The warrior's might (Complete)

[Zereth Lancer]

It was late at night and all where asleep, except for those that were not.

In the training halls of the sith order, a lone figure sat with a ring of candles surrounding him as if to ward off the darkness. Zereth Lancer sat crossed legged with his hands folded in his lap, he also was flouting six inches off the ground. He was awaiting his apprentice, student, and friend Tarsis. He had sent the fine gentleman a comm message earlier in the day and asked him to meet him in the training grounds at midnight. Even without a chrono, Zereth’s internal clock told him it was nearing midnight. His apprentice should be arriving soon. Through pain we learn…

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. So is the darkside of the force and so it will always remain. One cannot remove the darkness, just as one cannot put out the light. They both exist in natural balance, waiting for us to tip the scales…

[Tarsis]

The clock struck midnight as Tarsis walked out of the shadows, its darkness acting more like a mist as it reveled his dark shape. Hooded and cloaked, with out the company of his power suit, Tarsis stepped into the candle lit circle where his friend and new Master awaited.

Dressed in a dark tunic, matching pants, and boots, Tarsis stood waiting. Removing his hood, Tarsis got a better look at Zereth as he floated above the ground. Finally after a few moments of observation, Tarsis said with a chuckle, “Don’t fall.”

[Zereth Lancer]

He didn't, but he did drop two inches closer to the ground as Tarsis' voice disrupted his concentration. Without a word Zereth lowered himself to the ground and then rose unto his feet. He raised his hand and suddenly the room was lit by the flickering orange light of a thousand candles. Now Tarsis could see the large weapon racks that sat on the ground behind Zereth. Laying on the racks was everything from daggers to Katanas and Sais to nunchucks. "Your first test is that of battle. I wish to see how far you've come since we sparred last." He took a step back and gestured widely with his hands in the direction of the racks "You may choose any weapon."

[Tarsis]

"Weapons? I believe the last time we tried this it was hand to hand. Why not just pick up from where we left off?" Tarsis had a slight amount of arrogance behind his voice; he didn't mean to, it just kind of happened. It usually did before he would get into fights. It had even happened the first time he had met Zereth.

Needless to say, this was not the impression Tarsis wanted to give Zereth. He wanted to show him how much he had matured sense their first encounter, how much he had grown. "Forgive me Zereth that was rude of me." Tarsis took in a deep breathe and shook his head. I sounded like a Jedi just now. Great! Apologizing like that. I am a Sith, I don’t apologize. Tarsis thought as he stretched out his hand and demanded the presence of the Force once again. And off a weapon rack behind Zereth, a Katana lifted up into the air and floated over to Tarsis' hand.

[Zereth Lancer]

Zereth watched his apprentice in silence, noting his outburst and sudden apology. "It is not wrong to admit a wrong and even to apologize, for this is honorable. But don't let yourself be so overcome by this emotion that you forget your real purpose: to win." Zereth stretched out his hand and a sheathed Katana flew out of the air and landed in his hand with a slap, "One can win by fighting dirty. But true exuberance comes from a honorable victory of strength and skill." He pulled the katana from it's sheath, tossed the sheath aside, and stood with the naked blade held firmly in both hands. "Remember. Note your surroundings before a battle, remember where your feet are, and watch your enemies eyes just as much as their body. For while the body can deceive and feign, the eyes are a window into the mind."

He nodded his head, "This battle will involve only our bodies and our weapons. No force... yet. One must not come to depend on the force in battle, for you never know when it will forsake you." He smiled, "Now attack me."

[Tarsis]

The concept of honor was something new to Tarsis. His father had always taught him to win by whatever means necessary, to do whatever it took. To his father, there was no honor in anything. That was just the kind of man he was. But now, ever since Tarsis has been with the Order, he has taken a look at the bigger picture. He has seen that there is more to the world than just winning. Not everything is about coming out on top. So Zereth’s words have more meaning to him then he realizes, but for now, Zereth’s words would be stored away in Tarsis’ memories to be recalled later for further reflection. As for now, now it was time to begin his training with his new Master, Zereth Lancer.

"Remember. Note your surroundings before a battle, remember where your feet are, and watch your enemies eyes just as much as their body. For while the body can deceive and feign, the eyes are a window into the mind."

Tarsis smiled for he was already a step ahead of Zereth. He was already taking in his surroundings, taking note of the things around him and most of all, Zereth. The Sith Knight before him had a reputation, and a good one at that. Reputed for his mastery of the Force but what Tarsis admired most of all was his skills in combat; skills that he was soon to experience first hand.

“Now attack me!” was all Tarsis needed to hear. Giving a slight bow, to show his respect, Tarsis ripped out his katana tossed its scabbard to the side. Charging in, Tarsis brought his right elbow down and back, making his hands and Katana perfectly parallel with his waist and after a few more steps, Tarsis was in striking distance. Gripping the hilt of his Katana, Tarsis could feel his hand tighten around every inch of it and swung upwards, guiding the blade’s deadly edge along a well aimed path for Zereth’s chest.

[Zereth Lancer]

Tarsis has power, and speed, but his down fall was using his sword like a spear. Zereth moved to the left, twisting his body as he moved so to get it out of harms way faster. He felt the blade slide through his tunic and scratch at the skin underneath, but nothing fatal. Zereth stepped back and then back flipped away from his opponent, "Good Tarsis. But remember that one must learn how to use a weapon before taking it into battle. A Katana has only a single sharp edge and is not created for thrust or jab, but for strong forward attacks." He wasn't criticizing Tarsis, but offering constructive advice, as one warrior to another. "Come at me again," He instructed and brought is Katana back up into both is hands and held it ready.

[Tarsis]

Tarsis nodded in silent agreement at what Zereth was saying. No, the sword was not meant to be a spear, but Tarsis was only testing the water. He too thought you could learn much from a person by the way they fought and sometimes, a possible weakness. To say he wasn't nervous was to admit he was a fool, but Tarsis loved this. When it came to learning new things, especially when dealing with combat, Tarsis was ready, willing, and able to commit at the drop of a dime.

"Come at me again"

Cracking a slight smile, Tarsis nodded, "Ok..." Re-gripping the hilt of his katana, Tarsis charged in. Running at Zereth, Tarsis raised his katana up into the air and swung it diagonally, aiming for Zereth's right shoulder. Tarsis wasn't too worried if Zereth blocked it or not, but he did have a good defense already in the back of his mind.

[Zereth Lancer]

Zereth brought his blade up, stopping Tarsis' blade, but his planned counter-attack was foiled because the strength Tarsis employed in his attack caused Zereth's hands to tremble and shake and nearly lose control of his blade. He stepped back and lowered his blade, "Good, very good. You have the power, control, and concentration, but being able to fight at high speeds is an ability every force user must know. Are you familiar with the ability of force boosting?"

[Tarsis]

Relaxing for a moment, Tarsis stepped back some and holding out his hand, recalled his katana's sheath. Sliding the silver blade back into its home, Tarsis cracked his neck and said, "If force boosting and psychical amplification, as Jorshal called it, are the same thing then yes, I have.” He paused for a moment as he placed his sheathed katana on his shoulder. “Jorshal taught Baralai, Dakler, Saveer, and myself the basics during our training session and that was one of them, along with two others: what he called a psychic scream and minor telekinesis. As far as the last two go, although I am skilled with them, I haven’t had as much time to train with them as much as I would like to, but as for psychical amplification, I to some extent pride myself on that one simply because it’s the only one out of the three that I feel I have advanced the most on.”

Tarsis didn’t want it to sound like he was bragging, that was the last thing he wanted to imply. He was simply trying to express to Zereth his skill level with the technique. “Like I said though, it was only the basics.”

[Zereth Lancer]

"Force boosting is most often used to amplify one's physical strength and increase their power, but I find it is better for speed then simply increasing your strength. With force boosting you can increase the strength of your leg muscles and they can then propel your body at faster speeds. Now, what I want is to see if you can operate in battle at the high speeds that force boosting accomplishes," Zereth explained as he spun his blade around in his hand in a slow, precise manner, "Concentrate on increasing your the muscle strength of your legs and then move with a in-human speed that only the force can grant. When you are ready, attack me again."

Zereth was already feeding power into his own legs. He would need to be faster then Tarsis if he hoped to survive the barrage that was soon to come.

[Tarsis]

OOC: Feel free to own the hell out of Tarsis if you want to. Fighting at in-human speeds is something completely new for Tarsis, so he’s bound to mess up.

Tarsis smiled, “I remember that move." He said referring to the first time they met. "I've done this move a few times, but I have never used it while fighting at the same time." Pausing for a moment to unsheathe his katana again, Tarsis continued. "So we will see how this goes..."

Tarsis closed his eyes and began to take in his surroundings. He could see the Force signatures of everything in the room, both big and small; how each candle burned with a soft glow, how the weapons on the racks gave off an eerie red glimmer, and the impulsive burst of red that was coming from Zereth. They were all illumination that only the Force could emit. They were all alive and feeding Tarsis the assistance he so desired. The Force was at his mercy like it always was.

Opening his eyes, Tarsis gave Zereth a look that said he was ready, but Tarsis could tell that Zereth was already a step ahead of him as he too was drawing the Force to himself. Unsheathing his katana and placing its sheath down beside him, Tarsis raised his sword and stretched it out in front of him. Feel his leg and arms muscles being to bulge with the Force, Tarsis moved in to attack Zereth. Bringing his sword down at an angle and aligning it horizontally with his waist, Tarsis swung his katana out in front of him with the “in-human” speed Zereth had spoke of right towards the mans gut.

[Zereth Lancer]

He watched as Tarsis came speeding towards him like a speeding train. Zereth didn’t flinch or move. He waited until his apprentice was up close and swining before moving his body sideways and bringing his blade down to block Tarsis' strike. He moved nearly twice as fast as Tarsis was. To the eye Tarsis blurred around the edges as he moved, but Zereth’s whole body was a blur as he moved. He pushed his apprentice's blade away and then delivered a savage kick to his apprentice's stomach; strong enough to knock the air out of him, but not enough to damage any vital organs.

[Tarsis]

Tarsis doubled over as he tried catching his breath. He wasn't expecting that to say the least, but it would prove to be a well learned lesson; don’t be so overconfident. Yes, Tarsis knew how to use the Force, but Zereth knew how to use it better. He was both faster and stronger with it and Tarsis knew that. If Tarsis wanted to hit Zereth, he would have to up his tactics a little. If he couldn’t hit him with his speed, then he’d find another way to hit him.

Burying the pain that ruled his upper and lower torso at the moment, Tarsis stood up, regulated his breathing and prepared himself to attack again. He wasn’t fast enough last time, that was his fault and he accepted that. But this time, this time he had more wood to feed the fire. This time he had anger on his side. Bringing up the pain, and releasing all his anger, Tarsis repeated what he had done earlier except for adding the Force to his arms and instead, took that energy and moved down to his legs as well. What he had in mind wouldn’t require strength as much as it would require speed.

Whether or not Zereth was ready was his own fault. Tarsis wasn’t concerned one bit. He had one thing on his mind: winning. Sprinting off towards Zereth, Tarsis raised his sword up into the air. It appeared that Tarsis was repeating the exact same move he had only moments ago, but at the last second, right before he would swing his sword and right as he moved into arms length from Zereth, Tarsis brought his sword down and side stepped to his right, past Zereth’s guard and behind him. Quickly bringing his sword back up, Tarsis rested it’s slick blade gently onto of Zereth’s adams-apple. “I believe I learned my lesson Master.”

[Zereth Lancer]

Zereth watched his apprentice with unblinking eyes. A slight grin passed over his face as he felt the power growing inside Tarsis. He lowered his weapon slightly, but not enough to be noticeable. His eyes followed the blurry movements of his apprentice as he charged towards him. He didn't move a muscle because he knew it would do him no good. Tarsis had learned far faster then Zereth could have ever imagined. He stood still and closed his eyes. Cold steel pressed against his throat. He could have been killed right then and there, but he had enough faith in his apprentice and simply believed in Tarsis.

Zereth opened his eyes and looked sideways at Tarsis, "You have learned well, my apprentice. I will teach you another brief lesson..." He trailed off and gave Tarsis an evil grin, "Never assume you've won."

Tarsis' blade started to move away from Zereth's throat, as if pushed by an invisible hand. Then a blast of energy and power collided with Tarsis' chest and sent him flying across the room, "This rule applies the most when fighting a force sensitive opponent," Zereth said as he folded his hands behind his back and started to walk over to were Tarsis had fallen, "Holding a blade to their neck doesn't guarantee victory, because the force has many tricks and tactics. It is better to kill them before they can pull another spell out of their sleeve," He reached Tarsis and extended a hand, "You did very well today, Tarsis. I think this session is finished," He pulled Tarsis to his feet, "Please follow me," He led his apprentice over to one of the room's corners. He pressed a concealed button hidden behind the blade of a hanging sword and a section of the wall opened up. Zereth pulled a black bag out of the hidden vault and handed it to Tarsis, "This contains the necessary parts to construct a standard lightsabre," He reached back into the vault and pulled out another bag and from the bag he pulled out a single red gem of bright radiance, "And this will be the heart of your weapon," He said as he extended his open hand, the gem sitting on the center of his palm, "This is your next assignment, to construct a lightsabre. There are many ways to go about constructing your lightsabre. I myself let the force guide me in the construction of the weapon, but there is also many books in the library that have schematics and instructions on how to build one; such as is popular amongst the sith. How you do it is up to you. Contact me when you are finished and I shall teach you how to use it."

[Tarsis]

Tarsis flew back with alarming speed as Zereth's Force push sent him skidding across the room’s dura-crete floor. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, as if saying, I cant believe I fell for that..., Tarsis just laid on the floor. “Duly noted Master...” Opening his eyes only to be greeted by Zereth's hand, Tarsis grabbed a hold and was hoisted up.

"You did very well today, Tarsis. I think this session is finished,"

"Thank you Master." Tarsis said as he followed Zereth. Truth be told, Tarsis wasn’t expecting to do so well, but he did catch on faster than he anticipated which worked out in the end. "The credit is yours of..." Tarsis began to say but was cut off as Zereth turned around with a bag in his hands and began to speak...

A Lightsabre? Tarsis couldn't believe it. He had had plans to eventually craft one himself, he even had the crystals already thanks to that training mission they did, but this was the last thing he expected. “I don't know what to say Master." Tarsis said as he took the bag from Zereth's hand. "Thank you. I shall do as you have instructed and contact you when I've completed the task. Thank you again Zereth." Tarsis wasn't sure if he was out of line for calling his Master by his first name, he wasn’t sure how Zereth would take to it, but he wanted to thank him, as a friend, not as an apprentice.

Tying the bag around his belt, Tarsis held up his hand and pulled his katana’s sheath to him, sheathed his katana, and then placed it back on the shelf where he had got it. Making sure that he got the sword properly back onto its hooks, Tarsis nodded and then turned to face Zereth. To show his appreciation of the gift given to him again, Tarsis bowed. A sign of respect. He had learned a lot this day, not only about the Force and combat, but about respect and honor as well. Tarsis would not soon forget what he had learned here today and when the time came, he would pass it on to his own apprentice one day.

[Zereth Lancer]

Zereth watched his apprentice leave. He felt the warm sense of satisfaction in that he had completed his first training session with an apprentice without a major disaster or death. Once Tarsis was gone Zereth searched for his missing sheath and, once locating it, return his blade to its home and then strapped the blade to his back. It felt awkward on his back and he quickly removed it and placed it on a nearby rack. It had been too long since he'd worn a blade on his back, a year or two in fact. He wasn't the ninja had once way. He had given up much of his stealth abilities in favor of brute strength and power.

He let out a sigh and headed for the door, grabbing his red cloak off its peg by the door as he went. He closed the door behind him and in the darkness the only sound was a key being turned in the lock and the sound of retreating footsteps.