Layers of Testing

[Brent Fury Drast]

⌬ THEME ⌬
​

Boy oh boy, the library could be duller than a hundred year old butcher's cleaver. Brent had been doing nothing but non stop research and studies. Luckily he had convinced his tutors that he was interested and motivated in the areas of force sealing and other methods of non-offensive techniques.

They had seemed content with his answers and just with the fact that he was not going out getting plastered and actually taking his studies somewhat seriously. Considering he had been forced to cover for Teran's injury he was skating on thin ice when it came to their superiors. But they were still satisfied that he had been able to come across a kyber crystal and had allowed him to construct his lightsaber without issue.

The same could be said for his cohort and 'partner in crime' Teran. The man had been far busier than Brent and after he had made a rapid recovery went to work on other missions. Meanwhile the Drast had face planted several hard cover books a dozen times over. He was not sleep deprived but he would be lying if he said that some of the material was not bland.

Still it seemed that his friend was coming back to Ellora and its jedi temple. This time they were not just peers but actually friends. At least that was what Brent hoped. Still he was hoping to get out of the temple and actually get a chance to have some practical experience in Force Sealing other than what he had learned from the archives and other jedi's accounts.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Perhaps for the first time since coming to the Alliance, Teran was beginning to feel slightly competent. He wasn't sure he'd go so far as to say that he was ready to become a Knight as there were many questions he still didn't know, but he felt as though he'd reached the point where he was competent to make decisions and take on missions on his own.

But he wasn't alone, and he was glad for that. He and Brent hadn't seen each other for several weeks, but he was glad to see his fellow Jedi intern again, once again taking on some out of the library action. In his typical fashion he carried his saber, satchel full of gear, and a pistol that he couldn't quite tear himself away from. There was a skip in his step as he headed for the library, spotting Brent a moment later and waving excitedly.

Hey Brent! How've you been?! he asked, slipping into a seat across from the other Jedi as he offered his greeting. You ready to get going? I heard some rumors about some Jedi artifacts buried in an old cave, supposedly overrun with nasty animals, wanna go take a look? Supposed to be Sealed with the Force. I figure that's more fun than just reading about it, yeah? he asked excitedly. @Darasuum

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

He caught the motion of his pal arriving. A smile creased his lips and gave a nod of greeting as the man asked how he was. "Same ol same ol. How's the leg?" He gave a gesture to the one that had been injured.

When Teran offered to leave the musty library Brent started nodding before he could finish. He slammed one of the old leather bound tomes that drew some eyes. "oops....well..." He started walking and moved past his cohort before continuing. "Let's go before one of the masters has me reorganize one of the sections." He had spent enough time pouring over books he felt the knights and other members of the order were going to start treating him like he was a librarian.

"Lead the way. I'll do anything to get out of here. My brain's almost fried." Patting himself down he made sure that his normal tools of adventure and survival were on him. Satisfied, it looked like they were ready to try and test what they had learned over the past few weeks.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran looked down at the leg and rubbed where it had been pierced by the piece of stone several weeks ago. The power of the Force and bacta had let it heal up like new, for which he was thankful. He'd almost forgotten it had been injured.

Good as new, thankfully, he said, holding up a thumb to indicate all was well. He smiled at how enthusiastic Brent looked about getting out of here. Everyone got tired of the library eventually.

The slamming over the ancient book drew a couple of dirty glances and Teran stifled a grin and a laugh, holding both of his hands up in front of him in a "slow down" motion. Whoa, whoa, Jedi aren't supposed to take out aggression on their books, he poked fun.

Teran - ever eager - buzzed off through the library and booked it for the exit. They had lots of opportunities today, and only so many hours in the day. Nice, I'm psyched. I need more practice, and this Force lock - or Force seal? - whatever, it's not easy to do, he said, reaching back to scratch his head as they made it to the outdoors. It was nice and cool, with a gentle breeze that was always refreshing.

I heard one of the Knights complaining about dealing with these animals out here. Some sort of predator with big teeth and claws. Dog-like or something. Anyway, they didn't want to deal with clearing them out and collecting the artifacts, so I thought we might be able to give it a go, he said, pulling out the lightsaber he had constructed and flipping it in his palm.

Did you bring yours? he asked, knowing there was a chance they would need them to defend themselves. They were quickly approaching the area in question, and Teran intentionally had them approach from the ridge side. They had the high ground on a small clearing below leading to a cave entrance. From here, he could see that there were many tracks out front and even from here he could see a single, freaky, dog-like creature wandering out front, and he knew there would be more inside.

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

After hearing the teasing Brent looked back over his shoulder at the book then back at Teran. "jeDi aRen'T SupPosEd To tAkE oUt tHeIr AggReSsiOn oN tHeIr BoOKs." He said with an immature tone. The man could not think of any better retort at this time and knew it was a bad come back but he was already past it.

Brent was just glad to get out of the library but Teran quickly took thee lead and seemed to be even more enthused about the excursion than he was. A slight smile creased the edges of his mouth at seeing his cohort's infectious interest. "Yeah, force seal." He confirmed despite Teran continuing to talk. "Have you practiced any of it on your own yet?" Brent had been stooped in literature and had not even attempted a practical application of the technique yet.

Taking in a deep breath Brent appreciated the smell of nature. More importantly, he liked not smelling old musty pages and dust. He listened to the briefing that Teran gave and nodded. Then there was mention of some artifacts. "Are they like, crappy artifacts or something?" If they were than that would explain why the other jedi were not even bothering to go get it themselves. That, or these dog things were actually pretty troublesome.

When asked about his own lightsaber the man pulled out not one but two lightsabers and showed them on flat palms for his partner to see. While he had wanted to get the lightsabers right away after making sure that Teran had been medically treated Brent had stayed his hand. Instead he gathered the items of to make his iconic tools and despite his gripes about studying, looked at lightsaber construction and found making a shoto would be perfect for him.

Following behind the man slowed in time with Teran as they came to a ridge. A ways off he clearly saw where they were headed and squinted at the area below. The creature before them was definitely strange and warranted a closer look. So instead of enabling the idiotic reputation he already had gained over a short time he did the smart thing and pulled out a pair of macrobinoculars. Looking at the dog-thing Brent grimaced a little at how weird it looked before handing the item over to Teran to take a look if he wanted. "Is that the only one? I mean it looks fugly but doesn't seem to be too dangerous. Maybe there's more than one?"

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Brent's immature tone in his comeback caused Teran some laughter and a broad, genuine smile. The teasing and jesting was a nice change of pace from many other missions and training expeditions where everything had to be serious. He knew that Jedi needed to be sober minded and upright, but sometimes he thought that some of the older Masters were just intentionally stuffy and difficult, which he couldn't imagine was what the Force wanted. Recklessness wasn't the answer either, but couldn't one be responsible and still have a bit of fun? Teran certainly hoped so.

I had a little chance to practice with Master Breaux, but I could still use some polishing. I'm not sure that it's even something that Padawans or inexperienced Knights can pull off on their own, but I figure we could at least learn the techniques now, and as our control of the Force improves we're a step ahead, he said with a shrug. It seemed like a reasonable assertion from what he was reading, and it was clear that he was already improving in knowledge and maturity.

He shrugged as Brent asked if they were crappy artifacts. That might have been the case, and he could almost here the elder Knights in his head "there is wisdom and use to be found in all Jedi artifacts." The thought was enough to bring a slight roll to Teran's eyes as he thought about how cheesy that sounded.

Ooooh, fancy, he said as he looked at the pair of sabers. Perhaps the two of them would have to spar together sometime. Teran had already begun to learn about the saber Forms, and he rather enjoyed using them whenever he got the opportunity. There weren't a lot of things neater than lightsabers.

I bet there are, he said as Brent mentioned there might be more. Most dogs hunted in packs, and he would have wagered that there were others out there hiding in the trees and caves. He reached out with the Force, wondering if there was a way to sense or tame these creatures. Maybe we can... bond with them? he proposed, flipping the saber hilt in his hand. If it failed then he could probably always try the stabbing.

Want to give it a try? I think the Knights call it "taming beasts" or "animal friendship" or something? he said with a squint. That seemed like the kind of thing that would come in super handy. @Darasuum

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

It was good to hear that Teran had studied a bit as well after their last venture into the depths of the temple. However he was not very convinced to confidence with how the man toned his second half of his statement. "Oh...all that? Well that's reassuring. Yeah...if we fail then we just get our faces eaten off by a karkin dog monster in the middle of the woods. I'm just now realizing we did not tell anyone where we were going for the day so at least if it kills us then all our loved ones think we ran off to abandon them and did not die...yep...works for me." If it was not clear enough yet Brent was a sarcastic individual. It was probably definitely coped with his own discomfort and make people concious of the situations that they would have otherwise been ignorant of.

Even more sarcasm was warranted but Brent already had used quite a bit earlier so perhaps it was not in the best of taste. Instead he just chewed the inside of his cheek and gave Teran a look. But ultimately the man said nothing. He found that he was rather candid and nonchalant with most of his peers. But maybe that was because he was just honest about how he felt and it was a sign that he felt comfort divulging his most truthful and deep seated feelings. Then again maybe he was just a dick with no filter. If asked one way or the other Brent would likely admit to either along with a shrug.

As for his own lightsabers Brent was still not used to them. When conflict came Brent was used to reacting to it appropriately. That meant not always reaching for a weapon. However, when it did come that sort of thing he still drew his hand towards a blaster. It would also take some getting used to the feeling of a lightsaber. It was noticeably different from a vibro blade.

When Teran mentioned bonding with the creature, or any other members of its possibly existing pack, Brent just slowing turned to look at him like he had said something that almost required a slap across the face. Then his face quickly went back to his normal expression that indicated he was up for anything. If he was going to die today then he guessed it was something that was just going to happen.

Maybe that prospect though of believing he might die any yet still willing to take the risk said something about himself. Of course it could all just be inside his head. Though it was always nice to have some sort of narration that would be dictated to younger generations that would over analyze a specific indivudal's actions to the point that it got made into hilarious element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation. "If you survive you make my eulogy epic. If I survive...well...I'll attend the funeral." With that said he motioned for them to continue on.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

They were gonna be fiiiiiine. Hopefully. If not, lightsabers. That was how this Jedi thing worked, wasn't it? You exhaust all your other options for peaceful resolution first, and if that fails and your enemy still tries to kill you then you whip out ye old laser sword and hack a guy down. That was what he was hoping to avoid, but if it failed, best to be ready.

Based on the facial expressions, Teran was guessing that Brent wasn't quite so eager to engage in "animal bonding" or whatever it was called. Nevertheless, Teran was full of (potentially undeserved) confidence, and wanted to put on his best Jedi face as often as possible. Odds of success... you know what, we don't need to talk about those odds.

Teran reached his mind out to the animal, letting his emotions of peace and calm wash over it. Jedi were supposed to conquer their fears, and Teran felt afraid. Afraid his throat was going to be ripped open, but he tried to push that aside. All is as the Force wills it. If I die here, I'll die no matter what, he reminded himself. His destiny wasn't in his hands, and that was reassuring in its own way. He was a servant of the Force.

He slowed his breathing, and the snarling wolf-creature seemed to respond. It stood and looked at him, moving from a snarl to a calmer look. It began to walk toward him, but as it did, another of the wolves appeared. This one was not under Teran's influence, and while he knew that he could keep this one calm he didn't know if he could maintain control and gain control of the other quickly enough. Hopefully Brent was at the ready to help....

Little help here, he said with anxiety in his voice. Teran didn't really care whether Brent brought it under control or just cut it in half, as long as it didn't rip his throat open.

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

Brent watched as Teran actually was going to attempt the animal bond just like he said. Cursing under his breath the man followed a few steps behind his friend to make sure that he did not intrude on the actions or break concentration.

As Teran got the beast's attention it snarled at him. Inhaling sharply his hand went for his belt where his blaster was. Then again he also remembered that he should have reached for his lightsaber. Still, it seemed that Teran was able to get it under control.

Unfortunatly another beast came slowly into view from the darkness of the cave. It's eyes glowed and its snarling fangs visible. By the time Teran spoke Brent was taking a few steps forward. He could try to outright kill it but he was not sure if that would disturb the thoughts of the other dog-thing to make it resist the control of Teran. No, non violence first.

Reaching a hand out Brent focused. Calming himself he forced himself to be non-threatening and friendly towards the creature. Surprisingly it complied and even sat down as if it was there just taking a sit in the sunlight. However it seemed both Teran's and Brent's luck was not that good as another, third dog-thing came out of the cave. "Are you frickin kidding right now?"

Spoiler: dice

Brent's going to probably regret trying to animal bond with the 2nd dog-thing (barely a success)
@Phoenix
[/dice]

 

[Teran Atrix]

Dice​

So they seemed to have gotten control of the animals, and Teran stood to his feet and planned to go into the cave when another creature arrived. Perfect...

The Jedi reached out with the Force, starting to calm it when that went downhill. His concentration wavered and the nearest dog began to snap and bark, causing the Jedi to step back in surprise and a moment of fear. It must have radiated through the Force because now the dogs were free, angry, and ready to eat the two Padawans.

Teran's saber was out and buzzed to life in a flash. In one surprisingly smooth motion it came up from his belt and sliced through the head of the first wolf, sending it whimpering to the ground. He turned and swiped at the second dog, but he was a split second too late. The dog latched onto his left arm and the teeth sunk in deeply as his saber swung around into the dog, cutting it in half. He dug the blade deeper in and tried to shake the jaws free, but the damage had already been done. Warm blood trickled down his arm and stained his jacket, causing Teran to wince and step back. Hopefully Brent would have managed to kill the third dog more successfully. @Darasuum

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

He knew this was going to happen. He had called it. This was prime time to say "I told you so" but instead of doing just that, Brent thought it best to actually deal with his own rabbid dog thing. The Drast had never really tried to calm or bond with an animal before and now it seemed that was beginning to show. The rowdiness of the other mutts before they were slain was enough to both excite the one before Brent and also break his concentration.

The animal growled and barked. It took a second and it lunged at Brent. The man raised his left arm, the phrik coated arm brace filling the creature's maw. If not for that there would be numerous puncture wounds from what was probably a very unclean mouth. The weight of the dog-thing was more than it looked. Its head thrashed trying to rip and tear at the man's arm like it was the neck of some prey. This caused the man to accidentally fumble and drop his lightsaber.

The man resorted to punching the animal in the face. It seemed to have little to no affect. "You LITERAL sonovabitch!" He growled with no small amount of stress in his voice.

Spoiler: dice

Let's see if Brent can take on the one dog-thing he was left with (mild fail)
@Phoenix
[/dice]

 

[Teran Atrix]

Dice​

As bad as everything had gone thus far, it probably could have gone worse. Neither of the dogs had managed to go for the jugular, and although he had had part of his arm torn open neither of them were bleeding out on the ground yet, though he was sure infection would set in sooner rather than later if he wasn't careful.

Now wasn't the opportunity to actually worry about that, though. Teran surged forward, saber gripped in his right hand as it swiped through the air and plunged into the dog attacking Brent and tearing at his arm. The hiss of sizzling flesh erupted for a moment, accompanied by a yelp, and then there was silence apart from the panting and hissing now coming from Teran as a response to the pain radiating through his arm.

You good? he asked, looking to the torn up armor on Brent's arm that looked relatively un-pierced. Yeah, so that could have gone better, he said. His saber zipped out and went back onto his belt, not turning his back to the cave as he stopped to patch up his own arm.

So you have a different plan, since I can tell you're just dying to say "I told you so," he said. He knew Brent well enough to recognize that look on his face even if Brent hadn't actually come out with it yet. @Darasuum

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

ow ow ow ow ow OW OW! His inner mind was getting barraged with the pain shooting through his arm as the pressure of the jaws kept pressing down. The jagged teeth of the dog-thing had yet to actually puncture his flesh but his armor was crumpled and broken.

"A little hel-" But Teran understood that Brent was in a tight spot and killed the creature. With a swish from his new lightsaber Teran took out the last beast. The grip was still a bit tight though and the sudden dead weight of the mutt nearly caused Brent to fall down to the ground with it. His obvious stumble causing him to grunt in frustration before he recovered with a look that said he was hoping nobody had seen him falter.

"Yeah, I think I'll survive. You?" The Drast pulled back his armor and sleeve to get a look at the damage. Marks had been made and there would be bruising if not some other stuff that he might want to get looked at later. Opening and closing his left hand he tested his grip. It was still working alright.

Bringing his right hand over the wound he began to heal it as best he could. His eyes closed as he tried to think back to the medical files he had read. They were more like primitive shamanic scrolls but had connected some where medical science ended and where the force began in terms of healing. Almost immediatly he began to feel better in his left arm. The redness clearing up as well as any lingering soreness.

Brent would have remained impressed at his own work if not for Teran asking for the next course of action. "I won't say that..." A moment passed as he stooped to pick up his lightsaber he had dropped. "...but I did tell you." He grinned to let Teran know he was well enough to act like his normal cheeky self.

"The way I see it, we have three options. First, we go back to the temple, open up a jar of jet juice I absolutly don't have under my bed. Second, we seal up this place and try to lure any more of these ugly sons of bitches out. Third, least pleasant...." he sighed. "...but admittedly probably the most responsible would be to go in there and try to get rid of the rest of those dog thingies." They were far from safe to keep this close to the temple. Plus leaving them to starve to death was far from humaine. Brent was confident in a lot of things, love making, karoke, his piloting and fighting skills, but when it came to erecting a force seal on a cave that had crazy mutts he was lacking in that area of certainty. The dogs could break it down or maybe the two padawans would have failed making a proper seal and they slip out anyways.

Spoiler: dice

going to see if Brent can heal his own wounds (rousing success)
@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran took a seat next to Brent, eyes toward the cave as he finished up with his bandages. Or we do all three, he growled, trying to control the anger and frustration attempting to claw to the surface due to his bleeding, painful arm.

We try to seal it up... probably fail, so we go down and burn the demons out, he said, thinking about potential gas pockets they might use to flood the cave before lighting it ablaze.

Then we go back and hit the Jet Juice so I stop thinking about how my arm is falling off and I have to get injections to prevent infection, he said as he finished with the bandage and cleaved off the end of his blood and tattered jacket sleeve. This really could have gone better.

What do you know about sealing? he asked. He had done it once before, but that was with the assistance of the Grandmaster. He had no illusions that it was due to his Padawan-appropriate skills. He was a peon, and not much more at this point and he knew it.

He shook his head slightly. This is a terrible idea. We need to be ready to fight when this doesn't work, he scowled. @Darasaurus

 

[Brent Fury Drast]

When one can not choose, choose all three. Brent had learned that lesson when he had been given options for ice cream toppings as a kid. Now it seemed to apply though it was far less appetizing. It was ironically comforting to know that Teran was not delusional and that he had as little confidence in one another's abilities as Brent did. But he was still willing to give it a shot.

At how much he knew the Drast could just shrug. "I was going to just keep trying what I interpreted as the technique I read about until something stuck." He was more of a trial and error kind of guy. If the first plan did not work he had a second, and a third, and forth. But usually those plans were not thought of until the preceding ones failed.

Walking up to the opening and stepping over the dead dog corpses he held his hands out. Both of his eyes closed as he began to build up the force and focus on the entrance way. He could feel the force and how it began to form around the area ahead of him. It was like a door was closing and locking into place. Several moments would pass, Teran able to assist him if he wanted to or keep watch.

When Brent opened his eyes stones and rock seemed to have moved from their places. Pillars of what was almost naturally formed rock made it look like a prison cell hewn from stone. The sizes of the opening were too small for any of the dog creatures to get through and reinforced with the force seal would mean they would not be busting out of there. A look of pleased surprise came over the Jedi's face. "Hey I think I might have a knack for this." Now it was time for him to toot his own horn.

Spoiler: dice

Trying my first attempt at force seal
(Success)
@Phoenix