They are denizens and you are not...

So whomever would be seeking her out, whether dark or light, would be a resident of this place...

...which greatly reduced those she should sense out for with her Force abilities. And she would have to have a target for her search in order to find anyone or anything here, for she could already sense the wealth of life...

... or was it non-life?...

...here. The first person Shayla wanted to sense out for was the very person they had been seeking out for quite some time...

...although she sincerely hoped she would not find her here. And given that the Eye said those here who needed her were already seeking her themselves she doubted Galen was one of those. After all, the two women had never gotten along well to say the very least. Even so, Shayla still had to try. Closing her eyes, Shayla stretched out with the Force, sensing and searching for Galen's Force signature...

...and came up with absolutely nothing.

So then, who would be here other than Galen? Shayla had to ask herself. Who would seek her out who would be residing in this place?

At this thought, the Force nudged her, prompting her to remember the item which she still had hidden, which her hand rested above. And that set her mind to spinning.

Phalomir's body was alive, somewhere...

...but his essence had been strangely seperated from it. And if the Eye would want anyone to find her in this place...

...and more specifically to find it, Shayla knew Phalomir would be the one.

With her eyes still closed then, Shayla stretched out through the Force once more, seeking Phalomir's Force signature, for all she would need to find him was his Force essence, not his physical body. Her search took quite some time, but resulted in success.

Opening her eyes, Shayla knew in which path she should head, although she did not know how long her journey might be. And after all, this place probably did not operate according to the laws of time and distance established in her own Universe. That very thought pressed her feet further along as she began to move, drawing the Force around herself as a safety blanket.

I'm on my way to Phalomir, she thought then to the Eye, her greeny-blues growing more determined with every step.

[ 03-29-2004 08:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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Golden-greenness flashed from his very pores as he lifted his hands to that non-sky arching about him. His great claws stretched out, then brought blood in shining rivulets as he closed his fists so hard his own flesh was pierced. It was then that an inhuman smile came across his face; it was the anger at the atrocity Phalomir was performing upon him that gave him the strength to use the All from the grave.

”My friends, there is feasting to be had!” he cried out in a great roar, shaking his fists in fury. ”Go out and find it, for there is life in this place that has no right to be here!”

He threw his head back, his face strangely illuminated by the sudden flare of electricity that came from nowhere in this place that was not, and opened his mouth that it could come satiate his hungers. But before he lost himself fully to that shuddery bliss, he paused to reach out with his own talents.

He smiled, then let the light come ravage his soul…

While all about, coming from the shadows, seeming to be a part of those shadows, shadows walking, ones unconquerable and omnipotent, there came the patient thrum of a million marching feet, a thrum interspersed with screeches and yowls and drooling, gibbering cries of delight.

The demons were marching, by the millions; eager for prey, they marched all the faster, the smell of live blood an enticement no power in any dimension could overcome…

And three of them marched even faster, slavering and laughing, their foul claws reaching out to the sudden whirling vortex that appeared before them. They entered in without a moment’s hesitation, their scorpion’s tails lashing and dripping venom.

The vortex into another reality closed with the snap of a predator’s jaws, and in its wake the myriad demonic throng closed in on a certain little party of Sith and Kaminoan and human and something not quite of any race…

[ 03-30-2004 11:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Dark Lord Roan ]

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They had scarcely travelled half a kilometer -- if indeed linear travel in this place could be measured by anything as mundane as the metric system -- when he jerked to a halt. His arm shot out simultaneously and took Phalomir by the shoulder, bringing him to a halt as well. Behind him the tromp of following footsteps halted as the others in their little party came to a somewhat nervous stop.

"Do you hear something, Phalomir?" the scientist queried, then fell silent so as to let the others take a listen for themselves.

--------------------

...and he didn't have a very good feeling about that, to say the least. He furrowed his brow, looking in the distance...

...and noting that something was out there, moving. And he could swear he heard something that sounded distinctly like manic laughter and gibbering...

"Oh kriffing hell, Sith demons," he growled under his breath, simultaneously remembering feelings and images of what one of these crestures could do. "Why do I have the suspicion we might be on the right track?" Then he directed a sidelong glance to Phalomir. "Better think of something quick, or we are all gonna be dead..."

[ 03-31-2004 10:17 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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“Here, we are all dead,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “Do not touch me… I may not be able to control it…”

Phalomir strode away from the group, walking quickly to the foot of the hill before them. He lost no pace and bound up the incline, pausing at the top to survey the terror before him. Stretching out as far as he could see was a gibbering mass of claws, teeth, and black limbs flinging wildly as they propelled the strange spiked bodies closer. On the other side of the hill, running desperately, was the figure of a woman. She was keeping a good distance from the first of the horrors, but she would not make it to him before they overtook her.

With an audible curse in the high Sith language, Phalomir set his jaw firmly and ran down the hill to the woman.

--------------------

--------------------

He’s opening a portal out of here, thought Thoran. He glanced back up to see his companions reach Phalomir the top of the top of hill, only to see the Sith lord yell an obscenity and dash off down the other side. Is all some sort of diversion? A strange, unfamiliar feeling of uncertainty crept over him, a feeling so alien to him he immediately squelched it. Oh, damn this freedom, anyway!

Thoran took off at full speed towards Roan. He had learned long ago how to manipulate the spring of this strange terrain, and half of the distance was covered by the time the bright yellow sliver had grown into a large circle. He reached the top of the hill just as the last of the demons stepped through the circle, and with all of his strength and momentum he ran full force into Roan. Taken off guard, Roan stumbled backwards a few steps and lost his balance for a moment. Thoran was knocked to the ground at the place of impact, but gained his bearings enough to see the sight beyond the portal.

It’s Phalomir’s body! And Graysith? She doesn’t look possessed. What the—

A savage snarl came from the area where Roan had staggered, and Thoran forced himself to action. He yelled out an earsplitting cry of “Phalomir!” towards the other hill, and dove for the opening. He aimed for the space between two of the imps, meaning to land on top of Phalomir’s body.

But Thoran was a shade. His body had been taken from him long ago when he first became a denizen of the Darker Realms. When he met the Master and became a servant of the Darker Realms, he was given the ability to project himself into the bodies of others, either tagging along or completely swapping his consciousness with the hapless victim’s spirit. He had resided in the mind of Panthar Dantares with Phalomir’s spirit for quite some time, and it was this thought that entered Thoran’s mind as he landed on top of Phalomir and merged into his body.

Phalomir’s eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet as smoothly as a well-trained warrior. Outwardly, Phalomir assumed a battle stance, claws bared and horns lowered, eyes blazing. Inwardly, Thoran relished in the control of this massive body. Thoran’s own magick was nothing compared to Phalomir’s, but his warrior training would serve well in this huge Sith.

“Be ready, my lady,” he said, smiling inwardly. Those words sound even more corny when I say them.

He smiled grimly at the confused demons and waved a single curled finger at them, inviting them to close.

((OOC -- Cross over for the moment with Thoran to "...And Into The Fire" in this same forum.))

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...broke loose. A great wave of something caused a chill to overcome her, so she froze in place, her greeny-blue eys widening even as the non-horizon began to move and groan...

...no, not groan. Laugh. Shayla shuddered, even as she began to note a great many beady pairs of red-pinpricks shining in the dimness of this place. Without a doubt, she knew what was coming. And judging by the tremor of the Force weighing upon her soul, Shayla knew at least some of them were coming this way. And it was true, the laughter was growing louder by the second.

Dear gods, help me! she thought to the Eye even as she took off running, knowing there really wasn't any place to run to. This would just delay the enivitable...

Even as she thought just that, the Eye glowed its soft red briefly before quieting once more. Shayla was barely aware of this...

...but then she saw another form running towards her, one not like the probable hoarde of Sith demons behind her. They were getting closer...

...and perhaps whatever was ahead of her was her only escape route. She stretched out with the Force to touch the mind of whomever was in front of her, for certainly she could sense the sentience...

...and with a start realized just who it was.

"Phalomir!" she called out, knowing her voice was probably all but drowned out by the gibbering imps behind her, using all her will to keep her feet going.

I don't know if I'm going to make it to him in time... she thought to the Eye desperately, now diverting all her efforts into willing her feet to move like lightning, pulling even on the Force to strenghten her abilities.

--------------------

Her thoughts veered along with her feet as she followed the instructions of the Eye. Time for the sacrifice...

...the sacrifice...

As she continued to move, Shayla could begin to make out the image of a Sith on the next hill over. And even as she did so, a chill rose up her spine and crawled back down it, her keen Force-senses picking up on the unmistakable feeling of evil. As she enhanced her vision to better see whatever evil she was approaching she caught a pair of glistening turquoise eyes...

...and it was then that she knew his identity.

Do not fear what you see...

With effort, Shayla gathered her wits about her, totally in the dark as to what was about to take place.

I am ready, she thought then to the Eye, also recalling things which this Dark being had done to Graysith and others she called her friends, But I hope to the fates that the payoff will be worth it, cause I'd sure like to settle a score or two...

[ 04-05-2004 08:22 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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So, she too has come…

The thought trailed in flashing back to earlier days spent in Phrinnchatka, days in which he had won the heart of the Chosen One, and thought he had likewise won over the simple mind of her Adept as well.

Whether in rescue or in vengeance, the error has been made. So be it.

Now he lowered his head, staring daggers straight into her eyes from beneath beetling brows, his fangs glistening suggestively in the non-light of this strange and improbable dimension. She seemed to hold no fear, but kept her course, although she did seem to slow her pace somewhat.

Roan didn’t give her the time to get any closer. With predatory swiftness he lifted his head and spread out his arms, claws reaching to the sky. A roar borne of dark hungers satisfied issued from his lips, and in that issuance somewhere something young and innocent died.

That horrible call was met by the screech of a thousand gibbering tongues. In a body, a great mass of demons broke off from the remainder, and rushed toward Shayla’s position. As they came closer they separated into three parts, enclosing her on three different sides. The only way for her to continue was directly toward the laughing Dark Lord…

Suddenly, without any warning, an inky vortex popped into being directly between her and Roan. Behind her the demons closed in, their poisonous tails lashing and dripping, their eager hands reaching, their slime-ridden throats bursting with nonsensical utterances and choking slobbers.

Roan nodded towards Shayla, and smiled….

[ 04-05-2004 08:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Dark Lord Roan ]

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Phalomir lifted his hand and sent a fiery blast through the center column of imps, turning many instantly to cinder and leaving many more burning and howling. The flanking demons roared in rage, and instead of breaking they intensified their running. Phalomir opened his palms and the fire changed into a blinding red light that cut through the ranks of imps.

The group on the right appeared to be breaking as a great number of the demons turned to run. The remainder in front of him had fallen victim to the still bubbling tar, blocking the advance of those behind. The ranks on the left were climbing over the torsos and limbs of the forward imps. Phalomir looked past the immediate advance and saw even more of the demons on the horizon. The power within him still flared, but he could feel it faltering. He used the brief respite to glance behind, checking on his comrades.

He sucked in a quick breath as he discovered where the fleeing imps had gone.

And that Shayla had earned the attention of Roan.

He turned and darted up the hill, eyes flashing red as the remainder of his power surge into his hands.

“Shayla!” he called out, but his words were unheard over the gibbering of the imps.

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But it wouldn't be the beginning of the end, she thought with determination. This was part of her destiny, her true potential...

...true potential...

Taking one deep breath, Shayla simply stepped into the vortex in front of her, two silent requests sliding from her mind to the Eye.

Be true to what you've promised me...

...and make whatever whammy you can deal to this foul creature a damn good one...

[ 04-05-2004 09:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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His eyes went to the gleaming Roan, and broke loose at full speed in his direction. Mindless of the imps that turned to threaten him, his hands seemed to work independently of his mind as they shot hot tendrils of energy forward, clearing a narrow path for Phalomir to run through. Any imp that stood to halt Phalomir was cut down.

Phalomir made his way through the imps, eyes fixed on the still smiling Roan. As he drew within a close range, he raised his hand to deliver one final blast of energy at the dark being, but a small trickle of light was the only thing that issued forth.

Phalomir cursed, his face flushing. He bared his teeth and, though nearly exhausted, prepared for combat…

[ 04-05-2004 09:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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They whirled and gibbered, a darkly noisome blot on the face of existence, crying out to him and bewailing their perceived loss. He merely let his smile soften a degree, and shook his great horned head.

“It is finished; we have them,” he said at length, but that briefly uttered observance was not issued toward the writhing mass of imps. His eyes darkened to deep aqua as he then slid his attention to the remainder of the little group standing in the distance.

Then he spoke to the demons.

“At your discretion, my pets,” he finished, nodding toward the human shade and the horribly yet-living Kaminoan scientist. His gleaming eyes took in the struggles of the approaching Phalomir; spit flung from him as he snarled in warning to him.

Then he sat back, and began to calculate to himself, just for fun, how many demons it would take to destroy them all.

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[ 04-05-2004 10:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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To murder…

Phalomir paused. Yes, he wanted to kill. Not for revenge, not for gain, but for the pure satisfaction of taking the life of another. Was this what he had become? Was this the price of power?

He stepped backwards, letting his hands drop to his sides. He could hear the massing demons behind him and turned to face them.

On and on they stretched, more imps marching from the hills in the distance. A large group had massed between him and his companions, and seemed ready to move in. With a grim determination he reached inward for a last surge of power. But instead of blasting the imps with fiery death, he merely took to the air in a magick-assisted jump. He soared over the mass of demons and landed on the hilltop near Rhua Ki and Terrin.

He turned to face them.

“Better to die with friends,” he said. He glanced around the hill, looking for something.

“Where is Thoran?”

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“Ah—Phalomir,” Rhua whispered, taking a sidling step closer now. “What exactly did you mean by that comment, ‘dying with your friends?’ You do realize that I am the only thing of flesh and blood here – at least we think that I am! – and if anyone is going to die, it would probably be me. That is a perfectly logical conclusion based upon the evidence before us.

“Now—“

He paused, drawing in a deep breath as he slid one pale hand into his clothing. When he pulled it out again, it held a strange-looking weapon.

“As I was debating with our friend Thoran – who, by the way, seems to have disappeared into yet another serendipitously placed vortex to who-knows-where, chasing studiously upon the tail of three of those horrid demons -- I do believe that for the most part, the only means by which a shade may make an impact upon living flesh is through the mind. Venom-bearing demons are quite another matter altogether.”

He turned to Phalomir.

“I will be honest in saying that, while I have pledged myself to assisting you in finding Galen, I do not wish to die. You are Sith, and Sith bear magick within them I do not understand.

“I suggest you continue to use it. Your leap was most impressive; can you not take us in such a manner far from here?”

He sidled around Phalomir’s bulking frame until he was back-to-back with him. Crouching then, weapon held at the ready, he eyed the slobbering demons, waiting for what he was certain to be nothing other than death.

He hoped it would at least come quickly.

[ 04-13-2004 02:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rhua Ki ]

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...but a second death was simply not an option, not with Galen's whereabouts still unknown. There simply had to be a way out of this mess...

...if only he could think of it. And about that time, something crossed his mind. He stepped in next to Phalomir and Rhua Ki.

"You know, if you can't use your abilities to get us all away from these demons," he started, "Could we use the fact that we are both spirits to protect Rhua, and keep him living?"

Quieting at this he simply looked back and forth between Rhua and Phalomir, waiting for a response as the damned imps from Hell continued to close in.

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“Yes,” he said somberly. “That is our charge. He braved his life to follow Galen into this realm, let us return this tenfold to him.”

Phalomir looked out over the advancing imps, rows upon rows of demons. Crazed with bloodlust, they clambered atop one another and jockeyed for position to be the first to rend the targets of Roan’s wrath. Phalomir looked to the distance at the hills, momentarily free of imps.

“I shall try to get us to those hills. If my powers hold, we should have an escape route before us. If not… Terrin Danner, Rhua Ki, it has been an honor to have known you.”

He spread his arms outward and motioned for them to step to him.

“We’ll need to be touching.”

He closed his eyes and tried to gather his magick. It had indeed been depleted in his vengeful attacks upon the imps, and he felt little if any power jumping to his command. He opened his eyes again and looked once more to the hills, the distance seeming now even greater than before as the grounds between here and there swarmed with death. At least the end would be quick.

“I believe we’ll make it,” he said, trying more to reassure himself.

He concentrated on the hills once again, preparing to jump. Suddenly the air in front of him shimmered and a strange crescent-shaped opening appeared in the space above the ground. He paused, exasperated, preparing himself for even more dangers.

A strangely glowing form floated through the opening. The features reminded him of… Thoran? He appeared to be in pain, held by a force emanating from the person behind him…

Phalomir’s face exploded in an expression of joy. “My lady!” he cried. Apprehension crept in, however, as the memory of her “possession” came back. He stood, waiting.

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Graysith paused momentarily on the threshold of that eerie portal, blinking in surprise, actually going so far as to turn her gaze back and forth between the joyous Sith in front of her, and the slumbering one she towed behind.

They were one and the same.

Then she gathered her wits, and finished stepping through, now casting a quick glance all about the little party and taking in the closing horde with not a little consternation. Her eyes returned to Phalomir’s spirit.

“This, I take it, is yours,” she said calmly enough, stepping to the side so Phalomir could see that which she had brought with her. “As well as… that.”

Her other hand made a slight motion, bringing Thoran whimpering to his knees. In response, the approaching demons howled in what might be construed as coincidental outrage…

Or merely a renewal of their hungers.

She smiled grimly, looked about further yet.

“I suggest you do whatever it is you need to do, my friend, that we might hasten from this place before we are all transformed into dinner for those horrid beasts beyond.”

She nodded her head toward them, the Glyph blasting into their midst with affronted and wondrous light, momentarily driving the forward ranks into a stumbling, screeching halt. Those following closely behind trampled over them, slicing and yowling, then they too were held momentarily transfixed by that blinding light emanating from her brow.

“Hurry; I don’t know if I can hold them all off for any great length of time; while they do not appear to enjoy the Light, and I relish showing it to them, it is rather tiring for me to keep this up….”

Another grim flicker of a smile; then she caught sight of Terrin Danner, who was looking at her somewhat strangely.

“Do I know you?” she asked in a somewhat strained voice, then quieted so as to concentrate fully upon keeping the approaching demons at bay.

[ 04-16-2004 02:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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But what about returning to his body… that was the immediate issue. The way he left it in the first place was by using his powers and letting his spirit drift, so perhaps returning to it would mean simply reversing the procedure. But how did he do that? The strain of the past few hours had taken its toll on his thought process, and it has become difficult to let his mind do its “thing”. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, thinking of how he would simply let his spirit wander back it is proper place…

Phalomir opened his eyes, immediately feeling the disorientation of displacement. He stood, looking at a startled Terrin and Rhua who were both peering into the empty space between them as if something had suddenly vanished. Phalomir felt a rush of power return to him as his spirit reconnected itself to his body and drew from it reserve energies. He stepped to Graysith and stood next to her, holding a hand up towards the struggling demons.

“Let us depart, my love,” he said to her. “After I leave a parting gift for our friends.”

He let loose with blast of energy that ripped into the ground before the demons. It sent chunks of strange rock flying into the foreword ranks and caused even more hesitation in the imps.

“After you, my lady.” Glancing towards the helpless Thoran, he added, “I know not your disposition towards Thoran, but we may need him to track down the Master or Aelvedaar.”

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“I do not know much of what you speak--"

She trailed momentarily, a chill running up and down her spine to hear the name of her beloved Sire spoken as such and in the same breath as the mysterious and ominous Master.

"...but if you deem it important, then so be it. I would not leave anyone trapped in this dismal place; all shall return with me to the ship I have left behind. However, this one is spirit; how shall he be incorporated with us?”

Letting the Glyph remain brilliant in defense of their little group, she then smiled as through that immense power she felt the surge of emotions her words had produced in all: the tangible relief flowing from the tall Kaminoan, who was standing off to one side in quiet surprise, the surging joy bursting from the renewed and quite powerful Sith, the ambivalent mix of relief and worry coming from the yet-energy entrapped Thoran…

All joined with a soul-wrenching sadness that jerked forth from Terrin Danner like a hooked fish from a pond.

She frowned, managed to cock her head.

“Is there something amiss?” she asked quietly, readying herself then for the simultaneous drop of the Glyph’s protective fires, and the production of a portal that would take them back to the warship.

[ 04-16-2004 02:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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“No!” he shouted, straining against the energy around him. “Not the ship!”

Phalomir glanced to Thoran, a quizzical look upon his face.

“The ship… I think… in a chronatic shield… Aelvedaar! Go to K’eel Doba!”

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