[Closed] Let the Training Begin

[Xedan Blokk]

He was completely motionless, moving not a finger, or even a hair. He had arrived outside the Sith Academy at Yavin IV when the harsh sun still beat down upon the jungle landscape. Now, in what had seemed like the blink of an eye, an empty night shone over the dense foliage of Yavin IV. Whatever happened there was invisible and unforgiving. And it was there that Xedan Blokk sat in his black hooded cloak, deeply engrossed in the Force.

He had begun a transition. Already, his once-pale and fair skin had begun to look ashen and gray. The skin around his joints – his knuckles, elbows, and jaw especially – had dried out and begun to crack, only subtly. Even his hair had thinned, revealing evermore the characteristic horns that protruded from his upper forehead. He was becoming more and more enveloped by the dark side of the Force every day.

Time had seemed to unravel, if that was possible. In the hours, perhaps even days he had been in meditation, time itself had become trifling; irrelevant. He had stopped caring how much time had passed, focusing only on how to better connect to the Force. He could feel it undulate; it ebbed and flowed like a massive, intangible ocean. He tried to understand it, to learn to become a part of it. But he was slowly beginning to understand that one couldn’t gain power by trying to understand the Force. It demanded to be controlled. One had to dominate it – rule it with an iron, adamant fist. Only them could one truly reach full potential in the Force. This concept was something that Xedan Blokk was beginning to understand, though he was nowhere near being able to execute it.

As he sat in deep meditation, an aura of dark energy began to flow from him, as if he had become an open conduit between the Force and the galaxy. The Force radiated from him, and it was so exhilarating. A higher level of ecstasy, he had never felt. But he was simply biding his time. He knew that once he was ready, and when the time was right, his Master would approach him, and they would begin the most eventful night of his life. And when he finally achieved a state of true meditation, his anticipation was at its peak.

He was ready.

 

[shinjo97]

The Arkanian could sense the surge of Dark Side energy immediately, and grinned. Makkun Telkanin was a Sith Sorcerer, and had selected Xedan as his Apprentice, his first since becoming a true Sith. Of course, he didn't plan on that hindering the process at all. He knew that through training an Apprentice, his knowledge would continue to grow as well, although it different ways than Xedan's would. He would gain a bit of wisdom on how to train an Apprentice, which would certainly help him later on. Deciding he'd kept his new Apprentice waiting long enough, he entered infrared vision and headed towards Xedan.

It wasn't long before he could see Xedan ahead, since in infrared vision at night, and on Yavin IV of all planets, he shone like a blinding light at the bottom of an ocean. Telkanin had been planning on testing Xedan, although he hadn't thought out any details quite yet. Now, however, he smiled, knowing just how to do this. He drew, but did not activate, his double-bladed lightsaber. Once he pressed the activation switch, the twin violet blades would spring to life, and would cast its glow all across the foliage around him. He would address his Apprentice before he activated his weapon, though.

Staying silent, and suppressing his signature in the Force, he crept towards Xedan, staying to the shadows, using his cloak to completely disappear. It was extremely easy, in the dead of the night with foliage like this all around. Telkanin chose his position quite tactfully, standing atop the stairs to an old, decrepit temple that had not been renovated as many of the other, ancient temples had. It actually only had four rooms, one large antechamber and then three connecting rooms. What the place had once been used for, the Sorcerer had never been able to tell, but he planned on turning the place into his own personal lab... eventually.

"Xedan, you stand out like a furnace out here in the jungle, the way you're radiating such massive amounts of Dark Side energy. You've probably drawn the attention of every beast for at least a mile's radius. Possibly two or three," Telkanin said, announcing his presence in the act of doing so. As he spoke, he allowed his Force-presence to be felt, sending out a single wave of massive Dark Side energy. As he spoke, he held his double-bladed lightsaber's hilt aloft, in front of him, one hand gripping in the center while his other hand hung at his side. He allowed a grin to spread across his features now, and his anticipation could easily be sensed in the Force.

"Stand, my Apprentice. You must be tested in combat first and foremost, with the Force and with your lightsaber. Then we will move onto other tests, which I shall not tell you of until we reach them. I could easily sense your eagerness in the Force. You believe you are ready, and so we will see whether or not you are worth the effort of training," continued the Arkanian, a tone of superiority and mockery entering his voice. While the mockery came from his Sith side, the superiority came from his heritage. The Arkanians believed themselves to be the pinnacle of evolution in the universe, and although Telkanin had been taken as a child, it seemed that the feelings of superiority were a natural belief amongst Arkanians, and not a learned one.​

 

[Xedan Blokk]

"Xedan, you stand out like a furnace out here in the jungle, the way you're radiating such massive amounts of Dark Side energy. You've probably drawn the attention of every beast for at least a mile's radius. Possibly two or three,” Xedan was only mildly surprised by the appearance of the Arkanian that would soon be his master. He hadn’t been aware of his presence, but he had been anticipating his arrival. He pulled himself out of his meditation, withdrawing himself from a deep immersion in the Force.

Xedan nodded to the Arkanian, agreeing with his earlier statement about the Force. He had been aware of the dangers of choosing such a secluded place for meditation. But he also recognized the benefits. In such a private area, they would be sure to remain uninterrupted for the duration of their training tonight, which was vastly important. Xedan intended to learn much tonight, and in the coming time that he would spend as Makkun Telkanin’s Apprentice. He would become great.

As the Arkanian spoke, he felt suddenly a wave of energy roll over him, like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water upon him while he was asleep. It woke him, and shocked his senses for a moment, until he was able to effectively adjust to it. It still awed him how Makkun was able to so perfectly control the presence that he had in the Force. It was like, at any moment, he could hide himself completely, or choose to be an overwhelmingly present power.

The Sith Sorcerer in front of him raised his lightsaber and activated it, two rods of violet extending in opposite directions. This action sparked in Xedan something that had been nagging him for the past few days in his training: he had yet to make his lightsaber. Without it, he knew that was essentially useless to the Sith. He had his minor training in the Force – given, he was more innately talented than most other Acolytes – and an inherited vibrosword with which to defend him. Other than that.. He was completely defenseless. It was something that he knew would be amended soon. At least, he hoped so. Though he knew that he wouldn’t be using it often, a lightsaber was so much more than a weapon to the Sith. It was a symbol; a prized possession of station and power. A lightsaber was both a tool, and a point of pride and security.

"Stand, my Apprentice. You must be tested in combat first and foremost, with the Force and with your lightsaber. Then we will move onto other tests, which I shall not tell you of until we reach them. I could easily sense your eagerness in the Force. You believe you are ready, and so we will see whether or not you are worth the effort of training," Makkun finished.

Xedan gave an affirming nod, as he stood to stand sturdily in front of his new Master. Shortly after the Arkanian had finished speaking, however, he interjected, “There is something you should know.” It was his first time speaking so far, and his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in hours, if not days. “In my training, I have yet to construct a lightsaber. So I have none.” His voice was flat, and somewhat emotionless, though a little bit of apprehension crept in, just under the surface. It wasn’t his fault that he had yet to create his lightsaber, but he was afraid of jeopardizing his chances of being trained. So, he tread carefully.

 

[shinjo97]

Telkanin smiled at Xedan's words, having been well aware of that fact. He brought his ignited lightsaber down to his side, careful not to let it even scratch his robe. Then he let a small metal rod-like object to fall from within his sleeves into his hand. He held it up for his Apprentice to view. It was an item he had created in the lab, a weapon. When the switch on the rod was pressed, it would eject a long sword-like bar, which had been compressed in a series of sections. Once the entire bar had come forth, the weapon would activate, and electricity would run along its length, with the emitter within the rod as the source. The wielder could not be harmed.

"I'm well aware of that. You'll get your lightsaber soon enough. For now, you will use this, a little invention I created in my lab," the Sorcerer said, and as he spoke, he tossed the rod through the air, using the Force to guide it to the ground at Xedan's feet. "Just press that switch, and it'll activate. The weapon is resistant to a lightsaber, all though if one were applied to the weapon long enough, it would eventually cut through it. That won't happen in a fight, though. You'll be using it for our little duel. I'll be starting off with a little bit of Sorcery. May as well get started on your training," finished the Arkanian. As he spoke those last words, his lips spread into a devious grin.

"Now, are you ready, Xedan?" he asked, and as he spoke, he began to chant, building up for a surge of Dark Side Energy as he did so. He would allow his Apprentice to make the first move, but he had no intention of being struck by said attack.​

 

[Xedan Blokk]

As his new Master spoke, Xedan listened in awe at the knowledge that he possessed. Every time the Arkanian demonstrated something to him, it shattered a small piece of reality that he thought had existed. Xedan would never have been able to create something like that mock-lightsaber, not in his wildest dreams. Even the concept slightly baffled him, and he wasn't an unintelligent man. A small grin crossed his lips as he imagined himself being a Sith of such power, that someday an Acolyte would marvel at the prowess which he boasted. Never having been one who sought power before, Xedan was slightly apprehensive of such feelings, but a part of him embraced them as he set new heights and ambitions for himself.

Xedan was pulled out of his daydreaming when he began to feel a minute change in the Force. Or perhaps, it was much larger, but he was only aware of a small piece of it. Regardless, he noticed a shift in the Force, and was immediately on edge for what was coming. It was then that the Arkanian spoke his final words to Xedan. "Now, are you ready, Xedan?"

Xedan gave an affirming nod, and immediately set into action. He extended his hand, and allowed the Force to surge through him, attempting to throw the Arkanian back. This was a move he had only tried in combat once before, but had practiced much since then. It had been majorly ineffective the first time, but he was confident that he had grown enough that it would at least be semi-potent. However, Xedan wasn't sure how his Master's power matched his own, and if he was going to go easy. He suspected not.. But he wasn't quite sure what to expect.

He knew one thing to be true, however: he was about to find out.

 

[shinjo97]

Telkanin let a grin spread across his face, but, instead of attempting to cancel out Xedan's Force Push with his own, he used the Force to lock himself to the ground. The Force Push struck him, and his hair and robs whipped back, but he did not budge. A bit of an ache spread across his body, but that was because it wasn't used to taking a push like that without moving. It would wear off. "Now we're talking!" he laughed, and he finished his spell. It was a minor one, that allowed him to shape the form of Force Lightning. But that was all he needed to do to show off the power of Sith Sorcery.

He shut his eyes, concentrating, willing the Dark Side to well of inside of him. He couldn't see it, but he felt it as the Force Electricity began to spark all along his body, surging towards both of his hands. His eyes snapped open, and immediately the electricity responded, moving completely to be limited in movement along his arms. It all surged along both of his arms, cut off at the shoulder. He raised both hands, finger-tips forward, and willed the electricity to shoot forward like two spears with the Force. The Dark Side responded by doing as he had willed, and two purple lightning bolts exploded from his hands, taking all of the electricity with them. It was a concentrated blast of Force Lightning.

If either of the bolts struck, they'd have a large amount of explosive power behind them. Telkanin had no intention of holding back, not even in a test of his Apprentice's strength. The Arkanian brought his lightsaber back, giving a quick spin to get into the mood of combat, and then he gripped the hilt with both hands. He began to spin the Lightsaber, a technique that, when used by a person with a double-bladed Lightsaber, created an incredibly strong defense. It could be broken, of course, but those means weren't exactly with a Lightsaber, unless there was more than one opponent. He was ready for Xedan's next move, because if he had actually been struck by either of those Force Lightning Bolts then he wasn't even worth his time. They were powerful, yes, but very slow.​

 

[Xedan Blokk]

He wasn't even aware that he had reacted. Standing rooted to the ground in front of his Master, Xedan Blokk wasn't even aware of himself raising his arms in the face of lightning, and preparing to defend against it. It was something he meditated for, and something which he had grown to understand. The Force flowed through everything; every living creature in the galaxy. Though it could be converted into more useful forms, it could also be returned to its primary state. At least, that was the guiding principle behind Xedan's subconcious reaction to the Force Lightning.

The lightning hit him. But it wasn't a strike, really. Sidestepping one of the bolts, he allowed the other to make contact with his outstretched hands. It was painful at first, but then.. It began to feel more like a tickle than anything. Like dull needles were poking him all up his arm. His hand glowed violet for a second -- the color of the lightning -- and then began to fade. But Xedan wouldn't let it.

Using his own Force as a fuel, Xedan forced the glow to come back to life, returning to a crackling bolt of violet electricity in his hands. He waited for just a moment before he threw it back to Makkun, as if it were a small ball and they were playing catch. The ball of concentrated Force Electricity hit his Master's spinning lightsaber and dissipated into the nothingness from which it was borne.

Xedan wasted no time in preparing his next attack. He knew that he had more prowess (however limited it was) with the Force than with a lightsaber, especially one that he had never wielded before. Thusly, he chose his next move carefully.

His hands were still raised and extended in front of him, as his Master twirled his lightsaber in front of him, defensively. He knew there was no way for him to break this barrier with his own lightsaber. Instead, he allowed the Force to flow through his body. He pictured the air around the lightsaber thickening, making it harder for Makkun to twirl the lightsaber. He imagined each individual blade of the saber coming to a slow stop, locked in place by the Force. Xedan had no preconception as to whether or not this would work, but that had never stopped him from trying before.