Cold Eyes and a Cruel Master: Crafting the Tools

[Maester Wargrave]

The hall was dark as the two figures walked down it. Well...technically one was leading the other. The former was cloaked in all black, with a stone-like face and a steel-eyed gaze. The other was blindfolded and pulled by the cloaked one, a curse coming from his mouth every few seconds or so.

Another turn and a black door opened. The blindfold was removed and Maester Wargrave smiled at Silus Xilarian.

"Welcome to Bast Castle, Mister Xilarian. It is time for your training to begin in earnest."

[Silus Xilarian]

"I dont know what the hell yur thinkin, but it better be good..."

A string of explicitives echoed down the hall, as Silus followed behind Wargrave. Though they were essentially muttered under his breath, Wargrave was still getting an earful....

Silus heard what sounded to be a door opening and he was then stopped, blindfold removed from his face......


"Bast Castle.......ok.......Where the hell are we...?" You could have at least had the decency to wake me up and let me know.......

Silus glared at Wargrave. He wanted to kill his new master, but alas, didnt know how to get out......

[Maester Wargrave]

"Curb your feelings Mister Xilarian," Wargrave cautioned Silus.

"We are Dark Jedi, not Sith. Sith use their anger to make terrible choices...we use our anger to fuel our power, but we also keep our emotions in check.

"Now...you are here to refine your tools. Your lightsaber works quite well, but you need a new one...a better one. I am here to show you how to make it."

He smiled as he got out several lightsaber crystals, "And perhaps some training with it as well."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked about at the crystals, as he laid his green saber down beside them......

so what are we waiting for?

Silus was eager to get started. He had wielded his father's saber long enough. Without speaking he picked up a crimson red crystal, holding it up and examining it....

[Maester Wargrave]

"I am waiting on you, Mister Xilarian. It is your choice whether to craft new tools or not."

He crossed his arms and gave Silus a hard stare.

"How did you receive your last lightsaber?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus glared over at Wargrave...

It was my father's. It became mine when he died.

Silus narrowed his eyes at Wargrave...

I've tired of carrying the weapon of a coward.

Silus' voice had become monotone. The pain of his father's death plagued him for a long time, to the point where it was a numb, emotionless feeling...

There's no honor in this weapon....

[Maester Wargrave]

"Then that is why you are here. To create your new weapon...or weapons for your use. I do recommend you keep your old weapon...perhaps as a reminder of what you are not."

He guestured at the eight focussing crystals on the table before Silus.

"Choose wisely...then you can begin making your new weapons."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked at the red crystal he was holding, and at another one laying on the table. There really wasnt much thought to it, they just caught his eye before the others did. He wasnt as dramatic as Wargrave....

Silus picked up the other red crystal from the table.....

Im assuming we have enough stuff to build two sabers....

[Maester Wargrave]

"All the tools you need are here." Wargrave replied, setting several tools in front of Silus.

"When you are finished, join me in the courtyard. We will see how good your craftmanship is."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked around at the stuff in front of him. Maybe he'd neglected to tell Wargrave that he didnt know how to make a lightsaber. Maybe he wasnt supposed to know, and this was some sick game that the Dark Jedi was playing...

Either way, Wargrave was gone, and Silus sat staring at the table in front of him. After thinking a moment, he did the only thing he could think of....

Upon sliding the two red crystals to the side, Silus moved his own saber in front of him and carefully began disassembling it, paying close attention to everything he did.....

[Silus Xilarian]

A few hours later, Silus was still at it.....

He now had his saber completely taken apartwith the parts carefully laid out according to the order they were removed, to make reassembly quick and easy....

Next to his saber however, were two more sabers. Both had never been assembled, though they were laid out in the same fashion as the previous one. The biggest difference being, these two were using red crystals, while Silus' saber ,that was given to him by his father, used a green crystal.

The light grey hilt of Silus' current was much different then the black hilts provided to him by Wargrave. Though it was a drastic difference, it was a welcome difference...

Now the task began of assembling the new sabers. With a slight sigh, Silus began repeating the steps he took in disassembling his saber, only backwards......

[Maester Wargrave]

Wargrave was watching Silus from the darkness, as his apprentice disassembled the saber. Silus did not have the benefit of the plans, Wargrave had when he made his own saber...but if it made Xilarian stronger, then very well.

He exitted the room, then headed to the large courtyard behind the castle, cracked and damaged by some of the acidic rain which plagued the planet's surface.

Wargrave opened his cloak and pulled his own lightsaber.

When you are finished, Mister Xilarian you will have to find me...Use the Force as tracking...But..only once when you are finished.

[Silus Xilarian]

A few hours later.....

The job was complete. All three sabers were reassembled. Silus stood up from his seat and leaned backwards, stretching. Looking down, he gazed at the three sabers on the table for a moment. He reached down and picked up his old saber and clipped it on his belt. He then picked up the two black-hilted sabers on the table, taking one in each hand. He looked back and forth between them, then simultaneously activated them, watching the two red blades fly forth in a blaze of power.

The sabers made a slightly different hum than his old saber. Not louder, not quieter, just different. The blades were a bit longer too, not a drastic change, but still noticeable to Silus. He had wielded his father's saber for over ten years, so every little difference stuck out to him.

Silus absently paced around the room for a few moments, getting used to the feeling of the new hilts. It was, to a point, liberating to hold them, as he felt that now, he was finally out of his father's shadow.

Silus returned back to reality, remembering Wargraves instructions. He concentrated for a moment. Wargrave's presence was familiar to him now, though something seemed even more familiar about it, though Silus couldnt figure out why.

Silus walked out of the room and walked out to a large courtyard. He looked around for a moment and didnt see Wargrave. He walked to the middle of the courtyard and looked around. Still not seeing Wargrave, Silus loudly spoke into the humid air...

"Im done...."

[Maester Wargrave]

"Excellent," Wargrave's voice came from the courtyard, all around the courtyard.

Wargrave walked into the courtyard, his blue-red saber ignited.

"Now...let's test your skill with the saber.

"Attack me!"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus shot a sideways glare at Wargrave...

Alright, but you told me too....

Silus had never even seen Wargrave hold a saber, let alone fight with one. Silus removed one of the sabers from his belt and activated it. He circled Wargrave for a moment then stepped in with a forward strike aimed at Wargrave's throat...

[Maester Wargrave]

The saber passed through the image of Wargrave as it faded into nothingness.

Silus whirled around, looking for Wargrave.

It was then a blue-red blade came down on Xilarian's red one. It was his master, standing there with a smile on his face.

"Come Mister Xilarian...let's see how good you are."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus, with a firm two handed grip on his saber, pushed Wargrave's saber to the side. The move didnt leave much room for a follow up though, so Silus backstepped, squaring his shoulders. He circled Wargrave again before closing back in with another forward slice, only this time with a downward motion, rather than a sideways motion...

[Maester Wargrave]

Wargrave blocked Silus' blow, then through him back using his leverage.

He then leaped back onto two pillars, balancing between the two.

"Come join me up here..."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus casually strolled up to the two pillars. Rather than joining Wargrave, Silus sent him an "invitation" of sorts. Silus glared at Wargrave as he walked, pushing outward with the force, effectively knocking his master of the pillars, and to the ground...

The ground works better for me, thank you

[Maester Wargrave]

"Excellent Mister Xilarian...Excellent," Wargrave landed lightly on the ground.

A brick from the cobblestone, suddenly rose in the air,from behind the apprentice, and flew at Silus.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus sensed something behind him and quickly dodged to the right. He wasnt fast enough however as the brick hit him in the left shoulder. He grit his teeth as it hit, and strayed off its course. Before it hit the ground, Silus pushed it. Sending it flying towards Wargrave...

[Maester Wargrave]

Wargrave stopped the brick in mid air.

"Tell me...how powerful was your father?"

The brick exploded in a mass of rocks and settled to the ground.

Silus felt his vocal chords begin to contract, as Wargrave shut his air supply down.

"How powerful was he?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus hit a knee, trying to fight the choke. The hold was strong, and as much as he tried, he couldnt break it. Putting a hand down to keep at least on one knee. Silus looked up at Wargrave. To answer the question, he would need oxygen, which at this point, wasnt being provided....

In a last ditch effort, Silus concentrated on Wargrave, rather than fight the hold, he started choking Wargrave. His hold wasnt nearly as strong as his master's, but he hoped Wargrave would have to let go of Silus, before Silus passed out.....or worse...

[Maester Wargrave]

"Excellent...you show ability to escape Force Choke. And you've shown progress.

"No more parlor tricks with young smugglers?" Wargrave smirked. The memory of Silus and s'Il from all those years ago came into his mind. While he was not a jealous man, Wargrave still wanted to test Silus' resolve. And see if he was trustworthy to be let on about Wargrave's 'other secret'.

"Again...how powerful was your father?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus hacked and coughed as he sucked as much oxygen into his lungs as he could. The harsh air of the planet's atmosphere tore at his lungs, but he kept on, as air had taken precedence over comfort at this point. Looking up at Wargave, Silus choked out a reply...

Honestly, I dont know....

A wave of coughing hit him again, as his head lowered to make breathing easier. He slowed his breathing the best he could, trying to calm his panicking body. Slowly, he drug himself to his feet..

My mother told me after he died, that he had a natural gift. But he hid it from me, fearing I would follow his footsteps to the Sith...He once said to her, that I had more natural ability than he did, though he never told me this too my face....

Silus was still breathing heavy, and his saber was still in his hand, though deactivated at this point...

[Maester Wargrave]

"I see.

"You will have to adapt yourself to his environment," Wargrave continued, "If you wish to live through your training."

He began focussing his mind, constructing an illusion for the Apprentice.

Suddenly, Lok appeared, her face screamed anger and hatred.

"Just get the $*#& away from me! I don't want to see you again!"

She walked towards Silus, her metallic eyes burning with rage. Her hand slapped Silus' face, leaving a sting.

"I could never love you..."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus tilted his head as "Lok" slapped him. His temper and anger was forgotten momentarily as he gazed into the metallic eyes..

Silus took a step toward her, peering into the face of his ex-fiance. The fact that she was here, on this planet, was strange enough. But something deeper was amiss. Everything about her was normal. Her overall look, posture, everything. But something was wrong. Something was missing.

Silus stared at "lok" with a strange fascination....

[Maester Wargrave]

Wargrave stood behind Silus, a dark smile on his face. Then it turned into a sneer, and his gloved hand came down on Silus' neck.

The apprentice fell to the stony ground and Wargrave crossed his arms.

"Do you now see the power of the Force...Mister Xilarian? Even your former fiance has turned against you."

'Lok' lifted her foot back in a kick, heading towards Silus' stomach.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus hit the ground hard. The first thing he saw when he looked back up was "Lok's" foot coming toward his stomach. Not having time to roll out of the way. Instead, Silus braced himself and took the kick, which had a bit more power behind it than he thought. As the kick connected, Silus grabbed "Lok's" foot, holding on to it while reaching out with his free hand and pulling her other leg out from under her. "Lok" stumbled back as Silus quickly got back to his feet...

[Maester Wargrave]

The image faded and Wargrave stood his saber ignited.

"Excellent job. I could have done better on the illusion. But best not to kill you in the second lesson."

"Now...FIGHT!"

The blue-red blade sliced towards Silus.

[Silus Xilarian]

The saber in Silus' hand ignited in an instance. He immediately brought it up, using a 2 handed strike to deflect Wargrave's strike. Silus started backstepping slowly, keeping his saber in front of him in a defensive position. Since he had came out he'd been watching Wargrave's actions closely, as he should be, considering this was his training. Before Wargrave had made the illusion of s'Ilancy, Silus had taken particular notice, that he had thought of her, yet at the time, he didnt know why he was thinking of her at this point in time. It had dawned on him now, that Wargrave had been probing his mind all along, searching for the perfect memory to use against Silus. Had he dug deeper, Silus may have never been able to figure the illusion out.

Now that he had, a lesson had been learned.....

As Silus backstepped, he was concentrating on his master, trying to pick through his thoughts. He wasnt experienced at this though, and he found it harder to do that he expected. It seemed as if Wargrave was hiding something, protecting his mind from intrusion. One minute thought was found by the apprentice though.

It was a large creature, it looked similar to a vornskr, only larger, with finer teeth, and large spines on its tail. Wargrave would know it as a Tormenter, though Silus had not a name for it.

Silus focused on this thought, altering it in his own mind. As he did, Silus put the thought of something stalking behind Wargrave into the master's mind. If the master decided to look behind him, Silus would send the thought back to Wargrave that the "Tormenter" was charging him.

Silus just hoped the thought would be strong enough to create an illusion, and that the animal he found was one native to this planet, making the appearance that much more realistic...

[Maester Wargrave]

Wargrave felt a flash and turned briefly, seeing the 'Tormentor'. He smiled as his gloved hand shot out, behind him and grabbed Silus, throwing him at the Tormentor.

When the apprentice passed through the beast, his smile turned eviller.

"Excellent, Mister Xilarian, you are learning quickly."

He advanced on his apprentice, "But you still have much to learn...much to learn."

Wargrave's foot shot out and connected with Silus' jaw.

"Catch me if you can."

Then Wargrave was leaping out of the courtyard and onto the acidic rocks, motioning to Silus to follow.

[Silus Xilarian]

You son of a.....

Silus stopped himself from letting out a string of explicitives after Wargrave kicked him. Instead Silus took off after Wargrave. In a full blast run, Silus lept toward Wargrave, though he found himself coming up short and having to kick back off of the rock...

Silus glared at Wargrave with narrow eyes. There was no way Wargrave was in better shape than him. The force was the only thing that coulda made that jump for Wargrave...

Silus backed up and ran again. He focused as he did, and pushed his legs harder and harder, feeding from his own determination to jump onto that damned rock...

When he was close enough, Silus lept, clearing the ledge and landing onto the rock, though his momentum nearly carried him off of the other side. Silus stopped right at the edge and fought gravity for a moment by waving his arms backward before finally regaining balance...

[Maester Wargrave]

"In time you will learn how to make that jump, without losing your balance.

"Or leaving yourself open to attack!"

Wargrave shot his hand out and Silus was thrown from the rock onto the ground with the Force. He was then lifted up in a Force Hold, with the ability to breathe still.

"Now can you escape this?"

[Silus Xilarian]

No matter how hard he struggled, he couldnt physically escape the force hold. This time though, Silus didnt try to exert himself fully to escape. He gave it a good try and it didnt work. Time to move on to plan B. Scanning the ground he spotted a small stone, laying in a puddle of acid rain. It was slightly to the left and behind Wargrave. Silus focused and brought the rock from its resting spot, watching it smack hard into the side of Wargrave's head...

[Maester Wargrave]

The stone slammed into Wargrave's head, forcing him to drop Silus from his grip down into the rocks below.

The Dark Jedi Master crossed his arms and stared at his apprentice, "Mister Xilarian. What have you learned in this battle?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus dropped from the air onto the rocks below. He landed on his feet, but the height from which he dropped, along with the uneven ground caused him to fall to his knees.

Silus pulled himself back to his feet. His knee was hurting from the fall. He kicked forward a little, bending and straightening the knee, but it was no use.

Slowly Silus limped to where Wargrave stood, keeping just out of range for a saber strike. He stood this time with his saber ignited and ready..

"Always be prepared for anything, and always attack from a different direction...."

Silus stood as straight as he could, though he was clearly favoring his knee, standing in such a manner that would suggest he was trying to not show is injury...

[Maester Wargrave]

"Good...you are indeed learning," Wargrave turned as if to go.

"Now, can you use the Force to heal yourself? Or do you have to use bacta to heal your injured knee?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked down at his knee. A half-smirk/half-wince crept across his face...

I figured it would heal on its own, I only bruised it...

Silus had no clue how to use the healing aspects of the force. They were never mentioned to him by his father, so he never worried about them. Using bacta was pointless, as it wasnt a bad injury...

[Maester Wargrave]

"Ah you believe you are less injured than you actually are." Wargrave chided his apprentice.

"Use the Force...use it to mend your wounds. See your injuries actually heal in your mind...and they will."

Wargrave leaped down from his perch, flipping as he did.

"You will be momentarily drained but your powers will return, after a moment's respite."

[Silus Xilarian]

I see alotta things in my mind, and they dont happen....and in my mind, its only bruised, so there...

Silus limped toward Wargrave a ways. He didnt like this one bit. He still didnt trust his master, and now he was in a vulernable position..

But for future reference....How exactly can I heal my knee?

[Maester Wargrave]

A rock suddenly picked itself up from the ground then flew directly at Silus' leg, as he stared at Wargrave. It struck him in the back of his knee, buckling it, and sent Silus to the ground.

"NOW, your leg is injured."

Wargrave smiled, "In your mind...picture the injury, you cannot lie now...I can tell the ACL is damaged and in need of surgury.

"But in conditions such as this," Wargrave pointed at the harsh landscape of VJun, "You will have to use the Force to heal yourself.

"Visualize the injury in your mind...see the damaged ligaments...and picture them healing...Go on do it..."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus hit the ground. He grit his teeth in pain as he attempted to stand back up. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to concentrate on the injury. His knee became numb. He tried to stand again, but his knee still couldnt him up.

Silus put his weight on his good knee, letting his injured knee heal. It tingled a bit. Slowly he stood up. the knee supported his weight this time, but barely.

Slowly Silus began walking, limping more or less, back to his master, who was smiling at his handy work. He had his saber in his hand, disengaged. He kept his senses open. Wargrave wouldnt surprise him again. The tingle in his knee was still there, which seemed to be a good sign at this point....

[Maester Wargrave]

"Good...But not good enough," Wargrave shook his head.

"In time you will learn to heal yourself quickly and completely."

The Dark Jedi Master put his lightsaber back to his belt, deactivated and looked at his apprentice.

"What else have you learned?"