The Grey in the Fire

[Xavius Bain]

Where are they?

A weighted exhale escaped from the Shadow Lord’s mouth. How many students had he abandoned? How many impressionable, promising adepts had put their trust in Xavius Bain, only to be lead into slaughter?

The thoughts crossed his mind, but only for a moment. If there were truly so promising, perhaps their promise would result in their survival. In fairness, some may have. But would the result be a feeling of their master’s abandonment? Or has Xavius’s training actually reached them to the core? If he had truly made an impression, they would not feel deceived. They would survive, and find their way back. While Xavius had earned victory in his individual fight, it was at the cost of leaving his students to fend for themselves. It was a test they had mostly failed, but perhaps they weren’t ready. Perhaps the blame was on Xavius, but he had no time to concern himself with his own morality. Only the future.

A deep inhale breathed in the dry metal of his missile boat, The Grey, sailing silently through the void. Some part of him believed he was doing this out of decency to save his adopted family, but another part knew the unfortunate, cold truth. Xavius Bain’s students, while brothers and sisters to each other were not his family but his investment. It had little to do with his own morality. He had put far too much work in to simply lose his investment before earning the fruits of his labor.

Where are they?

They hadn't returned to the academy yet. That much was for sure. It was a possibility that all were killed in the battle, but that seemed unlikely. Though children, they were each highly trained, and while many may have been killed or captured, it was likely that at least one had escaped.

Where are they?

The thought loomed underneath the calculating shell of a man. Though the everyday human emotions were lost on the Shadow Lord, he had been around them to begin to logically cognize their inner workings. He understood disloyalty. It was a logical conclusion that his neglect could be seen as a betrayal. He had abandoned the battle to go toe to toe with the Sith that took his previous apprentice from him.

And now it seemed that even through defeat, that same Sith has taken even more…

The ship’s landing gear hissed and The Grey landed on the outskirts of the planet. The black, onyx eyes of the Shadow Lord met with the red lights of his Assassin droid, the only companion he regularly kept. The two rarely wasted energy on words, and tonight was no exception. The ship opened with more hisses, blending in with the sounds of wind that caught Xavius Bain’s black cloak up into an elegant, dark flow of fabric. His hood covered his face in Shadows, and the cloak covered the grey metal of his lightsaber on his belt, the hilt of his lightwhip towards his back, the RLW-77s attached to his wrist. As usual his mimetic armor was worn beneath his cloak, which could be removed in a moment's notice but either way his movement was unrestricted. The cloak also served to hide his P15 Personal shield generator, which remained inactive for the moment, as stealth was his current ally.

With two silent steps, the Shadow lord walked into the planet, and as his eyes scanned the surface, inhaling the cold air of Sith space.

[Slade Xandir]

Blood gazed down at the video image, something more bordering to anticipation than his usual apathetic mien. Interest in this waft of mystery that stepped onto a planet he cared nothing for the name of. Golden optics gleamed as the wind was given form in the dance of his cloak, an illustration so concrete it sent a single shiver crawling up his spine, as if he too, shared that frosty breeze. Blood knew absolutely nothing of this shrouded raven from experience. But Slade did, and whatever Slade knew was up for Blood to snatch. Blood and Slade harbored the same body, however through excessive use of the Force, Slade's cracked mind finally shattered. Through the hellfires of trauma, Blood was born and given the breath of life, a spot to call home in the more demented fractures of his mentality. Both fighting for control over the catalyst, but with each training in the Force, Blood finds himself being more capable, more at home.

His finger slid over the control panel, flipping the 'End Transmission' switch with no second to spare. Today he had a date, a beautiful escape onto this frigid bliss, with a forsaken soul. Forsaken, not for what he did to others, leaving them to take on his own turmoil, but forsaken because such a delicacy of wisdom should not have been left alone, in the first place. Slade last saw him on Arkania, leading the man to a library renown for it's expanse of knowledge. However, through a set of disagreements, the two were ready to draw eachother's lives to a close. Being told to take it outside was what ensued next, and with the pair not wanting the Imperials to intrude on their personal affairs, took heed. However, after returning outside, Slade saw no Shadow, as the man had vanished without any lead back to him. A phantom of darkness that blended in with the pale of the light. Nothing more followed from that day, and Slade laid low for a while, training, and doing nothing but damage to his own bare stability from then, forth.

Blood flew from one button to the next knob, simultaneously switching off the cloaking on his Interceptor, revealing a matte black chic ship which was tinted with slight dark silver and burgundy trim. It was a Sith ship, but without the basic bright red and black insignia, hinting someone more sophisticated and less flashy delivered despair in this vessel. From then, a ramp was primed and released as the ship landed, air pressure stabilizing while the ramp touched down. And from the ramp, a single door slid soundlessly up, and revealed Lord Blood. He walked with no swagger, no façade. He was there to exchange words, meddle a bit, and try to get as much out of this mystifying omen of a man as possible. Chiseled face was halfway covered in cloth, eyes locking onto the still figure as heated breath brewed steam through the thick fabric. Ebony tresses trailed behind him, alive in its own manner as it followed the backflow of wind while he strode forth. His body was held in a well fitted gambeson that glinted in the light of the night, crafted from the polished and beskar-enforced scales of Dark Lizards. Lower, he wore a pair of dark grey slacks whos ends were tucked within Nightsole boots that zipped up to calf tops. Both sabers were strapped in holsters on his Vyper belt, fangs on the ends of both hilts dangerously winking to whoever laid eyes on them. Composed from dragon bone, they were his most notable hint of his alliance, holding captive two garnet shaded kyber crystals within.

Blood made his way forward, his thoughts racing to prioritize anything and everything he wanted to discuss with this phantom. There was plenty to get done, but this time was specially reserved for the Shadow, as Blood deemed it so. Golds took to scan the inky form of the Master, as he waited to be noticed. He wouldn't prod the man, but he would speak once they locked eyes on eachother. If there was something Slade had made such a stressed note on, it was how few words this man offered, along with how many meanings they hid within their gild. Blood was primed for both in this meeting; he needed them.

[Xavius Bain]

Onyx eyes scanned the surface of the planet for a moment, devising his immediate plan of action. The Shadow Lord’s immediate mission was to find Kole, and if his current star pupil managed to stay alive, the Shadow would bring his young apprentice back.

How many lives have you given away so willingly?

Not one of Xavius’s star pupils had ended happily. Not one. All had power and talent, some even could have eventually surpassed Xavius Bain himself, and yet they hadn’t. All had become powerful, not just in the force but in status as well. He groomed multiple leaders of the Shadow Order, and his most recent pupil became empress of the empire once he lost her…

And yet..

All were either dead or missing. All of them had fallen. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Xavius Bain was not an easy teacher, but when a pupil had his full attention, they were groomed into skilled weapons of the highest caliber. It was natural when your master was designed as a weapon himself, a lethal force that had broken free of his chains and became something else entirely…

It didn’t take long for Xavius to sense the other force user in his vicinity, and only a moment longer than that to recognize him. The Shadow's body seemed to freeze for a moment, and while he wasn’t making eye contact quite yet, it was clear in his body language that Xavius Bain was fully focused on his new companion.

This time though, there was no secrecy, no mask. What his brief companion would find was the Shadow Lord in his purest state. Xavius Bain, the lone soldier, the lord of the Shadows searching for his next prodigy. The cold, deadly warrior looking for one that could match his prowess, and the Xavius Bain that believed that he was the balance the force needed.

No smile formed on the lips of the cold Shadow Lord, no greeting left his tongue. He simply stared forward, continuing to scan with his black eyes, and through the force, waiting for the familiar newcomer to make the first move.

[Slade Xandir]

Apparently it was too much to ask for when it came to eye contact, and Blood was left to stare at the back of slivering cape. It wasn't completely rewardless, as he felt the shift in the Force, subtle, but to a well trained spider such as he, he felt the hairs on his neck rise as it felt the notice. Like of a creak in your room at night that you knew wasn't simply the 'settling of the house'. Something you felt as you faced the wall, refusing to turn around as something in turn stared at you. You were being watched, and without the Shadow even moving, he made Blood feel every scenario of such. His heartbeat sped a single beat per second, nothing more though, as he needed his focus on the ghosty man. Because even as he was stock still and unmoving, he seemed to be frozen in time itself as Blood took that single step forward.

His eyes returned to where the back of the hood whipped close to that frosty pallor of synthetic skin lay, where even more of a delicacy lay; his mind. The phantom had quite the intellect, going so far as to contest with Slade with riddles and even more exotic puzzles that very few could stomach.
And he enjoyed every morsel.

"Let me inside your mind," he murmured more to himself than to the Shaded Man. The wind however was a tease, thieving the words and tossing them scantily to the company. A feeling of ambition snaked across his heart, and his legs carried him forward two more steps.

Blood needed to know the connection, and how it gave the girl her powers, her mindset, her critical danger. How it influenced her, how it built her, and he wanted it. Blood wanted it.
If this man wanted Holocrons, so be it. All the books in the world, all the temples, the artifacts. This Shadow King could have them all, and Blood would lead him there, himself.
But he wanted knowledge, himself.

"Who was this girl, this Krynn who cursed this man? I have met one other who had intervened in the little girl's life, the woman who discards her prior name for a new one, and now I stand before the other."

Blood knew her essence had left a trail inside of Slade, her corrupting the man and placing a little sliver of herself wrenched in his head. A gem of something diabolical, a shard of something treacherous. Whatever it was that broke the man enough for Blood to take form in the maniacal mess of what sanity Slade didn't have. Krynn both had gifted Slade, and cursed him. She gave him the Force, unlocked something in him that allowed him to walk the path for it, but her impregnating his mentality with mania, just enough to build a persona through manipulation of that very gift. Hell, even the gift tore Slade further and further apart. So was the Force really a gift?

"She gave her story, and the hell she felt from then to the day she birthed another monster. A monster who craves, not blood, not meat, not chaos, but knowledge."

It was partially true. Blood wanted carnage and chaos, blood would be spilled over both, but not here, not now.

"Who was she?"

[Xavius Bain]

Upon the mention of Krynn, the Shadow’s face moved with snake-like subtlety, until his eyes met with the Sith's. Xavius could feel the dark side pulsing in the vicinity; he could feel the longing, the craving of knowledge and power, the itch he knew all too well. Even now, Xavius’s former apprentice affected the people around her, so much so that the man he had met on Arkania had sought him out.

If it were even that man at all…

The man who stood in front of Xavius Bain held the same appearance, but Xavius’s senses knew better than to trust the physical limitations of his artificial and trained, but still physical eyes. The Shadow Lord could feel the power radiating from the man, and could also sense something else entirely.

“Krynn.” The word weighed heavy in Xavius’s mouth, escaping somewhere between a low hum and a whisper, and yet the word cut through the wind as if it were an attack. Xavius’s voice had been known to unsettle, as he wasn’t designed as a comforting presence.

“I am not responsible for what she eventually became, I merely laid down the foundation. Upon discovering her untamed self though, I only ever wanted to unleash her rather than manipulate the will of the force.”

Perhaps the approach was incorrect, but Xavius believed he was making progress, and became dangerously to having her back until Kota had stepped back in, for better or for worse. The Shadow Lord was not Krynn’s paternal figure, he was her instructor. He was the one who taught her how the world worked. He initially showed her… Pain.

And how to handle it.

The black fiery eyes locked with the man once more.

“If it is knowledge you seek…” No emotion touched the Shadow’s dialect. No inflection to assist in discerning the intentions of the lone warrior. No music in his words at all. “Then I’m an open book. But not without a price. Not without knowledge of my own…” He hissed.

[Slade Xandir]

The name was stretched into a spear and sent directly to Blood, hitting him with the confirmation of his research and context clues; he was right...this man had had something to do with her. It was only dots that needed to be put together, as with the day he was to fight against this void of a man, Slade knew instinctively that he would lose. This man contained a tremendous hex of Force power, near like the woman Slade had also met on a trice occurrence, Kota. They were both excruciatingly strong, both forces who could only have something to do with the girl that even his own Master wanted a piece of. It simply clicked. A food chain, power lusting for power, each behind the other until one was absorbed, and another was fed. Power...
This man before him was a meal.

Blood met his abysmal gaze with his own, irises tinted with flecks of sun shade and an eerie vivacity that could have once been seen as a cheerful color, something to be lifted by. But no, those golds were ablaze with their drive, and did not back down from the merciless and unsympathetic stare of his company. An Alpha to another, they both danced on the wires now as Blood courted the man for revelation.

"I am not responsible for what she eventually became, I merely laid down the foundation."

Those words confirmed, yet again, a hunch Blood pulled from drifting assumptions. A man who lays any form of foundation was someone who paved way for something great to begin its metamorphosis. Its evolution, its change, its work, its hard, hard and unforgiving work into something magnificent. This man tutored her to some degree, up until a point where something changed her into something completely what he hadn't wanted. Blood was running through possibilities, compiling a list of several things that would either add up, or be a stretch too far. The way she behaved, as Slade would remember it, something which could corrupt and tarnish the mind of youth, was something that either was immediate, fast, and gruesomely agonizing. However, Blood couldn't simply put all his eggs in one basket with that ruling, as if she grew to be whatever it was she chose to be, it would clarify what happened through her mentality. Children were spastic, flitting from one emotion to another on a whim. But adults, those were souls that marinated in continuous torment. Repeated happenings could have wounded this girl, and Blood would not know unless he watched her grow up.
But some things were alas, not meant to be.

"An open book?" Oh he liked where this was going...Very much indeed. He needed an open book after the one he studied underneath began to shut on him. Greed lurched him forward with appetite from the flash the Shadow slid beneath his nares.

He didn't negotiate with terrorists unless it was the one he saw in the mirror every morning, and he didn't make deals with devils that weren't his own. But could he bend the rules? Break them, even? For scornful knowledge? Or would he be paying the ultimate price for a potential trespass?

"What knowledge do you seek?"

[Xavius Bain]

The Shadow lord eyed the lightsabers on the man’s belt for a moment. They quickly took physical inventory of the man’s weapons, armor, and then stance and body language. The way he carried himself and obvious lust for power suggested that he could help find what Xavius was looking for, but he knew very little about this man and his intentions. Nevertheless, the Shadow Lord’s plans adapted accordingly.

“I recently defeated Darth Tormentous in single combat.” He started, noting any change in body language that may escape from his dark acquaintance.

It wasn’t quite time to reveal all that Xavius looked for, as it wasn’t likely that if the Sith were indeed holding Kole that they would simply hand him over. If they discovered his talents, they would likely do their best to have him plunge deeper into the dark side as an ally. Or, if the adept proved too strong a will, he would likely be killed.

Or he was dead already.

Further than that, Xavius searched for what he always had been searching for. Unlocking his raw talents in the force, and furthering the balance within him. It was difficult for one without emotion to wield the dark side, despite being able to harness and feel it in his expertise in the force. He needed the holocrons of the ancient Sith legends to assist him in unlocking his powers, and for that he would need the help of the Sith...

“Do you know who I am?”

[Slade Xandir]

Those glossy oblong voids scanned him, an unintrusive flash over his weapons. A wisp of a breeze, quick, delicate, and gone in a mere second. The eyes returned to his own.

"I recently defeated Darth Tormentous in single combat."

His body stiffened. Was this why Tormentous had been gone for such an extended period? Was he wounded enough to where he had to be out for months? Blood knew his Mentor wasn't dead, as his heartbeat was still vivid in the Force, but Blood did not track him down, as he was clearly instructed not to by the feel of the Dark Lord's aura. It was something he could feel between their bond, and he abided by the instruction.
But was this man why?

Blood was not taking the new role replacement well within his faction, as he only listened to the direct orders of Tormentous. Yet Dastan began throwing out orders, Kroxata began his own campaigns, and Warvanus was left stubbornly tending to himself, and though the student was making decent progress, Blood knew an Apprentice without a Master to keep them pushing forward would have either one of two options; Rise and take initiative to better yourself without your Master's assistance, or succumb to the weakness that plagued you before you joined. No matter what, he would continue to follow in the ways of Tormentous. Along with handling missions in his name. But this man had just admitted he beat the entity he considered a god. Gods could be slain, it seemed.

There was several someones who were caught aboard the Sith Vessel, one day. A day quite some time ago. Blood hadn't any idea who they belonged to, as he wasn't involved on what happened that day. Slade could have been, but he wasn't, and even Slade's own recollection of memory began fading as Blood took a more prominent hold of the body. But in fact, these 3 someones that were found belonged to the man before him. On Dromund Kaas they lay, being overseen in the Sith Prisons by numerous droids and organics. A few Massassi, as well, from a previous pull of inventory of guards. The security doubled, if not more, after Neive's little stunt, and Tormentous assigned him partial guardience over the damned facility. Partial enough to where he could enforce a few things, take whoever he wanted from it, and not be looked to be disciplined if something went haywire. Kole and 2 others began their turmoil there, and Blood could easily retrieve them. He only caught glance of the faces as they were hauled away for transport, but he never forgot faces. And if Xavius prompted his memory of these faces, he would know exactly who they were.

Blood watched, listened for anything he could get from the chasm in human form, anything that would betray his mystery, anything for him to latch onto, but this man was very good at this game. 'Open book, my ass', he thought to himself with an amused chuckle. He didn't even respond to his question, so it was obvious the man was nothing of the sort. And with this, Blood drew his guard up just a bit.

"I do not. But we can definitely get to know each other. "

What did this man want? Blood would hand him quite a bit, almost regardless of Tormentous' jurisdiction. Almost.

[Xavius Bain]

The Shadow lord lightly fingered the hilt of his lightsaber; the familiar metal felt comfortably cool to the touch. He had no intention of using it unless prompted, but the serpent could strike suddenly at ferocious speed with very little effort if needed.

Each logical possibility flashed through Xavius Bain’s mind throughout the conversation, and it had been deduced that this force user was of more use to him as a temporary ally, than attempting to take the information by force. They both longed for power, and Xavius Bain needed access. He could use this man’s lust for power to his advantage, as Xavius could unlock power in any student. Krynn was his prime example. The girl was flooded with emotion and raw talent, and Xavius understood this, despite experiencing the emotions himself.

“My name is Xavius Bain, the Shadow Lord. I have battled your legends of past and present, and fought both with, and against the Sith. If you believe me some prize to conquer and bring to your masters, know that it will not go as you plan.” His words were primed with venom, though that was mostly just his manner of speaking. The threat was not meant as a challenge, only a warning not to attempt to defeat him with cunning. Xavius Bain’s guard never fell. If Slade were to look up the Shadow Lord in records, he would find something depending on what faction’s records he found. The Shadow Lord operated in secret for years, taking a behind the scenes role despite having a hand in many major political events in the past. The Imperial records would show his origin as Capasite: Project 4. The Sith records, he wasn’t entirely sure. Surely they had kept track of him in some way, but likely only in pieces. One of the earlier versions, Vechlin Altemi had ran with the Sith, so if he had in fact logged his brother at all then their records would show much of his history.

But history is made by actions, and Xavius Bain had not sat idle since then.

“However, if it truly is knowledge you seek, my price is this. As you should know, I am in search of a holocron. That is still the case, but it must be of a Sith from the rule of two days, and not some master of the perverted mess of whatever the Sith have become now.” More venom, with a touch of arrogance. “I defeated Darth Tormentous on his ship, but there is a boy that has gone missing. Your assistance in his release (as I am fully confident that he was captured) would also be imperative to my own assistance in whatever it is you are looking for. After my demands are fulfilled, you may open your book.”

The Shadow Lord didn’t move a muscle, and yet his presence seemed to grow. Within his black eyes, fire flickered for a moment, a captivating display for someone whom had not ever come face to face with the Shadow Lord; a product of his creation and design, and not of ‘birth’. The clone had surpassed all of his previous versions, and so far all of the later. And now, it was up to Slade/Blood where this journey went next, as the wolf and the snake stared each other down.

[Slade Xandir]

Blood listened, capturing every word with prying ears. When this man spoke, it was clear he was capable of being blatant, and speaking in lament terms. Even within such a manner, his sentences could shift to another meaning, and with it came what Blood only label as a threat. It was not only a threat to him, however; it was a promise, a guarantee. This Xavius would not go without a fight, nor would he be capable of being fought and won over by anyone of Blood's capabilities. He had beaten Tormentous, for gods sake. This was enough proof for him.

A pleasant return, though it was anything but 'pleasant'.

"Pleasure to meet you on...non-hostile terms, Xavius Bain. I am Blood, though when we had previously come across each other, you had met Slade Xandir. And if there if one thing I can assure you, we are nothing alike. He would be so foolish as to deny you that holocron back on Arkania, but I wish for us to both grow in power. As you grow, so might I. So if I were to attempt anything against you, I would be keeping you for myself."

Honesty met with honesty. What better way to make a partnership than to lay the majority of your cards on the table? No, no, not all of them; just the ones you would have to eventually show up. That ace and joker, you save for later.

“However, if it truly is knowledge you seek, my price is this. As you should know, I am in search of a holocron. That is still the case, but it must be of a Sith from the rule of two days, and not some master of the perverted mess of whatever the Sith have become now.”

If there was something he had noticed, it was how united he was with not only his Master, but his training before Kell came around. He had the Sithian's undivided attention, and thus the lessons progressed more smoothly, more entact. He was the only, the favorite. The one being groomed for his reign over Tormentous. But it seemed after Kell, the teachings went professional, losing their intimate touch. His Master was perfect at teaching, but it seemed as his lessons had to be be taken by two that they were no longer meant just for him. They stalled, and the extremely tight leverage he had with his Sire was no longer taunt. The only thing tethering Blood to Tormentous now was his loyalty, and that was based solely on what power the man had to offer.
No Student could have two Masters, as no Master could have more than one Student.

Could Blood release his claim of Tormentous' teachings for the teachings of Xavius? No one in the Sith needed to know his dealings, and if his Master was out of commission, then who exactly was he betraying? He was merely abiding by the Sith Ways, was he not? The single search for power, taking what he could from it, until he could release his mastery and dominion over everything and everyone? Blood thought these things through, as taking a rash decision could run him out of both respite and defense. He was already at odds with his own Family, Dastan's gild forcing him to be wary while Kroxata's pride and rank made him even more triggerable than usual.

“I defeated Darth Tormentous on his ship, but there is a boy that has gone missing. Your assistance in his release (as I am fully confident that he was captured) would also be imperative to my own assistance in whatever it is you are looking for. After my demands are fulfilled, you may open your book.”

Blood tasted these words, auds stringing their tongue over the 'deal'. He was hesitant, quite so. How could he trust this man? This man was clearly not a man, and was closer to a god's status than anything. But would a god lie to a mortal?
Blood went over plenty of options within the timeframe he was given, sun hued irises commanded in interest by the flare of mysticality the man possessed of the Unknown.
Fear caused men to betray one another. Fear of being upsurped, fear of being replaced, fear of vulnerability. But if this man feared nothing, would he still betray Blood, and give him nothing? More rational thoughts stemmed from this. His back to turn to Blood could have been to spite the Sith, as he had admitted to battling against them, recently. Well, more accurately, against Tormentous. Tormentous was the current herald over the Sith; Blood was a mere Lord. Was Blood worth spiting? From this, came a question: What would Xavius get from betraying someone who held no real value? And from that, : What would he have to lose if he did?

Blood was in no position to bargain with Xavius, as it was clear simply from the rules of hierchary, something so basic in the animal kingdom, that he who was more powerful, stronger, more lethal than you, you had to either stay away from, or abide to laws of. If he commited submission, tossed away his ambition to kill everything better than he for the moment and replaced it with the ambition to better himself using this man's laws, his teachings, could he make himself more capable than even Tormentous, himself? As Xavius had, could he defeat his Master?
Or would the serpent slither back into the shadows after the lupine fed it?

"How can I be sure you hide no treachery beneath your words, Lord of Shadows? From a faction where there is nothing but betrayal, you should know my stance on such."

Blood couldn't trust another for anything, other than Tormentous. But apparently even he could bend knee to save his own life. Could Blood take another's word and not be stabbed in the back for it? If this phantom was honest, then the question would do no harm. Either that, or he would have to do the unavoidable, and take a chance.