~Enter the Dragon~

[Hilda]

.. ."Please!! Help us!!". ..

The cries of the condemned redounded through the Jedi Padawan's mind, its stinging repercussions luring her to the lair of the Vampyres.

.. ."Where are you children?". ..

The Jedi padawan felt the algor air frosting her senses, beckoning for her retreat, yet she pressed on to uphold her vow in the protection of the innocent.

"How did I get here? Where am I?" A rush of catechisms such as these, relentlessly plagued her mind. Unbeknownst to Hilda, she was under Lord Soth's spell since she landed on the planet, tracing the source of the voices, traipsing further into the damnable heartland of the 'Children of the Damned.'

Soth had altered the coordinates in her navi-computer, adjusting them for 'Roon' as her ship was docked in Corellia. He had tracked her for days on end in the congested streets of the avenues. He had sensed her path of the 'undead' would soon conclude her destiny, severing her ties with the Jedi as his fangs would with a major artery.

Hilda recalled her Master's words vividly..

"Seek the people in need of your assistance. Their guardian you shall be."

These puissant directives guided her on a quest of trials which would eventually earn her Knighthood status. She yearned to be a Knight, a noble warrior of Light; to instill justice and order, denying a Darksider the succulent dissolution of his victims.

The voices of the children churned constantly, pulling her closer to a dark entity she had yet to encounter. Her gray eyes took in the panorama view of a distant fog looming like a billowing cloud, casting a stench of decay and foreboding. A presence of profound malignity appeared from the stealth of the shadows. Immediately her hand seized the hilt by her belt as she called out to it.

"What have you done with the children? Release them or I will be forced to do battle. I was well trained with a light saber, heed my warning," Hilda addressed the demon.

[Death Knight Soth]

The smell of death was strong as it lofted on the cool night air...Crimson slit's hung in the darkness as Hilda strained to make out the shadowy form that was twenty paces from her...No word's were uttered as she stood there questioning the being that now studied her every move, peering through her very soul...

"As you wish m'lady...However, I have a simple request of my own outlander...If I best you in this duel, then you will let me train you as I deem fit...If you win, well, I'll let you leave Roon with your life!..." A sinister laugh ensued after the Death Knight had finished his sentence...Moment's later, Hilda could hear the snapping hiss of the dark Master's saber's ignite, one blade stretching to it's full length followed by the other. The sickly green glow of Soth's twin saber's illuminated his handsome feature's...

"Come, let us embrace m'lady...I wish to know what your jedi brethren have taught you thus far." The Death Knight's word's were low and smooth as he slowly approached her.

[Hilda]

.. ."I see you leave me no choice.". ..

Thumbing the hidden niche in her hilt, a vibrant lance of violet boiled forth in a meter's length, altering the pigment in her eyes to amythest, as her optics always mirrored surrounding hues. Hilda bestowed Soth with a salute, as she elevated her saber held vertically before her facet.

"And if you prove victorious in this contest, my life is forfeited, is it not? What of the children you hold prisoner? I demand their release before we do battle. You can at least offer me this of my sacrafice."

Hilda scrutinized his dual bladed saber she heard about in her training. Only masters in melee combat could wield them with precision. She spoke the code repeatedly to herself, as she motioned into a defensive stance.

'There is no emotion, there is peace.'

[Death Knight Soth]

The Death Knight saluted the woman as it was customary for him to do so...Holding the lethal twin blade's vertical to his body then twirling it to the right side with little to no effort...Slowly the two combatant's circled one another...Soth knew the jedi woman to be young in year's, her skill's immature, however the Death Knight through experience that spanned over many life time's told him immediately that she possessed great promise that was evident in her movement's. Nevertheless, Soth Nuevole was no fool either, regardless of age or experience one such as himself never underestimated physical appearance with experience...Even the dullest of blade's could kill without warning...

"I am a man of honor m'lady...I will grant your simple request on my name...That for now should be sufficient." Soth circled slowly around the woman as he spoke. Then without warning, the Death Knight force pushed Hilda backwards with a subtle gesture of his left hand...The smashing wave was so powerful it knocked the air out right of her as she reeled backwards only to stop abruptly against a stone pillar. Hilda could already feel the warm fluid oozing from the fresh wound on the back of her scalp. Dazed, Hilda quickly shook it off and regained her composure. She was surprised to see the dark knight had not advanced on her prone form, however his left hand was still outstretched towards her...

[Hilda]

With a wave of her hand, two ample sized boulders careened towards her adversary from adjacent directions at his sides. She ignored the pain screaming down her back, focusing on the battle at hand, as she was trained by her Jedi Master. Hilda decided to take on the offensive as she knew her life laid in the balance.

The Jedi Padawan charged Soth, closing the distance between them, avoiding the twin lances, reminding her of the blades of a gyrocopter, and twice as deadly. She feigned a stab to his left shoulder, following his agile interception of the projectiles, so he was not as prepared for her blatant assault. As Soth elevated his left beam to offset her blade, she arched it out of the way in a clockwise motion, steering the beam back and horizontally towards his left midsection, well under his left blade, in a effort to cleave him in two. The only thing that played on her mind was the annihilation of the beast, hell-bent on her utter destruction.

[Death Knight Soth]

As the two medium sized stone's rapidly moved towards Soth's armored form, he easily pivoted his body just enough for the rock's to pass him by. The jedi woman wasted no time in her offensive attack as she leapt towards the Death Knight.

Hilda jabbed her lethal lance in towards the Dark Knight, feigning a jousting thrust inwards where Soth intercepted the blade with his own. The master vampire allowed Hilda's blade to sweep in as he rotated himself out and away from her sweeping slash. The cunning parry on Soth's part caused the jedi's lance to over extend to her right. And as the Death Knight completed the three hundred and sixty degree turn with terrifying speed, he brought his own saber around. The hum of the blade whined as the tip of it torn into Hilda's exposed left side as she tried to recover as it left her caught off balance. Soth then quickly thrust his boot in the wounded area of Hilda's side as her body folded sideways with the force of it. Hilda howled in pain as it registered in her mind. What matter of man was this dark knight to move and fight as he did?...

As the woman fell to the moist ground in a heap, Soth rushed in with downwards jabbing thrust of his own.

[Hilda]

For a few drawn-out heartbeats, Hilda was paralyzed by shock, defeated by her emotions, as she beheld her soverign antagonist peering down on his incapacitated victim. Debilitated by the grievous wound weakening her resolve, the Jedi padawan reached out for the Force, as fear was dissipated, replaced by an air of placidity. Anethetizing the agony at her lacerated side, Hilda heedlessly rolled from the stabbing bombardment, hoisting herself up to a crouch, finally ascending on faltering legs bearing the brunt of her diminishing strength.

"There is no death..There is the Force," the Jedi padawan spoke repeatedly, to stave the fear tormenting her soul.

Soth's face twisted into a sinister sneer as he launched himself at the Jedi, delivering an impressive display of artful slices and thrusts accompanied by honed rotations as his weapon became a luminous entity, an extention of his heinous convictions. Hilda barely parried the consecutive attacks, her legs crumbling as she succumbed to the finality of her energy reserves. As she collapsed to her knees, her muave saber was supported by tremulous hands diverting the endless succedent assailments meant to procure her demise, yet she remained intrepid before the gates of mortality, beckoning its newest arrival.

Speaking to her master through the Force, Hilda accepted her fate as conclusive.

"Master, I cannot fend him off much longer..he is.." Hilda's connection was cut short as the vista of his lance navigated onto its prey, like a Rancor about to devour the reward of its victory, the blood of a Jedi making it that much more succulous.

[Death Knight Soth]

Desperately the woman fought for control as the flurry of relentless attack's fell on her from every angle imaginable. The darkened area about the courtyard was filled with the strobeing flash's from both combatant saber's as they clashed and hissed in defiance. Hilda with all of her might reached out to the recesses of the force as to call for it's aid...However, it was far to late for such noble endeavor's as the jedi were known for in time's of trouble.

Her physical body cried out in protest as she pressed her constitution to it's limit's. The jedi woman quickly rolled to one side as Soth's twin blade's came within inches of her. As she flipped to her feet once more with the remaining strength she had, the sickly green blade's lashed back as Soth twirled it backwards upon her. Hilda strained to elongate herself away from the downward slash, craning her body as she arched back just in time as the blade's once again narrowly missed her...

As the master Vampyre recovered from the misplaced attack, Hilda found the opening she needed. Thrusting inwards Hilda felt her sturdy lance connect with the exposed torso of the Death Knight, impaling him as her deadly blade shot out the backside of his ancient armor...A deep growl emitted from Soth as Hilda stood there speechless, unmoving for what seemed long moment's in disbelief. But what happened next caused the young jedi woman eye's to widen in horror...The Death Knight lurched forward on her violet lance blade as he snatched Hilda by one of her wrist's. Slowly the dark master drug his impaled body along the ebbing violet blade, closer to her until he was within reach of her...A wicked grimace played on his face as blood poured effortlessly from Soth's fanged mouth...The jedi seemed to freeze in her track's as the Vampyre icy hand's quickly wrapped around her delicate throat...Hilda, in a panic let go of the pummel of her lance, her deadly blade retracted to it's hilt as her grip left it's elaborate handel. She feebly clutched at the powerful forearm's of the Death Knight as she felt the overwhelming strength of the dark man pulling her in closer until his breath was upon her exposed neck. Pain immediately shot through her tired and struggling form as his ivory fang's sunk deep into the soft flesh of her neck. Only millisecond's had passed before her own strength began to rapidly dwindled. Her life's blood spilled over Soth hand's and down Hilda's shoulder were it pooled in the crevices of her clothing. The jedi knee's buckled as the Death Knight held her collapsing form by the neck...

[Hilda]

Struggling on the boudary of endurance as her life's blood was being ingested, Hilda felt her life force escaping her body, falling limp in Soth's unyielding constraint. Her eyes were glazed over as she felt the pressure on her neck easea bit. Vital sanguine fluid was almost fully pilfered by this malignant being denying her the last breaths of subsistence. Soth had her; he knew it, as well as she. Only seconds remained as her heart sped up rapidly to compete with the missing plasma. The final dance of the heart would decree the premature cessation of a young promising Jedi Knight, adding another trophy for the Sith Master Vampyre.

[Death Knight Soth]

Ghastly faces of death darted in and out of Hild's fading vision as she slipped to the ground at Soth's feet. Their ghostly appearance gave only subtle hints to what their truer form's looked like before they too became subservient to the Death Knight of old. Spectral maiden's that haunted the Shrine of the Damned and herald's of the dreaded curse that now rested heavily upon the shoulder's of the Knight who had slain them. Reminding him night after night in blood curtailing howl's of the treachery Soth had inflicted upon them in life. Now they beckoned Hilda to them, luring her to join their rank's as a denizen of the accursed keep. Whisper's of the softest lull's filled the young jedi's mind, sending her deeper into a state of rest as she slowly gave into the dismal pang's of death.

"No,...She is mine to claim this night...Be gone foul spirit's, do not tempt my resolve!" The Death Master word's carried a tinge of annoyance as he waved a mailed glove at them, as if swatting a fly away. In fear of the Dark Knight's foul temper, the spectral minion's cowered away as Soth glared at them with disdain. After the nine banshees retreated back into the inky shadows from which they came, Soth crimson eye's trailed down to the stricken woman at his feet.

"Tonight you will serve me jedi..." Soth hissed as the word "jedi" burned in his mind...The Death Knight retrieved an ebony dagger from his belt line where he then cut a fine deep gash across his ivory palm...His own blood pooled for a moment within, then turning his hand downwards it spilled onto Hilda's ashen lip's...

Stiffly the Death Knight knelt down to the side of Hilda, raising her flaccid neck in his mailed hand as her head bobbled from side to side. Soth lowered the open palm of his glove to her gasping mouth were he balled it to a tight fist. Quickly droplet's of blood began to stream from the fresh wound, trailing down her lipid cheek's, pooling in her mouth as the taste of rust filled her senses. Slowly the Dark Gift took it's hold upon her in frenzied spasm's that ushered in her new birth...Hilda was now reborn to a darker existence...As a creature of the Damned!

[Hilda]

Comer eyes of the newly born, 'Child of the Damned', regarded the majestic being transcending above her in all his compelling grandeur. Eagerly Hilda licked his wound, then bit down on Soth's palm with her elongated incisors, commemorating her first act in immortality, drawing more blood to appease her penchant.

Soth drew his hand away from her ruby lips, telepathically commanding her to cease, as the tranformation was completed. Hilda rose to stand, marvelling at the array of sights astounding her amplified senses. Objects danced before her vision as she ingested each shape, scent, and sound, magnified beyond her wildest comprehension. Blindness chained her to an impregnable fortress built by the Jedi to suppress her life's essence, denying her the passion she had secretly yearned for, drowned in a placid sea of tamed emotions. Adventures were mere obligations in services for the academy and the populace.

Hilda pondered on all those wasted years of bowing to the Jedi code, with the endless acts of protecting the innocent, she now viewed as diplorable objects of disdain by a sharpened acumen. These weak humans, so content with their mundane existences and daily toils, revelling in their glory, content on the Guardians of Justice, the Jedi Knights to deliver them from harm's way.

"The fools!" She thought as ivory fangs protruded against the ebony sky, adorned with luminescence stars, flickering as priceless diamonds.

What did a Jedi get in return for their sacrafices? Nothing, as it was expected of them. Slaves they were to a mortal world of a tribunal of humans, whose undisputed dicisions were acceptable or frowned upon without question. Who are these weak biological entities to decree what is an illusion of ignorance?

Countless hours at the academy Hilda filled her mind with books of Jedi knowledge, clouding her mind as it hearkened to be liberated, embracing life as a creature free from the services of a human shield, with no past regrets, nor future aspirations to maintain peace in worlds filled with mayhem. Now she would live each evening as a Vampyre, never to miss the blistering heat of the sun, or suns, that dictated one to submerge into a lake of cooling waters. Yet now, Hilda would swim under the heavens beyond the prying eyes of onlookers, stealthed by the veil of darkness, as her flesh invited the liquid over her disrobed body, contained in its beauty till the end of time.

In the twilight hours, Hilda would rise, feasting on the humans whom she served without hesitation, and the Jedi pawns in their twisted collaboration to maintain control over the worlds. Yet there would be no peace with their hypocritical ideologies.

Averting her gray optics to fixate back on Soth, the rose adorning his helm transformed her irises to a scarlet pigment, as her eyes would mirror a host of colors about her.

"I feel alive, yet my body ceases to function as a living organism. I sense I am preserved in this state forever. My blood-lust shall be my vengeance as it satiates my desires and keeps me whole. Lord Soth, you have dug up the treasure that were deeply embedded in my soul. My gratitude to you, the Shrine, and its members, for it shall know no bounds, as I pledge my loyalty, learning about the 'Dark Gift' I have been presented with.

[Death Knight Soth]

The Death Knight stood transfixed on the woman before him, Soth's piercing eye's now beheld Hilda's rapid transformation from her former self into that of a Creature of the Night. Her outward appearance metamorphosed within moment's of receiving the Dark Gift, and what was once comely had now become lovely and beautiful beyond any word's of comparison... Mortality had now been shed and quickly within it's empty place, immortality took the rein's of command permanently...

"Indeed m'lady...You do live...Yet it is now within the realm's of the Damned...Within you, it has always been as such...A darker destiny that had laid dormant until the Blood Calling was upon you..."

The Death Knight let his cooling blue eye's trail over to Hilda's own then continued, however his soft word's now came to her open mind.

"Yes, Hilda...Like a simple seed would...Germinating, growing inside of you until the precise time was right...It was I who called you unto to me...A circle that is now fully complete." Soth paused momentarily as he slowly took Hilda by an ivory hand, placing it upon the outer portion of his armored forearm. Then the Dark Master escorted her to the large Keep that stood majestically against the hazy blue sky line. Hilda's crimson stain still remained upon Soth's ruby lip's as they made their way closer to the ebony strong hold.

"As I have promised you m'lady, on my honor and word as a Knight, your precious children will be released this night...They shall be set free and no harm will befall them." The Death Knight's spoke in low tone's as his deep blue eye's remained on the course in front of them. In the young woman, Soth had gained far more then what a lot of pathetic children could ever return in future dividends. A small price now paid in full to acquire what he had always had his eternal eye's fixed on...Indeed, the wayward children were ripe for the thresher's floor, however, Soth's honor as a Knight of the Black Rose compelled him to keep his word regardless of his darker intent towards them.

As the two silhouetted figure's pressed on through the misty ground's leading up to the Keep, Soth abruptly broke the silence between them as his eye's continued to remain adverted from Hilda...

"And as for your loyalty Hida, let it be demonstrated in your passion to learn from me...I will now show you the true nature of the force...And on the marrow when you and I begin your training, You will call me master." Soth finished smoothly as they approached the mammoth entrance of the Shrine.