Power of the Word (open challenge to a Dark Sider)

[Ezekiel Frost]

The older man wanders through town in his duster and wide-brimmed hat. His tall walking stick is in his left hand, helping him along. He was glad to be off Coruscant, away from the never-ending duracrete. A small village like this one reminded him of his home... and his wife. Almost immediately, thoughts of those men... the ones who had destroyed... no, no more of this. He must not dwell on it. He had been warned about the Dark Side, and knew all too well how it could take hold of a man and destroy him.

To distract himself, he heads out of town, into the nearby forest. He wanders without thinking, merely trying to calm himself and rest in the Force. After several minutes, an outside influence begins to act against his calm. It feels as if a Dark Side presence is nearby. Cautiously, he proceeds to find its source.

He crests a hill and sees a moderate sized stone structure. It is in ruins, but appears to have once been a temple. He is about to turn and leave when he sees a flicker of movement near the side of the building. The Dark Side can be felt from this person, even from this distance.

He raps the butt of his staff on the ground, causing a curved arm to spring out from the staff. Moments later, a hum resonates from it as blue plasma covers the emitter. Plasma scythe in hand, he advances cautiously toward the temple. Whoever that person is, they must not be allowed to find anything of use...

[Nzambi]

She watched him approach from the safety of the ramparts that stretched high into the sky, crouching upon a stone block which jutted out over the barren arena that rested adjacent to the temple. Her eyes watched his every move; watched as he brought the scythe to life - it was a beautiful weapon. She herself didn't use any weapons; there was really no need for her as it was. She was enough of a weapon in her own right.

Her bootsoles scraped lightly on the stone rampart, and she stood slowly, straightening to her full height. Blonde hair was slicked back, and her whole body was tensed, like a spring ready to be let go. Lean muscles bunched then, as she jumped from the ledge to seemingly freefall to the arena floor. It came up quickly, and she landed a short distance away from the stranger, in a crouch; one knee on the sandstrewn ground as both hands rested to either side, providing balance.

[Ezekiel Frost]

He turns as the young woman lands nearby with suprising grace. She didn't seem to be armed... no tell-tale saber or other Force User weapon. What was she doing here? Hopefully, this was just a case of a woman exploring and stumbling upon this place by accident.

"Evenin' ma'am." He tips his hat to her as he speaks. "Mind if I ask what you're doin' out here? This ain't no place for ladies. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask ya to leave..."

[Nzambi]

She only looked up at him, eerie yellow eyes, almost crystalline, gazed upon him as she straightened up.

"I'm here on my own business," she said simply, remaining stick still. Her voice was smooth and low. She had no intentions of leaving as he'd asked, and the fact was very apparent in the way she stood.

"As for me leaving, I will vacate this God-forsaken temple when I am through. Not before."

[Ezekiel Frost]

His eyes narrow at the woman's rather antagonistic attitude.

"Now, ma'am, I asked ya nicely. Ya can't be here... no tellin' what's here. Ya hafta leave... whatever's here's gotta stay."

He swings his scythe into both hands, holding it at the ready.

"Ya gonna leave, or am I gonna hafta ask a little more... unkindly?"

[Nzambi]

Now this was odd, and the look she gave him conveyed her sense of surprised confusion. It was almost innocent looking even. Almost. It was the slightly hard edge that gave away the viciousness of the woman now standing before the stranger, and she took a step back as he brandished his scythe.

"... Sir, I have not come against you in any way."

Her stance shifted then, as if her whole body tensed up, every muscle ready to burst.

"And I assure you... whatever danger you say or think is in this temple, I am more than able to hold my own. I'm not as inferior as you may think."

[Ezekiel Frost]

A touch of threat enters Ezekiel's voice. He has no wish to fight... even less to harm her. But whatever is in that temple has no business being used by anyone... for any reason.

"Ma'am, I don't care if yer the baddest thing ta walk tha land in a hundred years; whatever's in that temple's got no business bein' used by anybody. And I mean to keep ya from it if I must."

[Nzambi]

Nzambi canted her head at this, regarding the stranger with a strange look. He thought she was here to steal the 'treasure' in the temple? She almost laughed. No, she was not going to steal anything. She was going to destroy it.

Her body moved then, fluidly as it seemed to dance across the distance separating the two, and the Lupine brought her body down low to the ground in order to sweep her body beneath the scythe...

... and with a twist of her torso brought herself upwards, one hend grasping his left wrist as an elbow came upwards toward his jaw.

[Ezekiel Frost]

The sudden move takes the older Jedi by suprise. He rocks backward as this suprisingly strong woman elbows him in the jaw. He staggers back and sets himself once more.

"Nice trick. But I got a few of 'em up my sleeve, too..."

Ezekiel summons the Force into his voice, augmenting it to create a very powerful Force Persuasion command. His voice suddenly resonates as if several are speaking at once.

"Stand still, woman! Freeze!"

[Nzambi]

If there was one thing he should not have done, it was what he just did. Instead of the desired effect he was most undoubtedly hoping for, Nzamby stumbled, clutching her head in the throes of mental agony, and she fell to her knees.

Skin suddenly hot to the touch, the Lupine eliceted an inhuman growl as the next words she spoke seemed slurred - as if her trachea and voice box were degenerating...

"... hrrr... stupphidd.... "

[Ezekiel Frost]

His eyes widen as he sees the effect his voice has on her. Definately not the desired effect. Whatever this woman is about to turn into, it does not bode well. Best to attack while the situation is good.

While her body is still transforming, he raises his scythe and attempts to bring it down on her before she can become whatever she is about to become.

[Nzambi]

Her whole body shuddered, and as she felt the change - felt joints dislocating and muscles reforming over a shifting skeletal structure, Nzambi arched back, throwing her head up as canines grew and her whole face narrowed. Using the arch for momentum, she pushed back with her legs, narrowly missing being cleaved in two by the man's scythe.

Tumbling back, the Lupine crouches, in the final stages of her morph as a long, whiplike tail grows from the base of her spine to lash about from side to side.

The entire shift lasted less then thirty seconds, and standing tall, the hulking, grey/black vornskr glared at the stranger with malicious intent, massive paws creating furrows in the sand.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Ezekiel eyes the fearsome beast. The long tail appears to be poisonous... combined with the rest of the appearance, this must be a Vornskyr. Though he has never seen one, the descriptions all point to a creature such as this. And from what he has heard, his attempt to use the Force on it had aroused this reaction... Vornskyr hate the Force.

Rather than try to fight it right off, Ezekiel tries a different tactic. Summoning his Force enhanced voice once more, he says, "Return to human form!"

[Nzambi]

She felt the lancing pain of the force drive through her mind, and it fueled her rage even more... and yet, the command didn't go unheeded as her body seemingly twisted in on itself. Eyes mad with the desire to tear the forcething limb from limb, she staggered forward a few step, somewhat delerious as the pursuasion of the force goaded her body into obediance. It was excrutiating, and she howled in both pain and anger as her bones and muscles started to change once more.

The beast reared up, paws outstretched in agony as her body protested, wrestling with itself to both obey and kill at the same time, and her form seemed to change into something caught in the middle...

... half human, and half beast...

[Ezekiel Frost]

This change is even more startling than the last. Fortunately for Ezekiel, his Force Persuasion is not wholly ineffective on this creature.

He attempts to capitalize on the thing's forced metamorphosis, lunging in with his scythe. He sweeps the butt of the staff upwards to her chin, followed quickly with a countering swing back down to her torso...

[Nzambi]

She was demi now - half human and half beast - and all rage and muscle.

The blow rocked her head back, jarring her horribly and she staggered back, a howl escaping from her malformed jaw. The butt of the scythe had hit her hard; it felt like a steel pole had been smashed into the bottom of her jaw, immobilizing her for a few moments.

Her immobility didn't last long however, and with an upwards swipe of her hand/paw, she caught hold of the handle of his scythe as it came down, pulling it in while in the same motion shifting it off to the side. Frost was brought in close unexpectadly, and she jutted her demi head close to his face, ears folded back over her fur, letting out a low growl while baring her fangs.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Suddenly finding himself staring this... thing... square in the face, Ezekiel does the only thing he can: headbutt. He slams the top right corner of his skull into her half-formed nose. If vornskyr are anything like the dogs he used to have on the farm, then that should more than distract her.

[Nzambi]

Coupled with the pain of being stuck in mid-change, the beast yelped once more as the Jedi's head slammed into her nose, rocking her back and sending her stumbling. She reflexively jerked her arms out, sending him to the side.

Staggering to her knees, she clutched her muzzle in agony, her head lashing back and forth in the effort to rid herself of the pain.

[Ezekiel Frost]

As soon as he gains his balance after being so roughly shoved away, he presses the attack. The only way he's going to win this one is to continue attacking, never letting up.

He rushes in to attack, using Force Persuasion as well as his scythe in a single move. He yells, "Stand still!" and at the same time sweeps his scythe. The blade starts low, near his feet, coming upward in an arc toward her head.

[Nzambi]

Immobilized by the voice. the demi knelt, handpaws in the sand as she remained in his hold. His use of the force drove her close to insanity, and the beast howled once more.

It cut off in a sharp bark as the charged blade of the scythe cut into her mottled pelt, slicing upwards at an angle across her collarbone and chest.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Still continuing forward, Ezekiel swings back down, attempting to land the butt of the scythe onto the woman's neck. He doesn't want to kill her, but if this shot lands on her neck, she could be out cold. Throwing his body into the attack, he slams the butt towards her...

[Nzambi]

His force enhanced voice no longer held a hold over her, and the beast lunges inward unexpectadly, a massive handpaw reaching out to wrap easily around his throat and stopping his charge cold.

A swipe of her other paw knocked the scythe to the side as she drove down, landing atop him in a crouch, one paw still one his throat while the other clutched at the handle of his weapon, holding it away from her.

She kept her face at a distance though as a growl grew in the back of her throat - she didn't want a repeat headbutt.

[Ezekiel Frost]

The attack leaves him breathless in more ways than one. Her landing on him knocked the breath out of him, and her paw was keeping him from making noise. His weapon is out of reach too... so that leaves only one option.

He takes his left hand and jabs it, fingers extended, into the wound he created earlier with his plasma scythe. Grabbing hold of whatever flesh he can, he grabs and pullls with all the might he can. Hopefully this will distract her before she chokes the wind out of him.

[Nzambi]

With a yowl she arches back at his attack, pain lancing through her entire upper body, and with a jerk, she flung the Jedi away.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Ezekiel lands with a thud, nearly losing his breath in the process. "I'm getting too old for this..." he mutters as he rises to his feet. He calls his scythe to him the only way he can: with his voice.

"Scythe, come!" The still-humming weapon jerks from the ground and flings itself into his hands. He's going to have to end this fight quickly. His energy is quickly running out, and his Force Persuasion is not limitless. Summoning the strength for one last blast, he yells, "Hold!" Rushing in just after, he sweeps the scythe toward the woman, hoping to finish her in this last strike.

[Nzambi]

The voice again - that voice with a thousand pains... it resonated in her ears before lancing into her mind, commanding her to hold. With a seemingly unearthly howl, the beast seemed to fold in on herself, overcome with maddened agony before falling once more.

From the tops of her golden eyes, she saw the scythe sweep in; she could 'hear' it, and out of sheer reflex, her arms came up - slowly, as if fighting an unseen foe. But, instead of trying to stop the weapon, her handpaws punched into the ground, and she shifted to the side, ever so slightly.

And yet, it wasn't enough, as she felt the blade cleave into her shoulder and pin her to the arena floor, and throwing her head back against the sand, the demi let out an agonising howl.

[Ezekiel Frost]

He pulls the blade back quickly. He does not want to kill her, merely render her senseless.

Quickly, he takes the butt of his staff and strikes her in the temple. As sturdy as this woman obviously is, this should do no more than knock her cold.

[Nzambi]

The blow struck, and the Lupine was out cold, her body going limp as she was knocked unconscious. With her loss of cognisance though, also came reversion, and with an otherworldly sigh, her body morphed once more. Naked as the day she was born, she lay unmoving.

The wounds she'd sustained, when seen on her human body, appeared much worse than when she was a demi - crimson red and on her shoulder where his last blow had connected, protruding bone, in stark contrast to her otherwise smooth and tanned skin.

Nzambi lay still on the arena floor, her breathing slow.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Ezekiel drops to one knee, holding himself upright with his scythe. After a few moments to catch his breath, Ezekiel rises and assesses the situation. He removes his cloak and cuts several strips from the bottom of it. Cleaning her wounds the best he can, he binds the worst of the cuts. Fortunately the plasma scythe had cauterized most of them. He then binds her hands and feet, just in case, and covers her with what's left of his cloak.

He hauls the woman over his shoulder and begins carrying her back to town. She needs medical attention, and he needs to contact the Order about this temple.

"I'm gettin' too old for this..."

[Nzambi]

It was the constant jostle that wrested her from her forced slumber, and Nzambi opened her eyes to stare at the ground as it slowly passed by... beneath her? And her hands - bound - same with her feet, and the Lupine tensed her body.

Her head craned around to stare at the back of her captor's head.

"Where are you taking me," she growled.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Calm down missy... I ain't takin' ya anywhere bad... jus' gettin' ya away from that temple. Ya got no business there. What were ya lookin' for anyway?

[Nzambi]

Her bound hands pounded into the small of his back, and Nzambi did her best to dislodge herself from the perch of his shoulder. "It's not your concern, Jedi," she spat back.

She had to get back there - to the temple - to the place where nightmares were born.

[Ezekiel Frost]

He smacks her on the butt, to distract her if nothing else.

"Cut it out... you're reminding me of my daught..."

He stops abruptly, emotional pain choking him off.

"Never mind. And it is my concern. That's a Sith temple, or I'm a bantha. Ya've got no business there. Whatever's there ain't good... and it'd take ya over... ruin ya...

[Nzambi]

"I know that's a Sith Temple," she hissed, the slight emotional wavering of his voice not lost on her.

"That's why I'm there."

[Ezekiel Frost]

Oh well... so much for the idea that she was there in ignorance.

"Then I did right in stoppin' ya. Whatever's there ain't ta be touched. I'm on my way now ta contact the Order and get them to clear that thing out. What do ya want with anything in a Sith Temple anyway? Ya turn inta that vornskyr... thing every time ya get hit by tha Force."

[Nzambi]

Another pound of her fists to his back; the pain was slowly ebbing from her shoulder, but it still ached, and her blows were more an annoyance than anything painful.

"What I'm doing there is my business, Jedi. Not yours. Now put me down."

[Ezekiel Frost]

He shakes the woman roughly, jarring her.

"I said sit still. And it is my business... ya can't have what's in there."

He stamps his staff on the ground, re-igniting the scythe.

"Now... I said sit still. I'll cut ya if I have ta, but I'd rather not. Gimme one good reason why I outta let ya down, and I might."

[Nzambi]

His shake jarred her, and Nzambi cast infuriated eyes to the back of his head as she brought an elbow up, knocking him non-too gently.

"I don't want it," she began with a growl, "I'm here to destroy it."

Her elbow came up once more, thwacking harder this time.

"There's your reason."

[Ezekiel Frost]

The blows to his back are getting more and more bothersome, and the final one, coupled with her comment about destroying something in the temple, brings him to a halt. Grabbing her legs, he flings her down roughly onto her back, bringing the scythe to her neck.

"Now listen missy... I've had just about enough of yer crap. Yer doin' well enough to keep hittin' me, so ya can walk the rest of the way."

He quickly cuts the binding on her ankles.

"Now get up and move."

[Nzambi]

Landing on her back, the Lupine let out a pained hurff, the fall knocking the wind out of her momentarily. She lay still though, as his scythe rested just above her neck, and her eyes glared up at him.

"I never said I couldn't walk," was her only response, and as his scythe cut through the bindings on her ankles, she didn't move.

"You aren't my caretaker," she growled, staying where she was "and I'm not your charge."

[Ezekiel Frost]

"Yer right. Ya ain't my 'charge'. But that don't mean I trust ya. If yer gonna destroy the thing, I might as well follow ya. I don't think I can haul yer rear back to town and get ahold of the Jedi in time to keep ya from comin' back here. Let's go."

He moves behind her, never extinguishing his scythe. If she's truly out to destroy this artifact, that's all well and good. If not... he'll be ready.

[Nzambi]

A dark look was all that returned his words, and the Lupine turned back towards the temple. Not a word was said - nor uttered from her lips, and Nzambi kept a steady pace.

As she walked, her hands worked at pulling off her bindings; it wasn't easy - the Jedi had done a bang up job of tying the length of cloth, and the Lupine couldn't help the occasional grunt of frustration as she continued her task.

[Ezekiel Frost]

Without a word, Ezekiel slashes down and mostly severs the bindings on her wrists. The rest should be easy enough to pull away from.

"Since we're gonna be workin' together, more or less, I figure I might as well let yer hands free. But I'm still watchin' ya, so don't try anything. I'd hate to have to cut ya again..."

[Nzambi]

A hand went up to her shoulder as he spoke his last words, and Nzambi flinched as her fingers ran over the still bloody wound - the blood had long since begun coagulating, and the collarbone was mending itself slowly but suredly. It would still be a while before she was at her peak, and she knew it.

"I'm here for nothing else but what's in that temple - whether you believe me or not... "

Her words were low, and strangely enough kept a beat with her footsteps as she walked.

"... I don't care."

[Ezekiel Frost]

"Fine then... lead on..."

They continue through the woods for some time, following the path Ezekiel had had just carried her along. They talk almost none along the way. When they arrive once more at the temple, Ezekiel breaks the silence.

"So, you know where this thing is? If so, I'd appreciate ya showin' me where..."

[Nzambi]

She turned, her movements just a little awkward as her body was still healing itself from his blow, and the look she gave him spoke volumes of her attitude at the moment.

"I have no idea where it is - I was on my way to find it when you showed up."

An eyebrow arched. "You're going to have to help me find it."

[Ezekiel Frost]

He eyes the woman suspiciously. She may be up to something, but her logic does at least make sense.

"Ok... well, then let's go."

Walking with her still a bit in front of him, they walk into the temple, searching for the artifact in question.