Chapter 4: Escape

Shihiro awoke to the sound of tremendous laughter and raucous roaring. How long had he been asleep? He had no idea but he knew that he would not stay anyone's prisoner. Getting to his feet Shihiro winced as utter and complete pain assaulted him. Looking up he saw the massive throne of flesh and bone with Fell sitting upon it. With a determined growl the Sith leapt forward nearly being cleaved in two by one of the spider creatures. The huge vibro-axe slammed into the ground causing a resounding crack and getting the attention of all within the cave. Shihiro followed up his deft dodge with a combo left and right punch to the thing's face. Kicking the axe out of the spider's hand Shihiro launched his foot back up before it even touched the ground. The kick nailed the creature in the face and clearly broke its nose but the beast was not out of the fight. With a thundering backhand the spider thing knocked the Sith into the wall adjacent to him. If it was not for the Force Shihiro knew he would have been crushed but thanks to the cushioning of Force between him and the wall was he unharmed, unharmed except for the aching in his jaw. Falling to his feet Shihiro charged forward yet again but this time leaped over the grotesque beast and ran straight for the throne and his nemesis. Taking the stairs leading up to the disgusting chair three at a time Shihiro thought he may be able to reach Fell Dark before he could react, a thought that was fickle if anything. Putting all his weight behind his fist Shihiro used the Force again to amplify the strike. It seemed Fell Dark would not be able to react for how fast the young man was moving but things are not always as they seem. Moving quicker than Shihiro though was possible even through the Force Fell threw his head to the side and Shihiro's punch shattered the top of the throne. Before he could even contemplate what had occurred he was zapped by a powerful burst of lightning and shot into the air and down the stairs he once ran up. Rolling down the stairs Shihiro only stopped when he hit the ground after the last step. Getting up slowly, it seemed as if pain would never end for him, Shihiro noticed Fell walking slowly towards him. With only an evil chuckle Fell threw his cloak off of him and the brown eyed Sith couldn't help but gasp. The entirety of the ancient Sith's body was covered in green scales and his eyes were the absence of all light and color. They seemed a black hole as if they would swallow Shihiro whole. Atop his head were twin horns nearly six inches long that curved upwards from the spot on his forehead they came out of. He had no ears that were visible but Shihiro knew that something allowed him to hear. From each finger tip a full two inches of black talon protruded and his fangs matched that of his claws. Around the ancient Sith Lord's waist were four lightsaber hilts. Using that fact to his advantage Shihiro called the Force to him and snatched one of the lightsabers from Fell's belt and activated it. A light green viridian blade shot up and Shihiro dropped into his signature stance.

"Foolish human do you know the true capacity of what you face now? I am Fell Dark. A being so powerful the Stalon Clan cast me from their order in fear of what I could become." To prove his statement Fell clenched his fist and red lightning, not the blue white usual to the Force users of the Dark Side, encircled his entire arm. "I was the best swordsman the Stalon Clan had to offer and my power over the Force will never be matched."

"I am Shihiro Stalon, THE best swordsman the galaxy has ever known. Cast from the walls of the academy but surviving still without the Force to sustain me. Now that were both done flattering ourselves lets get to what is really important, me killing you."

With only a snarl as a reply Fell Dark Jumped towards Shihiro drawing a crimson lightsaber so fluidly that it seemed to appear in his hands. The viridian and red blades clashed and Shihiro was forced back by the sheer strength behind Fell's blows. It was unbelievable Fell's strikes were at least two times as strong as Jastine's even when the Sith Lord was using his Force Fury. Shihiro was kept purely on the defensive not even able to think of taking the offensive against his powerful opponent. Picking his leg up Shihiro barely got it out of the way of being sliced off. Throwing his lightsaber out in a vicious thrust Shihiro thought victory was at hand, he had forgotten how fast his enemy truly was. Bending in a ninety degree angle backwards Fell Dark avoided the attack and brought his leg up at the same time blasting the breath out of his young adversary with a brutal kick to the gut. As if the kick was not enough Fell Dark bent back up and uppercut Shihiro putting him in the air and then onto his back. Bringing his saber up Shihiro barely saved his life as his enemy's came down almost cutting him in half vertically. Fell using his superior strength started to push down the young Sith's saber attempting to kill him with his own weapon. Summoning the Force Shihiro engulfed his whole body in electricity pretty much exploding Fell Dark across the cavern only stopping when he sailed into a wall. The ancient Sith got up to his feet as electricity danced around his body.

"You are a lively one. But you will still be defeated."

"Try me bantha dick!"

Fell Dark and Shihiro clashed yet again and soon the young Sith was on his heels defensively barely deflecting his opponents attacks and not able to land a blow anywhere near the ancient Sith Lord. It was then that Shihiro discovered that to even think of winning was preposterous. For it was at that instant Fell played his true hand, he had been playing with the young man this entire time. In a blur of movement faster then Shihiro's Force enhanced eyesight could track Fell Dark Spun a perfect circle bashing his enemy's saber down and bringing his elbow up directly into Shihiro's throat. Coughing and gasping for air that would not come Shihiro couldn't avoid an amazingly strong knee to the chest. Only one though came to the Sith at that moment, escape. Getting to his feet he did what he thought he would never do, he ran. Using the Force to strengthen his legs and allow him to take in more air Shihiro sprinted out of the cavern a horde of the horrible creatures on his heels. He ran until he came face to face with a total blackness the likes of which he could not ever comprehend. He came out of his sunned state after receiving a brutal blow to the back. He flew forward and right into the unforgiving stone wall. He turned and saw one of the darkness cloaked monsters. It's face resembled that of Fell Dark but its body was unable to be discerned under the black abyss of his cloak. But what was visible was the beasts hands which clenched two lightsabers one in each hand with blue blades. Reactivating his viridian one Shihiro charged to the creature with intentions to end the fight as quickly as possible. The abomination stopped the young Sith in his tracks surprising him that this hole in the Force could actually wield it effectively. Just on pure strength in will power Shihiro broke the Forces grasp on him and covered him in a protective Force cocoon which would block any more attempts at that certain Force ability. Launching himself in a skillful twist Shihiro attacked with the utmost fury and speed for he knew he did not have much time. The creature was indeed proficient with the twin sabers he held foe he foiled every one of the young Sith's attacks. The beast spun with him and their lightsabers came together repeatedly sometimes so quickly it sounded as one long clash. Hopping up over a scissor strike from the shadow creature Shihiro followed up the evasive maneuver by kicking the monster in the face once, twice, even three times in rapid succession. His enemy staggered back but before the exiled Sith could persue it swung it's cloak wide throwing the room into complete darkness that Shihiro's ability to see in the dark could not pierce. Deactivating his saber he knew he was at a disadvantage because no matter the darkness the creature seemed to know where he was at forcing Shihiro to use every bit of his acute senses to avoid being killed. Calmness came over the young Sith as he remembered his training, he shut down just about everything besides his hearing and smell and knew with the Force's help that the beast was directly behind him. Ducking under a strike from both the shadow beast's blades Shihiro stood back up straightly and grabbed both of it's wrists. With a powerful torque he wrenched the creature's wrists forcing it to drop it's weapons before connecting with vicious head butts one after the other only halting his attacks as he sensed the beast's consciousness slide away. He dropped the limp body to the ground and ran out of the darkness and headed for where his senses and the Force guided him to. Before long he found the exit to the cave but stopped as he noticed something else. There was another tunnel one that had not been there before. Following it only on instinct Shihiro discovered a work team of all the different kinds of creatures digging right up to…

"No, it can't be." The exasperated Shihiro muttered to himself. For the tunnel stopped directly at the wall of the Stalon Academy. He could care less for the members of the clan he even relished in the thought of Fell Dark cutting Jastine down, but he couldn't tear his mind away from his dear friend whom he thought slain by his own hand. He shivered thinking of Shugetsu battling the strange beasts. His friend was skilled but if Shihiro himself struggled against them he frowned to think of what they would do to the man he thought of as his brother. He had to get in the academy but how to do just that stumped the young Sith. There was a hole already in the wall and he guessed it to lead right into the basement supply room which he knew would contain not one member of the academy until next month. It was the perfect entry point. He also thought back to the throne room of Fell Dark and realized something he had not though of before. The gathering of the creatures meant only one thing, it was an invasion force.

"Damn!" he knew to get in he would have to get through the work party which consisted of at least a score of creatures from the dark cloaked to the huge hairy beasts and he knew countless others walked elsewhere but close at hand. Surprise would only get him so far, skill would have to carry him the rest of the way. Igniting his viridian lightsaber Shihiro stalked into the cavern holding the working party with a determined look on his face, now he had something to fight for besides survival, Shugetsu would not fall again. He could not possibly know that within the walls of the academy his friend had already fallen to a fate the Jedi considered worse than death. The Dark Side had consumed him.