“You…” Sidious ground his teeth. Doom had been a constant annoyance, a fairweather ally in the senate that had both won and lost him some key political victories. “And the lost apprentice,” he snorted as he turned to the armoured figure. “No mask can hide your face from me, worm!”
“I have nothing to hide,” Maul’s voice snarled from the mandalorian helm, washed out and mechanised by the speakers. He thumbed the Darksaber to life, black blade held ready. “Today, we shall see which of our destinies is stronger!”
“You have no destiny, I trained you as a dog, nothing more,” Sidous mocked, yellow black eyes focused on the Wizard who led the group. “Is this your new Master? His power is great, but irrelevant next to the might of the dark side.”
“My name would be meaningless to you,” The wizard snorted as he sent the runes at his back in a spiral around the room. They settled into a ring around them all, a cage to limit the scope of battle. “Prepare yourself, demon, for death is unforgiving to the wicked!”
“Enough introductions,” Doom’s body shifted and swelled, clothing lost in a swirl of black and green. A suit of runic armour, topped by an emerald cape, took their place. “It is time we finished our work.”
“Indeed,” Sidious cackled, arms spread in invitation. “Let us begin!”
His word prompted Maul to leap forward, sabre between him and the lightning Sidious hurled into the air. The false Mandalor staggered, until the old man at his back took action. The wizard launched a cascade of arcane bolts, redirected by the Sith to fly toward Doom. A flick of the Wizard’s hand and his spell returned on course.
“Impressive…” Sidious filled the chamber with a hailstorm of lightning. The missiles of force detonated as the electric currents swept through their ranks. “It is a tragedy that we cannot sit down to discuss the force, I feel we could learn much from such an exchange!”
The Sith Lord let out a force-scream that brought both Maul and Doom’s approach to a halt. He reached into the black hole in his heart and ripped an ocean of power from the living force. A force-storm, larger than any he’d created before, opened up and consumed the room.
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Droid after droid fell, until his full connection to the dark side returned. Thunder roared between the rapid strokes of lightning, a deluge that hammered the three usurpers. The old Wizard fared the best, shielded by the strange crystal in his hand, but both Doom and Maul struggled to resist.
“Such a wonderful show, a true demonic art,” A cold voice whispered, breath on the back of Sidious’ neck. “Not only have you joined my race in spirit, but you seem born to play the part!”
The Sith blurred to the side, just ahead of an obsidian-black hand. A two metre monstrosity stood at Sidious’ back, vicious teeth bared in a lazy grin. The beast clapped his hands and a wave of smoke-grey flame washed over the Sith Lord’s force-storm in a wave. Lighting turned to ash in the air, and space became stable once more.
“Greetings, young one,” The brute gave a bow filled with mockery, void black eyes consumed with hunger. “You may call me Etrigan, now let’s have some fun!”
The demon - Sidious was certain this creature was some kind of freakishly powerful force entity like the demons of old - stalked forward. His casual gait turned his form to a blurr and the Sith was forced to dodge once again. Pressed to the edge of the Wizard’s formation, Sidious scowled. Eyes black with rage, he drove a spear of mental chaos toward Etrigan’s mind.
There was a weakness in this freakish beast, a thin line between him and the frail Wizard at his back. Sidious had many talents, but psychic domination was at the top. The three mortals had wrapped their minds with protection, layers of the Wizard’s runes, but the demon went undefended. Arrogance.
“Such attacks can’t harm me, but your raw power has potential,” Etrigan shook his head, a brief pause before he continued his advance. “For a demon, mind magic is indeed essential!”
Sidious ignored the creature and directed his will toward the passage into the Wizard’s mind. Narrow, but strong, it made a timely bridge for the wicked black of his soul. Merlyn… that was this old man’s name. A tutor of heroes…
“BEGONE!” A runic giant rose up from the depths of Merlyn’s consciousness, a titan that sent a fist toward the mental projection of the Sith. “No darkness can take root in this place, demon of gluttony!”
“Oh?” Sidous’ lips twisted in a cruel smile. His mental-body swelled, supported by the singularity of darkness that replaced his heart. “I can see much darkness here, failures, regrets… all you touch turns to ash, Wizard of the Woods!”
The Sith caught the titan’s fist on his palm and grasped it tight. A thick bundle of lightning channelled from Sidious, into Merlyn’s avatar. Bolt after bolt that eroded the walls of the Wizard’s mental fortress. A crack opened in the foundations, enough for a sliver of shadow to slip inside.
“STOP!” Sidous bellowed as he opened his eyes to see Etrigan’s fist, frozen in place before his nose. Just in time, a rush of adrenaline that he’d not experienced in years. “Bow down, demon Etrigan, and give face to your new master!”
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[Warning! Your summoned servant, Merlyn (The Once and Future King) is in a battle for his life! If summons are killed, they are lost forever, please act soon if you wish for him to survive!]
Dan blinked at the system’s notification. He had just reappeared, in orbit around Garnib’s massive blue star. The light of transport had yet to fade and action was already needed. He connected to the base communications and called Jor-EL.
“Where is Merlyn right now?” Dan pressed the A.I. , no time for hellos. Merlyn was one of his most valued summons, his death would set back countless plans and weigh on his heart. “I need his location, yesterday!”