Absorbing the Lesson

[Omnis]

Participants: Tsukuhina, Dawn, Dakon, Kes

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Deep within the gut of a Korriban mountain, connected to the expansive Sith Academy, a new complex awaited the students of Crusader Nox's next class. The complex was tall, wide, and held many rooms and chambers. Each training room was dynamic, varied from all of the others. Some were multi-layered, others were one floor. The Noghri had built the complex himself, all to his design, with the help of some droid labor.

Nox waited for his students in the atrium, a very tall and wide circular room with a domed ceiling. The chamber was bedecked in earthen colors and lit brightly enough to see in great detail without causing any glare. Standing facing the entrance to his complex, Nox waited with his arms folded behind his back.

 

[Kaane]

Tutaminis...an ability that seemed to be overlooked at times when compared to the other, more destructive powers that the Sith possessed. But it had great power in and of itself...and Dawn wished to master it.

The first step seemed to come with this Crusader Nox, whom Dawn knew very little of other than the one time he had participated in one of his classes on Ataru. But regardless of the teacher, it was prudent that he learned at least the basics of this ability as soon as he possibly could. To compete with the rising number of Acolyte peers for his own place in the Crusader hierarchy, and to further his own designs, he required an edge. As far as he knew, Tutaminis could easily become that edge if he put enough work into it. Especially since the Sith seemed to be overly fond of electrocuting things with no mercy...

As he entered the atrium, he bowed towards Nox, a small smile hidden under his respirator. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Crusader."

 

[TheSilentWind]

Despite Kes already doing a class on Tutanamis with the Crusader Sin'ryk, he wanted to know more, attempt at gaining more knowledge with the defensive ability and Kes decided that going to the class by Crusader Nox will help considerably with this. As of right now, Tutanamis caused a great strain in his force reserves which he intended to end and he also intended at mastering this ability to the fullest as he entered Crusader Nox's class

When Kes entered Crusader Nox's class, he saw Dawn, a person he had trained with and what Kes considered the closest thing to a friend. He went and bowed at Crusader Nox and nodded at Dawn. After that, he went to meditate as always when he participated in Crusader Nox's classes.

 

[Xylonic]

Xylonic entered the atrium clad in his red and black robes where his mask was also on. this made it so no one could see his cybernetic features and try to under estimate him for. slowly the cyborg walked into the circular room and saw two of his fellow acolytes one he had trained with before and one who he did not know at all. he also saw the crusader and realized he was on time as it didn't look like the class had started yet. xylonic wanted to learn the ways of tutaminus so he could potentially use it to his advantage in the future using it to block blaster bolts and potentially knock lightsaber blades out of his way with his own hand. but first he needed to learn the basics and that meaned he would need to do what ever he could to learn it from this crusader there was no room for failure as if he did loosing his hand would not be very good at all. he finally lined up with his fellow acolytes and awaited for the crusader to begin instructing them.

 

[Bantha]

Tsukihana was the last to arrive out of the other two acolytes in the class with her, having been tied up at the medical bay for a good part of the morning. Her black, voluminous robes flowed around her, swishing on the ground as she walked. Face and hair were obscured with heavy veiling.

She couldn't recall if she had taken a class from this particular Crusader or not. She couldn't remember names well, let alone appearances as she generally perceived things through Force Sight. Therefore, it could not be said she came only because of the instructor; instead, she made an appearance because of the skill she'd learn, Tutaminis.

Slightly behind the other acolytes, she offered a slow bow and said, "I am Acolyte Tsukihana. I thank you for holding this class."

 

[Omnis]

The Crusader nodded, turning his stark silver mask to regard Dawn.

"Likewise, Acolyte. It is my hope that you are found well this day." He was referencing the fact that his class sessions could sometimes be dangerous and often painful, a fact that Dawn was already intimately familiar with.

Drawing a blaster pistol from the inside of his robe, crossing his chest, Nox held the weapon out on an open palm towards the Acolytes. It was a simple design, all black, and appeared to be nothing more than a holdout pistol. Still, its rounds could easily pierce flesh and kill a man if placed even decently. While the weapon wouldn't blast off a limb, the damage it could do was not to be casually disregarded.

"Which of you is the most precise of aim? I require a steady hand to take this weapon and aim it at the very center of my celiac plexus. We will be conducting this drill from a distance of seven meters."

 

[Kaane]

Dawn looked around, and seeing as no one seemed to step up to take a shot at the Crusader, he raised his hand nonchalantly and nodded at him. Though he wasn't exactly a marksman, he had practiced with the blaster he had taken from his father long enough to be a relatively good shot when he took the time to aim.

"I'll do it if you'd like," he said with a smile under his respirator. "It's not everyday I get to take potshots at my superiors," he added as a joke as he walked towards him, taking the weapon and pacing the seven meters carefully away from him, then turning 'round and aiming carefully with both hands at the Crusader's abdomen. To a more enterprising Sith, it was a situation where he could easily change the trajectory of his shot in an attempt to catch his teacher off guard. But really, there was absolutely nothing to gain from it...nothing except a harsh rebuke and possible arrest for murder. Besides, he had no reason to do such a thing anyway; he liked the Crusader, despite his harsh teaching methods. And he'd be ready for any kind of cheap trick like that. He pushed the thought out of his mind as he asked "Ready?" to him.

Once he answered in the affirmative, Dawn would pull the trigger and watched the ionized burst of energy fly straight towards his plexus as intended. All that was left for him to do now was to demonstrate just how powerful this tutaminis could be.

 

[Omnis]

The class was treated to an impressive, if subtle, sight. The blaster bolt that raced for Nox's heart slammed into a dull blue barrier of energy that was covered in a frost like pattern. The energy from the bolt seemed to slow harshly, becoming easily observable with normal sense, and collapsed forwards on itself like gelatin trying to smash through a cement wall. As it continued surging forward futilely, the brighter energy of the blaster bolt dissipated into the icy barrier that Nox had erected before himself.

"Thus is one form of Tutaminis, a form I will be aiming to teach you before this session ends. However, be fully aware that your mastery over it will make it unreliable at best in any uncontrolled scenario such as combat. At least until you have had more training."

Nox gestured in a circle around himself, pointing down towards the floor with an open hand.

"Sit, Acolytes. Close your eyes, slow your breathing, and focus inward. See the inside of your body with your own mind. Watch the flows of power moving through it, noticing where the Darkside courses through you, entering and exiting. These paths that you see, the paths that carry your blood and oxygen, the paths that the Darkside moves through and around, they are the natural paths in your body. Utilizing these, forcing energy to go with these instead of against them, will protect you from much harm."

As the Acolytes sat in meditation, Nox gestured in the air with his hands. The motions were silent, pointed at nothing in particular. However, within just a moment more than a score of small hovering droids had silently entered the room and begun hovering around the circle of students.

"Now, more than just ensuring that any traveling energy follows these paths, you will want to slow its travel before it can move too fast for you to handle. To achieve this, direct the Force into acting like a sort of filter, in layers. Put these filter layers behind your skin, sinking deeper towards your bones and then back again to the other side of your body. The first layer should be erratic but strong, like a collection of small stones piled together. The next layer should be as rough sand, coarse and tough to move through. The last layer should be as fine sand, gentle and easier to move."

The hovering bots started to whirl around the circle faster, tiny barrels sticking out of their fronts like pointed tongues.

"Small stun bolts will soon hit your bodies. Their entry points will be hard to predict, which is the point of this exercise. The blasts will not hurt, but they will be uncomfortable and making focusing harder. Blanket yourself with filters, internally, and focus on the natural flows within your body. As each stun bolt hits you, try to react to it quickly, slow it, and move it towards the direction of a natural flow so that it merges as seamlessly as possible."

Without any further warning, the many swirling bots began to fire at random. They hit the Acolytes all over, in the back of the head, on the side of the cheek, on the center of the spine, under the armpit. Their trajectories and angles were erratic, nearly careless. As promised, the bolts weren't harsh. However, their impact on the nerves was jolting.

 

[Bantha]

She almost offered to take the hold-out blaster, knowing her aim was confident and true. Fear halted her, as she reminded herself of her strategy of keeping the extent of her abilities a secret. So she simply knelt silently, mouth pressed into a thin, stern line.

No surprise marked her Force aura when the teacher showed his skill at tutaminis, having seen the ability in various holos in the archives. It did peak her interest and make her want to learn how the ability worked, besides just learning it for practicality's sake (as it often was with other powers). His kind of tutaminis was one she had neither seen nor read about, however, as it seemed to her like a sheet of frosted glass that turned into liquid and folded in as it was struck by the blaster bolt. Others she had learned about. She almost offered to take the hold-out blaster, knowing her aim was confident and true. Fear halted her, as she reminded herself of her strategy of keeping the extent of her abilities a secret. So she simply knelt silently, mouth pressed into a thin, stern line.

No surprise marked her Force aura when the teacher showed his skill at tutaminis, having seen the ability in various holos in the archives. It did peak her interest and make her want to learn how the ability worked, besides just learning it for practicality's sake (as it often was with other powers). His kind of tutaminis was one she had neither seen nor read about, however, as it seemed to her like a sheet of frosted glass that turned into liquid and folded in as it was struck by the blaster bolt. Others she had learned about looked like liquidious 'bubbles,' or even visible, rippling wind. She wondered if it varied according to the practitioner, similar to lightning's colors.

At Nox's instruction, she slowed her breathing until she felt her heartbeat slow dramatically, an exercise that took a few minutes. She focused her mind inward, attuning herself with the energy flowing in and out with every breath. The favored paths the Dark side took through her body could eventually be felt. Mentally grasping the slippery energy with her will, she sunk it down through her skin, to her blood, to her marrow, and back out. It struck back with a mind of its own that had to be matched and overcame with hers, as was the nature of the Dark Side. It was a moving and rippling thing, intent on resisting until it was put in its place, however unevenly. The second layer was less slippery, but better yet at resisting. It felt course and stubborn, but once she had taken several minutes to shove it into place, it was even and it stuck. The third, and final, layer was fine as powder or flakes of snow, thin and slow. It merely needed a gentle coaxing to be moved through living tissue, like her will was a gentle wind.

Only as she sensed the whirring of droids around them, did she notice what exactly was about to happen. Of course their abilities would not remain untested, yet she was mildly surprised to see the instructor relying on droids, rather than doing it himself.

At his instruction, she began willing the layers of Force energy to spread evenly around her body to offer equal protection. Trying to move them as one proved to be futile, as it was like trying to control three wills at once. Weak wills, but their numbers was what made it difficult. So she resorted to moving them one at a time; first the slippery layer, then the sticky, course one, then finally the fine one like thin grains of sand. They all clung to her, moving with the natural rhythms of the energy's flow.

The bolts came at once, one hitting her cheek before she could react. Being a stun bolt did nothing to help the jolt shooting down her nerves and spine. It was like touching an electric fence on high and keeping your hand there. The second bolt flew toward her shoulder. She tried to move some of the Force energy surrounding her to absorb it, but the second and third wills resisted. The third moved easily to absorb some of the energy, but its capacity was reduced. The jolt was no less harsh, only briefer.

The third time, Tsukihana caught it early, headed for the center of her spine. A direct hit there would be agonizing. With her will, she tried to move the weak bolt within the natural seams of energy running along her back like veins, many of them running along veins. She went stiff with focus, forgetting to breath. The bolt became agonizingly slow, and for a moment it seemed to collapse on itself before it hit a vein of energy moving along the usual path. She still felt a jolt, but it was slight compared to the previous three.

 

[Xylonic]

xylonic focused as much s he could trying to predict when the bots could have been shooting. at first it was difficult to try and focus the force into his hand to try to lessen the amount of energy he was being hit with. the fact that the bolts were set to stun made him aggravated because each time he had incompletely blocked a shot with his bare hand he was sent a nice electrical shot through his arm. once his hand had been jolt at least 10 times he had gotten so angry he had forgotten the pain all together and simply focused on protecting his hand with the force and was able to block a stun bolt. but with that xylonic had gotten overconfident and the protection around his hand had faded and the droid was able to get two more stun shots off that hit xylonic in the leg and chest. xylonic then tried to calm himself and channel his anger in the dark side recreating the shield around his hand and blocking the next few bolts that came at him.