Fighting to Endure: Second Run

[Chance]

Midnight: Jedi Academy

A lone boy walked outside the Academy, having trouble sleeping. Ghost haunted his dreams, they asked for the key always the key! Chance tried to ask them questions, but they all said stuff about the key!

He didnt know what to do about it, he tried finding a key, he tried making keys. But none of them worked. Chance had gathered all three of his sabers; his own green, the gift from Xazor, and the one he found at the Temple of the Forbidden. Chance had thought about seeing Xazor, or even one of the Jedi masters, on the subject but decided to give it a few more days.

If the dreams did not stop, he didnt know what to do.

Maybe he had the key in his hands, Chance contemplaited on his way to his room again. It was then he passed Xazor's room, stopping in mid stride Chance turned and rapped twice on the door softly.

"Xazor?" No answer, rapped twice again and repeated. Still no answer, shrugging, Chance continued down the hall until he saw a figure infront of him.

It was a ghost! One of the one's in his dream! It was wounded in several places and a sword poked out from it's shoulder. Slowly the wraith stepped forward whispering and pointed at the saber in Chance's hand.

key... give back the key.... heretic! it screamed in Chance's mind, so harshly that the effect began to make his sesitive ears bleed. Chance gave a startled cry as the figure threw its' fist into Chance's small frame.

Gasping, Chance could feel the iciy cold appendage in his chest, closing around his heart. Then darkness as he passed out and fell to the floor with a startled cry...

[Xazor Elessar]

Give me the key....Sssssith! Give it back to me, MOST HIGH! You call that an honor? Here is your honor!

With that a cold blue figure shoved a sword into Xazor's chest, leaving a deep wound that bled out all over her. She shook her head and cried out, placing a hand on the spot where the sword had just passed through.

No.....you can't do this......I.....I have no key!

Suddenly a cold hand met her cheek in a blinding flash.....a slap to remember. With that, she fell to her knees and then to the ground in a slump.....pain consumed her whole being......

___________

Suddenly the Knight woke up with a scream as a cold sweat consumed her body. Felling her chest with her hands, she fell back to the pillow and breathed heavily....allowing her heart to stop racing. These dream she had been having had lasted for days.....almost weeks. As she laid in the silence, she heard a knock on her door....and the footsteps away. Just as she got up and placed a hand on the door, a shrill rang out through the Living Quarters. The Knight pushed through the door to see her Padawan, Chance, laying on the floor with blood running from his ears. Picking him up in her arms, she looked all around her and then rushed back to her room and shut the door behind her. Laying the boy on the bed she shared with Shade, she flipped on the lights with the Force and began inspecting him. Kneeling down at the side of the bed, she placed her hands on his ears and sent warm healing waves of the Force into his body.....healing his ear drums from the inside out.

"My Padawan......what happened?"

She whispered, not wishing to damage his ears anymore than they had been. Xazor placed a hand on his forehead and sent more waves of the Force into his mind to continue healing him....wondering what was going on. First a strange dream that felt so real.....then her Padawan was attacked in the hallway by.....no one........

[Chance]

I'm going to switch to 1st person at the moment, abit easyer

I woke up with a start and furiously looked around, I noticed that I was in Xazor's room and calmed down somewhat. The haunting figure had scared the wits out of me, and the chilling attack had shattered my nerves.

My skin was pale, for what reason I cannot describe, and my fingers would not stop shaking. It was a tramatic experience I had just gone through and could not understand it.

"I... A ghost attacked me. It wanted a key?" I whispered in answer to Xazor's question. Looking into her eyes I saw that she knew something that was similar to what happen to me. "What happened to you Xazor? I can see something happened.."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor dropped her hands from the boy and looked off into space as he spoke. A key........ She repeated the words over and over in her mind and slowly turned her eyes to Chance's.

"I had a dream, young one.......and in that dream......a ghost wanted a key. It called me Most High....what I was so long ago as a Sith. Then it stabbed me and I......died......."

She had not told the whole dream, for bits were beginning to fade from her memory. The Knight eyed him curiously, trying to grasp everything and put their experiences together.

"I don't understand......we have no key......"

[Chance]

I looked at one of the sabers clipped to my belt, the one the ghost had pointed at.

"We might... we might.." I whispered, unclipping the strange and old saber and puts it in Xazor's hand. "Remember, back at the temple. This thing opened the door. Do you think it's what they want?"

I was unsure, totally unsure. But the ghost had pointed at that before knocking me out cold..

[Verse Dawnstrider]

::Verse slept. This was not out of the ordinary. Everyone slept. Verse was known for his humor, flirtous actions, and the fact he was always on teh go. Still he slept. Tonight was a bit different though. He tossed and turned. Back and forth. He was one of the stongest, if not the strongest, Jedi Mentalist GJO had at the time. One if his most powerful Force traits was his mental walls. Years of fighting the spirit of his brother had taught him to block out most people trying to get in. Maybe this was teh reason why Verse only had a troubled sleep. Dreams did not haunt him. He just felt that something as....wrong.

The Garou rolled out of bed and slipped on a grey robe. He looked for the closest pair or shoes. To the side of his bed he saw he slippers. Verse slipped them on and opened his door. He reacehd out to see where Xazor was. She was his closest to kin here. Odds where what ever was bothering him, was bothering her. Teh Force had funny ways of talking to people. It may have been a wave of Force Energy. If so, she woudl have felt it. She was a mentalist as well. If not, it may just be dreams he couldn't remeber as he woke up. She may have herbal tea or something. Maybe some milk and ale. She would think of something.

Verse walked down the hallway witha yawn. Something....just didn't feel right. He couldn't put his finger on it though. It was like a old friends telephone number. It was so close, you could see it in your mind, but still to blurry to make it out. Verse seemed to have that problem with women's names. He had ben slapped many a time for that one. The hair on teh back of his neck stood on end. It was liek he was nervious, but he did not know why. Only the maker knew. He also felt strangly cold. That may have been a draft though.

He knocked on his daughter's door and yawned again.::

"Hello?....."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor took the saber in her trembling hands and eyed it carefully. She recalled the day when they acquired the fine weapon.....but she had never thought that it was such a bad thing that they took it. Suddenly a knock came to her door and she opened it with the Force. It was Verse.....her Master.....her Father. She smiled slightly and set the weapon down, quickly going over to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she invited him into the room.

"Greetings Father.....how do you fare this eve? Unable to sleep, I am guessing......."

[Verse Dawnstrider]

::Verse hugged his daughter and yawned.::

"Of Course I could sleep, I just desided to vistit my daughter in the middle of the night..."

::Verse rolled his eye playfully and laughed to show he was joking.::

"I was having trouble. That doesn't happen often. I block most things out. Quick question..thehell is wrong with your padawan? Looks liek he ODed on spice...."

::Verse looked at the padawan. He didn't look so good. Looked liek his mind was about to explode and the pressure shot out of his ears.::

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled at his joke, but then returned to her serious expression. Concern etched her soft features and made her appear even more grown up than when Verse had left. Indeed....she had done a lot of growing up in his absence. Sighing, she walked over to Chance and laid a hand on his forehead, sending more healing waves into his body.

"He was attacked in the hallway by...........a ghost. I too was attacked....in my dreams. Though I am quite capable to block them out....I don't, for they tell me things, Father. Now these ghosts are haunting us for some key......"

She said with a puzzled expression. Her eyes searched those of her Padawan.........she was so worried about him. If anything happend to him, she would just die. Sighing, she looked at Verse and shook her head.

"I don't know what's going on......it may have something to do with this......"

She said softly, handing him the ancient Lightsaber that they had found on Detrano a few months before. Her eyes darted over the beautiful hilt as she placed it in her Father's hand......

[Chance]

The waves from the force calmed Chance down slightly, but his skin was still pale and his hands trembled. It had been the second attack on the boy from an incorpreal form. The first was a ghost in his dreams; a Dreamshade.

And now this one, The experiences would be nerve racking even for the toughest of fighters, the reappearance and mortal wounds would effect them the most.

With his cat-ears drooped, Chance tried to calm himself down as Verse and Xazor conversed on the subject. Unfortunatly, it wasn't working.

The reason was right next to Chance.

The ghost, a mix of Xazor and Chance's experience stood at the edge of the bed. It seemed that he could only see the form and it's horrid weapons.

It held a sword with a green glass blade, the sheild was pure black obsidian and it wore robes that covered everything but it's face. The face was a horrid skeleton with bits and peices of flesh still clinging on. One eye ball moved and it looked between Chance, Xazor with the key, and Verse.

Then it moved at Xazor, raising the glass sword and prepairing to strike.

"XAZOR! IT'S BACK!" Chance shouted as loud as he could, fright added to the amplification instantly....

[Verse Dawnstrider]

:: Grabbed the saber as Xazor held it out to him. Then he heard Chance.::


"XAZOR! IT'S BACK!"

::Verse growled softly. He closed his eyes and almed his nevers. He opened his minds eye in the Force. To Bad Chaos was not here. He had to Force ablity to talkand control the dead. A trait that both Verse and Xazor lacked. After a second though, Verse could atleast see the thing in the Force. It was dead alright. It didn't seem evil though. It seemed lost in a way. Verse held up the old saber. It wanted a key? He'll give it a key. The ghost kept eyeing the saber in Verse's hand. Verse fliped the switch on the tool.::

Snap-Hissssss


::The blade hummed as it came to life. Verse sent waves of Light Energy through it. The saber, and hilt, seemed to glow with the Force. Verse slashed in a wide arch at the ghost hoping to cut it from neck to hip.::

"Return back to the Nine-Hells you beast!"

[Xazor Elessar]

The Knight smiled as she could see her Padawan responding to the Force healing. Suddenly he cried out though, and Xazor spun around with her vision set in the Force...and she saw something terrible. Her Father was there faster than she could do anything...and the horrible ghost disappeared. Placing a hand to her heart, the Garou Knight looked up at her Father and then back to her Padawan.

"I....I think they want....that..."

She whispered through heavy breath, pointing at the saber in Verse's hands. Her mind raced over the possibilities of what this could mean...they would have to return it to....those dead people...but it puzzled her why they wanted it in the first place....but then her thoughts ran back to a mission (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19860&highlight=Xazors+Pet) that she and Chance had taken some time ago. Had the saber been worth more to those people than the sword? She walked over to a display case and unlocked it, taking out a silver sword from it. The name "Endurance" could be read in faded letters. She furrowed her brow for a moment and then suddenly five ghosts appeared around her and began swinging at her...but their attempts were futile so they began screaming.....horrible shrills rang out and the Knight fought to get past them...but they held her in. She was safe from physical attack while merely holding the sword...but mentally she was wearing down....

[Chance]

Chance hopped from the bed in one sideways lundge as the ghost's material weapons dropped from the dispeared hand. He slid under the sword and caught it in his right as the sheild clanked to the floor and shattered into brillant black darts.

Holding the sword in both hands, Chance sliced at the nearest phantom attacking Xazor. The blade left a jagget tear in it's side and only amplified it's screams of rage and pain. The two closest to the wounded spectre turned and swung their blades at the boy.

Nearly expertly, Chance diflected both blades with the glass sword and swiped again. As each ghost fell, it rose up again and contiuned it's onslaught....

[Xazor Elessar]

The Knight took "Endurance" in her hands and watched as Chance defended her. Swinging it hard, she blocked a few strikes, and took the heads off of three of the Phantoms. Falling back onto the bed, she panted heavily as the ghouls disappeared. Her eyes shifted from Verse to Chance...wondering what would be done.

"I don't....I don't know what...to do now..."

She breathed heavily through the words, wondering why these dead beings were attacking her...and her Padawan. They were in possession of a sword and a saber....and it was evident that the ghouls did not like that one little bit.

"We have to return....to Detrano.....they want these...back..."

[Zaphkel Loire]

Zaphkel was current taking his time and memorizing the various paths and corridors that snaked through the compound. He had been going for a good five hours now in the dorms alone and eventually started to hum to himself.

Checking his crono and sighing, Zaph continued down until he heard the shrill cries of agony from the ghosts down the hall and into a open door.

Quickening his pace, Zaph neared the door as the cries ceased and quite once more entered the room. Slightly confused, Zaph decided to investigate abit and peeked inside the room.

"Hey. I heard something from this room, You all alright?" He asked, looking from Verse to Chance to Xazor. Breifly stunned yet again as he had the feeling that he knew all three of the occupants from somewhere....

[Chance]

Chance had slumped on the edge of the bed, still tired from his first encounter. Then Jared, err.. Zaph, peeked in.

"I think we're fine, but we really need to get going to Detrano..."