Omega: Harbinger of Hatred [Zasz's Training III]

[Jeseth Cloak]

...Two Years Ago...
...Kintooine, Skine Sector, West Quadrant...
Jagged rocks, water, and more rocks - that was the coarse face of Kintooine, where Jeseth Cloak and Zasz Grimm now made pilgrimage. “We’re on the right path.” Jeseth’s voice was calm, but carried a powerful ring of determination. Underneath their feet gravel and stone shifted with every step they took. There was no night or day in the region of the planet. There was only overcast... and the occasional snows. They had been fortunate enough to avoid the snow, so far...

Jeseth had come to Kintooine in search of a grave; Zasz had come in search of knowledge and power. All around them their path was becoming more perilous. “You’ll have to climb over.” The rest of the way was too steep for them to continue walking. “I’ll see you on the other side,” said the winged Dark Jedi as he tightly gripped the case of excavating equipment. Without another, he bent his knees and leapt, taking to the air. Zasz watched as Jeseth vanished within a few seconds, disappearing past the large outcropping of rocks.

Jeseth set down carefully at the peak, resting against a smooth rock, placing the case of equipment at his feet. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air here was very cold, and very clean. It reminded him of his home planet... but he had so few memories of that place. Maybe he was wrong, and the two worlds didn’t have anything in common at all.

[Zasz Grimm]

He looked skyward as Jeseth disappeared into the clouds. He was holding on tightly to the rock face as he began to slowly climb upwards. He wasn't angry at all for having to climb. Apparently, Jeseth thought that he would need it. He let his feet go onto certain edges as his palms searched for nooks and etches in the mountain.

<center> - - - - </center>

Hours had passed as he was climbing upward, he was already growing tired, and he was somewhat exhausted. He sighed as he reached up to grab onto the rock that was clearly visible.

He winced as he felt the rock he grabbed onto punctured his skin, causing an extreme amount of pain. He had startled himself and was wobbling. He moved his foot to stay on the rock, but it was too late, he was already falling downwards to the ground.

"Frell! Think! Think or you will die!"

He looked around as he was plummeting downwards, he thought of reaching out for a second, but that would only hurt him more. He had an idea and pulled out his lightsaber, igniting the crimson blade with a crack hiss. He had done a back flip and he pushed the blade of burning plasm into the rock.

He had begun to slow down, but was still in danger. He leaned inwards, his hand caught a rock, but he felt a snap in his wrist. He yelled outward, but managed to hold on. He could still hear the burning of his lightsaber in the rock and he was still managing to hold on with his hand, which now had a broken wrist.

He winced and cried out as he used the Dark Side of the force - his aide - to propel himself upward and forward into a slight hole into the mountain. He was in a cave of sorts and managed to sit down. He deactivated his lightsaber and set it back upon his belt with a clipping sound.

He looked down to his left wrist as he brought it upward. He took his right hand and twisted it. Another loud pop was heard as he set it back into place, followed by a small, painful scream. He concentrated and used the Force to block out the pain. He stood up and began to climb again.

He had lost hours of work, and he had to get over the peak to his Master.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth had been waiting for almost three hours... and Zasz was still nowhere to be found. He rose up from where he had been meditating and looked down the cliff face. His eyes spotted small drops of blood along the jagged stones, something that no human eyes could ever hope to do. He didn’t see even the vaguest trace of Zasz’s body at the bottom of the fall.

Where has he gone?

Jeseth sneered and walked back to the rock he had been using as a chair, sitting upon it once more closing his eyes to resume meditation. He knew Zasz was still alive, and that he was nearby... but he’d be able to take care of himself. He had never trained his Apprentices to be weak. If Zasz died, then Jeseth would simply continue on this expedition without him. It would be a shame though; Zasz had always one of his most promising students.

[Zasz Grimm]

He raised his left hand up and clasped onto the rock above him, lifting him up. He was thankful that he was blocking the pain out of his mind. But he also knew that he was bleeding, and that wasn't helping at all. He brought another hand up again to help him move faster upwards. He was already behind and he needed to quicken his pace, but he also had to be careful.

His right arm was stretched outwards as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He let the force flow through him, his aide, The Darkside letting him move at a faster pace.

He opened his eyes and stared outwards with his red eyes and began to climb faster. He had enhanced his speed, but still had to be careful. He moved back and forth on the rocks, tripling his speed. He looked up as he moved, his hand now starting to bother him due to his concentration on moving upwards, but he blocked it out of his mind...

Zasz was rather agile and strong, even for a human. He always used it to his advantage, and now was no exception. He kept on moving until he saw that the peak was not that far off. He had made excellent time, and he wasn't even that tired. Of course, it had taken him an hour to get here, but he was here.

<center>Mere minutes pass</center>

His hand appeared on the rock of near where Jeseth was sitting -his injured hand - and the wound was obvious as blood slowly dribbled out of it, and the swelling had began. His other hand reached up and pulled himself up. He stood before Jeseth and he breathed inwards, his right hand hovering over his injury.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth stood up and looked closely at Zasz. "Well done." He turned around, picked up the case of equipment that was set upon the ground, and continued to walk onwards. Zasz was left standing there... bleeding, bruised, and out of breath. "Let's keep moving. We'll be there soon..." Rocks tumbled down the steep slope that Jeseth was now walking along. Not to far into the distance there appeared to be a lake of some kind of lake.

The closer that the two men came though, the more they realized that they weren't approaching a lake at all. It was a deep and bottomless crater... "I sense something here." They were still a considerable distance from the pit, but Jeseth knew that something lived there... and whatever it was, it was sleeping - or waiting. "We can't go around... It would take much too long." Zasz was visibly perplexed - did Jeseth intend to fly on ahead and leave him behind?

"We're going to need a bridge." The winged alien picked up a small rock, his pale fingers gripping it tightly. His arm pulled back and blurred forward as he tossed the stone. It flew impossibly high, vanishing from site as it approached the deep gorge. Jeseth watched with his heightened vision as it fell into the abyss. For a few seconds nothing happened but they both felt the great disturbance that followed.

The ground shook violently, shifting beneath their feet. A rocky white sphere was rising from the crater, casting a shadow over them both. "There it is." The immense pillar dwarfed them both, making them appear utterly insignificant.

[Zasz Grimm]

Blood dripped slowly from his hand, onto the ground, but his wound's bleeding was subsiding, as was the pain in his wrist, but never the less, it still hurt. He walked side by side with his master, he sighed and dropped back for a minute. He recalled his lengthy climb and then walked forward to catch up with Jeseth.

The ground shook and he stumbled, but regained his footing. He saw it the same time Jeseth, his master did. He was intrigued. What was this monstrosity? He looked to it's pearly white surface and then back to his master...

"What is it?..."

[Jeseth Cloak]

"A bridge," said Jeseth, "though some would call it a 'Space Slug...' Kill it, and we'll use it to walk across." The dark-haired man spread his wings and took to the air, flying towards the giant white beast. Zasz watched as Jeseth hovered around the Space Slug's head for a moment... and was eaten in one loud snap of the monster's jaw. Jeseth was now gone, and Zasz was left to fend for himself...

[Zasz Grimm]

"Master!"

He watched in painstaking awe as the slug ate his master. He grimaced at the thought of what was happening. He stepped back also, since the slug was nearing him. He unclipped his lightsaber and held the cool metallic hilt in his hand as he thought to himself...

"Kill it and cross..."

He looked down as he thought for a second. Then he looked upwards to the rather large slug. He stepped back several paces and then breathed a rather large inhale and exhale. He ignited the blood red lightsaber blade and then looked up. He ran forward and then leapt right when he got to the craters edge. But it wasn't a normal leap, no, it was enhanced by the darkside for a leap that took him high into the air, and he landed on the creatures head.

The slug immediately tossed and turned, trying to throw the annoyance that was on it's massive head. Zasz was wobbling, trying to stay standing. He held his saber as he screamed and lashed outwards towards it's antennae. The slash was successful, it removed it. The slug moved again, in pain, and made a groaning sound. Zasz then began to slice downwards into the creature's head, trying to kill it.

The smell was awful, horrid, and putrid as he did so, slime oozed out and engulfed his legs and he started to slip and fall, but righted himself. He looked at the hole now in the slugs head and then he roared. He raised the saber blade high into the air and then plunged it downwards into the hole.

And the creature suddenly ceased it's movements.....