Leaderboard

Solus nodded and obeyed Roshan’s order without question, coiling against the wall Roshan was near. "That is wise Lord. Very wise. I must admit, I am not as wise in combat as you are Lord. All I seem to be good at is pummeling. Perhaps my wisdom will eventually grow observing you." When the being showed herself again, mentioned how Solus had done as expected and eyed him, Solus couldn’t help but feel a smidge of pride form inside of him. This being, while new and strange to him, had in a way complimented him. And that felt good. Even as she turned and spoke to his master and introduced herself, Solus found himself studying her. She was much different from Sir Aliss, though being of the same gender. Her stature and form was entirely different. Where Aliss carried herself like a snake with a purpose, this being carried herself more delicately. Her skin appeared more smoother then Aliss, as well as a much different color. But the two were both fairly hairless on first glance, and had two arms and legs. Still, this being was a different species compared to the others in the room. "Forgive my manners. I am Lady Sirena. As for the Holocron, the test was to resist, not touch it. But Master Helios was never one for all the details and preferred his students to play with fire." Solus nearly mentioned to Aliss about how she was wrong to touch the so-called ‘Holocron’, but he silenced himself before that. That would be a foolish move on his part, would it not? Aliss was a child of Roshan. It did no good to berate her. She was probably smart enough to realize her error. If not, then Roshan was in the clear position to point out her error, not Solus. When Sirena mentioned how she wasn’t part of the test, Solus visibly became a bit more open. His body slouched slightly, his arms lowered out of a defensive pose. “That certainly makes me happy to hear...Lady Sirena.” Solus cherished the title Lady as his synthesised voice uttered it slowly. It sounded so much different from Sir and Lord and Darth. “This here is Lord Roshan. We are his children. Sir Aliss…” Solus realized how Aliss was still on the floor. He slithered over and bent down to offer her a now clean hand to rise. Solus was almost disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to study the blood and brain matter from the battle. “So sorry about that Sir Aliss. Let me help you. And I am Solus, Lady Sirena. Solus the Ascended. And he is Tear..." Once done with Aliss, Solus pointed to his currently unconscious hound. "If you, Lady Sirena, are not part of the test, then why are you here? Are you a person who uses what Darth Helios calls ‘the wicked flame’? Surely you are some sort of deity, for that energy that crackled from your fingertips was godlike.”

Shiro's eyes widened with the realization at what he had done, Dunstan and Saldana laying before him, their dying gazes set upon his own as they gasped for air through the thick blood bubbling up through their necks. Horror filled his mind as he could only sit there, watching their faces drain of their life, both attempting to reach out to him for help despite what he had done, his own still outstretched with the blade in hand. That's when he felt her, the Elusive one, embrace his form with her own, warm and inviting as she disarmed him. Shiro tried to yell out for a medic, but the words just fumbled like waves from his mouth as exhaustion took hold his form and he fell back into her lap, his gaze shifting to the sky as the memories of Dunstan and Saldana's lifeless faces ingrained themselves into his memory. "....Apprentice...." It was her words that brought his mind back and quelled the turmoil he was feeling, seeing her out reached hand and reaching out his own to touch hers as his gaze shifted up to set its sight upon her face, confused still by what had happened, but eerily comforted by her. Her touch was as cold as steel, fragile and yet firm. And her gaze was empty, yet assured. Shiro had never noticed it before. And as she spoke, he found himself drawn by her words, like Death's knock at one's end. And so Shiro closed his eyes, unsure how to meditate, but still needed her words if only to feel this moment of comfort longer as he embraced what he truly was, the echoing voices ringing through his head from his first time to now. Murderer. "I feel anger." He started out saying, the memories of his homeworld and what led to his arrest. The memories of his enslavement and being forced to fight simply to survive. This world, and what it brought out in him, the proof evident in the corpses laying at his feet. "I avenged my family's demise and was branded a murderer. I escaped custody and was sold a slave. I fought to win my freedom and was made a Soldier. And now this world has twisted me and I killed those under my command and will likely be called a Traitor. I feel enraged, and it feels right."

Roshan: No sooner had he killed the monster he was fighting, when the true threat revealed itself. He could hear a female voice as her enchantments echoed off the cavernous walls. It was not any dialect he was familiar with. But within the blink of an eye the woman managed to surprise and quickly down one of the grotesque creatures. "Aliss, zeuritou nouliqo xo xo!" Roshan bellowed in Echani. Roshan's lightsaber remained drawn as he turned his focus to the new arrival. He stood at attention, ready to strike if necessary. Her arrival concerned him greatly as she seemed much more powerful than their group. If this was a test, it was not going to be an easy one. But if she was some sort of Force ghost, she definitely had quite the solid look to her. “Lord Roshan…” “Lord Roshan, was that a test? A test of combat? If so, then I believe we passed. But who was that? Who was that being that helped us?” Roshan turned to Solus, the worry in his eyes reflected by the glow of his red lightsaber. "I do not know. I have not quite ran into a holocron quite like this one before. But she may be part of the test. I'd suggest you fall back to me. It will be hard for her to manifest behind us if we are against a solid wall." *** *** *** Aliss: It had taken Aliss a moment to gain her bearings. As it turned out, it was not the "holy crom" that had given her any special powers. Rather, a snarling, slobbery beast that had formed right above her and flung Solus off of her. Aliss froze for a moment as she first eyed the holocron beside her. Then the monster above her. It seemed to be watching its "brothers" engage the other two. But as her hands crept towards the device, the monster paused for a second before sniffing and dropping its eyes in Aliss' direction. Her own eyes grew wide as she swiped the holocron and rolled! The ground shook a little as the creature narrowly missed her and connected with the rock floor. Aliss hurried to her feet and pocketed the holocron just before she took a massive swipe across her body. Launched through the air, Aliss sailed several feet behind colliding with a stone wall and collapsing to the ground. She was a little dizzy and her body hurt all over. She tried to catch her breath. She could hear the roar and screams of the monsters in the distance. Get up, Aliss. Get up! It's coming! Get up! She struggled to move. The cool touch of the ground felt unusually comfortable in that moment. Maybe I should lie here for just a few more... "Aliss, zeuritou nouliqo xo xo!" The irritated and forceful nature of Lord Roshan's command triggered a sense of fear and adrenaline that snapped her out of her delusion. Looking up, she could see the glow of Roshan's lightsaber and almost instinctively scrambled towards it, ignoring the throbbing pain she felt along the backside of her body. Moving beside him, she reached for her lightsaber but Roshan's hand motioned for her to hold her position and wait for order. She knew the drill. She was ready to strike if called upon. But as he engaged with Solus, she was almost certain of it. Her lord was cautiously curious about whoever this "she" he spoke of was. Aliss looked around puzzled, trying to find the mystery female in amongst the shadowy and uneven mixture of glowing words and pockets of dense blackness. ___ &