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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1929063" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 106: Beginning of the End [No Foreshadowing Here...We Promise]It was odd to feel no pain when injured. Jen knew that Sadrak’s claws had raked across her left side as she(well, technically it was Shinai) spun to the side. Despite this knowledge, and despite the fact that she even felt the claws themselves, there was no actual pain sensation. It was obvious that Shinai had done something to either divert or simply erase the feeling of pain that should have been there. Thankfully, Jen could not see the injury, so that even though she knew it was there intellectually, there was no literal way for her brain to interpret this as anything more than imagination.    All the while, though, Jen’s body was still moving with her as a passenger. Shinai had control, and currently, this didn’t bother Jen one bit. She wasn’t even sure her body was even capable of moving in the ways it was. Fluid and very quick turns and sidesteps at just the right moment. The first strike from Sadrak’s inhuman claw was the only one to land. From then on, each time the swipe was just barely off in time, so little that Jen could have sworn she’d been hit even without the feeling. Her mental questions to Shinai were unanswered, though considering how focused this ‘other’ within Jen’s mind was, it was no surprise.    Two more violent slashes were met with two simple steps from Jen’s body. Left. Right. Both also taking her back ever so slightly. But just enough that Jen caught on to what Shinai was doing. Shinai was not tiring Sadrak out. She was leading him. Back. Back to where? Another step back from a diving jab and Jen figured it out. She would have grinned if she’d had more control over her own body, but a mental grin was strangely satisfying. Though, honestly, everything was strange at this point.    But Jen was caught off guard when her body stopped moving. It took her a moment to realize that Sadrak had not followed his usual pattern of dive after thrust after swipe after dive. He’d stopped. Hunched down in a pose all too fitting for that insect-like body, Sadrak’s two large and alien eyes started up into hers. Studying. Searching. For what? He didn’t speak, but the oddly shaped mouth opened very slightly as if an attempt at some kind of taunt or even pleading would be made. No noise came out, though. Jen felt her body take a short step to the side, more shifting to stand up straight from Sadrak’s view. But for Jen, this confirmed her thoughts of what Shinai was doing.    It was in that frozen moment that Jen finally was able to take notice of the other two in the room. Off towards the entrance to the chamber, she saw Shadow. Or...no...it didn’t look like Shadow. The shape was right, as was the height. But Shadow was not a uniform shiny metallic silver. She also didn’t look like an Alraxian droid. What was that at her feet, though? A large, skeletal and monstrous body. It was somewhat similar to Sadrak’s, but more humanlike in appearance. It looked more like it was just larger and had extra, gaunt arms when compared to Sadrak’s completely alien body. There wasn’t time to truly study this, though, and Jen was rocketed back into the moment at the loud metal clang that echoed through the hall as Shadow’s body collapsed to the shining floor.    That sound was the trigger for everything. Before the loud sound had even finished its first short echo, Sadrak lunged. This time, Jen had no idea who moved her body. She had reacted naturally, feeling an odd pushing in her mind to just MOVE, and had done it. Or had Shinai just reacted? It didn’t matter. Not yet, at least. What did matter was the result. The movement to the side had not been nearly as fluid or closely timed with the attack as before. Instead, Jen was out of the way a good half second early. This gave Sadrak the chance to look surprised before he slammed head on with the heavy throne that Jen had been positioned in front of. The crash of Sadrak’s impact was nearly as loud as that of Shadow’s simply collapse.    A loud cry of pain and surprise sounded from Sadrak as he hit the ground, surrounded by the rubble of his large throne. From the sound of it, that thing was made of metal. It spoke a lot of Sadrak’s body(and skull) that he didn’t just bounce off and collapse in a heap of pain. And then, Jen found that she’d made that dodge all on her own(ignoring, of course, the assistance of the Force). This became suddenly obvious to her with the sight of a new figure within the room. Standing on the other side of Sadrak’s currently unmoving body, was an odd image that was made even worse by the fact that Jen immediately knew who it was. The figure was that of a young looking human woman. She had short hair and angular features to her face that somehow showed a strong, yet very kind woman. All of the colors were indistinct. Well, no, they were there. Instead, all of the colors faded to a soft blue that was also vaguely transparent in its nature.    “Shinai...” Jen said quietly, taking a couple of steps over towards the now ruined throne.    The image smiled warmly, an almost predatory look on the woman’s angular face, “I can do no more here. My time is over, and my task is done...” she paused, her soft and powerful voice echoing without really being effected by any actual laws of physics. When Shinai spoke again, her figure seemed to glide past Sadrak’s body to Jen, “You have great strength, but I cannot guide it. You were given your strength to do with as you will. Trust the Force. Trust yourself. Destiny is not set, as this wretched creature has proven. Never forget that.”    Jen opened her mouth to say something, but by the time the first words came out, the spirit had simply faded away. Both visually and in another way that Jen still wasn’t sure how to describe. It was the Force, obviously, but the word to use wasn’t something she knew of. But Jen didn’t dwell on this. This was still unfinished, and it had been left in her hands. In her trust. Jen stepped around the ruined throne to the body of Sadrak. He had moved now, only slightly. Just enough to be on his back, facing up at her as she approached. There was a feeble attempt to raise a clawed hand towards her, but Sadrak’s battered body could barely move. For a long, silent moment, Jen just looked down at him. Broken. Alien. He had become everything he had stood against as such a high ranking member of the Empire, and it was obvious that he hated it. Perhaps he should simply live to suffer like this, then?    “...mercy...”    The word came out slowly. The mouth had only half opened and Jen had not been sure she’d heard anything for a half second. The two alien eyes stared up towards hers, but Jen couldn’t read them. The black in black held no emotion. It was impossible to sympathize even with this broken and beaten wreck. And that word had just made it all worse. Mercy. So disgusting that this monster would ask for mercy after all he had done. Jen didn’t say anything. Her eyes showed no emotion. But she did move. Slowly, she knelt down next to the barely moving Sadrak, placing herself close to his face.    Again, Jen watched as Sadrak obviously hunted for some kind of emotion in her. Some kind of weakness to feed off of. Something. Anything. Anything so he could stay alive. Nothing was found. And even if he’d had more that half a minute, Sadrak would not have found anything. In a simple motion, Jen reached down and took hold of the monster’s head. No time was given for her to see a reaction from him. Quickly, violently, and coldly, Jen snapped his neck. The crack was loud in the silent chamber, echoing back and forth many times before finally fading into nothing.    Sadrak recieved no final scream. No final anything. He did not die a warrior. He did not die an Imperial. He did not even die a monster. He died a coward. This time, he did not escape fate. As Jen got to her feet, looking over towards where Shadow had fallen, the only ‘last’ that she felt Sadrak recieved was a pulse. It rocked through the Force very gently, outward from his body. What it meant, she didn’t know. She didn’t care. He was dead. Finally dead. And now...now they could leave this hell forever.    Or at least, that was the idea.</blockquote>

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