A Monk In The Bogan Temple (Kahl'l Nhbel's Training)

[darkhaert]

Kahl'l bathed after waking from his nightmare. He wiped the moist off the mirror and tried to smile. He laughed loudly and saw his hands shaking. He grinned and returned to his room. He wore his robe and went out.
He suddenly stopped and bowed to a Dark Jedi. "Master, thank you for taking me as your disciple."

 

[Horizon]

Rish was certainly unsure as to why exactly he was in the acolyte's quarters. Then again he was uncertain why he was dealing with a human acolyte. Oh how he despised humans. It all stemmed from an occurence in his past which took the life of his father. Such a mellodramatic situation that was. But his acolyte had taken his bath for a long time. Rish had plans for this acolyte in particular. And with him being a human, Rish thought of every way possible to tear him apart.

"Gather your things,worm. We are heading to Tatooine for your training. It will be there you are forged out violence and hate. Or it will be there where your bones sink into the sand to be forgotten."

Rish simply turned around and headed out. Winding through the halls, Rish checked his gear that ranged from a small pouch of food and water to his lightsabers which never left his presence. Eventually he made his way out the main gate and over to the relatively small port where his ship laid. His ship had no name as of yet. It happened to have an interior that included a large communications room with a holoprojector, as well as cabins for the ships crew and a conference room. The bridge was located in the center at the front of the ship. It featured numerous computer panels as well as seats for the pilot and co-pilot all overlooked by the commanding officers seat, in the center of the bridge.

Of course it was only Rish and a couple of other Acolytes who were doing menial work after being chosen for their skills with ships. Rish boarded his ship and awaited his acolyte to meet him.

 

[darkhaert]

Kahl’l’s chest trembled when he heard the Dark Jedi called him a "worm." He didn't like the sound of "violence" and "hate" as his foundations for strength. It worried him. But his fear of his nightmare is beyond worry. Desire for strength is the bond that ties the monk and the Dark Jedi; he has the desire, and the Dark Jedi has the strength.
When Dark Jedi Rish shrugged him off, he jerked his body straight. He was sure his head was about to be cut off; that the Dark Jedi regretted taking him as a disciple. After feeling his neck twice, he was satisfied with what he felt; it was still intact.
Winding through the halls, Rish and Kahl'l were only a short distance apart. Each time Kahl’l lost sight of Rish, after turning corners, he’d feel anxious, and each time Rish’s arms moved Kahl’l prepared to dodge. Nothing terrible happened, but Kahl’l’s fears were still warranted.
Who wouldn’t be afraid of threats like “or it will be there where your bones sink into the sand to be forgotten." (That was another bond in their relationship. Kahl’l was afraid of Rish. He could still remember every detail of how Rish eliminated thirty bandits without breaking a sweat.)
But despite his fears and worries, he was excited.
Once in the ship, Kahl’l lost sight of his master. He could feel the tension inside, the dark energy. He had to run all over the place to find his master. After reaching the bridge he was sweating and gasping for air, but when Rish glared at him his fatigue vanished.
He kept quiet.

 

[Horizon]

Kahl'l had already impressed Rish. Mostly for the fact he was afraid. He was right with his emotions. Rish had already killed his former acolyte for not knowing how to use the Force. Hopefully Kahl'l would not fail like that other unlucky victim. Rish stared down Kah'l for what felt like millenia as he raised his right arm, pointing to the pilot as his signal to begin their voyage. The pilot punched in a number of combinations, flipping switches, mashing buttons and eventually caused the enginges to prime and come alive with a thunderous roar. The ship slowly lifted from the landing pad and flew off into the clouds and eventually out of the the atmosphere.

"Sir, the hyperdrive must prime for at least thirty minutes before we may jump into lightspeed."

Rish merely nodded, deciding not to punish the acolyte for not priming the hyperdrive before hand. Unseen by Rish and Kahl'l the pilot wiped the beads of sweat that were slowly forming across his forehead, he was surprised that he had not been thrown out of a nearby airlock. Rish then walked past Kahl'l and headed towards another corridor but stopped at the entrance of the cockpit and looked back, motioning him to follow. Walking through the corridors of the ship, one could clearly tell that Rish enjoyed his ship looking its finest.

The floors spoke of unprecedented devotion to keeping them spotless while the windows had no fingerprints of any kind. Eventually they found themselves in a rather low-lit room that had a circular console within the middle. Rish approached it and slide his claws across a panel which then caused a light blue hologram of Tatooine to appear and a assortment of beasts along with it. Rish examined each one closely as if was inspecting them like animals at a market. Suddenly he fixed his gaze upon Kahl'l.

"Tell me Kahl'l. What area of study within this order are you wanting focus in? The Force and knowledge of this order? Honing your will power to ultimately cast even some of the most adept Force techniques? Or to wield a lightsaber with the fury of a hundred Ospion Knights, cutting down every foe that dare stand before you? Perhaps you wish to become a teacher. Devoting your time to pass down the sacred knowledge of generations onto the newest therefore keeping the order alive with power. The possibilities are endless, Kahl'l..."

 

[darkhaert]

Kahl'l hesitated to reply. "I don't know," he said. The look Rish gave was neutral. "I—I can't explain it, but where I am right now... where I am heading—I've seen it in my dreams. To be in this ship feels like replaying a recorded hologram more than once. I’ve felt like I’ve been to this room a thousand times. Back in—" He wanted to tell the whole story, about the Monastery, about his Fathers, but he felt that Master Rish doesn't need to know... and that Rish was a dangerous person.

"In my dreams, a Demon is always chasing me—I know dreams don’t mean anything to other people, but to me it's no different from the reality that I stand in now. I'm certain that my dreams are real, or that they will become a reality. I was always in cities I've never been before, used languages that I don't understand. I've been everywhere, and in each dream it catches me. The Demon... once it catches me, it’s over... What I need-"(Kahl'l kneeled)"-is the strength to defeat this demon. I want what you have!"

Kahl'l kept his head down.

 

[Horizon]

It was almost heart warming to see the amount of dedication this one acolyte was willing to give so that he may gain an adequate amount of power to defeat this mystical demon within his dreams. Yet Kahl'l believed that his dreams were nothing more than non-sense and thought he could simply put away this dream after amassing the strength within in him. For Jedi and Bogan these dreams meant more. They were what was to come and eventually this Demon was going to take hold of Kahl'l and most likely never let him go. At least that was what Rish thought of it. And then it dawned on him...


"Rise my acolyte! I will grant you this simple request under one condition..."

Rish did not finish his sentence on purpose. Suddenly his hands were right above his acolyte's head! A dark purple glow imminated from both of his palms which soon struck out with arcs of energy which surrounded Kahl'l! The energy would drain Kahl'l of the Force but only for a time. It would feed Rish's growing hunger that only increased the more he used the technique. Yet anyone he used it on also gained a chance of learning it. As that was its mysterious nature.

 

[darkhaert]

((I'm not sure if you read it right, but, to clarify, for Kahl'l his dreams are real. He feels that they are real. I must've wrote something wrong, but yeah, he believes that they will happen.))

Kahl'l quickly hopped away from Rish. He tried to get through the door, but he fell down. His knee was weak, and he could barely use his arms to raise himself. He drew out his dagger that hid in his sash. His back was on the wall, and his dagger was almost raised. He faced Rish, but he could barely keep sober.

 

[Horizon]

(Oh yes I realized that. But things like dreams in any fashion are always debatable!)

Just when this Acolyte was beginning to prove himself worthy, he showed fear. Rish halted the flow of energy seeping from his palms and fixed his gaze upon the frightened Acolyte that was Kahl'l. He posed to some how defend himself against Rish with nothing more than a Dagger. It was almost pathetic. Pulling both his lightsabers from his belt, Rish ingited both in a synchronized motion therefore creating a much louder hissing noise. Stepping away from the light of the Hologram, Rish's crimson sabers gave little light which exposed his scarred, glassy eye...

"Tell me Kahl'l...Do you really think that Dagger will help you here? Can you really best my lightsabers with such a primitive tool? Think about what you are doing, Kahl'l."

His voice seemed like echoes in the room as he progressed closer and closer to Kahl'l position. He was either going to learn the true nature of his Acolyte or he was about to dispose of a body in the nearby airlock. Rish thought to himself about how much of a shame it would be to loose someone like him.

 

[darkhaert]

((Oh! It was I who read it wrong. I read your part incorrectly. You are right! Kahl'l is naive if he thinks he can forget his fears once he gain strength.))

He squirmed to the corner to achieve some space. Rish's glassy eye took hold of his sanity, and the fear that he felt surpassed his previous fears, for the moment. Some of his strength returned when Rish stopped siphoning his vitality. He gripped his dagger tight, and prepared for the worst.

"Tell me Kahl'l...Do you really think that Dagger will help you here? Can you really best my lightsabers with such a primitive tool? Think about what you are doing, Kahl'l."

Kahl'l dashes to the other side, evading Rish and his lightsabers. He strikes the dagger into the panel and dragged the blade along the computers. The circuits cut like tendons, while the metal was easily sliced open like beast-hide. The room returned to its low-lit setting; not enough to hide him.

He moved back to a corner again and mustered all the strength he has left. "I’ll do what you want! As long as you let me live…."

 

[Horizon]

It was almost sad to think that Kahl'l had the suspicion that Rish was trying to kill him. And if it the praise wasn't enough. Well now that Rish thought about it, sucking a piece of someone's life force was something one could take the wrong way. But still that did not excuse the fact he was going to have this area of the ship repaired on his next visit to Coruscant. Still Kahl'l had proven his desire to live but his plea to live was a bit of a let down.

"I was going to let you sleep in the private quarters but now you have to sleep with the rest of the acolytes for destroying those consoles."
Rish's voice certainly sounded off with anger but he was now in no mood to be throwing any one out an air locker. Instead he approached the center console once more, placing his lightsabers back on his belt. He felt that Kahl'l would not strike again but if had a change of heart he was most likely going to sense it. If not his clumsy foot work was going to give it away. Suddenly a voice chimmed in within the room on a local inter-com device.

"Sir the engines are primed, awaiting approval to enter hyperspace."

"Permission granted acolyte."

And with that the ship slowly released the hyperdrive's energy propelling the ship at such a speed it was thought almost unimaginable long ago. It would be at least a day before they arrived near their destination and Rish had meditation and planning to be done. Leaving the room, Rish departed to his quarters where the steel doors closed and locked in behind him. Leaving Kahl'l to decide what he should with the rest of his time before departing to his quarters among the rest of the crew/acolytes.

 

[darkhaert]

Rish's back was the last thing Kahl'l saw. The steel doors closed, and with it silence. The room started to fill with smoke, but Kahl'l stayed in his stance. Minutes passed, yet no one came back. He meditated with his dagger beside him. The smoke has overwhelmed the room.

The crew barged in with tools and extinguishers. Kahl'l slipped passed them dragging smoke. It was his first time inside a ship. He felt the machinery and computers, to see how it worked. His eyes flickered when he managed to maneuver the ship's computer map system. A green dot kept flashing in the virtual map. Kahl'l slid his finger on the map. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

He moved from corridor to corridor. The stars outside of the viewing glass were different for each corridor. Crewmen didn't bother him, most men didn't see him. They see him only when his clothes radiated authority. He was farther away from the bridge; Rish might be there.

"You seem to be lost, sir. Ah! You must be the new apprentice ," said a droid. "Kahl'l was it?"

Kahl'l kept his hands close to his daggers.

"You're far from the private quarters, sir... Ah yes! I can guide you back to the private quarters... Oh! Are you currently exploring the ship?"

Kahl'l looked behind and beyond him and the droid. No one, other than them, is in the hall. "I'm done exploring. Take me to the dining hall."

In the dining hall there were only a few crewmen. Seven unarmed men sat and ate their food. Kahl'l chose the same food the men were eating. The droid served the food while Kahl’l watched. Kahl’l ate and left the plate clean.

When the crewmen left he followed them. The men returned to their rooms, and Kahl'l found an unoccupied one. He started flipping his dagger up in the air. He flexed his muscles, and looked for scars. He performed pushups and situps. The bed creaked when he sat on it. He faced the door, and dropped his dagger on the floor.

He meditated.

 

[Horizon]

Slipping out of hyperspace the ship slowly but surely orbited the dead planet, awaiting Rish's command. But the command was not to come for another hour or so. Rish was in the life pod bay which was used mostly to escape the ship incase anything went wrong. Instead Rish was there to oversee one of Kahl'l's tests. An acolyte engineer tinkered with some of the droid's primary settings and eventually reversed its primary functions. The Droid prepped itself and sat inside the pod and with that, Rish gave the order.

"Fire off the pod now!"

Phoosh! The pod ejected out of the ship and was headed directly for the surface! Rish walked back to the room he had visited before with Kahl'l and noticed everything was in working condition but for the sake of everything looking fine he would have to pay some external Force to repair the panels. He then stopped half way on his path to the holo-projector and reached out to Kahl'l's mind in the Force like that of voice in the back of his head.

"Kahl'l it is time you know what is ahead of you. Meet with me back in the Holo-Projector room where you will recieve your gear."

Rish then approached the Holo-Projector which still held the picture of the desolate planet but now he had punched in a new destination on the planet. He examined it closely and chuckled lightly to himself as he had finally found the location.

 

[darkhaert]

Kahl'l woke up from his trance. He felt a voice calling to him; this one was familiar. The voice gave him a direction, and he took his time to reach the Holo-Projector room. Once inside he took out his dagger and started to play with it.

"You're right," Kahl'l said, flipping the dagger in the air. "This is primitive. The metal from the computer made it dull easily." He threw the dagger at the table. It stuck not too deep. He took out a different dagger and held it. The dagger had a different shape. It had a hook at the tip, and a leather grip. "But this one is better."

Kahl'l looked at the hologram of a planet. He smiled and sheathed his dagger.

"I'm sorry if I showed weakness earlier. I'm still unfamiliar with all this sorcery... If you would have wanted me dead, you could have done it anytime. But still you took me as an apprentice, even though you were not obligated to—despite the fact that I was a stranger... a stranger who is partly to blame for wrecking your previous ship. I am indebted to you for taking me."

He knelt and held his head close to the floor. "Please excuse me for my earlier frenzy."

((OOC: Sorry if I don't write much about what Kahl'l feelings or emotions or thoughts, but I'm practicing a style that doesn't reveal the character's thoughts.))

 

[Horizon]

Rish ignored his childish dagger that was still yet primitive to Rish. Getting close to a Jedi with a dagger would not prove useful in a fight. Especially if they launched him off a cliff with nothing but a flick of their wrists and the Force blasting through their palms. Rish also ignored his acolyte's incesant comment about the mess he had made. It mattered not to him but if he were to bring it up once more there would be consequences.

"No peace, only suffering. No knowledge, only instinct. No serenity, only passion. No harmony, only chaos. No life, only death. These five tenets are what makes a Bogan. He or she has followed these lines to heart and know what it is to truly be one with the order."

Rish then paused his speech and tapped one of his claws onto the holo-board and shut off the hologram of the planet.

"Know this, Kahl'l I do not expect you to succeed. Your death will only serve as an example to the rest who will come after you. When I grasp your skull from the sand and show it to the rest, they will know of your failure. And they will know the price of it. But if you do manage to survive you will have achieved what my former acolyte did not. Only then will you have been accepted by the order. Now go to the life-pod bay. Your voyage awaits you."

Rish then turned his back to Kahl'l and walked over to an observation window where he gazed over the merciless sands that was Tatooine. Rish had his first test already prepping itself to fight Kahl'l and hopefully his dagger would prove some worth. But Kahl'l was not going to face only physical trials. There was going to be a moment where he had to overcome his fears. Mentioning the demon gave Rish more than he needed. Kahl'l chances of survival had slimmed down from the start. Revealing his weapon of choice and the ever constant demon within his dreams. It was almost too easy.

 

[darkhaert]

"The road you've given me... it's an unfamiliar road. But if that is the way for me to attain what I desire, then that road be my way," He said. He took out his dagger, and two stone spikes. They were his only weapons on board, and memento of his family. Euphoria sets in. "What gear do I carry for my training?"

He moved beside Rish and watched the planet outside.

 

[Horizon]

"I lied. What you have is what you got. Move yourself to the life-pod bay immediately."

Leaving his acolyte high and dry like this would teach him to better prepare himself. Even an assassin had an assortment of equipment to prep himself for any situation. Once Kahl'l had removed himself to the life-pod bay he would be seated in one of the remaining pods and ejected out into space to crash into the surface. Then his trials would begin. Would he survive his departure to the surface? Or would the droid commisioned to kill Kahl'l succeed in its objective?

 

[darkhaert]

A large womp-rat searched for corpses near a life-pod site. It tore the seat off, and ripped through some machines. The heat of the suns weren't enough to slow the rodent. It gnawed its way to wherever. The sand behind the rat started to rise. A monk's hand grabbed the rodent by the tail, and dragged it. The monk drives a spike right above its skull before it could wail. A gurgle sound came from the rat when he took out the spike. The monk kneeled and prayed.

He stood and scalped the rat of its hide. He sliced the meat off and laid them on top of the life-pod. Underneath the shadow of a stone arc, he meditated. “The tree was once a seed.”

 

[Horizon]

Click clush,click clush,click clush! The droid creeped about the area, scoping out Kahl'l's position. He was completely distracted from his enviroment! More concerned about some rat. Crawling deep into the sand the duelist droid was now stalking his prey.

Inch by inch it wormed through the sand. Peeping its mechanical eyes above the firey sands once every couple of minutes. Finally it was underneath the pod! Gripping its training lightsaber in which had been altered to produce lethal effects the duelist droid ignited it right underneath the pod! Hoping to strike its target.

 

[darkhaert]

The sound of the breaking life-pod reached Kahl’l. He hid behind the stone arc's leg and unsheathed his dagger. He exhaled and bit the blade of his dagger. The stone spikes rest firmly in his palms. He climbed the stone arc. He used the stone spikes as leverage. On top of the stone arc, Kahl’l watched the droid.

“I should have listened to his words closely. He hasn’t taken me yet… this is a test.”

 

[Horizon]

Ripping through the bottom of the life-pod, DD (Duelist Droid) pulled itself up through the hole it had created and looked about. It found no confirmed kill and decided to examine things further. Crawling out into the sand, DD found the target's prints in the sand. Step by step it traced his trail until coming to the stone arch. Slowly lifiting its gaze over the arch, DD latched into the stone itself! Claw after claw it made itsway up the arch until finally spotting Kahl'l!

20%...60%...95%...Target Acquired: Kahl'l=Orders=Eliminate:::

Picking up speed, DD closed in on his target! Eventually to the point of only being about ten feet away! Standing on its own two legs, DD held its saber in the Shii-Cho form which was over all the most basic form. Consisting of basic attacks, parry and body target zones. This droid may have been a training droid but Rish had re-programed the droid into a rather malicious state of mind.