Side by side, the two walked along the pathways of the village. Most of the fighting had subsided, and bodies of injured, dead, or merely unconscious monks lay here and there. Their status didn't matter, because after the Sith had passed by, they were all dead.
Each house they came to, they entered only momentarily; just long enough to sense anybody present. Those they detected quickly met the same fate as all the others.
They kept their eyes out for the five members of the council. They, along with Father Monahan and Brother Odilo were in possession of the amulets which Lord Eiron had instructed them to acquire.
During their rounds, they found the bodies of three of the council members, but only one of which still had his amulet. Trychon removed it and shoved it into his pouch.
They found another of the amulets still being clutched by Gall. He had been stabbed in the chest by a pitchfork and his breath was coming in ragged gasps. Feebly, he tried to stop Raezyr from pulling the amulet from his hand, but a quick slash from the blue lightsaber was all that was required to loosen the youth's grip on the item.
Several monks tried desperately to halt Raezyr and Trychon's path of annihilation, rushing them with whatever makeshift weapons they had. The two let them come on, igniting their blades at the last moment and cutting down the futile attempt as quickly as it had begun.
"This really isn't any fun," Raezyr commented, looking down at dead monks at their feet.
"Mon Cal's in a barrel, Raez," Trychon grinned, the rain running down his face in rivulets, despite protection of the cowl of his cloak.
The wind and rain pounded the Sith apprentices as they approached their final destination. Throughout the fighting, they had seen the injured being taken to Brother Odilo at the healer's hut, and knew that the rest of the monks would be there.
Through flashing of the lightning, they could see Father Monahan and the two remaining council members standing outside of the hut, watching them as they approached.
"We've seen what you've been doing," Father Monahan spoke over the howling of the wind. "Your murderous acts stop here."
"Make this easy on yourself, old man. Just hand over the amulets now and your deaths will be quick," Raezyr replied.
"How could you do this after all we've done for you? We saved you. One or both of you were supposed to be the Chosen One. You were supposed to bring a new era for the Taxl," one of the council members whose name the Sith couldn't remember lamented.
"When this is over, it will be a new beginning. This is the end of the old era," Trychon replied.
"No, this is just the end for you," Monahan said. Holding his amulet in his left hand, he stretched out his other hand toward the half-brothers.
Trychon and Raezyr could see the amulet begin to glow as the other two council members began to take similar postures, their amulets beginning to emit light as well.
Suddenly a wall of Force energy rolled toward the Sith, and they embraced the Dark Side, shielding themselves. The wall hit them and pushed them back a meter before washing over them, and Raezyr and Trychon sprung forward, crossing the ten meter distance in an instant.
The monks tried another Force push, but with their attention divided they were unable to complete it. Trychon removed the hand holding the amulet of one of the council members and Raezyr decapitated the other.
In a last ditch effort, Monahan lifted a nearby wheelbarrow and launched it at the back of Raezyr's head.
At the last moment, Trychon reached out and seized it, freezing it's movement. It hung there for just a moment, the struggle between Monahan and Trychon holding in place.
Raezyr then lent his power to the struggle, and the wheelbarrow began racing through the air at the elderly monk. Monahan, his concentration broken, raised his hands in an effort to ward off the blow, but it was an empty gesture. The heavy wooden barrow smashed into the monk and knocked him back several feet and he lay on the ground, moaning slightly.
Raezyr grabbed the amulet from the monk he had killed, and Trychon finished his job and took that amulet as well. It made a total of four amulets. Monahan still had his, and Odilo still had one inside the hut, leaving only one unaccounted for.
The two Sith brothers walked over to the old monk and rolled the broken wheel barrow off of him. Trychon squatted down beside the Taxl leader. Reaching down, Trychon grabbed the amulet around Monahan's neck and jerked, snapping the Force imbued crystal free.
Monahan's eyes fluttered open. "Why?"
Trychon paused before answering. "Father, I know you're looking for some big answer. Some reason to grasp that might make sense to you, but there isn't one you'll like."
Raezyr knelt down, placing his knee on the man and letting his weight rest on the chest of the already weakened monk. Monahan struggled in vain to breathe. "This is just a training mission for us."
The old monk released his final breath. The falling raindrops landed on his unseeing eyes as the fire in temple garden raged on, it's orange glow tinting the underside of the low-hanging black clouds.
Raezyr and Trychon stood, turning their attention to the healer's hut fifty meters away.
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