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Deep Beneath Ziost's Ruins
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The chamber shook violently as Kassy and I rushed toward the towering Sith obelisk, its dark presence pulsing with corrupted energy. The shadowy figures, remnants of Sith sorcery, screeched as they lunged toward us with unnatural speed. Ikarus covered our approach, laying down bursts of ion fire that momentarily disrupted the spectral beings, but they kept reforming, coalescing into dark, shifting shapes.
"Almost there!" Kassy shouted as she deflected a shadow's slashing strike with her blue sabers, spinning into a counterattack that sliced through its form. The creature let out a wailing shriek before vanishing into the darkness.
I focused, reaching out with the Force, feeling the Sith obelisk's power feeding the entities. With a deep breath, I channeled my energy and thrust both hands forward. A powerful shockwave erupted, slamming into the obelisk and sending cracks spider-webbing through its surface.
The room trembled violently, and the specters let out a unified, earsplitting wail. The obelisk pulsed in agony, flickering like a dying flame.
But before we could strike again, the temperature in the chamber plummeted. The darkness deepened, as though the very air around us had grown heavier with an unseen weight. A presence filled the space—something powerful, something we had not expected.
A slow, deliberate sound broke the silence—the soft hum of an unstable lightsaber igniting.
A figure emerged from the shadows, stepping forward with a calm, predatory grace. She was an Arkanian Offshoot, her pale white skin nearly glowing in the dim red light of the chamber. Her long, voluminous white hair cascaded past her shoulders, but the ends were streaked with deep red and black, as though they had been dipped in shadow and flame.
Her Sith-red eyes gleamed with eerie intensity, filled not with rage, but with something worse—calm certainty, absolute control.
She wore a form-fitting black bodysuit, reinforced with phrink-plated armor at the shoulders and forearms. A tattered dark cloak, lined with Sith runes, swayed gently with each movement, the markings pulsating faintly with an ominous red hue.
And in her right hand, her lightsaber flared to life.
The blade was unstable, erratic, flickering like a flame caught in a violent storm. The Kyber crystal within was cracked, its damage sending wild surges of energy through the weapon. Every movement of the blade left a faint distortion in the air, as if reality itself struggled to contain its presence.
She tilted her head slightly, a smirk forming at the edge of her lips. Then she spoke, her voice smooth yet venomous, each word dripping with an amused malice.
"I should be thanking you. I would have remained content to watch you from the shadows, to study you. But then… you had to start breaking things. And that… that I cannot ignore."
Kassy tensed beside me, gripping her sabers. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman chuckled, the sound low and unsettling. "Names hold power, Jedi. But since you are about to die, I suppose there is no harm in sharing." She took a step forward, her lightsaber hissing with unstable energy. "I am Karossa Nel. And you? You are just another step in my path."
Her stance shifted, her saber angling into a loose, yet deliberate position. I felt the Force shift around her, like a coiled beast waiting to strike.
And then—
She lunged.
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Karossa's fighting style was unlike anything I had faced before. Though her build was sleek and agile, her strikes were massive, sweeping arcs, each one carrying tremendous force.
The first attack came fast—her unstable blade cut through the air in a brutal diagonal slash, forcing me to sidestep quickly. Even though I dodged, the sheer force of the swing sent a wave of pressure rippling through my defenses, pushing me back.
She twisted effortlessly, bringing her saber around in a horizontal arc so wide that both Kassy and I had to jump backward to avoid being caught in the path of destruction. The energy of the cracked Kyber crystal crackled as she spun, and when her saber struck the stone floor, it left deep, jagged scorch marks, its power unstable but undeniably deadly.
I countered with a quick Makashi thrust, aiming for her open side. But she anticipated it, catching my saber on hers in a brutal lock, twisting her hilt at an angle that threw me off balance before she pivoted, slamming her elbow into my ribs.
Pain jolted through me as I staggered back. She was fast, but not in the way of an acrobat like Kassy. She moved with a dancer's grace, but every motion carried the weight of a war hammer. Her combat style was a mix of Djem So's raw power and the unpredictability of Juyo, a fusion of offense that was mercilessly relentless.
Kassy took advantage of the moment, launching forward with a swift Ataru assault, flipping over Karossa and aiming a powerful downward strike. But Karossa turned, meeting Kassy's blade with a one-handed block that barely wavered, despite the impact.
Then, with a feral snarl, she shoved Kassy away with sheer brute strength, sending her skidding backward.
I barely had time to react before she was on me again, her saber coming down in a devastating overhand chop. I lifted my blade in a desperate Shien block, absorbing the blow, but the force behind it was immense—I felt the shock run through my arms as sparks flew from the impact.
Karossa grinned. "Not bad, Jedi. But how long can you keep up?"
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I knew that if we kept fighting on her terms, she would wear us down. We needed to shift the flow of battle.
I reached out through the Force, feeling the environment around us, sensing the lingering power of the collapsed Sith obelisk. The residual energy still pulsed through the chamber like an echo.
Then, an idea struck me.
"Kassy! Keep her occupied—I need five seconds!" I shouted.
Kassy didn't hesitate. She surged forward, her blue sabers flashing in rapid sequences as she attacked with everything she had, forcing Karossa to stay on defense for the first time in the battle.
I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, focusing. The Force surrounded us, the residual energy of the ruined obelisk whispering through my senses. I channeled it, shaping it—not controlling it, but guiding it.
Then, I thrust my hand outward.
The rubble from the shattered obelisk surged upward, the force of it tearing through the chamber like a storm. Karossa barely had time to react as the debris slammed into her, knocking her back and breaking her stance.
She growled, pushing herself up, but Kassy was already moving. She used the opening to land a precise strike, cutting across Karossa's left arm. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was enough to stagger her.
Karossa hissed, glaring at us. Then, without another word, she leaped back into the shadows, disappearing into the depths of the ruins.
The chamber fell silent.
I took a breath. This wasn't over.
But now, we knew something we didn't before.
The Sith resurgence wasn't just mindless cultists.
It had warriors like Karossa Nel.
And she would be back.
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