Faction The Hex Trials

[Elani Zambrano]

The cold embrace of night embraced much of Dathomir as the sun disappeared upon the horizon and it's two moons were beginning to illuminate the world from the Great Canyon to the Frenzied River. Just the calls of the native creatures filled the air as night fell. Within the darkness, however, there were many gathering. Many were coming together in the night for one purpose. In the cloak of night, their movements were invisible to the unaware. They were swift as they all gathered within the dark corridor that was Neko Ilnayia Kanyon.

Upon the massive walls along the canyon, the acolytes of the Murakami watched below as other witches were coming together. Fires crackled to life as they were lit and a commotion began to rise as more and more gathered. There was a call sent out to Dathomir sent by agents of the Sith Empire. Heretics and dissidents have found themselves calling Dathomir home. They have openly betrayed their sisters and relied upon outsiders for strength. It was a pathetic and sickening revelation. One that would have to be purged before the sickness grew too powerful. That is what brought these witches and their allies within the Sith Empire together.

They were prepared to save their brothers and sisters at any cost.

"Brothers and sisters of the night. I come before you in the cloak of night asking for your help." The Black Orchid Mistress, Elani Zambrano, stood atop a large stone formation near the center of the canyon. All those who had come in order to enact this form of justice circled around her and looked up at her as she spoke. "Our sisters on this world have been turned against us. Led astray by falsehoods and tricks. I will not standby as our people are taken away by these savages."

Elani turned to look up at the moons resting int he sky above. "There is only one way to save our lost sisters. We will hunt them down and silence their voices and beg the Faceless One forgives their sacrilege. We will hunt every last one of them down until they are no more. Are you with me?"

As Elani spoke, her acolytes within the Murakami began to move int he shadows. They were preparing the hunters to be unleashed into the wild and find those who the Empire labelled as targets. The beasts grew hungrier as they were readied to be unleashed.

The hunt was soon to begin.

 

[AMCO]

A witch hunt. How very archaic.

Standing slightly apart from the rest, listening with an air of polite patience rather than fervour, was an Inquisitor, a quartet of Purification Legionnaires silently flanking him, faces hidden beneath beskar helmets.

A wry smile upon his features, he simply watched, making his observations, assessing reactions and just as importantly the lack thereof. The Witches of Dathomir were a useful asset, to the Sith. He held the rogues among them no ill will, for they had made no move towards the Empire, as far as he was aware, but even the least of treasons were treasons nonetheless.

Perhaps there were still those among them who could be salvaged, but only time would tell.

Elani Zambrano​

 

[Decimus]

​

The decimation of these traitorous heretics would not be left to solely the Sith alone. In times long past, the Nightsisters had suffered near decimation at the hands of the Separatist Droid Army during the closing years of the Clone Wars. It was thought prudent that their previous bane would be deployed once again to ensure their elimination. The former Separatist general and now present Governor of Agamar had arrived in the system aboard a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship, which loomed in orbit above the witches homeworld.

A trio of C-9979 Landing Craft emerged from one of it's hangar bays, descending towards a landing zone next to the rendezvous point. As they made landfall, their boarding ramps descended. A regiment of BX-series Droid Commandos assembled specifically for this mission emerged from within. Behind them, Aut-X himself followed, a pair of IG-100 Magnaguards following behind him as his protectors. He approached Elani with his bodyguards in tow, politely bowing before he spoke in his deep, mechanical tone of voice. "My greetings, Lady Zambrano. I have been dispatched by the Emperor to assist you in eliminating the traitor threat. My forces are at your disposal."

Elani Zambrano
AMCO

 

[Lark]

Dathomir, I've come to visit you once again. Your children just cannot behave themselves, can they?

The first time Lark was sent to Dathomir, his goal was to broker peace with a group of Nightsisters. He had hoped he might have the opportunity to stay and learn a bit from them, but they were picky with their recruits, and other circumstances forced Lark to follow a different, more personal mission. Now instead of seeking peace with the Nightsisters, he was tasked with assisting those who remained loyal and cleansing the traitors from this realm. A mission he greatly looked forward too. The Nightsisters were fascinating, Lark relished the chance to see them in action. Both alongside and against him.

Lark took a handful of berries out of his pocket, offering them to a Svarrif perched on his shoulder. The corvian Sithspawn was a silent hunter, and a near constant companion of his. His Necronomicon was left behind, this was meant to be a stealth mission and he could not risk the sickening presence the tome left behind revealing his position.

It's been a while since I've had a good hunt, Lark thought as he shifted personalities. His gaze was more cunning, his stance a bit more feral. And I cannot think of a more enticing prey.

Aut-X AMCO Elani Zambrano

 

[Sicarius Hekate]

Sicarius piloted her craft and breathed deep. The mist and the fumes of the planet triggered memories. It was good to be home. Sicarius remembered running through the villages, taming her first Rancor. Sicarius mumbled a spell under her breath. Nothing taxing just something to protect herself from the elements of the world. It was a basic spell, a tool that all Nightsisters learnt. In fact it was often the first one they learn

She supposed it was unfortunate that her purpose for being their, to return to her homeplanet, her childhood home was to hunt down her traitorous sisters of the night. Truth be told the entire fiasco was more than a little embarrassing for those Nightsisters such as herself who were still loyal to the Sith. As far as Sicarius was concerned all those who stood against the Sith were traitors and deserved a traitors death. Personally Sicarius was a little amused at the literal witch hunt. She wondered if she would see an actual witch burning.

Sicarius briefly wondered which hunting party to attach herself to, the decision was an easy one of course. In order to reaffirm Nightsister loyalty and value to the Sith Empire she would of course join the loyal Elani Zambrano. Truth be told Sicarius was also looking forward to seeing Maelridae in action.

“Greeting Mistress. I beg for the honour of joining you in this Purge. To demonstrate true Nightsister loyalty to the empire.”

Lark Aut-X AMCO

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

The forests of Dathomir might be a little warm for a Whiphid's taste, but this excursion had its compensatory charms.

Like, say, blind Sithspawn raptors that could run at 250kph down a forest trail, and were unusually susceptible to Dark Side control.

Velok stood on a trail, feeling the reverberations of the running beast in the ground and hearing them too. They Dopplered furiously as one of the Maelridae came around a bend.

<Turn,> he snarled, and it really tried. Its chitinous tail skidded along his ribs, tearing out a strip of fur. Its claws scrabbled on the trail.

At two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour, the blind Sithspawn smashed into a tree.

The whole Whiphid hunting party busted a gut, laughed so hard it shook the ground.

<Again!>

<My turn!>

<How does it taste raw, or do we need to cook it?>

 

[Elani Zambrano]

The mistress of the Murakami gave a wicked grin as the witches before her cheered on, raising their weapons into the sky chanting Dathomiri words in celebration. A hunt of this undertaking had never been done before in recorded history. Nor was the prey ever their own. NEvertheless, the witches were just as bloodthirsty as they were trained to be. Elani's Murakami acolytes stood at her side, watching out into the crowd, vigilant for anything suspicious within such as spies or those who'd challenge Elani's authority.

"The Murakami welcomes all in this hunt. The more the merrier. The faster we destroy these heretics, the sooner Dathomir becomes safe once more."

Elani pulled out a metal disc from her pocket and held it in her palm. From it, a holographic display of Dathomir displayed. On the hologram, several blips manifested across the planet's surface. About five blips in total could be seen by those around Elani.

"These are the covens that we have irrefutable evidence of their heresy against the Nightsisters and the Sith Empire. My scouts are watching over these covens as we speak, ensuring that they remain unaware of the hunt. The Howling Crag Clan reside here near the Frenzied River. The Bright Sun Clan can be found near Redgill Lake. The Misty Falls Clan are near Misty Falls. Finally, the Great Canyon Clan are found within the Great Canyon. We will accept prisoners, however, each of their clan mother's must die. Once you kill them, they will surely surrender themselves. If they do, bring them here to Black Orchid Canyon and I shall bring them into the Murakami. Should they refuse to surrender, then kill them. Are there any questions?"

AMCO Aut-X Sicarius Hekate Lark
Velok Brokentusk ​

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

Velok's eyes tightened as Elani Zambrano went on. He gnawed pensively on a maelrid drumstick.

"I've got a few," he said in fluent and colloquial Basic, picking a shred of Sithspawn meat from between his tusks with a knifepoint. The knife in question was his grandpa's orbalisk-shell cleaver. "Well, more comments than questions.

"First off, I think you're dead wrong about them surrendering once you kill their matriarchs. All the Dathomiri I've known are a lot like my people: individualistic, brave, resilient, strong on home turf. Your plan will just make them fade into the hills and go guerrilla with ten times as much fury as they had. And then the Blackblades move in and so forth, and congratulations: you've just erased the planet." The nine-hundred-pound Whiphid laughed without humor.

"Second thing, we were promised a worthwhile hunt, not murdering the old ones in their huts.

"And while my two issues may seem opposed, it's probably because your plan tells us to do a weak, contemptible thing without reckoning the consequences. I'm a Darksider, not...whatever this is, Zambrano."

AMCO Aut-X Sicarius Hekate Lark

 

[Lark]

Lark listened to Elani's speech, passively roaming the grounds where their allies gathered. The urge to hunt forbid him from standing still, though he could take a moment to appreciate the allure of the local they huddled in. He knelt and softly plucked on of the fairy-like orchids that painted the ground, admiring its delicacy. There was a certain charm and allure to the place, although the angelic white flowers would be painted scarlet by night's end. Nothing so beautiful remained so for eternity.

There were four separate clans that must be brought to their knees, if coordinated well all of them could be dealt with without any of the others realizing what was happening. But after a few questions were raised, absolute cooperation appeared a bit out of reach.

Some of the Whiphid's inquires had merit. Whether or not an almost absolute annihilation of the treasonous nightsisters was the wisest course of action would take months, if not years, of debate. Some of Lark's other personalities would be delighted to share a cup of tea with someone and discuss the morality of such an act versus a more merciful one, but at the moment Lark attuned himself with the persona of an aloof hunter. He cared not whether a few traitorous nightsisters survived the night. If they did and continued to spread havoc, that was just another opportunity Lark had to study them.

"If they don't surrender after their matriarchs meet their end, that just means we've failed in our duty as hunters," Lark said, orchid still in hand. "And let me assure you of one thing, friend. The Clan Mothers are no idle prey. Surviving in a land such as this, after all Dathomir has been through? They've earned their reputation. You'd be wise not to underestimate them. Dismissing them as old hags only assures your own untimely fate. Traitors or not, they are Witches of Dathomir all the same."

"If the prospect of that concerns you, perhaps you'd prefer to play here, ramming mindless beasts into trees," Lark continued, a slight taunt in his tone. The Whiphid was strong, and Lark had a feeling he'd only be stronger if challenged. "The rest of us will embark on the hunt. Perhaps one day, you'll be fortunate enough to hear a tale of the cleansing of Dathomir."

Finally, he turned to Elani Zambrano. "If you've no complaints, I'll head towards the Frenzied River immediately. All who would like to are welcome to join me, or if you'd rather me hunt somewhere else that's fine."

Ultimately, Lark had a goal he kept secret from all of those around him. Whether or not the opposing nightsisters unwillingly helped him see it fulfilled, or the loyal witches assisted him as a reward for his service, it was no concern to him. As long as he was able to see his goals realized, nothing else mattered. Let the witches burn their brethren to death, if that's what it comes to. So long as they help me find my sister.

Elani Zambrano Velok Brokentusk AMCO Aut-X Sicarius Hekate

 

[AMCO]

Should they refuse to surrender, then kill them.

Quite the absolute statement, and one the Inquisitor would surely make a token effort to follow - but if the opportunity presented itself for him to acquire new test subjects... waste not, want not.

"Perhaps they will surrender with the death of their leaders, perhaps they will not. Either way, the act will cripple their ability to resist. They may try to fight from the hills, honoured hunter, but they will not last long." Smiling softly, he nodded to Lark. "On that note, I believe I will accompany you."

Another Sith with whom he was on good terms, and which he outranked too boot. All the better to conceal a little acquisition or two. Quietly signalling a Primyn vessel in orbit, a dozen Lancer-pattern War Droids would be deployed near the Howling Crag Clan's little hiding place. Some would run, certainly, and they would be there to pick them off - or better yet bag and drag them back to his own people.

Lark | Elani Zambrano , Velok Brokentusk , Aut-X, & Sicarius Hekate​

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

AMCO Lark Aut-X Elani Zambrano Sicarius Hekate

The big Whiphid sneered tuskily. "Go along with the princess's whim, then. Sell your spinelessness to yourselves as you see fit. And here I thought this gathering couldn't earn more contempt."

Velok discarded the maelrid thighbone.

"Feel free to have the last word."

He held up a fist the size of a human ribcage. Grumbling in their own tongue, the Whiphids trooped out, bound elsewhere.

 

[Lark]

Lark only sighed as the Whiphids departed, but one would detect no true sincerity, pride, or regret from his words. Perhaps I pushed too far, they are a proud bunch. But nonetheless, there was a hunt to enjoy. He joined Adrian alongside the man's impressive arsenal of droids and military vehicles, and departed towards the Frenzied River. He wasn't certain what the differences between the clans were, if there were any. There were innumerable clans throughout time, and as interesting as each individual tribe would be to study, he had nary the time to devote the necessary attention to each one. Other goals had driven him for the past months. In truth, he only selected the Frenzied River as a destination because it sounded the most fascinating.

He was glad to be joined by Adrian, and of course others might join them in time. He wasn't certain how Elani planned on dividing the troops, perhaps they'd all band together and sweep over the tribes individually? Or they'd separate their forces and coordinate attacks against all the Clans at once? Regardless, Lark had a feeling he'd work well with Adrian. Despite his defeat at the Knight's hands in a tournament not to long ago, Lark was focused enough to not hold any bitterness towards the man. They had a mutual appreciation for the other's skills, and their motivations aligned with one another.

Of course, the net time they fought Adrian wouldn't be so lucky.

"Your goals don't elude me," Lark muttered with a smile, out of earshot from the others. "Fortunately, I too have an intense interest in the secrets the Nightsisters have to offer. Such an odd little grouping. Let's compare findings, shall we?"

AMCO Elani Zambrano Velok Brokentusk Aut-X Sicarius Hekate

 

[AMCO]

The Acolyte knew, then, that Adrian had hardly come to engage in frivolous butchery. Not surprising, given their previous meetings. "Why not, their secrets are not mine to keep, only to utilise. I am sure we can be of benefit, to each other."

Benefit, yes, though perhaps more in Lark's favour, this time. The Acolyte did not have his resources, after all, and certainly not the Saaraishash's resources. He had potential, however - and the venture investor in Adrian was ever eager to invest in potential.

---

The Frenzied River. An appropriate name, though he couldn't help but imagine that a "Howling Crag" would have been more defensible. They could run, and they no doubt had magical defences, of some kind, but their foes could come at them from every side.

Nodding to the nightsisters near them, he stroked the talisman on his right index finger. His modifications to his own body had forced him to wear a taozin amulet to avoid lighting up like a sithmas totem on their prey's senses, but they would come in handy, if he had to take on a Clan Mother.

He would prefer to simply slit her throat as she slept, of course. Or better yet bind her to his will, but that would likely be tempting fate.

Lark | Anyone else.​

 

[Lark]

One of the first true memories Lark could remember of his brother was the two of them running through the forests of Myrkr. The dense jungles offered so many places to hide, the two would take turns playfully hunting each other. His elder brother won more often than he did, but considering Lark was only four at the time, that was to be expected. But when the two of them played against other children in the area as a team, they were unstoppable. Fii Chie, the woman who organized the kidnapping of his brother, stated that the two of them were miracles, and together they could accomplish whatever they wanted together.

Lark turned Fii into a Kragien Dreg, and she now mindlessly wandered some Sith prison camp endlessly, mind full of the most frightening of his own personal thoughts. She wasn't able to offer much information about his brother, except for the fact that he had escaped whatever slave facility he was originally held in. Now Lark once again searched for his brother, and he was much older and more experienced than he was fifteen years ago.

Hunting the Nightsisters in the jungles of Dathomir reminded Lark of his childhood, and the boy he used to be. No matter how hard he tried to purge that from his mind, he couldn't forget. Lark wasn't the same boy he was back then. He wasn't anyone, really. He shifted his persona as often as the tides changed, he could act as a highborn noble as easily as a lowly drug-addicted dreg, and no one would be any the wiser. He had no true self, no real identity.

Lark was just a word.

While he doubted even the Nightsisters could find his brother, his sister was a different story. He had a name of a slaver, Assim Papirs, who stole her when she was still a child. At one point she spent time in the lava mines of Kadavo, and she was bought by someone on Typha-Dor. If he could get his hands on Papirs, or the name of the family who bought his sister, perhaps he could finally find some answers. Or finally kill the child within him.

"Need to get me one of those," Lark whispered, nodding towards Adrian's amulet. Lark's own aroma was noticeably vile, it took quite a bit of focus to suppress it, and he wasn't even carrying his Necronomicon. "We should keep quiet, at least at first. You need subjects, I need information. Noise will make those acquisitions more difficult."

Of course, he would never underestimate the Nightsisters. Who knew what tricks they had up their sleeves. But Lark and the forces around him were more than capable as well. Together, they'd sneak towards the camp, keeping a careful eye for any patrols or sentries. The luckiest Nightsisters would perish in the upcoming encounter.

Those who fell into Lark or Adrian's grasp would suffer a much more gruesome fate.

AMCO

 

[AMCO]

Smirking slightly, the Adrian nodded. "They do come in handy... and agreed."

Slithering through the woods alongside their Nightsister allies, they began to see eerie lights in the distance - the witch camp, no doubt. An outer sentry was pulled into the shadows by one of their allies, perhaps never to be seen again... but as they made their final approach, the young Knight put his foot down... only for a keening wail to erupt. Talisman of warding, perhaps. Shit.

"Now or never!"

Breaking into a jog, the Sorcerer pushed his way through the remaining foliage, bursting through to witness a camp leaping into action at the bank of a river that was, indeed, rather fierce-looking.

Already gathering his power, his right arm snaked forth, unleashing a torrent of lightning that sent a pair of sleepy-looking witches emerging from a tent to the ground, bodies spasming as their screams tore through the night, soon followed by the clashing of blades and eerie chanting.

They had lost the element of surprise, but it was already too late for the rogue witches. Far too late.

Lark​

 

[Lark]

Although the howl that echoed in the valleys surrounding the Frenzied River served to alert the Nightsisters of intruders, it now only sang a harsh melody of slaughter. Once the Sith had been found out, there was no point in attempting to remain shrouded in the briers and brush. Together with their allies, the Sith emerged from the thorns like a pack of reapers, bringing fire and blood to what the Sisters must have thought to be a completely sealed kingdom. All those who were alert were eliminated first, and those who awoke from their slumber were quickly trust back into a more permanent darkness.

One particularly brave witch charged towards Lark, but her technique was sloppy and easily exploitable. He evaded her strike and unsheathed his enchanted dagger, its clawed blade tore up her throat and she fell to the ground, gasping for air.

He left her there as she pitifully tried to seal the wound with her hands, but her abnormally pale skin was even more ghastly from blood loss. She wasn't powerful enough to be of any assistance to Lark. Surely it couldn't be this easy? Even when caught unaware, the Nightsisters wouldn't fall without struggle.

On cue, a delightfully powerful sensation cast itself over the camp. The Nightmother, flanked by two of her most powerful spellcasters, chanted in preparation for a miasmic storm of eldritch power. Had I known our attempts at stealth would have been so disastrous, I would've brought the Necronomicon. Perhaps that would've countered whatever they're attempting.

Before anyone could move to intercept the ritual, the Nightmother and her elites unleashed a storm of leeches from the malodorous wave of power they had spawned. They tore through the camp, latching on to Sith soldiers and writhing underneath their armor. Allied Nightsisters did their best to ward off the spell, but the combined power of the three casters was mightier. Leeches burst from the bodies of fallen warriors. including the young acolyte Lark had recently slain. They swarmed at him, and he couldn't react quickly enough to evade them. Leeches covered his skin, draining his blood, growing more bulbous by the second. No matter how many he removed, more and more took their place.

Lark was sure the Nightmother had some use for their blood, that scarlet ichor was a powerful substance. But before he could capture the Nightmother or one of her casters, the Sith had to deal with the growing tempest of blood-starved leeches.

AMCO

 

[AMCO]

For a few moments, they had the element of surprise - and they made those moments count.

Then the Clan Mother - the false Nightmother - took to the field, her ashen hair billowing with wind-that-wasn't even as she wove her magic and the magics of the strongest of her clan into a potent spell. Take them out, lethally or not, and the battle was won.

Unfortunately, she was fast, very fast.

Though he had been gathering the entropic energy of the Dark Side into a blast powerful enough to finish the fight before it even started, he was forced to weave it into a defensive lattice instead, unnatural leeches bursting from nearby corpses in order to throw themselves against his barrier. His fellow Sith, however, did not fare nearly as well - and the loyal witches too were struggling, though the legionnaires fared better. Hermetically sealed armour.

Even that would not last forever, though. The leeches had to go.

Smiling coldly, he shifted his pose, crimson flames bursting from his hands as he chanted in Sith before unleashing a wave of energy - the leeches that had feasted quite literally burst, their unfed kin perishing less spectacularly. Any human-sized beings in the area would merely feel horribly uncomfortable, their blood sloshing about briefly.

It took effort to break through the natural barriers of the human body, but bugs, insects, and yes, leeches? That was easy.

Lark​

 

[Lark]

Lark couldn't remember whether or not he had ever had his blood drained before. He had encounters with vampiric creatures before, and vividly recalled enjoying when one bit into him. But she hadn't drank any of his blood or any of that nonsense, that madwoman had just tried to eat him. This? This was a different feeling entirely. Dozens of leeches glued themselves to his skin and slurped his blood like it was tea, and Lark could feel the leeches growing more bulbous as he grew more faint.

And then, fire saved him once again.

Lark's innards were burning, but that was a familiar sensation. Adrian's flames burned away most of the leeches that attempted to devour him, and the pink flesh scarred from an inferno so many years ago revealed itself once more, after Lark's dark cloak caught fire. And through it all, Lark made naught a sound. No taunts towards the Clan Mother, no screams of agony, not even a humorous chuckle. Only a delicate smile masked his face, as he let the flames eat away at the rest of the leeches. He didn't feel a thing. The Clan Mother and her subordinates might hold secrets that could reveal the location of his sister. For her, Lark would fight through anything. Even the most primordial of elements was barely more than a nuisance.

Once the leeches had dispersed, Lark shed the flames from his body with a wave of energy. With a wave of his hand, he collected a bit of the fire that Adrian had spread, and molded it into a sphere of power. The heat continued to exterminate the leeches around him, and Lark sent it towards the source. The storm of leeches grew weaker as the flames ate them away, and the Clan Mother and her two protectors shrank back a bit. Despite the blood loss, Lark stood tall. He would not fail in what he set out to do.

There was nothing the witches could do that would be worse than what had already been done to him.

AMCO

 

[AMCO]

The Clan Mother was strong, very strong - maybe even stronger than him - but she had little experience fighting proper Sorcerers, just her own kind and the lesser Force Users of the galaxy. Her inexperience would be her undoing.

For a moment, the trio shied away from Lark's fire, but the woman gathered her power once more, dispersing the fireball in mid-air.

She was the centrepoint, the focus, without her it was over - but they were important too, and much more vulnerable.

His icy gaze fell upon the witch to the Clan Mother's left - ashen haired like her, but younger, a daughter perhaps? The weakest link.

When he struck, it was with none of the earlier fanfare. No curses were shouted, no fingers waggled - one moment the young witch stood strong, ready to face the attackers, and then their eyes met. Uncertainty, doubt, the hint of fear - it was all he needed. For a moment his eyes resembled pits of the blackest ink, and then she gasped, stumbling backwards as reality was replaced with nightmares...

... and just like that, the chain was broken.

Lark​

 

[Lark]

Fire quickly subsided into harmless embers and smoke, the combined might of the daughters and Clan Mother successfully fended off Lark's retaliatory strike. But despite their might, it was still a losing battle. The leech swarm was a good countermeasure, but only for a moment. There was only so much they could do against the might of the Sith. Witch after witch fell, until only a few remained standing. Adrian shattered the mind of one of the more resilient daughters, leaving only the mother and one more vanguard as the only true threats remaining. But without the third, they were substantially weaker. Their protective wards and chaotic attacks would feel paltry compared to what they performed before.

And through all the blaster fire and death throes, Lark saw something that captivated him more than anything he had bore witness to in quite some time.

The lone remaining daughter by her mother's side did not react with horror or pity at her sister's condition. Once Adrian broke that little child's mind, her gaze shifted to one of immense, pleasurable, curiosity. She studied her sister's nightmarish screams, how she clawed at her skin as though possessed by some foul entity.

Lark then knew who his quarry was.

He dashed forward as the mother and daughter became separated amongst the chaos, his blade clashed with the daughter's staff. Her hair was nocturnally black, skin as pale as snow. A haunted specter from some haunted fairy tale brought to life. She tried to pull the same trick Adrian pulled on her sister on Lark, forcing her own wretched thoughts into his. And how horrible they were. Perhaps more terrifying than his own. But Lark's mind was warped in ways no one could truly comprehend, its true darkness unknowable even to him.

And the daughter thrived on it. She laughed even as her grip broke, and her staff fell to the ground in pieces. Before Lark knocked her unconscious, the last thing he saw was the insatiable hunger in her eyes.

He had bore witness to inter-dimensional beings, and creatures so dark and powerful they were nearly beyond understanding. His own misdeeds were enough to make the most twisted of individuals soil their loins. And the hunger within this woman was only thing he had ever seen, beyond his own memories of his sister, that frightened him.

Lark smiled sweetly. She would be a wonderful ally to have.

AMCO