sternum... And neatly bisecting the weapon.

To this development, the Noghri offered a single, sputtering groan. His arms went slack and fell away, disparate pieces of the sickle still clutched in each hand. Much to the warrior's credit, he took a few seconds longer than his colleagues before crumpling to the cold, stone floor.

"Bloody nuisance," Darth Adekos muttered. His crimson blade snapped back into its hilt.

This place was supposed to have been abandoned, but a Vader-worshiping cult of Noghri had set up shop. Too weak to gain access to Bast Castle, they squatted in these unrelated ruins and leered hopelessly across at the acid-bleached canyons of Vjun.

A pathetic existence, one which Adekos found all-too relatable.

Fortunately he hadn't come alone. Darth Immortus was also present, even if in a different part of the temple. Adekos hardly recognized Nulgath these days, but found himself no less grateful for the Sith Lord's assistance. Adekos depressed the comlink in his ear, which patched him through to his undying compatriot.

"No sign of the holocrons here, just more of these witless savages," he said, kicking one of the Noghri in the ribs when it groaned too loudly. "I do hope you're having more fun than I am."

---

Darth Immortuos​

 

[Emperor Immortuos]

Vjun - Abandoned Sith Temple
Main Level, Libraries

A savage clawed skeletal hand my contact with a more fleshy texture of tough skin. Noghri. There was a alien cry let loose before arcing red blade swept through the air and across the aliens throat. A hiss, jagged lacerations across the face and a warmly glowing wound was all that remained. Any semblance of life had been shed. And while Nulgath could not blink, what was left of his crimson corrupted gaze may of hinted at such a expression. It was hard to tell. Unlike his fellow Sith ally Adekos. Immortuos had indeed changed. A body mangled with multiple corpses of bone, sinew, all cloaked in a ragged cloth aged by the suns of so many planets. OK maybe change was a understatement.

Holocrons. They could be anywhere in this maze of a temple. I can con only imagine what Adekos is doing right now.

Foot steps from around the corner sounded. Loud. Great more of these primates. As soon as the Noghri turned the corner there bodies froze under invisible strain. All four of them. It was then that he heard the incoming comm message. " Fun?! Being rushed by children is not fun! If I had a moment to focus this woul-" A raspy breath was inhaled deep. In the background groans and grunts were getting louder. " Be silent!" Immortuos beckoned to the Noghri under his telekinetic hold. Distant pops and snaps echoed almost immediately after said outburst.

Needless to say his command was heeded.
" I am in the same predicament as you, Adekos. Are you certain that your information was...accurate?"

Caulder Dune

 

[Lord Venari]

With: Vallaro Kindall
Approaching: Darth Immortuos
Nearby: Caulder Dune

Trailing upstream one of the River Weepings' tributaries laid the corpses of a dozen Noghri awaiting their final disposition at the hands of Vjun's notorious acid rain. Their bodies bisected and riddles with slug round wounds. The mordant downpour was still ways off but it wouldn't be long before it the alien's remains were liquified. Charred scraps splattered under Sith boots.

Half a kilometer back, the Surreptitious remained safely hidden away under an outcropping shielding it from the coming storm. Vjun while within Sith-Imperial space was not one of the more heavily occupied worlds in the Empire's grasp. There were garrisons tucked away in Bast Castle and the chateau as well as a few other key locations dotting the caustic world, but it had been deemed too risky involving planet side assets. Better to leave their quarry in the dark.

The duo approached the archaic temple sitting atop a small hill. Any sign of life had long since been burned away. "This should be it. Be on your guard Vallaro and remember our charge is twofold. Imperial intelligence has it on good word the Apostate is pursuing a potential holocron. We go in, search for the artifact and fire on sight should they appear," Venari knelt next to a fallen Noghri laid across the top a stone staircase, "something tells me they will," he chuckled coming to a stand. Taking his saber in hand once again, the Sith Lord entered the dark sanctuary.

Venari glared at the foyer, which diverted into various corridors and at the end, a grand spiral staircase to the lower levels. The Sith shut his eyes and breached the confines of his body, the dark side was strong enough in this place to act as a level of camouflage; they were but raindrops in an ocean. Venari veered left and pressed into a vestibule leading to the first of many libraries, "it seems our uninvited guests have made themselves at home," he spoke, kicking aside the legs of another fallen Noghri.

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

C:\Mission\Ally: Lord Venari
C:\Mission\ Enemies: Darth Immortuos | Caulder Dune

“The River Weeping eh?” Vallaro questioned as he reloaded his submachine gun. He always found it a bit odd how Sith always named locations with an ominous flair. “The Cave of Evil, Eternal Pyre, The Last Resort, and now the River Weeping. Empire sure knows how to make a man feel welcome, doesn’t it? Maybe when we’re done here, we can visit Bitter End,” He said half in jest as the duo continued their way towards what he perceived simply as yet another ancient Sith temple.

The temple was an ornate structure and precisely what he had come to expect from Sith architecture. Four pyramids at least a dozen stories tall each melded corner to corner with ziggurat whos hight was approximately triple their own. At the top of the ziggurat was a large hollowed space whose true purpose had been lost to time but now served to fill the surrounding arie with a bassy whooshing sound. The temple was strategically placed upon a hill, causing the already imposing structure to bare an unnatural weight upon those who looked upon it. It was the signature feeling all Sith architecture shared.

There was a caustic tinge to the air, a clear sign of rain to come on Vjun. Vallaro checked his ship's sensors from a linked datapad he pulled out of his jacket pocket. Meteorological readings called for a torrential downpour within the hour which would mean death to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the storm unprepared. He flipped the sensor over to life sign readings. Aside from a few small blips he assumed to be Vjun Foxes, there were no large signs of life around their destination. An oddity considering Imperial intelligence had suggested a Noghri cult of Vader was reported in the region among a few other things.

The temple itself was impenetrable to sensors. Yet another trademark of Sith architecture. Stop at nothing to keep out prying eyes. Of course, this also meant there would also traps within the structure. It was somewhat predictable for Vallaro as he had grown well acquainted with Sith paranoia, he’d seen it more than a few times from Venari. On occasion, Vallaro would wonder if the Sith Lord would one day give in to his baser instincts, causing Vallaro to find himself toe to toe with the Disciple of Animus. It was a bridge he’d cross when he came it. For now, he focused on the job at hand.

As the duo entered the temple Venari stopped to examined a Noghri corpse splayed cross their path. The Sith Lord spoke and Vallaro lit a cigarra as he listened to a rundown of the task at hand: Find the holocrons, kill all opposition. The job was simple as they all were. Vallaro didn't let that fool him though. Like every other job he’d ever done for the empire, it was going to get messy. Venari paused for a moment and closed his eyes. Vallaro took a long drag from his cigarra before expelling a pillar of smoke in the already unpleasant air.

"it seems our uninvited guests have made themselves at home,"

“So we’re late to the party then. Do you think there's any booze left? If not, I brought my own.” He reached into a small pouch on his tactical rig and from it pulled a small grenade-like object. Tossing it into the air the device sprung to life and began flying around the duo while chirping obscenities in military flash code. “Alright, calm yourself down. You've got work to do, I need you to cover our six. It's easy and if you do good then there's no self-destructing for you! got it? Now get to working be quiet. Communicate directly to my coms.” The drone neurotically chirped several more times, but this time only Vallaro could hear it.

Following Venari’s lead, he continued through the temple. Smg held at the ready and loaded to bear with explosive-tipped rounds. He’d fought Jedi before and beating them was a matter of the mind, breaking their morale until they crumbled. Sith couldn’t be beaten that way. Fighting a Sith was a matter of raw power and Vallaro made sure to bring munitions to spare.

 

[Caulder Dune]

Location: Basement Level, Storage
Objective: Return to main floor
Tags: Darth Immortuos , Lord Venari , Vallaro Kindall

Adekos, quite frankly, nearly balked at the question. His information? Inaccurate? He was about to ask if he had ever steered Immortuous wrong, only to remember that, yes, indeed he had. Ruusan still had the craters to prove it.

“You worry too much,” the Umbaran replied, “Half the Sith have gone rogue. The schism’s been recent enough that their intel should still be accurate.”

Doubtlessly “half” was a generous estimation, but there were no hard numbers to consult. It wasn’t as if anyone was conducting exit polls. Perhaps if some were available, Adekos would not be so keen to stick his neck out here on Vjun.

“Stay where you are, if you please. We'll survey the upper levels together and then be done with this place.”

Wouldn't be long now. As long as there weren't more Noghri hiding upstairs...

Oh, but of course there would be.

 

[Emperor Immortuos]

Location: Temple main floor, Libraries
Objective: Inspect and then observe.
Ally: Caulder Dune
Enemies: Lord Venari Vallaro Kindall
Equipment: Lightsaber and Gauntlet of Crassus

Nulgath scoffed listening to Adekos rhetoric. He would of rolled his eyes if the deathly Epicanthix had much of any left. Somewhere in his grotesque form he did. While it was true that his companions information and knowledge was correct the many times Immortuos had paired with Adekos. There was still room for healthy doubts.

Worry and paranoia were what had kept him alive this long all these years. Well, "alive" from a certain point of view.

" Half. Where did you pull that rather generous estimation from, your wallet?" Nulgath paused considering the absurd picture he had in his skull. His tone was one of sarcastic jest. " Hmm. I will be in the libraries, where all great Sith should be." He snickered to himself. " I have an idea." Already he began to focus his concentration. A surge of energy building toward two single points of interest. His eyes. Immediately the physical world as he knew it fell away from him as it had so many time before. A bony brow furrowed slightly taking in the new environment he was not observing. There was only the force now. Modern book and holo-shelves appeared transluscent now. So did the walls, ceiling and floor. Rifts and currents of darkside energy wafted about the temple in thick patches. It was almost just as comforting to feel than to see first hand. Like a mist.

Holocron. The object of desire rested in his mind. All Immortuos needed was a signature or general shape or outline of the object. Up, down, left and right he turned his head. Below he could even see Adekos where he was. Nulgaths head lifted and froze in the general direction of the entrance of the temple. The outlines of two humanoid figures.

They were close. Closer than Immortuos could perceive with his senses as normal. It was the temple. It masked their presence.
How did I not sense them? I only feel the temple. If that is true, then it is masking my presence as well. The beads that were Immortuos's eyes blinked twice.

" What ye obtains too cheaply, ye esteems too lightly. We may have company. Can you feel them?" He whispered lowly with a chirp of seriousness in his tone. He did not feel the need to openly say anything more than that. He left the question hand in the silence for now. Curious of his own theory with the temple.

Meanwhile he merely observed and shifted his rather large figure behind a holo-bookself in the darkness.

 

[Lord Venari]

With: Vallaro Kindall
Engaging: Darth Immortuos
Nearby: Caulder Dune

The libraries were in ruin as was the rest of the abandoned temple; Venari ran his gloved hand across a series of defunct holobooks and decrepit scrolls. If the Noghri had attempted to restore the site they had failed. So much knowledge sprawled across the cold stone floor. Most of the logs had been replicated, but to leave such power to waste away or rot in the clutches of any passerby was a travesty. Still, the Sith Lord was on a mission and time was of the essence.

Venari led the duo through one of the archway partitions that segmented the many libraries; this would be the fourth he and Vallaro had searched. As the Sith passed into the next dark repository a flare of bogan energy revealed itself, a beacon piercing the temple's veil of darkness, "there's something here. Close," impatience taking hold of him.

Miniscule beams of light washed over the Sith's cloak through the growing fissures in the ceiling. Corroded stone crunched under boot. The acidic rain had played a long game against the sanctuary, and it was beginning to win.

Venari strode across the room, shadows trailing his determined gait. A ship steering through the dark sea in pursuit of its quarry. Had the Apostate missed such an obvious find? Judging by the Noghri carcasses, they had already arrived. The Sith Loyalist approached the far corner of the room, passing one final shelf.

Behind it, a golden gauntlet stood out in the shadows. Venari's gaze followed the gauntlet up to the lumbering congealed mess of flesh and decay it was attached to. Any lesser individual would believe it a standing corpse, but through the force, at this range. Venari could see it was very much alive. His crimson blade sprung to life, "heretic," he spat in disgust. Ignoring the putrid stench of decomposition , Venari angled his weapon towards his foe, the dead apparent - made alive.

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

C:\Mission\Ally: Lord Venari
C:\Mission\ Enemies: Darth Immortuos | Caulder Dune

Fresh Corpses littered the path as the duo ventured further into the temple. Being recently killed their bodies had yet to undergo putrefaction saving Vallaro from the smell of decay. The libraries of the temple where a vast labyrinthian complex rife with corners and obtuse angles anyone could hide it. During his military days, he wouldn’t have considered pushing so far into a hostile area environment without at least four more men. Things had changed since then and the Epicanthix was far more accustomed to danger than most would ever come to be.

Instinctively he checked each corner that could conceal a threat to them. Each one was attacked with he CQB methods he’d drilled hundreds of times. Identify the angle, check forty-five degrees, then eighty, snap to ninety, repeat. While he knew Venari would detect anything that could pose a real danger Vallaro didn’t take it as an excuse to relax his approach. Experience had shown him that death waits for the slightest lapse in concentration. He was determined to maintain focus.

Stone crunched underfoot as they continued. Library after library they searched to no avail. Eventually, the duo came upon their fourth and final library. The room was large and unlike the others, it was filled with the stench of corpse rot. Venari had noticed something in the room through the force and informed Vallaro as much.

“Yeah, I can smell ‘em.” His response was muffled as he lit a cigarra between his lips. While it wouldn’t do much to block the smell, it would make him feel better about it. He exhaled and jets of smoke flew from his nostrils. His coms chirped as the lookout drone several meters behind him detected the additions of nicotine and ash in the air. “yeah yeah, that’s me” he whispered back to the drone.

Ahead Venari saw the first of their opposition; A mound of flesh bearing a gauntlet of gold. The sound of a lightsaber’s activation cut through the air as the Sith lord called out their opponent. Vallaro raised his weapon as the monstrosity before him, taking several seconds to locate the beings head amongst writhing flesh. “Now that’s an ugly one.”

 

[Caulder Dune]

Location: Main Level, Libraries
Objective: Obligatory Pre-Duel Banter
Tags: Darth Immortuos , Lord Venari , Vallaro Kindall

Adekos gave a short bark of a laugh. "Generosity? From my wallet? I think you have the wrong number."

He wound his way out of the labyrinthine basement with little issue, though he did notice someone peeking nervously out from behind a closed door. No reason to make a fuss of it if the holocron weren't down here. Those Noghri would continue to stay out of the way if they knew what was good for them.

But that was the trouble with cultists: if they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't have joined a cult.

---​

Darth Adekos walked idly out from the shadows of one bookcase, coming to a halt just beside Darth Immortus. They were apparently no longer the only dangerous figures in the temple. Two humans, or near-humans, perhaps. It was hard to tell. The weapons were a strong enough indicator of the dynamic at play - a Sith and some lackey of his.

The Dark Side roiled within and without the Sith. A Master, doubtlessly. The mercenary was harder to read for some reason, but Adekos could already sense subtle, patterned pulses of electricity. Signals couriering information from implants. A hand and... Something behind the ear. Nothing extensive.

Spend enough time studying these sorts of things, you'll never miss it.

"I don't suppose you two have come for a nice chat?" A crimson lightsaber snapped to life in his hand. "More's the pity. I hear rhetoric is something of a lost art among you people."

Adekos assumed his over-formal and all-to-proper dueling stance, one arm behind the back, blade held low but angled up. Like he wasn't already anticipating his dive for cover once that cyborg opened fire with his nasty looking gun.

"Which one do you want, Immortuous? I'm feeling partial to Darth Ponytail."

 

[Emperor Immortuos]

Location: Temple main floor, Libraries
Objective: Duel
Ally: Caulder Dune
Enemies: Lord Venari Vallaro Kindall
Equipment: Lightsaber and Gauntlet of Crassus

The slight glow enveloping those small red beads in the sockets of Immortuos's rotten head came to a dim. The two persons of interest he saw enter came apon him sooner than he knew! His sight beyond sight was short lived as the force lifted from his mortal or immortal gaze and adjusted back into the dim light of the libraries. A blink. It was then he realized he had been found.

Maybe if I stay still they will believe me to be a stand corpse. No they cant be that dumb.

The sith lord attempted it but as one of the men, no doubt a loyalist sith lord, gazed apon the golden gauntlet on immortuos's hand; It was over with. Blast!
The lightsaber ignited next and still the undead sith did not move a muscle. the faint red glow and hum of the lightsaber was a testament to the words the armed man before him hissed. Heretic. Somehow it lingered in the air, wafting about. Disgusting. It all came to a dull, the seriousness of the situation, when Adekos arrived. Darth Ponytail. Has a ring to it. Letting out a burp of all things Immortuos gazed at his partner out of the corner of his eye and ignoring the remark about his own body being ugly. " Bleh. He is about your height.." The corpse shrugged and slowly snapped his gaze to the cyborg. This will be interesting.

Did Adekos get taller?

Seeking to waste no more time chatting or pondering miscellaneous queries Immortuos made a subtle gesture with his golden gauntlet. A fist. In a subtle attempt to seize the cyborgs submachine in his grip upward with telekinesis and fire a few rounds into the ceiling as a distraction to flee for cover. If it worked. The small action left him open to attack but, that where Adekos came into play.

Hopefully.

 

[Lord Venari]

Ally: Vallaro Kindall
Enemies: Caulder Dune Darth Immortuos

Golden hued skin paled to distinct silver, a trait among his kind he did not bother to hide. The sight of one Sith separatist was an affront to Venari, now there were two. A casual if not guarded demeanor defined them. To the left by the bookshelf, the first of their quarry who appeared to be a living corpse. To the right, an Umbaran with minuscule fissures forming across his ghostly white visage, telltale traits of a Sith, former Sith. Both exuded the dark side, its energies pulsing from their very cores. Then there was that gauntlet, a beacon of power unto itself. Had they adhered to logic and remained loyal to the Empire they would've been valuable allies. Now they were as cancers in need of removal from the body, Venari and his ally would make for the finest of surgeons.

The banter between the two was akin to nails against the chalkboard. The stage was set, the opening scene ready to commence. Venari's patience: depleted absolutely.

Venari's lips parted into a half-grin, "ah the age-old paradigm never dies does it? Such an astonishing inverse with mouths as large as yours and minds so small, but I guess one should expect as much from the apostate" three additional lightsabers lifted from the back of his belt and took to the air, bathing their surroundings in brilliant red light as they hummed to life, "lets not bankrupt you what little wit remains in those decrepit skulls."

Raising his free hand the three sabers spun toward the opposing duo, "hold nothing back!" Venari shouted to his ally. The Sith Lord then charged the apostate force. Trailing his saber barrage, Venari released a torrent of force lightning on his enemies then leapt between the two, slashing at the decaying Sith, before landing in front of Adekos, his blade at the ready.

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

C:\Mission\Ally: Lord Venari
C:\Mission\Enemies: Darth Immortuos | Caulder Dune

Vallaro felt his gun tugged upwards as if grabbed by some external force. He didn’t fight the redirection of his barrel as much as he fought over control of the firing mechanism. His trigger moved, guided by some outside entity. A single round fired off before Vallaro could turn the safety on his gun, Blocking the blowback mechanisms movements. The detonite round exploded against the ceiling of the temple. Centuries old cracks in the structure widened and dirt fell to the ground. The crack of gunfire echoed through the temple like a starter pistol, announcing to all that the time for chat was over.

The hunter maintained focus as Venari launched his first barrage of attacks. While the mound of flesh had slipped his senses, they hadn’t slipped those of his drone. Quick chirps sounded in his ear as the location of his prey was revealed. It was a sly move he’d admit. Using the gun as a distraction was not something he expected from a Sith. Most where cocksure and charged him blindly, but not this one.

“Taking cover already,” he said with a grin. He moved quick, letting the monstrous Sith slip away was not part of the plan. Short controlled bursts sored through the air as the hunter fired at the cover his target hid behind. Using the self-provided cover fire, he continued forwards quickly. Detonite filled slugs would made short work of anything in their way as round after round of the shaped charges destroyed whatever matter they met.

 

[Caulder Dune]

Location: Main Level, Libraries
Objective: Exercise Right to Self-Defense
Tags: Darth Immortuos , Lord Venari , Vallaro Kindall

A bemused smirk grew across the Umbaran’s face, only to be dashed instantaneously when his foe revealed three additional lightsabers. All activated. All floating, as if moving on their own accord.​

​

And here he’d hoped this would be boring.​

​

Adekos had tampered with the lightsabers of his opponents before, just not so many at once. He’d need time to assess their construction… If he could avoid becoming finely minced for that long.​

​

The lightsabers arced towards them. It felt like staring at an incoming food processor. There was a shudder in the Force, and Adekos recognized it all too well. Lightning was to follow. Adekos lunged to the right, lightsaber quickly snapping back into its hilt. His momentum carried him forward into a precise (if a bit undignified) forward roll.​

​

Lightning and lightsabers shot through the space he previously occupied. Adekos winced sympathetically for Immortuous as he went, just in case.​

​

He snapped back to his feet, lightsaber reigniting, only to find Venari already on top of him. He acknowledged his opponent’s acrobatic skill with a derisive sneer, before spinning his blade in an upward arc.​

​

But it wasn’t a committed strike. Left unchecked, it would have passed harmlessly just over Venari’s face. It was a flourish; a distraction.​

​

His real response was to thrust his free hand forward. The Force warped into a sharp rebuke: a telekinetic shove, one with enough force to send Venari careening into his mercenary henchman if he weren’t careful.​

 

[Emperor Immortuos]

Location: Main Level, Libraries
Objective: Mind games
Tags: Caulder Dune , Lord Venari , Vallaro Kindall
Equipment: Lightsaber and Gauntlet of Crassus
x8 Infected - After Vallaro Kindall

The libraries structural integrity shook slightly under the heft of such fire power. A detonite round or something similar had to be the source. Immortuos was grateful his gut told him to flee for cover rather than outright attack. Small red eyes blazed a trail through the dark halls gazing at the spot where the Sith once was. His distraction had worked.

If he had stayed their he would of felt the devastation of force lighting and those light sabers. His head started had assisted him against the latter but the prior was the main concern now. The crackling of energy was right on his backside as he ran deeper down the hall. There was only one thing he could do on a moments notice. Immortuos's gloved hand stretched back intercepting the stream of energy into his very hand. Absorbed by the gauntlet and thus by himself.

It would come in handy. Explosions shook the shelf's engulfing them in flames. Immortuos did not stay still though. Into a unnatural crawl he skittered past the initial blast radius with a sharp right turn. Leaning against a bookshelf he let out a horrific scream from his maw. Singular in tone but soon many other voices joined his own as one. The infected attached to him opened their eyes. Detaching from their master and scattering throughout the library. The eight of them breaking into a sprint. Four crawling up the walls and book shelves to jump down from a vantage point while the others sought to flank the cyborg from behind.

Another scream was loosed from the undead sith lords maw. This time for aggressive and hostile.

Kill him. It was a command.

Skinnier and naught but a very skinny corpse in Sith attire Nulgath grimaced and mocked. " You will die here and your body will serve me in death!" Igniting his shoto saber The sith lord cautiously moved closer to the fight again. Waiting

 

[Lord Venari]

Ally: Vallaro Kindall
Enemies: Caulder Dune Darth Immortuos

The storm had been abated. Venari's lightning tethered and absorbed by the decaying Sith's golden gauntlet and the loyalist's thunderous charge brought to a halt with the sweep of Adekos' blade, the counterstrike would be met in kind. One of Venari's flying sabers batted the weapon aside. He followed up with the momentum and struck at Adekos' now exposed left side but the blow failed to connect. Instead, he was flung backward through the air. His opponent was an agile one, the palm of his free hand outstretched below the focus of the swordplay.

Perhaps there is a notable mind behind the mouth, Venari thought to himself while airborne.

Mustering control over the higher power, Venari righted himself and plunged his crimson blade into the ground slowing the blowback until he finally landed on his feet a meter out from Vallaro, "having fun yet?" He teased before charging ahead once again.

There would be no breathing room for the apostate force. Venari's flying sabers took to Adekos, swiping high and low. With enhanced speed, the loyalist beamed up and over some fallen rubble and closed the distance between him and the heretic, adding his personal weapon to the barrage of saber blows. Now in close proximity, the Katak crystal within his weapon sprung to life seeking to drain Venari's enemy but he would double up on the assault still. After a few attempted heavy strikes the Sith loyalist spun, latched onto some of the loose debris littering the ground, and added it his offensive. At the end of the maneuver, Venari's blade was striking at Adekos' side with a plethora of loose stones jetting in from above.

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

Navi [Version 10.0.18363.752]
(c) Locke and Key Mechanics. All rights reserved.

C:\Vallaro\Mission\Allies> Lord Venari
C:\Vallaro\Mission\Enemies> Darth Immortuos | Caulder Dune
C:\Vallaro\Mission\Objective> Survive the zombie horde.

---

Frantic chirping fed into Vallaro’s ear. As if from nowhere eight more targets sprang forth from his opponent. His lookout droid fed him a constant stream of information as the infected moved from their source. They were scattering, no doubt in an effort to surround him. The many structures of the library provided them with cover, but they also gave the hunter enough to work with and take care of his issue. The chirping continued and Vallaro sprang to action.

In one swift motion, Vallaro drew a Shiva knife from his rig and tossed it at a large stone bookcase ahead of him. A deafening explosion echoed through the library as the explosive elements of the blade expressed their fury and stone structure turned to rubble. Four of the infected laid either under rubble or obliterated by the force of the blast. The chirping continued. Five targets split into three groups. Two behind two above and one ahead.

“I wasn’t expecting to have this much fun!” Vallaro replied to the taunt of his opponent. Moving from cover to cover the hunter maneuvered to the group behind. Two infected moving in position to flank him. He fired two bursts; small flashes of light came from the infected’s torsos as detonite rounds removed any pretense of structural integrity the corpses had left. “three more, easy,” he thought aloud in a hushed tone as the information kept streaming into his ear.

Another blade was let loose, this time at the ceiling. Once again, the room shook as the explosion broke chucks from the ceiling revealing a small window to the floor above. Two more infected down, one target remaining. “I could do this all day!” He shouted. “One target left: he’s playing it safe. Half a mag left. So, this is where the fight really begins.”

 

[Emperor Immortuos]

Location: Main Level, Libraries
Objective: Raw powa
Tags: Caulder Dune Lord Venari Vallaro Kindall
Equipment: Lightsaber and Gauntlet of Crassus

Immortuous paused in consideration. Or was it hesitation. Either way the occurrence was common? Energy held in his gauntlet surged through out his body. It was red in appearance but did not function like electricity. It stayed fixed on the monsters form. Feeding and growing. In the adjacent area explosions sounded off almost as soon as his living dead were dispatched to attack this pest. This gunslinger. Nulgath blinked in his minds eye twice analyzing what exactly had happened. His little test was simple enough. How many enemies could the boy handle? All of them apparently. He was out of infected to use, but the location of his foe was exposed in full.

Despite the corner between them, obstacles and rubble caused from only seconds ago. Vallaro Kindall was well within the Sith Lords reach. A cold chill lingered in the air. Immortuos extended his gloved hand from hip level. Under the effects of his enhanced telekinetic strength all these objects between them were mere childs play. BOOM. A echo. No, a thunderclap, emitted throughout the room with the flick of Immortuos's hand. An invisible wave of telekinetic energy sent slamming into a bookshelf. Shifting from its position it fell like a domino onto another creating a chain reaction. Like a broom it swept up the mess caused by the detonite rounds, till half the cover the that stood between the Sith Lord and the gun man was cleared. There would be no where to hide after this. Immortuos knew this, such was the game.

There was only one problem.

These bookshelves, debris and rubble were set on a crash coarse directly a top his foe.

" Oh? You weren't expecting this much fun?" He shouted emphasizing a singular word as the energy left his hand. Behind Immorutos was the door way to the main hall. Slowly he backed up. He would of fled again but curiosity got the best of him yet again.

 

[Caulder Dune]

Location: Main Level, Libraries
Objective: Exercise Right to Self-Defense
Tags: Darth Immortuos , Lord Venari , Vallaro Kindall

Venari’s pitiless, animated weapons quickly closed the gap left by their master. A storm of slashing blades sent Adekos onto the defense, turning him into little more than a blur of twisting limbs.​

​

Darth Adekos slid into the web of the Force, deepening his concentration. His movements were fluid and precise. It would have been graceful if it weren’t so uncanny.​

​

As always, he preferred to avoid rather than counterattack, though occasionally he would bat aside one of the lightsaber blades with his own. It was only a delaying measure as he listened to Venari’s lightsabers.​

​

Venari had the telekinetic skill to freely manipulate the lightsabers as animated weapons, but Adekos perceived them in a far different way. The power that thrummed from a diatium cell, the signals that coursed through circuits, the magnetic pull of an emitter matrix.​

​

It was like a symphony to Adekos. And if you could train yourself to hear such a symphony, you could conduct it in equal measure.​

​

One by one, he’d attempt to shut those lightsabers off. Technopathy in its simplest, most frustrating form.​

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There was nothing to stop Darth Venari from just turning them back on, of course. But this would continue with dogged persistence: blades shutting off mere moments before landing a strike that would have otherwise maimed or decapitated Adekos.​

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In this way, Adekos kept pace – even as Venari rejoined the fray. Although he was forced to continue ceding ground in the face of his opponent’s far more aggressive footing and heavy strikes.​

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But then something else happened.​

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It was a small thing; barely noticeable. A transfer of essence from Adekos to Venari’s primary weapon, and then presumably to Venari himself. A siphon. A drain. Not particularly powerful, but enough to catch Adekos off guard.​

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He blinked, frowned in consternation, and this lapse saw a torrent of debris hit him square in the face. He brought up an arm for protection, fabric shredding. Cuts and scrapes appeared along his face and forearm.​

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Instinct brought his lightsaber to block the follow-up strike, but Venari got the better of it. The Umbaran’s lightsaber was ripped from his grasp, spiraling away and clattering across the floor.​

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Disarmed already. Typical.​

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Adekos jerked back, continuing his frustrating dance of avoidance. His attention came to rest on the source of the Force Drain. If it was so hungry, he would oblige it.​

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Adekos focused his intent, and diverted the full weight of the Dark Side – as he was able to muster it – into the Katak crystal. Far more than such a small specimen could contain… And more than enough to, potentially, cause it to explode in Venari’s hand.​

 

[Lord Venari]

Ally: Vallaro Kindall
Enemies: Caulder Dune Darth Immortuos

---

The offensive had been going all too well, Adekos was a slippery one but had been forced back time and time again. With each step Venari took he came one step closer to ending his first of the heretics. Still, as close as his Adekos had danced with the dark void he continued to narrowly avoid it. Unable to contend with Venari's telekinetic barrage he leveled the playing field with his own machinations.

One of the several floating weapons swung to bisect the Umbaran. Unfortunately, what should have been a final stroke of flesh and viscera yielding to the crimson blade never came to fruition. The blade had simply extinguished. Another of his flying arsenal beamed for Adekos' arm. It too had cut off before the strike could connect. One by one his weapons deactivated. Hardly a kill shot by Adekos, though it had slowed Venari down.

No matter, the Sith lord thought.

Each of the blades reignited and pushed forward the assault. The library flickered with red light as the weapons flipped on and off. His push was delayed but on another front his tactics still proved fruitful. The Katak saber had been doing wondrous work, eating away at Adekos' power at an extraordinary rate. As a matter of fact the crystal had such a bountiful feast the hilt was beginning to run hot. The final blow was drawing near, Adekos had lost hold of his own lightsaber which clattered across the ground. The time had come.

Venari swung wide with force enhanced strength toward the heretic's gut, his weapon like a small star in his hand. Before the strike could land Venari was forced to let the weapon loose. The sheer heat had burned Venari's glove and the strategy had clicked. Venari snapped one of his floating lightsabers out of the air and held his aggressive, Djem So, stance for a moment and allowed his main weapon to spin behind him, leaving it outside of the Katak's range for the moment.

Piercing the veil of the physical world once again and staring through that ethereal lens, Venari could see what Adekos was attempting. He was seething raw bogan power, allowing the Katak to eat its full and then some.

"My, my, my. You are the tricky one, aren't you?" Venari sneered.

He wouldn't await the heretic retort, instead the Sith Lord flung the saber in hand toward Adekos and lunged behind it with a jab. He allot no breathing room and this would not be an attack he could will away.

Yet again Venari's assault was thwarted. From across the library a concussive force washed over the field. Debris had been scattered and a chunk of stone collided with the loyalist hurling him into the air. His focus was lost for but a brief moment and a sharp pain ran through his right side which crashed against a nearby wall. He'd taken far worse, but Adekos was afforded a moment of reprieve.

Vallaro's opponent seemed quite the opposite of Venari's. Where Adekos was deliberate in his schemes, his decayed ally appeared to overwhelm with brute force. An effective combination, these two, he thought.

Venari came to, a small distance had grown between the opposing Sith but Venari would cover it again and again. As many times as it took. With the whip of his hand he seized more of the loose stone and debris and lunged it toward his target. The Sith Lord trailed the telekinetic attack up with another force enhanced punch. His blades sweeping in from behind Adekos. There was more to the battle still.

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

Navi [Version 10.0.18363.752]
(c) Locke and Key Mechanics. All rights reserved.

C:\Vallaro\Mission\Allies> Lord Venari
C:\Vallaro\Mission\Enemies> Emperor Immortuos | Caulder Dune
C:\Vallaro\Mission\Objective> SMG go Brrr

---

From across the room, a thunderous booming echoed. Instinctively Vallaro took to cover and waited for the concussive wave to pass. Small bits of dirt and rock scattered violently bouncing off anything in their way forming a less-lethal variation of shrapnel. A few fragments embedded themselves skin deep in the hunter while he held position and listened. The lookout drone was screaming in his ear as it spun around helplessly in the air trying to regain its balance. He muted the channel for a moment. Listening to a drone’s cries was not of any use at this moment. What the hunter had presumed was the sound of an explosion sounded unlike that of any explosive he had come to know in his career. Neither was the rumbling.

“Wait…Rumbling?” The ground shook as one towering stone bookcase crashed into another. “CHIT,” he thought as he kicked on his rocket boots. Once the bookcases where gone there would not be much in the way of cover left. The only remaining option was to close the distance.

The hunter took to the air and swiftly turned the corner of the bookcase that was his cover just as it collapsed. From his new vantage point, he could see the specter of undeath that was his opponent. “That was a good one eh? Let’s quit playing games and get to it.” He flew towards his target while firing the rest of his magazine at the Sith. Detonite rounds filled the space between them. It was an odd change of roles. Typically, it was the force user that would press forwards onto him but he didn’t mind the change. It was far more exciting this way. “Ready or not, here I come!”