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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Jan 8, 2010 2:11:24 GMT -5
Kayen saw the lightning arcing from Ryuu's saber and he quickly ducked behind Garok, holding his lightsabers tightly as the brunt of the blow sent Garok flying. As he had been hiding, Kayen's fear started to creep up his spine. He started to sweat as he thought about the nights his father had beaten him senseless. He started to think Ryuu would do the same thing to him...
Breathing heavily, Kayen stood up gripping his lightsabers. He closed his eyes and focused on what he had been taught. Fear was a powerful ally if one knew how to harness it. As he thought about the abuse he had suffered, Kayen felt the Force flowing through him and he focused his fear. He roared loudly as he felt the rush of power and Kayen started to charge Ryuu. As he grew close to him, Kayen focused and a Shadow Clone appeared between himself and Ryuu, looking identical to Kayen.
The clone never missed a step, running towards Ryuu with Kayen close behind him and it swung its lightsabers at his hands, trying to lock up Ryuu's lightsaber in a fake defense. At the same time, Kayen's real lightsabers stabbed through the body of the clone, hopefully finding Ryuu's body.
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Post by Zero on Jan 8, 2010 2:28:23 GMT -5
Ash dead. His ship jumps away. Yay. enjoy the rest of your pitiful lives. [/sub]
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Post by Cain on Jan 8, 2010 12:39:25 GMT -5
After Ash's body was crushed Cain drained what was left of his life force before discarding his mangled form on the Jedi Temple steps. The body and the blood that now ran down the stairs would serve as a stark warning to any others who approached the temple carelessly.
Up on the roof the battle with Ryuu was finally becoming a clash of true Sith. Following Ryuu's lead, both Garok and Kayen began to call upon the full power of the dark side. Ryuu's lightsaber still sparked with the occasional winding bolt of lightning as he stood ready, his eyes now burning a sickly yellow color. Garok attacked first, his initial blow caught the ground creating a blast of shrapnel. Ryuu quickly raised a barrier between himself and the blast to block the shrapnel, but as soon as he raised it a second force cannon was sent at him. Only expecting to block small bits of stone Ryuu had put no where near enough energy into his barrier to block the incoming attack. The force cannon shattered through Ryuu's barrier as if it were plate glass. He tried to concentrate the power of his veil to the front, but this protection was too close to his body. The concussive force of the cannon attack sent Ryuu flying backwards, his veil only succeeding in preventing it from punching a hole through him.
Ryuu hit the ground awkwardly but quickly went into a roll before popping back to his feet, using the force to slow his momentum, stopping him right near the temple's edge. Now it was Kayen who pressed the attack. As soon as Ryuu looked up the Zabrak was on him. He raised his lightsaber to block only to have Kayen disappear. It was a feint to conceal the position of Kayen's true attack. Ryuu was fast, but there was no way his lightsaber could get to Kayen's in time now, all he could do was fall backwards to avoid the stab. In so doing he slid down the side of the temple, gathering the force at his feet to try and brace the impact. He hit the ground with a dull thud, the foundations of the concrete beneath him cracking to all sides as the momentum of his fall was displaced into the ground. He glanced back up at the roof, turning off his lightsaber with a disappointed sigh...
Back up top Cain was finally able to fully rejoin the action, and just in time to see two of his students get the upper hand on the blademaster. After Ryuu was forced to tumble over the edge a grim smile of approval crossed over Cain's lips, "Good... very good. The two of you have done well," Cain said stepping forward, beckoning Janus, Ama, Kan and Nik, who at this point were all spectators to join with them, "You've taken control over your anger and have now witnessed the power of your emotions. I'm going to tell to you now... to all of you now... the Code of the Sith. Do not just listen to the words, know them, understand them.
"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The force shall free me."
As Cain finished the Code Ryuu emerged once again from the stairs. The anger and darkness having been wiped away from his face replaced now by a look of cold dissatisfaction. Upon seeing Kayen and Garok again he reached down for his lightsaber but Cain held up his hand to stop him and Ryuu disdainfully obeyed.
"Today, two of you at least discovered the power of your emotions," Cain continued, "Through passion, I gain strength. By the time we're finished here every one of you will be able to call upon the dark side as a weapon to be used in battle. Those of you who have just arrived, Nik and Kan and you as well Janus should head now to the top of that spire," Cain said motioning upwards to the spire which still towered over them, "There in the council chambers my apprentice, Lady Nachta will instruct you further on how to call upon the dark side and master the force."
After the others left Cain turned to Kayen and Garok, "You both are clearly far above the other students. Your training is almost complete. You already have the tools to create a Shadow clone. All you must do is combine the illusion you've been taught to conjure with the force powers you've demonstrated. The last force technique that I will teach you here is the second of the Shadow Art's three powers... Konisou."
Cain sat down, inviting the others still on the roof to do the same. Ryuu was standing now next to Ama, as he sat he tugged at her arm to make sure she did as well, "In the duel you had just now you were able to call upon your own pain to manifest the dark side. This is always a good method to tap into its power, but an experienced Sith knows that it is always better to feed from the pain of others than from your own. The pain and suffering of you victims can also provide a great deal of strength. It is knowing and embracing this pain that you will be able to achieve Konisou, the movement of the soul."
Cain paused. Their was silence. Through the force the dark side ebbed and flowed all around them, if one was able to listen hard enough they could hear the cries of anguish that helped fuel the negative energy on Coruscant. Then slowly the darkness wrapped itself around Cain, his body became nothing but a shadow and then in the same instant, it was gone. His presence in the force became faint, masked by darkness. Then the process reversed itself, from the shadows a figure reappeared and in the same instant the darkness crept away and Cain was back in place.
"If you listen, you can hear them," Cain began to explain, "the souls of the dead locked in chaos, trapped in the void between the realms of the living and of the dead. Where the dark side is at its most powerful, where the force has become wounded and weak is where you can hear their call the strongest. However, like the force itself these souls can be manipulated... and used to serve a purpose. Quiet your mind, listen for them and call them to you. Instinctively these tortured souls will grasp for any sign of life and if you call them to you they will not hesitate to drag you down with them, into their void. This is what you want. The spirits are weak, shattered shells of what they once had been and can be easily dispelled once you wish to return from the void. But you must use caution. While they are weak if you remain in the void for too long more will be drawn to you and you may find that you no longer have the strength to dispel them all... and you will join them in their hell for the rest of eternity. You may attempt it now, if you dare."
(OOC: Nik, Kan, Janus and Ashley, you four can go to the "Jedi Temple" topic here on Coruscant to start your training with Lady Nachta.)
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Post by Garok on Jan 8, 2010 17:42:48 GMT -5
Garok breathed a sigh of relief after the fight was over. Kayen and himself had proven successful by using their emotions to fuel their blows. Of course, neither one would have defeated Ryuu alone, but it had been their great advantage to have an ally with them. Garok felt pleased with himself when Cain dismissed the others, telling them to go to the council room while congratulating Kayen and himself, saying that they were above the rest. Garok, however, knew now was most certainly no time for a big head.
He sat when Cain invited them to and observed the next technique as it was being displayed for them. Konisou, as it had been called by Cain, allowed the user to disappear entirely, including one's force signature. Such a power would have seemingly infinite uses, especially when combined with shadow clones and other force powers. Cain told them that what allowed him to disappear were the spirits of the void dragging him into their world, hungering for all signs of life. One had only to call these spirits to be pulled down into their world. This ability came with a stern warning, however, when Cain made sure that they understood that the longer one stayed the more spirits would be drawn. If too many were drawn, one might lose control of them entirely. Garok made sure to remember this as he prepared to try this for himself.
Garok closed his eyes, reaching out with the force. He focused not on the physical people around him, however, but went past them, trying to listen for the spirits. Silence followed as everything around him went completely quiet. Then, it was there... he could feel them. Shadows of people long lost to the void... whispers in his head. He used the force to reach these spirits, alerting them to his presence. They came to him quickly, much like the spirits he had encountered on Tishi. There were many... each individual was weak, but together they dragged him into their world. Garok felt like he was suffocating as they pulled him down, and he lost sight of the temple rooftop. Much like Cain had done, Garok was engulfed into shadows, and then no more. His presence faded from Coruscant. In the Void, Garok realized how he could move around and then reaper in another location, which would be of immense use in combat. He only dwelt on this for seconds before he could feel the strength of the spirits growing. They could not yet overpower him, but the rapid increase was alarming and Garok began to dispel them. He used the force to repel them away, pushing them far from him. As they faded from view the temple rooftop came into it; in a second Garok was back on the rooftop, sitting down. He breathed heavily, a little nervous from his encounter but confident that he would master it in time.
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Jan 8, 2010 19:02:02 GMT -5
Kayen listened to the warning and then he nodded his head and shut his eyes. It was easier to see with only the force and not his physical eyes, feeling instead of looking for the dark souls in the void. And then suddenly they were on him and he screamed as he vanished into the darkness. He was covered by the spirits and he felt his life draining away. He felt like he was trapped and then he remembered Cain's teachings and he used the force to blow the spirits away from him, reemerging from the void on the roof of the building. He looked around frantically before he started to calm down. "Whoa...."
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Post by Moonfire on Jan 8, 2010 23:14:44 GMT -5
Cain. Cain was speaking. Turning away from the battered body of Ashley and the view of Coruscant, Ama's attention focused itself on Cain. That familar voice that eased her through so many sleepless nights on Kaas whipped about the air, commending the students, beckoning.
Slipping the now clean dagger into her sheath, the Twi'lek woman stepped forward, light of her bare dancer's feet. With a slight tilt of her head, she listened as the Master shared his thoughts on the duel. Flinching away from Ryuu's touch, the woman sat, eyes still trained, still absorbing all the Master had to say.
Disappearing under the shadow of spirits, Ama took her chance then, ripping her gaze away from the spot the man had occupied only moments before she proceeded to shuffle through her bag. Bracelets and bangles clattered to the floor as the other students attempted to make sense of the groans and whispers and their ability to veil them.
The cool of the metal brushed across her fingers tips as Ama pulled from the bag a holocron, pyramid in shape. The clamour of voices had begun again, hurting her spinning whirling mind as she reached out, holding the holocron out for her idol to see.
"Yours." She put simply, doe eyes wide and shimmering.
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Post by Cain on Jan 10, 2010 17:47:53 GMT -5
Cain sat silently waiting for his students to finish their practice of Konisou, the word for the technique used by the ancient Kumori who created it meaning "movement of the soul". Cain's meditations were interrupted by a single word from the Twi'lek sitting across from him, "Yours," she said extending a small four sided pyramid to him in the palm of her hand. From the etchings on the sides of the object there was no mistaking what it was, it was Cain's Sith holocron. The one he'd constructed during his time on Chinine. It contained much of Cain's experiments and research into the use of the force to prolong one's life.
The small holocron floated up from Ama's hand and hovered gently to Cain who held out his hand, having it land softly on his palm. With only a slight nod towards Ama Cain tucked the holocron away. He wondered how much of it she had studied and how advanced her powers might actually be... only time would tell that.
"Konisou is an essential ability for any Sith Assassin," Cain said, turning his attention back to his other students, "Though while in the void the spirits do mask your presence to some extent, a foe that is ready can still sense you within the void. Konisou's usefulness for stealth therefore is at its greatest when one has the element of surprise on their side. Calling upon the spirits is rarely instantaneous, so use caution when trying to employ Konisou for defense in combat."
After giving his final warnings about the new ability they'd been taught Cain rose to his feet. He shuffled through his robes and removed three lightsaber crystals, each having a red bloody hue, "Garok Raan... and Kayen Storm," Cain said, referring to Kayen by his actual name for the first time, "By defeating Ryuu and demonstrating your understanding of the dark side, you both have proven yourselves to be worthy of the title of Sith. For this achievement you each will be presented with one of these synthetic lightsaber crystals. Unlike the raw crystals of a Jedi's lightsaber, the synth crystals are created by artificial means, manipulated to generate a more powerful blade. Congratulations... Dark Jedi."
With that Cain presented a Synth crystal to Garok, Kayen and to Ryuu. Ryuu gave a slight bow before taking the crystal and sitting himself back down. He was going to waste no time in applying his new crystal. Ryuu's lightsaber floated up in front of him from his belt. Using the force the top of the lightsaber was detached and the small blue crystal that had been inside floated out. Ryuu moved the new red synth crystal in place and then began to focus on it. Lightsaber crystals could be imbued with the force by their owner in order to strengthen the crystals power and its connection to its user. Ryuu began to focus as he had during the battle on his anger, summoning up the power of the dark side to lace his new crystal with. This process could take several hours, but Ryuu had done it before... just never with the dark side.
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Jan 10, 2010 18:41:53 GMT -5
Kayen smiled and he nodded his head slowly as he took the crystal. "Thank you, Emperor..." he whispered. He looked at the crystal for a few moments and reflected on what he had achieved as he pulled out his lightsaber dagger from his belt. He opened the dagger hilt and used the force to pull out the old crystal, his father's crystal. Glaring at the crystal, Kayen hurled it from the rooftop and then he placed the new one into the dagger. With the force, he nudged it into place and then he closed the hilt and switched it on, looking at the short red blade. With a nod, Kayen turned off the blade and hooked it to his belt. As he turned to look at Cain again, Kayen knelt on one knee before him and waited for orders... he hated being idle.
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Post by Garok on Jan 10, 2010 21:42:38 GMT -5
Garok nodded as he listened to the final warnings that accompanied Konisou. He would definitely need to practice it many times before he even hoped to use it successfully in a situation where his life might depend upon it. One Cain finished he rose, presenting them with red synthetic lightsaber crystals. Garok followed suit by bowing after he received his. He had read about these crystals during his studies. Ryuu had begun to imbue his own crystal with the dark side, Garok decided to insert the crystal now but save focusing on it for later. There would be plenty of time for that. Garok disassembled his lightsaber to the point where the crystal sat. Using the force, he switched his violet crystal for the crimson red synthetic one. He ignited the blade, pointing it straight in the air as he admired the color. After a moment he disengaged it and turned his gaze back to Cain.
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Post by Cain on Jan 10, 2010 22:29:19 GMT -5
"If there is any further knowledge of the dark side you seek, do not hesitate to return here," Cain said, stepping forward towards his two new Sith, "for now... I have an assignment for the two of you. There is to be an Imperial Military training facility on the outer rim world of Korriban. In order to protect the new facility from any possible enemies I'd like the two of you to watch over it. The Imperial troops shall be arriving shortly after you do. The old Sith Academy will be used as their barracks. Go now... and may the force serve you well."
After assigning the two graduates to the facility on Korriban, Cain gave his students the slightest of bows before heading back into the temple himself. Ryuu was still seated, his emotions seething just beneath the surface as he channeled the dark side into his lightsaber's new crystal. By the time he was finished he hadn't even realized that Cain had left. Slowly Ryuu's lightsaber came together and the hilt floated back into his hand. The blade ignited with a noticeably lower hum to the saber than had been with the blue crystal. Ryuu inspected the blade before letting it slip back into the hilt and tucking it onto his belt.
"Ama, come. We're leaving," Ryuu announced, standing back to his feet. Ryuu's remote, which had stayed back away from the roof top as long as Cain had stood on it, eased back in close to its master, giving an uneasy sounding buzz in response to Ryuu.
"I know he didn't tell us to go anywhere. I'm doing this on my own," Ryuu answered. The droid gave another unsure series of beeps in response, "We don't need his permission," Ryuu said simply before heading for the stairs himself.
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Post by Moonfire on Jan 10, 2010 22:52:25 GMT -5
Snapping back into focus Ama turned to Ryuu, hopping up from her perch with a certain lightness found only in feral cats. Giving the remote droid a wary look as it beeps and buzzed, she sighed. It had been a long day, and no doubt it was going to be even longer by the look Ryuu had.
"Where are you taking Ama, Ryuu?" The woman asked quietly, still following and taking in all that had happened. Thankfully the voices had quieted, given her some peace outside of their constant chitter chatter.
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Post by Garok on Jan 10, 2010 22:53:41 GMT -5
Garok listened intently as they were given instructions for their first assignment. He had guessed that Kayen and he would work together for at least the first mission, which he didn't have a problem with. While he wondered a little bit at the reason behind both of them being assigned to simply guard duty he said nothing, knowing more may come of it. And if not, so be it. He soon found himself alone of the rooftop save for Kayen. Garok found that he had little to say, and giving Kayen a slight nod said, "See you on Korriban." With that he too withdrew from the roof of the Jedi Temple, although that name clearly no longer suited this place. He headed for his ship, wasting no time in setting a course for Korriban. At the least, Garok would have plenty of time to imbue his lightsaber crystal with the dark side.
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Post by Cain on Jan 10, 2010 23:35:29 GMT -5
Ryuu didn't respond to Ama's question as he passed through the Temples halls towards the public promenade in the back of the temple where he had landed his ship. Anything he said while inside this temple would surely be heard by the dark lord. Ryuu wasn't exactly sure how Cain was able to accomplish such things, but he was careful not to underestimate him, the scope of Cain's power was undoubtedly larger than he led on. But this was just the problem. Ryuu knew that as long as he submitted himself only to Cain's teachings he would remain too weak to challenge him. If he wanted the strength to destroy his master he would have to obtain it himself.
While Ryuu and Ama were inside, the junkers and mercs that crowded the temple's public promenade had begun to sniff all around Ryuu's freighter, looking for anything they could chip off and sell for quick credits. As Ryuu emerged from the temple flanked by Ama and his remote they all scattered away from the ship like roaches. The ramp lowered and Ryuu stepped on board, sitting himself down in the pilot's seat. It wasn't until then that he finally spoke to Ama, "Strap yourself in," he said, "We're heading to Dxun." With that the Dynamic class freighter lifted off from Coruscant and ascended through the atmosphere. Once the coordinates were punched in the ship made its jump into hyperspace.
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Jan 11, 2010 15:54:14 GMT -5
Kayen nodded his head to Garok "Korriban it is..." and then he turned and left the temple. His eyesight was getting better, finally adjusted to seeing with one eye, so he had no problem finding the landing pads and he climbed into one of the transports that would be bringing supplies to Korriban. The Dark Jedi found a cargo pod in the back of the ship and he knelt down, shutting his eyes and focusing on the force for the flight.
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