Vader: A bird?

Vader said, looking up from the path he had been following to a small bird with red eyes that was standing in a branch.

It wouldn't be anything remarkable, except for the fact that Vader felt a strong deal of power emerging from it. Raising his hand to use the force and see what the bird would do, he was surprised as the bird seemingly realized it was in danger and tried to take flight and get away.

He felt other presences surround him from the bushes, that bird was most definitely not normal.

Vader released his grip on the bird and observed it as it took flight towards him, he was left completely stunned, as, after a small cloud of smoke, the bird transformed into a woman in a mask.

The only sound that resonated through the forest was his mechanic breathing, he didn't need it, but it had been a great tool of intimidation the last 20 years. He scanned the woman closely.

She had very long black hair and a red outfit, she wore a short black skirt, red armguards placed in her forearms and what was apparently a sword placed in a sheath in the left side of her hip.

Vader looked upon her, her mask resembling the creatures he had fought earlier, it had a beautiful pattern etched upon it. Looking down he realized her skin was as pale as snow, reminding him of the Umbarans, the race that got their pale skin due to the lack of sunlight in the surface of Umbara.

???: Who are you?

She asked Vader, he ignored the question, more focused on the presences circling around the bushes to try and flank him, they thought they were stealthy, even if he was completely blind in the force he could've easily seen the erratically shaking bushes

???: I'll say it once again. Who ar-

She stopped mid-sentence, as she noticed how Vader clenched his fist tightly, she started reaching for her sword when suddenly her mask snapped into a thousand pieces.

Vader saw her face, as pale as her whole body, to say she was beautiful would be a big understatement, but, as surprise etched her face, Vader couldn't help but to notice the piercing red eyes this woman possessed, automatically reminding him of the Chiss Ascendancy, more specifically, Thrawn.

Vader was surprised, as the woman did not show any signs of feeling the force choke he was trying to put upon her. He frowned beneath his mask.

The surprise vanished from her face, instead replaced by the narrowing of her eyes, in mere moments a red blade had been drawn out, already pointing at his face. It seemed she had realized he would not be an easy foe.

After she pointed her sword at him, many bandits started pouring out of their hiding spots in the tall trees that surrounded the dirt road he was walking barely a minute ago. They looked smug and plainly despicable.

One of them, stood in front of the rest of the bandits, ready to talk, blond hair and quite the Shady appearance

Bandit: Good day, mister, that armor you have is really sweet, I think I'll take from you.

He said, pulling some kind of hybrid between a knife and a slugthrower.

Bandit: If you haven't realized yet, you're getting robbed, buddy

Vader: Scum

Vader retorted, his cold, robotic voice resonating across the forest. They were scum, bandits that would only cause pain to others, his use of the dark side on them was justified. As Vader let the dark side of the force flow through him, the man moved his mouth to talk once again.

Bandit: What was that you son of a-

His talk was cut short as Vader unleashed the dark side, creating great pressure upon them.

Every bandit fell to their knees, except for the black-haired, red-eyed woman, even then, she looked shaken, clearly not expecting such an attack to come from their would-be victim.

Vader: You dare defy me?

Vader asked to the bandits that now laid on their knees. Vader closed the distance between him and one of the bandits, sending one last glance to the bandit leader, he saw her calculating eyes, seeing what her opponent was capable of before rushing to attack, the woman wasn't stupid, he'd give her that.

He then used the force to intrude into one of the bandit's minds, a dreadful procedure for the one at the end of it, but it was fitting for bandit scum like him. The unknown bandit screamed as he gripped his head while the knowledge he possessed was plucked from his head forcibly. His comrades looking in horror and helplessness as he fell onto the floor, courtesy of Vader's mind-probe.

Vader saw as he fell into the ground lifelessly, satisfied with the result, Vader turned towards the woman once again.

Vader: Raven Branwen

Vader said, smirking under his mask as he saw the woman's red eyes widen, a reaction to his newly acquired knowledge.

Raven: Who are you?

She repeated, tightening her grip around the hilt of her sword.

Vader: I am Vader.

The tension in the air could be cut with a sword, as the leader of the tribe stood, weapon drawn, in front of the man that had made a big amount of bandits fall to their knees without even moving a muscle.

As Vader once again brought his hand up in the air, Raven prepared for an attack, using her Maiden powers would mean blowing her cover as the Spring Maiden, revealing she, not Vernal, was the Maiden.

It was when little pebbles made their way towards Vader that Raven prepared for an attack, one that never came, as the small pebbles were laid in the ground in a rather large duel ring. Raven instantly understood the message. She stepped into the ring and waited for Vader to do the same.

Vader released the pressure he had been holding from the shoulders of the Branwen bandits, immediately after, one of the bandits charged towards him

Bandit: You motherfucker!

He said, swinging a large blade at his head, Vader simply sidestepped to the right of the weak attack, thus unbalancing his opponent, and, with the force, called his lightsaber towards his left hand.

He ignited the weapon, he swung in a diagonal arc, as the lightsaber made contact he felt some kind of resistance, but it was quickly overwhelmed when he saw some kind of yellow light spreading through the bandit's body, with the resistance broken through, Vader effectively split the bandit's body in two. Vader concluded this was the bandit's aura breaking, just as he had seen in the head

Vader heard ragged breathings and then the sound of a body falling, a brief look back greeted him with the sight of the two parts of the body apart, the flesh that once held them together completely cauterized.

As he switched his lightsaber between his left to his right hand, Vader saw Raven waiting for him inside the makeshift ring he had constructed.

He let himself fall into the familiar stance of form V of lightsaber combat: Djem-So.

He also merged Ataru in his stance, his charred and mechanic limbs wouldn't allow him the mobility he once had as Anakin Skywalker. But with his body recovered, he was the strongest he had ever been.

Raven tensed once again at the sight of another member of the Branwen tribe falling at the hands of this mysterious man.

She eyed the red blade of the laser sword, a gorgeous sight if anything. Her line of thought was interrupted when Vader talked once again.

Vader: Shall we continue?

He asked, his robotic voice causing her to spite him even more. She sheathed her sword and fell into a Laido stance, ready to cleave his head off his shoulders at a moment's notice.

He also seemed to fall into a stance, one she had never seen, but styles simply could not be the same with a laser sword, she assumed.

As they stared down each other, Vader made the first move, rushing with great speed towards her.

She unsheathed her dust blade and locked it with the red blade of the laser sword, as she stopped the blade from touching her she felt the brutal strain the red laser sword put over her own dust blade.

She looked into the lifeless sockets of Vader's mask, she disengaged from the blade lock to attack from the right. Her surprise came when Vader jumped over her, with the grace that a man in that kind of armor should not possess. She raised her blade to meet Vader's legs, but he swatted it away like nothing.

He fell behind her, she turned to face Vader, only to be forced back by a barrage of furious strikes, ones backed with brutal and enhanced strength, a strength she could only hope to match if she used the Maiden's power. She blocked strike after strike, each one carrying more ferocity than the previous one, every counterattack she tried to deliver failed miserably, as Vader danced through her strikes, as If he had precognition of where she would hit next.

And thus, her eyes were surrounded by a red glow.

Vader made distance between them, but she followed suit. She sheathed her sword, Omen, and used the Maiden's powers to create a large ice sword. She disappeared from view and circled around Vader, hoping to catch him in a blind spot, they had long since left the ring Vader had created, but neither of them cared.

Raven narrowed her eyes when she realized Vader always seemed to know where she was, there was no catching him by surprise.

So, she just rushed in as she knew how to, Vader positioned himself to block her strike, and she clashed blades with Vader once again, only this time, he was the one pushed back by her strength.

Vader: It seems you have finally shown the power I felt within you

He remarked, earning a snarl from Raven.

Vader: I will show you the power of the dark side

He said, his last sentence confusing her. What did he mean with that? The dark side? What was his semblance?

As Vader vanished from view so did she, their fight continued throughout the forest, their fast-moving figures clashing in blurs of red, they reached the foot of a mountain and stood in front of each other in a standoff.

Vader: Now, it ends

Raven: Indeed

She replied, her only reply during their whole duel. She tensed her body, readying to attack, and so did Vader. She used the element of fire to her advantage, sending an unrelenting barrage to Vader. Her surprise was great when the man raised his hand and, as the fire made contact with his hand, it dissipated entirely.

Seeing how her elemental attack had been all but useless, she charged forward and prepared a feint, a feint Vader should have seen through, easily even.

But he apparently did not, as she clashed her sword with Vader's and, using the greater length at her advantage, stroke at Vader's mask. Such a blow would have instantly killed most foes, but throughout their duel, she had learned Vader was not like most foes. A grunt of pain escaped Vader and using the brief opportunity she had created she hit his hand, making him let go of his weapon.

Continuing her attack, she pulled back her sword and aimed it at Vader's heart.

Raven: It's over.

He didn't reply, and she took it as a sign of Vader accepting his fate.

She pushed with all her might to deal the killing blow, when she was sure of her victory her blade was stopped by Vader's hand.

Raven: What?

She thought out loud, as sparks were emerging from the clash between her sword and Vader's barrier, was he able to condense his aura to block attacks?

Vader: All too easy

Vader said before she heard the sound of the laser sword activating, floating, and aimed towards her just meters close, she tried to pull back her sword from Vader but his grip held true.

She let go of her sword and tried to move, but was too late, the blade already making contact with her aura, the pain was blinding and her scream of pain was even worse, the contact of the laser sword with her body caused her brutal pain, she felt her aura break as the blade finally stopped touching her skin.

She stumbled to the ground, the pain still fresh in her mind.

Vader: Impressive, your aura kept the lightsaber from ending you

Vader said, finally naming his weapon as a lightsaber. She wanted to reply, but the pain wouldn't let her.

Vader: Now we will see what happens

He said, she just stared at his lifeless eyes, what cou-

Raven: (Urk.) She was lifted from the ground by an invisible force choking her, the only thing she could do was try and grab at her throat and watch Vader's arm outstretched, aimed towards her.

Vader: You have failed (Vader reminded her of her loss.)

Goddamn, bastard.

Vader: So it was her aura the one protecting her from the force choke

Vader pondered in his mind about the newfound information, while observing the form of the woman trying to break free from the invisible grip that held her.

What he did not expect, however, was that, with her aura broken, she could still use the powers of the Maiden, as she stretched her hand towards him and let loose a stream of lighting worthy of Sidious himself.

He ignited his lightsaber and blocked the lighting that was coming for him, while also tightening his grip to her neck using the force.

The lightning stopped soon after, with Raven gripping her throat due to the lack of oxygen. Vader did not let go of the choke as he closed the distance between the two of them.

As he got close, he once again started a mind-probe, this time on Raven, he was determined to know what the power she possessed was.

As he searched her mind, he found multiple images of Raven spying on her daughter, one that she had abandoned a long time ago.

When he finally found the information he was looking for, Raven possessed the power of the Spring Maiden, a... magical power?

Vader: Now you will die

He told the fallen woman, she only looked helplessly as he ignited his lightsaber.

That was until the force deemed it necessary to remind him of something 'Father, please!' The voice of Luke resonated through his head when he pleaded for him to help him against the emperor.

Then, the force relayed him a sea of emotions, the emotions of Yang Xiao Long, Raven's daughter, and her search for her.

Vader: Why would the will of the force be to let this woman live?

Vader pondered. But he followed the force. Deactivating his lightsaber, he clipped It back to his belt and turned around, walking quickly towards the path he now knew as the road to the city of Mistral.

The last thing Raven saw was Vader's, now ragged, cape flowing with the direction of the wind, as the mysterious man spared her life and walked without any more words for her.

With that, Raven Branwen fell unconscious.