The Darkness Within (Training of Caed Ultor)

[Aussie Legend]

Zeak was surprised by the amount of lightening the Acolyte had produced, it was much more then he had expected. As the ball of lightening sped toward him, Zeak outstretched his right hand and seemingly cought the ball of electricity, before clasping his left hand around it and absorbing the force energy into his body, dispelling the lightening from the world.

As Caed dropped to the floor, Zeak smiled.

"Excellent."

The man was obviously drained, he could not rise from the floor on first attempt, a Jedi would no doubt give the man a rest, but of course, Zeak was no Jedi.

"On your feet, there is much to learn."

A chilling breeze licked at the side of Zeaks face, causing him to shiver momentarily as he looked off into the forest, waiting for a sign of movement. Several moments later, a small, nocturnal animal native to the planet appeared from the frozen-over trees and foliage around them. Making little noise, Zeak turned back to Caed and motioned in the animals direction.

"Gripping anothers body by using the force can be used for many different motives, but in this case, you shall use the force to grip that creatures throat and tear it out."

Caed was no doubt a quick learner, perhaps he would be able to acomplish this task without any guidelines, as he had with the lightening.

Zeak crossed his arms and watched silently.

 

[Rev]

It brought a smirk to the boys face upon hearing approval from his Master. Taking this short amount of time to take in deep breaths he was commanded to get to his feet, and he would do just that. Rising at his command his breathing was heavy, he was angry that he didn't get to rest, but if that was part of the training regiment, then he would abide by it.

"Yes my Master.."

Looking across at this creature he took in a deep breath, his hatred that was swelling deep inside him coming to the surface now. All the anger he had just built up as he was told it would help from Zeak just moments ago would be unleashed in a grip on the defenseless critter's fragile internals. Closing his eyes he looked in the direction of the nocturnal beast before opening his eyes, his yellow pupils piercing through this beast as he reached out through the Force. It would grip the animals esophagus and clinch down on it. Coughing would pursue from the creature as its paws scratched at it's own throat attempting freedom.

"Like this, my Master?"

As he spoke the creature rose into the air slowly, its legs flailing, attempting at freedom. That grip on its throat locked down harder, just by looking at the animal it was apparent it was losing precious oxygen, quickly. The cold chill from the frost that swirled around them only pushed Caed that much further into darkness. Clenching his hand a snap filled the empty area, echoing off the trees that filled the void around them. The sound of the beast gurgling on it's own internal bleeding would be all that followed and with a quick motion of Caed's own hand, bloody innards littered the snowy forest bed in a yellow and red mixture of bile and blood. Lowering his hand Caed watched as the remaining life of the creature was drawn out, it's body twitching and begging for life, any bit of it. Turning to face Zeak his face seemed to hold no emotion, as if he had reached the breaking point and went across it; snapping any connection he had with his former self with the tool he had just been taught.

 

[Aussie Legend]

Zeak clapped his hands and cackled a little as the creature stopped moving on the ground, blood spilling upon the snow.

There was no doubt in Zeak's mind that Caed was ready for the next step in his training, a step that would truely prove his worth to the Bogan.

Zeak looked off in the direction of the temple, another Acolyte should be on his way here now, one of which would either leave the clearing, or die within it.

 

[Hanshin]

Hanshin was in a positive mood, and so had cleaned his saber and let the Nexu roll around in the snow a bit. So it was all clean. However, externally he was sour and evil, hating the world. Rounding a corner, he noticed the dead animal. Unfortunately, so did his pet, which lunged forwards at the corpse ravenously, quickly tearing off a morsel and swallowing. Hanshin rolled his eyes as the Nexu almost sneered at the two dark Jedi. Hanshin hurriedly ran to the Nexu and scratched it's neck. However, it still extended hostility towards Caed, showing it's one black canine.

Force energy began to gather around the tooth as Nitefall stood. He looked at Caed, then at Zeak. "I take this is it?" he said gruffly, glancing disgustedly at Caed before keeping his gaze on the Dark Jedi. "Not impressive, truthfully" he smiled during these last words, hoping to instigate a response, to assess the power of the less experienced one.

 

[Rev]

Caed stared at this man, he had a hatred for him, and had never seen him in his life. This would be his proving point, all he had worked for was about to be show cased. Focusing his eyes on Hanshin he took in a deep breath, reaching out to the stranger. He could sense his almost happiness swell within the bowels of this fool, this want to be Bogan. Clenching his fists at the comment, it drew a response, one that would surely get Hanshin's attention.

His hand rose and pointed at the Nexu much like he had done before to the creature it had just eaten. Reaching out through the Force he clench this larger beasts throat and clinched with all the might the Force would allow him to muster. Staring at Hanshin as he did this, it surely wouldn't kill the beast unless he maintained the hold, but it would without a doubt anger the master to the beast.

"You're a fool for coming here... The Bogan are a faction of Power... a faction that relies on beliefs, above the Jedi in all aspects, one cannot simply join the Bogan to learn their ways then leave. We have a code, and I will teach it to you with my blade."

Dropping his hand the Nexu at Hashin's side would drop to the ground gasping for air, but overall unharmed.

"I am at your command, my Master..."

Bowing his head towards Zeak he reached to his hip and withdrew his own lightsaber. One that radiated subtly, but had an elegance to it. He had trained with the blade for years with the Jedi, and was now training in the ways of the Force with the Bogan. He would not fail, he could not fail; not until his family paid their dues to him..

 

[Hanshin]

((Rev couldn't have known about Hanshin's intents, so I'll ignore that bit of dialogue))

Hanshin was surprised that the retaliation was directed at his pet, but he found it amusing. In fact, he lowered his head and smiled as Force energy swirled around the Nexu. The beast roared, lashing out a Force wave at Rev, powerful enough to throw him back with enough force to send him two kilometers, before Hanshin sent a wave in the opposite direction, canceling it out. "The beast has a protective ward, to ensure that it doesn't get killed" he didn't mention how he had not placed the ward on it.

His ignorance aside, the retaliation amused him. He just hoped the Nexu wouldn't react to the ignition of lightsabers. Ignoring his own misgivings, he pulled his Lightsaber to his hand with the Force, quickly pressing the button and holding it casually at his side. He needed a mental intervention, which would hopefully happen once his opponent-

A twinge. A tingling down the muscles of his arms. Yes, hopefully this intervention would teach him enough to stay alive. He blinked, suddenly catching a glimpse of a stance. A sith? Yes, an adversary on coruscant. Someone was nearby, a Jedi. The name of the Jedi was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't grasp it. He knew, as it was with the other interventions, once he remembered the name he would remember just more than the stance. Yes, he would remember the basic principles of the form.

He positioned himself in the opening stance of Ataru.

 

[Rev]

((Ahh, Aussie and I had a convo about your guy and just figured it would've been brought up before this match up. Fair enough.))

Caed had been blown back by the invisible gust of wind that was known as the Force. Not only allowing his foe to save his flight, but his own reaction was to send out a Force push the way he had been heading; immediately catching himself in the snowy ground by digging his heels into the surface. Staring across at the Nexu it was apparent it had some Force protection or ability of it's own to protect itself.

"After I kill you, he'll make a good pet."

Caed smirked and let his hand dwell alongside him. With a press of a button the blade ignited to reveal the blade which was as bright as the sun, and just as yellow in hue. He wasn't one to show off, he knew his own abilities and was more than happy to present them to the man across from him. His eyes traced along the contours of the stranger, then began to look more finely. His footwork and form showed that of Ataru, this could become an interesting fight should his foe know more than one form to fight in. Dropping into his own highly trained form of Djem So Caed prepared for Hanshin to make a move. Ataru was attack based, now he would prepare his mind to take a life.

"Your move..."

 

[Hanshin]

Hanshin was surprised at the Dark Jedi's resistance to his mercy, but then realized that it should have been an obvious outcome. He shrugged, and looked down at his Nexu as its teeth began to make a relatively loud rattling sound. "I suggest you refrain from those sorts of comments, as this conflict does not involve the creature" he wouldn't have said this warning if he knew how to use what the Nexu could offer, but unfortunately he was only just about to learn the basic principles of a form, and was nowhere near the advanced technique required for that.

When his foe dropped into Djem So, Hanshin got a name. Daemon. But, apparently, it wasn't the name he needed, as he gained no revelation. Vape, if he attacked then it would become apparent that he didn't know Ataru yet, and the serpent would drop his lifeless corpse onto the snow faster than a Rancor would drop a politician. Hanshin needed to attack without being suspected, and he had a slight idea of how to do that. Flicking his wrist, he lunged forwards, pushing himself quickly with the Force to accelerate his speed, while simultaneously knocking a large amount of snow from the ground into his opponent's face telekenetically.

 

[Rev]

Something attacked the pit of Caed's gut, telling him something was not as it was first perceived. Staring at his foe, was it perhaps that this man was a faker. His form of Ataru was sloppy, Caed had seen it hundreds of times over at the academy on Coruscant, and this almost seemed like a mimic of what his opposite had seen in perhaps holovids or in person. Pushing that thought aside as the incoming attack snapped him back to reality his head bobbed to the left and down. This snowy attack had nearly pushed his face into a whitewash, but a quick response was enough to make the cowardly attack rendered useless. Now it was time to deal with his lunging opponent.

Caed rolled as he bobbed, his form crashing into the earth below him and tucking. His hand pressed into the cold surface and a Force Push was let out, sending him to his feet and at a different angle than Hanshin's lunge could have been with the combination of Force speed. As Caed's feet came in contact with the powdery snow below he pushed off the ground, doing a Force Jump at his opponent. The yellow blade cutting through the air and at Hanshin's throat. It would be a death blow if connected, the power behind it enough to curl even the Bogan's toes at the sheer brute strength it somehow carried.

 

[Hanshin]

Ugh, well that idea hadn't worked. Suddenly it seemed like a much worse idea than before. Hanshin thrust his feet forwards, landing almost parallel to the ground and skidding to a stop, then quickly straightened himself up, whirling to his dodging opponent. This was going to be over very quickly, and he definitely didn't want that. If only his predecessor had had more experience with the transfer technique, he wouldn't have to tediously unlock these memories. Of course, this was very similar to how he had unlocked part of his telekinesis, and remembered when his Nexu had almost been crushed by an avalanche on Ilum. Almost.

Hanshin brought himself up in a readied stance, holding his saber with one hand so that he could use the other one to accurately direct his Force power, if needed. The dark jedi's jump was a mistake. Jumping like that was surely a powerful attack, but Hanshin didn't have to exert himself to dodge it effectively. Which he did. He rolled to the side, then hopped in the same direction to put a bit of distance between them, before spinning around and bounding up in a cartwheel, timing his flip so that he would be upside-down over his enemy's head and able to slash at him. Even if he didn't know Ataru properly, he could still jump around a lot.

 

[Rev]

He was quicker than first anticipated, Caed would take note of that. Though there was still something about him that didn't exactly hit the soon to be Bogan as traditional in the ways of the Force. Reaching out through the mystical presence he knew Hanshin was above him, like a sixth sense his left hand extended out and sent a Force Push off the ground, putting himself into a barrel roll. As quickly as his opponent had struck, so had Caed, his own blade coming up to guard his near fragile framework from the powerful blade. Deflecting the weapon to the side just narrowly he felt his back dig into the cold snow below him. Quickly spinning to his feet with an acrobatic prowess unlike most could accomplish he stood looking at Hanshin with a hatred in his eyes. Truly unsure as to why this man was his opponent he looked at Zeak, for only a half second before eying down Hanshin once more. Walking at the man he swung the blade at his opponents left collar bone, his intent on locking the man in a lightsaber hold.

 

[Hanshin]

Hanshin was unsurprised that his attack didn't succeed, but he was intrigued at how his opponent had gone about deflecting it. He was against someone with either natural finesse, or lots of training. The hateful look the dark Jedi gave him made him slightly irritated that this person hadn't died yet. This pure rage clouded ones judgment, causing them to do rash and unwise things. Of course, those sorts of things were sometimes quite enjoyable, but in this case that didn't apply. He was caught off guard by the slowness of the next attack, but stood at the ready none the less. When his opponent swung, he brought his lightsaber up laterally, both hands on it so that it was at the same altitude as the top of his head. The sound of the blades clashing made Hanshin grimace; the sound was nerve-wrecking. He pushed forwards with his blade with all of his might, slightly upwards as that was the position his block was in.

 

[Rev]

Their blades crossed in a locked position, each fighting for a better position, this was Caed's expertise; he could've killed Jedi on Coruscant during his training if it were permitted... It was almost an art form to him, he loved every second of a duel, it was not a practice, but a lifestyle for him. Trained by one of the greatest blades the Jedi had to offer, his own father, for the ladder part of his life, his skill with the blade was nearly unrivaled. Feeling his opponent push his blade upwards with such power only caused Caed to push back, his blade being the upper weapon in the lock made his generated power easier to come by.

They were however in a deadlock it seemed, the man across from him had a hidden strength within him, one Caed hadn't expected. Tightening his own grip on the hilt of the lightsaber he pushed down with all the power his body could muster, trying to draw the yellow blade closer to Hanshin in hopes of winning Zeak's approval. He would not fail... He could not fail.

 

[Hanshin]

Hanshin was not enjoying this part of the duel. He was becoming fatigued quite fast, and really didn't want to hold this for very long, but if he let go there was a large chance he would get hit. He broke a sweat, feeling it trickle down his forehead. He was holding his ground... no, no he was wavering. Oh no, the blade was creeping towards him. He wanted to offer a burst of strength, bring it away, but he was growing tired, and now he was beginning to slide his rear foot back on the snow, trying to gain distance. Both his and his opponent's blades were getting dangerously close to his face. He couldn't see, the glow was too bright, and it was getting warmer. Warmer, warmer...

Ryaco.

He stopped sweating. His foot stopped sliding. His mind flooded with images. And, quickly, and with a sudden knowlege and grace he hadn't been able to grasp before, he twisted his lightsaber around his opponent's blade, causing a loud sound and releasing the lock. As he twisted his saber around, he simultaneously jumped, holding his saber in place and twisting into a flip, doing a backflip while twisting 180 degrees, so that he could land behind his opponent and quickly slice his head clean off.

 

[Rev]

Caed had watched as the blade had grown closer and closer to Hanshin's flesh, it was as if his victory would soon be in his hands. His excitement grew as the first kill as a Bogan came to him, then as quickly as he had thought he had won, the man had done something unique to escape. Sliding his own blade with his opponent it rode up along with Hanshin's forever protecting his form. Hearing the plop as snow was pushed aside at Hanshin's landing his hands rose above his hand, and his wrist angled down. The weightless blade angled straight down, protecting his head, neck, and back down to his tail bone.

Feeling the clash as his opponents blade drove into his own it was apparent Caed was in a bad spot. Letting the powerful swing Hanshin threw at him give him some momentum, as that all too familiar grinding sound of two lightsaber rang out he jumped using his toes, putting distance between himself and his foe. Turning as quickly as he had jumped he dug his feet into the ground, taking deep breaths, he was getting tired, but nothing he could not handle he was sure.

"I underestimate you..."

Looking to Zeak his eyes narrowed, this was the common enemy of the two, not each other. They were simply fighting as slaves to this man, trying to impress one of the followers of the Bogan, for what? To be accepted as an Acolyte? Facing their Master he kept an eye on Hanshin, there was no telling what that man would do.

 

[Hanshin]

Hanshin grinned mischievously at his opponent because of the comment. His difficulty would now look like a clever ploy to gain the upper hand, and although it had failed in a shallow way, it proved his potency. Now he noticed suddenly how Caed had been constantly averting his gaze towards their Master. Was he going to try something? The purpose of having a Master was to learn, and how could you learn by simply killing the teacher? Also, Hanshin doubted that the man could, in fact, kill Zeak. All of that aside, he was going to win this match, one way or another...

He lifted his finger, causing a whirlwind around them. It wasn't a very powerful wind, but it was spread over a large area, and so he couldn't hold it for long. Snow from everywhere began to join together around his finger, a long, thin pole being created. He held out his other hand towards Caed as the tower grew longer, and as it reached into the sky he found a cloud, and reached into it. He created a rustling, which fatigued him a great deal due to the distance. However, he stood his ground, not showing weakness. His eyes had been closed, but now he opened them, and stared directly at Caed. The rustling in the cloud grew, and struck. Lightning hit the pole, travelling down the snow to his finger. He calmed himself and channeled the lightning around him, and as it began to heat his arm he moved it forwards along his torso. When it was along his other arm, which was pointed at Caed, he gathered all of the energy around his fingertips and released it.

 

[Rev]

Caed stared down Zeak with an utter passion that showed hatred that only a mongrel could carry it would seem. Then something snapped inside of the young man as he sensed a difference elsewhere. The wind began to pick up, swirling in the area around him, looking to the skies he could see a gray cloud bellowing out as if it longed to release a lightning bolt. Then Caed's form was forced to transition to his opponent, to Hanshin.

Staring at the stranger his eyes narrowed, focusing on this man. Caed could sense the power he was calling forth, it was draining his opponent to a degree that the former Jedi did not feel to certain about. Taking a step away from Hanshin, distancing himself would further the spread the storm had that was sent forth at him. Dropping his back foot he fell into Soresu, his blade held out at the oncoming lightning that seemed almost impossible to overcome. Caed's hands remained close to his hips, a typical stance of a Soresu user, he would not allow any of the bolts to bypass his defense, or so he hoped.

It was as if his arms were hit with a shock wave as the lightsaber blade was hit with the oncoming attack. His wrist and elbows buckled against the powerful force, though his composure and figure maintained it's stability. The yellow blade of the Sith weapon acted almost as a grounding device to the electrical current. Feeling the hilt of the blade grow warm as the weightless beam sucked in the energy the hot lightning expended he could almost feel the power transferring into him, if it were even possible. Staring across at Hanshin Caed's eyes showed one thing, and one thing only, determination. He would kill the man now, there was no remorse in the Ultor's body. Now was his time to strike if ever.

Taking in a final deep breath he reached out through the Force, gripping the air around Hanshin as if it were an easily manipulated substance. With nearly all the power he commanded through the Force he pulled that invisible substance, and Hanshin with it, the attack a Force Pull. At the same instance Caed lept at the more than likely weakened Hanshin and swung with all the remaining power his body could muster at the man's mid section, an upwards cut from right to left. Should this attack land on his opponent, he would find his torso diced in two.

 

[Hanshin]

Caed's block was not unexpected, but this was a good demonstration of his potency. It was also a grand event, and he had visibly shown a weakness. While he had hoped it would hit his opponent, he had doubted it. As he felt a tingling on his arm, Hanshin suddenly felt the space around him change. As wind rushed against his face, he was pulled forcefully towards his attacker. Oh, this was obvious, it was. But no, of course the monkey-lizard would do something like this eventually. As he brought his un-ignited saber back into his right hand, he waited for the attack, which was coming at him almost as fast as he was moving towards his opponent.

Then he was there. The force of the pull ran out, physics took hold, and he threw his feet down, taking as sturdy footing as he could muster. As his opponent swung, Hanshin brought the tingling sensation from his left arm to his hand, pulling a reserve of lightning he had hidden before to engulf his grasp. Then, quickly, he thrust his hand to his opponent's forehead, attempting to apply a powerful shock at so close a range that it couldn't be blocked. He quickly brought his right arm down so that the saber would block his opponent's swing and ignited it. He could feel Caed's breath. This was going to be close.

 

[Rev]

((Are you holding the blade at bay with your hand, using the Lightning as a 'glove' to stop it from cutting your hand? Just curious cause that's how I read it and dont think Force Lightning can do that.))

 

[Hanshin]

(( It isn't force lightning, it's natural lightning. And lightsabers deflect lightning, they don't destroy it, which implies that it can be used like that. Lastly, he only needs to maintain it for less than a second (Lightsabers are a constant source of energy as lightning is limited) as he stabs you. I know one way you can get out of this... ))