[CHAPTER 1] The Fallen Knight

[Tarrius Drast]

Spoiler: Read First

Open to Anyone -- 48 Hour Posting Limit
Story Driven Narrative that takes place as a side narrative within the larger story. PVP DISABLED - Serious Injury and death can and will most likely occur in later chapters (with my characters at least)

CHAPTER I: THE FALLEN KNIGHT​

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The snow swept and howled across the frozen planes, the small finite dots of white clashing with the eternally black sky. The sun's bright rays had abandoned the forsaken lands for sometime, and it would be several more months before it would return. The vast tundras, frozen lakes, and crisp forests dotted the land. Only the coniferous trees bared their needles, the rest were barren and in a state of frozen stasis. Perpetual death clung to the cool air, for those who walked along the barren and heavy footpaths, it was an embodiment of a dark life after the force, a living embodiment of hell manifested within the physical realms of the galaxy. Something no man nor alien should ever have to endure.

Tarrius walked along the moving drifts of snow, his head hunched low, leaving his bare forehead to bare the brunt of the winds lashes. His tattered and shredded cape clung tightly around his aging muscles which had been encased with a freezing shell of battered black armor. His blocky face sagged a bit, his black hair faded into a subtle light charcoal color. His brown eyes were heavy, yet focused. His steps sagging, yet carried a tired purpose--even in this hell world, the Drast carried on.

Winding his way around a small bend, revealed a small flicker of light within the distance. The flickering of the source and the inconsistency that came with it signaled that it was a small fire. Making his way against the trail, he would slowly come upon the source, finding a small camp had been set up along the road--a pair of orange eyes peering out of the darkness of the lone tent.

"You look tired..why don't you stop for a moment," a feminine voice called out, passing the snow storm and the physical world and entering directly to his mind. Tarrius said nothing, but simply bowed his head as he entered the campsite, his face revealing itself to the flames--the scars that lashed across the right side of his cheek revealed to the eyes.

A crack of thunder and a streak of lighting could be seen off in the distance, as the snow storm began to pick up, the darkness seemed to only grow stronger. A sleek gilded hand appeared from the tent and towards him, "Come..rest with me.." The voice called out to his mind once more.

Again he said nothing, his armored hand taking the feminine one, his brown eyes watching as he was pulled in towards the orange eyes. The smooth and pale white skin began to shrivel away into a wrinkled and slimy texture, the smell of sulfur and death clung to the air as the black pupils within the orange eyes began to grow larger--a predator had caught its prey.

Or so it thought..Tarrius was dragged into the tent to see a decrepit and vile man, his body breaking down from the plague of the darkside. His mouth was opened wide as if he was going to consume the hulking Tarrius in one go--his right hand readying some sort of arcane curse, a power to suck the life force from the Drast. But, Tarrius was ready for the ploy. He allowed himself to be pulled into the man, his left hand still extended towards the dark side user's chest. With a quick flick of his wrist, his hidden blade would emerge from beneath the wrist guard, shooting out and through the man's chest--causing the man to fall back against the bed-roll with a fit of gargling blood. Tarrius would pull his arm back towards him, grunting at the sight of his broken blade function. It served its purpose.. He thought to himself as he looked around to see a few datapads on the Sith, as well as various relics and teachings of the force. Though his eyes would stop on the sign of a small triangular symbol, with two lines interesting down the middle. The very symbol that haunted his dreams and mind.

Sliding out of the tent, the Drast would pull his cape tightly around his shoulders and his trek would begin once more as a streak of lightning light up the landscape to reveal a small trail of lights miles off into the mountain pass--the sound of thunder quickly following suit.

 

[Janiph Balguir]

There was something oddly enjoyable about the freezing cold, as much as it shook Janiph to his core. There was simply something ever so thrilling, perhaps even therapeutic of the frost against his face, his body sticking close by the blazing fire to keep himself warm. Perhaps it was the combination of fire and frost that thrilled the young sith so? Pale hands rubbed together to get warm, his eyes just as cold as the tundra surrounding him. Oh, if only he had stumbled upon some abandoned liquor storages, though they'd most certainly be frozen by now.

In truth, Janiph had no idea why he had been sent here. Perhaps the higher ups of his order wanted to see if he could handle the harsher climates in the galaxy, or perhaps he had irritated the wrong person and was sent here to die? Oh he cared very little, all he knew was that the force had brought him here for some purpose, and it was high time he finally started heeding to it whims. Only through training would his chains finally be broken after all. This was a dangerous place that would test him and he WOULD endure.

Taking to his feet, the acolyte surveyed his campsite, the snow falling upon his dark hair. He would dwell here for two days at most, if nothing occurred by that time he would happily take to his ship and leave. There plenty of food packed, though he was preparing to venture out in hopes of finding any wildlife that could survive here, he needed something to keep himself busy after all

Ah, thunder! If a storm was coming he'd have no shortage of challenges, this was good, very good. Finally he went on his way, wrapping himself in dark cloth he had brought with him from his home, it would do well to keep him warm for a time, at least for the time he intended to be out. As his feet dug into the snow with each step, the wind roared like a the fiercest of beasts, the sound a cruel elder sibling would tell their brothers and sisters about in horrifying tales of death and dismay. This was nature at it's cruelest, this was the truth of the galaxy, yet it had been beaten out by the civilized worlds long ago. It was worlds like this Janiph craved to bring to heal, to tame, much like savage aliens so often found in these places. For a man like him there was no greater satisfaction to be had then bringing order to the galaxy, to enslave the riff raff and the chaos that bloomed so often across the stars...of course this only applied if his will was the driving force.

It was then his thought were interrupted by a presence. A feeling washed over him, thumping against the innermost parts of his being. He was not alone. Finding sanctuary behind a frozen tree, Janiph looked for several seconds before he could notice a dark figure moving across the wasteland. Was it man or beast? Surely there would be some manner of life here? The shape was clearly a quadruped...his interest was now peaked.

" What ever would someone be doing out here of all places? Oh dear, you must be quite the resilient one!"