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(5.16) Out of the Abyss
Out of the Abyss
City of Disperes
Core World of Mearisa
October 2nd, 1936
The half darkened half candle lit bedroom was filled with the young girl's scream of pain and suffering. Echoing just under the screams were the harmonious voices of the four people around the bed chanting. The struggle between light and darkness was not seen by the four but clearly felt by all. In the center of the room was a small bed with a young female Twi'lek thrashing about on the bed. She was dressed in a humble off white nightgown. Her body covered with sweat as her arms flailed about and her legs kicked the bed. At the head of the bed was a older Twi'lek man reading from a book as he chanted. His eyes filled with worry, concern and fear for the girl laying on the bed. Holding his left hand stood a Twi'lek woman reading from book as well. Her face reflected the same emotions as the man her eyes would look at for support in this time of need. At the foot of the bed draped in the robes of the Galactic Church stood a Nautolan. It was clear that the Nautolan Priest was a powerful man within his faith, he was the focal point of the light within the room. He read from a gold bound book with red trim and sprinkling liquid over the girl. Each chant, and each dose of liquid caused the girl's body to react almost violently. To his left stood a younger Nautolan man of faith waving their Holly symbol over girl chanting loudly as the girl screamed out once more. The battle had been joined only moments ago and the two Priests were sure that they could defeat what had taken route in the girl's body. Only one man in the room knew better. Mr Gold!
In the far corner stood the well dressed man known only as Mr. Gold. He stood silently half leaning against the wall and half leaning on his jewel tipped cane. Mr. Gold's head was slightly lowered but his eyes were fixed on the events that were taking place on and around the bed. None of them knew that he was the cause of what was happening to the girl now. He marked her yesterday for what was taking place today. Being the local go to man for the underworld and forgotten, the family turned to him for help. He came to the house in the early morning to check on the girl. He suggested summoning the local Church for help. The family were not completely trusting of the Church, however Mr. Gold had assured them everything would be fine. Now, he stood silently and watched while he hid himself within the Force from the two powerful Light Siders. The battle was much more intense than he had suspected, the mark on the girl fought hard against the powers of the Light while her body was made ready for what was coming. Mr. Gold watched with great amazement as the Nautolan masterfully commanded the Light Side powers despite the extreme tainting of the world itself. 'Fight harder my friend, for your own powers are needed if this is to work.' Mr. Gold thought coldly as the girl screamed out once more in pain. None of them could possible know that they were watching her die a very slow and painful death while a new darker life was returning to this world. He smiled as the girl let out one last scream of pain and he felt its dark presence enter the room. “Welcome home” he mumbled under his breath as the ancient Sith ritual came to its conclusion.
“The demon has grown in power Bishop!” cried the younger priest. He held the Holly Symbol over the girl as her body seemed to come to a rest.
The older Priest didn't look up from his book, “Keep reading Father Tiz” Bishop Losa said as he shook more liquid on the girl, “We must save the girl from this demon.”
All of a sudden young girl's body bent completely upward in the center as her back became like a mighty arch. Her hands pushed her body upward as she screamed out her death cry while her body continued to rise up off the bed supported by her bare feet and hands. The girl's father looked in to the girls face with horror as her eyes shot open and reviled the dark truth of the situation. Her eyes glowered an ominous black as he watched his daughter becoming possessed by a dark presence. Terror filled the older Twi'lek's heart as he dropped the book and stepped back from the bed followed by the female Twi'lek. Both betrayed their true feelings across their face as horror took hold of them. The girl's body dropped back to the bed as Bishop Losa summoned up his own life force and unleashed it on the darkness within the room. It was a futile effort as the darkness had already taken hold within the girl and the tainting of the world now protected it. Mr. Gold watched the battle come to its predetermined conclusion. 'Everything is just as it was meant to be' he thought still holding his smile about his face, 'now we shall raise once more.'
“Demon, I command you in the name of our Lord on High! Leave this CHILD AT ONCE!” Bishop Losa commanded as he readied another powerful force skill. He refused to accept that this battle was over. He was determined to save this young girl's soul as well as her life. “I command you DEMON, LEAVE HER!”
The Girl slowly set up from the bed looking at her arms almost in amazement and oblivious to the statements of Bishop Losa. As his second statement was uttered, she finally turned to him and smiled, “I just got here. Now you want me to leave?” she said continuing to stand up slowly. The darkness of the world filled her completely and the delight in her now normal looking eyes showed her excitement. “You command me!”
She had every intention of completing that statement however, Bishop Losa had other intentions. He leaned back and spread his arms, “I summon thy, the might of Our Lord! Banish this Darkness from thy realm!” he said as a powerful blast of light spread outward from him. Even though this world has been touched throughly by darkness, Bishop Losa still yielded considerable light side powers. He was chosen to lead the Church's efforts on this world to rid it of darkness. For the past ten years, he had made it, his personal mission to cleanse this world of its tainting. It was also his final ruling that under its correct leadership, that cleansing was not possible. That the suffering had to be brought to an end before the efforts could be successful. The effects from the wave of light on Mr. Gold went unnoticed by all. He gritted his teeth in pain as he was caught unprepared for the blast that hit him. His eyes glowered black reviving the true nature of what had taken hold within. With all eyes focused on the girl now standing on the bed, he suffered through the maximum effects of the blast with barely a growl of something beyond the grave. The smoke slowly rose from his fine business suit as the pain from the light based attack subsided. Its affects on him were very noticeable had anyone been watching. Luckily, all eyes were still fixed on the main event in the center of the room.
The girl let out a demonic scream as she rose her hands up against the wave. Hate and anger filled the room as the demon darkness fought against the Light Side of the Force. As the unseen struggle between light and darkness took place, the girl and Bishop Losa locked eyes. Her face filled with the twisted expression of anger and hate while his face showed his attempts to remain focused and calm in light of the demon before him. His faith was unwavering within his traditions. However she was simply more powerful than he was. She tapped the endless source of suffering and darkness within the world and turned it against him. “Long before your Order walked the stars” she said as she lunged her arms forward sending a blast of dark energy back at Bishop Losa. He flew backwards riding the blast wave which hit him, “My Order reigned supreme over all.” she walked towards the foot of the bed drawing upon the force of darkness around her. She could feel her powers surging as the light around her started to diminish.
“Return to hell, Demon!” Father Tiz cried as he moved forward to unleash his own light side attack on her.
Without taking her eyes off of Bishop Losa, who she knew was the real threat, she brought the back of her hand upward towards Father Tiz. As he readied his attack she twisted her hand around to point her palm at him and pushed outward. The test of wills was hardly a test for her. Father Tiz tried to resist the dark power of the Force but in the end, the darkness empowered her beyond his own will. He was lifted up and thrust backwards as he screamed. He landed against the wall near the ceiling with a loud crashing sound. He hit so hard that his body actually dented the wall and bounced him off. As he landed with a loud thud, the mother cried out for the girl's father to do something. The girl noticed that Bishop Losa was not getting up at this moment and turned to face the other threats in the room. 'If you could call them threats' she thought with glee as she saw the Twi'lek girl's mother and father standing together just a meter from the head of the bed.
“I brought you in to this world!” the Twi'lek man said drawing out his twin blasters, “I swear to God I will take you out of it!”
He won the moment, however just as he was taking aim he realized that it was his own daughter. The illusion was all that his heart needed to force his pause. He could not see that his daughter was gone and now something darker stood before him. All he saw was just the little girl whom just yesterday seemed so happy and cheerful over her new necklace that Mr. Gold gave her. He had a chance to end this once and for all. He blinked and in that moment he lost the advantage he had, and their only hope of survival. The girl raised both hands towards them and smiled as darkness filled the room once more. The bluish light cast shadows around the room as crackling sounds echoed. The Twi'lek pair screamed out as the lighting pulsated over their bodies. The girl continued to smile as she lifted them both off the ground through the mere power of her Force driven lighting. It surged as it continued to flow from her hands towards the pair suspended in the air. It was already more than enough to kill the pair, but this was all about suffering. The darkness within the girl wanted them to suffer and feel every bit of their death which was at hand. The bluish glow cast about her face dance as she grinned while she watched them suffer under her powers. she could feel their suffering in every new bolt pulsating over their bodies, still she grinned as the bluish light continued to dance over her face. She would have continued this for longer had it not been for Bishop Losa.
Not fully recovered from his earlier wounds, but still enough to continue to the battle. Holding his symbol of Faith tightly, he called once more upon the Light side, “Darkness shall not exist within the Light!” Another blast of Light surged from him once more. Not as powerful as his first attack, but still able to deal a hefty blow. The blast hit both Mr. Gold and the girl once more. Mr. Gold faired much better this time as he was more prepared for the attack. However the girl wasn't as prepared as much for this attack. She turned her head towards Bishop Losa while her eyes once more revealed the truth of who she really was.
The girl was forced forward towards the head of the bed as the wave of light slammed in to her. The blast broke her concentration and her lighting stopped immediately. The Twi'lek pair fell to the floor, lifeless. The loss of suffering brought even more anger to the girl's face as she turned fully towards Bishop Losa once more. Her growl was so menacing that even the highly experienced Bishop was forced to pause. “I grow tired of you just as I am of your Order!” she said as she reached out with the Force and grabbed him by his neck. He choked as her will shot over his and allowed her power to crush his windpipe. “Do not forget that I still remember what your Order did to us on Dorin. Backstabbing snakes, the whole lot of you!” she said as she walked back towards the foot of the bed. Bishop Losa choked more as he was lifted off the ground by the power of darkness around him. “Do you think that all of you would not be held for what you have done! Did you think we would forget that day!” He choked even more as his eyes bulged. He tried to unleash another wave of light at her, but lacked the strength behind the effort to harm her. “After all that Lord Murl and the rest of us had done for your cause” she said as she lifted her hand and he rose higher in to the air, “YOU WOULD BETRAY US!” She said with pure hate in her eyes. Bishop Losa's head spun around the neck as a snapping sound echoed in the room. His body went limp and head dangled to the side, as the powerful light sider was killed.
The morning seemed nearly prefect in setting if not for the fact of where they were. Ashla softly yet playfully kicked Visst awake. She stood over him with a cup of coffee and a smile on her face. She looked around as the sun was just raising over the hills. The morning clouds hung low in the valley giving the illusion that they were camping along the banks of a lake of clouds basked in golden rays of sunlight. She had taken the opportunity to cook breakfast for the three of them. For the first time in her life, Ashla knew in her heart that she was where she was meant to be. It gave her a great sense of relief and comfort. She owed allot of this to the Jedi Master she now followed. As he woke up she smiled down at him with a broad playful smile, “Thank you”
As the morning started to take hold, Visst knew that he was where they needed to be. The revelations of the night before and the days past gave him great sense of concern and hope. He knew that he needed Master Murl's help if he was to take on his next major challenge. He wasn't completely sure if he would be able to achieve this task alone. Still he was left with a great number of questions and wanted a greater number of answers. Speaking with Master Murl was one task that had to take place soon. As the morning light slowly rose higher in to the sky, Visst set atop of a rock meditating about the events that he had witnessed. His mind keenly focused and his thoughts clear of distractions. He could feel the darkness of the world moving around him. Its tainting was clear, powerful and absolute. It brought back memories of the stories which he read about Korriban and how the Jedi Order of this Galaxy had cleansed it. Like Korriban, this world was tainted entirely. He knew that the cleansing of Korriban took months of cleansing by many powerful Jedi Scholars. He knew that alone he couldn't cleanse the entire world. However, he was sure that with the help of Master Murl and Master Heartman he should be able to cleanse this one area.
It was in that moment he felt a ripple through the Force. In that moment he felt the loss of a powerful light sider within the Force. The death was painful, surrounded by hate and anger and on this world. It caused Visst to loss his focus during his meditation as the loss was felt. Visst looked down in sadness as he couped with the loss. The loss and sensation gave Visst once more a greater resolve to cleanse this world in due time. However it also gave him a greater concern of what is in store for them. As the loss washed over him, Visst slowly recovered his focus and returned to his meditation. He focused on the Force and the light within him. He forced the darkness around him back some and was once more able to clear his thoughts.
Mr. Gold smiled as he moved off the wall once more. His cane echoed in the room as he stepped forward, “Greeting Master Shakka. Welcome to the realm of the living once more.”
The young girl turned to him with disgust in her eyes, “Really Vor'en, a child?” She said looking at the girls body once more. “You could not have found me something a bit more, say, older?” The child's body was hardly anything of what she had wanted in a new vessel. It was not what she was expecting when he summoned here to her new body.
Mr. Gold's smile never faded, “I know how much you love Twi'leks and given the time you gave me, I really didn't have the opportunity to find something more fitting. If you wish, we can do this once more at a later date.”
The girl leaped off the bed, “No, this will do. I guess I shall have to grow in to it. Get me some clothes Vor'en.” she commanded as she walked around the bed, “I want to have a word with this good friar” she said kneeling over to the unconscious Father Tiz.
Mr. Gold nodded, “Yes Master” he said as he turned and started going through the closet and dresser. “Truthfully Master, I have to admit. Your new body mirrors allot of what your own natural beauty was before your passing” he said carefully. Unlike his own new vessel, he choose her for good reason. Yes he had limited time but the girl's body was everything he saw in her before she died. There was a sense of courage and bravery about the girl that Shakka shared. He remembered how she smiled and laugh during training. She was an upper class man, but still he had hoped to earn her love. And together they could build a family. However that all chanced. That was before she fell in love with Lord Murl. His loyalty was and still is for her. He follows Lord Murl only because she does. He would follow her in to the fires of hell and gladly burn for her.
No longer listening to the ramblings of him, she placed her hands on Father Tiz's head, “he will tell me all he knows about this world we woke up to” she said coldly as she spread her fingers across his temples. “Open your mind to me” she commanded as dark powers once more filled the room. She smiled as the time slowly ticked by. “Remarkable” she said as she started to sift through his memories and knowledge. “It would appear that he recently had a meeting with a military power that is planning an attack on this world” she explained. “The attack has been postponed for some reason that they were unaware of.” She shifted her hands a bit, “It would appear that the Jedi of this Galaxy are nothing of what we left them. They have become weak and whores to this highest bidder.” She could feel his intelligence slowly being drained from his mind as she continued to rob him of what he knew. She really could care less about it. However she had a mission to complete. She stopped before he mind would be useless to them. Standing up she turned to Mr. Gold once more, “Did you get the holocron?”
Mr. Gold laid out the last item of clothing that he knew she would wear. “Well, that is a funny story.” He knew her tastes in everything unlike Lord Murl. To Lord Murl, she was a trophy to be displayed. To him, she was someone special. He knew all of her inner most secrets. To her, he was a trusted friend. To him, she was something that he almost dared dreaming of.
She walked around the bed back towards him, “What do you mean a funny story?” she demanded.
He also knew of her temper and what she is capable of doing. “It would appear that a Jedi Master, well not of this whore of an Order, had accrued the Holocron before I could. Though he might have been from this Order.....” he tried to explain.
Rage filled her heart and mind at the report. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN!” She reached out with the force and grabbed him by the throat. “Tell me you killed this Master and retrieved our Holocron!”
As he was lifted off ground he choked, “N.....” fighting for air he struggled, “no....but....I...I..did learn something....” He coughed and choked trying to save his own life. He knew that she would take it in a second without a thought. “p......please.....you have to hear this....”
Stepping forward as she released him from her grip, “Do not test me Vor'en! I am ill tempered as it is already and killing that Priest didn't satisfied my lust for death.” She turned and pulled off the nightgown that the young girl was wearing and started to put on other clothes.
He knew that this anger was not hers. He knew her before that day that anger filled her heart. The day that her village had been massacred by a group of Rangers. The Rangers had learned of her existence and went to collect her. The village elders wanted nothing to do with the war between the Jedi or the Republic. However, they didn't want to hand her or the other gifts children over to the Rangers. A deal was struck with the Jedi that they would be trained in the traditions and allowed to return to the village once the war was over. Angered by the defiance, the Rangers killed everyone in the village. He remembered the day she found out. The joy and love in her eyes seemed to die that day. He held her while she cried. She didn't turn in to what she is now over night. That was Lord Murl's doing. But it was a starting point. “This minion had been doing allot of research for us while we slept. He uncovered the story of a dark monster by the name of Dracula, also known as the Dragon of Blood, a relentless prince of pain. He was crucified by the Church” he explained.
Pulling a shirt over her head, “Yes I am well aware of the story of Prince Saar. He is dead. Watching him burn at the stake was enjoyable if not for that damn earthquake which interrupted the festivities.” she pushed her arms through the shirt, “You are not impressing me, Vor'en. Move on!”
“Yes yes, but there is more Master Shakka” Mr. Gold said softly. He knew all too well than to test her anger. “Well, his beloved, as you know escaped. She ended up leading the broken remains of his Order. It would appear that they survived the purge. The Church had started a private little war to wipe them out. Created a completely devoted sect tasked with killing those students of Prince Saar's school. This sect is called the Knight Roses. Prince Saar's school became known as the Sabbat.”
The child turned with a grin, “So they have survived” she half said and half questioned as she slid the long boot up her bare leg. She then sipped up the side of the boot. “Crushing them once more will bring great joy to Lord Murl and myself.”
“This minion had not been able to uncover if they had actually survived or not. However the memory of the Sabbat have caused the Church to hold great fear. Even the very mention of their name causes the Church to act with swift and decisive actions” Mr. Gold explained. “I am unsure as to way they react this way however it does bring allot to question the motives of the Church and gives us a better view in to the secret war between the Church and the Sabbat. That is, if they are truly the decedents of Prince Saar's school.
She smiled as she stood up from the bed. Now fully clothed and ready to spread her hate and anger, “This is good news. Something that we can use to crush the Church. However we shall deal with this Whore of a Jedi Order first. Lord Murl made his desires clear. His offspring have failed to live up to Lord Murl's name. I have His permission to do what is necessary to set this Order back on the path of strength and power once more.” She half considered telling him of the encounter she had with the Jedi Master in the crypt. However she decided that he simply didn't need to know. After all, he was simply a minion to be used. It was the only reason why Lord Murl tolerated his existence. He was her minion. “Makarov is having some fun with an old toy of his. He shall be returning shortly. Make sure he has a vessel as well. The Crypt is no longer a save haven for us. Everyone needs to be in a vessel as soon as possible. Go fetch Makarov a vessel. I am going to go pay the Jedi a little Visit. There is a Temple on this world. Report back to me with Makarov once this task is completed.”
Mr. Gold nodded, “Yes Master Shakka” he said. While thinking, 'Please, lets leave this world and just disappear. Leave it all behind and start over.' He slowly lowered his head as he nodded, “It shall be done.”
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