Jedi Insurgency 184

Gora's palace shook once more, the support beams from down low shuddered, and the noise of several collapses echoed up dozens of floors. Tilting to one side, the top half of the building dangerously careened to one side, threatening to topple over. 

Darth Maul adjusted his footing, and mustered his rage.

A bubbling anger had slowly been building over the course of this fight, and was threatening to boil over. This apocalyptic, intense emotion was like magma in his veins, causing a throbbing headache. And it was all directed inward. 

He thought he had been so clever with this ambush. That he could eliminate the flaccid Hutts, install a puppet, and put this pretender in his place! Instead, he was met with a Sith! 

An ancient Sith. One who was demonstrating an ability he had never heard of, much less imagined! The sight of that shadow-like wraith was enough to drive any man to fear! Revan had no presence, as if he were invisible within the Force, yet those burning white eyes were like a pair of suns, as if they could see through Maul's very soul. 

‘How else would he know about the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? How much had he foreseen?!?!’ Maul internally snarled. 

And when Maul's magicks were so easily countered, he found the pit of darkness that fueled his rage to have grown even further. He absolutely refused to feel fear or hesitation! His master, Darth Sidious had raised the most capable assassin in the galaxy…he refused to bend to a shadow! 

Snarling to himself, he watched on as the old man ignited a pair of lightsabers, and he prepared himself for battle. Intel reports, and propagandists had made mention of Revan's two most beloved abilities-teleportation & invisibility-enhancing his ears with the Force, and feeling for any sudden changes in the air currents, he bottled up his hatred, and began a chant. 

“Az'kuraz nagash! Az'kuraz ysard…Az'kuraz TOH'RAH!” His every word thrummed in the Force, pulling upon the few remaining souls that rested in his bone necklace. 

The tattoos that covered his skin wriggled like worms, and burned his flesh. Pain met his senses, whilst the smell of burnt flesh entered his nares. Yet this only served to hone his instincts. Enhancing his speed, and other physical attributes, the tattoos ever so slightly suffocated him, threatening to cut off his air supply completely. But it was worth it. There wasn't any risk he wouldn't take when facing an ancient Sith Lord. 

The Force snarled around him, treacherous and unstable, as he spun his double-bladed lightsaber into motion. Crimson arcs carved through the smoke and falling ash of this broken building, threatening violence. The familiar weight and balance of the weapon grounded him, and became a focus for his power. Fully prepared, he sharply inhaled, and settled into a kata. 

Revan chose that moment to vanish from sight. 

Maul’s eyes narrowed instantly, wondering if the old man had gone invisible. Instincts honed over a life spent torturously training screamed in warning. He twisted aside as a blade flashed into existence where his spine had been a heartbeat earlier. Blue light sheared through air, followed immediately by red, the opponent's twin sabers moving in a predatory, flowing sequence.

He recognized the pattern. Form VII, his master's favorite. 

Maul hissed and answered with Form VI. He let the saber become an extension of his will, and replied with a whirlwind offensive. One blade intercepted Revan’s blue saber while the other lashed out toward the Jedi’s midsection, forcing Revan to choose. Would the masked Sith continue with his slash, or would he take Maul's stab? 

Revan did not retreat, but met the blade head on. When it met the edge of the masked man's robe, Maul's saber winked out. Caught off guard, he realized too late that the intel report had been flawed! The ‘Jedi’ was wearing Cortosis-Weave clothes!!! 

Maul bit his tongue, releasing his own blood as the medium for his next spell. As Revan’s saber roared towards his back, the Zabrak transformed into a ‘faded’ somewhat ethereal, green ghostly state. Copying one of Mother Talzin's most iconic abilities, he phased through the lightsaber! As soon as the red beam of super hot plasma passed through his non-corporeal body, he phased back into real-space, and shoved a fist forward. 

Green lightning gushed forward at the shadow's back. The wave of crackling electricity wilted the floor, and began to peel away Revan's barrier like one might peel an orange! Before he could celebrate, the shadow had vanished once more. 

“Beldorion!’ Maul snarled in warning.

The world lurched as Revan reappeared behind the muscular Hutt, slashing deep across the Dark Jedi’s shoulder before dissolving again into shadow. Beldorion roared in pain and fury, hammering forward with brute-force strikes, his massive strength turning each blow into a battering ram. The palace was beginning to collapse into pieces by this point, and several large piles of rubble collapsed from the roof, forcing Maul to constantly dodge. 

Glancing at Beldorion’s single remaining arm, and the damage the shoulder had sustained, he clucked his tongue. 

Turning as one, they both met Revan, only to swipe at thin air. 

‘A [Mind Trick]!’ Maul thought to himself, and barely plunged himself into a forward roll as the hum of a lightsaber swiped where his neck had been. 

Performing a backflip, he then jumped over Revan, exchanging a dozen blows within seconds. Beldorion had also joined in, and heavy-easily telegraphed-Form I strikes aided Maul's speedy offense. Although he found such basic attacks to be beneath him, the strength that the Hutt added to the equation was complimentary to his own agile style. 

This was how it had to be, applying pressure, coordination, and a relentless pursuit into one overwhelming assault. Maul flowed around Beldorion’s heavier attacks, his saber a spinning barrier that struck, withdrew, and struck again. His strikes were insidious, like that of a viper. Sparks screamed as red met red, then blue. Each time Revan left himself exposed-as if he were to tank another hit-Maul would flash a green light in his off hand, threatening another blast of witch lightning. 

They pressed Revan against a pillar the width of a large shuttlecraft. As soon as they cornered him, Beldorion held out a hand, emitting a vast, gravitational suction, intending to hold the shadow in place. 

“Yes! Hold him, Beldorion!” Maul said, ecstatic at finally capturing the blasted nerf herder. 

“Oh hoh hoh, your tricks are finished, Jedi.” Beldorion deeply chuckled. 

Revan turned invisible again, and this time, he felt a whoosh in the air past his face. 

Maul snarled, rage sharpening his focus. He felt Revan now, not where he was, but where he would be! He pivoted, blades crossing defensively just as Revan teleported back into existence behind them. 

The son of Dathomir roared in defiance, and his tattoos granted him a type of super speed that was beyond his current body's ability to precisely control. This time, he was ready for the Cortosis-Weave cloth, this time, his blades were coated in witch lightning! Although a lightsaber could block such an attack, he was absolutely certain that not even cortosis was immune to the powers of the Force! 

His blades connected with something, and he felt it split in half midair. However, his heart sank, as it was much too small! Leaving the cloak of invisibility, a broken thermal detonator revealed itself. 

Revan had not run past them, or teleported…no, Beldorion had indeed held him in place! The old man had tricked them, and simply stood still whilst invisible. They had fallen for the ruse, and now would suffer the consequences! 

Double handed lightning met their unprotected backs half a beat later. Souls almost completely drained from his necklace, Maul didn't even have enough time to activate the artifact, even if he could. The pair of them-Sith & Dark Jedi alike-were defenseless in the face of Revan's cruelty. 

“AghHgJhagg!!!” Maul cried out as he collapsed. 

On his knees, the Zabrak saw nothing but a sea of white-blue light, and felt his skeleton start to disintegrate. He pushed his rage, and wrath forward, and into his tattoos. By now, his breaths were shallow, but he had the power to resist. Reacting with every ounce of willpower that he could muster, Maul swiped his hand down, pulling upon his telekinetic abilities. Bringing a large section of the ceiling down on top of Revan’s position, he forced the shadow to dodge. 

Gasping for a breath of fresh air, Maul angrily slammed a fist into the durasteel plating next to him, cracking it with a Force enhanced punch. Wiping away his blindness, he thought he saw double when looking at the Hutt. Charred beyond recognition, he was barely breathing.

“Pathetic worm. You're not even worthy to be my patsy.” Maul disdained. 

Struggling to stand, his mechanical legs were twitching due to the electrical assault. Slapping them with a bit of green lightning, he forced himself to his feet. Using the large Hutt body as a springboard, he caught his breath, and reignited his lightsaber. 

The debris from the ceiling finally finished collapsing, and several gaping holes were revealed once the dust cleared. Neon lights spilled into the dimly lit domain, and the noise of a thousand shuttlecraft flying by every minute spilled onto the scene. Maul breathed in the toxic, polluted air with relish. 

Glancing across the chasm that had been formed by falling debris, and clash of Force powers, he had expected Revan to have gone invisible, or teleported away. However, the masked man seemed to be in worse sorts than even him. 

The shadows that bound his body together were worn, and frayed, like an article of clothing that had spent ages in the sun. Dust coated Revan's form, and he was staggering, seemingly barely able to remain on one leg. Furthermore, several cracks of light spilled through where the shadow stitching was broken, revealing damaged skin that would surely kill a lesser man. 

Grinning ferally to himself, he knew that this was his opportunity. 

Taking to the offensive for the first time since he first ambushed him, Maul leapt across the chasm, somersaulted off some debris, then ran along a wall before slamming down atop Revan from on high. 

The Jedi violently coughed up some glowing plasma-like blood, and repelled Maul's attack. 

“You have become weak, old man.” Maul taunted, and pressed his weapon forward entering a saber lock. 

Despite being wounded, and running low on air, Maul's spirit, and confidence in himself were buoyed by Revan’s pitiful appearance. Drawing upon the Darkside, he began to push Revan back until the masked man's spine violently collided with a pillar. 

Still locked together, Maul charged up a fistfull of witch lightning, and prepared to shove it under Revan’s mask, and point it directly at his skull. 

“Your overconfidence shall be, kiahha, your…undoing!” Revan wheezed between coughs. 

Slamming his head forward, beskar metal directly collided with Maul's nose, smashing cartilage, and causing blood to flow down his mouth like a fountain. 

“If you think that minor amount of pain shall make me release you, you are sorely mistaken!” Maul laughed in Revan's face, and cruelly taunted his prey. 

Punching forth, his offhand was mere inches away from vaporizing the ancient Sith's skull. 

“That, mnkm, was the distraction.” Revan muttered in amusement. 

The twin lightsabers that had been locked with Maul's suddenly deactivated, and Revan then blocked Maul's blade with his clothing once more, knowing that all of the witch lightning had been concentrated in his offhand. 

Maul snarled, unleashing the pent up energy in an effort to kill this hated foe. 

“Die!” He roared, pouring all of his hatred into the nearly point blank attack. 

Reigniting his blades, Revan blocked in an X. Bright green necrotic anomalies wilted the world around them, and the shadow stitches holding Revan together peeled off one by one, deflecting the attack. 

“Why. Won't. You. Die?!” Maul demanded as he felt his energy begin to wane, and his attack sputter out. 

Revan was oozing bright neon blue blood from his ears, and the viscous fluid dripped down his mask. When it touched the durasteel plating below, the metal hissed as if it had met the most potent of acids. 

Barely holding himself together, a minty green color coated his body healing his wounds. However, they soon opened again, spilling a new round of blood. 

The old man began to laugh. Despite the overwhelming damage he had sustained, Revan didn't care, and heavily kicked Maul in the stomach with a boot. 

Maul absorbed the impact, boots skidding across cracked stone as the force of the blow drove him back. His teeth clenched. He refused to yield ground, but yield he did, step by grudging step. Revan’s renewed assault was unrelenting. The ancient Sith fought like a storm given will.

Form VII poured from him in merciless sequences, red and blue sabers striking in unpredictable rhythms, Light and Dark fused into something Maul found difficult to discern. Each clash sent shocks up Maul’s arms. Each exchange forced him to dig deeper into his waning reserves. 

Despite his acrobatic spins, and well timed telekinetic pushes & pulls, it wasn't enough. 

Revan flickered out of existence again, and Maul felt that he was somehow even faster than before! A glancing strike cut through Maul's guard across his side, searing his flesh.  

Retreating yet again, the Zabrak's fury spiked. His rage was hot and venomous. This was not how this was meant to go. He had planned this. Calculated it. Orchestrated every last variable! 

And yet Revan advanced, his body collapsing into itself, yet somehow growing stronger each second that passed. He was pushing past limits Maul had never dared to cross.

The palace shuddered violently, a section of ceiling collapsing nearby, but Maul barely noticed. His entire world had narrowed to Revan’s blades and the inexorable pressure driving him back. Baring his teeth, he spun his saber into a desperate flourish, forcing himself forward once more.

He would not be outmatched.

He would not be humiliated.

He would emerge victorious!

Eyes searching for a way out of this mess, he zeroed in on the immobile Jedi, and warriors at the far end of the palace. They were feeding him. Maul’s lip curled in contempt. So that is your weakness.

Revan vanished again, reappearing in a blur of red and blue aimed straight for Maul’s centerline. Maul met the strike, blades locking in a shriek of energy, but instead of pressing the duel, he twisted, disengaged, and ran past Revan.

Straight for the source.

Revan reacted instantly.

Shadows snapped inward as Revan interposed himself between his followers & Maul.  The sudden change from predatory assault to defense was all Maul needed to confirm his theory. 

Their blades crashed together in a flurry of savage blows. Maul drove low, then high, then spun, forcing Revan to give ground for the first time since the duel began. Each strike was fueled by level headed calm, and was no longer as desperate as seconds ago. Focusing on the strengths of Form VI, he flowed flawlessly from one step to the next, as Maul threaded offense and movement into one seamless advance.

Revan’s steps became indecisive as their fight drew ever closer towards his followers. It was only for a fraction of a second, but like a Karkarodan that smelt blood in the water, Maul pounced.

Maul slammed his saber staff down, locking Revan’s movement. The cracks of light crawling beneath Revan’s skin flared violently, his body protesting the strain as his attention splintered between Maul and the lives behind him. He could sense it, Revan was running just as low on energy as he was, another teleportation at this moment would be…impossible! 

Maul barred his teeth in a savage grin. Victory was within sight. Now was the time to call upon his ally. 

“Now, Beldorion! Whilst he is distracted, strike his students down and end this farce!”

The hulking Hutt-who resembled char broil-steadily rose from his spot, and began to slowly advance towards the pair of Jedi teens. 

For the first time, fear flickered across Revan’s presence, and it was succulent. 

Maul pressed harder, locking the sabers tighter, savoring the tremor in Revan’s stance. This was it. Strip him of his conduits. Break his will! 

The palace groaned, the Force howled, and Maul knew that soon, he would experience the pleasure of Revan's agony. 

“I wonder, old man, if after today, they shall tell the tale of Darth Revan, the Arrogant!”