CHAPTER TEN
The blazing sun and scorching sands of Korriban would have tried any visitor. But they had effect on Darth Vorath, for he had been to the homeworld of the Sith brefore. In fact, in his mind, he was particularly born here.
As the Dark Lord slowly walked through the desert, he began to see various temples behind the sand blowing in his face due to the strong winds. Vorath began to trudge as the weather grew harsher. His fiery eyes widened slightly when a voice in the wind spoke into his ear.
"You have returned," it said.
"Yes," Vorath replied quietly. "I have, masters."
"We are not your masters," another voice whispered. "We may have taught you our secrets, but we did not truly make you the person you are today."
"Indeed," the first voice said. "The spirit who drifts beside you is the one."
Vorath briefly glanced to his side, even though he knew the spirit was not visible in Korriban's sun. The Dark Lord finally reached his destination, which was the tallest of all the temples. He walked into the sand-covered entrance chamber, where statues of past Sith Lords towered over him.
Voices spoke from the wall, chanting an older version of the Sith Code, before Darth Bane revised it. "There is no peace," the voices hissed. "There is only fear."
Vorath walked deeper into the chamber as the voices grew larger in number. "Fear brings us anger. Anger brings us hate."
He could now hear the sound of machinery moving, as if a door was sliding open. "Hate brings us passion. Passion brings us strength."
Torches lit up, revealing a larger statue set upon a stone throne. "Strength brings us power. Power bring us victory."
Fire lit up in the statue's carved in eyes as Vorath knelt before it. "Our chains are shattered. We are free."
The Dark Lord could feel the presence of many Sith spirits, but kept his eyes focused on the stone titan before him. After a moment of silence, a booming voice spoke.
"Why are you here, Darth Vorath?" it asked. "We have already given you our knowledge."
"I am not here for your knowledge, my Lords," Vorath replied. "I'm here for your help."
The spirits laughed in unison, including the one that had accompanied Vorath. "And just how could we help you?" the voice boomed. "I am sure you do not need our help, considering how much you have accomplished-"
"I wish to find the Tomb of Kal-Teraz," Vorath interrupted.
The spirits fell silent immediately, as if on a whim. Finally, the silence was broken by one of the Dark Lords' spirits.
"You speak of the Beast Lord, do you not?" asked the ghost of Marka Ragnos.
"Yes, Lord Ragnos," Vorath said. "I speak of him."
"We do not know the true location of the Beast Lord's tomb," the booming voice said. "It is certainly not here on Korriban, for Kal-Teraz looked down on our species and homeworld with disdain."
"And why is that?" Vorath asked.
"Ask him yourself," the voice replied bitterly. "If he's still alive."
"Now are you quite done?" Ragnos' spirit snarled. "Force spirits do not linger long."
"Actually," Vorath said calmly, "I do have one last favor to ask."
He could feel the ancient Dark Lords' rising anger at some 'lesser' Sith Lord asking for a favor from them.
Vorath let their suspense last a bit before speaking. "Where is the Staff of Valtheran?"
For a while, the entire chamber was silent, until the voice spoke again. "What you seek lies in the original tomb of Valtheran, on a world in the Unknown Regions. I am sure the dark side will guide you to it."
"My thanks, my lord," Vorath said as he turned to leave the temple, the voices chanting the Code of the Sith once more...
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