Looking for the Truth ( Ajoc Laynerir's training )

[Horizon]

Ajoc wondered if his master was truly trying to make him fail.
The task he wanted him to do was an incredible feat in his mind.
He could juggle the spheres and recite the tenants but not spar at the same time. He knew his own limits. "Take the sparring away and I can definetly complete the task. Although I am sure taht I will not be able to do all three task." Ajoc didint mean to disagree. But he had to say something then rather make himself look incompetent in his training.

 

[Gambler]

Ash sighed lightly though whether it was in exasperation or something else was unknown.

"Very well, show me what you can do," he said simply without much preamble.

He stood waiting for his apprentice to do as he said.

[OOC: Horrible post sorry. I just have a lack of inspiration for Jedi Training. ]

 

[Horizon]

Reaching out with the Force, Ajoc pulled the four orbs he had sat down earlier upon the shelf and pulled them to about just a foot away from his chest. Slowly they began to rotate within a circle at a very slow pace.

"The Nine Tenents are a little harder, because they really can't be summarized.
The First Tenent explains the role of the Jedi Order in the Galaxy. How we are defenders of peace and justice, and how we guard the freedom and liberty of all life, regardless of how important or unimportant."

"The Second deals with Emotion and how it may affect a Jedi. The Third deals with love, and explains that it is an emotion to be approached with caution. It also prohibits marriage and provides a rational explanation for the prohibition of matrimonial bonds."

The first phrase he had spoken was quite easy while using the Force on another matter. Now he turned his hand ever so slightly causing the perfect circle to some what fall out of line. Quickly Ajoc corrected this and turned his once again perfect circle to rotate to the side rather as if was on a falt surface.

"We are also to respect life and only to take when needed. We must put the needs of a community above than just one individual."

Ajoc pulled the orbs closer to his body and suddenly the began to rotate around himself like planets around a large celestial body. Ajoc was paying more attention than he thought.

"We are to protect the weak. Never strike down someone who is defensless. Also we should awlays give aid to the weak and poor. Truly a show of Jedi nature."

"Also we are to always trust in the council's decisions. After all they are chosen to be in their position truly because they have followed the tenents and understand the Force."

"Wealth and other things such as power are not permitted. As this would lead us to downfall for feelings such as pride and a sense of power would manifest itsself over time and devour our ways."

Ajoc took a long deep breathe as all this work with the juggling and trying take the tenents and explain them in his own understanding.

"A Jedi must consider the living and cosmic manifestations of the Force. Nor do we fight for the glory or adventure. We fight for the people. The weak,defensless and pitiful.
The greatest Jedi is not the one who defeats an army of thousands, but the one who triumphs over himself. This statement contains such knowledge and is why the order does so well I believe"

 

[Gambler]

Listening intently, Ash began to make his way forward. His body moved, a single step per sentence. If one hadn't known better they might believe his steps to be tentative rather than purposeful. He continued on until he was half a foot away from his apprentice. So close that he could breathe on the man if he wanted. "You did well, but are you aware of everything happening around you?" An orb fell out of orbit with his words, jerking upwards towards the ceiling. "Always keep your senses alive even when devoting most of your attention to a single subject," he put his arm out and made a beckoning motion with his fingers. It seemed to motion Ajoc forward, but what it didn't belie was the training sword arcing towards the Abbot's back.

"Duck or dodge," he continued. He pushed at Ajoc with his hands to throw him in the path of the blade. "And try not to break the orbs."

 

[Horizon]

Ajoc quickly ducked with ease. Some of the orbs fell out of orbit then quickly he used his hands to motion them back into a perfect circle. His master certainly had a rather different approach to training. But none the less, his master was doing his job.

Perhaps joining the order would be one of the most important things in his life.
Ajoc couldnt wait to show his people some of the things he had learned to them. But as he thought of home he realized that holdign his leading position in the village would violate a tenent. He would have to give up his position.
Or the life he had before coming to the order. But that would have to wait for another time.

 

[Gambler]

"Now it is time for you to take a little test. That is, if you feel up for it of course," Ash's voice should have been taunting, but instead it was flat and emotionless like a puppet.

"Are you ready?"

 

[Horizon]

Ajoc sat down the orbs slowly while taking a deep breathe. He rolled his shoulders a bit then then exhalled.

"Yes, master I am ready."

 

[Gambler]

The alabaster walls and marble floors were blank, lacking color. Light from ceiling panels highlighted Asheron's pulchritudinous features to perfection. Each plane of his sculptured face all but glowed while he stood there. His all but achromatic skin gave off a luster of its own. His eyes, those luminescent oceanic eyes, watched Ajoc for a moment as he absorbed his apprentice's response. "Then there are three tasks you must complete," his tone was glacial and reserved. He paused as if considering his next words. "If you fail these tests you will have to start your training anew. If you succeed you will be one step closer to being knighted." Once more he stopped speaking, letting the weight of his words sink in to his apprentice. It was a one shot deal. He would either pass or fail. There was no middle ground. Not this time at least.

"First you will find the parts to construct your lightsaber. You will need to craft the hilt and be able to stabilize the beam. I have provided you with a crystal, the rest is up to you," he held out his hand, opening it to reveal a cyan crystal, smaller than his palm in size. "The lightsaber is the tool of the Jedi used only when diplomacy fails. It is not a thing to be taken lightly. No matter how much it is stressed that lightsabers are tools for justice, the usage of the blade ends in pain or death. Be wise in your decisions when to spare or use your blade. The lightsaber is used in reserve and defense alone. Never draw your blade in anger for your mind will be clouded and your judgment impeded," Ash continued slowly to make Ajoc understand the implications his actions from that point on would have.

"The materials for the hilt can be found on the seventeenth floor. The lens is not there though, but rather up on the thirtieth. And the power couplings are on the balcony. I'll be waiting for you there," he finished curtly. He looked down to Ajoc and said, "Once you have crafted your blade under my supervision you can ask me for your second task. Oh, one more thing. You can't use the lifts or elevators. Stairs only."

 

[Horizon]

Ajoc's eye twitched for a moment. Stairs he thought. And lots of them.
But not sparring a moment he turned around and jogged in place for a moment and then he was off. Running through the halls the other padawans just looked at him as if he was a madman. Turning a corner he reached the first set of stairs. He made good time going up the steps. and the next few flight of stairs were the same. Now he was standing on the seventh floor, but where were the parts for the hilt.

A quick observation of the area he saw what he thought to be the matierals needed for the hilt. Quickly he snatched them up and tucked them away in his robes abd set off back to the stairs.

Now he was half way up the tenth flight of stairs and was out of breathe. He leaned on the side of the wall...

"Why does this lens have to be up..." Ajoc took another deep breathe. Perhaps he was over working his'self. "Twenty flights of damn stairs!"

Ajoc wasint aware of anyone but himself. The couple of rude eyes that watched him as he cursed was enough to make him resume his small quest for the lenses.

An hour or two later...

Ajoc reached the infamous thirteith floor. By now he was barely able to walk. He kept his hand secured on the wall as guided himself up the final steps. The muscels in his legs throbbed from the nonstop progress he made to this very floor. He could see his ,aster standing near the edge of the balcony. And there were the power couplings sitting on the ledge. Slowly he made his way across the room and slouched over the balcony itsself.

Reaching over with his hand he pulled the items that would complete his very own lightsaber. Looking over his shoulder he waved the power couplings within his hand showing his master he had completed the task.

 

[Gambler]

The Jedi Temple was more akin to a skyscraper than a temple. As such there were dozens of floors each devoted to a different purpose. Usually training or meditation, but the number of floors made a walk from place to place a tedious thing at best. There were a few lifts and elevators that could take one to each and every level, but baring those, a trek from even the second to fifth floor could become taxing. It made getting from place to place quite difficult. Of course, that begged the question of why someone wouldn't want to take the lift when it was obviously the easiest way around the temple. But Ash's response to why he wanted his apprentice to walk was to make the task a lot more challenging than it had to be. Had Ajoc been able to take the lifts, he would have finished rather quickly and without even breaking a sweat. So Ash made him climb each and every step from the ground level and up. Some might call that a cruel and unusual punishment, but Ash believed it taught values. Not everyone had the luxury of taking an elevator, after all.

Ash himself walked into the lift to take him up to the balcony level. It might have been hypocritical of him, but he told Ajoc to take the stairs. He never banned himself from taking the faster route. Besides, he wasn't the one going through training. He didn't need the exercise anyway. He took the lift, conserving his energy while his apprentice was frantically rushing up and down the stairs. It would have been amusing to Ash had he been capable of that emotion in any strength. But as it was he was barely fazed by the slight humor.

He leaned against the balcony railing, watching the city below and above him. The sun was high in the sky, clouds mottling the yellow and allowing the cool breeze to sift across his features. His eyes were closed as he allowed the peaceful tranquility sink into him. Opening his eyes, he could see speeders and freighters buzzing around like insects in the distance by the spaceports. They were too distance for him to hear the noises they made, but they were in sight. He watched them for a while, taking in every detail in an almost meditative trance. By the time Ajoc arrived, it appeared that he was asleep with his elbows resting against the railing. He waited until the man was a few feet away before turning around and facing him.

"You have all of the parts necessary to build a lightsaber. Very good. How was your climb?"

Ash looked over to the materials in Ajoc's hand as he asked the all but taunting statement. He let a hiatus drift in the conversation before taking his eyes off of the metallic bonds. "Your hike must have taken forever. It must have cleared your head and prepared you for the rest of your tasks correct?" Once more his question was rhetoric. He didn't expect or want an answer just yet.

"Now for your second task. Take the parts of the lightsaber and create a Jedi's tool."

He motioned with his right hand towards a work bench. There was a fusion cutter and a few other supplies necessary to make a lightsaber. There was even a datapad with the basic instructions. It would not be too difficult to craft the lightsaber, but it required a bit of creativity and critical thinking. There were instructions, but those were meaningless unless one could understand them.

"Please begin and tell me what you have learned while you work."

The catch. Ash wanted to know what had crossed Ajoc's mind as he was running about his errands. What went on inside his apprentice's mind while he was given tasks that seemed far too difficult or extreme. "What do you think of my teaching method? Has it taught you what you are here to learn, or do you feel it is lacking? If so, what would you do to correct it if you were me?"

 

[Horizon]

Ajoc sat at the bench while looking at the instructions but there were of no use. They looked like archaic designs something that originated from another timeline. But after a while of trying to put together pieces of the saber that didint fit properly and then correcting himself. The hilt was complete after about an hour.

"Well I did learn that there is no easy road. Not even for a Jedi. Its daunting,slow and tedious. As for your training methods it is not for me to say. Everyone has a different teaching method I think."
Too keep his workstation clean, Ajoc would pull some of the parts into the air and let them sit as he would reach out for one, time to time.
The torch was hot from one use after another as he sealed some of the sems.
Sliding in the lense with ease most of the lightsaber was done while Ajoc used the Force to tighten some thing and secure others. Now the crystal remained. Gripping it in his hand he could feel how the Force ran through these. Then slowly he secured the crystal within its chamber then locked it down tight.

Everything seemed to fit properly and nothing raddeled as Ajoc lightly shook the saber.
Standing up from the desk, Ajoc switched on the saber's brilliant blade as it gave off its glow. Finaly it was done. The saber had been completed. Ajoc felt like he had overcome a great obstacle in his life. Almost as if a new path was laid before him.
Turning off the saber, Ajoc turned and bowed to his master and awaited for his next instruction.

 

[Gambler]

[OOC: I didn't see that you edited your post, sorry.]

No easy road. That was how life worked. There were no breaks and no short-cuts. Someone might believe that taking short-cuts ends up the same as the path the person who follows life to the letter, but that is completely untrue. Short-cuts, though tempting, always led to damnation. If someone took the time to think about it, they would eventually come to the conclusion that skipping steps is obviously going to end badly. But in the heat of the moment it is hard to understand that simple truth. When confronted with danger it is hard to look ahead and see that skipping a step could lead to destruction. Skipping steps in life is like skipping steps while building. If you're lucky the building will appear to be stable and sublime, but at the end of the day it will collapse. Sooner or later something will happen that reveals the lack of infrastructure. It might not happen immediately, but it would happen. And the longer one traveled with a flawed building, the more it would hurt once it collapses. One always builds upon life. If one takes short-cuts and misses out on the infrastructure in the early stages, by the time life opens its true fruits, the building will collapse with catastrophic damage.

"It is good that you understand that basic truth."

Ash nodded, his words silken like a stream against topsoil. He walked towards the workbench and lifted the lightsaber from Ajoc's hands like a king receiving his scepter. Examining the steel grey hilt, he ignited the blade. The hiss of burning oxygen suffused the room, a vibrating hum filling the air like a heartbeat.

"This is a good blade."

He said, swinging it once like a stalk of grass. The blade cut through the air with the sting of burning ozone. It flickered once before the crystal faltered. "Hmm... just a little twist here..." Ash spoke to himself, the blade rising into the air, an invisible ring of energy surrounding it. There was the tiniest of clicks before the blade sprung to life again, the blade stronger this time. "Much better," he said, handing the blade back to Ajoc. "Your blade is very good considering that it is the first time you've ever held one. Usually it takes apprentices a few tries before they are able to successfully able to construct a blade of their own." Ash's head tilted ever so slightly in acknowledgement.

"The blade could be stronger, but nevertheless, it is a remarkable first attempt."

There were no emotions in the words. Just dispassionate observations like always. "With a tool and a weapon you are now ready for your second test. This one is by far more taxing both physically and mentally than the last. This task has two parts. First you must make your way across the river outside without ever touching the water. Once you are across you must duel me. Depending on your performance, I will determine whether or not you are ready for the final task," he said, turning and starting his walk out of the room.

"Good luck. I can only give one more piece of advice: think before you act."

 

[Horizon]

Bowing before his Master, Ajoc quickly found the river with ease. Although it might be hard for one to do so. In width it was rather wide. But Ajoc was determined to do the impossible.
Backing up a couple steps, Ajoc then went into a sprint while focusing on the other sideo f the river. For a moment he could swear that as he jumped over the river everything went into a state of slow motion.

Slamming his foot down on the ground as he touched down, Ajoc pulled his lightsaber from his belt and stood up and bowed before his Master and awaited further instruction.

 

[Gambler]

Time suspended as Ajoc made his jump. The act of crossing the threshold silenced the beasts of life for a moment to watch as they always would. The man's feet touched the opposite bank and everything held a collective breath. Inertia. Life resumed just as it begun. The passing of the barrier was enough for a momentary lapse but nothing more. At one point in time, everyone had a threshold to cross. Whether it was as simple as the act of leaving home or as complicated as giving everything up for passion, there was always some hardship to overcome. With such depressing insight, a pessimist would say that life isn't worth living if it encompasses challenges just to reach new challenges without end. But others would recognize the gift of such and counter such an argument by saying that the endless string of challenges made one stronger and gave a meaning to life.

"The Force is an instrument to be played, yet at the same time you must let its music flow through you. Your role is that of the conductor and the audience for you must conduct the orchestra and live with the sounds it creates."

Ash walked along the bank, his feet dry and no signs of exertion visible on his person. Even his hair was perfect as if he had walked across the river instead of jumped over it. "Of course, you could have always taken the bridge..." Was it true? Such a monumental event: Ash's lips twisted upwards in a wry smile. Just as quickly as it appeared it was gone, like a ghost on a midsummer's night. Expression once more blank, Ash motioned with a single slender finger at the rather wide mahogany bridge just a few meters to the right. "But you did well. You thought out a simple solution to a deceivingly simple problem. Even though I haven't yet taught you the art of mobility yet. I am quite surprised as it is. Some would show increasing odium towards me. They would impugn my ability as a teacher and attempt to take that base anger and aggression out on me." The words were stated in a matter-of-fact tone as if that was what he expected and was still expecting. The young mind was prone to pride after all.

"Let me recapitulate my bargain to you."

Turning, Ash pointed towards the row of trees. "Inside the cedar woods there is an object. The object is a lightsaber crystal. It will be yours if you can reach it. But to enter the forest you must cross the threshold, and as with every other threshold, there will be a guardian for you to overcome. This guardian will be myself. I will attempt to stop you from entering, but you must not let me get in the way of your goal. Fight me with a goal in mind rather than anger. You are not angry that I have caused a hiatus in your journey, but rather you've accepted the challenge as it is. So fight me with a clear head and you will pass on to your final test. Oh, one more catch," there was a growl inside the forest. "Some of the hunting beasts have been deprived of food lately. They might very well attack you if you enter their territory. You may choose how you go about your mission, but whatever you decide as your course will have consequences," Ash's lightsaber sprung to life with a hiss of burning ozone. The cyan tinted emerald blade shimmered in the light as he waited for his apprentice's move.

"Choose wisely and choose well. You only have one chance. Pass or fail."

 

[Horizon]

Igniting his saber before Ash. Ajoc held his saber directly torwards his Master while steadily breathing as he connected with the Force.

"You are no guardian. You are but a friend with a challenge that I must overcome."

Sliding his foot back, Ajoc positioned himself as if we would charge. But rather he would wait.