Raezyr switched off his blade, then dropped to one knee. He'd already had a long day, and was already tired before the Dark Side controlled tree began it's attack. During the fight, he had used the Force to sustain him, but now that he had let go of it, the weariness quickly took over.
It was far from the hardest battle he'd fought, but the sustained effort had still taken it's toll on his body.
Someone must have run for help, because once Raezyr had caught his breath and stood again, there were at least 40 monks around, some with axes and hatchets, others were attending the wounded, but most were just standing around, staring gape-jawed at the Sith. Quickly, he tucked the lightsaber into the inside of his robes.
He was glad both the insect event with Trychon, and now this had happened on the same day, before the High Council had had time to tell them their weapons were not to be used. Father Monahan might have trouble with that now, though, after two incidents. The thought made him chuckle to him self, but quietly.
Suddenly someone in the back of the crowd let out a cheer, and it was quickly taken up by the rest, as they swarmed around him, congratulating him, and asking more questions than he could answer all at the same time.
Suddenly the crowd parted, and the lumberjack whom he had saved from the cavern walked toward him. The crowd hushed to listen. "And the trees shall live and swallow them. He who is to come, shall bring his light to bear, and enter the gullet, retrieving the fallen," the man said, clearly reciting some obscure passage from a tome which Brother Varth had probably "uncovered" just recently.
The man threw his arms around Raezyr and hugged him tightly, as the crowd lifted up another cheer. Raezyr awkwardly hugged the man back. He couldn't ever recall being hugged by another man in thanks. In fact, he could barely ever remember being thanked by anyone so sincerely before, as the monk was in tears and still clearly shaken.
When the man stepped back, Raezyr decided to pull a page out of Trychon's book, and began to sway a bit unsteadily for a moment before regaining his balance, attempting to make it look like the fight took more out of him than it really did.
Several monks tried to reach for him, to help him, but he shook his head and resisted their attempts, assuring everyone that he was okay, but just needed to get home and rest for awhile.
Most of the crowd followed him home and loitered around the hut for a while after he arrived. Not until the feast began, did the last of Raezyr's "followers" finally drift away.
Using their respective fights as an excuse, both Trychon and Raezyr declined the invitation to attend the feast that evening. They sat at the table drinking a mug of ale, although they were supposed to be resting.
"So I hear you got to put your blade in action as well," Trychon commented, taking a swig from his tankard.
"Yeah, and as you can imagine, Mannix was almost as torqued at missing my display, even though I don't wield the 'blade of night,'" Raezyr chuckled.
Trychon was about to reply when the door suddenly opened to the hut. Trychon and Raezyr jumped to their feet and instinctively, their hands reached for the hilts hidden within their robes.
The figure entered and closed the door behind him, then turned and pulled back his hood. "You two have done well, so far," Vikon said. "Better than I could have hoped, really. Things are progressing faster than I ever though possible."
He stopped and tilted his head forward, looking from beneath his brow at the two Sith Apprentices, who still stood there, holding their unlit sabers. "Put those away, you fools, and sit down," Vikon admonished, taking a seat himself.
Reluctantly, the brothers did as he said. It's going to feel good to teach this doddering old fool a lesson in humility... when we no longer need him, Raezyr thought to himself, taking care to guard his feelings from the Sith Master.
Vikon stayed only briefly, just long enough to explain the state of affairs in the monk settlement. He said that those who sat on the fence became fewer and fewer each day, and that both sides of the debate were beginning to heat up. Even tension among Raezyr and Trychon's followers were beginning to be strained.
At first, they were all on the same side, convincing the others that the "One" had arrived, but now, as the number of potential converts dwindled, they were beginning to argue amongst themselves as to which of the newcomers the prophecies were actually referring to.
Darth Vikon got up and left abruptly, pausing at the door. "Remain alert. You still have more tasks to accomplish before we are through here."
Trychon looked over at Raezyr as the door closed. Quietly he whispered, "I'm beginning to hate that guy more and more." The look in Raezyr's eyes was all Trychon needed to know that his younger brother agreed whole heartedly.
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