Rite of Passage (Jared)

[Gav Mortis]

It wasn't often that Gav ventured into the wilds of Onderon by choice, there was nowhere outside of Iziz that was to be considered safe and it was essential that all who found themselves at the twenty-four hour mercy of the beasts and creatures were unrelentingly vigilant. The days were as perilous as the nights and only those who were sure of their abilities (not only survival skills but in their ability to fight off the most ravenous and diabolical carnivores this of the galaxies), should dare brave these untamed lands. It was in the Wilds that Jared Mriad would face his first challenge on his new home and prove his worth to his new master.

"We'll be landing momentarily, Jared." He spoke into his ship's internal comm-channel. "Get your things and wait for me in the cargo hold."

[Jared Mriad]

"Yes, Master."

Jared looked upon his things, not much to have as one's possessions should've been. All of his personal items were safe somewhere afar, but his weapons remained with him. He adjusted the lightsaber belt clips on both sides of his waist and slid the warbrand sword into it's sheath upon his belt positioned at his back.

Where was Mortis taking him, rather, where would they land. Could this be another test like that of Hilare's posioned dagger, the very dagger that inflicted him with a curse wholly dominated now? Or could this be beneficial.

He damned hoped so, progress was excellent.

He wandered through the ship's belly until reaching the cargo hold, many minutes ahead.

[Gav Mortis]

The landing was pretty difficult, finding a place to land in the jungle was like looking for a needle in a haystack for there was nothing but an endless sea of thick, green tree canopies and below, thick and colourful underbrush. His ship, also known as "Mundabe's Comet", wasn't large but was certainly unique. It was an almost perfect sphere, save for where four drive engines protruded from the rear.

A break in the jungle canopy caught Gav's attention and the ship veered towards it, slowing down and descending, some twenty kilometers from the great city. Landing struts emerged from the ship's underside and jets of exhaust disturbed the surrounding shrubbery until all plantlife below it was either burned or crushed. It was a smooth landing and content, Gav collected his things and joined his apprentice.

"First things first, Jared. I bet you're wondering where you have been taken; we are on a jungle moon in the Outer Rim known as Suntra VI. It is sparcely populated by primitive culture and a variety of exotic wildlife but it's fairly safe."

They moved through the cargo hold and lowered the boarding ramp, located below the engines, where they stepped out and were greeted by the overwhelming heat and jungle humidity. Gav sighed cheefully.

"This is where your training begins, apprentice." He pointed to a spot of dry grass and threw Jared a hefty rucksack. "Start setting up camp here and tell me what you have learned from your previous masters."

[Jared Mriad]

He began to do as told, dumping out the contents and carefully constructing the camp peice by peice.

"Basic manipulation from Snack; push, pull, speed. Minor combat from Hilare, the rest I developed myself." [I]He responded, half-way through with the construction of the first shelter.

[Gav Mortis]

"Show me a trick." Said Gav, taking the equiptment from Jared's hands.

"I want to see you do what you would consider the most impressive thing you have learned."

[Jared Mriad]

He just stood there, not moving or motioning. Not conjuring up spectacular displays of the Force.

"Combat, as you have seen, is what I consider to be the most impressive talent I have. I have exercised it to the point of second nature, neglecting most of my Force studies because of it," he smirked softly at this, like an errant teen, "I did not care to advance quickly in the manipulation of Force, not until I witnessed the power of Lightning in firsthand experience. But, I have not begun to even dare to manifest it."

[Gav Mortis]

"And neither should you." Gav added quickly onto the end of Jared's words and he joined him in setting up the tents while they talked. He was eager to know the ins and outs of his new apprentice before throwing in the deep end. This one has had experience in the field, unlike Salvestro, who Gav thought may benefit from this experience.

"I want to know more, apprentice. All I know of you is you've had a history in the Empire, that you've had two previous masters and are skilled in combat and little else in the ways of the Force."

He caught Jared's eye and pointed to a large boulder, gesturing for him to sit, it was not a request. Gradually, Gav altered his mannerisms in preparation of what was to come. He stared at his apprentice.

"What do you hope to learn from me?"

[Jared Mriad]

He did as demanded, sitting on the rock and examinging the camp for no apparent reason while his hands fished out another cigarette from a white box that appeared and disappeared into his pockets. Lighting up, he murred in thought, coming up with the answer.

"Anything I can survive," Came the answer, "Anything your willing to pass on..."

He shrugged softly, "As for me, I can not remember anything up to enrolling under Snack. Several years under there, the Empire started to fall - I was away at the time, on Corusant, battling Xazor Leo Dawnstrider and recovering. After word that TSE was no longer, I enrolled within the smaller Sith Order, under Hilare. There I was trained, then posioned. Posioned with a type of blood most sentinet beings die from, some old dragon's blood if I remember.

It gave me this strange taint, on full eclipses of the moon or whatevers... I just lose it all. Don't know what happens, but Hilare's seen it - she won't tell me. Dunno what she's hiding..."

He took a long drag,

"... from there, I just went on myself. Learning from mistakes."

[Gav Mortis]

Gav was now crouched down by Jared, again he stared, his hand moved up to his apprentice's cheek and touched it softly, bringing it slowly down the side of his face. Gav enjoyed watching the discomfort evident in Jared's face until he got bored and siezed his face in a fierce grip, squeezing his cheeks so that his lips pursed comically and the cigarette fell out of his mouth. Still holding his apprentice's face, Gav turned his head and whispered into his ear.

"The next time you meet the Jedi, Xazor, it wont be a battle; there will be a massacre. And the next time you come across your old master - you will kill her. Do you understand, apprentice?" He couldn't hold back his smile as he spoke. This was the part of being mentor to someone that he enjoyed most. This was what he called the smelting process, first you have to remove all impurities and then you make them strong. "Now, apprentice, let's break the mould."

Bitterly, he pushed Jared's head aside and stood. Then tossing his apprentice a large knife, he turned and headed into the forest.

[Jared Mriad]

A snarl creeps upon Jared's face, holding the blade end of the knife, the tempting urge to bury it into the Darksider's back nearly irresistable. Instead, he stooped down and retreived his cigarette, brushing off dead foliage that clinged to it.

He flipped the knife until the handle smacked into his palm, then slid it into his belt. Sure, he had a debt with Dawnstrider, then a desire for repentance directed to Hilare - the cursed blood boiling his skin every waking moment. Snack, no - he wouldn't attack HIM, Snack had earned too much respect.

Snack was equal.

Mortis was getting there.

Mriad slid off the rock and followed Mortis.

Yeah, lets break this mold.

[Gav Mortis]

Things between Jared and Gav had suddenly changed drastically and this was the way things had to be between master and apprentice. There had to be a boundary and it had been laid down. Gav had also discovered more about Jared which would help in his training and as he trudged through tall grass he called back.

"Be vigilant, apprentice, this place is swarming with venomous plants and the like. You're going to have to be alert now, supple and fast." And with that, he took to the air, a simple push off the ground had sent him up into the highest branches of a tree above. He held onto the tree trunk and stood on a strong branch, gesturing for Jared to join him.

[Jared Mriad]

Jared bent his knees only slightly, lauching himself to a adjacent tree - landing on a branch within similar height to Mortis's own. He checked the latch on warbrand - just in case.

[Gav Mortis]

Gav was half expecting Jared not to jump so high, he was full of suprises thus far. Gav whispered across to his apprentice but his eyes were ever watchful of their surroundings; he hadn't expected it to be so quiet for so long.

"There is a tomb two kilometers south from here and I want you to get there as fast as possible. I'll meet you there but before you go, it is important that you understand that this jungle is riddled with some of the most ferocious and deadly beasts in the sector."

Taking out a blaster pistol he fired twice at the branch upon which Jared stood and it fell away from under him. Gav took off through the trees ahead of him then shouted back.

"Run apprentice!"

Then with that breaking of the silence came the growling and screeching of unseen beasts both far and near that will now be closing in on their location.

[Jared Mriad]

"OH SH-"

THUD

"-it.."

That bastard! Damn that hurt! The roar's reached his attention shortly after, and he spun his head in the direction they came from. Indeed, far off, the foliage was being shattered about followed by savage roars.

Mriad jumped to his feet and took off in a break-neck speed to the south. God be his witness, if he was eaten today - He'd haunt Mortis. Damn right!

[Gav Mortis]

As he leapt into a few trees ahead, Gav swung around the trunk and holding on with one hand leaned and let loose several shots straight at Jared. Just before he leapt to another tree, he stamped down on a large branch and sent it falling either straight into his apprentice's path or onto Jared himself, it all depended on timing.

"Apprentice, you're falling behind. Keep up!" He shouted, from overhead. Then darted off once again, up ahead he could see something moving in the tree canopies and replacing the blaster with his lightsaber, he readied himself.

[Jared Mriad]

His right hand snapped down and up, the screaming shreik of his black saber peircing through the air deflecting the bolts with ease. It was one of the first things he had made sure to extensively work upon. He noticed the falling tree-branch almost all too late, taking a rolling dive and coming back up running, and cleared it's crash course.

By the sounds of it, whatever was chasing him was getting closer by the second. Kicking it into overdrive, or just pushing himself harder with the Force, Jared lept over a rotten tree log and continued on.

Unaware that an large talon had exploded from the rotten tree...

[Gav Mortis]

That was when the attack came, but they did not attack alone, they attacked in threes. Two sharp claws batted at him from above, which forced him to drop down onto the branch below and before pulling himself up he looked above to see his attacker.

It was a great, hulking beast covered in thick black fur except for it's face, hands, chest and feet, here it's skin looked like tough leather. It's feet were as dextrous as it's hands and it would hang from branches with it's feet and claw at passers-by with it's enormous clawed hands. Another joined it on the branch above and it turned to look down at Gav as he climbed up onto his branch below. It let out an unearthly roar, the type of war cry you would expect from something much greater it's size.

"Be careful, apprentice, there's one behind you!" Gav called out and sliced at the branch above with his lightsaber. Both beasts fell except one caught onto the branch on which Gav stood. It creaked worryingly so Gav took the opportunity to stamp on the beasts hand before it pulled itself up. It howled in pain but held on with it's free hand so Gav leapt across to a neighbouring tree.

"Oh and there's another in front of you now!" Gav called, amused that one of the two beasts near him had fallen into Jared's path.

[Jared Mriad]

The active sabers' howl was joined by the second. As the beast tried to stand up, or crawl up, Jared separated it's shoulders from the rest of it's body in one swoop, not stopping nor slowing. That THING behind him was closer now, and it damned near sounded like a Rancor... only smaller.

Seconds later, Jared felt the rush of wind from a swipe across his shoulders. He spun on his right foot, lashing out a coup de' ta'. The closest one fell quickly, it's head and half a shoulder flying as it's body tumbled. Jared was off running again.

[Gav Mortis]

There was the sound of beeping, a quiet beeping. Then there was a small red light and an explosion right in front of Jared, flames danced on plots of shrubbery all around and from above Gav through another grenade down towards his apprentice.

"Move faster if you don't want to be in pieces before you reach the tomb." Gav cried, then impaled through the chest, the beast which had been chasing him in the trees. It's moans were gargled with blood in it's throat but the Sith wasn't spared anbother moment before he had to crouch and avoid a pair of razor-sharp talons.

"Here comes more, hurry!" Shouted Gav, urging Jared onward but not before he managed to drop another grenade in his path. Gav wondered if his apprentice was enjoying this as much as he was.

The great, winged creature swooped low between the trees and let out an ear-piercing screech while it was hot in pursuit of Jared.

[Jared Mriad]

Jared could've dodged the first grenade explosion... had he knew of it. Shrapnel and dirt splashed onto the warrior, cutting his arms and chest open, yet did not deter him. With a fury well known, the Warrior fueled every bit of his motion with the Force.

-...his shirt was charred on the shoulder...-

-...an explosion behind...-

-He was flying, as if his feet never touched the ground.-

The winged beast swooped in close, slowing Jared's run down as he extened one hand out and channelled a heavy Force push: shredding one of the creature's wings. As it plummeted to a potentionally deadly crash, Jared focused again on the path ahead.

He had some choice words for Mortis.

[Gav Mortis]

Breaking the undending canopy of jungle green, Gav straddled the back of one of the winged beasts with relative ease having learned to tame the wild beasts of Onderon back in Iziz City. The huge body jerked about to knock him off but to no avail. Up ahead, he could see clearly the entrance to the tomb and he smiled. Kicking the creature with his heels, he steered it back into the jungle where he had a better view of Jared down below.

"Look ahead, apprentice!" He called, pointing to the clearing in the thick jungle where the ancient tomb stood. Specks of gold light shimmered in the intense daylight, guiding the way. Gav took down one of the beasts on Jared's tail, now only one remained. It was taller than Jared and very muscular, unlike the other creatures, this one didn't have claws or sharp teeth and in fact resembled a giant gorilla more than anything else. Gav would leave this one for the time being.

"Meet me at the tomb and don't harm another beast!"

With that, Gav took to the skies once more and glided effortlessly forwards until he landed his winged ride in the clearing where the soil was replaced with sand. Relieved to no longer bear any extra weight, the creature took flight and escaped. "Apprentice, make haste!"

[Jared Mriad]

"Don't hurt this furball, are you frelling screwing with me?!"


Jared replied, breeching the clearing with a bounding leap-like motion. The tomb stood roughly twenty-four/six meters away, the beast was less-than two meters behind and closing. He had less than ten seconds to think.

There, he had something.

His hand swept back to the Warbrand's handle, as he slid into a crouch. Enpowering the force into his legs, Jared lept vertically and backflipped unto the beast's back, with only a second-or-two to act, Jared crashed the wide-blunt edge of the weapon to the side of the beast's neck. Force empowered and fury fueled, it was a HARD, HEAVY, blow. Judo-chop, if you will.

[Gav Mortis]

No sooner had the beast fallen lifeless into the sand beneath it than Jared was suddenly pulled up into the air by an invisible hand and a strong one at that. The invisible, iron fist wrapped itself around the adept's throat and squeezed, holding him some six feet from the ground. Gav stood at a distance with a look of irritation about him, for a moment he remained silent while choking the breath out of his apprentice and when he eventually did speak, his voice was quiet and controlled with undertones of anger occassionally shimmering through.

"My instructions were perfectly clear - do not harm the beast." He spoke slow so as to prolong his pupil's torture. His eyes narrowed as his grip tightened on Jared's neck. "And what did you do? Tell me, apprentice. Speak!"

[Jared Mriad]

Now this was the way to go: being hung.

Any normal, unknowing individual would try to resist, but when you knew what was there: there was no way. Jared could feel each breath leaving, nothing coming back in but a trickle.


"As... <smallfont color={hovercolor}>-Censored-</smallfont>er... surviva... of... fittest..." Jared choked, forcing in another breath - damn did his chest burn. "I... killed... it... wa... was weak. "

[Gav Mortis]

"It was weak, was it?" Gav repeated in the same calm, reflective and most importantly, slow voice. The grip tightened ever so slightly, pushing harder against trachea, shutting off the air almost completely now. He lifted Jared higher and a malicious smile crept across his face.

"But you're weak to me. By that reckoning, why shouldn't I kill you, apprentice?"

[Jared Mriad]

Now the starbursts came, painful ones.

"Be... because you would've," Jared gagged, "killed me... earlier... on the... duel... I... proven some worth!"

His ace card was the next draw, and Jared hoped he didn't have to use it. Probally seal his fate, it would, or not. Whichever the case, he had to get out... it... was... hard.... to ... breathe.

[Gav Mortis]

"So sure of yourself? At the first opportunity, you disobeyed your master, Jared." Gav said with dissappointment, he shook his head. "I don't like having my time wasted. As your master, I can show you things that you've never seen before and teach you things that few others can. But first, for this, what do you promise me in return?"

The final curtain was being drawn and the invisible hand closed around Jared's throat, cutting off his oxygen supply entirely. Gav had lost an apprentice like this before but he wasn't prepared to take any chances in and trust was a luxury he couldn't afford.

"Answer me."

[Jared Mriad]

"l.... l.... loyalty. O... obedience...."

[Gav Mortis]

"That's the idea." Gav said light-heartedly, Jared was released and was left to fall to the ground. Gav approached him and knealt down to speak to him while he was recovering, this time when he spoke it was quietly and fatherly. "It is important that you listen to me, Jared. For the relationship between master and apprentice to work there has to be trust, complete trust. Many of the other clowns out there who claim to be Sith are nothing more than angst-ridden Force users and I will be damned befor I see that fate befall someone like you. Yes, you have potential and yes, I can see you going far in the future. But you have to trust me and understand that everything that I say and do to you is with your best interests in mind."

Gav stood and headed off towards the temple, calling back to his apprentice as he did so, satisfied that he had given Jared his first important lesson. "Come on, let's go inside." He booted the carcas of the beast as he walked by and stopped to look at it. He laughed.

"You know, I have a confession to make. The only reason I wanted you to keep this beast alive is because I wanted to see you fight it weaponless when you arrived here. So you can feel releaved now."

[Jared Mriad]

Jared coughed, "Weaponless, yeah... would'er donnit if you told me first. Damn thing wasn't going to wait for you to call out attacks like some bastard of a slave."

He followed then, sheathing the warbrand back into it's scabbard. A quick massage/rub of his neck, and he was ready. Following Mortis, his hands falling down to the sabers clipped upon his belt quickly.

He didn't like temples, didn't like them at all.

[Gav Mortis]

"This place is an old buriel ground for the Onderon nobility. I don't think it's been used for over a hundred years; city folk got sick of having their funeral processions mauled by wild beasts. Damn fools to come out here in the first place if you ask me." He said with a hint of facetiousness to his words, there had to be considering both he and Jared were in the exact same place after having been attacked by half a dozen creatures no less. Perhaps he was a fool and would that make his apprentice a fool for following him here?

"It's not a temple per se but it does have features reminiscent of such a place, nevertheless it's purpose was solely for buriel and cremation. I quite like it down here, always thought it had good training potential away from the lifeless metropolis." He continued talking as they entered, the entrance hall was a odd hybrid of modern technology and archaic design. Duracrete was layered over large, cemented stone on the outside and the interior was mainly intricate brickwork with durasteel supports and doors. At least once inside, they would both be safe from the beasts.

"So what skill do you have in telekinesis?" He asked the suddenly stopped and turned, bringing Jared to a stop. They stood in the entrance to the first opening, the durasteel door slided away and in the centre of the room where three stones slabs. Each of different sizes. Gav smiled. "Now this is convenient, in fact you can show me what skill you have. See those three flat stones on the floor? They seal the graves of a small family; the mother died along with her eighteen year old son and her seven year old daughter in a battle which took place some hundred and twenty odd years ago. Staring with the daughters grave and working up to the sons large grave, can you lift any of the stones and if so can you lift more than one?"

[Jared Mriad]

Jared scanned the stones from where he stood, tilting his head this and that way before his reply came.

"I can lift one without a focus point, the one being the lesser childs. The Mother and son may need a focus point, moreso than the lesser child. As for lifting both the mothers and sons, I cannot do."

[Gav Mortis]

"Show me what you can do, apprentice." Came Gav's reply. "And I'll show you what you can't do."

[Jared Mriad]

"Fine."

Jared concentrated upon the first stone. He forced his mind to do things it was not accustomed to: two invisible hands reached our from where Jared's arms would be, wrapping about the first stone and lifting it up into the air. It lofted easily, and little strain could be seen on the Warriors face.

He lofted one arm and pointed it to the girl's lifted stone, his focus point, and lofted another to the mother's stone. It, too, lifted into the air slowy and less stable than the little girl's. Mental wear was shown upon his features now.

He lowered both stones, abit roughly, and caught his breath for a moment. After that moment, he extended his right arm torward the son's tomb.

Nothing moved.

He extended both arms out torward it.

It lifted, slowly, and unsteadily.

and dropped.

"Bloody hell..."

[Gav Mortis]

"That's not bad, apprentice. Not bad at all." Gav remarked with a nod, arms folded and standing somewhere behind Jared. He walked forward and lowered the stone gingerly onto it's grave after having caught it before it hit the ground. Gav head never been one to use hand gestures to aid his telekinetic feats. It didn't suit him.

"You have skill there and we'll build on that." Gav ventured further into the room and began pacing a circle around the three graves, scuffling his feet idly against the dusty floor. "The thing with telekinesis is this; size and weight don't matter. You have to take any conceptions of mass and throw them away because in your mind, mass isn't a factor. To the Force, size is irrelevent. If the Force is everywhere, spanning throughout the entire Universe, then of what significance are three little stones?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at Jared with a slight grin. Then suddenly, the three stone slabs took flight and levitated above their heads. They began to move and circled above them in a graceful waltz. Gav approached his apprentice and standing before him, clasped his hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye, He was still smiling.

"I said I would show you what you cannot do, well I lied because that is an impossibility. The truth is this, apprentice, you and the Force have a connection. Living things grants it power and it grants power to those who can wield it. It is an unbreakable relationship and as such, with the Force as our source of strength, there is nothing we cannot do."

The stones settled once again in their rightful places and Gav stepped to one side, gesturing rather casually at the graves.

"Again but this time remember what I told you, forget about size and mass; stretch out and sense the Force in this room, and in this temple, and in the jungle and it's beasts, in the oceans and the mountains. Feel the Force on this planet and in this system, feel the Force flowing through the galaxy and all it's living inhabitants. Feel the Force in you and me and in those stones there and lift them."

[Jared Mriad]

Jared scaned the tomb convers again, thinking and manipulating Mortis' words in his mind. He concentrated on those words, demolished what he knew of mass, law, and physics: He forgot.

He streached out his arms, palms fanned to the tombs. Everything cleared from his mind in an instant.. then filled with a brillant claustrophobia: he was swiming in it... swiming in the Force. It was everywhere, everything, and nothing at all: it was intoxicating, but soothing, wet but dry, loud... but soft.

Jared could feel himself falling, but he stood erect.

He tranced.

Outside his mind, his body seemed to sag and relax, his eyes rolled and his breathing calmed. With about half-an-hour into the trance, movement was visible from the tombs as Jared began to focus on them.. lift them.

[Gav Mortis]

Rather than interfere with words of encouragement or guidance, Gav simply stood aside and watched his apprentice go to work and in time found himself sitting down in a clammy stone niche in the wall. He wasn't an impatient man and instead relished in watching Jared perhaps for the first time, see things in a totally different light. The stones, all three of them, had been lifted and now floated above their graves in which rested three metal caskets. It was tempting to say something or throw a spanner into the works to suprise Jared to see how well he coped but instead he kept his distance and watched to see where his apprentice went with his new thinking.


OOC: Sorry this took so long. December has been a ridiculously busy month.

[Jared Mriad]

Heavy beads of sweat began to roll down Jared's forehead, even though the task was not physical; it was exhausting nevertheless. The heaviest of the trio dropped slightly about now, which with responce Jared flipped his right hand to palm-up and lifted it back even , with strain, with the other two.

Gawd damn, how long was he suppose to keep this up!?

[Gav Mortis]

Moving in close, Gav stood behind Jared and whispered.

"Now see if you can move them about the room, independent of each other."

[Jared Mriad]

Mortis would watch as the two larger of the three stones aligned one above another, with abeit of sluggy motion and dips. The smaller stone began to rotated clockwise around Jared and the two stacks took an obvious dip.

[Gav Mortis]

"Very impressive. If you can keep it up see if you can move a second stone too. You're making excellent progess."

Gav hadn't expected Jared to be able to control the stones in such a way and it was this degree of concentration that would be key in abilities such as pyrokinesis. The thought of the next teaching step at this revelation encouraged him greatly.

[Jared Mriad]

"... Sure... Gonner need a triple strength double shot expressso after dis," Jared replied, a deep sheen of sweat across his brow. He looked to the smaller stone, rather, glared at it for amoment, then quickly sliced that arm through the air to the other two stones. The second stone began to slide, very loudly with friction, across the other.

"C'mon, dumbshit, go..." He growled under his breath, swiping his right arm hard right... and launched the stone across the room. He issued a loud growl and, without purpose, dropped the heaviest of the three to center both focus points on the flying stone.

It stopped.

"Ya' dumbshit, ain't go nowhere yeh.."

[Gav Mortis]

"This is multitasking with the Force, if anything." Gav commented idly, stepping up next to his apprentice after deciding it was time to up the ante. "The Dark side is fast and effective; it is thrilling and never a chore. Take pleasure in what you're doing, imagine the damage you could inflict upon your enemies when being able to wield such stones as weapons. Now--"

Gav took a small knife from his belt and jabbed it into Jared's side, the blade didn't go deep but merely broke the skin and with his free hand, Gav gripped his apprentice's shoulder in encouragement.

"Concentrate! Do not stop. Use the pain to fuel your power."

[Jared Mriad]

"What in the bloody <smallfont color={hovercolor}>-Censored-</smallfont> are you doing?!" Jared hissed behind clenched teeth. Sharp, throbbing pains laced up his side, but the stones stood as were. Then steadied. And rotated until the two floating stones pointed at Jared and Mortis, they then began to do a slow rotation. Jared emitted a low, low, pained growl as he did as told, time and time before.

That third, heavy, stone began to resonate as it too was slowly lofted.

[Gav Mortis]

"You are skilled, apprentice." Gav complimented, still holding the blade in Jared's side. Ever so slightly, he turned the knife left and right in the wound, making the task at hand more difficult. Hushing Jared's protests, Gav continued to whisper.

"There will come a time, possibly many, when you will have to suffer the blows of your enemy and simultaneously conduct your own offense. You must learn to use the pain you feel to fuel yourself to victory; a Jedi shuts out the pain and continues whereas we sieze the pain from our opponents and cherish it as a source of great power."

Pushing the blade in a little deeper, Gav added: "Finish this task and I will teach you a skill which will push you to the top in combat. All three stones and you will be rewarded."

[Jared Mriad]

Jared growled, pushing every speck he could muster. It had been awhile since he last tapped that power, and now he waded into the pain. His hands shook as the newfound power began to surge from the fingertips. The third stone joined the other two.

<There, god-damn you. All <smallfont color={hovercolor}>-Censored-</smallfont>ing three, there! GET YOUR DAMN BLADE OUT OF MY SIDE!> He telepathically shouted.

[Gav Mortis]

"Wait! Hold it!" Gav hissed back at him in a hushed voice. He looked up and watched the stones carefully, they remained steady.

"Remember this pain, apprentice, because what I am about to tell you will throw into sharp relief the reality of your future, this is your last chance to turn away and never pursue this path ever again. With time you will realise that as you grow stronger, the hold of the Dark Side tightens and it's will grows strong while yours weakens. The truth is this, the Dark Side will take of you more than it will ever grant and in time you will succumb to it's every bidding, it is merely a question of time. I am here to ensure that you hold onto what sanity you can throughout the course of your training and during your time with my people. You will grow powerful but it will come at a price. A very high price."

Suddenly, Gav pulled the blade from Jared's side, giving an aggressive twist as he did so and after casting the weapon aside, looked down to assess the damage. He had done what he had set out to do, blood flowed freely from the large, open wound and quickly, with one hand on his shoulder, he coaxed Jared gently to the ground.

"Lie down." He said softly, almost soothingly. "Now it is time to make a choice, apprentice. After all that I've told you about the pain you have experienced and all that you will suffer, do you still wish to assume the mantle of my apprentice? Are you willing to be instructed in the ways of the Sith? Yes or no. Either way you will die, be it by this wound, which I can heal, or through the long decay of time. Make the choice."

[Jared Mriad]

He had this decision before?

Was it bleeding his life away, spilling blood that wasn't even wholly his into the tombstones under? He had made the choice before, and he stuck with it. Even to the point of death, it was his path of fate. His choice. His.

"Yes..." He forced out, holding a hand tight to stanch the flood of red liquid from his side. Right now, in the back of that warrior's head, a feral beast coaxed and coaxed and coaxed! Jared forced him away, forced that demon of Fallion away.

"...You do not know how much I would like to rip your throat out, but you're..."

He winced.

"...nevermind..."

[Gav Mortis]

"Very well." Gav replied with a hint of regret. Observing the wound, he smirked.

"I lied before when I said I could heal your wound." Gav's smirk turned into a smile once he'd caught sight of Jared's face, he pressed his finger against his apprentice's pale lips and hushed him softly. A hand moved to the open cut.

"I am no healer but fear not, I can seal the wound until you can recieve proper medical treatment." He closed his eyes, hesitated then looking down at Jared one last time, added: "This is really going to hurt."

Then there was fire; crackling and hissing; slowly the wound was being burned shut and soon Jared would pass out from the pain and when that happens, Gav will take him to his new home.

"Tomorrow, your training will begin, Eralest."