Energizing Developments

[Omnis]

Participants: Vandheer Tarwae, Ark

---

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. Several tall droids were standing by near him, arranged in a neat half circle behind him.

 

[Flamjetxx]

Ark very much enjoyed the previous interactions he has had with the Crusader Nox. Ark liked how he taught with definition, without hesitation, and with action. Ark has spent a good deal of time in the complex he is now within once again. The complex was impressive, and from his experience within it, he knows it to be... well complex. The design is meticulous and varied, and for that he knows it is possibly one of the best places to learn in. It is a better place to learn in the temple, but maybe he only says that because he's spent so many hours training in the temple that he only wants some change in the location in which he trains.

For now, he addresses his presence to the Crusader while standing at attention, "Arkteleus Krayzen."

Like always, he waits motionless... patiently, for all of his students to arrive before even acknowledging anyone. Ark then drops to his knees in meditation as he waits for the rest of his fellow peers to join the room. Ark's anticipation and expectation for this class is more than he'd even like to comprehend. This class is one he has looked foreword to taking for the longest time. He has always dreamed of utilizing the strongest of Sith powers. Force lightning, he knows very well to be the most well known force ability the Sith can attain, and for good reason too.

Ark doesn't actually expect to be able to use anything near the actual power, but the fact that this ability can be the first step to achieving the ability is something he cannot get out of his mind. He can already smell the burning flesh, though there clearly is nothing. The spark is what he will achieve, and so when it is time to actually learn the true ability, he will not kill himself in the process of attempting it.

 

[Omnis]

Crusader Nox withdrew his arms from behind his back and held them up to his side, palms facing the ceiling. Several bright orbs of blue energy manifested above his palms, sizzling and crackling with concentrated heat. The two orbs whipped back, flying into the two droids at the farthest sides of the half circle behind the Noghri instructor. The air screamed as the energy railed across the chassis of each droid and connected to the next. In just a moment, the energy crackled to rest and slithered down each droid's legs until it hit the floor.

"An imperfect and exaggerated display of what you will be learning." Nox stated.

The masked Crusader dropped one arm and pointed the other at Ark, palm still up. Another orb, this one much smaller and quieter, manifested again and then shot forward. It hit Ark on the back of his own hand, singing a few hairs and jolting his nerves. It was a minor effect, nothing more than holding on to a low key electric fence that might be used to cage in farm animals.

"That is far less than what you face if you fail to control this ability. At worst, you will cripple yourself. At best, you will feel such a sharp pain in your hand that you will fear to abuse such power again. Is that clear? Are there any questions before we begin?"

 

[Flamjetxx]

Crusader Nox didn't fail to impress Ark as his demonstration of the Force Spark leaves the droids stiffer than Ark could have even imagined a droid could get. The power was actually more than what he'd imagined before taking the class. He literally expected a simple spark, but this was actually more than just simple. It seems that any version of Force Lightening, no matter how dulled down is magnificent. The very thought of what Force Lightning would actually be like is more than what he could currently comprehend. All of Ark's encounters of Force lightning have been from behind and he has never been able to experience the sight of it though he knows just how painful it can be.

The very thought that this seemingly minuscule power could lead to the infamous Lighting is just astounding, and he frankly cannot believe how close he is to the first step even. upon being informed of the version of Force Spark he'd learn is less powerful, it didn't deter him from wanting it all the more.

The zap he entertains on his hand sends a shock right up his arm, and it makes him unintentionally pull back. The warning from the Crusader is well necessary, and he guesses that many Acolytes have made the mistake of being overzealous in attempting to attain such a power. Ark's mind was dangerously close to the verge of a careless exploration of the power, and the reality of it is that the power is still a version of Force Lightning.

No matter how weak the version it is still a skill that requires a great deal of caution upon learning it. Ark's mind focuses on just what the experience of learning such an ability really means. He delivers a sharp nod of understanding to the Crusader. His face never left from the serious look he aways wears, but now his thoughts were mimicking his face perfectly. The Crusader would be able to sense the change in mindset easily. Ark's hand still tingles from the spark that touched him, and he just keeps in the back of his mind the consequences of failing to take the lesson in full seriousness.

 

[Omnis]

"Very well." Nox said.

The Crusader began with a lecture, as always. In his lecture, he explained the easiest and most basic way to form a spark. The spark was just the most minute example of a full shock that could be manifested, something easy to start with that would keep Ark from overreaching and feeding too much energy into an ability that could well backfire and cripple him. The first stage was building a sort of cage or shield for the spark to be housed in, which Nox explained in depth and had Ark meditate on to form the first time. When the cage was ready, Nox walked Ark through filling it with the energy necessary to form the spark and then how to twist that energy into its new and more desirable form. He finished the lecture and demonstrative walkthrough by letting Ark pop the cage open, letting the energy race out into the air as it desperately sought the easiest path to ground.

"Now we will begin exercising with more power. Here is where you will have to be most careful. I want you to stream about the same amount of energy into one of these training droids, but the channeling must be more constant and you will not have time to build as perfect a restraint for the energy as before. My suggestion is to choose where your quasi-barrier will have its holes, where the energy will be channeled away from your body, and focus on pushing that power hard where it is most needed. This, if successful, should produce a shock instead of a spark. You will note that it looks more like the common lightning you see, only not as large or strong."

 

[Flamjetxx]

The lesson began with an acute diligence that was meant to form the foundation for the ability that Ark would work off of for the rest of the lesson. This, Ark knew very well, to be the most important portion of the lesson, and the this very fact makes Ark wish he'd learned something forehand regarding energy manipulation, but he had confidence enough in the Crusader's ability to teach him exactly what he needed to know.

The 'cage', as Nox referred to it upon a few occasion during the initial stages of the lesson was what Ark was meditating on to hold the energy, and Ark's vision for such a cage was that of a sphere. Not a single opening allowed in the perfect structure, Ark's spree was the perfect prison not to let anything in nor out. The environment was as controlled as it would ever be and, he has confidence that the prison's strength, though simple would be enough for the energy he was certainly about to fill it with.

Filling the sphere with energy, though was rather tricky, and the raw form of energy was actually the hardest part, due to the fact that such an energy was so uncontrolled, and he could only create that energy within the borders he'd only just created. He knows its potential danger, ad it was rather draining in comparison to the orb of Force that was used to contain it. The very raw energy was a pleasant idea though.

Molding such energy into what he craves it to be as electricity, was something different, but somehow easier than he'd expected. This was what he'd imagined would be the hardest part, though, the energy was already there, and he now knows that it is merely a craft of workmanship. Something that needs not be detailed, but finely tuned. Ark imagines it's much like the comparison of creating an instrument by hand, and then creating the music by hand. The tasks are vastly different, though specialized forms of art, and it is up to Ark to do both in his path to the final product.

These are two very different tasks and he can see now the intricacy of the skill being taught to him. He knows it now to be an arduous task that will take a great deal of time to practice and perfect even the simplest of tasks in achieving the final goal. What Ark can manage to achieve here wouldn't nearly be as majestic as he would see it, though any success in this class would be quite an achievement. Ark in=magines that his teacher is the one with the more difficult task before him.

Finally, sparks bounce around an invisible barrier that Nox orders him to release. The task's efforts to be released, Ark wanted to hesitate, but his loyalty to his elders was so that his body acted in obedience based off of pure instinct. It was the soldier within him, and Ark was glad that it was his instinct, though his own free will will one day be exercised in which he would only allow himself to respond i such a manner to those in which he trusted the most, or those who truly deserved it. Perhaps Ark actually trusts Crusader Nox enough to allow his actions to be so immediate and obedient, but it was nothing he could dwell on as the lesson deserved his full attention lest he find himself leaving the classroom on a gurney. He was warned once, and he expects that should be enough.

The release of the energy was instinctually away from himself, and the warning from the Crusader before doing so was that the energy would find the most efficient path to the ground, and thus he must not e in that path. What Ark doesn't need is that energy returning to him in an undesirable manner. The energy arced out toward the Crusader's direction, but far from nearing him and touched the ground where it seemed to splatter and disappear into the very ground.

The loss of the energy was rather sad, but he knows now exactly how the energy would act as it leaves, and sometimes it doesn't always act as he expects it to. Ark's knowledge of this is much like the Juyo form, where, in theory, the users' actions would be unpredictable. The bolt of blue energy wasn't predictable in any specific way, but it was a general fact that it would find its way to the ground.

"Now we will begin exercising with more power. Here is where you will have to be most careful. I want you to stream about the same amount of energy into one of these training droids, but the channeling must be more constant and you will not have time to build as perfect a restraint for the energy as before. My suggestion is to choose where your quasi-barrier will have its holes, where the energy will be channeled away from your body, and focus on pushing that power hard where it is most needed. This, if successful, should produce a shock instead of a spark. You will note that it looks more like the common lightning you see, only not as large or strong."

The instructions were rather simple in theory, and he would like to think it is easier than he knows it to be, but he is realistic and he knows that the warnings he constantly gives Ark are well necessary in reminding him just how careful he must be and to not rush this. The multitasking in release and pushing are things he expects he will be conscious of while he fills what Nox calls the quasi-barrier. The task is taxing, though with persistence and familiarity of completing the task for the first time would help him to recreate this once more in the future, and hopefully again and again until it is an afterthought. he knows these are things of the distant future, though the very idea is enough to keep him on task and to give him the necessary strength to perform the task at hand.

Predetermining where the bolt will shoot out of is exactly necessary, and the formation of the cage was designed so that there was actually slight cone protruding from the once perfect sphere where he inters to funnel and force the energy out of in the direction where his target would be awaiting the shock. Ark cares not for droids of any kind, though he cannot help but to admire in one way or another that a droid could look his imminent fate in the eye without faltering, fear, nor a single thought that he should move. Obedience is a dangerous thing if your loyalties lie with the wrong person. For a droid, they have no option and he could care less for their well being, though there was a lesson there all everything about to happen.

Thoses are those tiny moments in your life that you know you are certain to forget them altogether, though you know that you certainly won't forget the lesson involved. The energy fills the newly designed guasi-barrier and it forms into the desired form of energy, where in a single motion he releases the energy out of the tip of the cone while forcing it out at the droid. Like before the energy arced, though it seemed to jump right to the droid with its arc, and the bolt was thicker, and it certainly had resembled the lighting he'd imagined. The bolt was actually farther from its bluish hue, and it was growing closer to white. The achievement was rather fulfilling knowing that the energy wasn't simply jumping to the ground, and the tingling that was at the tips of his fingers was not of singing like the small spark bestowed upon him by the Crusader before the class began, but it was rather a tingling of excitement, achievement, and potential.

The form had much to be desired, and the time it took was faster than his initial orb with the smaller sparks, though it still took a great deal of time in comparison to the demonstration the Crusader gave when he'd first entered the classroom. Ark's chest lifted and lowered from the experience that was of sheer power that he'd not yet achieved, and it was the breathing that was actually pumping him up for the next portion of the lesson. his heart only pounded with the deep breaths, and the excitement was certainly leaving static in the air, and he was trying to calm himself to regain full clarity of mind. He cannot afford to lose control now.

 

[Omnis]

The shock hit the droid, rocking the chassis of the automaton for a brief moment before all of the writhing energy snaked its way down to the ground and diffused harmlessly. The droid itself appeared totally unharmed, and remained as passive as before. The training droid had obviously been programmed with a very specific intelligence, showing no personality whatsoever. Staring straight ahead, Ark's target did not acknowledge that it had been hit at all.

"Well done," Nox mused, impressed. "You managed to keep pushing the energy forward, keeping it from rebounding, and channeled it specifically enough to target appropriately. Most Acolytes are not able to accomplish a shock like that on their first try. The common results are either some backfire, resulting in injury, or a weak discharge that does not reach the target or frays out too early. Again, Acolyte Arkteleus Krayzen, I say well done."

The Crusader motioned to the droids in a neutral gesture, but something in the motion had activated the droids with drastic result. They immediately jumped into combat ready positions, all facing Ark. Raising their hands to form defensive guards and potential offensive jabbing positions, they looked ready to swarm him.

"Now for a test, Acolyte. I'll admit, this one is no fair. Do not feel shame if it does not go your way. These droids are about to attack. If you can, see if you can channel enough energy to shock multiple droids at once. I'll deactivate their electrical shielding before they jump on you, so that your shocks will produce results. Should they get you down on the ground, just defend yourself until it's over, and try not to sustain any internal organ damage."

A hand wave brought down the droids' electrical shielding, as promised, but also set them into simultaneous motion as all six of them leaped or charged forward. The droids worked in concert to beat the Kushari down to the ground, where they would keep him down with repeated kicks to sensitive areas or heavy hammer fist blows to prevent his struggle to get up from gaining any momentum.

Adapt.

 

[Flamjetxx]

The Crusader's reaction to Ark's attempt was pleasing to say the least, and Ark knew it didn't do anything for helping his arrogance issue, though he couldn't feel that in the presence of a Crusader he respected as much that he couldn't help but to play modesty. He gathered up his will power and his every thought telling him that he was the best, and he made sure that he kept no smirks, no puffed up chest as if victorious, and certainly not speak as if the lesson might as well be over, because the logic and experience that Ark has had with the Crusader tells him that because of his tenacity, that there is going to be a huge leap into the next puddle... and he's playing with electricity.

Ark prepares for the fact that what he would be doing is something harder, more straining, and certainly something that could very well be above his own abilities. When the droids prepared themselves in a fighting stance, it wasn't very difficult to figure out what was going to happen, but as Ark Crusader Nox' explanation, he realized that he wasn't entirely correct in his assumption of his next task. Ark thought that Nox would have sent one droid at a time, but the Crusader seemed to be a little too impressed with how quickly he'd caught on.

Ark curses his natural gift of learning, though he could hardly blame himself for it. As the shields lowered, Ark was already filling the mental orb with energy, but he did something different with this orb. Ark made it slightly larger in order to keep a larger charge within it, but he still had the issue of that he was still so new to the ability it was taking far too long. By the time he'd get a charge within the orb, the droids would already be smashing his face in with a fury of metal fists. Ark could attempt to fight them back, though his past experience with droids told him that the right model could overwhelm his natural strength, and by the looks of these droids, they seemed to be built for it.

Ark's tail swishes irregularly and violently, but his mind was already sequencing a course of actions. Finally, the droids made the short distance between them as Ark was attempting to still concentrate enough to change the energy within the larger orb into electricity. Ark had always thought himself pretty good at multitasking, due to the fact that he is nearly constantly doing it with his everyday tasks, but this was something different. This time he was sticking lead into an outlet and if he wasn't paying attention, he'd fry off his hand, and so his first priority was to make damned sure the energy is contained.

His next task was to alter the energy into electricity as soon as possible, though when the droids started moving, he instinctually leaped forward at them without the consideration that he was outnumbered 9 to 1, and that he certainly didn't have a strength, nor metal advantage at the moment. Ark's last mission was to avoid the droids for long enough to act on his discharge, and he would have ordinarily worried about doing this through nine individual attempts to shock them each droid. He didn't like that idea due to its exhaustive methods and he truly believes he wouldn't even be able to last the fourth attempt if he was even lucky.

Ark and the droids clashed head on, and the droids were already circling him ion their approach, which was rather expected, seeing that they were droids with a single objective, Ark realized it might be a bit easier to avoid them, though he still had to worry about creating the charge. Just before the droids were in arm's reach of him, Ark used his natural leaping ability to clear the group's head just and land on the other side, which bought him just enough time to finish the charge in his hand. While the droids were turning around, he was given enough time to aim it at the centermost droid, but it isn't at the most obvious target.

Ark guesses that most other Acolytes would attempt to aim it at their torsos, though Ark had confidence in his precision enough to know he could hit the droid's head where he aimed it. Ark knows that the excessive charge would have to find its way to the ground, and starting it at the top wouldn't do anything to the droid more than if it were to hit it at its head, but Ark wanted to manipulate the charge more than that.

Ark's target was in his mental crosshairs and with a massive push, he short he charge out of the now open hole, being funneled out by the designed he'd used just moments earlier. The charge lasted nearly twice as long as it left him into the droid's head, but instead of letting the charge take its own path to the ground, Ark used a bit more concentration to bump the charge to the side of the droid.

The droid's clumping together while attempting to accomplish the same goal made them rub and clank against each other as they charged him, and Ark simply pushed the charge to the side where it jumps to the next droid on the way down, and so on until it finally disperses into the ground. Ark felt the great loss of energy from the larger charge, though the five droids laying crippled on the ground made it worth the extra effort.

The remaining four droids were he three to the initial droid's right side and the one that was leaping in the air at the time of the discharge. Ark once again burst forward, and as he came directly in front of the middlemost droid, its arms flew up a bit as if to attempt to prevent him from leaping them again, and that sent a chill down his spine that was unrelated to the filling quasi-barrier in his right hand.

The droids were certainly matter than he'd anticipated, and so he began to fill a second in his left hand, though neither of these were nearly as large as the initial orb. Instead of leaping them, he utilized the slight gap between the three droids and the rejoining leaping droid in order to get through them, but as he did so, a fist flew toward him. he'd gotten too close, and if he weren't focused so much on not getting shocked to death by the two charges forming in his hands, he would have thrown up a near-instinctual block to the fist, but instead he took the hit and attempted to roll with it. He got through the droids, but his shoulder took the hit that made hi know that his left shoulder would be sore for a least a week.

despite the blow, Ark's clarity of mind kept his priorities straight as he pushed away the fact that he would find it difficult to even lift his left arm, and he used the time he'd gained to finish filling the orbs. He could feel that he was getting the habit of it, and despite taking the blow while attempting to fill and alter the energy of two barriers, he was able to accomplish this task much faster than his initial attempt which was minute to say the least.

Ark's lungs took a great breath as he made sure he was prepared for the release, holes pointed outward, all energy was converted, the holes are pointed at their upper torsos, and that he's ready for the big pushes that would release them. Finally, with an exhale that brought a roar with it, the charges were simultaneously released at the remaining four droids and the moment the charge was dispersed and had shot forward, he used that further manipulation to bring the shocks to the side. The right shock shot forward and pierced the chest plate of the middle-right droid and it went immediately stiff as Ark pushed the charge to jump to the next droid where it followed suit as if it were copying the first.

Ark's left handed charge escaped the orb and it let out a bit of a discharge that surprised Ark and made him draw his hand back letting the remaining charge be directed into the ground. The extra discharge was quite hot and it what of it that touched him was much like a shock that you might get by rubbing your feet on the carpet and touching a doorknob. The charge hit his target, but his distraction kept it from traveling into the next droid. it also allowed the droid to close the distance between them, and despite Ark's attempt to dodge the droid, he was rolled off its arm as he tried to step to the side where he was flung, spiraling in mid air, to the ground a short distance away.

The droid wasted not a single second in jumping onto of him as it delivered a massive punch in which Ark was barely able to block with a forearm parry with his left hand. The next punch came to his right side, but Ark didn't block nor dodge it. Ark hadn't been beaten so hard since his younger years when first coming to the temple. His tried to roll his face with the punch, but the metal hands made no shortage of blood leaking from between his pointed teeth.

Ark spit it at the droid's face which more or less blocked its visual sensors, but it was so much on a mission that it simply continued its assault on Ark where he blocked the next punch with his left arm, and managed to dodge the next by rocking his head out of the way at the last second. Ark's training in Teras Kasi would have told him to have immediately kick the droid off him in a backwards roll, grapple it with his leg in a forward roll, sweep his hands in a grip and pull it under him, but none of these were an option for Ark. While taking hits to his face, Ark was forming a charge in his right hand while it was hidden form the droid. The sacrifice was well worth it to keep the droid vulnerable to the shock. Ark knew that he would have to get out from beneath the droid before he sent it the shock, because he didn't want it finding its way to the ground right into Ark.

Ark grappled the droid with his leg, an unseen move from behind and he used the droid's falling weight to catapult him onto of the droid where he smashed the quasi-barrier into the droids chest releasing the shock that he pushed directly into the droid's chest. The droid having its back to the ground wasn't able to shake Ark before he delivered the shock, and it went directly into the droid ingot he ground.

Ark stood up straight over the droid with his left hand wrapped around his lower torso where he took the hit that flung him to the ground. His face was already starting to swell on his right side and the blood he spit from his mouth was dripping out of the right corner of his mouth. He could barely lift his left shoulder if he were to attempt to raise it from his torso, and he spits a glob of blood onto the chest of the smoking droid. The smoke bellowed from a melted hole where the charge was focused and if Ark were to look down, he'd notice that his right hand showed signs of being singed, likely due to how close his hands were to the droid's chest as he let the charge go.

The smells of blood, melting metal, and burned hair filled Ark's nostrils, and it made him smile because it had been a long time since he'd taken any more damage than a minor cut due to a throwing knife. He returned to breathing out of his nose, as it actually hurt to open his mouth. He let go of his torso and stood at attention before the Crusader silently awaiting his next instruction.