Through the Darkness, We mend the Flesh

[Pureblood-Sin]

After positioning the dummy within the training room; Sin'ryk knew that he was now ready. The Red Sith proceeded to head towards the altar, a Sith artefact that was taken from the Valley of the Dark Lords, and proceeded to light two sticks of strong, spicy-smelling incense. Today, Sin'ryk would be passing on the knowledge of Dark Side healing to his fellow Sith. The Order seemed to have a distinctly small number of healers, but the Sorcerer was determined to change that. Through the power of Dark Side they will learn to mend their flesh and to keep themselves alive long enough should they face life-threatening injuries or be fatally poisoned. Whilst he waited, Sin'ryk once more began to throat-sing; the melodic droning echoing throughout the room.

 

[Xivilli]

Xivilli was walking through the Korriban halls, looking for the one called "Sin'ryk". Today, he would begin his lesson on Dark Side Healing. He smiled at the thought- who ever heard of the Dark Side Healing someone? Well, there had been Darth Sion in the past, but his "immortality" had come with such a great cost that he spent every waking moment in unimaginable pain.

The Pureblood was determined to learn this healing power, for such an ability would come in handy without a doubt. Entering the training room, Xivilli heard the throat singing of Sin'ryk and felt a strange urge to join in, but decided against it. He'd only get in the fellow Pureblood's way.

Coming to stand behind the Sith, Xivilli waited for him to sense his presence before dropping down into a respective bow. The young Pureblood had seen the alter before the teacher and wondered what purpose it would serve, but did not voice his question.

He was excited to finally be learning something useful.

 

[TheSilentWind]

Kes walked in to a classroom to find Crusader Sin'ryk and unknown acolyte in the room. He had recently applied to learn a defensive force ability that he didn't know. "Crusader Sin'yrk, it is an honor to meet you again." Kes stated as he kneeled down to the Crusader showing his respect toward him. The Crusader had taught Kes Soresu as well as trained him in some new force abilities and Kes had come to somewhat like the Crusader as a result of his training. As he kneeled, his mechanical arm could be seen by everyone in the room. He then stood up, walking behind to the wall as he sat in a cross legged position ready to meditate.

 

[Steel]

The Sith Imperium boasted the largest and most powerful fighting force in the history of the galaxy. Kaata hoped that one day he would lead the great Sith warmachine into many glorious victories. Of course, the first step toward victory was survival, and that was the reason he was here.

The Kaleesh Sith acolyte prowled through the temple halls, searching for the place where he would learn how to fix flesh, instead of breaking it. As he approached the entrance into training room, Kaata's sense were bombarded with strange sounds and scents. The incense was a new smell to Kaata, and not a welcome one. The throat singing did not help either.

The Kaleesh halted in the doorway, hesitant to enter. Something about the training room seemed wrong, unnatural. From his position, Kaata noticed the artifact on the alter as well as the three other occupants of the room. He notes Kes meditating in the corner, and the other two Sith who were standing near each other. Kaata could feel the Force pulsate from the one who was obviously the Crusader.

Kaata remained rooted in his spot in the doorway. His frame posing as an obstacle to any who tried to enter the room.

 

[Omnis]

Crusader Nox walked into the room without even glancing at the others. So far, he was clearly the only Crusader other than Sin'ryk. He had decided to take the class despite the Acolyte presence because it was taught by his brother-in-spirit, Sin'ryk of the Purebloods. Nox knew where Sin had learned the talent, too, and it intrigued him. The entire ordeal would come full circle with Sin teaching the technique to Nox, the final product of their harrowing venture into the deep forgotten tombs of Korriban.

The short Noghri man strode directly to Sin'ryk, unhesitant and unafraid. The Red Sith's throat singing reminded him even more of their time in those dark halls, with risen corpses attacking them and a dangerous spirit bearing down upon them. Neither one of them would have left those tunnels alive without the other, but something else dangerous would have if they had died.

Nox offered his hand to Sin'ryk in their familiar warrior's handshake.

"As always, brother, it is well to see you again. I am looking forward to this lesson."

 

[Bee]

"Pardon me." Despite her tall, and somewhat willowy frame, the voice of the woman who placed a gentle hand on the Kaleesh's shoulder was anything but soft. Neither aggressive nor forceful, her tone mirrored the way she stood, the way she moved, all easy confidence and ineffable grace despite the darkness that surrounded them. Like Nox, she was a Crusader - a lion among lambs - and though she wasn't the type to throw her weight around, she expected the bare minimum of respect that those who had achieved her rank were rightfully afforded. If she was apprehensive about lingering on Korriban now that she was no longer directly under Darth Tarak's protection, it certainly didn't show. The faint hint of her presence was akin to a knife in the dark, a glimmer of sharp steel that dipped into the shadows, sight unseen.

She didn't give the young man before her even the slightest nudge. Eris wanted him to move of his own volition, waiting until he gave her a clear path to step inside the room.

 

[Steel]

Kaata felt something lightly come to rest on his shoulder. The Kaleesh turned his head to view what was behind him, and at the same time he let out a small incoherent noise. The way the woman talked, the way she carried herself, and the way the Force flowed smoothly through her, it all suggested that this woman was not only in possession of a great deal of power, but that she was in perfect control of this power. These were the people Kaata did not want to make angry.

A few momemts later the Kaleesh overcame his animalistic urge to flee from whatever unnatural darkness prowled through the room and took a few steps forward. This made enough space for the female Crusader and anyone else enough space to enter the room.

"My apologiezz Miztress".

A quick glance around the room informed Kaata of Crusader Nox's presence. Nox had been Kaatas first instructor after Kaaata had joined the Sith. That first training session had not only introduced Kaata to his perferred lightsaner form of Ataru, but the skills he had learned during that session had given Kaata the skills he had needed to achieve victory for the Sith on the battlefield. Kaata wanted to thank Nox, but the Crusader was talking with the Pureblood who was running the class. Kaata knew better than to disturb them. Instead he turned around to face the female Crusader he had inconvenienced moments earlier. It did not hurt to have friends more powerful than you. He gave her a respectful bow.

"Thiz iz good eh? Keep me from getting another one of theze", Kaata ventured, gesturing towards his prosthetic.

 

[Vexillar]

Viole had been toying with the idea for a while. Of course sustaining his life long enough to seek real medical aid could be a useful skill. It was just a matter of finding the right teacher. Then he noticed it. A class for just such a thing. He sent a silent thanks up to the Force for bringing this to him, and of course proceeded to sign up. That being said, he was walking to said class today. He was sure he'd be the last person to arrive as he had gotten a bit of a late start. He rushed off to the designated room where he was told to meet. For the most part he didn't notice anyone who stood out to him as someone he knew. Except for two people. One was another acolyte, Kes, and the other was the man who had all but placed a title on their relationship, Nox. He walked into the room and remained silent as he moved to join the group. He simply bowed his head to the instructor, Sin'ryk, and then to everyone else.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Sin'ryk gave a simple smile to his brother-in-spirit; the entire class had now arrived and he was ready to begin.

"Welcome, one and all, to my class on this fine day; you've all made a wise decision to take up what I have to pass on to you. That, as you all will know, is the art of Dark Side healing. Some of you may have been surprised that the power of the Dark Side can be used to preserve life. Now then, can any of you tell me what you know of Dark Side healing? Do not worry if it is just basic knowledge, any will do."

 

[Steel]

Kaata heard the Pureblood Crusader start the class by asking about everyone's prior knowledge of Force Healing. For Kaata, it was not much. The Kaleesh had been trained on how to destroy with the Force, but he had never had a lesson where he learned how to fix with the Force.

"I underztand the wayz of the Dark Zide, but my knowledge of healing with it iz nonexiztent Mazter".

 

[Bee]

When Kaata moved aside, Eris took a few steps into the room, breathing in the spicy smell of the air with a slight wrinkle of her nose. It was an odd scent, completely unfamiliar, and had she not been occupied with the Acolyte at the door she would've given it more thought. Instead, she cracked an amused smile, shaking her head. "No," she teased, her voice just slightly below a whisper. "I think I'm going to take the other one, now that you mention it." Eris had no use for anyone's limbs, and perhaps the joke was in poor taste. But her slight smile didn't falter, and she gestured for the man to move with her into the chamber. It was something of a surprise to see both Nox and Viole in attendance, and she made it a point to try and catch her fellow Crusader's eye, offering a small, respectful nod to the short man if his gaze wandered her way.

Hands folded in front of her body, Eris bowed her head. She had no experience in healing anyone - as a former padawan or otherwise - and chose to remain silent.

 

[Xivilli]

Xivilli smiled. He had studied the power for a brief moment in time, but never tried to use it. He had studied Darth Sion and Nihilus, however, with great interest, but doubted that would work here.

The Pureblood bowed again to their teacher, and then to Nox and Viole, before answering with, "No prior experience, Crusader Sin'ryk."

 

[Vexillar]

The Miraluka spoke evenly, as he usually did when lost in his own little world of thoughts. Though technically the only one in the room who would even be able to identify that tone of voice would be Nox since the Crusader had spent so much time around the Acolyte. "What his knowledge consists of is...minimal, the mechanics behind the power are lost to him. Which is probably abundantly obvious, otherwise he wouldn't be here. What he understands is the act of healing through the Dark Side of the Force means a temporary thing. It is more of a sustaining ability rather than healing. At least that's how this one understands it..." He fell silent then and bowed his head respectfully to the teacher. Of course that's just what his own understanding was, if the Sith who was hosting this session knew otherwise, or could teach otherwise, then so be it. Viole would learn whatever he could from this man.

 

[Omnis]

Nox immediately caught sight of Eris and moved over to her once he was done his greeting with Sin. He stopped in front of her and gave her a minute bow, enough to show that while he did not defer to her in rank he considered an honored friend. Then Sin asked them to speak up.

Nox turned, first looking to Viole, then to Sin'ryk. "Much the same as Viole Nivar, Crusader Sin'ryk. I believe, too, it is sustained with pain and rage. Not that such a thing is uncommon to most techniques. Particulars are lost on me."

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

A smile crossed Sin'ryk's face.

"Acolyte Viole and my Noghri Brother are correct; the effectiveness of Dark Side healing depends on three things. One's mastery of the technique, the fount of emotions you draw from and the nature of that which afflicts you. I advise this; do not focus your emotions on the injury itself, focus them on what inflicted them. The emotions you draw from the injury itself will be temporary and will fade as you heal; thus ensuring a temporary heal. Focusing on the source of your injury tends to be more long-lasting; this could give the ailment a better chance of permanently healing."

The Sorcerer then gestured to the class to join him around the dummy. The plastic humanoid had lines carved all over the body to represent blood vessels; with several Sith sigils painted onto each part of the synthetic body.

The first type of injury we will be examining for the application of Dark Side healing are standard injuries one would face in every day life. A stab wound to let's say, the arm..." He gestured to the upper half of the dummy's limb. "Would most likely be a cosmetic injury with minimal limitation; usage of Dark Side healing for one who has recently learned will be able to permanently close the wound regardless of what they focus on...now let's say that arm gets amputated." With a flash, Sin'ryk drew his saberstaff and severed the synthetic thing's arm off. "It will all depend on how you lost your limb; should you have lost it something extremely hot, then it would have been cauterised, meaning you won't have as much to worry about save for the chance of infection. Now if a vibrosword resulted in the amputation of the limb, then you would have to draw on a lot of power and emotions to ensure you do not pass out. Same applies to any conventional injury of varying severity. Before we begin the first practical aspect of the lesson, do you have any questions?"

 

[Steel]

It may not be the best idea to follow somebody who just expressed their desire to remove your arm into a funny smelling room where Sith were practicing ancient Dark Side magic, but Kaata had done stupider things. Besides, he did not want to meet the nasty side of the Crusader who gestured for him to follow. Kaata followed the female Crusader into the room and listened to the beginning of the lesson.

Focusing on the one who had caused the injury made sense. The Force was fuelled by passion, and thus the limits of emotion limited one's Force useage as well. Pain was temporary, but hate for thine enemies was very permanent. Even if thine enemies did not last long either.

Kaata tried not to grimace as the Pureblood removed the dummy's arm. The Kaleesh had experienced that level of pain before, and it had not felt good. The memories brought on by the demonstration motivated Kaata to raise his hand and ask a question.

"Lozing an arm hurtz. Iz there a way to reduze the pain so we can focuz more on my enemiez?"

 

[Vexillar]

Viole listened silently, as he always did, and soaked up the provided information. He eyed the training dummy carefully, making mental notes of what the Crusader spoke of. Minor injuries could be closed up. That was interesting to note and suddenly he was glad he stopped speaking earlier when he did. He would rather have been completely right than only half right. He pushed this from his head however as the lesson continued. When the arm was removed, the Sith continued speaking telling them of different ways a lost limb could be handled, and a of it depending on how the limb was lost. He wondered how easy it would be to not pass out from the lost limb from a vibrosword, but not pass out from overexertion of energy. He kept this thought to himself as it merely played into a larger, and grossly off topic, question that he had. For now, he stood there and listened like a good little Acolyte.

 

[Omnis]

Nox listened patiently, his silver mask directed toward Sin'ryk and remaining as neutral as ever. The Noghri Crusader shed an aura of creeping chill, just strong enough to cause goosebumps. His signature was no longer fully buried, as he usually kept it. For a moment, a small patch of frost seemed to appear on his mask before evaporating.

The Kaleesh Acolyte's question was unfortunate. Seeing how the Kaleesh could have been concerned with it, it almost seemed sensible. However, reducing pain like that was an acquired skill of experienced combatants and survivalists. If there were a technique through the Force to do so, it would be far more widely taught. More than all of that, though, half of the point in using the technique was about using the pain to drive the healing faster.

"How long can the technique be relied upon? Are there any actions that a practitioner can take to elongate the result?"

 

[Xivilli]

Xivilli raised his hand into the air before asking, "Other than decapitation, how serious of injuries can this heal that are not amputations, such as piercing the heart or lungs"

The Pureblood was wondering this due to the powers he'd read about with Sion, how he'd been blown burnt alive, thrown into space, and much more but still lived through a very powerful form of what seemed to be, or at least a variant of, Dark Side Healing.

 

[TheSilentWind]

Kes continued to hear the questions of many others and decided that he would ask the Pureblood Crusader a question. "Are their any side effects to using Dark Side healing?" Kes asked. He wanted to know if they were because he didn't want to get any side effects from using such a powerful ability.