The Beginning

[TheLastLine]

Korwin was stuck, face first into the ground. Sith spit.. Wait, no it was definitely Krayt Spit. He moaned for help before managing to wriggle half way out of his robes, but getting stuck. Oh no, what else was going to happen today ? Korwin was once again, safe and surely in his own world. Even though the Krayt Dragon screamed and stomped, throwing Val off of it with the force. He didn't mind he had done enough.

Infact he had done too much, he could of just put the blade through its throat, but his master had panicked him so much he resorted to using the force to make its jaw immobile before crawling into its mouth and then thrusting the vibroblade into its brain. He had to quickly crawl out of its mouth before he lost control and now it was dieing, quickly. He had missed the centre of the brain and even with the sword lodged in the side, it was going to go down roaring.

Finally it died and a generall sense of relief was in the air, particularly for Val, for Korwin was still panicking, he still hadn't managed to get out of this cocoon and was still stuck trying to wriggle out of his robes.

"Vall... Valllll. Helpp. Arms are stuck, again.. This is terrible.." He started to moan but stopped as soon as he was released, he didn't smell good, at all. Looking to his master and then slowly to the dead beast he wondered how or who was going to get this pearl.

 

[Sreeya]

It took a long moment for Val to calm down.

"You'd think with all the krayt dragons I've fought, I'd be used to them by now.."

She warily eased Korwin out, grimacing at all the globs of spit on him. Val tried to ignore the stench, walking over to the dragon. She didn't blink, igniting her saber and swiftly slicing into the stomach. The guts spilled out and she dug in elbow deep, fishing around till she grasped the gizzard. She pulled it out and cut into it, multiple pearls spilling out as a result. Val took out a pouch she had brought specifically for the pearls, storing them in. She handed the pouch to Korwin.

"You're so lucky I didn't make you do that.."

Val took a moment to clean herself off, having prepared for it this time. When she was about fifteen and had helped hunt her first dragon, she and her fellow padawan had to walk home covered in blood and guts. After she was cleaned off, Val patted Korwin on the back, smiling.

"Good job, kiddo! We can-"

Her smile faded. She felt slightly dizzy. She looked down at her hand, noting a cut from grabbing onto the dragon's spine. Val stumbled over to the dragon, noting the venom oozing from its spines. Her vision began to blur as the lethal poison slowly began to spread through her body. She realized what had happened, stepping over to Korwin.

"....Raziel....Emi.....take care...of..."

Without another word, she dropped to the ground, face first into the sand.

 

[TheLastLine]

For a moment he was brought to his knees, he was completely and utterly drained of energy. He could just feel pain and the creeping of the poison through the lungs. Not his, but hers. He could sense something, but without a doubt he could feel something, something odd, a connection. A bond. But his mind was not to be diverted as he ran at full pace, across the desert for many miles.

His thoughts were to rest solely on the health of his master. He knew not to where he was headed, but he knew that somewhere would be better then the cave. He could feel her slip further and further into deaths grip. Korwin had never forced himself to use so much of his force powers for such a prolonged time. He managed to stem the spread of the poison momentarily, while running with her over his shoulder. He couldn't do this forever, even if he wanted too.

He knew that Sandpeople had plagued the seas of deserts for aslong as history had been recorded. He knew they would have a cure, but was this really a sensible option ? He didn't care, it was either them, or losing his master. He ran and ran, and they saw him, completely confused, scared and terrified of this stranger with these powers.

As he approached they took a defensive stance, and thats when he realised. He couldn't speak Tuskan, surely one of them spoke Basic ? Taking one pearl out he throws the bag into the deserts winds, while keeping the other three hidden, giving the impression there was only one. He displayed it in the light of the sun, the Tuskans all stood silently before he threw it to them. He then said.

"I do know that some of you you speak basic, but I need your help, and I will take it if I don't receive it. I have conquered the dragon but she suffers from its poisons, heal her and you shall keep the pearl, refuse... And I will take it back, and more."

 

[Sreeya]

Luck was on their side as Korwin approached the Tuskan Raiders. The krayt dragon they had killed had been plaguing the settlements for a long time. When the pearl was presented, the group erupted into cheers, no doubt to Korwin's surprise. They took a moment to hear him out before allowing him entry into their village. Val was close to death, the poison entering her bloodstream. However, there was still some time to reverse the effect. She was taken to a healer of sorts, the only one serving the entire community.

Hours passed as the man worked on the site of the poison, administering various antidotes that needed to be poured into her mouth. Val was still knocked out, showing no signs of movement. After he was done, he left the tent, suggesting to Korwin that the rest was 'up in the air'. It was a fifty fifty shot of her coming back. She wasn't stirring, the color lost from her skin. The antidotes worked slowly, though it was a mystery how long she would remain in that state.

 

[TheLastLine]

He was not lucky. Luck is when you were not presented with an issue which jeopardizes your best friends life and possibly your own and Korwin was presented with this scenario. He looked at his vegetated master with a long face as the doctor did his work, he could tell that it had some effect, as it had temporarily stopped the poison from shutting down her most vital organs.


He had heard of techniques that allowed force users to detoxify their body, but perhaps, maybe, just possibly he could attempt such a feat as well ? Taking his masters hand he holds it tight. He can feel her heart beating, slowly, without the normal rhythm.

He sighs and then starts to concentrate, deeper and harder then he had done in a very long time, he blocked out the outside world, the winds stopped blowing, his mind stopped running and time froze.

Beat, beat, beat. The medicine worked by slowing down heart rate drastically which it had, but Korwin had to find the poison, what it was, what it felt like.. With every circulation the poison caused the heart to convulse and the kidneys to swell, with time he managed to recognize the individual cells, one by one.

If it was not for his earlier training, the ability to move the individual particles, the smallest measurements of existence this would not of been possible, but with each lap of the body poison started to cypher off into the left shoulder, where the silver substance became visible.. With time a considerable amount was accumulated. Without thinking and instinctively he took the doctors knife and cut into the muscle around the shoulder, blood started to pour out but with it the lethal poison, within a few minutes the vast majority was sinking into the sands of which the bed was stood on.


The doctor talked about her being blessed, but Korwin couldn't hear, the feat and the earlier running and excessive use of the force had exhausted him, he merely lay down on the floor and fell into a deep sleep.

 

[Sreeya]

It had been days since Korwin had saved Val's life. She knew without his aid, she would have been dead. Never having been in such a position before, she had been at a loss for words. The silence remained all throughout their journey back to Alderaan. Val had never felt this attached to a padawan, though she had trained numerous students. She saw him as her own, almost like a little brother or even another son. It was an odd feeling, but with it came the same kind of powerful overprotectiveness she felt for her own children. Of course, Val kept all of this to herself. Perhaps this was what a true Force Bond felt like.

As usual, she was sitting in the middle of the training room where they had gone over countless lessons. Korwin had come a long way since the first day they had met. He still had his eccentric side, but he was far more mature than ever. Val knew that he was destined to be one of the greatest Jedi within the Order. It pained her, but she knew his training was coming towards its end. She hated the thought of having him go off into the real world, off to fend for himself. Val couldn't even imagine what she would do if he fell in battle, short of going off on a crazed rampage.

Her musings caused her to shake her head, surprised at her own line of thoughts. Val glanced down at the krayt dragon pearls and the components of a lightsaber set before her. The construction usually took a while, but with Korwin's extensive fine motor skills, she knew it would be a breeze. As he arrived finally, Val smiled up at him.

"Sorry this had to be delayed because you had to save my sorry ass, but we're finally ready to get down to business!"

She pointed at the various pieces in front of her.

"Key thing about a saber, as you know, is the hilt. It contains the emitter and then the crystal determines the plasma projection. Before you put this pearl in, you have to meditate on it, imbue it with your Force energy. In the meantime, you can begin to put the components of the saber together. It should take you a few days, but nowhere near as it normally takes padawans. Are you ready?"

 

[TheLastLine]

As they traveled back to Alderaan there was a strange silence, he thought upon this bond that he had discovered and about its consequences. Perhaps this is good, but perhaps it is bad, he wasn't convinced either way. But what he did know is that he loved his master and her children, he would make sure that nothing would happen to either of them, no matter where he is in the Galaxy.

There were three Pearls left, one was given to the Tusken Raiders for their hospitality and another was taken by Korwin, his plans were most sincere but he knew this would be another tiring activity.

He spent several days in his quarters with this pearl, he knew it would take hours to imbue it with the force, but that was not his only goal. As he lifted the black pearl into the air, he looked at the dimly glowing centre and the mysterious white core which possessed a green aura.

With many hours he managed to permeate this pearl completely. Its core glowed much brighter and its aura mutated, expanded. The pearl now took a dark blue appearance, with a white, bright centre. But this had been forcibly evolved by Korwin to the extent that this middle was constantly moving, divinding and converging making the pearl active with life, spending the next days crafting a suitable neckless he presented this to his master as she questioned him where one was after she had described how to create a lightsaber.

He didn't really register his reaction because he was wondering what colour this saber would be, he didn't have any crystals apart from these pearls. But that was not an issue yet as he started to imbue another pearl with the force. After six or so hours it was completely done and he now started to work on creating the structure of the saber itself, it was a hard job which was fiddly, this took longer then he thought but it was slowly coming together...

 

[Sreeya]

Val had left the temple while Korwin worked on his saber. At some point in time, he had mentioned wanting a purple saber. Val had scoffed at the idea, only to find him returning a blank stare. Oh, he was serious. And thus, she had promptly left to go fetch him the appropriate crystals. These crystals were more difficult to come across, but Val didn't mind. It was a small adventure for herself, but it ended in fruition. She returned to the temple directly after, just in time for him to be able to still add the crystals in.

Val smiled at him, opening up the pouch. The crystals appeared to glow of their own accord. She shook her head.

"The lengths I go to so you could have your favorite color.."

She had to chuckle, handing them over to him. Val sat down across from him, observing how he put his lightsaber together. She noticed the bracelet on his wrist, the one her daughter had made for him, and had to smile. It only reminded her of the necklace she wore now that he had made for her. The fact that they would be parting ways soon was obvious, and it wore on her mood. She had been quieter, more withdrawn and wandering off a lot more. Val was normally relieved when a padawan was done, but this one had been different. She was dreading that moment when she would have to Knight him, but she knew that time was upon them. For now, she simply watched him add the finishing touches to his saber.

 

[TheLastLine]

Crafting a real weapon was a hard and lengthy process. But as he found himself ever more distracted he found himself slowing down, making simple mistakes and just procrastinating. He didn't like the fact his apprenticeship was over, or coming to an end.

He had so much more to learn, Val could teach him some of it, but not all. He guessed that he would have to seek out other teachers, other scholars. The thought of being taught had been one of pleasure, or atleast for the last few years, but now he was starting to associate it with the old stereotype of strict learning. There really wouldn't be a teacher that he respected like her.

As their bond developed it became harder and harder to hide each others emotions and at this possible penultimate moment he found himself sharing her feelings of sadness. But he knew that this was not the end, they were both young and this friendship would last till the day of which both of them joined the force and even on past there.

The saber was complete. It had a shiny base and was long with a curved hilt. As he ignited it the purple blade shot out of the end, humming lightly. He spun it around a few times and started to preform tricks, heh. Not so bad he thought.

 

[Sreeya]

The next day, Val had to fight to keep her emotions in check. Always being someone that was governed by emotions, this would prove to be a daunting task. She held it back, taking her time to arrive at the training room. Val's steps were slow, weighted, as if an invisible force were dragging her back. At last, she entered the room, smiling at Korwin. For once, she was the one that was late. Val was adorned in her formal Jedi robes, and she had told him to dress the same. She came to stand a few feet away from him. Her eyes roamed over him, standing tall and proud, with his lightsaber in hand. She was truly proud of him. His control of the Force was evident in his very demeanor. Val sighed deeply before speaking.

"Korwin Foreman..."

It felt odd to address him so formally.

"..You have come a long way since the first day we met. We have had countless adventures together, and I appreciate you putting up with my rather..unconventional methods."

Val managed a small smile at the words.

"There is always more to learn and much more to do, but you are now armed with enough knowledge and skilled in the ways of the blade to forge your own path. Soon you will pass your knowledge onto other padawans, as I have taught you. You have your own destiny to face, your own place in the galaxy to find and your...your role in the war..."

She still hated the thought, and it became more and more of a reality to her. Val closed her eyes, fighting back emotions.

"There is nothing more for me to teach you, Korwin. You have done exceptionally well and I know you will be one of the best within the Order. You are now recognized as a Knight within the Jedi Order."

She stepped forth and ignited her lightsaber. Val avoided eye contact as she quietly severed the padawan braid, stepping back and switching off the saber emitter. Now that he was pronounced as a Knight, Val knew he would be leaving the temple. She simply stood there for a long moment, unsure of what to do. Without thinking, she abruptly pulled him into a hug.

"Don't get killed out there, okay?! You have a knack for finding trouble. Avoid those seedy places, don't mess with the wrong crowds, don't forget your lightsaber, contact me whenever something goes wrong, don't get into fights, think before you do something, always work with a group.."

Val rambled on for a few minutes, making it obvious she absolutely hated the thought of him leaving. She held the embrace for a while before finally stepping back, wiping her eyes before he could see any hints of tears. Val smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're free to go. No more having to show up here at the crack of dawn! Go jump into some missions!"

 

[TheLastLine]

Brilliant he thought. She had ruined any chance of him taking a drastic new turn for hair style by accidentally going a millimeter too low and giving him a royally bare bald spot. Great he thought, now she was almost crying making this situation awfully awkward, making Korwin frustrated. But he wasn't frustrated he thought, nothing was wrong, he wasn't crying and he wasn't squeezing her tight.

As he held Val tightly he cried gently down her back, the only indication of this was that she could feel his body throbbing and the fact that he didn't speak for along while. He wanted to protest, he wanted to disagree and he had the idea for a moment of telling her that he didn't understand and that she could teach him more.

He knew that she was not the last teacher, but he knew that she was the best and his favorite and as he took a step back, his red eyes glistened as he opened his mouth widely and began to speak.

"Don't worry, it's not my intention to die." He smiles, before going red realizing that this isn't the right thing to say, he wants to say more but he is finding it increasingly difficult but he carries on. "But, my.. I, it's.. I don't want to leave you, I love you master. But, I know that I have to find new teachers, find my own way, teach myself and at the end make you proud." He stops and wipes the tears from his eyes and carries on slowly.

"You're the only person that I have met in the Jedi Order in my whole life that has understood me. Everybody else thought that I could be something but I wouldn't be, but you changed that.. I think that, I think that we shouldn't be to sad, for I know that we will always be together, in the force and in our hearts...

It might be days, months or years till I see you again, but when you need me I will be there and I will be there for Raziel and Emi aswell, your the only real family I have. I will make you proud" He couldn't speak anymore, it hurt too much and before she replied he kissed her gently on the cheek and then walked out of the room, his final words being.

"May the force be with you, Val.."