Searching in the Valley

[vamp]

SEARCHING IN THE VALLEY
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Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban, R5

It had been some time since Calmax's last visit to Korriban. It wasn't a nice place to be in, and it still made him uncomfortable, even though he was a Sith. However, it also made him feel stronger. The presence of the dark side on the planet gave him power, as it did to every other Sith there.

He'd flown to Korriban from Nar Shaadaa with a man and had dropped him off at the academy when they landed to be judged. After that, Calmax had traveled to the entrance to the Valley of the Dark Lords, where he was planning on meeting with another Sith to search for a holocron they'd heard of. It shouldn't be too hard, other than ghosts and whatnot.

He sat on a rock, waiting around for the other man who was supposed to show. Calmax had arrived early, mostly because his flight had gotten there early, so it wasn't the other Sith's fault that he was late.

@Japkot

 

[Japkot]

He looked around the perimeter, but his eyes weren't focused as he had closed his senses to the world, instead focusing on the force, prodding the landscape of the now familiar planet as he was trudging up the hill. It used to be such a strange place, this seemingly lifeless planet, now it felt like home, proving that it was anything but. The dark energy that filled his veins with power, that surrounded the whole planet made it seem so endearing...

Fascinatingly the Sith that had been inhabiting this planet had left it relatively unspoilt, despite living in it for eons. Was it their hatred? Their fear of the Jedi, that left them with no regards of discovering their home? Leaving the artifacts, that was left behind during simple times lost to time, waiting to be discovered by them, they the eager Sith that was left behind to guard their home.

Their beautiful home...

He could gush about its beauty for decades, but he decided now was not the time, for he would waste those thoughts, those words that meant so much on empty air.

No... Now was not the time, another day surely, today was just a holocron. As it stands, he was already sensing another presence not far from him, one he'd been looking for, just over this hill he presumed, as his boots collided with the gravel, his robes swaying with each step. He pushed the distracting thoughts away and focused his attention on the task at hand, regaining his focus as he finished climbing the remainder of the hill...

 

[vamp]

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"Hello!" he said to the other Sith as he came over the hill. The man was close enough now that Calmax could smell him, something that would help in detecting the man later. For Calmax, people were simply familiar smells. Either way, he could also see things around him by their Force signatures.

Today, he was wearing his armor and carrying his normal arsenal, just in case the spirits around got too touchy. His helmet was off at the moment, and his hood was down, simply so that Jakkar could recognize him. Once he knew the man was nearby, he put the helmet on.

"I've never been artifact hunting before, so I suppose the search itself will be a new experience," he remarked after introductions. The holocron they were seeking allegedly contained information on the Trakata lightsaber tactic. It was somewhat hard to earn, and uncommon among all Force factions, which is what drew Calmax to it.

Once formalities were over, they would both venture into the tomb, letting the pull of dark energy exerted by the holocron to attract them.

 

[Japkot]

"Greetings..." He said, sizing up the man in front of him, it was a forced habit, one he wished he didn't need to have, but when it came to being a Sith, one needed to remember the fundamentals, those same bloody fundamentals that had been the Bane of Sith for generations, every Sith would betray one Sith when it was to their convinience, he would know, since he'd betrayed Niklaus to become Sith himself...

But the man in front of him looked and sensed different, certainly unorthodox, although Jakkar would certainly be the last person to classify anyone as such. He sensed he could trust him, enough to let him be a companion. He would restrain himself on going any further though, since this was the first time he'd be joining a mission with a Sith that he could finally consider as his equal, one needed to come off as a force to be reckoned with, not some gullible fool who could easily be manipulated. He mirrored that into his speech when making the introductions,

"I've never been artifact hunting before, so I suppose the search itself will be a new experience," That was somewhat suprising, since he'd considered every Sith had gone through the Trials of Korriban, and those consisted of a lot of artifact gathering tasks. He presumed Calmax had gone through a different kind of training, that would certainly explain his unfamiliarity at least.

"It's an exhilarating experience, your first time in search of a Sith Artifact," He said, "Although it somewhat dims during your 15th," It was an exaggerated number, for who would bother counting how many times they've been to tombs? Just for show, a subtle hint of seniority in this kind of field mixed with his signature type of humor. He followed after Calmax after they finished talking, taking in the tombs energy.

Fascinating how it changed from earnest to mysterious so quickly, he sensed they were going to find more then just a Holocron here, which was a great deal, a little bit of history, a little bit of combat experience. He couldn't help but let a smirk envelop his face, igniting his Lightsaber when the tomb got so dim that he couldn't see in front of him, just a precaution, most things tend to ambush when senses went blind...

 

[vamp]

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He was a bit amused by the other Sith's choice to ignite his lightsaber for lighting, something another person would view as normal. Calmax's blindness caused him to find humor in things like that. He held the hilt of his lightsaber in his hand, but did not turn the blade on.

As they walked, the presence of the Dark side thickened the air. Breathing became harder in the deeper part of the tomb, although one became used to it after a few steps. Calmax could smell the stench of death in the distance, perhaps due to the corpses in the walls.

They turned a corner, finding themselves at a fork in the road. "I suppose this is our first trial," he remarked. Then, he remained silent for a moment, focusing on his surroundings. The Dark side appeared to be tugging him toward the left, and he knew that must be where the holocron was. When he thought about what might be waiting at the right, a feeling of dread overcame him, and he pushed the thought away.

"Safest bet would be to go left."

If his companion agreed, he would then lead the way deeper into the sinister tomb.

 

[Japkot]

"Safest bet would be to go left,"
He agreed, for the force beckoned him that way. Although he was reluctant, because the notion of going the safest route seemed like such a waste of valuable discoveries, no matter what the trials were, it sickened him to his stomach, the notion of missing out on the information just because some old fool had set them up to fail if they didn't follow his narrow minded vision!

He closed his eyes when the anger hit him too hard, trying to contain the wave of scorching heat that racked through his mind, it was alright, there wasn't probably anything of importance there, contain yourself and just go with what the trials told you to do.

So he re-opened his eyes, and turned his attention away from the dark, wild, seductive and beckoning right to the calm and collected, awaiting in an ever natural state left, cursing the fact that he had to resign himself to such fate before turning to Calmax, who might have taken the stretching silence as a reason to be suspicious of his thoughts, he didn't know if he was in the right mind to conceal his feelings when the ever haunting temper of his striked...

"Lead the way, I'll follow..."

 

[vamp]

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Though he felt his companion's discontent, Calmax chose not to show it, instead remaining silent as the two paced down the hallway.

A bit of sweat gathered on his brow from the humid heat that had begun accumulating. A few steps later, he was overcome by a cold, brutal and unyelding. He bared his teeth, and kept going, until they entered a chamber, which was uncharacteristically cold compared to the rest of the stifling tomb.

In the center lay a sarcophagus, a light shade of crimson, covered in Sith hieroglyphs that spoke of the dark, of cold, and of preservation.

The tenant seemed disinterested in the two Sith. Next to the coffin, on a carved stone table, lay a small red pyramid, also with hieroglyphs. An inscription had been carved onto it.

Viae illorum tenebrae eam congelat

Aware that this must be the holocron they were seeking, Calmax approached the table.

"If we both concentrate, we'll open it faster," he said.

 

[Japkot]

The mysterious beckoning of the force around the place was gone, now there was only a hostile atmosphere, the hallways had become cold, which made him pause for a couple of seconds before his posture straightened and he continued like it was nothing, inside he was uncomfortable, because he'd never felt a cold like this before, mainly because he'd never been to any planets that was cold. In fact he'd been to only 4 planets and most, and most of them had been relatively balanced in their average temperature above the minus', Outisde he was careful to not let it seep into his stance, his steps were still even as he continued behind his companion, who looked unaffected from where he looked.

Then they entered a chamber.

He could see the cold mist around his lightsaber now, and he could feel the force pushing aganist his ears, begging to be let free in this unfamiliar environement. He realized that his instincts was trying to lash out against, something, he needed to be careful or something bad would happen, his temper had already shown it's face once, who knew if he could control it for a second time? He just needed to relax himself, it was just a tomb, nothing worse then what he'd dealt with already.

He put that problem in the back of his mind and approached the sarcophagus, kneeling down to read the hieroglyphs while the other Sith went to look at the pedestal that lay right next to it. Probably what contained their target, but he was too fascinated with the readings despite the biting cold that surrounded the room.

"If we both concentrate, we'll open it faster," ...But duty called, and who was he to deny the calling, getting up and walking toward Calmax, letting his lightsaber fade as he focused his force power on the pyramid that had the holocron trapped inside it.

"Let us start,"

 

[vamp]

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Silently, he nodded, and sat on the cold stone floor, cross-legged. Calmax focused, and the pyramid floated upwards, in between the two Sith. Channeling his will through the Force, he pushed and prodded, requiring that the holocron open. He could feel the other Sith's commands as well, and a faint red glow showed that they were making progress.

As he sat there, the holocron floated and set upon the floor, and the folds of the pyramid slowly opened. A red hologram beamed out, of a man in his late 50s. His face, covered in scars, was wrinkled and pale. His eyes, set deep in his skull, glared at the two Sith.

"Who goes there?" he inquired raspily, a look of disapproval cast onto his already disapproving face.

Unsure of what customs old Sith had with greeting, Calmax simply replied, "Two Sith in search of knowledge," and then waited for his companion to say something.

 

[Japkot]

"Who goes there?" It was a Sith, corrupted by years of abuse of the dark side, his body mutilated by the endless abuse and the countless battles he'd been in probably, Jakkar could only presume what he had to teach them. He bowed his head respectfully, a gesture of immense respect presented to the old Sith, although he wasn't the first one to give the verbal adress to him. That honor belonged to Calmax;

"Two Sith in search of knowledge," He sensed the force ripple, signifying the old Sith's dissaproval, probably out of the lack of proper respect and procedures having gone without a mention in his adressing of him, especially because they were Sith. Sadly, he hadn't learned anything among the lines of Old Sith Protocol, probably because he was fashioning himself to be a perfect killing machine for the past 7 years...

But he had to speak, which he did so after bowing respectfully once again, "Lord of the Sith, please excuse our manners, It's been a long time since the Galaxy saw someone of your kind..." He bowed respectfully once again, looking away toward Calmax when doing so, gesturing with his hand for him to do the same, this might be the way to get the specter to cooperate...

 

[vamp]

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Following Jakkar, he bowed, and replied, "Apologies," to the distasted hologram.

"For your disrespect, I should not even bother," the hologram said. A few seconds later, he added "Yet I haven't had company in years, and thus I will choose to humor you, more for myself than for you."

After the two Sith thanked him, the man continued. "This holocron specializes in my most prized tactic: Trakata. As you duel, you must switch your lightsaber off."

Seeing the surprised look from Calmax he added, "Sometimes, the best defense is offense."

"Once you are past your opponent's defenses you may either switch your lightsaber on while pointing it at them, impaling them in the act," he paused, remembering a good memory, "Or switch it back on and disremember them non-lethally. Any questions?"

Calmax truly had no questions, and turned to his companion should he have any. The hologram stared at Jakkar.

 

[Japkot]

Jakkar felt the gaze of the hologram, those ancient eyes carrying countless years of knowledge, some had even seeped through the Sith's eyes when he talked about the move, countless memories about battles with the Jedi, battles with the Sith (he had no doubt that he was a traditional Sith,) and much more not to be explained because they were looking for one spesific thing.

So he bit his tounge, to refrain from sounding like a curious child pestering an adult for questions, and answered the exact opposite of every thought currently running through his brain, "None, Sith Lord,"

 

[vamp]

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"Very well," replied the Sith Lord. "Now, this is the first time I am disturbed in centuries, and so I would very much enjoy a show."

Calmax already knew that the Sith Lord's request would not be fun to comply with. Jedi holocrons gave information out for free, but Sith holocrons were more conservative. The rewards, however, were generally worth it. The Sith Lord continued.

"Perhaps a duel. I would like to see your interpretations of the ancient from of Trakata. Preferably to the death, although I am willing to permit some... weakness," he added, spitting out the last word.

Calmax nodded, then replied, "If it shall please you."

The holocron turned to Jakkar, although Calmax remained still.

 

[Japkot]

Jakkar contemplated his chances, he'd not seen what Calmax was capable of yet, but he knew what he was capable of, the room was narrow, constricted, but spacious enough, which would give him the advantage of agility, allowing him to do his agile movements against him, but this didn't mean that when he won (if he won) He would be taking Calmax' life, only the lack of mercy from the other side if that was not the case would push him to win.

He was hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but Sith were a naturally bloodthirsty kind, and their dead was no less but even more cruel than their counterparts because they had no outlets upon which to exact their desire, so they had others kill each other for them, and offered whatever they offered, this one was offering nothing but mercy against the losing side, something he could get behind...

But it was still combat...

A determined but excited expression appeared his face, because combat was his lifestyle and he would cherish it forever, taking out his second lightsaber, connecting the fibercords together with the other still on his hand and igniting the other side. Leaving the other one still unignited for a little suprise, because it was always good to try out new things, and he'd just learned plenty of it...

 

[vamp]

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Calmax was surprised by the eagerness of his companion. Nevertheless, he slid off his lightsaber hilt from his belt, and switched the blade on. It buzzed and hummed, its burgundy light casting a tinted glow around him. He could not see it, however.

He bowed to his opponent, and began moving in a circle around him. He had no intention of going in recklessly. Calmax did know, however, that Trakata was an aggressive method, and should be used as such.

He ran forward, blade at his side, and slashed down once he reached Jakkar. When the man moved to parry the blow, Calmax's momentum would press onto the man, pushing him back.

 

[Japkot]

Jakkar saw the hesitance in the face of his opponent as he bowed, yet he kept his distance. He knew well enough to not charge while the opponent was relatively unknown, instead he waited for a move against him, taking note when Calmax, after a brief pose, charged at him, lightsaber swung in an overhead strike which would be a bad one to take.

So instead of meeting the move head on, he dodged to the opposite side of his opponent's saber, feeling the lighsaber whoosh by his head, which would be unnerving, if he wasn't in the middle of spinning around to face his opponent, his lightsaber's angle wasn't appropriate for a normal strike with the ignited Lighsaber, but it was a good chance to test out the new thing he'd learned as the crimson blade on the other side of the Lightsaber ignited, and would elongate straight into Calmax' sides if he wasn't fast enough to avoid it...

 

[vamp]

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Calmax felt that something was off. He noticed that Jakkar's finger was moving to click a button on the hilt of his weapon, and Calmax jumped backwards, doing a backflip and landing about 5 meters away.

And he was right. His opponent's lightsaber was now double-staffed, although Calmax knew he could still defeat him despite this new enhancement. He charged at his opponent again, this time zigzagging as much as he could, and at the last moment delivered a diagonal slash that would either leave Jakkar with a nasty cut from the shoulder to his hip, or be parried. Dodging it would be hard unless the other Sith jumped back, which would give Calmax an opening to trip him as he moved.

If parried, Calmax would push against the other man's blade, but then switch his own off. When his hilt was pointing upwards on the other side of Jakkar's defenses, Calmax would turn his lightsaber back on, and deliver a swift downward slash that would amputate Jakkar's left arm at the shoulder. After, he would simply jump backwards and not continue. There was no reason to shed unnecessary blood.

 

[Japkot]

Jakkar's instincts flared to life as Calmax swung a diagonal slash toward him, effectively cutting his way of dodging, but he had other plans, instead pushing against him in a way that would negate his agressive strikes, using the force to increase his reflexes as he moved, great determination in his eyes, as his right blade collided with Calmax' blade, so close he could feel it approaching his fingers,

As they locked blades, he saw Calmax setting up for a follow up attack, but he pushed forward, and closed the space between them, their blades still clashing overhead as not one of them could find space for it between them, out of desperation, Jakkar jumped, and with an impressive display of agility, wrapped his legs around Calmax' mid-section, using his weight to pull him off his feet and onto the ground, Jakkar's back facing the ground.

 

[vamp]

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Surprised and a little impressed by his opponent's improvisation, Calmax found himself on the ground entangled with the other Sith with a lightsaber at his throat. He moved his blade in front of Jakkar's neck so that the other man may feel the heat of it.

The temptation urged him to bring it down, to end the man's life, to claim victory, but Calmax denied. He could feel the holocron's judging eyes on the back of his neck, but he didn't care.

"Looks like we've reached a stalemate," he remarked. "I think it's safe to call this a tie."

He stood up, and helped Jakkar up. The holocron glared at them disapprovingly. "Your weakness brings shame to the Sith," he spat. "Either one of you dies or I'll-"

Calmax turned the holocron off. The pyramid's folds closed like a flower, and the red glow faded away. "I'm not interested in taking the holocron with me, so if you want it, you can have it. Otherwise, we should bring it in to the Sith Academy to educate others."

 

[Japkot]

He couldn't help but let a fierce grin appear on his face as Calmax helped him up, he could barely resist the need to lop the mans head off, and he sensed that it was mutual on both grounds, but it was satisfactory when neither of them moved forward with the blow. For nothing could have matched the pleasure of being validated by one of your own kind, not even the thrill of the kill...

"Looks like we've reached a stalemate, I think it's safe to call this a tie." He nodded, as he balanced himself on his feet with his help, dusting the robes he'd worn for the day. But it wasn't going to be a flawless one.

"Your weakness brings shame to the Sith," The dead ghost bellowed, "Either one of you dies or I'll-" He resisted a chuckle when the voice was cut off by Calmax, who'd finally found and off switch for the man, a literal one for his holocron that is.

"I'm not interested in taking the holocron with me, so if you want it, you can have it. Otherwise, we should bring it in to the Sith Academy to educate others." He was suprised with the offer, even though he could care less about the decrepit Sith inside of it, he had to grab it, for who knows how many Acolytes' mind it would poison if left unchecked inside the Academy, spewing off it's old traditions in an effort to not leave the galaxy behind as a speck of dust with no real impact...

"I shall take it," Jakkar said, and pulled the Holocron free of it's pedestal, feeling the dark energy trying to push out of it before wrapping it up on his robes, "It shall serve as a reminder of this fruitful partnership," They'd made a good pair, both fighting and exploring, he hoped to continue that, for no man can succeed alone...