Caecus in Tenebrae

[Omnis]

Ancient cities, long forgotten and posthumously insignificant, still stood hidden in the open on even the most sacred of planets. Korriban was far from an exception to that. Though the Sith had reclaimed Korriban purposefully, holding it as a revered piece of the history that made them so strong, they had not done everything they could have to restore its ruins. There were many neglected buildings, temples, and tunnels all over the red desert planet. All day, every day, they silently endured the red sun and incessant wind. Time at their walls, slowly but without cease.

One such city was waiting for Viole Nivar in the sand-ridden wastes half a planet away from the Academy. Tall, still proud, only a few of its buildings were so badly damaged that they leaned precariously to one side. There were no panels of glass, crystal, or any other material to fill the empty windows. The wind howled through the gaping portals, moaning low to mourn the greatness that had been so long lost. Dust sifted across the streets every now and again, trying to find a comfortable place to rest. The emptiness would have been more comfortable even if ghosts had deigned to fill it.

The young Miralukan Acolyte was given no real reason for why he had been summoned to the coordinates. Crusader Nox, a Noghri that trained many Acolytes and led stealth missions, had sent the message with no other details. Time, place, be there. Simple as that. Command issued, compliance expected.

However, the Noghri was nowhere in sight. His presence was absent, which meant very little considering his predilection of burying his Force signature and simultaneously commanding the Force to hide his physical appearance. The latter ability mattered less to Viole, a Miralukan whose race had the inborn ability to see using the Force and were physically blind otherwise. The Force betrayed users to those that could see with it. Even still, Nox had proven to be extremely capable in remaining out of sight as a whole.

So the question was left. What was Viole to do? Find Nox? Find something else? A mystery, an artifact, a secret. Do nothing? The reigning silence, interrupted only by the sighs of falling dust and the moaning of the wind, was his only answer.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole had gotten summons from Nox. He was curious as to why he had gotten this. It didn't even read like a request. It wasn't a request. It was a demand. Place and time. He wasn't stupid. If Nox told him to show up, who was he to challenge the Sith? He simply geared up, wearing his Sunday Best, clipped his custom made saber to his belt, and then made his way there. All the while he was thinking about what Nox could possible want. Whatever it was, it had to be something serious. As he was coming closer to the site, he realized just how isolated away from the Academy they were. He looked around for a moment and continued walking. The Force began to creep up his body, crawling over his skin and sinking into his skull. Something was off. He looked around, then it hit him. He couldn't feel Nox. He looked up, down, all around, nothing. He sighed for a moment and relaxed. He took a seat, placing his saber in his lap. He calmed down and meditated on the Force. He fell into the Force, washing himself with the primal power. He channeled the energy through him, allow it to freely connect him to his surroundings. Nox was here, he knew he was here. This was a test, it had to be. Viole would wait. The purpose of this trial would reveal itself soon enough.

 

[Omnis]

Viole felt two things at once, as the wall behind him exploded outward and a thunderous boom accompanied it. Chunks of wall bowled him over into the street, tossing him through the dust. Chunks of wall fell from the top of the new hole behind him, thunking into the rubble pile beneath. When the dust settled, the dark silhouette of Crusader Nox was apparent. The harsh red sun of Korriban gleamed against the silver surface of his mask. His shoulders remained high and tight, his gloved hands curled into fists at his side.

"My tests have been too merciful," Nox said, his voice barely above a whisper. He took a step up onto the rubble pile, but did not have to crouch down as he began to step through the hole in the wall. The top was higher up still and he was short to begin with. "You have not been pushed past your limit." His hand dipped into his cloak, drawing out the smooth hilt of his first lightsaber. It was the same weapon that Nox had lent to Viole on numerous missions. "Your path to power has been challenging, but not transcendent."

His foot cleared the rubble pile and the short warrior fell a short distance to the street. Dust billowed out from beneath his feet, obscuring the base of his long robe.

"You are good, Viole Nivar, but not great. You are valuable, but not worthy." The red lightsaber erupted into the silence, humming its violent promise and glowing with sanguine lust. "You have your uses, but they are not enough to me. I will forge you into something greater, or kill you trying."

Clouds of sand exploded from either side of the Noghri as he flowed into motion, the Dark Side drawing down into him to accelerate his movements faster than normally possible. Amidst the lighter colored billowing clouds, Nox was a dark blur rushing directly for Viole. Somehow the moving sand made more sound than the Crusader did as he charged. The red lightsaber flashed to both sides, back and forth as Nox ran, then swept around from the right to cut at Viole's neck. However, Nox was not done. Instead, he leaped over Viole even as he made the strike, spun about when he landed, and charged again. This time, Nox struck from the left with a powerful swing meant to cut Viole in half at the waist.

Nox was no longer fighting to make a point or teach. The motions of his lightsaber were much smoother than ever before, with more force behind them than Viole could have ever imagined. The Noghri was going for the kill, and the young Miralukan could be left with no doubt of that.

 

[Vexillar]

The feeling came over him suddenly. Danger! The Force always whispered such warnings to those who could hear it's call. Unfortunately, those warnings always came a split second before the actual danger. Which is why Sith and Jedi trained so hard. To be able to react in time, to always be on guard for such attacks. So when this signal came to him, he immediately jumped into action. Launching himself up just as the building nearest to him exploded. He barely managed to avoid the shower of debris that threatened to crush, if not seriously injure, him. When all was clear he saw him. The man who summoned him and caused that explosion. His saber was immediately ignited, and he stood at the ready. Hearing the man's words it became clear what he was summoned here for. This was do or die. No more training. No more easy stuff. Viole attended the academy yes, and sure he had many teachers, but Nox was his primary. The Miraluka wasn't his apprentice and the Nohhri wasn't his master, but they had a close bond. Even as Nox charged at Viole, the Acolyte knew that this was just the final test. Do or die, pass or fail, this was it for now. If he didn't perform well, he would simple be another forgotten name...

That was unacceptable.

Nox came in for the swing, and Viole ducked down. He barely had enough time and could feel the heat from the blade slide over his head and probably singe a few hairs. When he came back up the assailant was striking at his waist. A simple block preventing the incoming blade to make contact. Viole's own purple blade met Nox's red one and with a flick of his wrist the Miraluka disengaged the blades while retreating as a fencer does. He stood in the Makashi opening stance, his right shoulder pointed at Nox and his purple blade at the ground.

Be calm. Wait... He knew better than to charge the elder Assassin. Such would only end terribly for him. The man would be able to easily counter his strikes. Viole needed to use unorthodox methods. He heavily fortified his mind, utilizing his Thought Shield to it's fullest extent. He didn't want the man to discover the nature of his plotting. The less Nox could detect from Viole the better. This fight was for keeps, and Viole would treat it as such. He knew the man could out strength him in a heartbeat, especially since Viole was a Makashi practitioner, so he had to play this carefully. One opening is all he needed...

 

[Omnis]

Viole was still standing, but that was to be expected. If a few lightsaber swings had cut him down, the entire trip to the ruins would have been a waste. That assault was just the beginning. Like the explosion of kinetic energy that had broken apart the wall, it was just a precursor.

"You are just like the rest," Nox said, sidling to the side slowly so that they would begin circling one another. "Nothing more than a servant to a master. Just a slave, bound by your expectations. Limited by your own fear and weakness. What more could a slave have to offer the Sith?"

Left hand darting forward, Nox unleashed a powerful but brief surge of lightning from his fingertips. The violent burst of energy burned the dust in the air, filling the street with the smell of ozone and flashing brightly as it burned millions of particles at once. At the same time, Nox charged forward again, leaped, and swung hard at Viole's head with the lightsaber in his right hand. Combined with the taunting, Nox expected his distraction to work out smoothly. The reliable facet of using lightning to attack a foe was that it was supremely difficult to dodge, so it almost always forced them to block somehow. Engaged with that, Viole would be left wide open.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole's brows knitted together as he felt the slightest twinge of irritation. He was using his past against him. Trying to distract him by reminding him what he was at heart...No. No, he was Sith! This is where he belonged. Nox was wrong. He didn't know him, he didn't know anything about him! He pushed the man's words out of his mind, but that didn't spare his feelings. It may not have had the full desired effect, and with Viole's Thought Shield in place it would be difficult to pick up on those feelings, but it had an impact. It had sunk into Viole's bones and was slowly eating at him from the inside. Snapping himself back to reality was difficult, but with the sound of lightning, it was made all the easier. Viole barely had time to raise his blade to block the lightning. He gritted his teeth as he did this. It was his first time coming across the skill. He was one of the lucky Acolytes who never had to be on the receiving end of lightning during their training. Nox wasn't done though. Viole could see the man running, but with the lightning he didn't have time to completely save himself. He managed to move out the way, but he could feel the saber burn his cheek as he threw his body to the right, rolling out the way. He hissed in pain as he resisted the urge to touch the burn.

He stood up and took a deep breath. Nox wasn't pulling any punches. Viole brought his blade arm in close to his chest, his blade now pointed behind him on the left, he knelt down a bit in preparation to dash, and felt the Force fill his lower limbs. In an explosion of energy he suddenly dashed forward. His blade was still held across his body until he got within striking range. At that point he began to swing out to cut Nox horizontally as his opening move. The blade wouldn't go through with it though. Instead he crouched down at the last minute, and did a small burst of Force Speed to dash off to the right with his blade extended to cut at Nox's thighs. It wouldn't be a fatal wound if it hit. Just enough to hinder his movements.

 

[Omnis]

The Noghri stood planted, waiting for Viole to make his move. As the Acolyte burst forward with great speed, enough to have Nox register some pride in the young man's progress, Nox sped up with his own supplemental Force power. At first, Nox wound up his own lightsaber to strike forward and block hard against Viole's swing. As an Ataru user, Nox favored overpowering his opponent. With enough force, Nox would not only halt Viole's strike but then turn that momentum back some as well, pushing Viole off balance.

At the last moment, Viole cleverly dipped down, dashed to the side, and went for a crippling strike. Nox, graced with Noghri reaction time, turned the momentum of his strike into a front flip and avoided the strike just in time. However, he had his own response planned out before his feet even hit the ground. Turning about for just a second, just enough to catch sight of Viole, Nox dropped the lightsaber from his right hand and jabbed it forward at Viole. His fingers clutched air, but the Force wrapped around Viole's throat to form a hard grip. As that happened, Nox drew his left hand around to grip his falling lightsaber with the Force as well. As he pushed with his right hand, intending to send Viole crashing through the old wall of the nearest building behind Viole, Nox drew his lightsaber back to his other hand.

"You are holding back, Viole Nivar!" Nox shouted. "But I will not! You will die here. Your weakness betrays you, chains you. You will die carrying chains on your soul!"

 

[Vexillar]

Of course his attack was dodged. He didn't quite expect it to hit, but the initial reaction did please him. Nox was clearly prepared for the first strike, but the change caught him off guard. Not for long, but the fact that he managed to surprise the more experienced Sith pleased him. He didn't get far from the man, however, before his Force Sense triggered. He turned around and barely managed to raise his blade to block the incoming lightsaber. He would never actually get to block the saber, managing only to make it glance off his blade and run across his blade-arm's forearm. His hands shot up to his throat to claw at the invisible force. He was just an Acolyte with all the luck today. He struggled against the unseen power until he was thrown back through the wall. He could feel his body screaming in pain for him to do something. It was just so hard to focus right now what with his throat being crushed and all. Nox began to speak again. Injured throat or not, he heard him loud and clear. He was still insisting that Viole was nothing more than a mere slave. A lowly, insignificant slave. "S-shut...up!" he managed to croak out as he grabbed onto the Force and bent it to his will. His anger was rising, and that much was obvious by how steady the several pieces of wall were rising despite being choked, he was going to prove to Nox that he left that life behind him. It wasn't Nox's business or anyone else's. Nox would either yield to him, or he'd die here today. Regardless, he would make sure nobody would ever insinuate he was just a slave ever again.

The pieces of wall were flung at Nox, backed by Viole's fury at the situation, backed by his desire to truly hurt Nox. As calm as Viole was known to be, this was one subject that always slipped under his skin and bit him deep down. He would never be a slave again. Anyone who thought otherwise would find themselves being quickly corrected.

 

[Omnis]

In order to deal with the wall fragments, airborne and turned into projectiles, Nox had to summon the Force closer to himself and redirect it. That forced him to drop his grip on Viole, no longer crushing the Acolyte's throat closed or his body against the wall he had stopped against. The flying fragments, big enough to crush him with just one piece, came close enough to cast shadows on him before they were shunted to the side by an invisible explosion of power. The slabs flipped away to each side, settling with several dull thuds like a stilted drum roll.

"You dare to command me?" Nox shouted back. "By what right? You can't stop me from speaking. No more than you can stop me from killing you."

The cloaked Crusader blurred into motion, once again aided by the Dark Side in his movement. Nox was drawing heavily on the Force, determined to overwhelm Viole. Break him down. Dismantle him. Viole's instructor, the man that had trained him in many things, leaped up into the air as he approached the opening in the wall. As he closed with Viole, still airborne, Nox took all of the power that he had expelled behind him, all of the power above and below, internalized it in one catalyzing moment, and unleashed it forward with an outstretched palm. Sword arm remaining folded behind his back, still clutching his ignited lightsaber, Nox laid into Viole with a powerful push of the Force that was meant to splatter the Acolyte into the ground.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole dropped and coughed a bit while trying to clear his throat. He resisted the urge to rub it, however, as he needed to fight on. He heard the slabs being tossed aside and quickly reactivated his saber. He staggered to his feet as he continued to clear his throat. That Force Choke was truly no laughing matter. Nox was clearly not pulling any punches, and that meant that whatever reservations Viole had, whatever doubts, he needed to toss them all aside. He could feel himself still subconsciously holding back. He needed to remove them all. Something that would become all the easier when Nox began to speak. The seed planted in Viole from their previous non-lethal training session was alive and in full bloom at this point. The watering it received from the Crusader's earlier words were enough to cause it to show signs of life, and with these words the flower was fully blossomed. Anything Nox could say passed this point would be moot. He could claim Viole was brilliant, a god, the most talented Acolyte he's ever seen. It would fall on deaf ears, and his mind would warp it into a twisted sentence meant for mockery and slander.

"By the right that he is SITH!" He shouted back.

He opened his body to the Force in preparation for what was to come. As Nox charged at him, he waited for the perfect moment. The second he caught Nox jumping in the air, he pushed the Force into his legs in preparation. The second Nox's arms moved, he moved. With a burst of Force Speed, back by the rage that this man continued to insult him, continued to insinuate that he was but a slave who had gone beyond his station, he raced forward. In a black blur he was gone from his spot and and had moved. He appeared behind the Crusader and he intended to pull the Crusader to him. The shockwave of the Force Push however was massive. When the power crashed into the ground he lost his focus and instead of pulling Nox to him, he accidentally directed the Force to throw him down. Of course from that height, even if the attack went through it wouldn't do much besides stun him a little bit. But that would be better than nothing. For Viole, however, the Push's release of energy sent him sliding backwards until eventually he fell and rolled backwards. He recovered and skidded to a halt, however, and stood ready for an attack. The failure of his plan irritated him even more. He would show Nox he wasn't a slave. That life was behind him. He deserved to be here, and Nox would be made to accept that fact. Viole's grip on his emotions was strong, he was channeling his hatred and rage just as he was instructed by the Crusader himself. So though these emotions were running wildly inside of him, he did not lose himself to them. He simply relaxed his grip on them, allowing them to form a small storm inside of him. A storm that he was the eye of. He was in control here, not his heart and not his mind.

 

[Omnis]

Nox watched as Viole slipped out from under his crushing blast of Force power, dust following the quick Acolyte like waves. He felt Viole's manipulations of the Force coalesce above him, about to slam down upon him like a great fist. Nox prepared himself for the hit, spreading his limbs so that the weight of the blow would be more evenly distributed, and gave a quick jolt of power back at the metaphysical fist above him. It didn't stop him from hitting the floor a bit hard, but he recovered quickly.

He found Viole waiting behind him, preparing himself for another attack. However, Nox was determined to show Viole that he was not ready. Not ready for what Nox could throw at him, not ready for the title of Sith, and not ready for what power was awaiting him down that path.

"Sith?" Nox asked, outraged. He had begun to shout, abandoning the usual scratchy rasp that characterized his soft speech. "You are not Sith." He punctuated that statement with a powerful, high pitched shriek. That shriek grew as it blasted through air towards Viole, propelled and altered by the Force. Nox was using his own form of Bellow, trying to bring Viole to his knees. "One does not simply join the Sith. The title of Sith is earned." He sent another shriek out, walking forward with his lightsaber still in hand. "Sith means taking your power, not having it given to you." Another sonic blast shook the walls nearest them. Nox was only a few steps away. "You have never shown me what makes you powerful. You have only ever shown me that you have some power at your disposal. You are no different than hundreds of other dead Acolytes. You are not Sith." One last shriek, this time sustained longer so that Nox could close the last few steps comfortably.

He stood in front of Viole, ready to cut the Miralukan down.

"Sith don't just fight for survival, Viole Nivar. They fight for dominance. You could never have been great. Only good. Good is only useful for so long. Fare quickly on your journey to Death's hold."

The Crusader's arm blurred up, then swept down like black and crimson guillotine blade.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole was breathing through his nose heavily at this point. His inner rage was spilling over into outer rage slowly but surely. He looked at the other man as he stood up. Of course that fall did jack squat to him, but Viole was glad to at least have done something to him. It felt good. It felt REALLY good. He wanted to do more, hit him more, hurt him more. He gritted his teeth as Nox began talking, but it was an angry gritting...then came the scream. His angry gritting then became a painful one. The twitch of his lips and brow was what wince he could manage without having eyes. Viole didn't fall to the first one, his knees shook though. After the second shriek his knees bent, but he still refused to kneel before this man. His head was threatening to explode at any moment, however, and the third shriek didn't help. He fell to his hands and knees. He looked up at the Sith. He was walking forward quickly. The brief moment of peace he had was used in plotting. He had never seen the depth of Nox's power, but he was starting to understand...the difference in power between them was vast. Viole wasn't going to let that stop him though. The final shriek came and Viole's mind was racked once more. Thankfully, he didn't have physical sight. If he did he would have been forced to close his eyes. With his Force Sight, however, he was able to keep an 'eye' on Nox as he finished closing the distance on him. At this point Viole was on the ground, on his right side. His blade arm was pinned under him so it was all but useless to him.

Dominance?

He would show Nox that his fight for survival was more than just a fight to make it to the next day. He waited till the last moment, the moment Nox raised his weapon, and then he began to channel the Dark Side. Not just the Force anymore. He opened his heart and body to the Dark Side of the Force. If he had eyes, the traditional yellow tint would be clear on them at this point. He drew heavily on it, pulling as much into his body as he could in that instant. With a half thrust of his hand he unleashed a Force Push at the ground, sliding himself across the ground about two meters back. He rolled over and stood up quickly, igniting his saber again. Sure it hurt, but the pain was a far far cry away from being recognized in his mind. He heard the whispers of the Dark Side in his mind clear as day now. Kill, hurt, destroy... They pushed him to do their bidding, but he fought back against it. He would not be slave to the Dark Side, rather the Dark Side would be slave to him. He forced it to bend to his will "There is NO Acolyte here who fights for dominance more than HIM! A FORMER slave! A former THING! A POSSESSION! NO MORE! He shouted at Nox and then dashed forward, closing the two meters between them quickly and unaided by the Force. Once he was within striking range, however he let lose. The first few seconds of the flurry were control strikes with no aid from the Force. After that, however, the Force filled his arms allowing him to move quickly. The Acolyte's strikes unleashed impossibly quick at the man. "Nobody knows dominance more than a slave. Nobody FIGHTS for dominance more than a slave." He finished his flurry of strikes with a feint. He continued the Force enhanced strike, aiming his blade down at the Crusader's stomach. As the blade closed in, he quickly redirected the Force in his body to his left hand which came up and released a powerful blast aimed at Nox's head. Meant to cause both pain and push him back. As soon as the blast left his fingertips he retreated from the Crusader. His breathing was more labored now. Though the Dark Side empowered him, he had just expelled a lot of energy. He was not holding back. It was obvious now. He was showing his true colors. He would show Nox that he did indeed fight for the 'right' reasons.

 

[Omnis]

Death's Figment had been ready to cut down the little slave, the ignorant Acolyte, a lone Miralukan boy that had ventured into the wastes without a hope. The fight was all but over, with the boy laying on his side and positioned for execution. The red lightsaber cut down through the air, tracking to decapitate Viole Nivar. It was almost done. Their time together was nearly at an end.

But Viole fought. Despite the pain, the difficulty, despite it all he fought. A well timed push with the Force and some quick maneuvering had brought the young man back to his feet and in a position to attack Nox once again. The Miralukan went on the offensive quickly, flurrying hard against the Crusader with all of his worth. Nox matched the control strikes, parry for blow, before fueling his own movements with the Force as the Acolyte sped up as well.

The two of them looked like a hurricane of red and violet light as their blades whirled, swept, and clashed faster than the average eye could follow. The dust around them began to billow out in successive clouds, lapping against the bases of the nearby walls. The strobing light show ended as Viole feinted a strike into a stab downwards at Nox's stomach. The Miralukan had a clever plan, however, even as Nox expertly dodged the blow with a quick back step and a slight arching of his back to keep his vitals away from the glowing blade.

Viole's hand reached out, sending a powerful blast at Nox's head. However, the Noghri swiftly ducked and raised his own hand in kind. With both conduit points being so close, Nox felt certain that there would be no time for Viole to deal with the assault. He let fly with his rage and hatred, channeling energy through his arm until it exploded from his fingertips to catch Viole's own in a blast of lightning.

"Your actions matter more than your words, Viole Nivar." Nox's voice had turned eerily calm, instantly devoid of any of the frustration and anger it had been filled with before. It was almost too quiet to be heard over the continued sound of the snapping and hissing chain of energy still blasting at Viole. "You have to have your claims realized and actual before you make them. Otherwise, they are false and empty."

Nox let go of the power, dropping his hand. That gloved hand dipped beneath his robe, drawing out his other lightsaber. The weapon activated, adding another busy hum to the silence of the ruins.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole had put a lot of energy into that most recent assault. He was performing well passed any limits he had displayed thus far. And anyone with even a little bit of Force Sensitivity could feel the cold cavity that was his body being filled by the Dark Side. All the same, when Nox retaliated with another Force Lightning assault, Viole moved his blade to intercept but his arm was a bit weak from the massive amounts of strain. It caught the electricity, but he couldn't hold it there. The blade ended up being pushed to the side at the force behind the assault and the lightning raced over his shoulder and back. Viole cried out in pain as he felt his entire body taking damage. It felt like every nerve was on fire from the inside out. He could feel it all. The sand, the wind, his own blood flowing, his heart thrashing against his chest. It was a terrible feeling, but one that awakened him yet again. The pain sent yet another surge of adrenaline coursing through his body, and though he had fallen to his knees, yet again, he rose up, slowly, when the energy ceased.

He stood with smoke rising from his body, and he faced Nox. "His...claims? Claims?!" He began to chuckle until his boiled over into a full blown laugh. "His claims are more real, more tangible, than any of these other poor excuses for Sith. As far as Acolytes go, name one who could have done what he has done. One who could survive what I have? Who else would still be standing against you still? Ah, but he supposes that's the point, yes? What did you once tell him...that which can be created can be destroyed, and that which is destroyed can be remade? You're testing you creation...If you break it, then you'll just make another and fix the flaws in the former...If it survives, then you'll have created something" --he chuckled-- "good...Fine. Test him if you will, but he has come too far, done too much, to fail now." He activated his saber once more and readied himself. His body cried out against the action, but he ignored it all. He wouldn't allow Nox's words to dishearten him. If he wasn't Sith now, then he would be. It was a black and white situation for him. Failure was not an option though, and Nox wouldn't be his undoing.

 

[Omnis]

Nox had nothing more to say. They were at an impasse, in debate. They had their beliefs, their exclusive passions, their own fury and hatred. Their ideals would clash as their bodies did, and the winner would watch the dust settle.

Aligning both blades to his right side, pointed back, one above his shoulder and the other below, Nox lunged forward with his right leg. As he came forward, the Noghri first unleashed the top lightsaber in a diagonal slash downwards. The lower lightsaber closely followed, this time cutting straight across at the waist. His right blade windmilled around to strike at the left side of Viole's face, then tucked under his left armpit. Still following closely behind, Nox's left blade rose up then slashed down at Viole's torso going to the right until that blade was tucked under Nox's right armpit.

The Crusader was left in a compromising position, with both arms crossed against his chest and tucked under his armpits. Having already pushed himself to his limits with the Force, he was in no position to defend himself with the savagery of the Dark Side should his opponent. However, Nox was not done. Unleashing all of his power and natural speed, Nox drew both blades forward to cross in front of him and attempt cutting Viole through and through, one cut at the lower abdomen and one at the neck. If performed right, Viole's own defense would catch the crux of Nox's assault and force him back harshly enough to throw him. Nox pushed as hard as he could as he opened up his chest with his pectoral and trapezius muscles to add more leverage to the powerful strike.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole panted slightly as Nox charged forward. What remained of his ability to focus on the Force was diverted to his Sight, to see things as clearly as he could. He fall back onto his training with this Makashi style. Specifically the training he had with Sin'ryk. He held steady and waited for the right moment. The first strike came in. Viole retreated just a little bit to give himself more room, but remained close enough to bring his blade up to clash with the Crusader's. He rolled his wrist, to twist the blade downwards in an attempt to push the second blade forward. Once that went through he disengaged the blades and was preparing to go in for a strike, but Nox twisted the blade around and performed a second set of strikes. Viole retreated back once more, managing to avoid the first strike but he wasn't back far enough for the second. The blade bit into his flesh, but Viole was too tired to even scream at this point. The pain raced through him as the smell of burned skin touched his nose. The wound wasn't too deep, but it was deep enough. Of course it would scar over in time. With Nox's blades both tucked under his pits, Viole went in for his strike. At the same time, Nox began his final assault. Viole's blade came down as he attempted to cut open Nox's chest. The three blades met at about half their lengths, but Nox was significantly more physically built than Viole. The Acolyte was pushed back with little difficulty, as he slid back he focused his powers on a small piece of rubble behind and slightly to the right of Nox. He remembered Nox's first training. To use his hand was a crutch, and so he wouldn't. He simply did. It was a silly final assault in comparison to the Crusader's most recent attack. Viole managed, barely, to propel the debris at Nox, aiming for behind his left knee. The intention was to cripple Nox, obviously not permanently. Maybe if he had more power he could have done some serious damage, but with his current lack of reserves he was left with enough power for temporary crippling. At least enough to possibly get him out of this fight alive. If Nox did manage to avoid the slab, then Viole would simple step out of the way. He could at least still do that. Even with a scared body, and a wounded chest. It would hurt like Hell, but he wouldn't really have much choice.

 

[Omnis]

The masked Crusader swept forward like a tempest, blades whirling and flashing crimson light through the darkened halls of the ruined building they stood in. Though Viole managed to avoid the first few attacks, the Acolyte was unable to predict the follow up attacks and took a significant scorch from the last rotation of his blades. With both blades tucked under his arms, the plasma beams dangerously close to nicking him, he built up as much power as he could while waiting for Viole to respond. The delay was not long, and the Miralukan man performed exactly as Nox predicted. Crossing his blades out in front of him, simultaneously catching Viole's strike and pushing forward, Nox threw the Acolyte several feet.

There was only room for the kill and blood now. Nox could smell Viole's wounds, filling his senses and fueling his wrath. The quarry was weak, and finally Death was imminent. The Crusader took a few measured steps forward, taking his time and showing Viole that his dominance was assured. There would be no running from him. Their combat was nearly at an end.

When the rock slab came flying through the air, Nox did not know it. He could only smell scorched flesh, blood, and dust. He could only see Viole, only hear the labored breathing of his student. The projectile impacted Nox exactly as intended, perhaps even more effectively than Viole had dared hoped for. The Noghri went down, one lightsaber deactivating as he pushed his hand against the ground to keep from falling flat. The other weapon remained clutched in his fist, and just as Nox fell to a kneeling position in the dust he let out a startled, pained hiss.

 

[Vexillar]

Oh...

That's the only thing that floated through Viole's mind as he watched the slab make contact with it's mark. He had an opening. The first true opening since the start of this entire thing. It became painfully obvious that though there were times he went on the 'offensive' he was merely reacting to the already established offense. Now he had a true opportunity to act rather than react. As Nox began falling, he acted. He took charge. He didn't wait, he saw an opening, and he didn't just grab it...he ripped it out of the kriffing ground. Viole pushed off the ground with enough Force to leave a small crack. Nothing as impressive as the one Nox left earlier in the fight, but far more than any mere mortal could produce. He gripped his lightsaber tight. Strike...don't hesitate. A Sith doesn't hesitate. A Sith doesn't wait. A Sith doesn't just survive, they dominate! The thought filled his head. He allowed the pain from this fight to fill him, the anger from the Hutt he once served, and the sheer rage he felt from knowing that he had once been so weak, all of it boiled up inside of him to empower his body. He flipped the dual phase switch at the last moment, and as he passed Nox he swung his blade out. The slash was designed to be deep. It wasn't meant to be a killing blow, but it was designed to put him out of commission. His blade, if the strike hit, would cut at his shoulder blade, slicing just by his heart. This attack would also take out a little bit of the base of his neck as well, and this was designed to slice...not cut. So Viole was aiming to move the blade through the body. He stopped five feet behind Nox, so his blade would remain inside Nox as well, if it hit, and would be resting right next to the aforementioned organ. He twisted around to be facing the assassin. Blade still in him, kept at it's position. With the wrong twist, turn, or movement at all Nox risked causing some severe damage to his body. At least as it stood, the damage was...fixable albeit it would require immediate attention. If the attack was successful, and Viole was standing in position, he would simply stand there and watch the assassin for what he would do next. He was tired though. If this wasn't ending soon, then he wasn't sure what more he could do. He wouldn't roll over and die, however, that much was for sure. He would fight until he won, or until he was dead. Though he hoped, this is assuming the attack was successful, that Nox would just yield. With a blade this close to one's heart, movement was dangerous. Even without the danger of hitting the Assassin's heart, the wound was pretty bad.

 

[Omnis]

Nox clearly realized his compromised position, and things seemed to move in slow motion as both combatants dumped adrenaline and dialed in on the combat. Scrambling to right himself, the Noghri still forgot the factors keeping him down as he shoved his active lightsaber into the ground as if trying to rise with it like it were a normal sword. The plasma energy sank into the ground, causing him to fall further before catching himself on the hilt.

Viole's slice was coming all the closer, threatening to cripple Nox completely. There was no room for mitigation, no time to deal with the problem. The oncoming stroke was as true as fact already. The masked Crusader could only remain hunched over, waiting for the material of his duraweave robe to be parted and a violet blade of light to wreak destruction through his body.

But the Crusader had one last surprise. Some time ago, he had picked up a valuable trick from one of the targets he had killed during a mission in his Acolyte days. Setting out with two other Sith, both Crusaders, Nox had helped to hunt down a Sith renegade that had been so completely corrupted by the Dark Side that his nature had become entirely parasitic. Living off of the life force of others, the Darkness-infested creature had used a combination of its most powerful draining technique and the basic application of tutaminis to stave off not just one but three lightsabers while they were plunged into his body.

Nox had been studying the technique in his own time. While he was nowhere near as powerful or as skilled, he believed he could accomplish roughly the same thing for at least one crucial moment. Even just one critical second would be enough.

Dwelling inward instead of focusing outward, his mental faculties working into overdrive as rapidly as he could manage, Nox swiftly built the image of a complex filtration system over the mental schematic of his body. Taking what was left of his control in the Force, Nox prepared the envisioned paths in his body to accept a large amount of energy within the notice of a few microseconds.

Light flared, the blade began to bite, and duraweave unraveled at the microscopic level like a rope fraying to shreds.

With a hiss and closed eyes, Nox accepted the Force into his body and gave it one direction. The rest, he left to the Force. The blade passed through his chest, his shoulder, his neck, and flesh sizzled. But nothing parted. The muscles of his body remained whole, and by the time Nox finished rolling forward a large red mark had formed all the way from one nipple to his corresponding shoulder blade, looping up over the base of his neck as well.

The Crusader swiftly turned, the robe he wore still hanging onto his built but small frame, smoke pouring from the blistering mark forming between the sundered duraweave. Slowly, with a cringe of suppressed agony, Nox reached up to stow his lightsabers in his slightly looser hanging robe lapels.

"You have proven your worth," The reptilian Crusader said, his voice just low enough to make Viole strain to listen. "Apprentice."

Without another word, the silver mask turned away from Viole Nivar and the black clad Crusader strode through the nearest door back into the wastes.