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Post by Cain on Jan 14, 2009 1:22:31 GMT -5
Exiting hyperspace, Raiku's ship settled down in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Korriban was a dead and ruined world. The Sith that had trained at the academy here had been wiped out by their own in fighting after appearance of Revan and their crumbling remains were all that was left.
The tombs of the four ancient Sith Lords... Ajunta Pall, Marka Ragnos, Tulak Horde, and Naga Sadow... still lingered, half buried by the blowing dust of the barren planet. The dark side was still strong here... the cries of the ancient Sith still calling out faintly on the wind.
Cain stepped down from the ramp and out into the valley, falling to his knees, closing his eyes and opening his hands in a meditative stance. The massive dark power here further repairing his injured body. His mechanical arms having been repaired back on the ship by Raiku who followed down the ramp.
"Cozy," She commented having a look around, a quick chill running down her spine, "This place gives me the creeps... I feel... I feel cold..."
"It is the dark side you feel," Cain answered, not moving from his position, "do not shy away from it. Listen to it. Revel in it."
Raiku stood silently for a moment with her eyes closed before finally opening them with an exasperated look on her face.
"I don't hear anything..."
"When you learn to quiet your mind, you will... you will..."
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 14, 2009 1:32:20 GMT -5
Zilfer had sent Oron a message that it would be best if he did not follow to korriban. It was tainted so greatly with the darkside it could turn even the bravest of heroes into the ghastly of villains. Also Cain wasn't the best person to be following, around when you weren't an oquantence of his.
Zilfer's StealthX came down upon the surface of Korriban between the four tombs he had visited in his past, braving the most darkest of secrets as part of his Kumori trainning which Alex had originally sent him out here. He'd lost himself here. He remembered it clearly.
Walking up to Cain he looked around. "It seems this place hasn't changed much." said Zilfer as the wind quisked past them. "The same old tombs, filled with the same old memories, with the same dark past."
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Post by Cain on Jan 14, 2009 1:48:07 GMT -5
"You're late..." Cain commented, standing up from his meditations. His robes were still tattered from the battle earlier, exposing his scars. There were no longer any gloves over his arms, exposing their mechanical inner workings.
"It is as I had thought then... the power you obtained on Chinine was not enough to satisfy you. This is not surprising. Why should you be satisfied when you've had only a small taste of such terrifying power?"
"What exactly is this terrifying power?" Raiku interrupted, "this is the second time I heard you mention it. Is it the reason you made us set up that Luster guy?"
"Oh... and so much more..." Cain answered with a smirk, "you see, before the Jedi the force was a benign and abstract ability. Those who had sensitivity to it did not understand what was causing it, and many more were persecuted for their differences. Though among all the barbaric tribes that would reside in this galaxy over the years, only the Mitsukai were enlightened enough to see a purpose for this power..."
"You mean the force?" Raiku asked.
"Yes," Cain nodded, "the Mitsukai's connection to the force was strong. But still for the most part, the Mitsukai people were ignorant of the force's true potential. The seven elders had decided to experiment with the force... to discover what it's limits were. What Atsuke had created was a perversion of the force unlike any seen before or since. A group of force techniques he called the 'Shadow Arts'."
As Cain uttered these words he looked up at Zilfer with a smirk.
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 14, 2009 2:01:21 GMT -5
"A small taste you say.... If I've learned anything about you over the years is you choise your words very carefully." said Zilfer commenting at the hidden meaning behind the words as he was sure Cain was throwing meanings within meanings within words. A part of the Kumori Cain had been most adept at.
As Cain began to explain the power to Raiku, and mentioned shadow arts looking up at him, Zilfer figured he'd show a demonstration. Behind Zilfer sprung tree's, plants, patches of grass, animals, and a copy of himself. Then disappearing only to reappear a moment later behind Raiku and Cain as the shadow clones faded. "He invented Far more then just the Shadow Arts however. The seven elders were Masters of each of their Arts. Anzu for Wind, Okiba for Fire, Kenshi for Water, Yuki for Earth, Na'omi for Light, Jiro Lightning, and finally Atsuke Makura for the element of shadows."
Zilfer walked forward past them and turnned around his mask gleaming in the sun. "I assume you have more then just a history lesson in store for this little journey." said Zilfer as he eye'd Cain back now. "Sadly it seems experimentation will always be fed by the curiousity of man. I myself hold some Mitsukai genes."
Zilfer let one wing fold outwards as his gazed turned to Raiku. "The Mitsukai are nearly an extinct speices, doomed to fade from the galaxy like the Kumori, but I'm sure Cain could sum this up better then I." said Zilfer as his wing folded back into his robe.
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Post by Cain on Jan 14, 2009 2:26:53 GMT -5
"Indeed... the seven elders did posses unique powers. But each of these were conceived from the same source. Atsuke's Shadow Arts." Cain seemed to be talking less to Raiku at this point and more to Zilfer as he stepped towards one of the tombs.
"It is unclear which came first... Atsuke or the blade... but what is clear is that if not for the two the Mitsukai might still thrive today."
Cain turned back towards Raiku and Zilfer, holding up his mechanical arm and examining it closely.
"Their power consumed them. Turned them on one another. Turned father against son. Turned brother against brother... this was the birth of the dark side as we know it. The true nature of the force. It is a power without limits. With the force one could move mountains... part oceans... swallow the stars themselves. The force is known to almost all who call this galaxy home, and yet it harbors a dark secret. A secret even the Jedi would not fully admit to for fear of what it could mean. There are only maybe four left now that know the true breadth of this forbidden power."
"So what are you saying?" Raiku asked, "That the dark side is some great secret power? I think there's been enough dim witted Sith over the centuries to disprove that."
"For more then a thousand centuries the Sith of old have struggled to emulate even a fraction of the power Atsuke had harnessed. This is where we set ourselves apart..." Cain then looked over at Zilfer, "You have learned much since your days on Chinine... but if you truly want to discover your potential, if your desire for power is great enough... then you must give yourself to it wholly... and I will show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 14, 2009 2:33:24 GMT -5
Zilfer was silent for a moment, he could only hear the wind as clearly they were waiting for an answer. Cain claimed there was some great dark secret, and for all that had been kept from him before he would not doubt Cain would know something that had eluded him thus far.
"You promise much....." said Zilfer looking up to Cain once more. "But it is as they say.... Seeing is believing."
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Post by Cain on Jan 14, 2009 3:03:58 GMT -5
Cain nodded and turned to Raiku, "Raiku, return to Coruscant. They will need you there very soon."
"But what about you..." Raiku answered.
"Go. We will rejoin you there when we are finished with our business here."
"Alright... but don't keep me waiting long." With that Raiku headed back into her ship. The ramp closed behind her and the ships engines roared as it lifted off back into space. Cain then turned towards the tomb of Ajunta Pall and started inside.
"Come with me..." He said to Zilfer as he headed into the tomb, talking as he led the way inside.
"I want you to think of the force as a blade. The Jedi preach self control and limitations. They wield the force as if wielding a blade still in it's sheathe. Contained and robbed of it's true purpose. The Sith, now they have learned to free themselves from such limitations and as such their blade is free of its sheathe. But still, they fight with a dull blade. A weapon withered over generations and long bereft of it's true value."
As they reached the center of the tomb, Cain stopped in front of Ajunta Pall's sarcophagus.
"Here you will forge your own blade. An instrument of death and destruction, as it was meant to be."
Cain then turned to Zilfer.
"I'm sure you already know the down falls of the Jedi and the Sith. Those who claim to be Kumori are notorious for claiming to see the 'gray areas' in the force. But what you must realize is that a Kumori has much more in common with a Sith then anything else. In fact you are more Sith then even the greatest of Dark Lords entombed on this planet. You already posses the power to engage a hundred force users... I can teach you to engage them all..."
Cain took a few steps back, waving his hand and opening the sarcophagus with the force. Inside were a collection of dusty bones and the hilt of a very old lightsaber.
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 14, 2009 3:35:30 GMT -5
Zilfer followed Cain into the tomb. He had been here before, and knew exactly what room they were headed too. It seemed that he would revisit this tombs deepest room that held the body of the sith lord Ajunta Paul. He listened to Cain in somewhat of a daze as his mind thought deeply. He took off his mask so he could see the darkness of the tomb. Cain opened the sarcophocus as he finished up. "I am more powerful then any of the sith buried upon this planet, but that is nothing when compared to the elders." said Zilfer as he looked at what was inside. He hadn't been able to open it last time he was here. There was an old lightsaber, and Cain seemed to be urging him on to the lightsaber. He came forward grabbing the lightsaber from the tomb of Ajunta Paul, and looked over the metal. It was fancy and made of tarnished gold that had no doubt worn out over the ages, but there was a faint engraving on the lightsaber. The only thing Zilfer could make out on the side was the word 'Son'. He couldn't help but smirk at that for he had no father. He activated the lightsaber and a crimson red glow erupted from the blade as he glanced up and down the blade admiring it for but a moment. "Is it possible to learn this power...." asked Zilfer almost absent mindedly. OOC there's a present for you, since I know your on a roll of qouting movies.
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Post by Cain on Jan 16, 2009 16:17:42 GMT -5
As Zilfer ignited the lightsaber, Cain was silent a moment before chuckling and stepping forward.
"I suppose it is true then... the spirit of Ajunta Pall really has left this place," Cain said looking around, "Revan always did have a way with words... It's no matter though. I can teach you this myself."
Cain slowly drew a short sword from behind his back, running his finger along the blade as he began to speak.
"The force is a tool. Dark side... light side... these are just uses for that tool. Think of the Mitsukai powers you use. Think of the sharp pain these powers inflict on your body, and the carnage they inflict upon others. Think of the suffering and despair you feel every time you pass into the void..."
Cain then knelt down. As he lowered to his knees Zilfer could then see that the floor of the tomb was stained with splatters of blood long since dried over.
"These things... they are the dark side you feel. But until you truly embrace them... they will only stand in your way. Darkness Rising... this technique that feeds on the souls of the damned. A technique used by Anemos to torment the souls of his Kumori... and used in small part by Darth Malak when he fed his power with the fallen Jedi of Dantooine. This technique is the ultimate consumption of dark power, but one does not need the void to do this. There is plenty of pain and suffering here in our world."
With this Cain pressed the blade to his chest and ran it over his skin, cutting himself open. Blood ran down his chest as Cain breathed in deeply.
"I have known since I was very young how to turn my own pain into power... The wounds in the force created by these emotions can be used to your advantage."
Cain's eyes then shot open and with a flick of his wrist the blade shot out of his hand and into Zilfer's stomach. Cain silently stood up as Zilfer staggered back. Walking up to him and grabbing the hilt, Cain twisted it and ripped it out violently, spraying blood over the floor.
"The pain is blinding... isn't it? This is your first test..." Cain said calmly, "That wound will be fatal in less then ten minutes if nothing is done. However... where this pain would normally hinder others, you will use it to your advantage. You will allow the darkness to consume you and you will fight side by side with it. You will do this or you will die..."
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 16, 2009 16:48:39 GMT -5
Zilfer heard the echo of cain's words off the walls of this place and then as he deactivated the red lightsaber he felt sharp pain erupt from his stomack as Cain lurched forward impaling him. Staggering backwards Cain ripped the blade from his side exposing some of his organs. He stumbled to the side leaning against a wall as blood flowed down his robes, and onto the ground. He grabbed his side as the first thing to come to his mind was to heal the pain and mend it. It was no use however for he knew his healing was no were near that of Luster's healing.
Cain contiuned to talk to him as he struggled against the pain, forcing himself to face Cain. He knew the void would be his only chance for survival if he wished to have enough power to heal himself, however the pain distracted him at ever turn. Whenever he tried to open a portal to the void the pain would force his focus else were. He finally gave up on that idea and began to slowly calm down as he was drawing to the last two minutes. He could feel himself dying and he was slowly becoming faint to the world.
It was now he could feel something, a tinge just beyond the edge of his sences. It was as if he had been blind to a untapped resuior of the force. He eagerly allowed it to flow into his body. He could feel it running through his body, enpowering his body.
Zilfer now stood up straight, his hair slowly growing silverish white. Zilfer's side slowly began to form over itself until there was only a nasty looking scar left. Zilfer's eyes finally opened to reveal that the Iris was white.
"You'll find, I don't die so easily."
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Post by Cain on Jan 16, 2009 17:13:50 GMT -5
Cain smirked at Zilfer as he stood up straight, the darkness corrupting him slowly.
"Hmph... I should hope not. You wouldn't be much use to me otherwise..."
Spinning the short sword Cain then returned it to it's sheathe.
"With this understanding of the dark side you will find the more pain you inflict the more powerful you will become. An enemies numbers will only work against him. Now that you've unlocked the darkness within you, it's time to use it at it's full potential..."
Cain then led Zilfer back out of the tomb and into the Valley of the Dark Lords. His chest still bleeding from the cut he inflicted on himself in the tomb, Cain extended his hand and a fire ball ignited in his palm.
"This... this is a mitsukai technique I'm sure you know. Combustion. A fairly simple skill to master. It is the base of fire element powers such as the Searing Beam and the Super Nova."
Cain then raised his other arm to the sky and suddenly the wind kicked up and dark clouds filled the sky and a wind funnel like a tornado touched down near by.
"Tempest... a basic wind elemental. Simple enough..."
Then the earth began to shudder, lifting up off the ground and reforming in front of Zilfer.
"And Earth clone. Three techniques, three elements... what do they have in common?" Cain asked. The fire in his hand then went out and Cain threw his arms into the air. With a mighty tremor a huge chunk of earth rose up into the clouds.
"Magma Storm..." Cain uttered followed by a loud boom and a flash of searing hot light. A twister then descended from the sky, this time not made of wind but of molten rock and earth. As the storm hit the ground the fire's consumed everything they touched. Cain stood still with his hands clasped together despite the chaos behind him, staring at Zilfer as hot ashes whisped through the air.
"This... is the next level."
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 16, 2009 18:33:20 GMT -5
Zilfer watched as the white ashes passed by him and Cain. His hair flapping through the extreme gusts of wind forming behind Cain. "I haven't thought of combining the technices before." said Zilfer simply as he watched the Tornado decimate the ground and everything it came into contact with.
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Post by Cain on Jan 16, 2009 23:29:55 GMT -5
Cain's face remained stoic as the Magma Storm was winding down. The earth behind Cain was still bubbling from having been melted by the storm.
"The seven elders were as you said, masters of their craft. But even they had only set the ground work. Jack Makura was the genius behind the combining of the elementals. He created techniques like the 'Flash Step', 'Shadow Force', and 'Lightning Fissure'. But there were many more that were far more complex. Obviously only those with a full understanding of all the Mitsukai arts could ever hope to reach this level of combat. In history only 4 men have ever reached such heights. Atsuke. His son, Jack. Jack's apprentice... Cain. And now... you, Zilfer."
Cain turned away from Zilfer, admiring the Valley floor as it cooled slowly.
"Jack helped me to create my own techniques. Force abilities of cataclysmic power that were unique to me. Magma Storm was one of these. And as it was with me, I shall help you create your own techniques. Since your strongest element is lightning, we will use that as your base. Tell me though... what other elements are you strong with?"
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Post by Zilfer Of Shadows... on Jan 17, 2009 2:31:34 GMT -5
"I am quite adept with all the elements however amoung my weakest are Light, and Water. My strongest besides Lightning is Shadow and Wind. Earth and Fire are neutral for me, for I hardly find myself using them."
Zilfer fastened his gauntlets tighter as the tempest died down. The valley of the sith lords would definately look quite different, just like Kankage had been torn apart with his last trainning.
"As you said Shadow Force I already know, so we can skip that lesson. Of all the elements it seems that lightning would be one of the hardest to combine besides that of Light and Shadow."
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Post by Cain on Jan 18, 2009 23:42:46 GMT -5
"Hmph..." Cain chuckled at Zilfer's assumptions, "It is not that difficult... difficult in your mind maybe. But as the force as taught me over and over again; you must forget before you can learn."
Cain then took a step back and held his arms out in front of him. They then began to spark suddenly and electricity began to pulse all around them.
"My current condition hinders my use of the lightning element..." Cain said, referring to his mechanical arms, "This being the case, your mastery of this force form probably exceeds my own. This technique you are about to create will be unique to you. One that only a master with your level of expertise would ever be able to wield. I cannot do this for you, but perhaps I can get you started... Lightning... Shadow... Air..."
Cain closed his eyes, the electricity cracking loudly around his arms.
"Shadow!" Cain called out suddenly, the void tearing open beneath him and the darkness rushing into his body creating a sudden pulse of dark energy that shook the valley. Cain's flesh once more cracking and his recently healed wounds beginning to ooze with blood once more.
"Blade of the black colossus!" Cain shouted again. The air in the valley rushing violently over Cain as he raised his arms into the air. Wincing with pain, Cain pushed his power to the limit. The air being sucked from the valley so rapidly the two would have trouble breathing for a moment. As the air settled Cain had formed two colossal blades over his head from air pressure.
With the tear in the void growing ever larger and Cains flesh just pealing off the bone, he took one final deep breath and thrust he arms upward again, electrifying the colossal blades. Throwing his arms down the two blades slammed into either side of the old Sith Academy with a loud crack, but still maintaining their form and charge.
"Blades of the apocalypse..." Cain uttered under his breath as suddenly the two colossal blades began exchanging their stored energy in an enormous Shocker attack, each detonating with a massive boom. When the attack was finally over Cain fell to his knees, then to the ground. There was nothing left of the old Sith academy but dust.
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