2008-04-10 - Anakin's Trials: A Dark Cove

The sea crashes against the jacked rocks that make up the shoreline. Something calls you there, a deep thumping that can be felt in your soul, like a splinter in your mind.
The solitary form of one lonely padawan makes its way slowly up the coast from the south, headed for the jagged shoreline, drawn by the inexplicable call of purpose. It is to this spot that he must be, that every fiber of his being pulls him forwards. Green eyes peer out from a ragged hood, Anakin surrounded in a blanket of calm. He has not spoken to another sentient since his trial in the cave; he remains stoic, quiet, and calmly strong. He walks to the edge of the shore and looks out over the water. 
There is something there, beneath the water, within the jagged shore. A wave lashes upward, giving a cold, salty kiss. Care for a swim?
The hood and a ragged robe are pulled from Anakin's shoulders, cast carelessly to the side as the calm young padawan paces further out to the edge of the shore and peers down. Anakin checks to make sure his lightsaber is tied tightly to his belt, and then drops down into a squat, looking out into the water. The call continues there, and without a moment's second thought he dives in. 
Down, down. There is a cove, from whence the call comes.
The padawan swims for a while in the water, until he finds the point that he is inexorably drawn to. He pulls himself up into the cove, water dripping from clothes that now cling to him, a hand checking the lightsaber at his side as he ventures a step closer. His eyes narrow then close, Anakin reaching out with his mind, finding ...
Darkness. The lightsaber leaps into his hand, purple blade extending with a crackling hiss and banishing the shadows. "Show yourself."
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You ignite your purple lightsaber.
"Anakin!" an altogether too familiar voice calls out behind the padawan, seeming to emerge suddenly from the dark folds of the cove. Obi-Wan, his features mostly obscured behind a brown cowl. If his tone is anything to go by, there is a tense look of urgency on his shadowed countenance, and he hisses quietly to Anakin, "Be still, you've sensed him too... We're not alone."
Anakin whirls in surprise, turning to his master. "Obi-Wan!" There is the slightest hint of relief in his voice, perhaps happy that he is not alone in this cave after all. "What is this place? Why am I here?" He lifts the blade, its light casting out over the small cove. "I do not fear him. He could not destroy me on Kashyyyk, and he cannot destroy me now."
"Lower your blade, Anakin," comes Obi-Wan's hissed, perhaps cryptic reply, hazel eyes swiveling towards an apparently, unseen foe.
Reluctantly, the blade and its revealing light disappear, the purple glow over Anakin's face sinking into darkness.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You put away your purple lightsaber.
"You should not have come," hisses a voice in the darkness.
A pale red appears in the gloom, an aura of the Dark Side. Slowly a figure in dark robes emerges within, and the burst of a lightsaber blade issues from its hand.
"He is mine, and you will pay the price for your lack of vision."
Ragnos slips out of hiding.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos ignites his red lightsaber.
"Get back, Anakin!" 
Obi-Wan's unseen hazel countenance tightens into grim, dark lines, and he dashes to stand before Anakin and the dark foe. "The Dark Side will not avail you." he states calmly to the revealed dark figure, his other hand outstretched to stay the green-eyed Padawan.
Anakin's calm is for a moment disturbed, looking between Obi-Wan and the apparition before he takes a nervous step backward, hand clenched around his lightsaber. "He's not real, Obi-Wan," he whispers uncertainly. "He wasn't then ... he can't be now. You couldn't destroy me, you can't destroy him!" There is uncertainty in his voice.
The Figure cackles and swings its lightsaber with a sweeping arc twice, setting it beside his cheek and shoulder in an attack position.
"You are mistaken," it declares with a sneer. Suddenly the figure lurches forward, sending out a primal roar as it darts towards Obi-Wan with a jump that ends with a slash with a lightsaber.
*<FONT COLOR=#33CC00>FORCE:</FONT> You experience a hateful feeling and receive a vision: Obi-Wan falls before the figure, and with a slash he, the agressor, shoves his lightsaber into the Knight's mouth, and out through the back of his head.. 
You think of Ragnos ...
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos swings his red lightsaber at Obi-Wan Kenobi!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Obi-Wan Kenobi ignites his blue lightsaber and tries to parry!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Obi-Wan Kenobi parries Ragnos's red lightsaber with his blue lightsaber. 
A vision explodes in Anakin's mind, causing his eyes to close tightly for a moment. "No!" He says, fist clenching around the steel of his lightsaber, but his eyes open to the red and blue blades meeting with a clash of fire. He sucks in a deep breath, trying to maintain his calm. 
The figure's lightsaber collides with Kenobi's, though he is turned back. He cackles again, revealing rotten, yellow teeth.
"This is the end for you, Kenobi." Its head turns to Anakin and it laughs again. "You, and all your wretched work, will be destroyed!" The lightsaber swings again, this time towards Obi-Wan's shoulder.
*<FONT COLOR=#33CC00>FORCE:</FONT> You experience a hateful feeling and receive a vision: Anakin, rushing to Obi-Wan's aid, just as the strike falls... His anger gives him power and focus, enough to save his Master. Enough to keep him from suffering.. 
You think of Ragnos ...
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos swings his red lightsaber at Obi-Wan Kenobi!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Obi-Wan Kenobi parries Ragnos's red lightsaber with his blue lightsaber.
Anakin resists, standing tall and closing his eyes fiercely for a moment as he struggles obviously with the conflicting thoughts in his mind. "Get out of my head," he hisses, the ire rising in his voice. "I will not succumb to your fear mongering, to your hatred. Leave us both! You will find no victory here!" His knuckles are white around his lightsaber, but it is not drawn. 
The cove illuminates in a mixed fury of red and blue light, and Obi-Wan's lightsaber once again twirls in time to clash with the dark figure's blade. Cowl thrown backwards in the brute force of the attacks, the hazel-eyed Knight's revealed features glint grimly in the dim light, his blue lightsaber seeking the side of the dark figure with his own leap.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Obi-Wan Kenobi swings his blue lightsaber at Ragnos!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos parries Obi-Wan Kenobi's blue lightsaber with his red lightsaber.
The figure cackles as Anakin hisses. "Your anger gives you power," he confesses after twisting his lightsaber and parrying Obi-Wan's. "It gives you focus! Give in to the Dark Side!" Suddenly the blade descends again on Obi-Wan, threatening to slice his chest open.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos swings his red lightsaber at Obi-Wan Kenobi!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Obi-Wan Kenobi tries to dodge, but Ragnos's red lightsaber strikes and vaporizes him.
Too late, does Obi-Wan's parry come after his leap, and the red blade penetrates through, cutting deeply into his breast, and leaving a cauterized, smoking wound in its wake. The smell of burnt flesh reeks. 
"Anakin...." the hazel-eyed Knight murmurs weakly, the glow of life in his hazel eyes fleeting as he topples backward into unconsciousness. His grasp on his lightsaber slackens, loosening and causing the tube-like object to fall to the rocky floor with a clatter.
"No!" Anakin roars hoarsely as his master falls in a crumple of robes. He bursts into action, the purple blade extending with a crackle of light and a crash of sound as a leap brings Anakin across the cavern and over Obi-Wan, the blade held protectively over the Jedi Knight. His other hand snakes out, pulling Obi-Wan's lightsaber to him, tucking it against his belt.
Anakin's eyes flash with barely controlled rage. "You cannot destroy me! You have already failed once and you shall fail again. I know this, and in my knowledge I cannot be defeated. Leave us!" The blade crackles through the air, waved dismissively as Anakin's jaw clenches. 
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You ignite your purple lightsaber.
The figure laughs coldly. The opaque visage becomes a tad more solid, while its teeth grit. Its hand raises upward, flipping the lightsaber downward.
"You can prevent this," it hisses. "Give in to your anger!!"
Suddenly it swoops the lightsaber down, the blade aimed between Kenobi's teeth, threatening to cut directly through his head.
... Just like it promised...
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos swings his red lightsaber at Obi-Wan Kenobi's head!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos's red lightsaber strikes Obi-Wan Kenobi and evaporates Obi-Wan Kenobi's head. Obi-Wan Kenobi collapses, critically injured.
"No! Do not touch him!" Anakin moves his blade to intercept the red as it descends towards Obi-Wan, but it is too late, the force of the blow carrying the defensively lifted strike towards Ragnos. 
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You swing your purple lightsaber at Ragnos!
Type +ABORT to abort your attack.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Anakin Skywalker's purple lightsaber strikes Ragnos and shreds Ragnos, destroying Ragnos's Tan Robe.
Despite Anakin's efforts, the red blade strikes true, and it cleaves directly into Obi-Wan's skull vertically. Smoldering, red flesh sizzles, and the remains of the Jedi Knight's visage can be seen in a lifeless and divided, wide-eyed stare, directly staring to where Anakin once stood. The body of Obi-Wan crumples, all life gone in the lethal attack.
The figure laughs and begins to jerk its lightsaber away from Obi-Wan's skull, but is not fast enough. The saber sweeps across its arm, cutting deeply. Stumbling backwards, it cackles.
"Good, Skywalker. Good. But it will take more than that to destroy me." It raises its saber. "Unleash all of your anger! Only your hatred can destroy me, and avenge your Master."
"No!" Anakin cries out, dropping to one knee and laying a hand on Obi-Wan's arm, staring with abject horror into the wrecked face of his master. His eyes squeeze tight, the anger pulsating like a hot, heavy heartbeat behind his eyes. His fingers clench as the rage bunches up inside him, until it nearly controls him, crushing him, forcing the real Anakin Skywalker into a small and confused corner of his mind.
And then a glimmer of hope creeps into his mind, one solitary light that pierces of the shroud of crimson anger -- the still-lingering presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin can feel him, somewhere; not in this corpse but close by. Shuddering and drawing a breath, Anakin rises to his feet, the purple blade disappearing.
"Revenge will not bring him back. The Dark Side can only destroy; it cannot restore. You could not defeat me on Kashyyyk. You will not defeat me now." The purple blade is flung aside, Anakin's eyes flashing.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You put away your purple lightsaber.
You drop your Master Boethius' Lightsaber.
The figure grits its teeth slowly, then raises its lightsaber. It swings it down at Anakin's head, aiming to swipe his cranium clean off!
*<FONT COLOR=#33CC00>FORCE:</FONT> You experience a hateful feeling and receive a vision: The fury of a thousand suns, burning in a torrent that is the Dark Side. At their core, a tall figure, robed in black..
Telepathic message: "You will join me. I have forseen it."
You think of Ragnos ...
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos swings his red lightsaber at Anakin Skywalker's head!
Defense options: +PASS - +DODGE - +QUICKPARRY with lightsaber - +BLOCK
*<FONT COLOR=#33CC00>FORCE:</FONT> You move with enhanced speed.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Anakin Skywalker ignites his blue lightsaber and tries to parry!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Ragnos's red lightsaber meets Anakin Skywalker's blue lightsaber with a crackling hiss. The fighters struggle for the upper hand ... 
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Anakin Skywalker's blue lightsaber is struck from his hand and deactivated.
Anakin is ready. As the red blade descends, Obi-Wan's lightsaber rises into the Padawan's hand, a quick turn of his heel as the blue blade ignites just in time to meet the red. The two blades crackle and hiss together, anger raging beneath the calm surface of Anakin's eyes -- yet his retaliation is postponed, his anger thwarted, as his lightsaber is struck from his hand and clatters into a corner of the room. He scurries after it, finding the weapon and activating the blade again. "You can fight me but you can never win. I will not give in!" He roars, eyes flashing as he rises to his feet. 
You pick up an Obi-Wan's Lightsaber.
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You ignite your blue lightsaber.
The figure halts and points its blade at Anakin. Its energy crackles under his hand, a non-silent threat.
"Your feelings betray you. I sense... a conflict." A small sneer covers his lips. "Yes, your thoughts betray you. They reach out for..."
He laughs softly, an evil laugh,
"Your lover. If you do not turn to the Dark Side, then she will be destroyed."
The lightsaber disengages and he turns, laughing.
"No!" Nothing can hold Anakin back now. He leaps out of the shadows, blue blade whirring through the darkness. Green eyes flash dangerously with rage, the blue light reflected in their depths. 
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> You swing your blue lightsaber at Ragnos!
*<FONT COLOR=#FFFF00>COMBAT:</FONT> Anakin Skywalker's blue lightsaber strikes Ragnos and shreds Ragnos.
*<FONT COLOR=#33CC00>FORCE:</FONT> You experience a hateful feeling and receive a vision: Madison, trapped, suffering in the desert heat. Barren plains stretch out around her, the cracked land remeniecent of her cracked and broken lips.
Telepathic message: "Seek her where the deserts do not rise. Where the lawless are the law, and the rule."
You think of Ragnos ...
Shaking with barely controlled anger, Anakin turns away from the disappeared shape, the lightsaber blade disappearing. He moves over to Obi-Wan, kneeling down next to him. Anakin's eyes close tightly as he lays the lightsaber on the Knight's chest, head bowed. He reaches out with the Force, still sensing his Master, and it is then he knows that this cave is just a dream. A very, very real dream ...
He rises shakily, finding his own discarded lightsaber and returning with his belt. With a heavy sigh and one last look about the cave, the padawan is gone. 
 
Category:April 2008 RP Logs