AN: Triple Release today, go back to ch 20
Witnessing the closure of the giant vault door, Corvus gulped as soon as it slammed shut.
It was the only way in or out of this place, and he really didn't want to have to cut his way through, as that would likely take hours.
His only realistic way out was for Cirio to input the access codes on the terminal within the vault.
Unfortunately for Corvus, there was no convenient button that opened everything up, nor was the terminal a computer. No, the terminal required a passcode, and a biometric scan, something Corvus couldn't simply hack.
Of course, if his Security skill was higher, it would be a cakewalk, as he could finangle his way through via System bs. However, as he had dumped everything into Persuade, Awareness, and Computer, the rest of his skills were lacking.
Glancing at the sweating, fearful Vice President, Corvus filed him away for later.
At the moment, he would have to survive against this ancient Anzat.
Yes, survive.
Possessing speed that could likely match a Jedi Master, and equipped with a Force Weapon that absolutely oozed menace, Corvus wasn't keen on a direct confrontation.
For now, he'd have to rely upon his invisibility, his Jedi Shadow's trait to remain hidden, as well as the effects of the Taozin Amulet. These three factors would prove as a litmus test, to see how well he could remain hidden from Palpatine.
Afterall, those tendrils on Maw's face acted much like the antennae of an ant, and helped perceive the Force, pheromones, and other extrasensory capabilities.
To get out of this dangerous situation, Corvus planned on luring Maw deeper into the complex, and then returning to the entrance where he would [Mind Trick] Cirio to open the door.
As for why he didn't do that this second? Well for one, he was worried that while he was so close to Maw, he would detect the usage of the Force, and home in on his position.
Secondly, Maw might just kill Cirio, and then that would essentially seal Corvus in here until he could somehow kill the ancient Anzat.
It was an awful prospect, but he really had no choice.
Leaving Pause, Corvus slowly began to back up, and started to disappear into the hundreds of shelves that lined the vault.
"Ahh, soup, you are so very faint, almost impossible to detect. To have the audacity to march into my home, rob all my resources, and attempt an escape, it reminds me of the Jedi before the Ruusan Accords. Thank you for making this hunt memorable." Maw said aloud into the cavernous warehouse-like room.
As soon as Maw finished speaking, Corvus felt a string of probing thoughts brush up, around, and past him.
Anzat's were famed for their abilities over the mind, and this one was confirming the myth.
Corvus didn't feel as if he had been detected, yet Maw had dashed near his position, and swiped his katana at a giant metal rack a few dozen times.
His strength and speed astonished Corvus, as all he saw were after images.
Corvus held his breath as the tip of Maw's blade gleamed under the dim overhead industrial lights. The sharpened blade had passed inches from his throat, and diced through steel like it was butter.
Several dozen tons of steel support beams collapsed as a result of Maw's attack.
The Anzat had a smug, self satisfied look on his face as he walked past Corvus's hiding spot.
"Don't make it boring for me, soup, otherwise I'll prolong my feeding time." Maw said in a condescending tone, and glanced over his shoulder.
Corvus felt his heart stop for a second, it was almost as if Maw was leaving himself open, goading Corvus for an attack. For an attack on his Wide. Open. Back.
At that moment of indecision, a support beam, which had been teetering precariously, finally fell down, and hit one of the mines, triggering a chain explosion. Tons of steel fell on top of Maw, but instead of panicking or dodging, he sliced it all up as if it were nothing.
Looking at the katana wielding man, Corvus was getting deja vu, as if he were watching a Final Fantasy cutscene of Sephiroth.
"My, my, cheeky for a Jedi, aren't you, soup? I don't think I've ever seen one of you resort to mines. How unique, how delicious. I shall savor this moment for centuries to come." Maw spoke aloud, and kept wandering forward.
Honestly, Corvus was tempted to strike at his back, worried that the Anzat was just toying with him, and knew where he was all along. But from what he could tell, or at least hoped, Maw wasn't one hundred percent certain of his location. To his POV, Maw had a good estimation of his hiding place, but it wasn't perfect or absolute.
Corvus watched on as the Anzat slashed his sword through the air, seemingly slicing at nothing, however, Corvus noticed that by destroying all the support struts, and clearing away the mines, he was eliminating all of Corvus's potential means of attack!
All the while, Maw would occasionally glance back at Cirio…the damned alien bastard knew that Corvus would try to exit through the Vice President.
Corvus felt his mouth go dry as he came to this realization.
The worst part about this was, the more time that expired, he would have fewer opportunities to make a move.
Hiding out until Maw reached the back of the facility was unrealistic. The speed Maw displayed was too much. By the time Cirio had inputted the lengthy code into the terminal, and the giant door slowly opened, Maw would be able to return.
Which meant…
Which meant Corvus would have to directly confront the Anzat!
Taking a deep breath, Corvus internally said the mantra of the Jedi Shadows to calm himself down, and then began to organize a plan.
Pausing, and checking what Force Powers he could learn, or use in this situation, it was looking quite grim.
Anything that boosted his body, like Valor or Speed simply wouldn't raise him to a level that could compete with a Jedi Master. Even if he learned Battle Meditation, Corvus doubted it would close the gap. Directly fighting with his lightsabers seemed like a suicide mission to him, and was directly written off as a last resort.
Unlike when he fought the Umbaran, he now had the opposite concerns. Maw should be a physical beast, one who also excelled in the [Mind Trick]. When engaging Maw, Corvus would have to constantly field the [Force Resistance] ability to protect against any threat of mental domination, as well as to provide minor protection against the Force Blade.
In terms of offense, [Force Lightning] was possible, but Maw could likely block it, then close the gap, and cut off his head.
Lightning hands on their own wouldn't cut it.
….Corvus internally frowned as he considered what to go with. He had 6 floating Force Points, and could upgrade anything to tier 3, which was at the peak of a Knights power.
Thinking deeply on this situation, there were four abilities that might give him a fighting chance.
They were: Slow, Scream, Crush, and Force Suppression.
Each ability was self explanatory.
Slow would hamper Maw's movements by clouding the mind, basically making someone move as if they were absolutely plastered. When upgraded, Slow acted as a poison, and could turn the victim's blood into venom.
Scream, as demonstrated by Sly Moore, attacked both the psyche, and the auditory faculties of a person. It disrupted thoughts, balance, and from Corvus's experience, hurt like a bitch.
Crush was just like Force Choke, but taken to the extreme. It's like when Corvus had crushed a soda can in the past, yet instead of a can, he'd be doing it to a person.
These three offensive abilities were all great, but the trouble is, that at higher levels, Force Adepts could resist the powers of weaker people.
Starkiller and Vader are a perfect example of this being the case. In one of the Force Unleashed games, Starkiller uses the ability Force Repulse, a destructive wave of energy that instantly vaporized dozens of stormtroopers. Vader, meanwhile, walked through that attack like it was a stiff breeze, tanking it as if it were nothing.
It was this passive defense to weaker abilities that had Corvus concerned that none of them would be all that effective against Maw. Especially since he had a Force Blade, which could be used as a focus that could cut through Corvus's Force empowered attacks as if they were nothing.
Especially since Scream, and Slow affected the mind, something that an Anzat was particularly strong in.
Which is where Force Suppression came into play.
Force Suppression lowered that invisible shield that coated Force Adepts, and severely weakened or removed buffs like Speed/Valor, etc.
If he was going to battle Maw, Force Suppression would be key to his victory.
That thought in mind, Corvus would be dumping 3 points into this skill, leaving him with a choice to make.
Either go all in on one of the other three, or spread the points evenly so he could cast all 3.
Considering his limited FP bar, and intention of swapping to [Force Lightning], Corvus was more inclined to min-max, and go all out on one ability.
But what was it going to be, Slow, Scream, or Crush?
His intuition told him Slow, but knowing it affected the mind, was it really worth going for? That would be like trying to beat Professor X from x-men in a mental duel. Unless Corvus was a genius of the mind himself-which he wasn't-then this would be a foolish notion.
Slow was what he wanted, but he fretted that it wouldn't be viable.
Scream was a one two punch. He couldn't count on it to affect Maw's psyche, but the damage to the ear's cochlea would be significant. As a bonus, Corvus could whip it out unexpectedly whilst they crossed blades.
Scream was a big maybe.
Lastly, there was Crush. Corvus liked this option, because it effectively stunned his enemy in place. Yeah, he could have literally gone for the Stun ability, but Crush squeezed on his enemy's organs. It was also great for catching the enemy off guard.
Crush was also a big maybe.
Ultimately, Corvus decided to go with the ability that was most useful at the moment.
Landing any of these would be difficult, but if Maw continued with his arrogance, Corvus could exploit that, and carry out a surprise attack.
Having decided on his general plan of attack, Corvus devised a few other strategies, and then Un-Paused. He was ready to confront this ancient horror.