SWRPF Archive Leá Monde

Bump?

 

Xan: Apologies for my extended absence. My time on the RPF is limited now and I've had to put my other game on hiatus...but considering how close we are to the end here, how much effort has been put in thus far, and how relatively quick and easy it is for me to update this, I am determined for us to keep going to the finish line.

Even though I fear you will be the only player left standing In some ways, it's actually kind of fitting. It's like The City claimed three of you.

The Great Cathedral- Entrance Hall

Kara's expression changed to one of astonishment as the Imperial Knight thrust herself forward on the blade, right up to the hilt, and seized the front of the Jedi's robes. Neesa screamed, the same inhuman shriek that she had unleashed only minutes ago, a vile, unnatural sound that seemed inescapable.

As her foe opened her mouth, Kara flung up her other hand and desperately summoned the Force, trying somehow to block or absorb or turn aside the power of the attack.

The shriek seemed to last for ever, still echoing in Kara's ears even as her enemy finally dropped lifeless to the floor. The young Zeltron did not know to what extent her defensive efforts had worked...certainly the noise had seemed somehow muted towards the end.

After a few seconds, she realised something was wrong. As she looked around, she noticed that her perception of the environment had changed, as if one of her senses had suddenly been blocked off. Her initial instinct was that her hearing had been damaged. Something seemed muffled and distant, like voices fading away...

But as she stepped past Neesa's corpse, and heard her own footfall upon the stone floor, she realised that she could still hear the outside world perfectly.

Slowly and horribly, realisation dawned as the fallen Jedi tried to access the only one of her senses that really mattered to her. And she felt nothing.

She had been cut off from the Force.

Gone was the dark but warm embrace of the City. Gone was the old but comforting touch of the Light. And it struck Kara that she was a powerless murderer without allies or assistance, deep within a strange and evil place.

She was alone.

Tag: Xan

 

No worries.

... although, from the content of that update, actually, I'm worried.


IC: Kara Dysar

The Great Cathedral- Entrance Hall

Kara couldn't feel the Force.

Panic rose in the fallen Jedi. Of all the things she had imagined Neesa's scream would do, this was not one of them - and yet - Kara raised a hand, trying to summon the power she had known all her life to shift some of the debris, summon lightning, anything -

Nothing. The Force was gone.

Kara stared down at her hand. It was shaking. She curled it into a fist and willed the shaking to stop.

For the first time in her life, she was alone: so completely, terribly alone, in the middle of a dangerous city filled with enemies and living dead. It had not mattered to her that the other Jedi were gone, as long as she had the Force - but now she didn't. It was as if a soft blanket had descended over the world; colours were a bit less sharp, sounds muffled, her own movements a bit slower. What had Neesa done?

Suddenly angry, the fallen Jedi aimed a vicious kick at Neesa's corpse. Damn you, she thought savagely, impotently. Neesa had known, undoubtedly, what she was doing: it had been her last act, her final revenge for herself and Tiegar. If it had been anyone else, Kara would have admired her nerve.

What now?

Kara looked at the entrance, then at the lift Neesa had been guarding. She could go back outside, where the dead walked, and face almost certain death, or - she could forge on ahead anyway, armed with nothing but her wits and her lightsaber.
And perhaps die as well; not to the dead, but to the living, for she was reasonably certain the two remaining Imperial Knights would be ahead. She would be no match for them without the Force.

But she had come too far to give up now. And perhaps... perhaps what Neesa did wasn't permanent. Perhaps it could be reversed.
Kara bent down, scooped up Neesa's two lightsabers and attached them to her own belt.
Then she entered the lift.

TAG: Winged

 

The Great Cathedral- The Candle Room

The lift finally came to a stop, and Kara stepped out.

Before her was an enormous cylindrical chamber, lit by what seemed like thousands of long candles. Their flame was unnatural in colour, and seemed to shift every few seconds between a rich scarlet and a marine blue, resulting in the rather unsettling impression that the room was alternately bathed in blood and deep underwater.

More corpses of cultists were strewn across the ground like puppets abandoned by their master, their limbs twisted out of shape and pain still etched onto the features of their faces. Most of them bore lightsaber wounds.

At the far end of the chamber was a long staircase, spiraling up towards the uppermost reaches of the Cathedral. And lying at the foot of the staircase, battered and broken, was Sydney Losstarot.

He had propped himself up against the wall, and he was still conscious. As Kara approached, she could see that he bore cuts and wounds all over his body. Blood seemed to be coming from his back, though as he was sitting against the wall, she could not see why. He smiled wanly as she approached.

"Congratulations," he said softly. "You won my game."

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Grand Cathedral

Kara glanced warily around as she stepped out of the lift. It would seem her earlier fear of death was unwarranted - or at least, had been postponed. Dead cultists were strewn everywhere, like puppets tossed aside by their master, and there was no sign of the Imperial Knights.

At the far end of the room was Sydney Losstarot.

Kara approached slowly. A sense of unreality descended upon her; the unsettling lighting, the unexpected scene before her, Sydney lying battered and broken - it all was starting to seem like a bizarre dream. Especially since, in the first place, everything seemed less real somehow when she could not feel the Force.

Sydney smiled wanly as she drew close. There were cuts and wounds over his whole body, and he was lying in a pool of blood - blood from his back, though propped up against the wall as he was, Kara could not see why. Strange, her mind registered: lightsaber wounds did not bleed. "Congratulations," he said softly. "You won my game."

"I'm not so sure," Kara said slowly. Won; what had she won? Whatever game he was playing, she couldn't feel anything. She gestured around, a small flick of her hand to encompass the whole room. "The Imperial Knights' work?"

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Music for this scene is Palpatine's Teachings.

The Great Cathedral- The Candle Room

"The Imperial Knights' work?" asked Kara.

"Correct," replied Sydney, breathing heavily, his eyelids half closed. "They have ascended to the roof...to complete the ceremony. And you are, at last...owed an explanation."

"The dark power of the City is our family's legacy," he continued quietly. "The Blood Sin, as it is known. It has empowered us for generations, passing on to the next heir as soon as they come of age.

"Years ago, I succeeded my father, Moff Bardoba, and became the City's keeper. Unlike our ancestors, my father and I despised the power of Lea Monde. Together we swore that this...tainted gift...would never reach Joshua. It would leave our family, forever. There are...ways...of passing it on to outsiders...

"So we arranged this game. My kidnap of Joshua, my flight into the City, my time in the Forest...all part of our plan to find a worthy successor. My closest friends, Hardin and Rosencrantz, assisted me. Hardin remains loyal, and an hour ago completed my orders and took Joshua to safety outside the City walls. Rosencrantz, however, still secretly hopes that I will pass on my legacy to him. Even as I speak, he is fighting your comrade Vic...believing that he is eliminating a rival. He is wrong...neither Vic nor Rosencrantz are my successor.

"That 'honour'...belongs to you, Kara Dysar.

"Through your trials and challenges, the City itself has chosen you. How far you have come...in such a short time. How you will use Lea Monde's power, I do not know. But my family will be free."

Slowly, he pushed away from the wall, gasping with pain as he did so, and began to twist around to expose his back.

"Unfortunately...there has been one factor that I had not anticipated...one who has...interfered with my plans."

The great tattoo that had once covered Sydney's back was gone- in its place was nothing but red raw, bloodied flesh. The skin had been intentionally sliced off.

"Guildenstern knows the secrets of the City," said Sydney. "He is performing an ancient ceremony that will transfer the Blood Sin to him, regardless of my will. Skinning me of the rune on my back was the first part of this ritual. The second is the sacrifice of an innocent...poor, naive little Samantha...

"You must stop him, Jedi. No matter how far you have fallen, or the murders you have committed...you are not yet lost...but Guildenstern is a monster."

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Grand Cathedral, Lea Monde

At last, answers. The final puzzle piece clicked into place. Joshua's kidnapping, the call for help ... even Hardin's inexplicable flight to the Cathedral and then the Snowfly Forest, and Sydney's mysterious gifts ... it all made sense now. It had all been part of Sydney's game, all because he and his father wanted to be rid of an inconvenient legacy. They had been played, Jedi and Imperial Knights alike.

Kara waited for the outrage, the anger, to rise. Waited for the urge to run Sydney through where he lay - the revenge she had sought, revenge for all he had done, and rightly so, but ...
She felt nothing. She looked at Sydney, the man who had manipulated them all, who had sent her down this dark path, this broken man at her feet, gasping in pain in a pool of his own blood - and felt nothing.

More than anything Kara wanted the Force back. It was a gaping hole in her heart and mind; she kept reaching for it on instinct and getting nothing but emptiness in return. Kara had not realised how much she relied on it until it was gone.

Where was the rage, the hate - even the urgency that Sydney's news of Guildenstern's plans should have provoked? Guildenstern knows the secrets of the City... you are not yet lost... Guildenstern is a monster... but she was lost. She was lost without the Force.

"I'll stop him," Kara said calmly, gazing into Sydney's eyes - she should feel something, at least, for what he had done to her, but could not manage anything at all. "But there's another snag - I don't feel the Force any more. Neesa's last act ... How do I fix it?"

TAG: Winged


They say those who have lost power are obsessed with regaining it, so hey ...

 

OOC: Very true.

The Great Cathedral- The Candle Room

"I'll stop him," Kara said calmly. "But there's another snag - I don't feel the Force any more. Neesa's last act ... How do I fix it?"

Sydney's eyes widened momentarily at the revelation, but soon a thin smile appeared on his face.

"Then Lea Monde has a final test for you," he replied. "The City plays games that dwarf my own petty schemes. We can only hope that you will find your answer, up there..."

He gestured vaguely in the direction of the spiral staircase. And suddenly his face contorted with pain, his breathing became sharp, and he clutched with his metallic arms at his bare chest.

"O City of Shade," he whispered into the air, his eyes fixed upon the ceiling, "at last we part ways. My mistakes are my own, but let my sins fall upon you...I have lived too long with your face on my back..."

His eyes closed, and his hands fell to his sides.

His body crumpled, faded and finally vanished.

Tag: Xan

 

Do you get the feeling that tags and such are a bit unnecessary here? But I'm so used to writing them in that the posts look 'wrong' otherwise...


IC: Kara Dysar

Grand Cathedral, Lea Monde

Kara smiled crookedly. A test. It was always a test.

She had been tested ever since she arrived, and she was getting heartily sick of it. To be tested implied that there was someone - something, in this case - with the right to pass judgement on her, and that rankled.

And yet: there was a certain satisfaction, here. Sydney had tried to play games with her, but in the end it was him, not Kara, who was dying in a pool of his own blood. Sydney, not Kara, whose body was shuddering in death, eyes fixed on some point in the distance only he could see ... and then the life left his body. His body crumpled, faded, and finally vanished, leaving nothing but two droid arms, lying incongruously in his blood.

She had won Sydney's game, and in doing so, beaten him in the City's. And the City's game, Kara had realized, was the one that mattered. The only one that did.
Vic and Rosencrantz were nothing. Samantha was just a pawn. Only one opponent remained: Guildenstern.

Carefully, Kara stepped over Sydney's arms - his blood made the floor slippery - and ascended the stairs.

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Yes, tags seem kinda pointless here. And yet I also feel compelled to use them.

The Great Cathedral- Rooftop

Kara ascended the stairs, striding into the night as she climbed out onto the enormous dome that sat atop the Cathedral. The air was chilly, and the cold wind seemed to wrap around her limbs, guiding her movements. Onwards, to death...

Valendia's moon loomed large in the night sky, illuminating the rooftop in a pale, otherworldly silver. Kara could see two figures on the far side of the rooftop, standing close to the edge. A man and a woman. He was bare chested, and she was clad in a light jumpsuit. The crimson armour of the Imperial Knights lay discarded at their feet. It looked as if they were embracing. In the moonlight it was strangely romantic, and for a moment it seemed to Kara that she was intruding upon something beautiful, and yet so out of place within the oppressive darkness of the City.

But the moment was ruined, and brutally.

Kara had barely taken a step towards them when she heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting, followed by a gasp of pain. The embracing couple broke apart, and the woman staggered out of her partner's arms, clutching her stomach.

"I loved you, Samantha," said the man.

"I, too, thought so," replied the woman. She tumbled off the roof, and into the darkness.

Guildenstern turned around immediately, his lightsaber still in hand. He did not seem at all surprised by the arrival of Kara.

"Welcome, Jedi," he said. "Come to celebrate my ascension?"

Tag: Xan

 

RL seems to be interfering for both of us. >_>


IC: Kara Dysar

Roof

Kara's footsteps echoed strangely in the night air as she climbed the stairs, tracking bloody footprints behind her. She emerged on the roof to see a strangely romantic scene... at least, a scene that seemed romantic, until Guildenstern ignited his lightsaber.

Even though Kara had been expecting it, it still came as a shock. And yet: somehow unreal. She couldn't sense anything, not even Samantha's pain ... thanks to her empathic ability, she had always been able to sense others' pain ... to watch the Imperial Knight die, and feel nothing, was very strange.

Guildenstern turned. He didn't seem surprised to see Kara. Kara, for her part, hadn't expected him to be. "Welcome, Jedi," he said. "Come to celebrate my ascension?"

"To stop you," Kara said softly, her voice carrying in the still air. But not for the reasons you're expecting. There'll be only one ascension tonight, and it won't be yours.

She ignited her blade.

TAG: Winged

 

The Great Cathedral- Rooftop

"To stop you," Kara said softly, igniting her saber. Guildenstern merely laughed.

He stretched his arms out wide and turned around, revealing a particularly unpleasant sight- he had taken the skin off Sydney's back only to drape it roughly over his own. The large tattoo now covered his back like a gruesome, bloody cape, and it seemed to almost shimmer in the moonlight. In fact, it was starting to glow...

Kara could do nothing but watch as her foe began to rise into the air. His pale skin began to blacken rapidly, as if burned, and his bones began twisting and contorting beneath his flesh. Claws extended from his thin fingers, and scales broke out across his bare torso. A low, hissing noise came from his mouth, and as his head turned towards Kara, she could see that his eyes were no longer human. They blazed with a feral fire.

He swooped down towards her-

But before he could reach out with taloned hands, before she could move, the sky dissolved, and the ground disintegrated. Kara became dizzy and disorientated, and her vision became blurred so fast that her head felt like it would crack open. She trembled and shook, fell and fell through the gaping darkness and-

Splashed.

She looked up at what was suddenly a very high and very solid ceiling, and looked down at her now soaking wet robes. She was lying in a water fountain. She surveyed her surroundings, and concluded with shock that she was back in the first home she could remember- the Jedi Temple. There was no sign of Guildenstern. There was no sign of anyone.

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Somewhere

Kara took an involuntary step back from Guildenstern - the person who had been Guildenstern - or at least, she tried to. Even as she shifted her weight, the world dissolved, and then she was falling, falling -

And then she was not. Kara blinked dazedly up at what had been the night sky and was now a very solid and high ceiling. There was no impact, no pain of any sort - just the sudden cessation of falling, and the cold feel of ... water?

She was lying in a water fountain. A very familiar water fountain.
In fact, she had gotten into trouble for wading in this very water fountain when she was seven.

Kara climbed slowly to her feet, shocked. "What is this?" she whispered, glancing first down at her sodden robes and then all around her.

But she knew, of course. This was the Jedi Temple... unmistakably so... the first home she had ever known, and the one she had, on some level, given up all hope of returning to. It was also worlds away from Lea Monde, and as a rule, more ... inhabited... than it was currently...
So what was this, then: some sort of trick? An illusion?
Another test?

Automatically, Kara reached out to the Force, forgetting for the moment it was barred from her.

TAG: Winged

 

Somewhere

Kara reached out with the Force instinctively, and once again found that it was blocked from her. The nothingness was still present here, in whatever world this was.

"Not yet, Kara," came a voice, soft and melodic.

A beautiful, dark-haired woman approached in the distance, covered in a long dress of silk. Dozens of golden bracelets hung loosely around her wrists, and her eyes burned with an emerald fire. Without the Force, Kara was obviously unable to sense anything of the darkside about the stranger- and yet the young Zeltron felt very strongly that this being was not a welcome presence in the Jedi Temple.

"I was Leá Monde," said the woman, and turned around in one graceful movement to expose her bare back. Upon it was the large tattoo that Guildenstern had so gruesomely stolen from Sydney.

As the woman turned back to face Kara, she seemed somehow different. Indeed, she no longer looked at all feminine...her arms suddenly bulged with muscle and her cheeks were rough with hair. She was now a rather intimidating man, tall and imposing, heavily scarred and clad in a suit of jet black armour.

"I was Leá Monde," bellowed the man. Within a moment his features shift once again, and now he was a thin, dark-skinned old Twi'lek.

"And I was Leá Monde," rasped the Twi'lek. Again, he changed.

"As was I," said a towering Umbaran.

"And I," said a grim-faced human.

"And I," continued a large Zabrak.

"And I," rumbled an enormous Hutt.

For several minutes this went on, with the enigmatic stranger metamorphosing through dozens of colourful and varied incarnations before seeming to settle into a pattern of sorts- a succession of similar-looking human males. The faces became more and more familiar, until eventually the stranger morphed into a younger version of Moff Byron Bardoba. He threw Kara a roguish wink before his face blurred. When it came into focus once again, it was that of Sydney Losstarot.

"And I," announced the stranger, "was Leá Monde."

The false Sydney moved closer to Kara, leaning in as if to whisper a secret. Immediately his skin flared into fiery coal, and his bones juddered beneath his flesh.

"And I," he whispered, with a soothing serenity that chillingly counterpointed the horror of his new visage, "...I AM LEA MONDE."

The stranger stepped back, glaring at Kara with the demonic face of the Guildenstern she had seen on the roof.

"You see," he laughed softly, "I have a new partner for my dance, child. Why should I leave him for you?"

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Somewhere

Kara watched the procession of beings with equal parts fascination and horror. She had not realised how far back the history of the city extended: generations, clearly. How had it started? The woman, the first Lea Monde - was she the Sith goddess Sydney's cult had supposedly worshipped?

Supposedly ... They had been so ill-informed, coming here. So ignorant. They had descended upon Lea Monde thinking it was nothing but an old mining city, that Sydney's cult was nothing more than a Sith revival, that Joshua's kidnapping had been nothing but a power play against a Moff.

How wrong they had been. How foolish.

It occurred to Kara for the first time, here in the simulacrum of the Jedi Temple, as Lea Monde shifted to Sydney and finally Guildenstern's demonic form - it took all her control to not take a step back - that she could back out now. Sydney's game was over; Guildenstern, in a way, had won. She did not have to join her soul to the dark city ... she could go back, back to the Temple, and ... what? Explain that the mission had been a farce from the beginning? Admit that she had gotten separated from her comrades, and they were most likely dead? Yes, she could retreat, go back ... and if she somehow managed to escape Guildenstern in reality, Force-blind as she was, she would never touch the city's power again.

Never.
Ever.
Could she handle that?
She already missed it. Missed the power, the comforting presence in her mind, so much it almost hurt.
No, then.
But how?

"Because I'm stronger than he is," Kara said without thinking. She paused, blinking. That wasn't what she meant to say, but ... in the absence of a better idea, she forged ahead. "I've played your game," she continued flatly, without any inflection of pride. "I defeated four of his people, fought through your undead constructs, and I'll beat him -" Kara stabbed forward with one finger, stopping just short of Guildenstern's nose "- too."

She lowered her hand. Double or nothing.

"Let me prove it to you."

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Spot on about the Sith goddess. She's named Mullenkamp in the original game (as seen here), and obviously the cult named itself after her. She essentially is the darkside of the City. In our version of the story, I like to think that she was a Sith Lord who bonded her consciousness to the City in the same way that Sith sometimes bond themselves to holocrons or relics, except stronger than that. Kind of like Muur and his talisman in the Vector comics storyline.

Anyway, just explaining that OOC since you won't get much more exposition in-game. We're almost at our conclusion! Only one guy left to finish off...

Somewhere

"Let me prove it to you."

The Guildenstern-doppleganger nodded. Eventually.

"Very well, Kara Dysar," he said. "Go and show me the nature of your soul."

The sinister stranger smiled an unsettling smile, and turned around, walking away down a long, thin corridor. For several minutes, there was no sound in the Temple except the footfalls of the City's mysterious avatar. When he reached the door at the very end, he glanced back over his shoulder at Kara- and for the briefest of moments, the Zeltron glimpsed her own face staring back at her.

And then there was nothing but darkness.

As quickly as she had submerged into the black, she surfaced. She was back in the City, lightning crackling in the sky, and the wind beating her face. Guildenstern was circling above her in the sky, his black wings pulsing with a blue light. He spotted his foe immediately, and wasted no time wondering about the cause of her disappearance- instead he swooped down towards her, talons outstretched-

And Kara felt the power of the Force flood into her once more.

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Back at the Grand Cathedral

The silence stretched out for longer than Kara liked, but finally, the Guildenstern-doppelganger nodded. Kara felt a flare of relief. Good. She would get her chance - she watched the sinister man turn and walk away, down a long narrow corridor that hadn't been there before, and then -

Darkness.

And light. Lightning, to be precise. Suddenly she was back in the City, wind whipping through her hair - no, not wind. The down draft from Guildenstern's wings; he was circling above, black wings glowing with eerie blue light. Two things happened at once: Guildenstern caught sight of her and immediately dove, talons outstretched, and Kara felt a surge of awareness, of power, that could only mean one thing: the Force was back.

Time seemed to slow. Laughing, Kara flung out both arms, channelling the power of the Force - the sweet, glorious, intoxicating dark power of the Force - through her and out from both palms. Twin bolts of electricity crackled through the air at Guildenstern just as he began his dive.

But at the same time, some part of her mind was aware that she owed part of her earlier victories to the City, and that right now, Lea Monde was not on her side, but his. So even as she poured force lightning at Guildenstern, Kara threw herself to one side in a sideways roll and came up in a crouch, two or so metres away from her original position.

TAG: Winged

 

OOC: Music for this scene is a Battle Suite from Vagrant Story.

Rooftop, Grand Cathedral

Kara poured force lightning at Guildenstern, and he twisted in mid-air to catch the attack in his hands, dissipating it into nothing. It had obviously thrown him, however, as he changed his flight path away from his opponent. He flew swiftly towards the other side of the roof, retreating to quickly re-assess his foe's strength.

Kara, meanwhile, had thrown herself to one side in a sideways roll and come up in a crouch, two or so metres away from her original position. Which was just as well, because as she moved, the roof tiles where she had been standing suddenly flew into the air. All around her, tiles were exploding off the roof, exposing the bare lattice of woodwork and steel underneath. One misstep, and she would plummet through the gaps and down into the Cathedral. She could see the room of candles where Sydney had died, and it seemed very far below.

Even as she considered this, Guildenstern was already back on the attack, wings fully extended, hurtling through the air towards her...

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Rooftop, Grand Cathedral

Kara was, curiously, not afraid. The rational part of her mind was aware that she was in a rather bad situation: she was fighting a winged opponent on uncertain footing, where the slightest misstep could prove fatal.
But she had the Force.
Trust the Force.

The Force whispered a warning. She glanced up and leapt sideways as the roof tile below her exploded off, and then again.
This time she landed on a crossbeam. Her balance was precarious ... but again, the Force steadied her. Kara felt laughter bubbling up again, and forced it down. Focus. She had precious few seconds before Guildenstern came around again -

What if she didn't wait?

Kara grinned, the expression a ghost of the thrillseeking Zeltron Jedi she had been once. Then she ignited her lightsaber and leapt up, recklessly deciding to meet Guildenstern in the air. If she could somehow get on his back, away from those talons, and force him down ...

TAG: Winged

 

Rooftop, Grand Cathedral

Kara leapt upwards, meeting Guildenstern in the air. He had clearly not anticipated the maneuver, and as he tried to alter his trajectory, she seized his back, clinging onto his shoulder blades even as he tried beating her off with his wings.

Rather than try and hurl her back down onto the broken rooftop, he seemed to decide that the best way to dislodge his new passenger was to soar as high into the night sky as he could, shaking violently as he did so.

And even as Kara tried to maintain her grip, she noticed that the tattoo on his back (right underneath her grip) was pulsating with an ominous red light...

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Above the rooftop, Grand Cathedral

Kara's plan hadn't worked exactly as she had hoped. It was easy enough to get onto Guildenstern's back - he hadn't been expecting it, and in a way, was no different from jumping on a wyvern - but he was stronger than she had realised. Rather than lose altitude and fall, they were actually gaining altitude, Guildenstern doing his best to shake her off even as his wings beat powerfully through the air.

Well, Kara thought, more motivation to stay on. If falling through the roof would have been painful, a fall from this height would be worse. At least he hadn't yet thought of rolling her off; considering she was holding on with one hand, that would dislodge her quite easily.

Speaking of which ... the tattoo on his back, right underneath her right hand, was pulsing red. She didn't know what that meant, but she was sure it was nothing good. The tattoo ... the one he had stripped from Sydney's back ... it occurred to her that if she could remove or damage it, that might just be the blow she needed.

Kara kicked down with both feet, scrabbling for purchase. The scales on his torso were slick, but there were seams where they overlapped - she thought she could get a relatively solid platform - no time. Having established a tenuous foothold, Kara clenched the fist gripping Guildenstern and wrenched, tearing at the tattoo. At the same time, she spun her lightsaber around and stabbed blindly at his back.

TAG: Wing

 

Rooftop, Grand Cathedral

Having established a tenuous foothold, Kara clenched the fist gripping her foe's back, and wrenched, tearing at the tattoo. Unfortunately it seemed as if the skin had fused somehow onto Guildenstern's scales, and the effort proved fruitless.

Her other attack, however, was rather more successful.

She spun her lightsaber around and stabbed blindly at his back. As he shook and spun, her arm moved, but she managed to plunge the blade through his shoulder blade, tearing through scale, skin and feather. She severed one of his wings clean off.

Immediately he lost his balance, and they began to plummet back towards the Cathedral rooftop, as Guildenstern tried in vain to keep himself airborne with his remaining wing.

At that moment the red light around the tattoo exploded with a tremendous force, hurling Kara several metres backwards and into the air. The shockwave blinded her, and though she could no longer see, she knew she was falling.

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Above the rooftop, Grand Cathedral

"Agh!" The shockwave that had thrown her off filled Kara's vision with red light, and abruptly she found herself falling. Fear gripped her for a split second - she couldn't see, she was plummeting towards the ground - no. Kara wrestled the panic down. Her vision would clear in a while; it was not permanent.

But she couldn't wait for that, either. If she did, she would hit the ground and she would die. She would not die; not now, not when she was this close. Kara closed her eyes - a useless, reflex gesture - and flung her arms out wide, summoning all the determination and cold rage she could muster. In an odd way this reminded her of her training: jumping off tall buildings, learning to use the Force to cushion the fall. She put that out of her mind; the stakes were too high for that.

The Force spread out before her, a lattice of power - Kara drew it into and around herself, trying to slow her fall, trying to use it to guide her to an intact part of the roof.

TAG: Wing

 

Rooftop, Grand Cathedral

Kara closed her eyes - a useless, reflex gesture - and flung her arms out wide, summoning all the determination and cold rage she could muster. She drew the Force into and around herself, trying to slow her fall, trying to use it to guide her to an intact part of the roof.

Unfortunately, her efforts were not entirely successful. While she managed to decrease her speed somewhat, she was unable to land on the rooftop itself. She felt herself graze past the exposed crossbeams, and down into the Cathedral proper. She crashed heavily onto solid ground, and immediately knew that both her legs were broken.

Her eyesight had returned, however, and she looked around to see that she had landed in the room of candles in which Sydney had died. All the flames had now gone out, as the rain poured in from above.

Without warning, she was joined by her opponent.

Guildenstern came plummeting through the open roof, slamming onto the floor a short distance away from her. His remaining wing was wrapped protectively around him, and Kara could see that he was unconscious. For now. Whatever that shockwave had been, it had hurt both of them.

Kara Dysar found herself crippled but a mere ten feet away from her fallen foe. It was now or never.

Tag: Xan

 

IC: Kara Dysar

Grand Cathedral

Kara felt herself graze past the exposed crossbeams and knew she was in trouble. She was falling fast, too fast - the fallen Jedi bit back a yell of pain as she crashed into the ground. Her legs were on fire. Upon opening her eyes, she realised both were broken.

Kriff.

Then something else slammed into the ground, not ten feet away - something large and heavy - Guildenstern. Kara, eyes wide with pain and surprise, stared at her opponent. Guildenstern, it seemed, hadn't fared any better with his single wing - in fact he looked unconscious, with the remaining wing wrapped around him protectively like a makeshift cocoon.

It then occurred to Kara that this was her chance. If she had been hurt, even crippled, Guildenstern was now helpless. She couldn't stand and crawling might not be fast enough, but she could throw - and she already knew lightsabers could hurt him. And while she had lost hold of hers sometime during the fall, Neesa's was still on her belt. The irony. With a curl of her lip, Kara pulled it off, ignited the silver blade, and - trusting the Force to guide her aim - threw it at his head.

TAG: Winged