Rise to Fall

[Darth Destru II]

Darth Destru moved through the halls of the Sith order with Rakai in tow. Rakai wa a good beast, a loyal and violent beast. He was everything the Father needed to right the wrongs that had besmirched his name. The name the Son had failed to uphold.

Icarus had bested Zephyrus Cloud in the past, but Darth Destru had never been beaten and he was going to put that to the test with one of the strongest Sith on the council. Fearlessly he strode right up to the door with his imposing mask hiding his face.

"It's time, Icarus!" he announced as he ignighted a solitary crimson blade. Destru did not care who within the Sith order heard him or if they had wished to witness such an event. The changing of the guard was about to occur. History was about to be made and fate was on Destru's side. The Apprentice would devour his Master.

[Rakai]

Rakai was definitely not the man he once was when first entering these halls all those yeara ago. That man was a brash, quick to death, and unthinking fool, only trying to impress others with prowess, and failing most of the time. Now though, those failures were his strength, for he knew that he could truly learn nothing beig successful all his life. A weakness for other Sith would make him stronger in the end.

Silently, the Nagai clone followed his Master, observing as he would, the changes in his Master we becoming as predominant as his own in battle. It was a curious few events that had brought such things to the attention of the Beat of Destru.

The pearl skinned Sith guessed why they were here, for James Icarus had a history with Zephyrus Cloud, but was it really those two men that were going to meet today? Rakai was interested in seeing...

[James Icarus]

James heard the shout in his chambers. Opening his eyes the Sith Master had been quietly meditating on where to go to follow the steps that Sion had taken. Hearing the voice of his apprentice, Zephyrus Cloud, he then stood from his meditation walking to the door. A sound of a blade ignited and the door opened with the power of the Dark Side. Standing there, the Sith Master looked upon his apprentice with a raised eyebrow. Seeing the beast, Rakai, in tow he eyed them with an annoyed look.

"Time for what?" James said with arms folded across his chest.

The masked man was curious to see why Destru was here with blade ignited. Maybe he wished to test his skills against him again? Try to kill him? A few of these questions were on the Sith Master's mind. He didn't even pull his own blade to his hand because he knew that even though Zephyrus was a Master himself, he wasnt near anywhere where James was. A Council member against a newly crowned one would surely end in Cloud's defeat. Especially when James could outdo him in lightsaber combat.

"Are you threatening me, Cloud?" James said with a booming deep tone.

[Darth Destru II]

Destru stood unmoving. His eyes shown from behind his mask flicked forward as he gazed menacingly, like a caged beast ready to strike. "Time to show you and this forsaken order who should be running things. Strength breeds strength and the sun is setting on your reign. You've sat up on your council chair and you've grown fat, the fire doesn't burn in you anymore and it makes me sick to call you 'Master'!" Destru snarled with such angst. "I really expected more from your reign... terror, planetary domination... war with the Jedi.... Something..." He said his voice booming so everyone within the halls could hear. "But alas... nothing. NOTHING! YOU HAVE FAILED US, ICARUS!" His voice lost the edge of anger that had speed through his words. "...and so yes.... I am threatening you... I've threatened your position... your complacency since I came to this kriffed order. Well order no more... let divulge in some chaos for once! Let's be the animals they accuse us of being!" He scowled. "...the winds of change are here... and our revolution starts with you." He looked to Rakai and nodded implying the time for talk was over.

[Rakai]

What James could seen behind Zephyrus' back coming from the Beast of Destru, was somewhat held back shock at what Rakai was hearing. He had knew his Master was going off the deep end, so to speak, especially during their time apart, but to challenge such a powerful ally to a duel....

Rakai held no ill towards James, and with a clever bluff, Rakai's eyes showed that what he was about to do, he would regret. It was Zephyrus himself that had said that the Sith should be allies, but it seemed that the monster that Rakai had been pulling out of his Master's psyche had arisen this time, one of the three, the final only known to Rakai so far.

~What I do now is for the Sith Empire and the Honor of my Master.~

The rare hum of a preping lightsaber could be hear coming from the clawed gauntlets of the Beast of Destru, as Rakai prepared himself to defend his Master, but would not make the first move.

[James Icarus]

James quirked a brow and then hearing Destru's words then pulled his lightsaber to him. Igniting it, the Sith Master's black double bladed lightsaber snapped to life both ends illuminating at once. Holding it in the style of Jar'Kai, he then would say his final words to Zephyrus before he would obliterate him from this world...this galaxy. Looking at the Beast, he then knew he'd defend Cloud because he was the man's lap dog. Nothing more, and nothing less. And Cloud was a gnat that he should have swatted when he had the opportunity. Knowing that his apprentice would someday do it...he didn't think it would be today. Big mistake in his eyes. There was no weakness in the Sith Master. Not yet.

"You...little...gnat! I should have swatted you when you were nothing more then a lowly Disciple. You wanna know something little boy? I felt sorry for you? Yes, you'd earned your power you had back then. But now? Your nothing more then a little...tiny...gnat! I'm going to swat you! To me...your not a Sith Master. Your just that scared little boy I saw when you first arrived. To me your still that Disciple hungry for power. I only let you be the rank of Master because I knew it would shut you up. Time for words is over!" James said then sent a Force push at both of them.

The masked Sith Master charged forward coming in with horizontal strikes aimed at Cloud's head where his neck met his torso. Then spun around and cleaved towards Rakai. Aiming to slice off his arm. Turning his body to the left he swung around to cleave Zeph in half then jumped back. Sending another Force push at the both of them, the Sith Master then stood there. Waiting for their move. He hoped they would make the right one and go if they didn't wish to die today. If not, then they would see why James was one of the best duelists in the Sith empire. Considering he taught Zephyrus how to use a blade.

[Darth Destru II]

Zephyrus and Rakai moved fluidly together. They both raised their hands to dissipate the force blast with one of their own.

Rakai's hand instinctively moved with his Master's to perform a double Force push to counter and negate James' first telekinetic blast.

Zephyrus batted back the oncoming assault with relative ease, Zephyrus had studied Icarus for years. He moved the same way he had always been, Zephyrus imagine if Icarus was smart he would have done the same. Icarus had known this day was coming so it only seemed wise to study his most volatile students movements. For the past year or so Destru had worked to distance himself from Icarus. He had battled the top duelist in the Galaxy, Jedi Masters and Sith alike. Certainly, Icarus had the edge in experience but Destru was hungry, younger, prepared, and he added the dark horse Rakai to the mix.

Icarus moved quickly spinning around toward Rakai, but Destru believed he didn't move quickly enough. He thrusted his saber toward the Sith Master's turned back. Destru was unsure if his strike had landed as Icarus spun back to face Zephyrus. Swinging his blade as if he was still one-hundred percent. But Zeph knew that Icarus was one of the best fakers in the Galaxy, so he hoped and knew there was a chance his blade had landed. Arcing his back with such fluidity he simply dodged the strike, Icarus' blade sweeping by his mask with the narrowest of margins. He rolled with the swing producing a kick with any luck would slam into Icarus' chest. It was going to be a war and the person who made the most mistakes would lose. So for Zeph it was about being elusive. Icarus raised his hands to produce another force blast. Considering he had two separate targets Zephyrus was surprised as to the velocity of the attack. Certainly, Icarus had a plethora of energy at his disposal but Destru believed if Icarus continued to put so much into such basic attacks that Icarus would be drained quickly. The blast caught an off-balance Destru sending him upward then downward careening into the ground. His mask flew off his head and exposed a red-eyed Zephyrus. He bounced off the floor as the adrenaline pulsed through his body. He pulled out a second lightsaber and within the blink of an eye he was back on Icarus. He had to press the attack if Rakai was going to make it out alive. He couldn't leave them together for very long. He furiously swung his blades at random angles edging forward as he did. Icarus would either concede the ground or they were going to be face to face, dangerously swinging their blades in close proximity to one another.

[Rakai]

Having negated the Force Push by aiding his Master, Rakai began to use the very Expertise in Combat that made him so proficient in feinting. By decreasing his prowess offensively, his defences were that much stronger.

Dual red shortsaber beams cracked and hissed to life from Rakai's left gauntlet to meet with Icarus' cleave, but instead of trying to saber-lock the man, the Nagai let the swing push him away. Using this to his advantage, Rakai's right gauntlet burst to life with a large purple blade, Light's Demise, using it to stab forwards not to hit James, but to feint him into moving into Zephyrus' attack. Rakai was going to try his best not to attack James directly, for this wasn't his fight, but he was alright with helping his Master get the upperhand by flanking their target.

Unfortunately, Rakai's Expertise in Combat only applyied to dodging physical attacks, and thus did not help him against the second Force Push. Right and left hands moved quickly to put a Force Shield up. The blast collided with the Shield, shattering it but it taking the brunt, so Rakai was only sent flying back into the door across the way. The door held, and Rakai was quick to his feet, taking a total defense stance with both his gauntlet's lightsabers up front and the door to his back. He would give the time Zephyrus needed to recover.

[James Icarus]

The one thing the two Sith forgot to remember was that James was a master duelist. He knew most of the forms by heart. Mainly Makashi, Soresu, and Ataru. They were his most favored and he could switch between them at any given moment. So, as Zeph's blade came towards his back he then side stepped it allowing it to pass by him if only a moment. Heat radiating from where the blade would have connected. As Rakai hit the wall and as Zeph hit the floor James moved so that he could give himself more room to work with. Another thing they forgot was that James could face more then three people at once with Makashi and come to a draw. A few times he'd won.

"You forget, Zephyrus...I taught you every form you know! I could face more then two of you and beat you both to a pulp. Try me!" James said disengaging one end of his double-bladed lightsaber.

Now taking the Ataru form, he brought it close to his face. But, this was a feign, as they would find out. James then came forward using more Makashi attacks then Ataru ones. But, he made it so fluid and smooth he incorporated both forms into one. Using the power of the Ataru form he then came cleaving towards Rakai first, since he was the weaker of the two. Using his Makashi strikes his fluidity of it made him deadly. He struck with quick and fluid strikes aimed at three points of the Nagai clone.

First strike was aimed at his shoulder, coming up and over in a fluid motion. The second was a quick flick of the wrist aimed at his bicep, slicing horizontally. The third was a fluid one aimed at the Nagai's left thigh aiming to slice into it. It would off balance the Sith Knight, and, more so, give James an edge in this fight. So, that's what he would do. Aim them all at the Nagai for a moment. Once he did so, he then stepped back a second.

This time, as he aimed for Zephyrus, he would use Ataru. Giving the new Sith Master a 'salute' he then came in with fluid steps then aimed an overhead strike at him. Aiming to cleave him in half. Then, jumping back he then stepped into his attack and came with a diagonal attack aimed at his torso. A flurry then came at Zephyrus with strikes aiming at the upper body in all directions. Head, neck, and arms. All of them would be attacked.

[Rakai]

akai knew what was coming, and he would be hard presses to stop the Master's attacks or dodge them. Makashi, and Ataru, the once dreaded forms of the clawed Sith, who preferred the closeness of his metallic claws. The Nagai clone was surprised James didn't just choose to use Niman.

The first slash at his shoulder was barely deflected with his left blades, the Nagai mot having enough strength to block it fully, and thus his shoulder bled from the strike. The returning strike was met with right blade pushing it down, but it still shaving off Rakai's sleeve and some of his skin, with strength he didn't have a second ago, almost giving it away. The third strike just made it to his leg when the two blades on his left gauntlet came down to put James' blade inbetween them, twisting the blades away from his own leg. Rakai had been allowing James' strikes to hit to get his lightsaber blade where it needed to be. Attempting to saber-lock the blade for only enough of a moment to hard step away and distract James for Zephyrus, twisting his blade to release the saber-lock and put distance between himself and the deadly Master Sith.