10 The Final Trial!

Djaeric stormed into Harkun's office with a purpose.

" Well, well, you certainly came back pretty quickly. Did the Overseers upstairs grow bored of you so fast?" Harkun gave a slight chuckle and then looked around for the others, not knowing they were already gone into hiding. " Hm? It would seem none of the others have shown up either, which means you and Fon are the last ones."

" Your boy dies today Harkun." Djaeric told the man.

" Not likely!" Harkun exclaimed. " Now listen closely, slave. Your final trial will be to retrieve an ancient map from the inner most chamber of Naga Sadow's tomb, which has never been breached in thousands of years. But before you get the map, you'll have to awaken an ancient assassin called a Dashade that sleeps within the tomb. You cannot access the map without it. Understand?"

" What's so special about this map?"

" Lord Zash wants it." Harkun growled. " Oh, and one more thing, you'll be competing with Fon for this map. Whoever brings it back will be Lord Zash's apprentice. The other will die. And Fon's already started, so my advice? Run slave." Harkun told the man.

He was just about to start gloating about his victory, when in walked none other than Lord Zash herself, with an awfully unpleasant look on her face.

" Ahem. One moment please." Zash muttered.

Harkun's face visibly dropped when the woman spoke.

" Lord Zash, what are you doing here?"

" Overseer, are you implying that I, a lord of the Sith, don't have the right to go where I please in the academy of the Sith?" Zash asked the man.

" No, lord Zash of course, not." Harkun muttered.

" Good. I saw the last acolyte arrive. I wanted to see the hopefuls off on their final trial. Where's uhm.. What's his... The red one, Fon?"

" He finished his trial early, so I sent him on, instead of waiting for this." Harkun told the woman.

" Pity. I just finished translating the wonderful text this acolyte, brought to me. And it's most illuminating. I don't know if the map can be retrieved without it." Zash spoke.

If Harkun wasn't upset before, the face he was making now, truly cemented it.

" Well, well, well! It's a good thing I didn't start running, isn't it, Harkun?"

Oh, Djaeric was all too happy to see Harkun in disarray. The look of shock on the man's face was worth more to him than any amount of money.

" It's too late, Fon's already left! You can't just-"

" Give one acolyte an unfair advantage over the other? Overseer, when has being Sith ever been fair?"

Zash's words cut into Harkun deeper than any knife could ever.

Djaeric was eating it up. All of this was Karma in the highest degree. Djaeric didn't care if Zash was a deceitful bitch at this moment, he would gladly indulge her just to see Harkun upset.

" Now, then dear acolyte. Here is what you must do to free, the Dashade. There are rods scattered throughout the tomb of Naga Sadow. These rods are the key to the chamber where the ancient assassin is imprisoned. You will need to place the rods into the prison and electrify them. It is not clear why, but you will need the Dashade if you wish to retrieve the map." Zash explained.

" Thank you, lady Zash, for being so kind." Djaeric smiled and bowed to the woman.

" Of course, my dear." Zash responded. " I will return when both acolytes are back from the tomb, you will not do anything further to affect the outcome of the trial, understood?" Zash said to Harkun.

" Yes, Lord Zash." Harkun humbly responded.

" Good. And good luck acolyte."

Djaeric bowed to Zash and Harkun and quickly left the chambers.

....

Djaeric wasted little time in starting his journey to the tomb of Naga Sadow, Thankfully, of all the Sith tombs, Naga Sadow's was the closest, being less than thirty minutes from the academy.

Djaeric, entered the tomb of Naga Sadow, with a purpose, however unlike the previous tombs, Monsters were less of a problem. Instead, the very first foe that Djaeric encountered as he ventured into the tomb were droids of an ancient design.

However, this was as worse of a match-up as any droid could imagine.

Djaeric was confronted by a small wave of combat droids, all carrying with them their own vibro blades.

They were gathering together in the center of the first chamber, standing in a circle around a small statue, as if they were protecting something.

This would be their undoing.

Djaeric raised his fingers and fired out lightning.

The lightning hit one of the droids and quickly arched around to the others, frying their circuitry and eliminating them as a threat almost instantly.

The droids fell apart, a combination of their internal destruction and the rust of time.

However, as they fell, the object which they guarded became clear. Sitting in the middle of the room, was a statue, holding within its hands a thin black rod.

" This must be one of the rods, Lord Zash spoke of." Djaeric muttered. " The rod of despair. What a name."

Djaeric took the rod and sheathed it on his back, where his training saber would normally go and kept it moving.

The numerous amounts of droids that filled the tomb was truly astounding, every room that Djaeric entered was filled with them. Using force lightning wasn't going to be an option for all of them. So, with his saber in hand, Djaeric did what he knew best, and started tearing his way through the machine menace, collecting the rods necessary to awaken the assassin along the way, until finally, as he breached the last room, he had all four of them in his grasp.

" Finally, all of the rods are mine. Harkun is truly going to be upset. I can succeed in my goal and make him look bad in the process. Amazing how a little patience can go a long way." Djaeric muttered.

With no reason to delay, Djaeric followed the tunnels deep into Sadow's tomb, and eventually he came to a chamber with a gigantic pit, and in the middle of that pit, floating in a stasis field, was a creature, Djaeric assumed was the Dashade that Zash had spoken of.

" Just wait, monster. I am coming for you."

Djaeric continued forward.

Now that he had the rods, he needed to place them in the appropriate places to help awaken the Sith Beast.

Within the room directly behind the beast, there were four altars, each with an image that correlated to one of the four rods.

Despair, Wrath, Fury, and Hate. Djaeric placed each rod in the same Altar as the message they represented, and then, he stepped to the middle of the room, and meditated on the altar.

The four rods, sprang to life and immediately released raging waves of lightning, that surely would have destroyed anyone who wasn't able to command the force, in an instant.

Djaeric, being a conduit for all that power, redirected the energy into a single bolt of lightning and fired it directly into the beast's prison.

Djaeric poured all of his might into that single blast, and even more so into keeping it going, until finally the rods shattered, and the lightning ceased.

Djaeric, collapsed, nearly devoid of energy. Nearly.

" Did that do it?" Djaeric wondered.

He watched as lightning swirled in the prison ahead of him, and then as if summoned forth by the storm, a single shattering roar exploded from the mouth of the beast. It was alive.

Djaeric took a deep breath and scowled. He stood up, and approached the beast, cautiously.

As he grew closer, the beast suddenly locked eyes with Djaeric, and then said something that was quite confusing.

" Master.... No." The beast muttered. He looked at Djaeric closely and then broke out into a fit of hysterias laughter. " Ha! The world continues to mock me! Haha! Tulak Hord! I waited for you. I did everything you said! And this is what you send me? Ha! Fate is cruel to me, indeed, little one." The monster exclaimed. " But not as cruel as it is to you. You have made a terrible mistake."

" And what mistake was that monster?"

" The mistake of awakening me from my long slumber. I am Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord, who was called the Lord of Hate, Master of the Gathering Darkness. Dark Lord of the Sith." Khem Val stated. " Together, Tulak Hord and I devoured our enemies at the battles of Yn and Chabosh and brought the entire Dromund system to its knees. And now I await his return." Khem Val explained.

" I hate to break it to you, Khem Val, but Tulak Hord is thousands of years dead. He is not returning for you." Djaeric told the monster.

" No. It cannot be. Master, why have you done this servant so? Why have you abandoned me? Were we not going to rule the galaxy together? Were we not to destroy our enemies? What is left of me now, that you are gone?" Khem Val exclaimed. " My rage is all consuming. You will regret having woke me young one. For I hunger, and I will devour you! HAAAA!" Khem Val flexed and burst out of his prison.

It took him a few moments to get his bearings, but once he was back on his feet, he quickly jumped down and attacked Djaeric.

Djaeric was impressed by Khem Val's strength, despite having just woken up.

As he crossed blades with the ancient beast, Djaeric summoned the power of the force to enhance his blows, to help push back against the monster.

Djaeric parried each of Khem Val's powerful blows and returned a series of powerful strikes of his own, slamming his saber down on top of Khem Vals ancient blade.

Khem Val, in his weakened state, felt Djaeric's strikes rattle through his bones.

Khem Val tried to mount a comeback and lunged at Djaeric with the tip of his blade, but Djaeric deflected the strike, and slashed Khem Val across his chest.

The training saber wasn't strong enough to cut through the thick skin of the ancient assassin, but it was strong enough to severely stun him, leaving him dazed long enough for Djaeric to hit him with force lightning.

The lightning dropped Khem Val to his knees.

" Khem Val, yield!" Djaeric demanded.

He blasted the Dashade with as much energy as he could muster, though still feeling weak after his initial burst of lightning, Djaeric could not keep it up for much longer.

Thankfully, Khem Val finally gave up. He dropped his blade and kneeled his head low to the man standing over him.

Seeing this, Djaeric slowly dissipated his lightning, but did not lower his guard. He raised his saber to Khem Val's neck and kept him directly in sight, ready to strike if he were to try and attack him.

" Ha! Defeated! Defeated!" Khem Val exclaimed. " Why did you not come for me, Tulak? Why have you allowed your servant to be reduced to this?" Khem Val asked.

Though you could not tell, Khem Val's pride was hurt.

" I have beaten you, Khem Val. You will guide me to the Map hidden in this tomb, the map of Tulak Hord."

Khem Val looked upon Djaeric, his saber still trained directly on his head.

" Fine, little one. On my great weakness, you have defeated me. So, I must serve you- this is the law that binds me." Khem Val explained. " But you are not my master."

" Nor do I wish to be." Djaeric told the beast. " I do not need a slave; I need a partner. One that will have my back, so how about it, Khem Val?"

" It will be acceptable, for now. But one day I will regain my strength-"

" And I will beat you again." Djaeric told the beast.

" We will see."

" Yes, we will. But for now, that map." Djaeric stated.

Khem Val grunted and stood up from the ground. He grabbed his sword and placed it on his waist.

" I will guide you to the map you seek." Khem Val muttered.

Djaeric let Khem Val take the lead and followed him towards the pathway directly across from his stasis prison.

" What is this, Khem Val? It's a dead end." Djaeric told the beast.

" Look closely, little one. Not all is as it seems." Khem Val muttered. " This is the way to the map, you seek. It is hidden behind this wall. You must destroy it."

Djaeric followed Khem Vall's instructions and stabbed his saber into the wall and slowly started cutting his way through, until finally the weak wall gave way.

A gust of air and debris quickly swirled into the room that Djaeric and Khem Val were standing in, the solemn sound of empty halls rang out loud for the first time in thousands of years.

Djaeric was shocked to see such a large part of the tomb, concealed so perfectly that no one had been able to find it for so long.

" After you." Djaeric said to Khem Val.

Khem Val nodded and took lead once more, being the first to enter into the forgotten pathway.

Once Djaeric saw it was clear, he followed behind Khem Val.

The moment he stepped foot into the ancient Sith's tomb, Djaeric was astonished to see that unlike the rest of the tomb, this room was entirely preserved.

All the years of constant pillaging, and desecration. None of it had affected this part of the tomb. The stone walls were still perfectly shaped and writing on the walls was clearer than anything before.

" This way." Khem Val stated.

Djaeric nodded and followed Khem Val through the empty tomb, passing by all the statues and artifacts still locked behind the tombs.

And then, as they ventured into the last chamber, they stumbled upon an ancient beast of the sith, guarding the map.

" This is it, little one. To get the map, you must slay this beast." Khem Val explained.

That was easier said than done.

This beast was gigantic, nearly as tall as the many large statues that encompassed the tomb.

It had long spiky horns, long sharp teeth, and long sharp claws on its large hands. How it was that this creature survived so long was unknown.

" It will die, as many others have." Djaeric muttered.

He grabbed his blade and braced himself for quite the fight.

He had some time, since entering this newfound tomb, to build some of his energy back. But he wasn't quite at full power.

" You are not yet at full power." Khem Val muttered.

" And yet, it will still be more than enough." Djaeric told the beast.

Finally, his goal was within his sights, he would not be deterred now. Not by some beast.

Djaeric and Khem Val both charged and leaped at the giant beast, hacking and slashing it as best they could.

For two trained killers, they looked and acted more as violent killers without any discipline.

The Mauler, thrashed around and roared out in agony and anger as the two beings preyed upon him, turning one of the deadliest creatures on Korriban into a defenseless pup in mere moments.

Their rage and ferocity were intense.

With one swing of his large blade, Khem Val cleaved off the Mauler's massive arm, a testament to his ancient strength.

Djaeric, not being done up, showed his own impressive display of strength by slicing off one of the beasts gigantic and thick legs, crippling it, and effectively rendering it defenseless as they continued to pick it apart piece by piece.

They hacked and slashed all over the beast's body, before finally, together they pierced the beast's skull and killed it. Unknowingly sending out a vicious ripple in the force that every force master on korriban sensed. This time, the cause was clear, a sith beast was killed.

" Great fight, little one." Khem Val muttered.

That was as best a compliment, Khem Val ever gave anyone other than his master. Fighting alongside this little one felt like, for just a moment, he was fighting with his old master.

The hatred and anger leaking off of Djaeric fed, Khem Val's own rage.

" Yes, that was fantastic Khem Val. Nothing can stop us, if we fight together." Djaeric exclaimed.

" Now, little one. Claim your prize." Khem Val told the man. He pointed to the map at the top of the altar.

There it was, Djaeric's prize. And now, nothing stood in his way, to get it. Djaeric took the map from its encasing in the Sith lord's tomb.

" Come, Khem Val. It is time for me to achieve the first step in my long goal. "

Djaeric took the map and along with Khem Val, began to make his way back to the Academy.

However, just as the sith masters had sensed the slaying of the beast, so had the many force sensitive creatures.

Rushing into the tomb, like a mob of hungry beasts, were hordes of Kor'Slugs and Screechers.

Yes, they were rushing, right to their deaths.

...........

At the Sith academy, Fon had returned empty handed and Harkun was not happy.

" I'm telling you overseer; it cannot be done. I went into the tomb, I saw the Dashade across the chasm, but I could not get to it." Fon told the man.

" But the Map! Lord Zash was adamant she would not take an apprentice without that MAP!" Harkun exclaimed. He slammed his hands down on his table in frustration. All of his hard work, and it led to this.

" I am telling you; Lord Zash wants the impossible. No one is ever going to get to the map!" Fon exclaimed.

At that moment, Djaeric and Khem Val both walked into the room, alerting Harkun and Fon.

" You wouldn't mean this map? Would you?" Djaeric asked spitefully. He held out the map with a great big grin on his face.

" The Map? And... The Dashade! Get that monster out of here this instant!" Harkun yelled. " And give me the map!"

" No, it's not possible!" Fon exclaimed. " You wretch, you filth, you must have cheated somehow. How did you do it? How did you release the monster?" Fon asked the man.

Djaeric gave Harkun the map, knowing that he now had won, and looked at Fon with a grin on his face.

" I am no monster. I am Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord. Devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh. Consumer of the Dromund system. And I am hungry." Khem Val exclaimed.

Fon flinched a little, when Khem Val pointed his long sharp nails at him.

" R-Right. You-You must have cheated... You must have. You'll pay for this." Fon muttered. Though his words were brave, the scent of fear on his breath betrayed his emotions.

" Fon, patience. You will have your chance at this whelp after you personally deliver this map to Lord Zash." Harkun told the man.

Djaeric looked to Harkun and his smirk quickly turned into a frown.

That was it.

" Khem, we're going to kill them." Djaeric told the beast.

" It will be a pleasure. It has been long since I have eaten a force user." Khem Val muttered.

Djaeric and Khem Val drew their blades, as did Harkun and Fon. This would be the first time, Djaeric faced an actual Sith in battle, as well as his first duel against a lightsaber.

The two parties were just about to clash, when suddenly Lord Zash herself, walked into the room.

" Well, now. Isn't this quite the scene." Zash muttered. " Keep your pet at bay for now, Acolyte, I would like a word with Fon." Zash told the man.

She stepped in between Djaeric and Harkun, and stared directly into Fon's eyes.

Quickly the two men, Harkun and Fon, put away their blades.

" Lord Zash?"

" Yes, Fon. Now, where's my map?" Zash asked the man.

Fon hesitated for a moment, before reaching out with the device. " R-Right here, Lord Zash. Ri0 Right here." Fon muttered. He clumsily handed over the device to Zash.

" You found if for me, Fon? How wonderful."

Djaeric watched this transaction go down and was livid.

" I am going to kill you slow, Fon." Djaeric spoke.

" Silence!" Zash commanded. Zash glared at Djaeric and Djaeric glared back, hand still clutching his training saber tightly.

" Khem Val are you still hungry?"

" Very much so." Khem Val muttered.

Even Zash would be blind, not to recognize the threat. But still retained her calm demeanor.

" Easy now, Acolyte. I merely wish for Fon to tell me how he obtained the map. You wouldn't dare lie to me, would you, Fon?" Zash asked the man. " Because it would be a shame to discover that you, lied to me. Now, one more time- Did you bring this map back from Naga Sadow's tomb?"

Fon thought clearliy about it for a good long moment, and hesitated.

" I- Uh.... I n-no... I did not." Fon admitted. " I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Fon told the woman.

" Harkun you fool." Zash muttered. " In any other group, under any other lord, this young man would have torn the other acolytes to shreds." Zash exclaimed. " What were you trying to prove? That you could outsmart me? That you knew better than me what kind of person I wanted for an apprentice?" Zash asked the man.

Harkun was left speechless.

" You fool!" Zash exclaimed. She raised both of her hands and sent out a torrent of energy that completely fried Fon, dropping and killing the man instantly.

Djaeric, watched as Fon's body dropped to the ground, and though he was dead, Djaeric was angered that it wasn't his blade that delivered the death blow. But oh well, it wasn't worth voicing his anger over. Not anymore.

" There's your pet, Harkun. Clean this mess up." Zash told the man. " Apprentice, meet me upstairs."

Djaeric nodded and bowed to the woman. "As you say." he spoke.

Zash quickly turned to leave, wanting nothing more to do with Harkun and his foolish antics.

After Zash was gone, Harkun finally spoke up, finding his voice once more.

" This... Is not the end. Without Zash to save you, you're nothing. I have connections that will hunt you wherever you go." Harkun told Djaeric.

" That's fine. But remember, Harkun... It was your life, Zash saved today. Not mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to report to my master, now. Khem.... Go ahead and eat Fon if you want." Djaeric told the man.

" No, nothing to eat. Charred too badly." Khem responded.

" Well, that's too bad. We'll find you something to eat soon." Djaeric told the monster. " Let's go."

Djaeric left Harkuns chambers, feeling a great sense of pride and accomplishment. Finally! He was Sith, even if he was just an apprentice, it was still a grand step in the right direction.

Djaeric walked up to the second floor and took a right down the first hallway at the top of the stairs.

The students in the academy all stared at Djaeric and his monster Khem Val in fear.

Even the Inquisitors and other overseers were cautious of the beast.

Djaeric and Khem Val both noticed this but ignored them and continued to Zash's chambers. When they arrived, Zash welcomed them with open arms and a smile on her face.

" Ah, my magnificent new apprentice. Congratulations are in order, I believe." Zash muttered.

" Thank you, for giving me this opportunity." Djaeric told the woman. She was his master, now, and he would be inclined to show at least some level of respect.

" You've earned it, my apprentice." Zash told the young man. " Now, I've been looking over this astonishing map, you've brought back, and I can tell we have a lot of work ahead of us." Zash stated.

" I cannot, wait."

" Glad to hear your enthusiasm. If anything, it's the right attitude to have. But we have very little time to dilly dally. Meet me on Dromund Kaas. There we will speak more on what it is I will task you with, without the interference of unfriendly ears. I have written you permission to use the shuttle just a little bit away from the academy, to get to the Imperial space station. Once there, you will board a ship named the Black Talon that will take you to Dromund Kaas, do you understand?" Zash asked the young man.

" Yes, Lord Zash."

" Perfect!" Zash exclaimed. She reached into her robe and pulled out two different objects. The first was a small credit chip, used to store credits, the currency used throughout the galaxy, and the second was a lightsaber. " Here, as a celebration of your ascendancy, I'm gifting you this credit chip and my very first lightsaber. It was the one I had as an apprentice. I want you to have it."

Djaeric checked how much was on the chip and was left speechless, one million credits. That was quite the hefty payment, for just becoming an apprentice.

" Thank you, Lord Zash. You honor me." Djaeric told the woman.

" Nonsense. This is just the beginning of what is to come. Just make sure you do not spend it all at once and do try to get yourself some gear. It will do you good to have something to wear to protect yourself." Zash stated.

" Yes."

" Perfect, now, remember, my chambers, the citadel, Dromund Kaas. It is imperative that we get to work on this as soon as possible." Zash reiterated.

Djaeric nodded.

Zash smiled and quickly left her office, while Djaeric began studying his new lightsaber.

He ignited the red blade.

" It has no weight. It will take some time getting used to." Djaeric muttered. " But it will be worth it." Djaeric turned off his saber and clipped it to his belt. " Come Khem Val. I need to grab some people before we leave Korriban."

Khem Val nodded and followed behind Djaeric.

Djaeric's plan was to leave the academy and venture into Ajunta Pall's tomb to collect his people, before leaving the planet. However, as he was leaving Zash's office, an unknown sith and two other men cut off his exit.

" Stop right there, Slave. I have a message from Darth Skotia." The man exclaimed.

" Call me that again, and I'll snap your neck." Djaeric told the man. He was no longer slave. He was truly Sith now and would not allow the stains of his past to be his image.

" Heh heh heh! Aren't you a tough little slave. The man I work for is Zash's superior, and therefore yours. And you will listen, and you will listen well. You will not go to Dromund Kaas. Everything you've done here; everyone you deal with- Lord Zash included- is insignificant." The man exclaimed. " Darth Skotia has eyes and ears on Korriban. He knows what your master is up to, and he is displeased to say the least. On Korriban, Lord Zash may have her way. But on Dromund Kaas, it's a different story. So, you see, you have to die."

" Heh.... Khem Val... Kill them." Djaeric told the beast.

Djaeric reached his hand out and yanked the Sith warrior towards him with the force.

He was defenseless to stop Djaeric. The Sith drew his lightsaber, as did Djaeric, and the two clashed blades.

The feeling was weird and foreign to Djaeric, but the force his opponent was pressing down onto him wasn't.

Djaeric directed his opponent's blade to the side and jabbed the tip of his lightsaber against the other man's arm, slightly nicking it.

But even a small nick with a lightsaber was very painful, far more than a sword.

The Sith shouted in pain but continued swing his saber regardless.

Djaeric parried the man's saber with skill and grace.

Form Two, Makashi, a perfect form to learn for saber dueling, at least that's what Djaeric thought, and as the would-be assassins swung his saber wildly and without concern.

Djaeric danced around the Sith, moving his blade with grace and force. Each blow, Djaeric landed, sent the Assailants blade backwards, and buckled his wrist.

Khem Val very quickly made easy work of the Sith's two lackies and was already feasting on their bodies while watching Djaeric duel his enemy.

The Sith lunged at Djaeric one more time, however, as his blade reached to strike, Djaeric swatted the parried the blade to the side and with one quick flick of his wrist, Djaeric separated the man's head from his shoulders.

" Well done, little one. You've adjusted to your weapon already." Khem Val muttered.

" No, Khem Val. I haven't. It still feels a little weird, but I've at the very least got the basics. Learning actual sword fighting and some of the saber forms was good." Djaeric muttered. " Oh, and Khem do hurry up and eat him. Can't leave any evidence."

" Of course."

It took some time for Khem Val to finish eating the three bodies, but he was quite happy. It was his first meal in centuries, and it was quite tasty.

" What do we do now?" Khem Val asked the man.

" We call upon my people and then we head for Dromund Kaas. There is much I need to do." Djaeric told the beast.

Djaeric reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator, and when the person on the other end picked up, he spoke. " It's time!"