Jedi Insurgency 114

Faced with an overwhelming crowd of opponents, and a handful of elites, the trio of Jedi were swiftly swarmed upon. 

Blasterbolts, grenades, rocketlaunchers, and even a repositioned starfighter's turbolasers all rained down upon them. 

Yet they did not sit idle. 

Yon breathed deeply, and upon his exhale, a powerful gust of wind upturned most of the oncoming projectiles. In many cases, the explosives were sent back the way they came, whilst the trajectories of the blasterbolts were forced to go wide. 

Jax was ice cold. The air tremored around him as if it shivered. A primal cry vibrated from his being, and the long dead echo of the once proud Zilo beast shook the hangar like the most tumultuous of earthquakes. 

Their opening salvo proving itself worthless, the Blackwing virus corrupted royal guardsmen prepared for their second wave of attack, yet were interrupted by a bright pale white-blue flash of light! 

Standing at the helm of this three man group, Corvus, mask gleaming, and cloak fluttering with mystic power held out two hands into the hangar. Sparks crackled, and the corrupting stain of the Darkside flickered across his finger tips. The shadows in the room cast by this light grew ever longer, and that vast, boundless hunger that dominated the zombies minds began to waver. When the great arcs of electricity left Corvus’s hands, they bathed the room with all their vaporizing might. 

Steel panels shrieked, sounding like a pressure canister that was about to pop. Light fixtures burst one after another, showering glass onto the floor. And the flesh of the damned melted like a waxy candle placed under a hot flame. The power of the Darkside invaded the virus, and for one single moment, one infinitesimally small second before their gruesome demise, the abominations had lost their appetite, and understood the meaning of fear. 

A hot white steam, and smoky resin clouded the battlefield as Corvus relented in his attack. Putrid filth clattered to the floor where once a body had stood. As the fog cleared, it became apparent that black, muddy ashes were all that remained of this once terrifying crowd. 

However, Corvus did not celebrate. His two students remained silent, and solemn. 

Emerging from the ashes, holding up a slightly scarred, chitin armblade, was the intelligent zombie. Flanking his left and right were the five other mutants. This act of Corvus’s had confirmed his fear. The Marakami orchid acted as the perfect catalyst. Empowered by the Force, these ancient Sith inspired monsters could protect themselves from the Jedi artes. 

Mouth snapping open in a monstrous grin that resembled something out of Pac-Man, the Master level mutant brandished its blade, and ran at them. Every step it took was heavy, and echoed across the durasteel plated floors like a gong. Following in its wake, five lesser mutants, each one wielding a Force Sensitive chitin blade, ran at them. 

Corvus tossed out a flashbang, a sonic grenade, and several dozen thermal detonators. The wave of energy rippled against his [Energy Resistance] barrier, but did little to no self-inflicted harm. The infected, meanwhile, were forced to dodge, or had slowed down due to the impact of these weapons. 

Watching with keen interest, he witnessed a thermal detonator explode near the chest of one of these chitinous mutants, and instead of exploding into a shower of gore, it only had a section of its chest caved in. Picking itself up, the creature resumed its attack. Noting this information down, he came to the conclusion that they were heavily resistant to direct attacks. That perhaps his lightsaber might take multiple strikes to cut through. 

As he considered various countermeasures, the boys prepared themselves for the oncoming assault. 

Yon kicked off the ground, and levitated slightly off the ground, his breaths measured, the green blade of his red tinted lightsaber was drawn at the ready. 

Jax, meanwhile, sat down in a meditative pose similar to Qui-Gon's during the duel of the fates. A condensation of power gathered around his lithe form, and he was poised like a cobra, ready to strike at a moments notice. 

Unwilling to leave the initiative to the enemy, Corvus struck first.

With a flicker of darkness and speed, Corvus vanished into a [Shadow Hop]. Reappearing in a nook of the ceiling, he used a wide, AOE Master tier (low) [Force Push] upon his foes. 

The air buckled, and although the mutants seemed to sense that something was wrong, there was nothing they could do against this overwhelming pressure. At least Corvus thought that was the case. The lead zombie roared, and together with his fellows, a psychic echo rushed out from them, intercepting Corvus's invisible attack. A shockwave caused the hangar to shudder, and the two forces canceled each other out. 

Jax & Yon, acting like true Shadows, didn't just stand around and watch. The pair took this opportunity to rush out. Yon attacked the left most flank, his lightsaber caught his opponent offguard, and three swipes to the neck decapitated the mutant that he targeted. 

Jax sprang forward, the wildness in his steps appeared graceful, like a predator that was at the top of the food chain. His weapon moved in confounding, powerful arcs reminiscent of Form VII, the mutant that faced him swung forward with a straight chopping motion. This was all according to Jax's intentions, and the white haired teen coolly dodged by less than an inch. His twin sabers then crisscrossed, and dozens of jagged wounds tore the monster asunder. 

In mere seconds, six had become four. Chaos erupted as both boys found themselves surrounded in a brutal 2v1 situation. 

As for Corvus, the large mutant was his enemy. Pushing off from his nook, he lunged down at it with incredible speeds. Raising its blade to meet him, it swung at his deliberately exposed midsection. When the Force Blade drew near, Corvus felt that it was trying to lock him in place with the Force! That his ability to teleport might be limited! However, this abomination didn't appear to have much practice in this department, and he was successful in [Shadow Hopping] behind its back. 

Moving with the same momentum he had earlier, Corvus cast two abilities in short succession. [Force Suppression] & [Slow] hit its exposed flank one after another. If his foe was an experienced Master tier opponent, or had used its Force Blade as a focus, perhaps they would be able to resist these two attacks. However, as an inexperienced bioweapon, it had no choice but to take them head-on! 

Pivoting with his wrist and performing a handstand, Corvus dodged the retaliatory strike, and raked his lightsabers across the creature's chest. Black, curdling smoke sizzled as its chitin armor blocked some of his attack. 

Landing on his feet, he saw that if he struck the beast twice more in the same spot, he would be able to cleave directly through!

Roaring its defiance, the mutant charged at him, the first blade came in high, but it was a feint, as it then lowered into a side swipe. Corvus stepped into the attack, easily following its actions thanks to [Slow]. He caught it with a brutal parry and countered with another cross-slice that would have felled a lesser fighter. But his target twisted, used its left arm as a shield, and ignored the wound. The damaged hand reached forward, its grotesque, gnarled fingers moved towards his neck, intending to squeeze him like a vice grip. 

A flashback of the fight against the Anzat briefly entered his mind, and he acted on instinct. This time, he was the stronger one! 

He ducked a sweeping arc, and swiped his sabers at the mutant's thinnest body part, its ankles! It staggered, and almost fell forward as its feet barely held on! 

A psychic roar bashed against his [Force Barrier], making it ripple and shudder. However, Corvus saw this as the desperation that it was. The mutant shoved its arm-blade in conjunction with this shout, yet it wasn't fast enough. Just as Corvus was about to end this duel, the large mob that had been chasing them earlier caught up. The horde had arrived! 

Blasterbolts, and monsters intent on gnawing his flesh poured into the hangar in relentless fashion! 

“Do not let them limit your mobility! Gather towards the edge of the hangar!” Corvus shouted as he was forced to dodge, parry, and block hundreds of attacks. 

The intelligent mutant, meanwhile, stared at him in mockery. In an action that mimicked Corvus’s earlier moves, it took several thermal detonators from the new wave of reinforcements, and lobbed them at him like baseballs. 

Explosions rocked the hangar, and Corvus grit his teeth. He created some space, and was going to unleash another double handed [Force Lightning], however, the large mutant lunged at him just as he got his hands up! 

Blade met blade in a fury of motion. Sparks flew, and the air trembled with the pressure of their movements. The creature fought with a clarity none of the others had, although slowed, it fought with a relentless series of feints, redirections, and precise counters. Corvus parried three rapid strikes, spun, and narrowly avoided a thrust aimed for his side. This wouldn't be so difficult ordinarily, yet during this attack, he was constantly slicing & dicing the horde of zombies that were pressuring his flanks! 

This was no ordinary duel. This was survival! 

They converged in a large semi-circle, surrounding Corvus, Jax & Yon, giving them no room to breathe.

Good.

He wanted the edge, to be pressured like this. The chaos fed his focus. Juyo demanded it.

Corvus briefly met the eyes of his students, and their bond soared. Launching into motion, sabers spinning into a storm of light, he stepped into the first attacker, shattering its guard with a series of rapid strikes and slicing through its shoulder. He kicked another back, spun low, and deflected two simultaneous strikes.

The floor beneath them cracked as his footwork grew faster, sharper, and heavier in the Force. Shadows flickered around his form, and a trio of afterimages fluttered in his wake. Mutants all around him struck where he had been in confusion, they could not process what was happening. 

His movements contained controlled chaos, the tenants of Form VII drove him forward like a pouncing tiger. He was brutal, efficient, and deadly. Limbs became severed, and ashy blood watered the durasteel plated floor like a farm's irrigation. Jax & Yon, influenced by this team effort, fought to their peak, and worked in tandem. Their triangle offensive was unstoppable, and plowed through the horde as easily as scissors cutting through paper. 

By now, only the Master-level mutant remained upright. It was limping, and caught in dozens of scorch marks. It opened its mouth to roar again, yet Corvus held up a clenched fist. 

“Silence.” 

His mental domination caused the monster to shudder, and whimper. 

Jax & Yon stood at its flanks, preventing any retreat, they stood at the ready. 

The lightsabers buzzed softly in Corvus’s hand as he prepared to end it all. They cast twin halos of blue light on his spotless mask. In the dark of the night, he was like a spectre from hell. 

Then Corvus vanished.

He reappeared above his foe mid-air, blades descending in a cross-cut. The enemy parried both in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable, twisting and responding with a flurry of counters. The duel resumed, faster and more brutal than before. Every step, every motion carried with it the intent to murder. 

Feinting low, he drew a parry out of the mutant, and severed the Force Blade from its arm. The beast stumbled, and collapsed as its ankles finally gave out. 

The hum of five lightsabers was the only noise in this dark, desolate hangar. Limbs were scattered everywhere, and the mutant stared up at the Jedi hatefully. 

Corvus stood alone among the wreckage, breathing steady, mind clear, he cut the flower from the top of the monster's head, and placed it in his inventory. The beast struggled to lift itself and clawed at his leg, yet Corvus easily stepped away from its grasp. 

Walking towards the edge of the hangar, his cloak fluttered with the cool night's air. He looked out into the horizon, at the rising sun that was dispelling the fog that coated Theed. 

Turning back to the diseased, rotten hangar, he lifted both hands. 

White-blue light gathered at his fingertips, and a gush of electricity purified the world of this ugly stain.