The Walls Bled (T'air'un's Training)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

T'air'un Bled was new to the Black Hand. He had endured space travel, and many difficulties to get to Vjun, and once there, had only encountered more challenges. The people were weird, the rooms and passages were spooky, but the food wasn't too bad. At least, he hadn't suffered any ill affects from it yet.

One woman, the tall thin type, had sort of taken him under her wing, and had agreed to teach him more about the Force. He was waiting for her to call him for a training session, and was poking around a musty library. The books were so old that a closer inspection revealed that the pages had long ago crumbled to dust.

He peered closer at the spine of a paticularly ancient looking tome, and found a light green spider hotfooting it to the shelf. It seemed to be in a hurry -

"There are no native lifeforms on Vjun, did you know?" Bled's head turned to face the voice, and found De'Ville standing directly behind him. She smiled at his surprise. "The climate used to be even harsher than it is now, believe it or not, and no living tissue ever developed here. Just rocks. Rocks and magma."

She waved her hand in front of the bookshelf a few times, as though she was trying to create a breeze. In a few moments the old shelves slid back inside each other, revealing a door, which slid up into the ceiling with a schick. "Please, after you." She motioned for him to walk into the passage which ran parallel to the wall.

It was well lit, but very plain, and abruptly ended a few feet past what must have been the end of the shelves. De'Ville squeezed into the end of the passage with him, which he didn't find too unpleasant, and then tapped a code into a keypad on the wall.

The floor revealed itself to be a turbolift as they began descending into the ground.

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un kept a close eye on Lileana, he knew better than to trust anyone in Bast. He kept mental tabs on her at all times when she was around, but tried to make it descrete. She was attractive, but that was in itself frightening. He knew merely a fraction of her power, and to believe it came from this woman was incredible. He felt anxious around her, especially without a weapon. He felt geniunly scared of her, and yet, she was the very model of what he hoped to become. Bled leaned against the wall, and grinned slightly at Lilaena. He kept a calm edge to his voice.

"Thats interesting, strange though, that for one so bent on control, that Vader would choose a home devoid of those he could enforce his will upon. However something tells me that this unexected visit is more than a biology lesson. Where exactly, if you don't mind my asking, are we going?"

He looked around, trying to figure out where they were going.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Down." The monosyllabic word didn't echo in the small space they occupied, but it seemed to settle in his ears like the hot end of a poker.

They traveled the next half a minute in silence, and then the 'lift halted and they found an open doorway in front of them. De'Ville left the platform and walked into a darkened hallway. Here, underneath Bast, it was dank, and musty, smelling of dead things and old rocks. She walked forward, and added, "I thought you wanted to learn about the Force?"

He followed her, and found that it was getting warmer the further they walked. De'Ville kept turning and twisting her path through the catacombs, never seeming to care or to pay attention to where she was going...or how they would find their way back.

[T'air'un Bled]

A disturbing feeling brewed deep in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't tell if it was some will of the force, brought upon by Lilaena or the area, or if it was just the food they served here. (he still wasn't sure if that stuff was safe to eat) In any case, he did not have a good feeling about this little excursion. When the lift doors opened, a stench, hit him in the face, with more force than a punch from a Gammorean. It was nauseating to Bled, who usually took great care in planning his surroundings. Determined not to show weakness, he forced himself to act casually. Bled smirked slightly at Lilaena's comment.

"Well you thought correctly, Madame. However, I'd like to survive this training, so I can use this knowledge, and Bast, by any standards, is far from safe. I prefer to know where I'm going before I go there..." Bled added under his breath, "unfortunately, that is too much to ask."

He sighed in frustration, figuring she wasn't listening, and started to walk after her. T'air'un followed her closely, trying to remember the path they took to get there, in case she decided to leave him to find his way out. He was failing miserably. Every turn they took added to the jumbled up mental picture in his head, and the fumes of decay didn't help him focus. Soon, he gave up on remembering the way back, at that point, it was more likely to guess the way back than recall it from memory.

As they traveled down the halls, the air got warmer, and heavy. almost like the breath from an animal, only not quite so pleasant. Bled wished now, more than before, that he had brought a weapon with him.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The passage opened into an underground grotto, and the source of the heat was immediately clear. A river of magma flowed through the floor, a wide current at least ten feet across.

A hot wind stirred up from the lava blew Lilaena's hair out of her face, and she led T'air'un closer to the river. They stopped a safe distance from the bubbling and writhing stone, but the heat was almost overpowering. Bled looked closely at his master, and saw that she was not even sweating. De'Ville spread her hands. "Welcome to the beginning of your training. I thought we'd work on some more telekinesis today."

She motioned to the floor, rough and uneven, and littered with sharp volcanic rocks. With a slight enhalation, she manipulated the Force, pulling the uncomfortableness of their envirorment into play as she diverted her body's frustrations towards the rocks.

A large one ascended towards the roof, and then floated gently towards the ground. "Feel the rocks, choose one, and lift it. The Force is in and around the rock, as sure as the lava wraps itself around everything that enters it."

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un smirked. Since their last encounter, he had worked solely on perfecting his ability to manipulate objects with his mind. He looked around the room for the largest rock there. He stared at it intently, and reached out his hand toward the rock. The force surrounded it, wrapping itself over every crevice. His grip tightened upon the object, tightening his hand as he did so into a fist. A few or the smaller parts of the rock that were nearer to the edges snapped off. He rose his fist and the rock at the same time, having the rock mimic his movements.

He started to sweat, but the heat of the room was of little consequence to him. His focus was absolutely on the rock. He brought the rock too him and held it a few feet in front of him. Bled played with the rock a little bit, getting a feel for it, before he looked over toward Master De'Ville for directions.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She nodded, "Very good. Except that in time you must refine your skills. If you must use your hands to assist your mind, you will telegraph your moves. They are easily anticipated, and simple to block." De'Ville's eyes flicked to the side, and then back to a point slightly to the side of his face.

"Place the rock behind you, without looking at where you are putting it. There is a slight step down, and I want you to balance it on the edge of the step. Close your eyes if you need to, and feel the Force. It will allow you to see what the scenery is behind your back."

[T'air'un Bled]

A wash of shame poured over his body. He knew better than to let his opponents see what he's doing. He gritted his teeth and cursed at his stupidity.
Bled, determined to prove his worth, lowered his arms and focused his eyes directly at Lilaena. He used the force to feel the area around him. He could feel the area around him, though not well. It was as though he looking through fog. He could feel there was ground for about a meter behind him, but that was the extent of his knowledge.
The rock he had been levitating started to vibrate a little. Bled had trouble focusing on both sensing and moving the rock at the same time. Slowly the rock began to orbit around T'air'un's body. It took him a little less than minute for him to get the rock behind him, but once it was there, he relaxed, and focused solely on keeping the rock in the air. Bled smiled tiredly, happy with his work, and waited for De'ville's approval or criticism.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She waited, as he struggled to complete the task she had given him. Once you learned how the Force moved in the enviroment, it became easier to sense it. And, with time, it provided one with a pre-cognition, or a danger sense.

Bled held the rock behind him, but had not yet put it down. De'Ville waited, patiently, for now.

[T'air'un Bled]

Bled stood looking at Lilaena for a second before he realized he still had not done what she had asked of him. He shook his head and lowered it slightly. T'air'un lowered the rock slowly and released what hold over it he had. The rock touched the ground and it fell over. Bled sheepishly looked back at Lilaena and awaited further instructions.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Good." She walked towards him, and then stopped, inches away from her apprentice. "Hot in here, isn't it."

He nodded, keeping eye contact with her.

"Noticed that I do not sweat? In time you can learn how to control your own body. But for now, you must learn how to control things outside your own body. Like rocks. They are not glamorous, but they are useful. The same method we use on rocks can be used on other things. Bigger things. Smaller things....people, or things inside people."

She stepped back one step, and then inclined her head once more. "Pick up the rock again, and then keep it in the air as long as you can. When you are ready, pick up another rock, keeping the first in the air."

ooc: [check here (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27430) as well please T'air'un!]

[T'air'un Bled]

A frown crossed T'air'un's face. He'd never tried to lift more than one object. This was an interesting challenge. He closed his eyes and focused on the rock behind him again. It shook a little as it lifted off from the ground, but aside from that it was smooth and easy. He lifted it to head height and focused on lifting another, slightly smaller one, to his right. It was strange, almost as if he was splitting his mind. The second one didn't rise, instead the first one fell to about waist height. Bled grunted, feeling anger well up within him.
*Why can't I do this?* Bled thought * I can use the force, I'm not new to this! WHY CAN'T I DO THIS*
The second rock lifted a little off the ground, the rocks stayed up, though about his knee height. T'air'un put another burst of effort into lifting the rocks. Suddenly they soared upward and started hovering around T'air'un's height. He breathed a sigh of relief and lucked up at Lileana, almost surprised at how quickly he accomplished that task.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She raised her hand, and the rocks were wrenched from his grasp, and splattered against the wall in a spray of shards. "You can do better." De'Ville regarded him with a smirk on her face, her body language designed to make him angry.

Anger was what one worked with in this business. "Do it again."

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un squinted at his master, feeling fury well up inside him. He took a deep breath, and focused his energy on lifting some other rocks. He looked around the room and saw two medium sized rocks. He closed his eyes, feeling the rocks with the force, he opened his eyes at the rocks. He stared at the rocks. Within seconds they shot off the ground, hovering again at head height. Without saying a word, he turned to look at Lilaena with a hint of confidence in his eyes. He was determined not to fail, if only just to prove De'Ville wrong.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She smiled, the light from the lava flow casting strange shadows on her face. "So. Basic Force skills I will teach you, yet, when you are finished with your training, what will you do with them?" De'Ville found her saber in her hand, and expertly twirled the hilt as she spoke. "You passed the Goblin's test, you entered the gates, yet...to be a Dark Jedi is much more than passing an entrance exam.

"Tell me, what is the difference between a Sith and one of us?" The saber was clipped back on her belt, and she unexpectedly flipped up into a handstand. "Do as I do, but do not hesitate to answer my question." She lightly closed her eyes, and began lifting a rock.

[T'air'un Bled]

It took T'air a second to realize what she wanted him to do. The rocks he was levitating wavered but he kept control. The hand stand worried him a little, he was strong, but his balance was less than impressive. He placed both hands on the ground and he used the force to steady himself. Bled stayed mostly still, but not without effort the two rocks were becoming harder and harder to control. He waited until he felt balanced before he tried to answer her questions. He thought hard, for his plans had never truly been clear to himself.
" I... I intend to... to become free. I will live without fear, as life should be lived, and I will use the Force to stop all those powers that would oppose me. I would use it to give order to the area around me, and grant peace to all those who would follow me. "
Thinking of these ideals weakened his stream of negative emotion. One of the rocks fell to the ground and shattered. Bled redoubled his efforts to keep the second one aloft. Once he felt confident in his strength again, he tried to answer her second question. Bled thought hard, for his knowledge in the subject of the Sith was little.
" I know the Sith are subject to their emotions, seeking control over the universe because they have no control over themselves. We aren't ruled by our emotions, we..." T'air'un thought for a second and suddenly it clicked. "we use those emotions as fuel for the force. Though..." He paused again. " I'm afraid I don't know what our purpose is..."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She exhaled calmly as she remained upside down, and shifted her weight so she could lift up one hand. De'Ville could feel rough shards of volcanic rock digging into her palm, but she suppressed the feelings of pain, and stayed as she was. "Try to pick up a second rock again." She could feel the blood rushing into her face, but continued to speak.

"Our purpose is to rid the universe of the blight of the Jedi and the Sith. Once the Jedi and their damn fool idealistic crusades are forgotten, and the Sith self destruct, we will take their places as the gods of the lesser beings. Sentient life will serve us, and be happy. We will give the universe a purpose."

She spun one of her rocks around the other. "Until then, we use the Force to enforce our will and our justice on others. Sith use the Darkside to bring chaos. We use the Dark side to bring order."

[T'air'un Bled]

Bled listened intently to her explanation. It was peculiar how similar the Hand's goals and his own paralleled each other. T'air'un focused his mind once again. His arms ached, and sweat poured down his face. A second, smaller rock lifted slowly off the ground to a good foot in the air, both of the rocks hovered precariously in front of Bled's eyes. T'air breathed heavily, as the physical strain of this activity, and the use of the force took their toll on his body. One of the rocks started to wobble and it moved slowly around the other.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She slowly lowered her legs, and stood up, taking a moment to re-orient herself. "Stand up, you can let the rocks down now, but do not drop them."

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un lowered the rocks with difficulty. They landed heavily, but not hard enough to shatter them. Bled lowered his legs, but his arms gave out on him at the last second and he fell on his back. T'air grunted loudly as the sharp rocks dug into his skin. He brought himself to his feet with care, making certain not to place his skin on any of the rock shards. The back of T'air'un's shirt was torn up and some of the rocks were still sticking in him. He closed his eyes and one by one, each of the rocks floated backward from of his wounds, falling to the ground a couple inches from his body. Bled's back was sore and bloody, though it was nothing he hadn't felt before. He ignored the pain and looked to Lilaena for direction.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She pulled two saber hilts off her belt, and flipped one to Bled. De'Ville ignited her own, the jaded amythest blade humming to life.

The light from the saber and the lava flow blended in a freakish display as she stepped back into a defensive position. "Attack me."

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un suddenly felt fear surge through his body. He had every right to be. A jedi master had just challenged him to a lightsaber duel. T'air'un stretched out his hand and closed his eyes. The lightsaber flew closer and closer to Bled's chest. It stopped, an inch from his body. Suddenly, his eyes flashed open and the device moved sharply into Bled's outstretched hand. T'air'un brought his other hand to the weapon, igniting the blade. He had seen this done before, though, usually from a very safe distance. He took a deep breath and focused his eyes on Lilaena. T'air'un moved cautiously toward the dark jedi. Without warning, Bled took a hard step and made powerful horizontal swing at De'Ville.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She brought her saber up and blocked his swing, her purpleish blade deflecting his white one. He drew back, and she sensed the fear rolling off him like sweat. "Have you ever used a lightsaber before, Bled? Think of it as an extension of yourself...like it is a part of your arm."

Lilaena stutter-stepped towards him and swung her blade towards him, an attack that would bisect him if he didn't block it. Once she'd believed in using practice sabers, but both of their weapons were the real deal. Hers, she'd made herself, and his she'd stolen off a Jedi on a rooftop battle.

[T'air'un Bled]

Bled didn't bother to reply to his master's question. He was far too focused on the battle to pay to be able to give attention to obvious questions. Where would he have learned how to fight with a lightsaber? Her counter attack warranted his concern now. As her blade swung closer to his body, time seemed to slow down, giving T'air a chance to react. Bled rolled his arm outward, twisting his wrist so the point of the blade pointed toward the ground, making the saber parallel to his body in an attempt to deflect her blade. In flash of sparks, the violet blade was redirected. Bled tried to keep his motions fluid, using the force from Lilaena's attack to assist his movements. T'air'un swung his arm around, bringing the lightsaber back down toward his opponent's right shoulder. This wasn't as hard as he had originally feared. He wasn't unfamiliar with blade fighting, but this form of battle seemed to require less strength and more finesse, which, fortunately for him, was assisted by what little force training he had experienced so far.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She kept her attacks in a smooth rythmn, and he began to also fall into a pattern of blocking, sometimes daring to go on the offensive. "Feel the flow of the Force through you...and through me."

De'Ville changed up, swinging left when before she'd gone right, seeing if he could anticipate her movement.

[T'air'un Bled]

Finally, T'air'un found something he understood naturally. He truly felt connected with the force while holding this weapon. Not merely with the blade, but it was with all things around him. Through fighting and turmoil, he felt strength and knowledge. He saw his master's blade swing toward him, again, as though viewed in slow motion. Bled felt compelled to show off. In an excessive display of what he had learned, T'air bent his knees and launched off the ground, leaping over her attack. He used the Force to propel her lightsaber in the direction of her original swing, to add momentum to her swing. He landed quickly and gave a hard swing toward her neck, a lethal blow if it connected. He intended to stop just short of her skin, if he were lucky enough to get past her defense.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She felt the tug of the Force, moving her with her saber as he somersaulted over her head. De'Ville simply added strength to the direction of her swing, twirling her body about 180 degrees and blocking his attack with a surprising display of speed.

De'Ville kicked out her leg and her boot connected solidly with his kneecap.

[T'air'un Bled]

For T'air'un, surprise was pushed to its limits as Lilaena swung with his attack to block his next. As she lifted her leg, he saw its path moving toward his knee. Using their still connected sabers, he pushed foreward, trying to use her temperary lack of a good base to knock her off balance. The attack hurt far less than it would have, but it still caused him to stumble backward.
"Ow, you... " Bled searched his vocabulary for an appropriate insult, but floundered in his haste. He went with the only word he could think of despite its disappointing quality. "jerk!"
T'air'un's wounds were starting to catch up with him. From the glass he had gotten in his back and the kick to his knee, to his lack of experience with the lightsaber itself, his chances of winning this fight were zero to nil. But giving up was not an option. T'air'un ran at her again, limping slightly this time. He made a small, diagonal, downward swing at her shoulder leading to her hip, making certain to keep his saber close, so as not to leave himself open to counter attack.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena blocked his attack with a quick movement of the nearly weightless saber, and spun off his blade with another of her own, which he blocked.

They continued for a few more minutes, blocking and attacking, and she was pleased with his concentration. In saber fighting, it could only take one break in concentration and you would have cut off your own arm. Or leg...or both.

She stopped her steady attacks, and held out her hand, the Force grabbing him and holding him in place for a moment. "Enough." De'Ville released her apprentice and he stood a little uneasily, favoring one leg. "Our session has gone quite long. Your last lesson of the day: lead us back to the surface." The Dark Jedi held out her hand for the saber she had given him.

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un felt very unresolved. He really wanted to finish the fight, even though he knew it would have only ended badly for him. Bled's last assignment of the day looked to be very very difficult. T'air'un let a resigned sigh and grudgingly gave up the saber he was weilding. He looked around and cursed under his breath. He knew this would happen. Bled looked at the exit and limped toward it. He closed his eyes and trusted his future in the force. This was a bad idea. Ten minutes passed and Bled had already led them to three dead ends. The rank smell was starting to get to him again. Bled sat down on the floor and started to meditate. This was going to take a while.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Something wrong?" She stood behind him. "Is mediating going to give you the answer to this riddle of passages?"

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un was annoyed. He had no idea how to 'sense.' He didn't know how to do this. He knew he was supposed to use his emotions but how? How was he to take in information around him? It was all so clear earlier, but now, it was like his memory was hazy, clouded by something within his own mind. Bled shook his head in disappointment.
"I don't know... I just... I can't figure out how to 'see' through the force. I know I can do it... but... how?"
T'air'un lowered his head and closed his eyes. The force showed him nothing but vague impressions that he didn't know how to interpret.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville sat next to him, and put her cold hand on his forehead. "It is not so much up here... as it is out there." She gestured out in front of them, towards the blank wall they were up against.

"Reach out with the Force, feel how it interacts with the enviroment around you. You did it with the rock earlier, now do it here."

ooc: <a href=http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=507231#post507231>please don't forget to post to this</a> /ic:

[Pierce Tondry]

Edit: My brother is a monkey. I'll see what I can do about this post tomorrow.

[T'air'un Bled]

Something clicked into place with that information, like a piece of a puzzle had been fitted in. T'air'un stood and looked around. He made a understanding grunt. He focused outwardly, trying to feel the walls. A slight groaning and shifting sound could be heard, as though more weight were being placed on them. By doing this, Bled suddenly felt the wall through the force. He could feel the whole area, the walls, the floors, and even part of the castle above. He relaxed and the picture faded. The walls seemed to settle again. T'air'un stroked his chin for a second in through. He knew now which direction the elevator was, but the passages were so complex, there was no way he could remember all the turns. He focused again, getting a mental radar picture of the area. As he relaxed again, an idea flashed in his head. He looked to Lilaena.

"Follow me."

He walked his way back to the elevator, stopping every couple of turns to focus again. It wasn't too much longer until they found their way back to the elevator.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

ooc: Very good, you passed this level of training. Was hoping you'd be around in any sort of manner, and I'm not sure if you are or not... Anyway, apparently you are a monkey. If you're interested in more training please PM me. /ic: