In the galleries beneath.

[Nightmare Moon]

(Training for Saul )

Few knew of the wonders that lay beneath the Jedi temple on Tython. The place was a veritable labyrinth of hidden tunnels and rooms that dated back to before the great war that split the lightside and the dark. Archaeologists could spend centuries down in the depths studying the artefacts and treasures that had been left and forgotten in the great expansive network.

Rathru Spawnslayer son of Ethru and knight of the Jedi order was currently waiting inside of a massive cavern which had for some unknown reason had its sides furbished with many portraits and statues detailing important personages who had all faded into obscurity in the past few millennia. A particular piece had caught his eye - a great bearded warrior running a snarling Tuang (The warrior race that spawned the Mandalorins of today) through with a force blade. Rathru wondered if the Tuang were in fact as greater warriors as their reputation made them out to be and if so perhaps it was this fact that led to their downfall.

His gaze moved away from the picture and his mind went to his new Padawan - his first test so to speak was to find the room (a feat in and of its self). Rathru did not believe that students should have an easy time of things as the universe did not pull it's punches and thus doing that would only lead others into unnecessary danger when faced against Sith or other foes.

 

[Saul Perth]

"So let me get this straight. I have to find my way through a labyrinth of numberless twists and turns, to a secret passage, of which there are hundreds of, all of which will simply lead me to the cavern where, in all likelihood I'll be simply told 'Welcome to the life of the Jedi, now try and find your way back out', awesome."

In the time he had spent wandering the tunnels under the temple, Saul had picked up a habit of talking to himself, listening to the slight echo of his voice bouncing off the ancient stone. As for how long he'd been down here, he thought it had to have been at least a few hours, but he'd lost all ability to gauge the passing of time. All that he knew was that he was beginning to get a little hungry, and it honestly had him a tiny bit worried.

His first thought had been simply to meditate and attempt to sense his new Master's location, however the auras created by the numerous force embued objects in the halls smothered his thoughts, he quickly pulled back. Saul couldn't be sure all of these objects were safe, and he'd rather not risk it. For the time being, his general strategy was to just keep going as far down as possible. A cavern was most likely to be on the bottom floor, or so he kept telling himself, pushing the possibility out of his mind that he passed the entrance twenty floors ago. And so, down and down he went. With each passing floor he was sure this had to be it, then he'd reach the next one, and the next. Saul had even begun to wonder if he was simply in some form of hypnosis and the floors would literally never end.

However, as Saul descended one more level down, he was greeted by something different this time, darkness. "Well, at least this probably means I'm getting closer. Or there's a power outage and I'm going to starve to death in the dark, one of the two." With a heavy sigh, he ignited his lightsaber, letting the blue glow of it's blade guide him into the shadows.

 

[Nightmare Moon]

The ability to find ones way was just as important as being able to use a lightsaber or forceblade. History tends to hold those who died in battles in high regard but just as many have simply taken the wrong turn and suffered either misfortune or death. Jedi having an innate sixth sense tended to have somewhat of a advantage in this regard though like all such thing it grew stronger when you used it.

Rathru himself could sense Saul drawing closer. There was not a lot to be done till the padawan made his way into the cavern. Or conversely took a wrong turn and got horribly lost.

 

[Saul Perth]

Spoiler: OOC

Just a short post for now, RL stuff is keeping me pretty busy. I swear my teachers all get together and plan out to have a Calc III, DiffEQ, and Physics II test all in a week. :CCry2

Saul continued his pattern of walking, finding a passage, finding out it was a dead end, and walking some more. Even with the light of his blade, the process was much slower in the dark. Finally, as he reached a point where his current path diverged into three, a bit of help came from a place Saul didn't quite expect, his nose.

He froze mid stride when he picked up the distinct smell of cave air. It was a different kind of musty odor than what filled the halls that stretched for hundreds of feet above his head, more mold if he had to guess. He wondered far the smell of the cave reached, as now that he got the scent, it was fairly obvious. How much time could he have saved by just simply trying to find the cave by smell.

A few minutes later, the entrance to the cavern lay before him. Saul, eager to get done with his lesson and out of the basement, quickly entered. He didn't really expect what he saw on the walls. Paintings and statues lined the cave walls, he'd passed through actual rooms and hallways that were less decorated. Once he had finished his examination of the cave he approached his new Master and offered a slight bow. "Sorry I'm late, must have taken a wrong turn or two.", he said with a slight touch of sarcasm in his voice, accompanied by a slight grin to show that he was simply joking. "What's with all of this?", he gestured to the walls of the cavern, "What's this place for?"

 

[Nightmare Moon]

(OOc that's fine my last post was not anything to write home about either)

Rhathru looked to his new apprentice - a human boy of near twenty summers. If Rathru was of the race of man he himself would not be much older. Looking throughout the room he began to reply to Saul's question.

"I believe you would be hard pressed to find anyone alive that can answer that question for you. The Jedi order has been through much in the past thousands of years and many times the ranks of Jedi have changed almost completely as older members die and newer ones join. Though to hazard a guess I would say it is a hall of hero's - a monument to those who have done great deed in the service of justice."

Rathru stretched the back of his neck causing the heavy muscle around his shoulders to roll.

"But now you must tell me what you already know. I do not wish to waste time on things that you have already covered"

 

[Saul Perth]

"But now you must tell me what you already know. I do not wish to waste time on things that you have already covered."

"The Masters here have trained me well enough, I guess." Saul replied, not really sure what was considered passable in the order. To keep himself from being under appraised by his new master, he decided to do a demonstration of his skill sets.

"I have practiced Ataru since my induction into the academy, although I've studied most of the other forms as well, mostly just to know how to counter them." He ignited his lightsaber and preformed an Ataru cata, including a fluid aerial roundhouse kick to face level. The combination attack was ended by a strong slash from shoulder to hip, using his downward momentum to increase power of the strike, and cutting his imaginary opponent in two.

His breath was slightly strained as Saul spoke again. "My Force training has gone well also. I can generate a strong push and a decent pull, I just kinda have to step into the motion, it helps me focus. Prolonged states are a bit more troublesome. I can levitate objects and I can create a small kinetic shield, but aside from a gentle breeze, it doesn't stop too much. I have to focus too much on the prolonged ones also, trying to fight while attempting those is pretty much impossible."

To make his point he stretched his hand out, focusing intently on a stone bust of some Jedi of a bygone age. Slowly, and wobbly, the small statue began to rise, then return to it's position. The trip down was so wobbly, the bust almost fell over. With his point made, Saul turned back to face Master Rathru. "Was that what you wanted to see? Or was that more of a philosophical question?"

 

[Nightmare Moon]

"No I think that addresses my question quite nicely"

Saul seemed to have a basic grip of both combat and telekinesis though his defensive force powers needed to be honed as soon as possible. Aside from that force abilities that enhanced and exceeded physical limitations such as force speed and valor would be key to Sauls growth. As he already seemed to have a decent understanding of the order history and ethics could be addressed as they went along as a companion to their physical lessons rather than a main focus. One must know both what is right and what to do with that knowledge - one thing without the other was dangerous one without the other would lead to dangerous situations.

Concentrating his energy in front of him Rathru brought forth a shimmering wall of energy.

"Force barrier is one of the most useful of the base force powers and can easily save your life. In the next few moments I want you to focus on strengthening your shield. A the only thing stronger than a knights blade is his will and that is precisely what is used to keep your shield firm and resolute. Sith magic may offer far more in the way of offensive options to a combatant but after they have paid the price that comes with their spells and you are still standing untouched it is an easy matter to deal with them.

With telekinesis Rathru began to break baseball sized chunks from the caverns celling.

"Practice well for in ten minutes I shall begin to fire these at you. Show me that you have what it takes to resist the blows."

 

[Saul Perth]

"Practice well for in ten minutes I shall begin to fire these at you. Show me that you have what it takes to resist the blows."

Well, it could be worse, Saul thought to himself, I could be in a classroom translating the Jedi Code into fifty different languages. However, a look at the size of the chunks of rock thoroughly convinced him that he had no time to waste. He immediately bagan practicing a full body barrier. A minute and a half had passed before he decided it simply wasn't strong enough, he needed to change his tactics.

Saul extended his right hand, and with an open palm projected a smaller, much denser shield. He practiced this technique for a full five minutes before deciding it was best to attempt to regain some of the energy he spent practicing, so began to meditate. Saul had found he was more effective in a standing position, with his eyes closed and head down, hands balled into loose fists at his side. The Lightside energy of the temple above flowed through him, and he felt a sense of calm. It came before the storm however, as Saul's eyes shot open as he detected a surge of power from his Master.

 

[Nightmare Moon]

The stone spheres began to rotate spinning in the air gaining momentum . They would fly through the air and smash into the shield with enough force to cause not inconsiderable pain if the shield was not effective. This training method may seem harsh to one viewing it but Rathru was no fool - he knew that dark times were ahead and in the days following the alliance would be rocked to it's very core by the forces that were even now besetting it on all sides.

Rathru had not given Saul a large amount of time to succeed as the order themselves did not have a large amount of time. They must use every remaining moment and train with the most effective methods even If it was dangerous for those being taught.

The missiles began to rain faster and faster. Rathru believed that Saul had the will to accomplish this however. He had found his way here and with the intense training may even survive the coming war.

 

[Saul Perth]

The force behind the rocks caught Saul by surprise. Small chips of rock would fly everywhere as they bounced off his shield, some of the rocks even shattered completely, leaving nothing but a hail of stone. The barrier held well enough for the first barrage, but he could feel it beginning to give way. To compensate he further reduced the size of his shield, but even that began to crack under the continued assault, time to change tactics.

As yet another rock was hurled at Saul, he quickly dismissed his barrier and side stepped the incoming projectile. However, this solution proved only temporary as the chunk of rock simply turned around on it's flight path and attacked him again, faster than before. Once again drawing on the force to protect him, he turned and batted the rock to the side with his shielded right arm. By the time he had accomplished this, another was already inbound from his left. Quickly shifting his focus to his left arm, this one met a similar fate.

They were coming faster now, from all sides, sometimes even in pairs. Saul was forced to dip and dodge his way through rocks buzzing around him like angry hornets, destroying the ones he could with quick shielded strikes. He was fading fast as a rock zoomed towards him, this one was coming low, and he attempted to destroy it with a kick. He hadn't practiced generating a shield around his feet though, and in his tired state his barrier shattered, sending a lance of pain through his leg. The pain caused his focus to break for just a second, but that was all it took. One of the rocks struck him square in the chest, knocking him onto his back.

 

[Nightmare Moon]

Ratru ceased the hail of stones. He was here to train Saul after all - not to kill him.

"We need to work on your endurance and stamina. There are methods of making this easier such as the power force revitalise which I shall teach you in our next training session but in so saying that the best way to enhance your stamina and force reserves is to practice constantly. On the floors above there are rooms outfitted with droids that fire bolts of energy which may be used to test and train your shields. I hear they provide a mild stinging sensation when they touch flesh."

Rathru gestured to the golden carapace that covered his body.

"However such motivators are somewhat ineffective against me and thus I tend to train my stamina using logs and a fast moving waterfall. I would not recommend such a training regime for you just yet so when you have your own time practice with the droids. Oh and meet me tomorrow outside the temple near the the beginning of the woods there we shall go over the disciplines of force speed and revitalise."

Throwing Saul a bacta for his injuries Rathru turned and began to walk off into the dark tunnels that surrounded the cavern.