[Avatar of the Force] 12 – Sudden Attack

After the angry Darth left me, I silently cursed at what awaited me. Sith Hounds, or Tuk'ata, are beasts of massive size, with three rows of teeth, six-inch long claws, three horns, and could move on all four of their legs or two, should the situation call for it. These beasts were infamous for being essentially guard dogs for many tombs throughout the valley and one of the more dangerous forms of wildlife across Korriban, with the Hounds cunning and strong enough to hunt down force-sensitive individuals, such as Sith or Jedi.

How was I to kill one of these beasts with just my blade? Let alone several of them? I had to do this smart...I stopped where I was and stepped over to the wall, sliding down it into a seated position. I needed some MP for my plan, and I'd need to activate [Meditation] to regenerate more MP. 

I had only the blade I came in with, so I had to either fight them head-on or lure the hounds into a trap. I doubt I could hurt the beasts much by throwing only rubble at them. Perhaps I could lure them into a trap and collapse the roof on them? No. Darth Bane wants their heads, so I can't risk that. I'd launch my sword like a sword if I could, but if the blade got lodged into one of the beasts and I could not pull it out in time, I'd be screwed and be a chew toy for the Sith Hounds.

If only I could somehow figure out how to use Sith Lightning, one of the most common offensive techniques of the dark side, but I had no idea how. Maybe I could somehow earn it from Darth Bane? No, not unless I wanted to suffer his...expectations, which only got worse with time as he expected more and more out of me.

For a supposed Ghost, he sure lacks patience...

...

A little over an hour later, my MP was restored. I got a level in Meditation, raising it to level 13 and giving me a bonus of +23% to my MP regen when meditating, and much to my surprise, I even got a level in my force sensitivity! I know it said in its description that I could increase my sensitivity through meditation and a few other things, but I'm surprised it took so long to gain just a single level in the skill. 

Ready enough, I got up and started my way to the central area of the academy with my sword drawn and ready. The Sith hounds would likely smell me before I even saw them, so I was fully prepared for any ambush. I knew that unless I was extraordinarily lucky, I was going to get hurt in this fight, and likely punished for every 'mistake' by the angry Sith Ghost who had taken me.

As I walked through the corridors towards the central chamber of the academy, I felt my [Danger Sense] buzzing in the corner of my mind, warning me of a nearby threat, but I saw nothing. With the Darth gone, did the Ghosts start creeping up on me again? 

Keeping my guard up, I passed by the ruined hallways of the Academy, vigilant of any sudden attack, and just as I reached the central chamber, my [Danger Sense] flared to life, and as I whirled to face the threat, I was met with an empty space, before being struck with a lot of pain.

[You have been afflicted with: Minor Ghostly Possession (Stage 1)]

[-5% MP while afflicted]

Cursing, I felt the intrusion in my very soul and mind.

[You have been afflicted with: Minor Ghostly Possession (Stage 2)]

[-10% MP while afflicted]

With each moment, the pain that wracked my mind only worsened, and my desperation grew.

[You have been afflicted with: Minor Ghostly Possession (Stage 3)]

[-15% MP While Afflicted]

In my desperation, I tried anything and everything to stop the spread of the possession, and with my futile effort, and as I began hearing whispers in my ear, I cursed, "If I can't have my body, you will not have it!"

I took hold of every single string of my mana and poured it through my body, filling my mind with a burning pain as I started burning myself inside and out.

My HP rapidly drained as I felt an intense pain across my entire body, but as it continued, I felt the whispers begin to slow before erasing entirely.

[You have been afflicted with: Minor Ghostly Possession (Stage 2)]

[You have been afflicted with: Minor Ghostly Possession (Stage 1)]

[You have been afflicted with: Minor Ghostly Possession (Dormant)]

As I huffed and puffed, I ignored the various notifications telling me various skills leveled up and instead shifted my gaze to my status.

[HP: 23/75], [MP: 21/45.5], [SP: 15/33]

Sliding off my knees, I took a meditative position and took heavy breaths as every twitch and breath sent a wave of agony through me.

I don't know how exactly I made the ghost trying to possess me stop, maybe my MP affected the Spiritual as much as the Physical? In any case, the Ghost is dormant, and as much as I wanted to burn the rest of it out, I couldn't risk it.

I was already in too much pain, every moment hurting and making me feel like screaming, yet I sat there in a lotus pose, my flesh knitted itself and put itself back together at a speed visible to the naked eye.

I knew that I was already going to be punished for not hurrying back with the heads of the Sith Hounds, so I took the time to heal and recover while I searched for any trace of the parasite trying to take over my body. I was not used to trying to sense the things around me with the Force, let alone within myself, but I will say that it was quite the... nauseating feeling. Feeling my own heartbeat, the blood pumping through my body, and my own emotions was dizzying, but fortunately, I did find the Parasite eventually.

It was...like a small disfigured flame, hiding within my chest that tethered itself to my...soul? Through multiple strings made of its own soul. Just from what I could feel, the soul parasite was severely damaged, like a small ember of a flame within a storm. It was close to being snuffed out, and I was experimenting with reaching out towards this soul through the force. Through instinct, I suddenly slammed into it with all of my mind and willpower, feeling it try to fight back futilely as my will and mind snuffed out the core part of the soul, its personality...leaving it hollow.

[Minor Ghostly Possession (Dormant)] -> [Soul Parasite (Damaged/Erased)]

Then, once more through instinct, I filled the Damaged Soul with my own will.

[Soul Parasite (Damaged/Erased)] -> [Subdued Soul Parasite (Damaged)]

Giving a faint smile, I strengthened the connection between the my soul and the one I now control and let the Force flow through the connection between my soul and its, and with it, I now had another soul I did not know what to do with.