HELLO EVERYONE!
First Off...Sorry I have been gone for so long. Work, Life, and Family have been...taxing to say the least. That said, as you will see in all of my stories, I have indeed been writing, it's just been a little bit slower going.
Secondly...Yeah I have missed you fine ladies and gents!
Thirdly...Life is continuously being crazy, so I can't guarantee regular updates, but I will continue to update all of my stories so you can all continue to enjoy and critique my work. As always your opinions, ideas, and critiques are welcome. The more I hear of your thoughts, the better my work can be.
Finally...all (minus two, currently developing) stories have gotten an updated chapter, so if ya like, check out my other stuff. Each has their own unique...lets say challenges that I am trying to take on. Different scenarios, character styles, and story-lines that can help my future work.
Let me know what you think, and as always, blessings upon you all!
Chapter 11: The Valley of the Dark Lords
[Samuel Kim Music: Shattered & Victory and Death]
Bound within Ray-Shielded Suspension Cells the Jedi and their Rangers found themselves just upon the precipice of the Sith Temple. It was clear that they were to bear witness to whatever spectacle the Sith had prepared for them.
With the little motion they could muster, they looked up to the torrential skies above them. It was like standing in the center of a hurricane. The winds howled and screamed as they twist and turn in the great synchronized force of nature it was.
Only to be drowned out by crimson bolts of lightning unleashing booming thunder that seemed to banish all other sound and thought. Bolts deep within the storm illuminated the darkest parts of the monstrosity.
Be it a trick of the light or some form of Devilry conjured by their captors, each time a bolt of lightning ripped through the storm they could have sworn they saw monsters of terrific magnitude clash. It was as though the Dark Side itself was manifesting itself before its followers... before its Masters.
The Masters who had come to behold this spectacle of terrible power.
Hundreds surrounded them, different species and ages surrounded them in above the high walls flanking three sides of the Temple Courtyard. In spite of their many differences, one thing united them.
They were Sith.
Like silent ghosts they stood in observance above the high walls. Their robes and billowing cloaks hid their forms from their captors. Though they were silent in the material world...through the Force they were anything but.
Through the Force even the Rangers could feel the palpable emotions that flowed from the Sith. From the very height of anticipation and excitement, to the very depths of a savage, sadistic bloodlust.
It was eerily akin when they had found themselves in the Coliseum of Dromund Kaas. However the setting was as similar as it was foreign.
Compared to the rabid screams and roaring cries...this was akin to a wild pack hunting a wounded animal on a moonless night.
No Light.
No Path.
No Hope.
Only hungry, sulphuric eyes watching them from the Void within their hooded robes. For it was not the citizenry of the Sith Empire, but rather the Sith themselves had come to bear witness to the Renewed Jedi Order, like a horde of bloody thirsty predators ready to tear their prey apart.
And yet they were silent, their dark powers only grazing their own. Held back only by the mightiest of their kind. All three of whom were perhaps…the calmest in the Force, yet without doubt the mightiest.
A Triumvirate of the Dark Side.
Two appeared to be sitting upon vaunted thrones upon the eastern and western walls of the temple, though they could not place any true features, the Force spoke volumes. Through their bond in the Force, together they took measure of their foes, first to look upon the sole woman who seemed to be dressed in the deepest crimson.
She who was known as The Night Mother.
Sitting upon her throne, surrounded by men and women in similar attire, the crimson robed woman sat before her . Her longer, spider-like fingers intertwined with one another in a stance that portrayed a studious approach to their guests below.
They felt no malice directly aimed at them, but neither did they sense any kindness or mercy. If anything...she looked upon the scene with a curious, near academic interest. It was as if Lord Vader's approach to these intruders was little more than an experiment to them.
As they tried to perceive deeper however, they saw through the Force a luminous green mist clouding their vision and their minds. Wisp-like tendrils curled around the woman and her acolytes protectively, ready to lash out like the mightiest of the sarlaccs or the swiftest of the Vaapad.
Yet these same tendrils seemed to connect these crimson robed sentients to one another. It was here they felt a sense of a Force-Bond, an emotional connection so great it bound one another together even if they were on opposing sides of the galaxy itself.
With a sharp intake of breath the Jedi and their Rangers finally understood. The crimson robes and the emerald nature of their connection to the Force. This was the Night-Mother, Matriarch of the sorcerous ways of Dathomir.
Well known for their secluded nature and thought to be wiped out by the cybernetic monster Grievous.
Yet here they stood...proud members of the Sith Order.
Daring not to wade through this deadly mist any longer, they turned their attention to the other throne...and found themselves very nearly felt their minds twisted as the Shadow welcomed them.
The moment they tried to perceive the being cloaked in the black, tattered and torn robes...it was like staring into a Black Hole...a swirling, endless abyss that held no trace of light.
Before they could flee however...they found themselves swiftly drawn in. Panic began to set in for the young Jedi and even their Rangers as they all found their minds pulled into the sadistic madness and the terrible power that rest within what had appeared to be a frail, emaciated form.
They felt his power crushing their will and tearing at their psyche. The dread whispers, the malicious laughter, and the clear desire to bend their minds to the Will of the Shadow. Just as quickly as they had been pulled into the Abyss however...they were released.
Gasping for breath as blood rushed their heads like a dreaded drumbeat they fought the lingering whispers and laughter that dwelled within their minds. Slowly their vision began to return to them, and the Darkness faded from their minds, they finally seemed to grasp the futility of their situation they faced.
It was one thing to be outnumbered as they were now...but this was akin to being alone in the wildest, deepest ocean with a terrible hurricane looming overhead. To breathe itself had become a terrible labor, and yet amongst all these terrible centers of power, one stood as though he relished in the choreographic display of power.
Yet among the Emerald MIst and the Oppressive Darkness he stood. Still and mighty, a dark monolith which prevailed against the destructive nature around them. The only sound that issued from him was the mechanical breathing that issued from the grill of his mask.
Darth Vader's mind flowed with the currents of the Force. Drinking in the chaos and the rage that surrounded them, he dove deeper to look upon his quarry.
The young man who was every bit brother as he was stranger. Whom he would go to war with, and just as swiftly draw his blade against. A man who he relished to watch be consumed by the doom that awaited him within this place. The smallest, faintest voice however cried in protest against this course of action, pleading instead to save the man from his predecessors' wrath.
For The Valley of the Dark Lords was truly as horrendous as it was ominously majestic.
Even among the living embodiments of the Dark Side that surrounded the Jedi...it was perhaps the Dead that truly frightened them. For while the Sith amongst them could torture and kill them...the dread of the unknown truly chilled them to the bone.
The ghostly wails and screams of the long Dead could be heard even over the terrible winds. Their suffering, their grief...their fury could be felt in every cry. The voices were terrifying enough...but to see them was something that had them literally shaking in their binds.
The crimson hue of wandering Sith spirits could be seen dashing through the storms in the sky and upon the ground below. They could not see enough detail to perceive any true features...but they could feel their eyes boring into their very being.
"Wh-what is all this?" Ino asked in shock.
"I-I don't know," Neji shuddered, "my eyes...there's nothing to see!?"
"They're like living entities of chakra...there's nothing else!" Hinata added in fear.
Ino's eyes widened at that. At this, it was the pair who had appeared in her cell with the Dark Lord who chose to provide some clarity on why the Sith had assembled to witness this event.
Ino looked up to Lady Ignacia as the Zeltron stepped up beside her.
"Our masters train us in the ways of the Dark Side," she explained, "but they are not the ones who deem us worthy of the Order."
There was a hint of confusion that washed over the group before they watched her feminine finger slowly point to the valley below.
"Each Acolyte as Rite of Passage, must be tested by the Sith of Old," she clarified, "Just as their masters before them. If they are to become Sith, they must prove themselves worthy to those who were mightiest among us."
A sudden chill went through their spines as they considered it, looking back to the wraiths that wandered through the valley and soared through the hellish winds. Even the lightning bolts held an ominous malevolence that went beyond natural danger.
"Everything is tested," she continued, "everything we know, everything we've learned...everything we are."
"Our strength in Mind, Body, and our very Will...but even that is not enough," she said with an air that said she was drawing on memories as she spoke. As she thought on this, her more sadistic counterpart joined.
"Oh it's far more than that Ignacia," Lady Rhea said with a mirthful grin. Crouching down beside Hinata she traced a finger across the Hyuga Jedi's face. She would have pulled away given the option, but with the Force Binders and the Containment Field, all she could do was grimace.
"Our Knowledge, our Conviction, our Cunning...our Ruthlessness," she finished with a snarl as she grabbed her and Ino's head by the scalp. Refusing to give the Sith satisfaction with a response to the harsh treatment they bit their tongues as she continued.
"Our Determination not only to survive...but to dominate all set in our path," she said with predatory glee. Looking into the Togruta's sulphuric eyes they were reminded by what Ahsoka had said of her people.
"My people's culture is that of a predatory, nearly barbaric nature in the eyes of others," she had told them, "do not show any sign of weakness or they will deem you as lesser, and therefore prey."
So they each took their turn staring into the hellish eyes with as much defiance and ferocity as they could muster in their current condition. After that hellish moment passed, the Togruta Sith looked down to the Valley below.
"If an Acolyte should fail," she continued, "then their minds are torn apart by the Wraiths, and their bodies by the beasts."
Rhea's grip softens only slightly to stroke the frightened tear of the blonde Jedi. She could handle the personal attacks, but the thought of what her childhood crush would soon face horrified her. Seeing that crack the Togruta Sith sought to twist the knife, adopting a tone which held an overdramatic, false sense of woe.
"I'm afraid that your little lover boy has very little chance of surviving," she said with a look of concern before it slowly morphed into her sadistic grin once more.
Determined to not show any more weakness in front of what appeared to be a sadistic...twisted version of Master Tano, she bared her own teeth and spat back.
"He's not my 'Lover Boy,'" she hissed, "but he will make it through your trial."
Before the Sith could retort, it was Haruno's turn to show faith in her husband, "None of these Sith have faced the darkness my husband has," she said defiantly, "you would be a fool to underestimate him."
Upon hearing this, Rhea could only laugh while Ignacia behind her shook her head, though not sadistic like her fellow Hand, she was no less cruel in her words.
"The spells of the Mother keep a leash upon the spirits and beasts of the Valley...to a point," she said matter of factly, "in order to rise within the Order, even the Sith must return to the Valley where they are tested once more."
"You're great hope is about to face the Valley of the Dark Lords in its entirety," said a third voice, turning they saw she and the two behind her were also human. In her eyes however they saw neither cruel sadism nor cold indifference of the first two.
They saw the eyes of a calculating intellect which perceived every minute detail of the scene before them. Her tone carried a sense of dark wisdom and foresight that was well beyond her years.
"Lady Saeva!" Rhea whined with a tone unbefitting the predator she was moments ago. She sounded akin to a child who's toy had been snatched away by another.
"You gave it away too easily!" she said with dissatisfaction.
Saeva, as she was called, ignored the complaint as she looked to the Jedi and Rangers. Her eyes locked with each of them. She took in every feature that could be seen, from the battle scars to the polished wedding bands of the few in their number.
Analyzing their reaction to her next words she spoke, "Only those of the Dark Council have survived such a Trial, and even then only the Triumvirate themselves walked through unscathed."
As expected their eyes all widened, a clear sign of fear expressed upon learning the truth. In curiosity though she saw one of their number did in fact narrow in both focus and intensity.
"So he will be facing spectres and visions of the dead," Shikmaru summarised, "and simple-minded beasts?"
The Hand in entirety turned to the man with curiosity. In spite of being a Ranger, he seemed to be in control of his emotions and his mind far more than the others. Indeed rather than fearful he seemed curious and analytical.
Not unlike Saeva herself.
Though his tone held something that made each of them detest him: that of disappointment.
"Is that it?" he drawled in such a way that made each member of Vader's Hand shutter with fury. The others looked to the cloud-watcher in shock before they took stock of what his reaction meant.
As in all situations he faced, Shikamaru approached their predicament with logic rather than emotion. He was not thinking of the mystery of what Sasuke would face, but rather the facts of what they had all endured since they put on the headbands of Shinobi.
It may be simply because he was not a Jedi, but it was more likely that he was rooted in a mindset similar to detestable General Han Solo. He, like the former smuggler turned New Republic Legend, needed to see and understand something before giving it credence.
And right now...he too was a sceptic.
What the Sith saw as a simple defiance, the Rangers and Jedi who knew to be a mindset they learned to have faith in. If he was still calm in the face of their predicament, then they knew they still had a chance.
In awe the Hand saw each of their captor's steel their resolve upon hearing those three simple words. A fact that Saeva took note of.
Lady Amare however snarled as her impulsive, fiery nature caused her to snap at the man.
"Your would-be savior will face the Sith of Old in all their ancient and powerful glory!" she hissed, "He will be torn to shreds, and even if he does manage to drag his mangled mind and body...the Dark Lord will be there waiting to put him out of his misery!"
As the most fiery of the Hand finished, she along with the others suddenly went wide eyed as they and all other Force-Sensitives felt the sudden shift in the air. Even the Rangers with their limited connection to the Force could feel as the winds still and the howls of the dead fell silent.
For a single moment all was still, like some unforeseen act had stolen time itself. That moment however seemed to hold for an eternity as Jedi, Ranger and Sith all watched on as the spectacle as the hurricane around them became as till as a painted landscape.
In that silence, the Shadow spoke in a voice that both held elderly wisdom...and dreadful power.
"And so...it begins!" rumbled the guttural, demonic, gleeful tone.
As swiftly as Silence had fallen upon the Valley, the tyrannical winds and the lightning's thunderclaps resumed with a renewed fervour and ferocity the interlopers thought to be impossible. Now they felt a hint of fear wash through Shikamaru which brought a sense of foreboding to linger on their hearts.
Slowly the final number of the Hand who had been silent during the interaction strode over to the Dark Lord.
"Master…" she began with a soft and warm voice that the Jedi found paradoxical given her allegiance, but she was cut off by the Dark Lord's affirmation.
"Yes…" he confirmed. The next words that resonated from the grill of his helmet held a sense of finality that confirmed their guests horrified suspicion.
"The Jedi has entered the Valley of the Dark Lords."
[Within the Valley: Naruto OST: Prophet]
"Sith-Spit!" Sasuke snarled as the mouth of the stormy tunnel suddenly closed behind him like a ravenous beast. In the same moment the man was launched off his feet and into the disorienting winds before cascading back to the black sands.
Gasping in sharp breaths to regain the oxygen that had been knocked out of him, he remained still as he tried to regain his bearings. It took time, but he was able to draw up his mask to filter the sands from the breath he sought.
As he regained his footing however, he suddenly realized he held no hope of returning to the ship. His only choice now was to rely on the Force and his eyes, and make his way through this unnatural storm.
As he took in his surroundings however, he soon got the feeling that he was not alone.
In place of the roaring winds, he found his ears picking up quiet whispers instead. Indeed the blistering winds and boom thunderclaps had become muffled, as if they were miles away. A mere nuisance compared to the menacing whispers he now heard.
"Whooo aarreee youuu?" snarled an ethereal voice. The hairs on his neck swiftly rose stiff as the unnatural presence whispered directly into his ear.
The answer was the ignition of the Uchiha's white blade in order to both defend himself and give light to the thing hidden in the darkness. Only to find that there was no culprit to be found.
As swiftly as he had reacted, the Uchiha realized that responding instinctually by drawing his blade was a mistake. For the moment the white light disturbed the darkness around him, the voices became legion as they said a single word.
"Jedi?"
"Jedi…"
"JEDI!"
Tones of shock, curiosity, and pure rage all resonated at once as he grasped his head while holding the blade aloft with the other.
Yet still Sasuke saw no one...until he focused chakra into his eyes and his other senses into the Force.
For a time there was nothing but the whispers, but as he dove deeper into the Force and the Sharingan peered through the storm...he caught sight of something.
Just beyond the lightsaber's glow, he watched as several unknown beings, twelve in total emerged from the darkness. In a semicircle they approached the Uchiha, seemingly undisturbed by Nature's onslaught around them.
Sasuke's eyes managed to make out the silhouette but not much else. That however was enough to be on his guard. For if nothing else...the young Jedi was suddenly outnumbered.
"Whyyyy have you come here Jediiiii?" a masculine tone drawled from one of the newcomers. Sasuke could hear the pride and power in the being's voice, yet he refused to give the being satisfaction by appearing afraid.
So instead of answering the query, he demanded a question of his own.
"Who's asking?" he demanded. After a moment of silence the unknown beings seemed to approve of the bravado, deeming the query worthy of an answer.
"We are the First," the twelve said in ominous unison.
"Those who challenged the limited teachings of the Jedi," a woman's voice hissed.
"Those who were not limited by fear and dogma," a man snarled an aggressive, militaristic tone.
"Those who dared to think for ourselves," another man enunciated with the smoothness of a politician.
"Those who were Exiled for seeking deeper knowledge and understanding of the Force," another woman said in a tone both saddened and angered.
Sasuke stepped back as one of their number, seemingly the leader spoke with a tone surprisingly soft. Yet even with a tone lighter and softer than those before...it held the greatest power.
"We are the Jen'Ari," he smoothly articulated, "the First of the Order of Sith Lords."
Hearing this, Sasuke took another step back. If their claims were true...he was communicating with the long dead.
It was not the first time he had heard of such things. Master Skywalker and his own Master Marek spoke of times they met with the dead in the form of spirits and visions. So he was far from a skeptic and treated this very seriously. As he processed their words, the lead spirit asked again.
"Why have you come here, Jedi?" the lead spirit asked again. Not wishing to antagonize those who could not be killed again, Sasuke answered their previous question, though not the entire truth.
"I am seeking the Sith Temple of Korriban," he said firmly.
Once more silence reigned for a time as the Sith took measure of his words and the strength behind them.
"So...you seek the knowledge and power of we who came before?" the militaristic one stated rather than asked, "Are you prepared...to do what is necessary?"
Sasuke lowered his blade and resumed his full height. Before he could answer however, the feminine voice spoke once more.
"The Sacrifice has already been paid," she said with satisfaction. The Sith as a whole seemed satisfied at this revelation, though the Uchiha sought answers.
"What sacrifice?" he demanded, "what price was I supposed to have paid?"
For a time the Sith shades were silent. Rather than answer his query however, they chose to issue their challenge. As the first woman of the group's voice called through the muffled tundra, Sasuke suddenly felt the hairs on his neck stand up again.
"Prove yourself worthy," the first woman cooed, "and you will be brought to the very seat of power!"
Hearing this Sasuke lowered his blade and stood to his full height. As he did, however, the same woman's tone suddenly became sadistic.
"If you survive..."
[Naruto Akatsuki Theme]
As he processed what was being said, he suddenly heard something else in the storm. At first he thought someone else had wandered into the Valley as well. He could hear raspy, shallow breaths, fatigued footwork dragging across the sands...and the distinctive yet erratic humming of a crimson lightsaber.
With a start Sasuke turned to face this newcomer...his stomach lurched and his heart skipped as the glowing crimson blade gave light to this newcomer.
A grotesque, rotting corpse, human judging by the few features he could make out was lumbering toward him. Rusted armor and shredded robes were all that remained of his attire, and all manner of wounds from blasterfire and saber cuts to a caved in chest cavity and torn flesh.
Perhaps the most ominous feature that Sasuke's sharingan eyes caught...were the various humanoid bite and claw marks that had ripped him open. This decedent mass should be nothing but a mass of flesh and bone being eaten away by beast and time.
Yet this revenant continued to lumber through the storm...along with several others like him wading through the storm as if they were still on some aimless search. The Uchiha Jedi could count at least half a dozen like the first. Various in terms of sapient life with the same, haunting feature.
Signs of violent death, decomposure...and yet still they wandered.
"What the hell is this!?" Sasuke said in shock as he whipped around to look upon the Sith Spirits…
Only to find them gone.
Though he heard the leader speak one final time, "The Path to Power...the Path of the Sith is neither for the weak nor the foolish. Countless before you have either fell pursuing the path, or were cut down trying to stop them. Prove yourself worthy...carve your path to the pinnacle...or join your fate with the Wandering Fallen..."
Whipping around back to look at the revenants he found that they were no longer wandering as it were...they were swiftly limping toward him now! Rusted and shattered weapons which still seemed to work through some unnatural means raised as their maws opened.
A chill suddenly washed over the Uchiha as he read the rabid expressions of the rotting sentients. Alongside the painful, tormented, and wild fury...he saw a ravenous hunger.
With an unearthly cry the closest snarled as he raised the aged, flickering lightsaber with the intent of crashing down upon the Uchiha. Batting the wild strike to the side, he was barely able to stumble back and away from the open, rotting maw of his attacker.
[The Sith Temple]
There was something different about that scream. The ghastly wails and cries of before held a malevolence to be certain, but this sudden pack of snarls which emanated from the Valley below now were...savage.
They were wild, animalistic, but very distinctly that of sentient species. They snarled, wailed, and screamed in anger and pain. It was if they were rabid...or ravenous.
"W-what the hell is down there!?" Chouji demanded to know frantically as he struggled with his bindings. He was not alone in this effort as each of the captors were trying in vain to break their bonds with the single thought of charging into the Valley to save their friend.
However with the combination of Force-Binders and the Statis Field around them, they could only writhe ever so slightly. Such acts seemed to amuse the more sadistic member of the Hand as she turned to them.
"It seems your last hope has begun the Trials," Rhea said with a wretched grin, "He's come across his first test. It would be a shame if he was torn to shreds so soon…"
"If he's really as capable as our guests believe," Ignacia said indifferently, "then he should endure the Trial of Skill. If not...then he'll just be another denizen of the Valley."
Looking down into the Valley the storms still hid a great deal, but the ghastly figures still swarmed the entrance viciously. To make matters worse they could hear the unearthly snarls and wails reaching even this terrible summit.
"They are the Wandering Fallen," Ignacia spoke in a manner befitting of a reverent eulogy.
"Those who walked the path of the Sith as we all have, but fell along the side. Though even in death they find purpose."
"The Revenants of Korriban..."
"The Undead Guardians of the Sith…"
The eyes of the Jedi and Rangers widened as they slowly began to realize what they meant. The beings that were now swarming the Uchiha in unknown numbers were…
"You may know their by their more...inelegant name," Rhea said with a malicious grin, "flesh-eating zombies!"
Once more Jedi and Sith alike heard a haunting sound catch the winds...though this time it was that of the Uchiha. A pain filled cry that seemed to tear their hearts asunder.
"Call it off!" Sakura screamed, no...begged. A plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears as the Hand looked upon her each with their own sense of belittlement upon her.
Until perhaps the most unlikely spoke. It was not any among the Hand who responded to her plight, but rather their master who spoke in a monotonous tone. Even through the mechanical annunciation, the mindset of the Sith Lord was clear.
They could hear it.
They could feel it.
As the bass-filled voice rumbled like distant thunder through their bones, the very air seemed to thicken and strain their lungs as they heard a single word.
"No."
The very word seemed to make the eyes of the Hand widen as well as all five whipped their heads to look upon the Dark Lord. Though he continued to be still as a mountain amidst a violent ocean, his tone held naught but malice.
"He has taken it upon himself to come to your aid," Darth Vader said firmly, "his Destiny lies within his own power now. You who would speak with such bravado only to lose heart at the first challenge…"
He finally turned to them, and in the obsidian eyes of his mask did reflect the crimson ghasts high above giving him the visage of a demon.
"I find your lack of Faith...Disturbing"
AN: SCENE! Well, I tried very hard to make this as close to a Horror Novel as possible. Every bit a vile place of sorcery as a haunted, twisted, monstrous domain. If this is something you like, let me know. Fair warning this is just the beginning of the "Horror" aspect.
So just a fair warning, I don't want anyone to get blind-sided, but this will be every bit as spooky and twisted as I can make it. These are the Sith Trials after all.
That said: any ideas and critiques are welcome!
As always I wish you the very best wishes and blessings!