A "Friendly" Spar

[Abelain Narv'uk]

The "Praxeum" that he had been informed about was far different than what the Arue'tii had initially expected when informed about its existence. Of course, he hadn't entirely expected to the place to be nearly as bloody and vicious as a One Sith temple, but simultaneously it was the only type of training ground that he had encountered for Force sensitives. Whereas the places he had been had focused almost entirely on combative abilities and skills; essentially turning what might have been perceived to be a 'religious' site into merely another training camp, it seemed that the Praxeum here was less specialized in the arts of violence.

That wasn't to say that the fighting aspect was entirely absent, or that it was even very difficult to locate. It took the Arue'tii only a few moments of walking about the establishment before he had come across persons striking at assorted dummies, or occasionally even sparring with one another. Yet, there was a fundamental lacking of bloodthirstiness that accompanied the creation of a Sith temple, and whilst some of those combatants were certainly invested in their fights, it was evident with a simple glance that none would pursue the battle beyond an agreed threshold.

Abelain absent-mindedly twiddled with the lightsaber at his side, red cape swaying gently behind him as he continued stalking around the place, satisfying his curiosity by glancing into every crevice and crook that he could run across. In this room there were people meditating, silent and serene in their trance. In that room there were more people striking at dummies and one another, dancing around in that carnal way that accompanied even mock combat. In that room... there was storage of some manner or another, though he wasn't so curious as to scry into someone else's property, especially not when so many political implications would ride across such an action.

He began to project his senses outward, allowing the Force to enhance his sensory abilities; or, perhaps more accurately to reveal a sense that he could not have accessed whatsoever without it. He could feel the Light pouring off of some of those nearby, especially located within those who were practicing their meditations. There was some semblance of Darkness that followed those engaged in battle, though it was a minuscule amount, indicative of the fact that they were simply passionate of their battle, not necessarily on the side of the Darkness.

There was a sudden specter of shadow that crossed his senses, and his eyes snapped open in surprise. The sense had not picked him up at first, but now that he was aware of his presence, the Arue'tii could scent him not far from himself, could smell the iron blood that poured through his veins. The large Arue'tii set off towards the target, continuing to scent the air with a predatory hunger that was... admittedly difficult to contain at times. He stumbled into a large open room where the faintest impressions of smoke still drifted through the air from the ignited dummy. A lone personage remained in the place, and Abelain allowed his senses to spread outwards once more, verifying what he had already discovered.

Dark Sider.

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

And what an introduction, it was almost movie-esque! The same ignited dummy was being pushed off Darlyn's saber by his boot, while he lifted another and crushed it under the weight of the Force. Add in the fact that his back was turned to [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] as he entered, and his sith like robes, you could imagine it as the start of a boss fight, or climax of a movie. Or just really, really great timing on the Arue'tii's part. Probably just the last one. Still, Darlyn would be jealous of the sight if he knew the timing that just occured.

Speaking of who, the redhead was releasing his grip on the second dummy to run his hand through his hair, taking deep breaths. Practicing Crush was exhausting, and even these dummies were difficult to execute such a move on, which meant that practice and growth was slow. Granted, he rarely had need of such a violently brutal move, but it was fun. So. Practice. Exhausting as it was, though at least he got to stab dummies with his yellow blade, which was disengaging with a hiss as he surveyed the damage. He noticed the figure behind him, but he could wait five seconds, couldn't he? Of course with little unexpected damage, that left the wait to be swift, as Darlyn finally turned around to look at the, much, taller figure.

Despite the profound darkness around him, Darlyn's eyes were still quite blue, with only what seemed to be gold flecks within the sea to indicate his corruption. Rather amusingly, his devotion to doing his job kept enough of a leash on him that he never succumbed to the darkside entirely, though he was certainly a violent, arguably evil individual. Not to mention the slight bulges in his robe's chest indicated the hidden pistols he kept holstered on him, the only reason he wasn't walking around in his heavy armor.

The human was a bit put off by the size of the individual, the one who was darker than the students, but he at least didn't seem intimidated. Instead he kept a sort of cocky smile, as he spoke to the Arue'tii. "Can I help you? Perhaps to a training hall with dummies that aren't in pieces, or is that not why you are here?"

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

If the Arue'tii could have described the scene that played out before him in a single word, he likely would have confined the entire ordeal to the utterance: Dramatic. Granted an additional adjective to clarify his point, he would have chosen 'needlessly'. The dummy which had been ignited, the one that still reeked of smoke and ash was promptly kicked off of the lightsaber by the sole occupant of the room. Abelain was fairly certain that the movement had been unnecessary given the cutting power of the saber, and he found it somewhat ineffective that someone would choose to cleanly withdraw the weapon as opposed to simply twisting it to the side and allowing it to bisect the annihilated training implement. After all, it was evident that it would not be used for any future endeavors, so destroying it completely wouldn't have been breaking any unspoken protocol on reuse.

He continued to observe as the sole figure, the one who had the familiar stench of Dark side energies took hold of another nearby dummy, and promptly crushed it into oblivion. The crumpled form of the non-living entity was as good a reminder as any of the destructive tendencies of the Dark side, but Abelain wasn't entirely impressed by the display. Was that not simply another feat of telekinetic prowess? He had met others who were capable of thrashing beings to and fro, and even he was capable of lifting another person and bashing them into a wall. What was the difference between that, and the strange pressurized squeeze he had witnessed? He made a mental note to examine whatever archives the facility contained at a later date for answers.

The Arue'tii took notice of the appearance of the man, the fact that his features had not been entirely lost to the strain of Dark side corruption. In truth, neither had his own, but then again, he had relied far less upon the Force than many of his compatriots. It was a useful tool, and a sheer advantage over others, true, but it was unwise for a person to lean upon one thing entirely lest that crutch be kicked out from under them. What he lacked in the skillful and talented manipulation of the Force in its more intricate forms, he made up for with a particular talent for combat, an unorthodox methodology of warfare formulated in his being, drilled into him by the martial environment of his home world and the ruthless savagery of its scenery.

Neither of them wore any sort of heavy armor, and, to the Arue'tii it appeared quite likely that the other man was not wearing anything of protective value whatsoever. That said, the chitinous exoskeleton that made up a fundamental portion of his physiology; it was the only visible part of him, acted as far more armor than any measly durasteel or titanium construct might have accomplished. Upon his person, he wore only a belt which held a pair of sheathes, both possessing a weapon; one a lightsaber, the other a vibroblade, and a red cape which hung over his back with dramatic flourish.

The man spoke, and the Arue'tii was broken out of his analysis for an instant. It was strange to consider that so much power and strength could be confined to such weak flesh, he considered as he scented the blood rolling within the veins of the man just below his skin, the way that it wrapped around muscle and tendons, flowing unseen like a delicacy to his hematophagia-familiar mind.

"The offer is appreciated, but... I am more than satisfied here." He raised a hand, palm outward in brief gesture. "I was not aware that there would be others wrapped in the trappings of the Dark side here." He cocked his head to the side as he spoke, curious eyes continuing to eat up the figure before him. "Were you a Sith?"

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Sith? "Certainly not by choice. If I could have it my way, I'd have shot my old master shortly after his ugly mug entered my life and gone on. Alas, eight year olds are terrible at murder. And jumping out of high windows. Both of which I've grown much more capable of, I might add." He half chuckled, shaking his head as he took a step back, spreading his arms half in welcoming and half as though gesturing to the room around him. "Well, Mr. Tall Dark and not terribly handsome, welcome to the Praxeum. Where light and dark are little more than sides of a coin, students can learn whatever they damn well please, and once a week it's casual Friday. Please wear pants though, the last time someone didn't they ended up showing far more than intended." His chuckling only intensified at his own sense of humour, terrible as it was.

The heavier part of his sith-styled robes, which had been laying on the ground, was lifted up and put on with a single fluid, practiced motion. Darlyn assumed that he would be done for the day, and was not yet aware of how wrong that assumption was. "Now then, is there a way I can help you? Or do you often stand in rooms of broken dummies for fun?"

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain listened carefully as the fellow dark sider explained his predicament. It was interesting that he would choose to reveal so much of his backstory to someone he had only just met, but the Arue'tii supposed that humans in general were far more social persons than his own kind, and that they found comfort in explaining their assorted tragedies to others. Perhaps it was a sort of coping mechanism to directly discuss something traumatic so that one could talk themselves through the trauma, and recover more easily from it as a result.

The dark sider did not cease with simply revealing that he had been taken as an eight-year old child, however, but further admitted to the act of murder with which he professed proficiency. That was not altogether surprising given the circumstances that typically surrounded the training of new Sith, especially since there was a sort of innate brutality and cruelty that was implied in most dark side activities. That was not to say that it was perhaps necessary, but that it was far more common to find among the more darkly inclined persons of the galaxy than those who were subservient only to the Light side of the Force.

He was introduced to the nature of the Praxeum by the Dark sider who made it clear that the two sides of the Force were no more significant here than the two sides of a coin. That was a fascinating statement, but one that the Arue'tii figured was entirely falsified. Many of the Dark side abilities relied on causing a maximum amount of damage, whether that be physical, psychological, mental, or emotional. The idea of persons engaging in such vicious activities in the midst of the peaceable organization's territory seemed as if though it would be anathema to their ideals, and so whilst he might not have been judged negatively for being a Dark sider, the implication that they were all equal was utterly deceptive.

"I have not been here before, and so I am still unfamiliar with your ways. Do they engage in dueling here? I know that in the Sith temples, it was something fairly common, a challenge issued to display both prowess, and to hone talents, but I am uncertain as to whether such pursuits would be... acceptable." Being the representative of Ghul meant that he needed to be fairly careful in his dealings, and he certainly didn't want to alienate any helpful persons by implying a desire for violence.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Dueling is common enough. For fun, to train, though it doesn't serve the purpose you seem to recall it filling. It's more relaxed around here, since there's really no reason to try and one up everyone all the time. Less backstab happy than the Sith after all." He hummed a moment, thinking quietly. This man, a sith if he were to guess given the way his questioning went, and the obvious enough darkness, seemed deeply curious about dueling. Though he was unaware of anything regarding Ghul, or the Arue'tii, he could easily tell when someone was craving a bit of violence. Beasts attracted beasts, or something along those lines, and Darlyn understood such a desire well enough. Not to mention his time as a bounty hunter had forced him to learn to read people, at least more than the average person could. Fortunately he wasn't usually opposed to fighting and killing someone, making his willingness to indulge something greater... though lately he toned down the murder part of it.

Darlyn hummed, and chuckled after a moment. "I for one thoroughly enjoy dueling, thankfully I've learned well how to handle myself in a fight. Unfortunately I've long since surpassed most of those on the facility, for one reason or another, and it has become more difficult to find a duel that isn't predictable." Though, to be fair, with Niman as his primary form, and a heavy emphasis on mix ups with the Force and a second blade, it wasn't hard to understand his frustration. Some duelists couldn't handle dual wielders, some couldn't handle force assaults.

Some couldn't handle the ability to switch freely between variations of a simple form.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

The man spoke, making it clear that dueling was not an altogether uncommon practice within the limits of the Praxeum, but it seemed by his words that it was an affair that was altogether more mild than what he would have expected from a Sith installation. Admittedly, it was evident to him that the constant conflict between members and the continual loss of members due to backstabbing and straight up murder would certainly negatively affect the group, but the fighting itself could do nothing more than train and better equip those lightsaber-wielding warriors as they fought across the galaxy. After all, iron sharpened iron, and what better adversary could one face than a person like themselves? How better to identify weaknesses and strengths in the maneuvers that a person favored, or even that an entire ideology personified.

The figure before him began to speak once more, stating with what Abelain could only assume was pride that he enjoyed the act of dueling, and that he had grown quite proficient in it. He continued to brag, declaring that he had already managed to beat most of the persons in the facility, and that he had grown to predict the actions of his opponents. That last portion seemed entirely possible to the Arue'tii, especially given that the less-violent nature of the Praxeum in general likely meant that the same persons visited and revisited the grounds with little variation. If there was a single advantage to the bloodthirsty nature of the Sith, it was that there was always a constant influx of new blood to test and try those who had attempted to solidify themselves in positions of power or prominence.

The Arue'tii himself was a combatant, and one who would be considered quite old by many of the human beings who wandered the galaxy. It was true that he had fought for a proportional amount of time given their distinctly different life times, and that he had only recently in the past few years become acquainted with the nature of battle in the greater galaxy, but he had been fighting wars long before he had made the decision to explore the stars above his home world. He typically preferred the basic style of Shii-Cho for a majority of his fighting, because it was simplistic, and easy, and because it was excellent at lulling a person into a sense of security; Shii-Cho was the first form most persons ever learned. Perhaps the greatest variation on the way that he performed the act was that he put far more force into his blows than the typical inferior man, which was certain to rattle the limbs of anyone facing him... and, he had other tricks as well.

"That does sound quite unfortunate Mr..." He paused, expecting a name before continuing. "It would be a shame to intrude upon your proceedings without offering to assist you with that particular problem. Would you like to duel?" His chitinous hand gradually lowered to his side.

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Excron. Minister Excron." He chuckled a bit, slowly sliding his arms back out of his cloak, and tossing the heavy fabric to the wall. Along with pushing everything in the room back just a bit, to keep his earlier mess out of the way for now, so the dueling hall would be more spacious. Though he had little doubt that the remnants of training dummies would be weapons in a short while regardless. "I'll be a good host and remember to turn my saber to its training setting, and I would advise you do the same. I've been known to get a little carried away in the moment, and it would be poor form to relieve your neck from the burden of carrying your head." It wasn't a threat, even someone without understanding of tonal inflection could tell as much. If it was a threat it would be punctuated by something, and certainly not from Darlyn taking his two lightsabers and making a show of turning down the power setting.

Then, he would ignite both his yellow lightsaber, wielded in his right, and Exar Kun's blue saber in his left. The latter was set to a shoto setting, making it significantly shorter, while the yellow remained the average length. He didn't take up a 'proper' stance, but the way his knees bent were obvious enough prep for this little duel. And, as a gracious host, he was making a show of not making a move while waiting for [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] to get himself prepared in turn, and take the first move. Not that he had a passive look, or intent for that matter. Unlike a jedi, who might wait for the first move and play defensively, there was an almost predatory delight in Darlyn's eyes. Like a hunter waiting for its prey to make the first mistake already. Calm patience, against violent delight.

Not to mention he needed to know how the Arue'tii moved.