Emotions flared in him, and time seemed to slow to a crawl as the blade soared toward the portal. Fear, surprise, sadness al lrose up in him, accompanied by an emotion that he had not felt in a long time: rage. The long-forgotten purest form of anger filled him at this sudden fate, this unjust imprisionment, no, simple discardation of the very entirety of his being as though it were a simple tool or possession, a toy that one quarreling child wanted anothern not to have. And, as the blade, an him with it, crossed over the portal to that hated Elseness, the closest thing to Hell that he had ever known, this rage lept out of him in a sudden burst.

In the minds of all those present, whether ShaRhylla, Rykounagin, or any Sith throughout the entire temple, it sounded as though a voice in their mind was loosing some sort of primal scream of fury. This was accompanied by a flash like an explosion in thieir mind, akin to the explosion of a thermal detonater in their thoughts, as Ragorian's rage instinctively released a large amount of powerful magick in primal retaliation, and many Sith upon hearing it were sticken to unconciousness at this sudden assault, ShaRhylla, the Axis, and Rykounagin at its heart

But even as the faded, the portal closed, the blade gone into the other realm, Ragorian's voice still echoed, in ShaRhylla's mind, one word only, that repeated along their corridors before fading into the darkness of her own thoughts.

"Why?"

[ 01-23-2005 11:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Blade of Chaos ]

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

He said, turning from her furious stance before him, turning too the door that still stood sealed.

"You may keep him. He is no longer an ally upon which I can rely. But have I really ever had any?" He asked, his self questioning thoughts escaping in the last sentance.

"I will leave you and your city, for I can see whereever I go, I am not welcome. I am a traitor to my clan, to my mentor. I am already failing in my father's eyes. Is there anyone who can see me, or accept me for who I am and what I have done?"

He looked back at ShaRhylla. "You have marked me the Betrayer, but once I am gone, maybe you will realize I am the betrayed. Just a human who lives in a society of sith, where none will ever trust him. Maybe some day, you will find pity in your heart for me. But then again, we all love weakness. It is weakness that we love, and that is what makes it beautiful."

He paused, a hand against the door. "But in that way, you will never see yourself beautiful will you?"

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

"Beauty is irrelevant!" she finally retorted, lowering her hands a bit but keeping them ready should her talents be necessary. She lifted her chin and stared down her nose at Rykounagin, who yet stood paused in mid-step.

"What is relevant is the fact that weakness does indeed exist, and is apparently before me now."

A self-satisfied grin curled her lips.

"I have no use for weakness; only the strong survive!"

Yet even as she spoke the words, she couldn't help but flick her eyes off to one side, quickly, just once. Though the tone of her voice was firm and unyielding, there seemed to be just the slightest touch of uncertainty in her bearing.

A little shiver cascaded through her, one she didn't feel, wasn't aware of, and for another brief moment her eyes turned inward, seeming to seek something, something buried deeply within her, something that was entwined about her very being more tightly than a lover's arms.

Something that didn't bear understanding.

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

He walked from the doorway, between long ranks of sith who watched him, their faces showing scorn for him, and even more for his branding.

They only see me as I am branded. As I am branded. Is that what I am, cattle too the massess, a slave and coward in their eyes to walk away?

He sighed inwardly, his thoughts sad upon the past and what his future could hold as he exited the cities center and walked through the various levels of the city towards the outskirts.

I will have failed twice. My mentality and being are not capable of completing this mission for my father. I will tell him of my failure, of the breaking of my vow. Perhaps I mgith redeem myself for I do believe I have found his true meaning.

But will that be enough? He wondered. If it is not, what would he think of me. Incapable of completing a task set by him, taking longer than seemingly possible to understand his words. Would he cast me out as a failure as all the others have?

No, I'm not a failure. The other's fail to see the truth of my words, my every action. They are the failures.

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

Then she snorted, drawing herself erect.

Nonsense! she thought to herself as she went back to the sideboard. She came upon it, found a jewel encrusted silver platter, heaped a veritable mountain of foodstuffs upon it and returned to the table. There she seated herself regally, only halfway listening to the echoing scrape as she drew her chair up close.

The echo died away, along with her appetite.

All she could do was just sit there and stare into her plate, not even aware when M'wonBo'o, sensing her inner distress, clicked quietly up to her to twine his face tendrils tenderly about her waist.

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

He stood for a long moment, then reached into the folds of his clothing, drawing a fine powder. He whispered a few words too it, his runes glowing, then began to speak a message too it.

"ShaRylla, with all respect, I leave your city in no way hostile. Though I sense your mistreatment may have been a hasty judgement, I will let it by. Take my words in no way as a threat or command, but I seek peace. A peace I hope to find in the near future. I would ask, that if you are to find the stih who I came here seeking, that you would deliver him alive too my father. As a note, I leave Ragorian too your judgement and keeping, as for the Finger, beware of it's tricks, for it has lured me too a near permanant fate. I am leaving your world now back to my father, and hope that the next time I return, will be under the right conditions. With all due respect of the nobility of the Warriors, Rykounagin, son of sorcerers."

He flicked his hand forwards, and the powder floated into the wind, swiftly lost from sight on it's way to her. "Should I be gone before the day, or await a possible response. I must think of what to tell my father, for he should be most displeased with my failure."

He continued walking, and went to his ship, laying down upon a small cot in the back of the ship. "Rest, for otherwise, the weary will take action and words he will regret. The ninteenth code." He recited, before sealing the ship, to doesed into a light sleep.

[ 01-25-2005 10:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rykounagin ]

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

The calming glow from the jewels around the channeller cast a soft light around ShaRhylla’s waist. M'wonBo'o stopped as the glow caught his attention.

The rich red jewels upon were softly yet brilliantly aglow with inner fire, pulsing as though to the rhythm of an unheard heartbeat.

She blinked again before pushing away from the table, and then quietly gained her feet and stood unmoving, just staring down at the Finger of R'lous.

"Who?" she whispered, cocking her head then as the old familiarity of rampant self-confidence rushed over her again, chasing away whatever trepidation or distress she might have been harboring.

"I know you not-- Rykounagin! Is this you, playing yet more tricks upon the Daughter of Lord Roan?!"

Now she shot an annoyed glance about, let it carry her from the spot where she had been standing and over to the double doors. Reaching out with both arms, she flung them imperiously open.

Without: two Captains of the Guards; beyond them, a squad of the elite, all positioned to guard her.

"Is something wrong, Mistress ShaRhylla?" one Captain deigned to ask, but only after falling to one knee in front of her.

She merely snorted, and slammed the doors closed. Then she whirled and leaned back against them, now reaching out to gingerly remove the Finger from her belt. She held it up in front of her eyes, studying it carefully.

"Who are you?" she whispered softly, so that none outside the Dining Hall could overhear.

[ 01-25-2005 09:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

"No, we are always here." They said. They? Was there one voice, or two? More than that possibly? Rykounagin could not tell as the dream deepend, and for once, as the voices slipped away, his dreams were clear.

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

The jewels pulsated softly, a welcome, warming glow.

"An intelligent one, this I can see," she offered; then:

"So you have sought me, that together we might achieve great ends? How very interesting...."

Even as she finished the statement she couldn't help but compare this unseen spirit to the white-headed youth who had so recently produced such ill-will within her.

It is a shame he could not stand up to me, she thought self-indulgently; then she broke off that train of thought completely and waited to hear what the Spirit within her hands would say to her next.

[ 01-25-2005 10:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

The pulsing lights slowed, dimming slightly.

"Harnessed?" she retorted, gripping the Finger more tightly, her hand trembling with mounting effrontery.

"No one harnesses me; I am no draught animal, to be lackey to any other than myself!"

As she flung the words out, her rising rage was softened just the slightest as from nowhere in particular a soft tickling whickered at her ear. It was the lightest touch, like the down of a feather, or the powdery caress of silken dust.

As if from a great distance, Rykounagin's near-apology wafted into her being.

She blinked in surprise, then snorted again, turning her focus back to the device in her hands.

[ 01-25-2005 10:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

"I can't go back. I haven't completed my task. I have to finish it, or do something equal to it's level of power. I will wage a private war, and in this, prove that I am no weakling."

He got up, and went to a storage locker in the ship, and began preparing himself for an assault on the city. I cannot fail in this task alone, I will succeed, or I will die in the attempt. I will go to ShaRhylla, and by Myrinas-Cobridos, she will see the light.

He exited his ship minutes later, fully equiped as an assassin of his calling. "For the death or glory, I shall prevail. This is a private war, then once this is complete, I will find this sith I was sent to bring, or burn me, I will die trying in that as well."

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

Then she set it down upon the table, surprisingly carefully, and regained her seat. For a moment thoughts of this strange revelation paled beneath the suddenly vivid colors of the foods, the exquisite aromas wafting from her plate, the deep and rich velvety depths of her brandy.

She fell on the food like a starving beast, wolfing it down without thought of decorum or delicacy; finishing what she had before her she returned to the sideboard, refilled her plate and goblet, and ravished that as well.

At length she fell back in her seat, replete. Taking a more genteel sip of the Sith brandy, she finally spoke to T'elion.

"So, my dear Spirit, tell me of yourself. And ask what you will of me; this is of accordance, is it not, if we are to become, as you said, acquaintances?"

[ 01-26-2005 04:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

He reached out to touch the walls, faint runes in his fingertips flashing quietly as he felt his fingers attach to the wall.

He began a quick accent of the wall, almost to the top, then stopped, pausing to listen above him. Footsteps, few but heavy. Obviously sith, perhaps.... seven?

He wondered, then came up to peek over the edge of the wall and glimpse. Eight on this section, I haven't done this in a while. He crawled over the wall's side, then crouched, pressing himself against the side of the wall.

He waited for one of the many guards to pass, then moved too the otherside of the narrow walkway to drop down onto the other side of the wall, making a small cloud in the dirt below.

He removed his hidding magicks, then moved along to the boulevard that lead up to the palace. Enter once as a friend, again as a prisoner, then return with the furies of the swordwind.

He began trotting up the boulevard, his Black Lotus held in his hand as he proceeded upwards along it towards the palaces outer walls.

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

Dog of an Assassin! the Captain snorted to himself a third time, for he well knew the meaning of the markings tattooed upon Rykounagin's flesh.

--there was something in the air that he just could not put his finger upon. Perhaps it was merely the fact that a Cult Assassin had indeed been brought to the Temple... only to be freely let go, albeit branded, by the young ShaRhylla.

Now, there is folly, he couldn't help thinking to himself.

One so young, and inexperienced, to be left in charge; it is a blessing from the gods that Salaandar watches over affairs from the shadows, else--

His musings were cut short by a slight movement caught in his peripheral vision. His eyes cut to the spot of their own accord, then narrowed in something approaching self-satisfaction. For while there was no one to be seen below, a tell-tale puff of dirt bespoke the hidden truth:

From the manner in which that puff ringed upward from the ground in the shape of a donut, the Captain could easily deduce that it had originated from a central spot, one just about the correct size for a pair of feet to inhabit.

He squinted his eyes further, just to make certain. Yes, that was it; he hadn't risen to the rank he held simply because he knew how to wield a sword or spear. The youngest warrior in their lot could easily do that; a supervisory position was awarded to those with cunning, who could read subtle signals and signs. And it was cunnning borne of years of experience that he now brought into play.

He knew of the Cult Assassins; he knew of their abilities.

He also knew one had recently been degraded and flung from the temple like a dog flings aside an old and worried bone.

A wave of a hand, and a messenger lad materialized by his side.

“Quick, lad; to the Mistress! Inform her that the dog who has been sent out of Phrinnchatka sneaks back, no doubt in an attempt to assassinate her. Run now, lad, run!”

He watched as the lad nodded, bowed, then took off and soon disappeared into the temple. Secure in the knowledge that his message would reach the young Daughter of the Dark Lady, he turned to his men.

“Pass word, guard every doorway well, every window, every rampart and bulwark. This one is not to be taken lightly!”

"A thousand pardons, Mistress!" he groveled, trembling with the effort to keep his voice steady through his panting exhalations.

"But danger in the form of treachery approaches!"

Heartened by the fact that he had yet to be stricken down, he raised his head and dared a quick glance at the halfling. She merely sat where she was, a mingled look of surprise and growing annoyance marring her perfect features. Quickly then, he told her what his Captain had ordered him tell, as well as what the warriors were doing to ward off the impending attack.

ShaRhylla continued staring at him when he finished and resumed his posture before her. She cut a glance to the Finger of R'lous which lay on the table near her plate, then returned that look to the Sith lad.

"Your message is duly noted; you may inform the Captain that he has done well, and to be wary."

A single wave of her hand and the messenger was dismissed. ShaRhylla waited until the doors were securely closed, then picked up the channeler once again.

It felt warm and welcoming in her hands.

"You have understood this, have you not, T'elion?" she questioned aloud, albeit in a voice as quiet as the whisper of a dove. She then drew the device closer, laying it against her cheek.

"The Betrayer returns in stealth; tell me of this power not of the body of which you speak...."

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

He could hear distant calls of the guards, and smiled. A trial by fire it shall be then. I won't take a stealthy approach, I'll go directly. But no warrior shall cry for alerts.

He shadowed himself again as he came to the Palace and looked up at the monolithic structure. "I'll find you Sha'Rhylla." He murmured. "We'll find you."

He looked down, focusing again, not realizing he had spoke a second time as he moved towards the palace, knowing they wouldn't realize he was there until he made himself noticable. The walls I'll avoid. The inner chambers, I will accomplish with honor.

He scaled the wall, but this time held. There were many more guards then before, and he knew they were expecting him. He smirked, and began to employ another magick, then peeked over the wall to look at a sith standing directly before him.

He looked the sith in the eyes, and knew the sith could see him. Quickly he pressed the magick forwards too keep the sith from calling out, then, waiting a moment before asuring himself the sith was in his thralls, he reached out, and gently pushed the sith backwards off the wall.

He quickly pulled back and moved along the outside of the wall as footsteps and cries of warning came, moving towards the fallen sith. An excellent distraction. A voice whispered in his mind as he pulled himself over the wall where some of the guard had gone to investigate the fallen sith.

He shrugged away his cloaking, then dropped into the inner courtyards of the palace, and began a sprint towards the main doors, smiling at the recognition the sith gave him as he approached, bringing a lesser, more mundane blade to his second hand.

Meet the swordwind proud sith, and die with it's breath.

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

She caressed the Finger of R'lous like a lover, holding it up to her cheek before her head turned and she bestowed a long kiss upon it.

"Gladly, dear companion," she whispered; then without thinking much of it she willingly channeled some of her own All strengths into the device.

Her smile grew even darker, more sultry, and she fairly purred with anticipation.

"He shall pay hundredfold for every Sith he has murdered in making his way here, that much we can promise, can we not my friend?"

[ 01-26-2005 04:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

T’elion relished in the gift of the All, and held the power within the device in anticipation. While not able to channel the All itself, the device had the ability to combine it with Sith magick and deliver a powerful energy to the wielder.

All that remained was for the appearance of a sorcerer. One that T’elion could feel aproaching…

He knew he couldn't fight forever, the wall guards would come for him shortly. He smiled at the protection of his magicks and armor as a sith spear lifted him into the air to toss him a short distance.

"Tougher than I thought, most definately a challenge." He groaned, picking himself up. "I might as well end this fast." He grunted, raising a hand to wash one of the forerunning sith in a light flame, then to quickly dodge aside and begin his defense again.

Occassionally he'd calculate the odds of his being struck, and would dark in to stab one of them in some non-lethal point, designed to disable them as he did so. He finally realized as a loud storming sound began to approach, he had run out of time to fight these sith, and turned towards the palace, to charge to the doors, burning them in his charge too weaken the structure, then dug his feet into the base of the wood he had burned, and began to scale the wall quickly towards one of the many hundreds of windows above him.

I wont be turned away.

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

"What of this Ragorian, he who occupies the sword I have put away for momentary safe-keeping? What of that? This would-be assassin is certainly enthralled with the blade; what think you, dear T'elion?

"Shall I retrieve it from hiding, to wield against the dog, or shall I keep it in hiding there, or--"

She paused a moment longer, her eyes darkening with dark glee.

"Shall I just go destroy it altogether?"

A smile curled her lips, which then pursed into a pout.

"Even though it would be a shame to destroy such a beautiful weapon...."

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