8

Flying on a speeder with the roof open in the pouring rain of Dramand Kaas was not a fun experience.

However, the look on Zenna's face was balm enough. He couldn't wait to troll her in the future.

Besides that, his gains this time around were monstrous. If before this war he was like a slightly stronger Acolyte or Padawan, now, he might be able to fight a beginner Jedi Knight and win.

Improved Stats

[Force Sensitivity lvl 13]

[Form I lvl 10]

[Lightning Hands lvl 11]

[Force Lightning lvl 10]

[Meditation lvl 8]

However, level 10 seemed to be a benchmark of sorts, and increasing his level became increasingly more difficult.

"We have arrived." DN-UTZ interrupted Varrus's musing.

Looking around, Varrus was surprised that they weren't at the skyscraper.

DN-UTZ had dropped Varrus off at a vast palatial estate within a more laid back quarter of Kaas City.

Bright neon lights and the bustle of crowds reminded Varrus of Los Vegas, or Nar Shaddaa.

The red droid then led him past many raucous clubs, gambling halls, and moaning rooms before they reached the end.

Inside the room was a giant mud pool. Inside there were only two occupants. Darth Vowrawn, and a naked Twi'lek giving him a massage.

In fact, it was the same Twi'lek Acolyte who begged Vowrawn for a favor the other day.

She gave Varrus a smug look from behind Vowrawn's shoulders, and pressed her breasts into his back.

Varrus kept quiet as he noticed Vowrawn was on a conference call. Sitting upon blue holoprojected thrones, the Dark Council, from Varrus's POV, were assembled in the mud pool.

"And so we are in agreement. For Lord Zash's impressive accomplishment, we shall elevate her to Darth Zash." One of the blue Dark Councilor's said, before Vowrawn cut the link.

"A day in my service, and you rid me of an eyesore that has plagued my Apprentice for six months. Perhaps you are the Darkhorse I have foreseen." Vowrawn complimented between puffs of rankweed. Blue clouds of smoke wafted into the air, and blew into the Twi'lek's face.

Her frown, and repressed cough brought a smile to Varrus's face.

"I put your teachings to great use. I look forward to learning more." Varrus said humbly.

"They always want to know more." Vowrawn said to himself as he took another hit, and stared off into nothing.

"I admire your hunger Krawl, your ambition will take you far. Or, you'll fizzle out like the brightest star before going supernova. I shall be entertained either way." Vowrawn coughed out some more blue smoke, and smiled mirthlessly at Varrus.

"Of course Lord Vowrawn, you are wise."

"Enough Krawl, if I wanted to hear vapid flattery, I would be in the casino downstairs. And what did I say about representing my image? Remove that disgusting excuse for a piece of armor, and join me." Vowrawn patted the viscous mud beside him.

Stripping bare, Varrus waded through the mud, and sat beside the Dark Councillor.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the comfortably strange sensation.

[Force Sensitivity lvl 13 -> 14]

"Nice, isn't it? Imported all the way from Darth Naigorous's tomb on Dagobah. Many Acolyte's died to bring this mud to us." Vowrawn chuckled at the casual loss of life.

"I didn't know the Sith enjoyed such pleasures." Varrus said in surprise.

"When one reaches my age, there isn't much to be excited about anymore. After seven betrayed apprentice's, twelve deceased lovers, and seating five members onto the Dark Council, there isn't much to strive for I'm afraid." Vowrawn tiredly waved.

"You could become Emperor." Varrus let slip.

"Now that. Is a dangerous line of thinking Krawl." Cold energies spilled out of Vowrawn as he scrutinized Varrus.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, it just seemed like you were so bored. Why not flip the table?" Varrus shrugged his shoulders, and replied in a casual manner.

All the while, Varrus did the best he could to keep up the calm facade.

"Why not?" Vowrawn rubbed his chin.

"Yes, why not indeed!" Vowrawn smiled, then without any hesitation, snapped the Twi'lek's neck with a Force Grip.

Varrus gulped at the lack of any delay or hesitation in Vowrawn's actions.

"To tell you the truth Apprentice, this is something I have ruminated on for quite some time. But with you by my side, I am pleased to finally go all in." Vowrawn rose from the mud.

Varrus twitched, he didn't need to know that Vowrawn was turned on by power.

"Come along Krawl, I cannot leave my new student to fend for himself, now can I? I'll give you exactly what you wanted."

Varrus paused at the sudden decision.

"Thank you…master."

Over the course of the last week, Varrus had very little sleep. Ever since he became Vowrawn's apprentice, he had resigned himself to the old man's cruel tutorship.

Wearing nothing but a loin cloth and armed with the Force, Varrus ran a gauntlet of pain and terror.

"Faster Krawl, faster!" Vowrawn shocked Varrus in the back, forcing him to jump between a narrow gap of cartoonishly large buzz saws.

His body didn't quite perfectly fit, and he barely clipped the tip of one saw. A shallow slice of crimson trailed across his ribs. A jet of blood painted the white training ground floor red.

Varrus channeled the pain into power, and performed a handstand, then raised his hands to conjure a Lightning Shield as a combination of slugthrower bullets, and lasers flew toward him from the side.

He then manipulated the electrical field, and sent the bullets back at the turrets that had shot at him.

A nozzle began to wash waves of flames in his direction, Varrus began to instinctively push the flames to the side with the Force.

"Disappointing Apprentice, have I taught you nothing?" Vowrawn's voice seemed to pound directly in his mind.

Twisting his hand and pulling, Varrus squeezed the tubing leading to the flamethrower, causing a chain reaction explosion.

"Good, good. Now become the blade." Vowrawn's voice carried with it untold eagerness.

Eight Sith training droids dropped down from the ceiling, and ignited their lightsabers.

Focusing on the shield around him, Varrus pulled it tight, then formed a bastardized lightning blade. It constantly ripped and roared with the power of the Force, draining Varrus's reserves quickly.

Sparks of bright white plasma cascaded to Varrus's side, destroying support pillars, traps, and platforms just from being summoned into the world.

Varrus wasn't given any time to marvel at the destructive power of his blade, because the eight droids pounced upon him.

Performing a wide slash, a crescent of lightning arced outward, forcing the droids to brace and block the attack.

Blitzing forward during their forced defense, Varus bypassed one droid's guard, and shoved his lightning blade deep into its guts.

It made a tsszzt hiss sound before turning into a scattered cloud of debris.

Emerging from the cloud of its explosion, Varrus blocked three oncoming attacks, and when they locked blades, forced his lightning sword to rip like an Astartes chainsword.

The momentum of the blade tore at the droid's lightsabers, swiping them out of their hands.

A quick follow up slash, and three more droids collapsed dead.

Energy running low, Varrus called upon the Sith Hymn like an old friend, and embraced the cold clarity of the Dark Side.

Compressing the lightning sword into a ball, Varrus held out both his hands, and blew up the legs of two more droids. A small smoking crater rose up from their location.

One droid remained, it was the most elite model within Vowrawn's collection. This was the real 'Darth level' training droid. And Varrus was running out of gas. His breaths were ragged, his red, oil covered skin smelt foul.

It lunged at Varrus, and stabbed its lightsaber forward. Only it was a feint leading into a diagonal slash aimed at Varrus's lower thigh.

The Force screamed at him, and Varrus barely lifted his foot in time to stomp down on the mechanical appendage.

It struggled to swing its lightsaber wielding hand, but was unable to.

Servos whirred, and the droid continued its forward momentum by aiming a kick toward Varrus' head.

Varrus coated his hand in electrical energy, and caught the kick. His arm strained at the effort, and felt like it could give at any moment.

Electricity traveled from the leg all throughout the droid's circuits. It tried to struggle, and pull back, but Varrus's lightning was frying everything that allowed it to operate.

Eventually, Varrus killed the blasted thing, and fell back onto his back in exhaustion.

"Adequate. With this, you would barely qualify as a Sith Lord. Our time here has come to an end I'm afraid. A fleet is assembling to relieve Balmora. I need someone to defend a chip factory of mine, and you have proven yourself worthy. You have one hour to get your affairs in order." Vowrawn said dismissively before walking away.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Vowrawn returned, and zapped Varrus with a copious amount of lightning, healing his body in agony.

"Never let it be said I treat my men unwell. DN-UTZ has prepared that new armor you requested. Not particularly stylish, but at least it's better than the unoriginal black hoods that the common riff raff don." Vowrawn scoffed before setting off once more.

Varrus bit his gums in agony. Ever since Vowrawn had discovered his Lightning Absorption ability, he had had a field day zapping him at every turn!

And Varrus couldn't even complain!

One week of training with this old hedonist, and Varrus understood why he replaced Vitiate as Emperor.

He was calm, ruthless, and scarily smart.

Above all else, it was his patience that marked him apart from all other Sith.

Vowrawn did not rage, or punish Varrus when he failed. Instead, he showed him a second time, and provided real, if not life threatening feedback.

When Varrus succeeded, Vowrawn only nodded like it was expected. He never let Varrus get a big head, and was quick to pile on more violence to up the ante.

One week of training with him was far, far more dangerous than fighting a few hundred rebels. That level of danger saw him grow at an exponential rate!

His stats spoke for the man's methods.

[Force Sensitivity lvl 20]

[Form I lvl 19]

[Form II lvl 5]

[Form III lvl 4]

[Form 6 lvl 6]

[Force Lightning lvl 25]

[Lightning Hands lvl 19]

[Lightning Shield lvl 8]

[Lightning Absorption lvl 16]

[Force Concealment lvl 5]

[Meditation lvl 13]

Varrus jumped from the ground. He only had one hour, he had to abuse his position as Apprentice to a Dark Councilor before he headed out.

Palming his communicator, Varrus input a number.

"Yes, hello, Bounty Brokers Association? I have a job for you."

"This is it Khem Val, with the Mask of Revan in our hands, we can finally end this charade, and uncover the leader of the Revanite Cult." Atresia unceremoniously looted the mask from its floating pedestal, only for it to crumble in her grasp.

A note fluttered out from its remains.

Greetings Inquisitor.

Zash intends to possess you. Prepare yourself, I have foreseen that once you leave Alderaan, she will make her play. I have complete confidence in you. However, should you wish to call upon my assistance I shall leave you with my number.

P.S. The Revanite leader is named Tari Darkspanner.

-Varrus Krawl

"Snu snu, akah wakah lungchuck." Khem Val chimed in.

"Yes, this is a familiar stench. Perhaps that lustful man is more than he seems. Not just anyone can cloak themselves like he did."

Atresia pinched the bridge of her nose. This had to be the most annoying love obsessed stalker of her life.

The odds of anticipating she would be the one to be here at this time were slim to none. Just the notion that he may be using his ability to peep on her was cause for concern.

If this was truly foresight at work, then she wouldn't mind. Zash had begun to annoy her.

After murdering Darth Skotia, it was Zash who rose up in the ranks. While she barely received a thank you, and had yet to be elevated to Lord.

Scotia was Zash's rival for more than a decade, yet she, Atresia, not Zash had simply waltzed into his lair, and had easily disposed of the cretin.

What did she have to fear of Zash?

No, if anything, this man, this Varrus Krawl, he was worthy of her investigation.

If he liked what he saw so much, she would have to give him a taste first hand.

Lightning arced up and down Atresia's fingertips. She arched her back in anticipation at the knowledge she would pry from her victim to come.

"You're mine Varrus Krawl."