AN: Triple release today, go back to ch 16
Taking in his surroundings, Corvus noted that the Vornskr and Selphi were hot on his heels.
Dead ahead of him was an unoccupied LAAT with its doors open.
A LAAT that just so happened to have a full complement of ammo and armaments…
Beginning to form a plan, Corvus un-Paused, then ran into the open gap of the spaceship.
As he made his move, he felt the alien hound's jaws snapping at his ankle, missing by just an inch.
The Vornskr was fast.
Emotions of hunger permeated the air, and the beast was slobbering all over the ground as it moved for another bite.
Corvus's FP bar was a little low, but not empty, he would have enough for what needed to be done.
Dashing into the LAAT, Corvus dropped a handful of thermal detonators, activating them from his inventory with a 5 second delay.
Stepping through the starship, and back into the hangar, he tossed out a hand, unleashed a [Force Push].
The Vornskr staggered in its step, and for a second, froze inside the LAAT.
Corvus didn't stick around, and kept running forward until he got behind a support pillar.
As soon as he took cover, a brilliant explosion took place. Fire expanded outward, and smoke belched everywhere as alarms blared.
A sprinkler system began to take effect, and water rained down from the ceiling.
Corvus took a moment to keep an eye out for the Selphi, but she was nowhere to be seen.
'So she must be the one who cloaked the two of them in the Force.' Corvus concluded.
Just as he was about to go back into invisibility, and try to hunt this Dark Adept out, a snarl rang out, and the Vornskr dashed out of the burning wreckage of the LAAT.
Corvus frowned as he saw a tiny, glistening barrier coating the beast.
It would seem he wasn't the only one with the ability to create a Force Barrier.
Cursing his damned luck to run into such a tanky foe, and knowing an assassin was waiting in the wing, Corvus realized he'd have to be extremely prudent when dealing with the Vornskr. If he wasn't, then he would catch a lightsaber to the back for his trouble!
Calming himself down, Corvus tossed another thermal detonator at the hound, then centered himself in the Force as his FP bar began to refill.
All his senses were pushed to the limit as he awaited his foe, and the hidden strike that was bound to follow the Vornskr up.
Awareness affected all his five senses, as well as the metaphysical 'sixth sense.' His nose took in the rank odor of the alien dog, his ears picked up the sound of its claws treading over the metal hangar bay, his skin felt the whoosh of air passing him by. All this, and a thousand other sensations unconsciously entered his brain every second, and provided all sorts of incalculable variables regarding his foe.
The time had come, and the Vornskr lunged at him.
Unsheathing a single lightsaber, he clashed with the Force Barrier enhanced claw of the beast, and was driven back by its incredible strength.
Ordinarily, he would have dodged, and worn away at its defenses, however, in this precarious sensation, he had to prepare himself for just the right moment.
Like an army repeatedly repositioning itself to meet the oncoming army, Corvus was constantly placing himself next to starships, buildings, pillars, and other structures that would limit the Selphi's angle of attack.
So long as he could force her to come at him from one of two directions, then he could have an easier time predicting her next move.
During one of the repeated clashes with the beast, Corvus had intentionally taken on a precarious position, and 'slipped' into the Vornskr's jaws, intending on using his Force Barrier to tank a hit then score a serious blow.
Hot breath brushed up against Corvus's face, carrying with it scent of death. Bright glowing eyes bore down upon his soul, and for a split second, Corvus contested wills with the beast, and tried to dominate its mind whilst he absorbed its darkside energies.
Predictably, as soon as his arm was caught, the Selphi emerged from her stealth, and struck down with her lightsaber.
The red bar of death gleamed in Corvus's eye, but he didn't allow himself to feel any fear, as the effects of [Energy Resistance] coated his body.
The Selphi's eyes widened in shock as her lightsaber bounced off of him like a kid hitting an adult with a pool noodle.
Corvus had been fighting with a singular lightsaber this entire time in preparation for such an event!
Taking one knee, he reversed his grip on his blade, and reached backwards to impale the darksider.
Unfortunately, she was just a little too fast, and instead of killing her outright, he caught half of her right hand, and a piece of her knee.
The woman sucked in a deep breath as she stumbled backwards. She then glared at him with all her hate, and hobbled to the side, turning invisible once more.
Corvus cursed his rotten luck, but he didn't have any time to pursue her, and stop her due to his arm being locked in the Vornskr's mouth.
However, that didn't mean he was trapped!
Unleashing a nearly point blank [Force Lightning] with his trapped arm, Corvus severely drained the barrier that the hound had around itself, and when he was about to stab down, piercing both the barrier and its skull, it let go, and growled hatefully at him.
Corvus stood up, and moved to the side as he felt a woosh of air come at his position.
He couldn't see her, but he knew the Selphi had just made a move on him.
The Vornskr had taken this moment to somewhat recover, and had rejoined the fight.
Corvus tutted to himself.
He had had the opportunity to end the fight then and there, but he just wasn't as focused as he should be.
If he was fighting either one of these opponents 1v1, he was certain he could decimate them in short order. Yet combating a Force Sensitive animal, and a darksider at the same time was almost too difficult for him to manage.
Even some of the greatest athletes or professional gamers might have trouble when in a 2v1 situation, much less Corvus, who had only been a Jedi for less than a week!
This meant he would have to look for a plan B!
As the fight dragged on, Corvus kited the beast to a narrow corridor, one in which it would be impossible for an invisible figure to pass him by, and for him to be unaware of it.
On both sides of him, there were glass windows. They overlooked a 5 story drop into a courtyard for the intelligence community.
Smirking to himself, Corvus was much more satisfied with his plan than last time.
Everything he had done in this fight had led to this moment, Corvus locked his saber with the beast once more, and then-using its snout as a springboard-jumped back and unleashed a double handed [Force Lightning] down the entire hallway.
The bright electrical beams arced and shocked across every inch of open air that Corvus could see.
Within seconds, the Vornskr had been forced to direct its barrier to the fore, and was barely able to hold on.
This was to be expected, as it had rather substantial defenses. The Vornskr, however, wasn't Corvus's true target.
"Auuugh!" The Selphi screamed in pain as her invisibility was broken.
Roaring in pain, and beginning to char/blacken, the once beautiful space elf glared maliciously at Corvus, and then decisively slashed at the glass in the hallway, and jumped.
Corvus found such a turn of events annoying.
Losing some potential exp was bothersome, but was nothing compared to what she-and by extension the Emperor & Vader-gained due to her survival.
The darksider would gather valuable information regarding his strength, fighting style, and methods. Labeling her as irksome would be an understatement!
"Grrr!" The Vornskr began to growl as it gathered its hate, and channeled it into the Force.
A few light fixtures began to crack, and the howls of the wind, and sounds of the city became muted.
Corvus didn't like what was happening, and tried to absorb the darkside energies permeating in and around the hound, yet he was too far away, and it was to no avail.
Shimmering with sweat, the Vornskr was steaming, and an intense heat similar to a sauna filled the air.
To Corvus, it appeared that the animal was entering a type of berserker rage, one that wasn't unheard of amongst darkside practitioners.
Knowing that the beast was likely going to become vastly more powerful, Corvus put everything he had into the [Force Lightning].
The metal panels around him began to warp, metal beams started to melt under the intensity of his assault, and tons of electrical wires dangled from the ceiling as every lightbulb popped one after another.
Due to the intensity of his attack, the Force Barrier coating the Vornskr broke, and it began to char all over.
Corvus sang his victory in the Force, certain that the demise of this damnable hound was at hand.
However, his FP bar drained to zero, and the Vornskr was still standing.
Growling at Corvus, the alien monster's tongue was out, and it salivated.
Running at him with speeds that surpassed his own, Corvus knew that he had to stand and fight.
Since his Force Barrier weakened due to using his arm as bait earlier, he knew that if he took a hit here, it would be fatal.
However, the beast had exhausted all of its spare energy too, and Corvus's lightning hands had destroyed its only protection.
Taking a deep breath, Corvus ignited both his sabers, and knew his FP bar wouldn't recover in time to do anything more significant than a [Force Push]. If he could dodge this next attack, then maybe he could push this damned beast out the window after its master.
Sweat dripped down the side of his forehead, and Corvus twirled his twin blue lightsabers as the beast came at him.
The concept of hunger hit his psyche through the Force like a wave.
Corvus hit back with an indomitable will.
He showed no fear, and didn't move a muscle as he had adopted an inviting pose.
Corvus would not yield. He would not run, as turning his back meant certain death.
Growling, the beast hurdled through the air, and came at him in a blur so fast, Corvus could barely perceive it.
It was time.
Twitching a finger ever so slightly, Corvus directed whatever free energy he had towards a loose wire dangling from the ceiling.
The cord looped itself around the monster's collar, slowing it down by a fraction of a second.
Corvus then flicked his wrists, slashing with one saber, then jabbing with the other as he pulled ever so slightly to the side.
However, this narrow corridor, once the chosen battlefield that saw him triumph over the Selphi, now became the Vornskr's hunting ground, as this narrow area offered virtually no room to dodge. Possessing superior speed, the beast held Corvus at a serious disadvantage!
It was then that they collided in an epic showdown.
A searing pain scorched his shoulder as claws long as a Roman gladius dug into him. Rolling forward, Corvus staggered to a knee, and glanced back at the tank in animal form.
Staggering forward, the Vornskr turned to glare at him. The lightsabers had done a number to it, but like many other apex creatures in the galaxy, it had flesh resistant to the famed blade.
Gasping to himself, Corvus staggered to his feet, and held his weapon out towards his enemy.
Both of them were absolutely gassed, and heavily damaged. Neither one of them was willing to open themselves up and be the first to go on the offensive.
Corvus sort of admired the Vornskr, and realized it was much more intelligent than he had first thought.
During this tense stalemate, their eyes locked.
Once more they entered an ephemeral state that almost didn't seem real, and began to mentally combat one another for dominance.
Corvus repeated his mantra over and over again.
"I am at Peace; for I know Emotion.
I have Power; for I also have Knowledge.
I have Passion; for I am Serene.
I can embrace Mortality; for I know Death.
I am balanced through the Force."
Each and every time he spoke this line, he felt his spirit become heavier, whilst the Vornskr's became lighter, and less significant.
It tried to push back with feelings of hunger and dissatisfaction, with feelings of pain, sharing the pains it had experienced through life, the pains it had borne at the hands of its master. The feeling of being caged, and its absolute hatred for the shock collar worn around its neck.
For a moment, the emotional trauma threatened to overwhelm him, but thanks to Valor, he was able to persevere.
Gasping due to the exhaustive mental battle, Corvus realized that the Vornskr wasn't inherently evil, and was only acting on its training, and instincts. That as an animal that had suffered abuse, it didn't know any better.
Since it was such an intelligent creature…Corvus figured he might be able to reason with it!
It was, afterall, the Jedi way.
Entering his menu, Corvus put a point into [Beast Trick]. It was an ability much like [Mind Trick], and was something he hadn't used up to this point, because it wouldn't work against something with a strong will. The Vornskr clearly had a powerful mind, and its ability to manipulate the Force meant it would surely detect such an ability. That is, ordinarily it would be able to detect it!
However, they were currently in a battle of wills, and the Vornskr was struggling to come out on top, it was too occupied between this, and the possible threat that Corvus could suddenly engage it in melee combat!
Corvus saw this as a golden opportunity, and as soon as enough FP regenerated, he cast [Beast Trick].
'The being before you is much stronger than the rest. He will bring you food, remove pain, and be your pack.'
Corvus watched on as his ability took effect, and the Vornskr began to waver.
"I go by Corvus, what's your name?" Corvus said, taking a risk by opening himself up to the beast.
It stared at Corvus without blinking. Their wills continued to press upon one another, yet it eventually revealed something to him.
'Huego.' the air seemed to whisper.
"Hello, Huego…would you like to be my friend?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Doggo get?
Wasn't crazy about this one, but I'm looking forward to the meeting with Bail in a ch or two. For you Legends nerds, I also have a planned meeting with a certain green Black Sun gangster.