Just...slide. (Jodi Breclusa Training)

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi was in a cave.

Icicles of various sizes hung from the roof, barely stable. She paid these no mind, sitting cross-legged on the snowy cave floor and contemplating the very layout of the cave. Wide, expansive, endless in any direction…for all she knew, she wasn’t in a cave after all, but underground. She opened her eyes at this thought, gazing at the infinite icy spectacle.

Slowly, her surroundings began to melt. Fire licked at the edges of her vision, stalactites of frost and stone struck the ground all around her, and the floor collapsed. She continued sitting there as everything around her became a molten pool of liquefied…nothing.

Jodi opened her eyes again, in actuality this time. She exhaled, letting all of her passion well up inside of her and dissipate, giving energy to her limbs. She stood…

It probably took several minutes, but she arrived at the door of her new master in what seemed to be seconds. Dressed modestly in full black garb, she suppressed a shiver. Master Karat was dead, and right before she’d finished the training, too…all that was left was to impress this man. Whatever anxiety hadn’t been erased because of her meditation slowly left her body, and a grin tugged at her lips.

Jodi knocked.

((If you get the reference in the title/partially in the thread... *golfclap*))

 

[Dread]

Knock, knock.

The mechanics of the door squealed till it slid open, dust flickered off the top of the door way and danced to the dim light of the lamps in the temple. They mixed between each other until they found their way to the ground. The door hadn't been used in a day, it seems, which was typical for the part Seph crusader. In all his thoughts, between all his peoples, he found it hard to go out sometimes unless there was a real purpose. Storing food away in his room was a common practice to him, to keep him alive or he would starve for a day from his neglect. His body was able to deal with quite the amount of stress from his days in deep in thought but it also showed through his smaller size albeit his species where normally quite thin naturally.

With a pointed teethy grin he had his left hand forward and palm facing the door. It was by the force that he had opened the door when he heard the womans knock, and it would be by the force he would close it shut, trapping her in the room with him and his people. Of course, he would not speak of his people unless she would ask of them.

His robes where graced in a beautiful design, silver, grey, black and white. They fit him perfectly and fell in length just above his heels. They had been made for him quite awhile ago, so even if the elegance of the robes still shined quite nicely, it showed its age in some spots. Frays on edges could be seen from up close, and some of the silver dulled throughout over use around his cuffs. Ramnous waved at the women with his right hand, his pointer finger wagging in contrast with his wrists movement. "You're the first, and that's all you will be known as until you open your eyes to my knowledge and prove yourself. Now come in." Being slightly vague as he always was, she may not exactly understand what he had said, but it mattered not to him as long as she would enter.

 

[TheIronLotus]

The door swung open of its own accord, and Jodi raised a foot a few inches, as if to step forward. The dark energy of the master in front of her stopped her dead in her tracks, and…something else. She wasn’t exactly masterful in terms of her skill with the Force, preferring to use her lightsabers, but she could sense some sort of oppressive presence in the room aside from the Bogan in front of her.

After he finished speaking, she half-bowed, never breaking eye contact – and maybe more importantly, not returning the smile. “Master Ramnous,” she said simply. Jodi began taking note of his features – contrasting in all ways. The hair to his skin, his insane eyes to his relatively calm posture. He was but an inch taller than Jodi too, which she enjoyed.

She stood back up and entered his room…was it a room?...slowly, still not breaking eye contact. “There are other presences here. Care to explain?”

 

[Dread]

With a soft under the breath chuckle Ramnous let both his hands rest to his sides. He would let his body relax, his leg muscles first - then his arms and back. Soon he sat on the ground with one great sounding pulp. Regaining his composure by putting full tension back on his body his legs wrapped into a cross. His body shifted forward so that both his arms would make their way to rest along the top of his legs - wrist to his knees, fingers in the air but relaxed into curls. With his tied back hair and his movement, his pony tail had shifted to the front of his left shoulder. The bit of silver fabric that kept his hair tied would be but a eye shot from his new pupil.

The room around them was engrossed in a shade of grey, and once the door had shut on the women - without him holding his hand out, but with his will this time, the room would darken more into a blackness. The only light coming from the cracks in the walls and the light around the door way. Very little could be seen in his room - his personal quarters - but very much could be felt in his room if his student could use the force that way. His room sported a single fold out bed on the ground, three boxes around it. Shelves all around the room that spared no wall space. The shelves held datapads and books beyond a simple moment of time could count. One large cement desk back near the door, which was filled with junk, inside and ontop; scraps of metal, objects of unknown origin, loose books, pages, a few datapads, pens, paper, and lightsaber parts. The only spare clothing was folded neatly beside the shelve closest to his fold out bed.

"Use the force to find me if your eyes can't - sit by me when you can." Ramnous blue orbs covered up as he rested his eyes, now he would answer her itching question, "You feel them, you feel us. Those of me, inside this body, are the ones you feel. However, they will not get in your way in our training...unless you wish it." It might of been a little too much, a little too direct, but she had asked unlike so many before her, who either ignored it or did not bother to ask.

 

[TheIronLotus]

Skill with the Force might not have been Jodi’s best quality, but she was still moderately skilled in its use. As the lights drained out of the room and the door slammed shut behind her, she closed her eyes for total darkness to envelop her…to consume her…

She felt the fold-out bed and the clothing folded beside it. From there, she slowly let the Force expand outwards, just enjoying the very use of it…the boxes, the desk, the intricate bits of metal that would usually be condoned as useless.

"You feel them, you feel us. Those of me, inside this body, are the ones you feel. However, they will not get in your way in our training...unless you wish it."

Jodi’s thoughts were interrupted for a moment, but she refocused immediately. Master Ramnous was…interesting. Certifiably insane, perhaps, but interesting. She sent out another tendril of the Force, and then another, like fingers…and one brushed her new Master’s cheek. She let her energy surround him for a second as she sat down next to him, staring at a face that she couldn’t see, but rather feel.

“Those of you? Forgive me for my interest, Master.”

 

[Dread]

As her feelers in the force touched him, he would touch her in the force, softly in ever such a slight manner. The two would interlink - a ripple from a raindrop, touching their feet. He would take note of this moment and keep it in his grasps for as long as he could. They sat alone in the darkness together in a silence once she had stopped talking. It would be something he would savior - his first student, his first real feeling contact with her.

"No need to ask our forgiveness...not yet...and asking wont help anything if the need arises. Keep that in mind for future reference." If the student was comfortable around him before, he surly hoped she wouldn't be as comfortable now. "If you think the dark side is merciful when angered then you have showed me your first flaw, young one..."

With the same reach, the same connection they had made before, he would sneak into her mind and place images in there. If he should be successful, in a moment her eyes would fill with light. All around her she would see a white room, then it would suddenly fill with shady figures in the edges, at lest 20 of them all packed shoulder-shoulder. The only feature in the figures that would make much sense would be their blue glowing eyes and humanoid silhouettes. This illusion, this trick in the force, was something that he would use to teach her.

 

[TheIronLotus]

There was a moment where she felt him touch her in the Force as well, and she used that opportunity to search his feelings…it was something similar to pride. Perhaps…satisfaction?

After his next words, Jodi finally did smile. “I am no dog, Master. If I should do something as demeaning as begging, I would lose what power I have…I would be no better than the pitiful excuse for Force users that call themselves Jedi.” The smile faded, and she closed her eyes once again. “It’s just that I’ve been taught to respect…especially those things which I do not understand.”

Suddenly, she felt his touch increase, and her vision filled with light. Her sight was blurred and fragmented, and figures with the same silhouette as Ramnous were lined up in front of her, as if an army…all with the same ravenous blue eyes, locked on her own as if to devour her. Jodi realized slowly that her eyes were still closed…this was a vision put on by her Master, a mere illusion in her mind. She decided to play along for the moment, pacing in front of the small army. What to say, what to say…

“Hmm.”

 

[Dread]

A voice would penetrate her mind even if she did not see the real Ramnous and its level of sound was upped so that she could hear nothing but it."Oh, no, no, no, no...no...you /are/ a dog to me. A lesser, a little play thing in my trap. But, show me weakness and I will exploit it; treat you lower then a dog and crush you beneath me, like dirt. Those in the order will hold much similar value over you...so watch your tongue unless you can defend the words that you use." How was she suppose to react to him if he was angered? Ramnous didn't say, and he would not. It was up to her to figure out how the social dance between them would work. Everything would be gained through time and Ramnous had all the time he would need with her.

One of the black figures stepped out of the crowd, and suddenly the figure burned in black flames. As the flames got stronger, they would reach a point that they turned into pure light then evaporate. The figure left in the middle was one of Ramnous' full featured body, but it still waved in the illusion. His skin, his eyes, his hair and outfit would glow and slightly waver. "Now, is it becoming more clear? I am simply one of many of me. I am "The One" who speaks for the rest of us." If she should nod or shake her head it would not matter, for after her answer he would make his illusion stronger. The other figures around would begin to take shape, into Ramnous' full figure. However, they would not move or speak as the one in the middle would.

 

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi continued pacing as he spoke to her, taunted her. She didn’t ignore him, but instead, let his anger and demeaning manner fuel her own Force reserves. Anything you say can and will be used against you. The irony was delicious.

The flames flickered in Jodi’s eyes as one of the figures started to burn. Flaking, dissipating, transforming into some sort of body…Ramnous’s body.

“I am "The One" who speaks for the rest of us.”

Jodi took her time answering, not breaking eye contact as she allowed her passion and hate to well up inside of her. In the background, she saw another one of Ramnous’s shadow-beings, another part of his whole. A thought struck her...her thoughts. Her rules. She began to mold it, but didn’t stop staring at The One – or, whatever Ramnous would have her envision as being The One. Imagining the figure with horns, with tinted red skin, transforming it in her own mind, turning Ramnous’s illusion against him. Instead of fighting the illusion, as he might expect, she would use it to her advantage.

“And do all of you agree with The One? Is his will the only deciding factor? Are you, as an entity, The One…or is The One his own entity?” By now Jodi was just stalling, allowing her anger to well up in her chest, making subtler changes to what used to be Ramnous’s figure…making it ugly. Making it worth destroying.

 

[Dread]

"You still don't fully understand us. But that is another thing that might take some time. That will be answered later on...now more important matters in your training." With his greater power he would pull the illusion back under his control again, but he liked that she had fought back at lest in some sort of manner. She had potential although she was still young and untrained. If she should challenge him to much in his teaching, however, Ramnous true anger would be triggered. As his psychotic banter he had just told her might not be the bounds of which his insanity could go. "Now..tell me the simple things you know...before the true work falls into place, understand, First?." She may of forgotten, but he had dubbed her "the first" and in his own way he had gave her a nickname of endearment by shortening it to "first".

"Tell me what you think of the Bogan? What you think we are as a whole...spare me nothing." It was, a basic question at best, but it was important to him that his student knew who the Bogan where in essence. He had come across some many of his brethren who knew nothing of what they where. This fault would not be a part of any of his students, unless they should want to die at his hands.

 

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi felt her own will shoved aside as her Master took control of the illusion. She hadn’t been exerting her full will on the shade, but it was still a strange feeling to feel the power she’d once wielded in her mind submerged.

Nothing spared? Fair enough. She’d learned of the Bogan quite thoroughly at the hands of her previous master, so the question seemed a bit trivial, if only for its simplicity.

“We are an organization that, at its base, strives towards…chaos. We strive to offset the balance created by those who would believe there can be peace. Peace is a lie. The Bogan know this, and therefore can’t stand idly by while buffoons like the Republic try to maintain it. We are not a major power, and at the same time…I would believe that we are. We are not foolhardy with our power like the Jedi, flaunting it and acting as some sort of galactic police, but we have the capability of doing far more. We can destroy. To destroy is far easier than to rebuild. And it is far more meaningful. And the most meaningful goal of all…” She paused, closing her eyes and licking her lips, as if she could taste the mere thought. “The destruction of the Jedi. They think that they are capable of preserving the galaxy, but history disagrees. The Jedi are just another faction meant to fall. When the Jedi fall, the galaxy will lapse into chaos, crumpling under the lack of direction.”

Jodi ran fingers through her hair. “As for what I think of the Bogan…there cannot be a more noble goal.” Thoughts coursed through her mind of her past, of what she had endured. “To take and destroy at one’s leisure, to have the galaxy at your fingertips without them even knowing it, and to reject it for its emptiness…to watch cities burn, and streets run rampant with so-called “crime.” If you can take something, you should take it. Power is the only steadfast currency, the only thing that has withstood the test of time.”

She blinked once. She had never revealed all of these thoughts to her previous master, not in this exactitude, but she had no doubt that it was right to speak of them now.

 

[Dread]

The figure of Ramnous nodded in acknowledgement of his pupil words but he did not correct her or praise her. Instead, he would paraphrase his knowledge about the Bogan, "All of us are forces that hold knowledge in the dark side of the force and the greatness that it can bring us by suckling off its power. Together under the Bogan we become one driving force of the dark side. As our ranks start to expand, the reach of our darkness will make its way through this universe. Under our hand the people will suffer and we will use that suffering to make our grip stronger. What we are is one standing amendment of gluttonous power. That does not mean we cannot be stopped or that we may ever become content to work in this manner. Knowing ourselves is like knowing the inter-workings of a empire. A empire can only hold as long as the leader and it's people remain ambitious and mindful of their surroundings."

With his thoughts down for his student to think over, he would let his grip go on the women. Her mind would no longer be filled with his images and her eyes would be open to the darkness of the room. Ramnous would uncross his legs, move forward to his knees and push off them to bring his stance to a standing one. Although his eyes where still shut he walked till he was a few feet away from his pupil. When he made it that far he opened his eyes and twirled around till his body would face her. Holding his left hand to his side, his lightsabers hilt levitated out of its loop in his attire and into his palm. Coveting it within his fingers, he used his pointer finger to slip carefully over the trigger. The room filled with a silver glow as the beam of his Durindfire curv-hilted saber shot out in one second snap.

 

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi breathed as the darkness consumed the vision, and her eyes were opened once more. The words her Master had said ran through her head, causing her to ponder…perhaps the Bogan were an identity unto each specific member. Perhaps…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable hiss of a lightsaber igniting. Jodi’s eyes adjusted slowly to the light, allowing her to take note of the silver blade. All of the energy she’d been storing brimmed at her fingertips…at last, the part of training she’d so excelled at previously. Just another chance at proving herself.

One of Jodi’s lightsabers flew to her right hand, propelled also by the Force. She ignited it within an instant of it touching her flesh, dispassionate eyes now lit by a red hue. The saber’s hum was like a constant throb, low and evil. She nodded to her master, whirling the blade once before going into the opening stance for the Ataru form, eyes locked on the Bogan’s limbs to determine what stance he would choose.

“In your quarters, Master? Tacky, maybe, but I think I like it.”

 

[Dread]

"For now, you will stay put. I must learn what you know of the lightsaber as well, not just our order. This too, is of the basics we have to go through before we have the real work. I can sense your excitement, though you must wait for your time, First." Lifting up his right hand with his palm up into the air he let his eyes lock with hers, those blue eyes seemed to contrast with the red glow below her. "Show me your form, and I will grade it. I want to know if you have any prior experience in combat against certain other forms. If you're a aggressor, tell me how you would fight one who defends, and if you're a defender, tell me how you would deal with a aggressor. Once I have this knowledge we may leave my room and I will hopefully not be embarrassed by your presence."

As the last words slipped from his mouth he would step his left foot back, and put himself into all the aspects of the Soresu starting position. It was a tactic more used by the opposite of the Bogan, but if used correctly, it would aid the power of the dark side in a manner that Ramnous's smaller figure would thrive on.

 

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi had already talked for what she thought to be quite enough for one day, but she complied with her Master’s will all the same.

“Well, since you’d like me to show you my form first, I suppose there’s no point holding back to surprise you later,” Jodi said, and the other lightsaber flew to her preferred hand – the left. Before it reached her hand, she’d already thumbed the ignition with the Force, and a violent purple blade sprung forth. She stared at it for a second before speaking.

“The Jedi Knight I killed for this blade, the purple one, was a user of the form Shii-Cho. I found Shii-Cho to be too basic for any practical use in combat against a real Force user, so he wasn’t too difficult to kill at all. I took the crystal and used it with a saber of my own design. Master Karat used Makashi, which I found…intriguing. It was very specific to his personality, as if he’d molded his attacks and defenses off of what he believed. Outside of that, I’ve sparred with various Acolytes using the other forms, none of which I remember too well, outside of the basics."

“I am, obviously, an aggressor,” said Jodi taking a modified Ataru stance due to her two lightsabers. “And you are a defender, as I can tell by your Soresu stance. Defense is not nearly as strenuous as aggression, so I would probably start with some less aggressive slashes, followed by Force Slow. Immediately after using that, I would go all out offensive, trying to use swooping stabs and slashes to get you into the open, where I’d have the clear advantage. This, of course, is all hypothetical…it’s unwise to base an entire strategy on what you believe an opponent will do.”

With that, she immediately sprung over him with the aid of the Force, using the wall behind him to abruptly shift direction, bringing one saber to bear aimed in a horizontal slash at his head, the other in a downwards stab at the small of his back.

 

[Dread]

"This is a mistake." In answer to her move, he would summon a great amount of force around him and push out with it. The strength of his force push could possibility send her high into the air, breaking her line of attack. He would use this time to walk from the wall in a few strides forward before turning back around. "To put yourself into the air against someone using my form and more trained in the force puts your life in danger. Against someone like me, try to keep your feet solid to the ground. This is why I asked how you would deal with a aggressor as a defender. Know thy enemy, young one...Defenders will watch for the aggressor to open themselves up too much between their continuous attacks, points of weakness and too aggressive moves then will, in the end, force them to have a moment of recovery needed before another attack. Your move would be more suited to use against someone who was also a aggressor."

 

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi barely realized the Force attack coming towards her in time, but she absorbed the brunt of it. Still, she was thrown far off her mark, landing several feet away from where she’d first planned to. The attack had been, for the most part, a test to see whether her Master would use the Force in battle. To a lesser extent, she was satisfying her curiosity about how Ramnous would react to surprise. He passed.

“I understand,” she said, straightening her posture but keeping her blades at the ready. “But would it not be more useful to learn multiple forms, then? If one cannot use their own form as it is meant to be used against all forms, there must be a middle ground.”

She lunged forwards again, but more cautious this time, keeping her feet planted. She quickly swung the right handed lightsaber at his neck in the hope he would try to block it, and the other as a diagonal slash from his right thigh to his left shoulder.

 

[Dread]

In his stance, he would simply hop back with his right foot pushing his momentum in one large gap, forcing her blades to come closer together missing his body in the dodge. Using the way his blade was held at the start, facing forwards but slanted downwards slightly, he would slant it more to cover the length his body. With a under-swing sidewards of his wrist he would bring his blade under the two and tip them to deflect her close blades to the side. If done successfully, this would force her to need to turn her blades back in order to attack him again. "Next time you go for a wide open attack like that, remember you leave your whole body open to me at the same time. Anyway, that is enough, let us bring this to the training room."

 

[TheIronLotus]

Jodi gritted her teeth. This was frustrating. The Ataru stance, which relied almost solely on dynamic movement and speed, was not well-suited at all to combat Soresu. She felt slight gratitude at having such a gifted Master, but at the same time, she knew she must change up her style if she would have any chance to defeat Ramnous – or, for that matter, to even compete with him.

The girl followed him to the training room, pondering what the best way to attack him would even be…and it clicked. It was a tad ironic, to be sure, but it would at least have a good chance of surprising the Sephi. To use his form and attitude against him.

When they arrived in the training room of Ramnous’s choice, Jodi threw a glance his way. “And next, master?”

 

[Dread]

On the way to the training room he would answer her previous question that he had ignored during the attack, "All forms take years and years of work to get to any point truly worth their name. Only the masters in the order have had enough experience to incorporate two forms into their lives. So for now, we must use our forms to our full advantage and know who we fight. There is always a way to use your form to the advantage, but you just need to see what is the best way to go about it with your current opponent - and as I've said, avoiding certain moves against certain opponents will further your rate of success. You form may call for moment, but that does not mean you have to leave your body so wide open in each and every attack." Indeed, he was her mirror to her set of skills, the complete opposite, her nightmare in combatants, but this would only make her stronger regardless if she would ever win against him. He would use their mis-matched skills to improve hers, as long as the young temperamental women was willing to learn from his knowledge. Another thing he looked for - not only strength in character, swelling anger, but the will to hold it in and use it at just the right moment. That was, after all, a great source of power.

When they reached the room he would not ignite his saber again. They would learn more advanced skills, but he wanted to teach her another lesson that would help her. "When you fought me, how long do you think you could of lasted? As you said, your style costs energy whilst mine very little. I will teach you how to lesson that chance that I would tire you out before you find the opening you look for. It does not need a name, but others call it Force Body. The ability to push your bodies beyond its healthy limits in order to press on. Would you be interested to learn, First?"