<~(Unfinished Colossus - Dromund Kaas)~>
It did not take long for Erebus' vision to return to him as he took in the sight of a whole new world that he could have only seen through a third-person perspective. The place where he spawned at seemed to be a tad swampy with some rainfall, but what really attracted his attention was the sight of the colossus looming overhead.
The attention to detail was unlike in the game itself where he could somewhat see the little granular of stone used to construct and detail the unfinished statue although he was only roughly twenty to thirty meters away from the place where it was actually being built. As fortune would have it, Erebus spawned outside of the view of any imperial guards keeping an eye out-even for the Sith acolytes that may come by to accomplish their masters' plans.
Quickly realizing that he was-while outside of the purview of any imperials-not exactly safe in the jungle, Erebus quickly fled the area and headed deeper into the jungle. He knew that he would need to quietly find a place out of the way in where he wouldn't be found immediately by the imperials or their Sith allies as if they found him, bad things could happen.
He was of course unaware that his arrival here had already been made known to two Dark Council members in advance and their efforts to scout out possible areas where he could be heading upon arrival.
One such area of interest just so happened to be where Erebus was heading on Dromund Kaas. He was unknowingly heading towards the Dark Temple at the heart of the swamp.
===+===
An imperial intelligence officer-codenamed "Cipher Nine"-had just recently been assigned to keep an eye out in the Dark Temple as they went to fix a critical power juncture for the main city. They were a Chiss male assigned to this task by Darth Jadus himself along with their Keeper, but before leaving the city to head out that way, they received an encrypted message that was geolocked on their communicator from an unknown sender.
When they arrived at the Dark Temple to complete their "official" task, the message unlocked with only one line: "Watch and report for the Outworlder."
What the Cipher had no idea was they were the only one from Imperial Intelligence to receive this encrypted message and it had been sent by one of the Dark Council members who received the report of the energy fluctuations earlier. Anyone else who gotten a similar message were ones tasked by their respective masters to do their own goals-save for the Mandalorians.
They had the "Great Hunt" going on and so couldn't participate in capturing Erebus.
As for the Cipher, they made their way into the Dark Temple-which to them felt extremely cold like the arctic world of Hoth-as they needed to complete their objective. Neither the Cipher agent nor the terrorists who were already inside of the Dark Temple knew just what would happen next...
===+===
[Ding!] the System softly rang in Erebus' ear as he neared the Dark Temple. [New side quest issued! {Terror of the Dark} has been added to your Quest Log.]
Stopping next to a tree and out of sight of any crazed imperial lackeys, Erebus quickly opened up his [Quest Log] to see this new quest.
<=-+-=>
Side Quest: {Terror of the Dark}
[As you near the Dark Temple, you get the vague impression that something is happening in there which could cause damage to the citadel nearby. From what you can remember, this place was part of multiple Sith/Imperial class storylines and it is hard to understand which storyline this critical event is a part of. This quest has been issued to both discover what is happening and to help stop it.]
- Discover which of the Sith/Imperial storylines this event pertains to: 0/1
- Stop the antagonists: 0/1
- +100 EXP
- Reputation with the Sith/Imperial Faction
- Quest Progress: {Rise of the Outworlder I}
<=-+-=>
'Fuck,' Erebus groaned as he finished reading the quest-closing his log as he observed the area ahead.
Obviously, he could see the crazed imperials and Sith acolytes roaming around the courtyard in front of the Temple along with the Force Ghosts possessing their bodies, but he wasn't sure if there was anything he had in which he could use to sneak past them without attracting attention. The only thing he had was a full 10 points all across the board and they weren't exactly useful in the current situation.
The only things he had on were the clothes given to him by the System during the tutorial and didn't have any special qualities. From what he knew about the Dark Temple, this was a place where Force Users could come into after completing the trials on Korriban-giving them an innate resistance to the Dark Side which is housed in the Temple.
That was when he looked at the corner of his UI where there was a hidden notification. Hoping for a Hail Mary in this situation, he mentally tapped it open.
<=-+-=>
[Congratulations! Achievement Unlocked: Traversing the Darkness I. You have been awarded: +100 EXP, +100 Credits, +1 Skill: {Cloak of Shadows}]
[Money Pouch: 1200 Credits]
[EXP to Level: 0/400 (Level 3)]
[Skill: {Cloak of Shadows} - Enables the User to weave a cloak of shadows like a veil that can distort light with the capability of achieving greater feats.]
[System Remark: You still have some skills to activate in your Inventory! Maybe it could help too?]
<=-+-=>
After finishing reading the notification, Erebus was flushed with embarrassment. He had indeed forgotten about the stuff he had in his [Inventory] from the tutorial, but that was partially due to the stressful environment and his assumed drop-off...
'Wait a minute,' Erebus thought to himself as he looked back through to the moment he used the relocator beacon. 'Didn't I set the location to be Coruscant back then? Why did the System make me choose again?'
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"Ugh," he groaned softly as he shook his head in his hands. He continued while muttering softly to himself "I can't bother with this mysterious bullshit! I am already having to deal with being on Dromund Kaas and near a place which is also a Dark Side focus! I'll have to play it out by ear until it naturally things clear it up for me, but for now, let's just get this shit going."
'System, redeem the skills I got please,' Erebus mentally commanded.
[Request acknowledged,] the System responded. [Redeeming the {Basic Skills} package...]
<=-+-=>
[Redeemed the skill: {Inspect - Level 1}]
[Redeemed the skill set: {Force Manipulation - Level 1}]
[Redeemed the skill set: {Omni-Navigation - Level 1}]
[Redeemed the skill: {Allspeak - Level MAX}]
[Cannot redeem the skill set {Arcane Attunement} at this moment.]
[Redeemed the skill set: {Basic Martial Arts - Level 1}]
[Redeemed the skill set: {Basic Lightsaber Combat - Level 1}]
<-+->
{Allspeak}: Allows the Host to speak and understand all languages with maximum fluency. Does not apply to the written language. Upgradeable.
{Inspect}: Allows the Host to use the System to analyze other entities. Only works up to current level + 4. Upgradeable.
{Omni-Navigation}: Allows the Host to pilot ships and broomsticks. Upgradeable.
{Force Manipulation}: Allows the Host to manipulate the Force or similar energy fields with evolvable proficiency. Upgradeable.
{Arcane Attunement}: This skill has not yet been redeemed. Host must be at least level 20 and at (or above) Mortal Refinement cultivation to redeem.
<=-+-=>
Erebus' eyes widened as he felt a sudden injection of information pertaining to his redeemed skills appear in his mind and even show up on his [Skills/Abilities] tab. This was essentially a huge help already on top of his [Cloak of Shadows] skill that be got from the achievement, but it gave him a proper foothold in this new world.
Also considering that he reached level 3 from the extra bit of experience, he felt a tad more confident in going into the Dark Temple.
With that in mind, he decided to do two more things which will help give him more of an edge. Opening up his [Inventory] once again, he saw both the voucher and the lightsaber construction kit.
Before touching the voucher, he mentally tapped on the construction kit.
Immediately, a System Prompt appeared to act like a small minigame. All of the pieces to make a lightsaber were all there-including the kyber crystal-but there were no presets that he could choose. Erebus had no idea what kind of kyber crystal he would have nor what the final product was, but he did at least know that this little minigame would allow him to build his lightsaber.
[Welcome to the Construction Minigame,] the System quickly said as his surroundings felt muted. [In this minigame, you will begin to construct your first weapon in this world of magic and science. The goal is simple: you must attain a passing grade of 70% or higher in terms of compatibility in order to successfully construct your lightsaber.]
The System then highlighted the top righthand corner of the prompt where it read a big fat 0% in crimson red. [This is your compatibility gauge. Anything below 70% will show as crimson red while anything between 70 to 92% will be shown as a lime green. 92 to 98% will be shown as normal green and 99 to 100% will be shown as dark yellow and golden yellow respectively. The higher your compatibility is, the stronger your weapon will be.]
'Well, that sounds really good,' Erebus thought to himself as he observed the rest of the tutorial. It simply explained more about the various hilts, power supplies, kyber crystals, and mechanisms that the saber will need along with how each will affect each other in suitable harmony.
After a moment of the System explaining how it all works along with how this minigame can change depending on the world/universe he will visit (yes, this means he can craft his own wands in the future too!), Erebus began to work his magic on the minigame. He knew this kind of minigame was similar to a simulator game and he always loved seeing those 100 percents pop up when he got the puzzle complete.
As for his first attempt, he pulled up a blue kyber crystal similar to Obi-Wan's and wanted to try designing the prequel Obi-Wan's lightsaber from Episode 2 and 3. When he finished designing it, the System (unsurprisingly) gave a solid zero percent compatibility rating.
'It seems that I am not destined to wield Obi-Wan's lightsaber,' Erebus mentally sighed as he reset the board. 'Shame since it would have made him somewhat honored to have his lightsaber exist over three thousand years before his birth.'
Then he tried Anakin's prequel lightsaber design. Zero percent once again.
Darth Vader's lightsaber design... Zero percent...
Sidious' lightsaber design... Zero point five percent...
Luke's lightsaber design... Zero percent...
Yoda's lightsaber design... One percent...
Maul's lightsaber design... Zero percent...
QuiGon Jinn's lightsaber... Zero percent...
Ahsoka Tano's lightsaber... Zero percent...
'Let's try one more canon lightsaber design before I try something for this era,' Erebus thought to himself as he pondered more on who from all nine films in the Skywalker Saga he should choose to emulate. He could have tried Mace Windu's lightsaber design or Plo Koon's, but something told him that they too wouldn't be quite right. He decided to try Kylo Ren's lightsaber design...
Ten percent compatibility.
The only reasons for the highest compatibility rating he had seen thus far had been the cracked kyber crystal and the actual sword design his hilt had. This gave Erebus a decent starting off point, but he still felt there was more to his lightsaber design that there was currently being presented to him through his System.
'I can feel through the Force to design my lightsaber?' Erebus pondered as the passive connection to the Force his physical vessel gave him felt strong. Neither Light nor Dark were willing to war over each other and both seemed desperate to guide his actions.
'Well, it is better than nothing. Let's see how far the rabbit hole goes...' Erebus thought to himself as he decided to clear the board one more time and utilize his {Force Manipulation} skill to begin forging his weapon.
Unaware of it, the System quietly assigned 100 EXP out of the 1000 needed to level up his skill to Level 2. This didn't cause a disturbance in the Force as to not alert any Imperials or Sith acolytes nearby since from the start of this little minigame, the System had been actively slowing down the progression of time.
It didn't want its Host to be busy and miss an opportunity to uncover ancient Sith secrets from the ghosts which lingered in the Dark Temple.
After a few moments, Erebus felt the Force itself guide his actions. He collected a kyber crystal that seemed to hold a shadowy element within it, a hilt with a more modern futuristic design like something from SaberForge, and a suitable power supply that was more powerful than most lightsabers in the current era-possibly even more powerful than those invented during the First Order's reign.
(A/N: I looked on SaberForge for a good hilt design and most looked really good, but nothing screamed out at me more like their Outcast saber. It feels oddly fitting for the theme of this story, no?)
As soon as the Force-guided enlightenment ended with that final tap on the System prompt, Erebus saw the compatibility rating shoot up to a golden 100% before the prompt closed. The construction kit was replaced with his new lightsaber and automatically equipped.
[Congratulations!] the System announced as everything slowly returned to normal. [Through the Force guiding your actions, you have acquired your first lightsaber!]
<=-+-=>
[Achievement Unlocked: First Lightsaber. You have been awarded +100 EXP and +100 Credits.]
[Money Pouch: 1300 Credits]
[EXP to Level: 100/400 (Level 3)]
<-->
[Weapon: Blade of Shadows]
Type: Soul-bound Lightsaber (Growth)
Damage: 1000 * (STR/10)
Special Effects:
- Bloodless: Any attack with this weapon prevents blood loss due to the cauterization.
- Inverted Fortune: Anyone attacked by this weapon (except Host) has a 1% chance of having their luck value inverted for an hour (real-time).
- Chromatic Blade: This blade's appearance can be changed from black to white and any color in between. Cosmetic only.
- ???: Must have the {Arcane Attunement} skill unlocked.
- Soul-bound Item: This blade cannot be traded, destroyed, sold, dropped, or given away. It will return to the Host's inventory upon reaching zero HP.
<=-+-=>
It would be an understatement to say that Erebus was flabbergasted upon reading the description of his lightsaber. He was extremely surprised and shocked at how well his weapon was constructed, but the shock quickly faded into extreme confidence. He now had enough to help him survive the Dark Temple.
The shadows move between the darkness and light. Move well, Erebus Axus.
He didn't hear it nor was he made aware of it, but his System knew it. This was the Force itself whispering into that dark recess of his subconscious as if urging him forward.
To take that step which would shape his destiny and all those he would encounter in the future...
...to step forward into Hell itself to accomplish his goal.
For is it not the privilege of lesser beings to light the flame which forges heroes?