The guardian would have growled in frustration. Obi-Wan wasn't cooperating! Obi-Wan continued to try to make his way to Anakin. While the concern the Sith showed for his companion was heartening- perhaps this incarnation of the Sith wouldn't fall like all the previous ones had- it was also extremely annoying. Surely Obi-Wan knew this was a trial Anakin needed to face if he was to become a Sith Lord? Or perhaps Obi-Wan was worried Anakin wasn't ready. He wasn't a Temple Guardian, after all. He couldn't see what the guardian could see. And Anakin was ready to become a Sith. The guardian had rarely seen a Jedi so close to being a Sith before.
The guardian relented and allowed Obi-Wan to find a set of stairs. It wouldn't lead him right to Anakin, but it would get him to the right level.
Anakin was currently trying to stay away from Tyranus, but the Banite Sith would corner him soon, and the fight would begin. Tyranus was radiating power and smug superiority, which was, from what the guardian could tell, making Anakin more and more infuriated.
Good. Anakin would need his anger. The guardian watched as Anakin all but stalked into the empty training room. Anakin took a deep breath as he eyed the space. Slowly, he calmed himself down. The guardian wanted to shake his head at the boy, but…
The boy had been raised as a Jedi, after all. Long habit would be hard to break. Eventually, the boy would stop trying to control his anger and fear. Many Sith who were once Jedi had the same problems. Anakin would learn. For a moment, the guardian indulged in imagining Anakin at the height of his power, following Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would no longer have to pretend to be a Jedi, and his power, too, would radiate as strongly as Anakin's. They would have an army behind them, as they conquered the galaxy and finally, finally the Sith would rule as they should.
They would be glorious as they led the Sith to victory.
The guardian shook himself out of his imaginings. Not yet. Anakin wasn't Sith yet. But… in time. In time, they would bring the Sith back to galactic prominence.
The comlink stream the True Sith and his companions were using came alive. "General Kenobi, there's a couple of companies of battle droids approaching the temple," one of the two men said.
Obi-Wan looked up, as if the ceiling could give him an answer. "Do your best to hold them off, Cody," he said. "If you absolutely must fall back into the temple, do not go any farther than the main entrance. Barricade that door, and stay there."
"Obi-Wan's right," Anakin said. "Ahsoka, don't try to explore. Cody, Rex, do your best, but if you do need to retreat, follow Obi-Wan's commands. I… I'm going to have to go silent, I need to concentrate."
"Yes, General Skywalker," the other of the identical men said.
"Yes Master," the girl said.
Well, at least the guardian knew which one of them was Kenobi and which was Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the men who would bring the Sith back to the galaxy. He liked the sound of that.
And, since it was clear that the two men and the Jedi Padawan were part of an army, one that Obi-Wan was already leading, he'd keep them in the first room of the temple if they did have to enter.
Obi-Wan was already a General in an army. Oh, this True Sith was proving himself far beyond the guardian's hopes.
The guardian focused his attention on Anakin for the moment. And just in time, too, for Tyranus entered the room at the same time.
For a moment, the guardian was confused. He knew Anakin was in the room, but he couldn't see the young Sith to be. Then the guardian saw him, hiding in the shadows on top of a walkway. It's original design was to allow Sith Lords to watch trainees practice without getting in the way. Anakin was using it to either hide from a Sith Lord, or prepare an ambush. The guardian suspected it was an ambush, just based on what he'd observed of the boy's temperament, but he couldn't be sure until Anakin acted.
Tyranus looked up- not at Anakin, just at the room in general. "I know you're here, Skywalker," he said.
"I am," Anakin replied, using a simple trick of the Force to make his voice appear to come from all over the room.
"Why won't you come out and fight? Or are you afraid it will simply be a repeat of our first meeting?"
The guardian watched as Anakin clenched his right hand again. He'd done that the first time he'd mentioned Tyranus, and the guardian couldn't help but wonder why.
Tyranus slowly prowled around the room. He was directly below Anakin when Anakin jumped down silently. Anakin waited until he was almost level with Tyranus before igniting his lightsaber and attempting to drive it into Tyranus' head.
Only Force enhanced reflexes saved Tyranus as he flipped back and to the side, his own lightsaber igniting and barely deflecting Anakin's away.
Anakin wasn't put off by the deflection and brought his saber up into a high guard.
Tyranus swept his saber to the side, holding in a peculiar guard the guardian didn't recognize.
"Come now, Skywalker. You cannot hope to defeat me."
Anakin smiled grimly. "You'll find I'm full of surprises, Dooku," he replied.
Tyranus flourished his blade, and Anakin brought his down to meet it. The fight was on. The guardian was hopeful Anakin would defeat him. He didn't actually need to kill Tyranus, of course. Defeating him in combat here in the temple would be enough for him to earn the title of Sith Lord. But the guardian suspected that Anakin would kill Tyranus. There was an obviously bad history between them, and Anakin was the type to kill.
The guardian took a moment to check that Obi-Wan would take at least a few more minutes to get here, before turning his attention to the fight.
And, of course, at that precise moment, the Jedi Padawan and the two men with her entered the temple.
Honestly, when the guardian had said he hadn't seen anyone in the temple in a century, it was not an invitation for the whole galaxy to visit!
So, arinrowan over on AO3 described the guardian as, basically, a "DAMN KIDS THESE DAYS/GET OFF MY LAWN" kind of grumpy old man, and I have to say, it fits him pretty well.