There was a shrill scream suddenly cut short, and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Shar stepped over the corpse of an enemy acolyte as Luxia shocked another to death, while Vette peppered yet another with bolts. He swept his gaze over the first room in Naga Sadow's tomb, his eyes falling on another body. The armor it wore was nearly new, freshly polished and almost whole except for the scorched hole through the chest. The boy who wore it in life lay on the ground, dead and cold with an expression of terror frozen on his features.

"…This is him?" The young Sith wondered aloud, noting that the equipment the corpse wore was of high-quality and likely expensive. "He barely made it into the first room!"

"If he was weak enough to die this far into the tomb, no wonder he wanted to prove himself," Luxia muttered, standing next to the body, giving the feet an odd look before comparing hers to its, "I think we're the same shoe size, actually…and those are nice boots…"

Shar shrugged. "It's not like he'll need them going forward." He kept watch as the Zeltron swiftly traded boots with the body before dragging it near the entrance, "We'll grab it on the way back. Vette, where's the first switch?"

The twi'lek nodded and led them further into the tomb. "Just ahead. And on our left you'll see spooky statues, decomposing bodies and…" She paused as they came upon other acolytes and their hired henchman poking about the ruins. "Think they're friendly?" she asked, even as she drew her pistols.

Luxia shocked one in the back and the others turned, drawing warblades and attacking. One hurled a bolt of lightning at Shar, who put his blade in the path and absorbed it before leaping into battle, cutting the aspiring inquisitor in two. Another leapt towards Vette, who speedily ducked and rolled coming back to her feet as the prospective warrior landed before shooting him in the back of head.

"No," Shar answered, quickly patting the bodies down. "Let's assume everyone we meet down here will be hostile, shall we?"

They continued down the corridor, coming upon a kneeling statue holding out what looked like a crystal-tipped spear. "This must be one of the rods used to enter the tomb," the Zeltron muttered to herself, reaching out and tugging the metal pole away from the statue. Surprisingly, there was little resistance, and she was able to tuck it into her belt with no trouble.

"Here's the first switch," Vette said after they defeated another group, stepping up to a broken urn to feel around the base of the pedestal, getting a subtle click for her efforts. "The next is just ahead."

Descending further, they came across the remains of other acolytes and ancient droids, and only further on found some that were still active. Luxia's lighting proved especially effective, a heavy bolt of lightning chaining between multiple droids and frying them all. "I feel the next rod I'm searching for is nearby," she said to herself, glancing around and finding a room off to the side. "One second."

Several tombs lined the walls, with Vette making a beeline to the largest and activating another switch. "There, two down."

"Shar!" Luxia shouted from the other room. Bolting in her direction, Shar found her locked in combat with a big brute of a man who was easily fending off the wild swings of her warblade, refusing to let her get a second of space to shock him. She ducked under a swing and lashed out with her fist, punching the other Sith on the nose.

The large man laughed at her efforts, but that second was all she needed. Stomping her foot, Luxia unleashed a shockwave of force that sent the other acolyte tumbling, and before he could rise, she dove on him and impaled him through the chest on her warblade.

"Lux, are you alright?" The Pureblood asked, pulling her to her feet and noticing that she was trembling.

She was breathing hard, licking her lips as she stared down at the freshly-made corpse. "I…I killed him…"

Shar blinked, giving her a confused look. "…Yes? We've killed quite a few people today, Luxia, why is this one making you shake?"

"I've never…" she gestured to her blade still sticking out of the corpse's chest, "Stabbed someone…then watched the light fade from their eyes…"

The Pureblood hummed lightly. "Quite the difference from killing someone from afar, hm? Your adrenaline is fading I would assume. Here," he handed her his canteen. "Drink and settle your nerves."

Luxia nearly collapsed on a set of steps leading up to a dias, shakily taking a drink. "Is this what it's always like for you?" She asked, slowly clenching her hand and releasing, "I feel like I grabbed a live wire."

"Killing at a distance is an entirely different beast than killing up close, psychologically speaking," Shar began, idly retrieving a ration pack from his pouch and handing it to her, "From afar, taking a life after some time becomes more of a chore. Take aim, pull trigger, target down. There's excitement, fear and surprise when the target avoids death and attempts to kill you in return, but should you prevail they're still a body in the distance. Up close, there is no avoiding what's been done. In close quarters, when you cut someone down, you hear their last, terrified gasps, feel their lifeblood spurt onto your armor, watch as the light in their eyes fade as they collapse."

Luxia shuddered, wiping her face on her sleeve. "…How do you deal with it, Shar?" She gestured into the distance, "All the death? The ones you've caused?"

"I do not revel in it, nor do I allow it to dog my steps," he replied with a shrug, "I see it as akin to reaching the summit of a mountain; a challenge was laid out, accepted and then surmounted. Our strength was tested, and I stand victorious. Every battle, whether the enemy is beast, droid or sentient is another experience that makes me stronger, smarter, more able, until all that experience combines to take my abilities to a new level. Honor your enemies with a swift death, and never falter in the face of your demise, for it is in striving against our destruction do we live greater."

Luxia blinked, looking at Vette and finding the twi'lek seeming as surprised as she felt. "…Wow," the slave muttered, "That was…surprisingly philosophical."

Shar arched a ruby brow. "What, you think we Sith don't have time to read a book or two in-between kicking small animals, backstabbing everyone and practicing our evil laughter?" He offered Luxia his hand and pulled her to her feet, "Now come, my dear, we've trials to complete. We can talk more once we've time to rest, yes?"

"Yes, let's continue," the Zeltron nodded, stepping up to the dias to take the rod, tucking it into her belt with the other.

The threesome continued into the tomb, destroying the various droids and other acolytes on the way, stopping to allow Vette to activate another hidden switch, that one being located around the base of a standing tomb right next to another rod for Luxia. Following her instructions, the Zeltron led them to an antechamber equally full of tombs and droids. Summoning a lightning storm, she fried several of the robots while the twi'lek and Shar picked them off with blaster bolts and precision lightsaber throws, and she acquired the last rod.

Eventually, they came to a split in the corridor. "Hey big guy, we need to go left," Vette pointed out, nodding in that direction. "I recognize that statue."

"Ah…" Luxia looked ahead, seeing the cavern and what looked like a stasis chamber on the far side, as she'd been told. "My path lies ahead…"

"Seems we must part ways for the time being," Shar commented, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving her a reassuring smile. "I believe in you, Lux. May the Force serve you well."

As he turned to leave, her hands grasped his shoulders and spun him back around before she hopped up to wrap her arms around his shoulders and kiss him. "See you soon, Shar," she whispered, sliding down to her feet and straightening her robes, giving Vette a glare as her eyes flashed yellow, "Watch his back, slave, or I'll show you everything I've learned about lightning." Sparks danced down her arms, filling the air with crackling before she turned and left.

The twi'lek watched her go with raised brows, blinking. "…I get the feeling she doesn't like me much," she muttered, following Shar, "Ah, here we are. The secret entrance is around here somewhere, lemme just remember where…"

Nodding, he stepped into the chamber, taking in the view. To be honest, he couldn't tell that there was supposed to be a hidden chamber nearby, as it all looked the same as the rest of the tomb. Grim, bowed statues of gray stone, large statues holding up a chandelier of softly glowing blue crystal, casting dim light. He supposed that was the point of a hidden chamber, though.

Behind him, he could hear the sound of warblade being activated, though muffled. Not reacting, he continued to look about as quiet footsteps began to approach him from the back, subtly reaching down to grasp his blade. Ah, Vemrin, he thought, allowing the beginnings of a satisfied smile to curl his lips, I knew it would come to this…

"Look out!" Klemral shouted as he came running into the chamber.

Shar jolted, having been so focused on the man 'sneaking' up behind him that he hadn't felt the other man's presence. Spinning and activating his blade, he found Vemrin standing behind him, a surprised look on his face as he tried to recover. Shar batted his wild strike aside and crashed an elbow into the human's jaw, sending him stumbling back.

Vemrin rubbed his jaw with a grimace and spat a wad of blood, turning a furious glare on the other human. "Klemral!" He growled, "How dare you interfere in business far beyond you?!"

"He saved my life!" Klemral returned with a scowl, "I'm not about to let you stab him in the back!"

Shar bobbed his head thoughtfully, pointing his warblade at Vemrin. "Seems you have more nerve than I thought, Klemral. I'm impressed."

The other human shrugged, his hands noticeably shaking as he held his sword, "I'm impressing myself, honestly," he replied, swallowing.

Vemrin glanced between them, holding his guard as Shar took a step forward. His eyes darted behind the pureblood and landed on a confused-looking Vette. With a snarl, he threw his hand out and blasted her back with the Force.

Shar spun and reached out, carefully grabbing the twi'lek before she could smash into a wall, setting her down before turning back in time to see Vemrin withdraw his warblade from Kelmral's chest, the other human collapsing to the ground. "The fool must've spotted me following you," the human muttered, the two prospective Sith circling each other, "Too bad it'll mean nothing."

"It already did," Shar shot back, "I knew you were here the moment I set foot in this room. I felt your hate boiling within you before you took a step towards my back."

Vemrin snarled. "This ends now! Once I kill you, the slave girl will show me the forbidden cave, I'll claim that lightsaber and my rightful place as Lord Baras's apprentice!"

The Pureblood scoffed. "Don't be naive, Vemrin. You disobeyed a direct order from a Darth. What do you think is going to happen? You kill me, claim the lightsaber, present it to Baras and what, he praises you for your ruthlessness and lack of hearing ability and makes you a Sith Lord on the spot? Please."

With a shout, Vemrin lunged at Shar.

Vette watched the two clash, their blades sparking and shrieking with every contact, the light emitted from their weapons nearly leaving trails in the dimness of the tomb. She fingered her new blasters anxiously, debating whether or not she should step in and fire a few shots. She wasn't a duelist and couldn't follow every move the two prospective Sith made, but it seemed to her they were just about even.

Vemrin threw a hand out, a blast of Force rocketing from his palm. Shar pointed his fingers, the wave parting around him almost gently, sending Klemral's body rolling along the floor. The Pureblood drew in a deep breath before releasing it as an echoing roar, nearly knocking the human off of his feet and sending him skidding back. Vemrin had only a second to collect himself before Shar was on him again.

"I see…you favor Juyo!" The Pureblood panted, and despite the sweat on his brow he wore a grin, "I'm interested to see…how many velocities you've completed!" They clashed again and again, sparks flying as their blades met.

"Shut up!" The human barked, breathing heavily, leaping backwards to create distance, "My passions run deeper than yours! I'm the true essence of what it means to be Sith-ah!" He ducked as Shar's warblade came spinning at his head, the weapon buzzing an inch from his skull. "Fool!"

Despite being disarmed, Shar squared up as Vemrin charged at him, dipping away from a decapitating strike to lay a pair of jabs into the human's stomach and an uppercut to the chin. "You don't even know what Sith are, Vemrin! Have you ever attended a Sith Opera? Read Sith literature that isn't about killing?" Deflecting a swing with his gauntlets, he stepped into Vemrin's space and punched him in the face, putting a boot to his gut and shoving him back.

"I don't care about that!" Vemrin snarled, swinging wildly before Shar ducked away and rolled back, "The Sith are power! That's all I need!"

"That's unfortunate, Vermin, but if that is what you truly believe…" The Pureblood shook his head sadly, before beckoning the human with his fingers, "Show me how powerful you can be!"

Vemrin roared and charged forward, his eyes going wide before he threw himself to the side, Shar's warblade tagging his shoulder as it spun back to its wielder. The Pureblood caught his weapon and spun, slamming his blade down on Vemrin's, nearly driving the human to his knees.

Vemrin's head snapped back as Shar kneed him in the chin, throwing a hand out to blast the Pureblood back with the Force, growling as he lunged forward to impale his enemy, only for the other acolyte to twist and deflect his strike, then pull him into a lock.

"You are strong, Vemrin!" Shar complimented with a wild grin, using his superior height and size to press down on the human's blade, "But I have something you never will!"

The human bared his teeth, a rivulet of red escaping the corner of his lips. "WHAT?!" He shouted, vainly trying to push the Pureblood back, "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE?!"

Shar winked. "Red skin!" He chimed, suddenly leaning back.

Vemrin lurched forward and Shar lowered his chin, his forehead crashing into the human's nose with a crunch. As Vemrin reeled back from the impact, Shar twisted his blade and pulled up, cutting the human's hand from his wrist, snatching the disembodied hand from the air before carving a pair of glowing lines in Vemrin's stomach and another across his torso.

The human collapsed to his knees, unconsciously clutching his stump, face pale and bloodless. "Becoming Baras's apprentice was my destiny," he gasped, looking up at Shar with confusion and dismay, "Everything I've overcome…all of my struggles…did I really come this far, only to prove unworthy in the end?"

"You were a worthy opponent, Vemrin, and make no mistake," Shar said kindly, wiping the sweat from his forehead after impaling the warblades into the ground. His hand shot out to grasp Vemrin's neck, lifting the human up into the air with a single arm. As the acolyte vainly struggled in his grip, the Pureblood smiled. "In another life, perhaps."

A meaty crunch echoed through the tomb and Vemrin went limp. Shar dropped the corpse to the ground and retrieved his warblades, giving them a twirl before sheathing them at his belt. He noticed Vette looking at him oddly. "What?"

She tipped her chin at the corpse. "What was that about?"

The Pureblood shrugged. "Defeating a rival should have a personal touch, I feel." With that said, he knelt to search the corpses for valuables.

Vette bobbed her head, squinting at the tomb around them before spotting a certain statue. "I kinda think stabbing someone in the heart is pretty personal but hey, I'm no Sith. The last switch is just over here." She knelt by the statue and felt around the base, feeling a button depress under her fingers.

Before them, a pair of statues holding jars out in supplication turned to face each other, the wall behind them sliding away into the ground to reveal a dusty corridor.

"Uh, you're welcome?" The twi'lek said as the rumbling ceased, arching a brow at him.

Shar smiled, pocketing a couple of credit chips. "Thank you, Vette," he replied, laying a hand on her shoulder, "Your help has been invaluable."

She blinked, mouth falling open in surprise. "Oh, uh…you're welcome?" She followed him into the secret tomb, taking in the decor. "Gotta say, I thought this 'secret chamber' would be a lot more…secret looking? It looks exactly like the rest of this gloomy place."

"It's a tomb, what do you expect? Rainbows, brightly-colored insects, tropical birds?" The Pureblood shrugged.

"I dunno, clear water, sandy beach, cold drinks? I wouldn't mind being buried somewhere like that," Vette murmured, pausing as the two crossed the threshold of a large room with several standing tombs on the edge, tombs that were now violently shaking. Seconds later, rock cracked apart as droids emerged from within, bearing antiquated blasters and screeching shrilly. She smacked her lips with exasperation, drawing her blasters. "...If I die, I'm haunting you."

"Fair," he grunted, drawing both warblades and igniting them as the bolts began to fly. "Stay behind me, shoot carefully!" Spinning the blades, bolts impacted the emitters and sent them away, mostly into the rock of the tomb but occasionally back at the droids themselves. Internally cringing at his lack of accuracy with reflecting shots, Shar made a mental note to practice more.

Vette ducked under Shar's elbow and peeked around the Pureblood, firing off a quick burst at one droid. She jumped as a burning warblade filled her vision, before the odd spang of a bolt being deflected rang in her ears. "Thanks!" She called, blasting another.

Shar turned and threw one of his blades, blocking a bolt aimed at his chest as it spun through the air, cutting a droid in half before returning to his hand, spinning as the Force chimed a warning and reflecting a shot back. The last droid fell with a smoking hole in the torso, leaving only an echoing retort in the tomb. "So-"

Three more droids came running into the room from further in the tomb, blaring a warning. Two were almost immediately cut in half as a pair of spinning warblades burned through them, and the third lost its head as a pair of overcharged bolts disintegrated it. And then it was bisected as the blades came back.

"I suspect that won't be the last surprise in this tomb," the young Sith muttered, keeping his warblades drawn as they continued.

Vette checked the gas in her blasters. "Naturally."

More droids hindered their progress, but without ambushing them from within tombs and as such were much less of a threat.

Finally, they came to the end of the tomb and the reliquary within. Carved of the same dull rock and lit by the same blue crystals, the room was filled with statues, dozens of them, perhaps around sixty. A dozen lined the walkway leading up to the coffin itself, while columns stood beyond them. "Stay here," Shar whispered as they entered the room, "Who knows what kind of trap may be waiting?"

"You can have the honor of kicking open the tomb fulla dead guy any day," she whispered back.

Nodding, Shar stepped into the room proper and ascended the steps, a subtle vibration on the edge of his senses as he walked. No sound was made, even his footsteps losing their echo, but there was no click of a hidden button nor the hiss of gas, just…silence.

A cowled statue overlooked the tomb itself, gazing imperiously down at him as he approached. With a firm hand, he pushed the lid from the tomb to the ground with a crash, revealing the skeleton of a former Sith Lord, still clad in ancient armor with a lightsaber resting on the chest. With a gentle tug of the Force, Shar pulled the lightsaber to himself, letting it hover above his hand for inspection.

It was dusty, naturally, and the leather used to wrap the handle had hardened, but with a soft exhale to reveal the emitters, he found himself a bit surprised at how well the ancient weapon had held up. It more likely than not needed a tune-up and a new battery, but was in otherwise excellent condition.

Letting it rest on his hand, Shar could feel the weight of the weapon's previous users, hear whispers of victims and wielders alike. He let his thumb rest on the activation button, and pressed down.

With a sharp snap-hiss, a blade burned to life from the emitters…but instead of a red blade with a white core, this one was a dull, glaring orange, like metal pulled directly from the furnace positively glowing with heat.

A rumble shook the tomb and suddenly the long-decayed eyes of the Sith Lord glowed with power, sending tendrils of eldritch energy spiraling into the air before sinking into some of the statues lining the walkway. Stone crumbled to dust as figures leapt from within the carved effigies, their robes and flesh long since decayed into tatters and curdled darkness.

The guardians of the tomb turned to look at Shar standing by the empty tomb, lightsaber in hand, and each drew a sword of cracked metal.

Shar smiled to himself and gave his lightsaber a twirl, marveling at the steady hum as it burned through the air. Letting it settle in his palm, he breathed deep of the musty tomb air and felt his blood thrum in his veins. Then he turned and leapt, clearing the stairs to come down hard on a tomb guardian.

The golem raised its sword to defend itself, lightsaber meeting metal…and shearing clean through. The glowing blade carved a furrow through the guardian, before the Sith Alchemy holding it together failed and it crumbled into dust.

In response, another statue cracked open to reveal another guardian, who drew their blade and charged into the melee.

Vette fingered her blasters and watched as Shar destroyed mummy after mummy, each taking only one good strike from his new lightsaber to destroy. Despite her drawn pistols, the tomb guardians didn't pay her any attention, which allowed her to watch the ruckus. It was…balletic, in a way. The muscular Pureblood danced around the guardians with a smile on his face, even as more broke out of their statues to fight him. Not to say that the guardians were all that impressive; compared to that human, Vermin or something, and even the other acolytes the mummies were rather pathetic. They had quantity, not quality.

She winced sympathetically as one of the tomb guardians attacked Shar from behind, carving a red gash through his shoulder armor. Noticing that he was surrounded by a multitude of murderous mummies and that all the statues containing them were gone, the young Sith backflipped out of the crowd and onto the steps.

Vette pondered the unfairness of certain people being able to casually jump twenty feet seemingly without effort. And wondered if she should purchase a jetpack at some point.

Breathing heavily, Shar squinted at the mass of tomb guardians closing in on him. They were weak but numerous, and quantity had a quality of its own. Throw enough jawas at a rancor and it would eventually choke on one of them. He observed the mummies deceptively quick shuffle, tapping the hilt of his new lightsaber with his thumb, and grinned as a thought occurred.

Flipping his weapon into a reverse-grip, the young Sith pulled his arm back and threw the saber…to the side.

It curved behind him then spun in front of him, slicing through mummies as it spiraled outwards, kicking up clouds of dust as the tomb guardians crumbled. Three narrowly slipped by the spinning saber, closing in on him with blades drawn. He stepped back, dodging their swings, his heel scraping the first step. With a thought, he recalled his saber and jumped, up and over the guardians, the hilt of his saber slapping into his palm at the peak.

Shar landed and spun on his heel, swinging hard. The blade of his lightsaber crackled as it bisected the trio of mummies, their bodies collapsing into dust a second later.

Wiping the grime from his sweaty forehead, the Pureblood cast his gaze about the tomb and blinked, realizing that, with the exception of the tallest statues, every other one had contained a guardian…and each of them had been destroyed. The reliquary felt oddly empty now.

"Well, that was fun," Shar muttered, giving his lightsaber a spin as he deactivated and hooked it on his belt.

"It's weird that I know you actually mean that," Vette sighed, holstering her pistols, "Alright, you've got your new toy, can we get outta here now?"

He shrugged. "It's the only thing of value in this tomb…unless you want to strip the ancient armor off of that skeleton," he replied, gesturing over his shoulder. A quiet but angry rattling echoed in the tomb, sounding remarkably like a skeleton growling in offense. The twi'lek shook her head, lekku flapping. "I suppose the weapons the droids wielded might be of some value to collectors, perhaps."

"Let's just get out of here before the big statues come to life and squash us," she grumbled, and the two made for the exit. She eyed him as he drank from his canteen. "Hey, can I have some water?" She smiled as he handed it over and took a few gulps. "…Not to split hairs or anything, but if you'd done that smashy thing, where you jump up and land really hard? That probably would've dusted those mummies in a second."

"True," Shar nodded, patting his lightsaber fondly, "I wanted to test my new weapon, though."

"I knew you'd say that…" Vette mumbled as they exited the reliquary, pausing as she noticed him taking a seat, "You know we're not out yet, right?"

"We will wait for Luxia to return from her trial," he said, pulling a ration pack from his pouch and ripping it open. "The Force swirls rather chaotically in this place, I can barely feel our bond. She may need help when she emerges."

The twi'lek sighed and sat down next to him. "You think whoever the big Sith guy you answer to is the patient type?"

"When it comes to those I love, I could not give less of a shit what Darth Baras thinks," Shar replied bluntly, "The task he sent me on is complete and unless he comms me to demand I return, I will assume my timeliness is not an issue."

She shrugged. "Alright, but if he chokes you out, I'm gonna mumble 'I told you so' while I sneak out of the room." Her fingers tapped a staccato rhythm against her thigh. "Speaking of sneaking out…do you think your guy will let me go?"

"No," Shar answered. "My apologies."

"I figured," she sighed.

Just as Vette opened her mouth to speak, they heard heavy, shuffling footsteps coming for the direction Luxia had left in, turning to find not the Zeltron returning but someone else entirely. A tall, grossly muscular figure without a hair on its pale skin but glowing cybernetics implanted throughout its body, and blank red eyes above a toothy, triangular maw.

"A Dashade?" Shar said aloud, eyes narrowing, grabbing his lightsaber as he stood up, "Where is Luxia, creature?"

In response, it dumped a bleeding figure on the ground, one with a familiar head of hair and pink skin.

"Lux!" Shar called, rushing to her side, carefully propping her up against the steps. Her orange eyes met his gold, panic shining in her irises. She opened her mouth to speak, and instead spewed a stream of dark blood. "Kolto, now!" He barked at Vette before turning a glare on the Dashade. "You would've eaten her if you did this, so what did?"

The creature's eyes followed the kolto remote as it hovered over the Zeltron and began to scan her. "A Dark Beast," it replied in slow, sharp dialect, "It laired before the map my Master left and we were forced to kill it. A terentatek."

The Pureblood paled, recalling that Luxia was quite proficient with lighting and not much else, and that those creatures were resistant to the Force. "How did you kill it?" He demanded as the remote injected her with kolto.

"Clever Little Sith threw her sword into its eye and channeled lightning through it," the Dashade continued, narrowing its eyes at Shar's tone. "In its death throes, it impaled her on its claws. Not clever enough, Little Sith."

Tempted to pull his lightsaber and show Dashade why it shouldn't be so blase about his lovers' injury, his attention was drawn by Vette. "Uh, Shar?" She began hesitantly, looking at the datapad connected to the remote, "It's not working. The kolto, I mean."

Luxia grasped his arm weakly, her breath coming in shallow, desperate gasps. "Injuries too deep, organs failing," the Dashade muttered.

Shar felt his heart hammer against his ribcage as he looked into Luxia's eyes and saw weary resignation. Wait, he thought quickly, when I was injured, I used the Force to drain the life from another to heal my injuries…could I use that to heal her somehow? I would need a source, I'm too fatigued to transfer my own without enfeebling myself…His eyes darted between Vette and-

"-the Dashade is free!" A familiar, pompous voice echoed from up the corridor. Ffon approached the group with an easy stride, a pair of tired mercenaries flanking him, his eyes glinting under his hood as his lips curled into a satisfied smirk. "And the slave is dying, too! My wishes have been-"

Shar threw a stream of lightning at the other Pureblood, who only had time to reach for the warblade strapped to his back before it struck. The young Warrior closed his eyes as Ffon screamed in agony, trying to feel the energy of the lightning. Fury and hate boiled in his veins, but he clamped down on those. When I drained the life from another, it was…I remembered the times I spent with Lux and Cayd, the love I felt. He breathed out, and thought of the Zeltron as she was mere hours ago, the warmth and adoration that had shown in her eyes before they parted.

He remembered a time that seemed so long ago, but was less than two months in the past. They were lying in bed after practicing bond-building, covered in cooling sweat with their arms around each other. He could feel as the echoes of pleasure faded, how her grip on him tightened, and the simmering of fear. "What's wrong, my love?" Shar had asked, gently grasping her chin so that their eyes could meet.

"You'll be gone soon," she had whispered, tears pooling in her eyes, "And then I'll be without you."

His parents had announced his upcoming apprenticeship, though they'd been light on the details. "Luxia…" he murmured, brushing the wetness from her cheek, "I didn't want to tell you yet, but I've been saving up so that I can purchase your contract. I have enough. When I go, you'll come with me, I promise."

Luxia had blinked up at him in surprise, a stunned expression on her beautiful face. Joy lit up her eyes like the warmest fire, and her lips curled in an ecstatic grin. "Do you mean it?" She'd asked, clutching at him with hope drumming in her heart. Then she bit her lip, looking away shyly. "...Shar, why would you do this for me? I'm…I'm just a slave."

"Not to me, Luxia," he'd stated, pulling her on top of him, her crimson hair curtaining his face as he stroked her cheek, "No matter how far I go or how high I rise, I always want you by my side. I love you, Lux."

"Always," she'd murmured, then kissed him softly. Their bond, forged from years of construction, thrummed with their shared love, a warmth that would always sit in their hearts, beating as one.

Love, Shar thought, opening his eyes as lightning poured from his palm, for love. For Luxia. Always.

The bolt crackling between the two Purebloods bled from blueish-white to an eye-searing orange, branching off behind Ffon to strike the mercenaries behind him. They fell to their knees, shrieking in agony before finally collapsing into piles of dust and clothes.

Shar gasped, sweat running in rivers down his skin. Where his heart before had been a powerful bonfire, it burned like a star, boiling under his skin like molten metal. He turned to Luxia, her eyes wide and incredulous even as she began to slump, and laid his hands on her chest above her heart. He tugged their fading bond, pouring the pure power he'd taken though it and his hands.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Luxia inhaled sharply and tensed, a strangled moan escaping her throat. Through the holes in her robes, he could see flesh knitting together, he could feel her punctured organs filling in with missing flesh, heard the cracks of her bones realigning.

And then she whole and hale once more, though covered in her own blood.

"Shar, I-wha-how-I-don't…" The Zeltron breathed deep with whole lungs and coughed, taking a drink from his canteen he had quickly offered, "Shar…what was that?"

He opened his mouth to explain, but was cut off by the Dashade. "He drained the Living Force from their bodies and transferred it into you, Little Sith," it grumbled, narrowing red eyes on Shar, "Your technique is sloppy, Sith. My Master could devour the life from entire armies with a wave of his hand."

"And pull planets out of orbit, we get it Khem Val," Luxia grumbled, using Shar's arm as support while she stood up, patting at the spots where her fatal wounds were only seconds ago. "By the way, this is Khem Val, a Dashade Assassin who served Tulak Hord and has been in stasis since then."

Shar eyed the alien with an arched brow. "Tulak Hord, eh? I'm more of a Lord Kallig man, myself, and not just because he's obscure."

Whatever Khem Val's response, it was lost when the Zeltron spoke up. "Khem, go secure our way out, eat anyone who tries to stop you," she turned a glare towards Vette, though didn't say anything.

The twi'lek picked up on the hint. "I'll just…follow behind him…way behind…" She followed the Dashade, carefully stepping around the piles of clothes, dust and weapons that had once been Ffon and his mercenaries, then turning back to swiftly search for and pocket a few credits.

As Vette's lithe, armored figure rounded the corner and her footsteps faded, Luxia gave into the trembling of her knees, collapsing against Shar. He didn't need their bond to feel that she was beginning to hyperventilate, trembling terribly in his arms. "Shar!" She gasped, heart thundering in her ears, "I…! I was…dying! I could feel the life…leaving my body! I-I…" Tears pooled and trailed down her cheeks, her fingers digging into his arms as she desperately grasped at him.

"Luxia," Shar whispered, gently cradling her face, "Look into my eyes. You aren't dead. You survived. Breathe slowly, in and out," his forehead touched hers, their gaze locked. "Breathe, Lux, breathe…"

Her eyes fluttered closed and through their bond he could feel her tamping down on her emotions, trying to fold them into a box and hide them deep in her mind.

"Don't," he shook her lightly, making her eyes snap open, "Don't suppress your emotions. Feel them, accept their presence, understand why you are feeling them…then let them pass, as all things must. Don't restrain yourself."

Nodding, Luxia took a deep, shaky breath and concentrated, imagining herself as standing with her feet in a creek, watching the water that was her emotions flow past as they gently tugged at her toes, then flowed by. She opened her eyes and began to breathe regularly; she could still feel the panic and fear, but they were fading and no longer tried to sweep the legs out from under her. She reached out to grasp Shar's hands, tilting her head up to press her lips to his, feeling his warmth flow into her body.

"…You saved me," she murmured, "How?"

"I figured out how to drain the life from others," he replied, shifting his arms to wrap around her in a comforting hug, "I didn't know I could transfer that life to others…but desperation leads to invention, as they say."

Luxia leaned her head against his shoulder. "…Can you teach me? Being so weak, so…powerless. D…Dying…" She shuddered and hugged him tightly, "I never want to feel like that again."

"I'm not sure I have the method down, but I'll do what I can," Shar replied, stroking her cheek. "I want you by my side, Luxia…"

She smiled softly at him, sending her feelings of adoration, devotion and love through their bond. "Always," she promised, and kissed him again.

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A/N:And here it is, chapter four! It's been sitting in my folder, completed for like a month while I worked on other stuff, while the peeps on the Discord and other places have been able to read it since I finished it. Wink wink.

So this chapter was all about the finale quests for the Sith Inquisitor and Warrior for the Korriban arc, which means off into the galaxy we go!

Well, to Dromund Kass, at least. But before that, The Black Talon and the meeting of the Bounty Hunter and the Imperial Agent! The group is almost complete…

So in this chapter, you got to see more of the philosophical side of Shar, defeating his rival and getting his lightsaber! I know it's for game reasons, but I always find it funny when games hype up weapons and stuff but you're in the starting zone so it's obviously going to be not that amazing. "Descend into the TOMB OF ULTRA-MURDER with you ALIEN SLAVE, bathe in the BLOOD OF YOUR ENEMIES, press the BUTTONS OF VIOLENCE and RETRIEVE THE WEAPON OF ULTIMATE DOOM!" and it's just a standard lightsaber, lol. So I made it a bit more special, though mostly in color, it's still a regular lightsaber but Shar's also not going to sell it for a hundred creds and buy a different one at the cantina vendor.

And he uses Life Drain some more to heal Luxia. Plus, Khem Val knows about it, because it's been used before, I mean it was a power in KOTOR 1 and 2.

Also I know Lux kinda got the short end of the ass-kicking stick, besides jamming her sword into a terentatek's eyeball and cooking it from the inside, but that's because she's the archetypal squishy storm wizard right now. Who knows, maybe she'll multi-class into a tank spec?

If I believed in classes. Which I don't. But she won't always be squishy. I mean…yeah.

Big thanks to my Patrons, who've had access to this chapter since I finished it months ago! If you want early access to chapters, you want to vote on what I write next or even bully me into updating stories I haven't touched in a while, you can support me on Pa-treon! Thanks to them, I actually covered my rent for a month! Of course, it's not necessary, you can always join my Discord and read new chapters three days before anyone else!

And thanks as always to NSG for being a real G, if you see. I heard he done updated just a bit ago, why not give him a look-see from me and let him know I sent you!

NS: Well, a while ago, by the time this goes up…

Thanks for reading, enjoying the chapter, leaving reviews/comments and favoriting and whatnot!

Stay Awesome!

~Soleneus

P.S.: Last year was pretty good, as far as personal things went. Been losing weight, holding down a steady job, and updating different fics more often. I hope things went well for you too, including the holidays but if they didn't I hope my stories at least made those bad days just a tad better.

And this year, I only have a couple of new fics I want to publish, otherwise I'm fully committed to my published works, so you'll be seeing more of me this year.

Happy Belated New Year.

Stay Awesome Some More.

~still Soleneus