Libertine's Bogan Training

[D.C.]

Choray watched Libertine's jump and didn't mind he failed to make a perfect landing.

"The more you practice, the more your technique will improve. You did well," he said. Then he gestured to the large snow field before them. Here and there they could see a lone tree and in the distance they could see snowy mountains.

"That's where we're going," Choray said. "To the mountains. I will teach you another Force technique to reach the mountains quicker. Most Force Users refer to it as Force Speed. Now, we don't have to cross the fields in one sprint, we can stop and rest along the way. Remember this is about learning, and if you fail here, nothing will happen to you. Once we get to the mountains however, things could get dangerous. I'll explain about the mountains when we get there.

"As for this so-called Force Speed," Choray continued, "it is similar to the jump technique. Once again, call upon the warmth and let it flow through your body. This time, however, you don't concentrate it solely in your legs for a jump or create a layer of warmth on your skin, but you let it give you a little bit more power than normally. Let the warmth of the void guide you and you will find you can move much faster. Remember when you first learned to move when you were trapped in the empty black void? This is exactly what you'll do now. You will move for the first time, but at tremendous speed."

Choray gestured towards a lone tree up ahead.

"Let's first run to that tree using this Force Speed technique and once you get the hang of it, we'll move on to the mountains. Tell me when you want to rest if you need to, otherwise we'll move on until I say we stop. Questions before we go?"​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

The sleeves of the suit wrinkled at the folds of his arms, as each hand was tucked underneath either side against his lats. Libertine had relaxed into a simple stand with his arms weaved tightly before his chest. His head stretched out at the neck, eyes surveying the vast field of padded snow as his Master continued instructing in the ways of the force.

Mysterious no longer, he thought to himself; as he began to feel a constant link to that place, though it could just be the continued use from one technique straight to the next.

Still learning, Libertine would leave most queries alone until he knew more about what he didn't yet understand. The best course for learning is doing, in this human's perspective. And so he would do, he would do until a deeper understanding allotted for redefining terms of explanation. Until then, he would remain an open door to any and all knowledge.

Libertine kept his lips shut, foretelling the near future with a twisted simper that all but barred his giddiness from his fingertips; clamping down with each elbow as to pin a self control that must be upheld.

"No Master", he answered plainly, still staring out into the distance.

 

[D.C.]

"Then let us go," Choray said.

A split second later he moved towards the tree in a burst of speed. He was so fast it would be hard to even see him and when he came to a stop in front of the tree he simply stood as if nothing had happened. It seemed so easy, so simple, and to Choray it was simple. He had been practicing this technique for years now and it was his signature power. The first power he had ever learned, by himself.

He turned and looked to Libertine to see how the young Human was doing. When Libertine would have reached the tree they would continue on to the mountains where a new objective awaited Libertine, it was something dark.​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

With his eyes fixed on the designated tree, he witnessed his Master practically appear out of nothing before it. Libertine's gauging two fingered point, that had shot up just after Choray had taken off, reached its full length after the Zabrak Master had already stopped and began turning to face him. And with a short burst, Libertine laughed.

"HAHH!!!" And with that fiery upward crack, he scraped at the ground with a force enhanced push off that blasted him out like a slug from a pistol.

Seemingly easier to begin that sustain, Libertine pounded into the ground with a slight misuse of force speed. He forced a quick blurring sprint, the warmth of the void filling his legs with strength, yet his run punched his feet into the snowy terrain with an arched galloping motion that zigzagged with each reaching step. Picturing how he first moved in the darkness of the void, now he'd look to be squirming wildly. As he felt an awkward rocking of the animalistic leaps, he corrected his movements blending into a straight gale of motion that leaned lower and lower towards its destination. And as it took him half the distance to get it right, he almost couldn't stop at the tree with a slap of his palm onto the trunk to aid his skidded halt. It felt too good to stop, yet he would obey.

Now, as he stood to face his Master, Libertine's energized breaths of speedy success were swallowed down with guilt bearing the foolishness that Choray must have witnessed. Libertine reassured himself, however, of the later recovery to prove his understanding of Force Speed thereafter. Yet still Libertine dug in his teeth with a hatred for his lack of immediate strength in understanding.

He was now very focused on what was ahead, eager to prove himself further capable.

 

[D.C.]

Choray had seen Libertine's foolishness indeed, but he did not mind.

"Good," he said. "A few mistakes, but you managed. Now we will cross the large open snow field to those mountains over there." He gestured towards the mountains again. "A couple of trials await you there. Dark trials. I will accompany you to a certain point and from there you must go on alone. If you fail to complete the trials, you will die. If you succeed, you will become stronger and you will be rewarded. Follow me, young acolyte."

And Choray was off again. He sped across the field with ease, never stopping to look back to see how his apprentice was doing. He crossed the field in a few minutes and finally came to a halt at the foot of the mountains. He turned to see if Libertine was on his way.

When Libertine would have reached him he would say: "And here we are. Do you see that cave up there in the mountainside? We can only reach it by using the Force to jump. You used a variation of the technique when you leaped over the abyss, but now you must use it to jump up to reach higher ledges. When you're out on a mission, this skill can prove to be invaluable. Try to figure out for yourself how this works, for I assume you have enough understanding of the Force to be able to pull this off. If you fail, then ask me to explain. Do not hesitate to ask, because the more time we waste down here, the less time we have left to accomplish your trials. When you have reached the cave's ledge, wait for me to come up and then we'll go in together."

Choray took a step back to allow Libertine some space to practice the skill known as Force Jump. The cave's entrance was approximately 15 meters up in the mountainside.​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Libertine morphed his face into an angered squeeze of tensed displeasure, hating his inexperienced display; now piercing the elements like the rupturing sound of reentry. Near perfect for even one above his level and most directly towards the face of the mountains, Libertine moved with sprinting might through the force; his focus swimming through the thickness of the void. He dug the edge of his front foot into a skidding halt, twisting his torso with a shirk of his fists. This time, arriving just as Choray began to turn his head, Libertine acted most proficiently with his usual professional poise and heir.

"I think I've the hang of it", Libertine smirked confidently with his head up to the ledges above. And with the nearing end of his Master's instruction, Libertine had already begun shifting his feet underneath his bending legs. Slowly reaching back with a condensing of his staggered frame, Libertine bounded with an explosive reach of his stretching arms. Able to plant his feet down on a short ledge, the balls of his feet allowed for an extra spring into the next jump as he bounced from shallow cleft to jagged edge's step. Some movements allowed for a shimmying momentum to build as others simply kept darting up and up until he reached the cave.

Upon his triumphant presence before the cave after the series of force enhanced jumps to that ledge, Libertine stepped around to await his Master's joining him. And expecting Choray to reach him before he could expect one such as him to reach him, Libertine began speaking before his Master had arrived knowing that he'd hear regardless. Seeming to mock the darkness ahead he regurgitated a response with exact similarity to his Master's earlier words, "...And here we are."

 

[D.C.]

With a slight thud Choray landed on the ledge above. He had made it in one high jump and if one would have seen him doing it they would think Force Jumping was easy, he did it without any effort.

"Indeed," he said to his apprentice, "here we are..."

He walked past Libertine and a little bit further into the cave. It was very dark and it was hard to see things. Choray stood with his back to Libertine, so Libertine could not see Choray's face, and the Zabrak Crusader closed his eyes. A moment later he opened them again and his eyes glowed with a strange blue hue. He turned back to Libertine.

"It is too dark to see," he said. "You can use the Force to enhance your sight so you can see in the dark, through walls and you can even see one's alignment in the Force. This technique is called Force Sight and you will have to use it to pass through the cave. Remember this, young acolyte, your eyes can deceive you. In the void I taught you to truly see and you need to 'open' your eyes here like you did back in the void.

"Close your eyes," he explained, "and remember the light that burned in the void. The light with which you shaped the mountaintop and its surrounding areas. Let this light shine into your eyes and let it 'see' for you. Command the Force to see for you."

Once Libertine would have utilized Force Sight the inside of the cave would appear to him. A tunnel that would lead further down into the cave and which would eventually lead to the very inside of the mountain...​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Physically, one couldn't see Libertine's eyes close from behind his mask. Yet through the force, as Choray's eyes lit blue, Libertine's eyes did indeed shut.

In the distance, there was a faint light glowing. So faint, it almost wasn't there. It was not a normal light, it was something mysterious, something powerful but faint. Libertine reached out for it, taking it into his hands shining through his fingers. The faint light became a giant burning sun in the void and grew into his eyes. Now he could truly see. But still, he was in the void and alone... until he opened his eyes.

A rushing vibrant red covered everything he saw. A freakish snarl escaped his piranha teethed grin as he witnessed first hand the blindness that force sight blasted through. Blinking rapidly at first, Libertine let the pupils of his focusing mind contract as it began distinguishing shapes and colors. Melting away to an even more defined and detailed depiction, like blood dripping along the surface, Libertine looked around the cave's interior with one slow reaching step after the other. Libertine then looked back at his Master, indeed seeing an affiliation. He saw it glowing more harshly from within Choray's chest and out his eyes, but it wasn't something still or temporary; it was alive.

"I ...see, Master."

 

[D.C.]

"I know," Choray said. "You are one of the few who managed to truly see in such a short amount of time. Follow me."

The Zabrak turned and walked into the darkness of the cave. There was no sign of life in there, and there was an eerie atmosphere. It was as if they had entered a dead world. Death was king here. The Dark Side was also very strong and if it wasn't for the technique Tapas, they would have frozen to death in there.

Choray led his apprentice through a maze of narrow corridors and finally they arrived at the center of the mountain. They stood at a ledge overlooking a round cave, like an arena pit.

"This place," Choray said to Libertine, "is the Dark Side. Down below you will fight. Jump down and let the Force guide you down to the ground slowly. Use the lightsaber I have given you to survive. I will watch from up here and that is all I will do. To watch and observe. If you were to die down there, I will simply leave this place and return to the temple. If you would defeat your opponent, I will come down and we shall venture even deeper into the darkness ahead. There is no time to prepare yourself, go now! Your opponent awaits you!"

A figure in dark robes stood down below in the darkness of the 'arena'. If Choray and Libertine weren't using Force Sight they would not have seen this one. Suddenly there was the sound of a sharp hiss and a red lightsaber ignited. When Libertine would jump down and face off against this one, Libertine would see his opponent looked just like him, but without the mask and dressed in Bogan robes. The opponent actually was an illusion created by the Dark Side of the Force and it represented the Darkest Darkness of Libertine. If Libertine could defeat it - and thus enslave it - he would have truly embraced the Dark Side of the Force.​

((OOC: I could NPC the illusion guy or you could write a duel between Libertine and the illusion yourself. Whatever you want :) ))

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

(( (chanting) NPC! NPC! ))


As his Master commanded immediate action, so Libertine reacted. Leaping off with one foot, Libertine had no time to think; yet as the floor rose up to greet him with the harsh reality of cold gravity, Libertine snapped back his shoulder blades as the pressing of his arms rocked a stillness into his face down palms that gripped jaggedly at the air through hooked finger joints. Looking down at the coming hit of rock and mountain served only to further focus the seriousness into the situation. Instincts took over, the event not allowing enough time to think, as Libertine felt the same as he did when learning force speed. His eyes closed further, along a paralleled scale to the closing distance between him and the ground, as he no longer felt positioned at a certain height. There was no measurement of space, or time for that matter. He was nowhere, yet he was in relation with all around. His emotions twisted the very rules of science in manipulated relevance to his calling.

A thought creeped into Libertine's wandering mind, "Shouldn't I have reached the ground yet?" Popping open his eyes, he felt an immediate loss of connection to every concentrated usage of force energy; as he fell to the ground, having hovered a few feet over it for a short time.

Libertine caught himself, seeing how he would land ever so smoothly into a bend on his parted feet. Using the balls of his feet he'd easily slow his descent and place his finger tips on either side of his legs upon the floor. All of this seemed more than possible. However, Libertine had stopped using Tapas, and when his now freezing toes hit the hard surface below things were different. The pain of numbing cold limbs, finger tips, toe tips, and extreme cooling of joints caused a collapse to his rolling side. Slamming into his left shoulder, Libertine caught the needed picture and quickly reacted by re-centering himself. He stood slowly, reengaging all necessary forms of the force so taught to him as best as he could.

Encasing his body in an absorbing negation of information, Libertine felt impervious to all that had just smacked into him.

Rolling his shoulders stiffly, Libertine had yet to realize that there was a third figure in their midst. As the wave of revelation crashed over his senses, Libertine shot all his reflexes into grabbing his newly acquired lightsaber and enacted all his efforts into igniting it.

With a flick of his wrist, Libertine was able to grab the hilt and shirk the back end around the looped clasp free from its clutches. Igniting the beam with a press of a button as the looping motion of freeing the hilt from its birth swooped back towards the shaded figure, the red stream of light shot out and at the dark figure. Libertine's fist stayed the motion of the stretching beam of constant red light, pulling back the hilt to his side. His favored, yet equally used, right hand squeezed the black spiraled hilt into the cracks and creases of his skin; fitting the meaty flesh of his palm into the deepest of grooves near the butt of the hilt that tipped with a pointed stud that sturdily screwed into the condensing base.

Noticing that the blade stayed out at full length, even after releasing the first button, Libertine re-focused his attention out to the emerging darkness that practically mirrored his every move; nearly igniting his saber at the exact same moment as Libertine.

Libertine began circling to his right, noticing the reflecting light of the red saber upon the figure's face. This figure held out his blade to the right as well, and single handed as well... for now. The tip of Libertine's 'borrowed' lightsaber scratched at the floor intimidatingly with each stride of step's end, as his posture held strong yet for his tilting head to imply a dominance. However, once Libertine caught enough of an image through the force of enhanced sight, this facade fell through to that of truthful surprise.

At first there was only a figure, a figure with a hovering weight of darkness over his face. But as Libertine worked harder and harder on his image before the fight looking in, he began seeing more and more of his opponent. Then, there he was. His face shown true to his own. It was ...darker somehow, lacking the physical appeal that Libertine would normally focus in maintaining. His hair was practically gone. It held a likeness to that which had been burnt off, thin and crispy like a balding old man. There were even patches missing. His face barely held onto a greyish pale that dripped from the tightly wrapped grin upon his face. This senile grin hit home in Libertine. This was one thing Libertine had more trouble than he'd admit. He had trouble starring at the expression, it was what he felt he saw in the reflector. It was Libertine's true self, yet as he walked through the shadows of the arena-like cave the passing shapes swooped over it's skin to reveal the real physical image of Libertine's face which was not much different. Libertine's true face waved over it like the fleeting weightlessness of smoke that parted to show truly what beheld.

There, the darker figure wore Libertine's face; pale skin, green eyes, dark hair thickly slicked back off the the back corner of his head, smooth hairless cheeks overly shaved clean, a square and angled jaw, dark circles heavily sagging the undersides of his eyes, even darker eyebrows, small almost pointed ears, shaved neck into the smooth fade of his trimmed hair cut, and that simple and straight small pointed nose that so perfectly ruined everything Libertine hated about himself. Now it was even worse. Libertine despised seeing himself. Years of avoiding reflections and wearing masks... all for nothing. He struggled to keep his head up, coursing with an undeniable urge to vomit. Libertine only became angrier, swirling out his saber with a challenging point of the tip down out before him to the ground.

 

[D.C.]

With a scream that was of Libertine's voice, the Dark Side spawn dashed forwards with its red lightsaber ignited. The crimson light flashed throughout the cave and the slash would be aimed for Libertine's left side. It was a direct blow and the figure came up close in the blink of an eye. And if that single blow was not enough, the figure would unleash a wave of lightning out of his free left hand (he held the saber in his right hand) to try to electrocute the real Libertine. This was one of the reasons why Choray had taught Libertine how to absorb Force Powers.

The Dark Side spawn, the figure, the mirror of Libertine, whatever you want to name it, intended to destroy the real Libertine. The acolyte who was being trained by Choray Sefja: the Zabrak who stood watching from the ledge above.

Choray smiled as he looked down to the duel below. He had brought Libertine here for a reason. He deemed the young man ready for this confrontation with his darker self. No, more than ready. Libertine was well on his way to becoming a great Crusader, one capable of wielding the Dark Side of the Force. Capable of enslaving that bit of Dark Power and commanding it to crush his enemies.

In silence, the Zabrak watched intently. Wondering if he was right to deem the acolyte ready for this heavy confrontation.​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

As Libertine's dry eyes blinked within a squinted anger of context, he could feel the rush of force impose its bellowing effects into his space.

It moved fast, faster than he could finish his challenging saber point; and with the breaking of his move, Libertine switched the tip of his blade upright into his move. Libertine had regrettably shuffled back a stance to allow for even the littlest bit of time and space for movement, as he felt inadequate if only to react without the necessary movement. Yet with precision and anger, wasting no energy, Libertine defended and attacked in one stroke.

The red saber aggressively shot up in the real Libertine's hand, with plenty of space between his hand upon the hilt and the momentary connection of beams, as he redirected the dark one's slash out to his side and stabbed a thrust in to his evil self's opposing shoulder. From curved block (Libertine's left) to straight strike (Libertine's right), Libertine fluidly arched his jealous attempt away from the slash. He felt the need to rush this one's end with a certain satisfaction, but wouldn't allow any hasty or sloppy gestures; as programmed into his muscle memory. Libertine would follow by swirling his saber around with a rotation of his wrist to a lowered guard before his centered body without awaiting confirmation of his thrust. His left hand raised behind him like a true swordsman, bent up by his shoulder with a raised elbow.

 

[D.C.]

The Dark Side spawn managed to dash away after Libertine's strike and barely avoided. Then it twirled its lightsaber, the blade flashing and humming, and it would leap into the air coming down on Libertine and landing an overhand powerblow.

Whether Libertine blocked it, avoided it, or his arm got cut off, the spawn would land on both feet with a thud that echoed throughout the entire arena pit, bringing the lightsaber up for a quick defend - if necessary.

Choray thought the spawn fought ok, but he could already see the weak points in it. It attacked with a certain ferocity, no strategy but just attacking until the opponent was destroyed. It resembled Juyo, but then an even more primitive form. Then he turned his gaze to Libertine and would watch his reaction to the spawn's action. Would Libertine be able to block such a powerful attack from above?​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

It was over, as far as Libertine could see. His cower concealed his finishing blow perfectly, as his arms raised over head to feint a worried block. Right hand firmly holding that hilt still before his face, his left arm and shoulder lifted to cover; as one hand prepared and the other played coy, Libertine held a dead stare to the marked deceased above from behind his mask.

The poorly conceived copy had given Libertine more than enough time to ensure victory with his showing off of twirling his saber, even that seemed sub-par to the confident human. His shown brightly upon the curves of his mask as he held it close. And upon lift off - the dark one, using an aggressive form foreign to Libertine's knowledge in terms and techniques, leaped high enough to add power where Libertine's skill would sever strength's usefulness.

Enough show, Libertine would not waste speech over results as this one had. As the dark entity that was yet wasn't Libertine slammed down through the air, Libertine saw his target clear. His aim was for the legs, specifically the shins just below the knees. Though with his little show, one would have difficulty reading his ploy. And as his lightsaber was held certainly, fleshy thumb muscle close to his face and gloved knuckles facing away, now he would sweep decisively allowing for the slow and tasty victory to be carved from flesh thereafter.

Libertine's left hand would not aid with further gripping his saber hilt. No, it would wait for the moment that his beam swirled around passing it. His right hand would swirl around, rotating a horizontal sweep over head that would cut legs from joints; all while crouching a tight maneuverable spring-like readiness. And as his lightsaber did indeed sweep around to allow for left hand action, his fingers faced upwards with a sparking accuracy aimed for his opponent's lightsaber blade without raising an arm yet keeping it safely out to the side paralleled to his head. The sharp and quick lightning snap would connect purposefully with his enemy's sword, in the hopes of either forcing a loose grip knocking it out of his hands from the sheer gathered force momentum coming down or even just slow his strike perhaps even so far as to misdirect.

All gathered into a force enhanced speedy sweep curving up through slowed time, Libertine swirled around his saber with a lean into his left hand (flicking fingers up with popping lightning); spinning out of the controlled and short slash around to the right and down. Libertine would swoop down, under, and around with a switching spin behind his back in aiding protection for insurance until he could face his (what he pictured to be after his successful attack) crippled and squirming opponent in the face of defeat to truly punish him with all the lightning he would be able to muster.

 

[D.C.]

((OOC: Wow! Now that's some quickening, mate ^^ ))

Oh, the sound of agony and pain. If there was one thing Choray truly loved, one sound he truly enjoyed (besides the angelic singing in the void) it would be a piercing scream of agony. And as he would look down on his fallen opponents and slay them with devastating lightning, a quick slash or a terrible Force Crush, he would feel ever so powerful. Right now, he simply enjoyed the show.

He saw the Dark Side spawn's legs cut off and he heard the thing scream. The piercing scream of agony, echoing throughout the arena-like cave. He saw the body of the thing dropping onto the ground, its lightsaber falling onto the floor and immediately deactivating, and it would turn around to look up to Libertine.

Do it! Choray thought to himself with a sly smile on his face. He had already seen the lightning cracking around Libertine's hands and Choray already could guess what would happen next. He took a step closer to the edge, ready to float downwards into the pit to congratulate his acolyte.

Apparently Libertine had enslaved his Dark Side already.

That was excellent.​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

((OOC: Sry, too much? Lol. :D ))


Swirling around with a gradual slowing, Libertine had switched his lightsaber to a reversed grip in order to allow a continuous flow of pain from one attack to the next. His left hand stayed stretched out with the sparking of what he had learned through the void. Blue lightning, with a purple hue along his fingers, began crackling out wildly connecting along the copy's seared wounds and further creeping up along his legs and torso; rogue flares would flick at his face, keeping him in total debilitating agony.

But he wasn't squirming enough for Libertine. So, the switched grip allotted for for a downward stab through meaty thigh flesh and into the cave ground. The quick plunge of red light clashed with electrical luminscance, shocking savouring emotion upon the copy's face; this brought Libertine to his feet again, feeling the curling pleasure nearly overtake him. Libertine would do his best to imprint that frozen image upon his memory forever. That is the image he would punish inside him, should ever he perform substandardly.

Libertine giggled with a certain deformity under his breath, reflecting on the fight. It was true that he gained the upper hand quickly, and it was true that for that moment he had felt true darkness in his being; as he was not one to waste an opportunity to exploit a weaker foe's mistakes, he was one to over satisfy his lusts and fantasies however. And as he did so, right hand joining in the light spectacle, the human was sure to elongate the nerves ability to transmit painful information to its corresponding brain as he cut and re-applied the lightning in staccato like spurts.

He couldn't, rather he wouldn't, help it. It was in his nature to finish first, and enjoy later. He was quick and effective, almost to a fault. Yet Libertine took a certain pride in how quickly he bested his darkness. It was his to control, manipulate, and satisfy...

Loosing himself in his new power, force lightning, Libertine had barely unleashed a fraction (when sparking that off-balancing pop to ensure victory) of what he was using now. Rather, it was of a hopeful's level in strength. Now it flowed through him, he was determined to char that image of himself most extremely. He deserved it. He, himself...

 

[D.C.]

And then it was done. It was over. The Dark Side spawn, the darker self of Libertine, was defeated and thus Libertine had taken control of his Dark Side. Choray stepped over the edge of the ledge and using the Force he slowly glided down to the floor of the 'arena pit'. He landed easily and walked over to his acolyte, clapping his hands. Each clap echoed throughout the cave.

"Well done, Libertine," Choray's haunting voice sounded through the arena. "You have completed the trial of the Dark Side, but our training is not over yet. There is more we have to do. Look over there." He gestured to another tunnel that would lead even deeper into the darkness. "We must proceed to another section of the cave where your reward awaits you."

Choray did not wait to see if Libertine was ready to move on, but he already walked towards the tunnel up ahead. He headed on in and led his acolyte through even more tunnels.

Finally there was another round 'room', but this one was lit by a wide spectrum of mystical colors. The light emitted from the many crystals that seemed to 'grow' in the walls and rocks. Choray walked into the center of the cave and said: "This is one of the many crystal caves of Ando Prime. Can you feel the Force Energy that radiates from the crystals? Reach out in the Force and let the Force guide you through this Force Energy from the crystals. Eventually you will find one that calls out to you, and you must take that one and show it to me. It doesn't matter which color it is."​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Libertine retrieved the dead Twi'lek's lightsaber, now in his possession and use, from the thigh in the floor and retracted it to deactivate into its place along his belt. As Choray left the room, Libertine took one last look at the figure melted into the floor (as he often did) before following to the next stage of his training. Libertine noted that the face that once resembled his own was now nothing more than black smeared charcoal dust, an effect not entirely due to the use of force lightning. Perhaps it was a wearing effect that lifted as a disguise once Libertine assimilated and dominated his inner darkness, thus owning what could not be shared with the defeated weakness plastered along the rocky floor.

Keeping a forward moving focus, Libertine left behind what held no hindrance to his empowering status now. He moved through the tunnels to the next room, and as he neared it the glow warmed his thoughts to remind him of that place in the void. It was an eerie place, and a speech silencing presence comanded Libertine's attention. He surveyed the walls, rotating his masked head. His palm brushed along the lightsaber that wasn't truly his at his side, realizing that it was that time for him now.

Libertine let listen his mind to his Master's instruction. He loosened his stance, leaving his hands to relax at his sides. His ribcage, still to naturally hold that posture of perfection, was lifted for the rest of his body. And so he closed his eyes.

Almost outright this time, his sight was revealed with the darkening of his shutting eyelids to be shown the bright array of colors through the force. His connection to the Force was instant, and in so calling to him he followed. Libertine stepped slowly. More serious than usual, Libertine thought they all called to him, with his stern features in their relaxed cradles of curved pressing material that was his mask. It took him a moment to let all the light cool away from such a strong emission, giving him a realization that not all crystals were the same. In fact, as he walked further right he felt a pull with a tilting of his head. There lay a jutting crystal, overlapping what he felt to call out to him.

Realizing his fingers now touched the wall, his hand slid along the surface to reach back to that calling crystal. It easily snapped away from its birth crustings, and Libertine's fingers pulled it away. He turned to face his Master and walked over. With a hand stretched out, still clutching at the crystal with only fingertips, Libertine twisted the crystal upwards to be beheld as he finally opened his eyes; Master in sight, with the yellow crystal in hand.

 

[D.C.]

Choray did not take the crystal out of Libertine's hand, but instead just looked at it with his arms crossed in front of his chest. It was Libertine's crystal, and Libertine's crystal only. Choray did not want to touch something that was part of his acolyte, because he respected the special bond that would eventually develop between the student and his new jewel. A sacred bond.

"A beautiful jewel," Choray commented, "it will make a fine and elegant blade. Guard this crystal with your life and never lose it, because - like the Force - it is now a companion of yours. It might save your life one day. Well done, Libertine."

He gave his acolyte a respectful nod of approval and went on: "Let us return to the temple. It is time to craft a lightsaber of your own."

The Zabrak Crusader beckoned for Libertine to follow as he walked past the acolyte. He walked through the tunnels, back to the arena and there he stopped. The body of Libertine's 'Dark Side' was still there, a reminder of Libertine's glorious and graceful victory.

"On our way back," Choray said before moving on, "we will practice all the powers we used to get here, just so you get used to them. Except for Force Absorb, because I don't think it will be necessary to practice that one, but if you want to we can practice that one again."

Those who knew Choray knew him as a stern and evil man. One who wouldn't give his acolytes much choice during the training and one who would beat his acolytes to death if they worked on his nerves all the time. But Libertine was different than the other acolytes and Choray respected his student a lot.

"Gather the Force and use Force Jump to get back on the ledge," he said to Libertine.

He gathered the Force and let it surround himself, then he leaped into the air and in one elegant leap he easily landed on the high ledge above. There he turned to watch Libertine's leap and he patiently waited for the acolyte to reach the ledge so they could continue.​

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Curious... Libertine nearly retracted at his Master's body language. He understood. After Choray spoke of guarding the crystal and its special nature, Libertine held it tightly down at his side. His Master nodded, and to such signs of respect from those more capable was to be endured with enthusiasm in this human's mind. He lowered his head firmly, and held it below eye line.

"Let us return to the Temple."

Libertine rose with this permission to follow, and Libertine obeyed. With no connection, his mouth wrenched with the shifting of saliva behind gritting teeth. His mouth twisted harshly into an evil grin, esteemed in his right of passage and accomplishments.

He followed the Zabrak Crusader back to the pit with a confidence in his power. Stepping over his defeated weaknesses upon the floor, Libertine tightened his core with a gathering of energy. Looking up to where his Master awaited him, Libertine jumped much higher than he had managed before. Leaping up to Choray, Libertine stomped down with a grunt just next to him.

He looked back down and then to Choray with his usual confirming simplicity, "Master."