Barriers (Self Training)

[Darth Ferus]

Templar Sanctum, Inner Chambers

Krest stood in the center of the chamber, only wearing a pair of trousers. His chest, neck, and face were marked in several places by shallow cuts. The Zabrak breathed slow, his eyes watching a machine. A robot built to shoot small disks at what ever it was aimed at. Krest set the robot up to shoot at him, to allow him to practice Force Barrier. He was terrible, unable to stop a single disk thus far, and his body showed it.

TWACK!

Another disk gets launched. Krest focuses directly in front of him, calling on the Force to form a protective film in front of him. The disk smashed through the barrier, only this time it was slowed. The disk shoots across to his left, but not far enough. It cuts into his arm, but the Zabrak hardly noticed. He finally found a foot hold, and now he was going to advance it further. A childish grin formed on the Zabrak's face as he prepared for another.

 

[Darth Ferus]

The machinery was set on a three minute reset cycle. At the end of three minutes, another disk would be launched. It was set this way to allow Krest to move back into position and prepare himself in between the launches. The Zabrak kept his hands at his sides, focusing on making a barrier without them. In his mind if he could make the barrier without his hands, when he did he would be that much better at it. He spread his feet apart, staring down the machine and counting down the seconds.

Three.. Two.. One..
TWACK!

Another disk shoots out of the machine. Krest braces himself, his eyes flashing bright. Through the force he weaves another barrier, focused on catching the disk and stopping it entirely. The disk slams against his barrier and for a second it seems to stop, but it suddenly bursts through, flying pasts the Zabraks head and embedding itself into the wall behind him. Krest lets out his held breath, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He was getting there.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest found himself slowly improving with each shot. He was able to slow down the disk to the point in which they would bounce off the pillars behind him after only a couple more attempts, and it was shortly after that that he was able to catch them with his hands after they shattered through the barriers. The Zabrak was getting the hang of it. He was understanding. He eventually started to weave and interlock the force, creating an invisible net to catch the disks, and this proved to be highly effective. Within a couple of tries he was able to stop the disks entirely.

Krest panted, grinning to himself after he caught the last one. He moved over to the machine, shutting it down and packing it up. The first part for him was over. But now he needed to use the barriers without prior warning. On the go, on the move. He had quite the distance to go until he would be able to master this ability.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Templar Sanctum, Courtyard.

Krest stood outside in the courtyard, his hands held up. Once more he was in nothing but trousers, and this time he was facing training drones. They continued to move and dance, sending small bolts meant to shock the Zabrak. Krest shot his hands around, forming barriers on his palm to catch the bolts. Force Barrier was a move he intended to master, but Force Reflect would be that much more worth it. The sword he wanted to craft would not be able to reflect blaster bolts, but if he could anyway, he would have a distinct advantage.

Krest kept up with the droids most of the time, his hands shooting out to deflect a bolt from them. But he was still learning. Still trying to understand. More then once he was zapped and his concentration was lost, causing the barriers he formed in his palm to fade and him to get even more shocks. More then once he had to reset the training simulation before he was shocked into unconsciousness. But the Zabrak was determined. He would not stop until he could complete the simulation.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest found himself laying on his back, panting. He had been at this for almost the entire day and only was able to make it through the halfway mark of the simulation before he found himself tired out. The process to use the barrier while moving and knowing your surroundings was proving to be a difficult ability to process, and no matter how headstrong or willful the Zabrak was he would not be able to master it.

Krest clicked his tongue, now angry with himself. Such thoughts of doubt would get the man no where. He pushed himself off the ground, once more on his feet. He glanced over his body, frowning. The cuts that had only begun to heal from the training yesterday were now open. Well, they had been. Dried blood caked over the wounds, each a deeper red then his own skin. But with a shake of his head he dismissed it, moving his way over to the simulator's consul.

One more time.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest breathed lightly. One last time for the day. If he couldn't make it through halfway, he'd call it a night. The training droids whine as they start up the simulation, each moving around the Zabrak. There smaller lasers fire at him from different angles, but Krest keeps up. He angles his body to avoid the fire, uses his hands to catch the ones he can't. He dances across the courtyard, evading shot after shot, his brow tight from concentration.

The Templar does something different this time. Through the other training simulations he had been redirecting the blaster bolts away, but now he was aiming. Out if the six bots firing at him he redirected each of there shots to another of the droids, effectively turning them off and sending them to the ground.

Five.. Four.. Now three. Two left.

Krest found himself panting again. The physical toll this took on him could not be understated, but he was getting it. With the last droid he raised his hand one last time to deflect the bolt, and the droid dropped. Krest bent, his arms hanging loosely beneath him. He had done it. Sure, he was no master at the ability, but he had the basics. And with the basics, he can improve. He fell forward, sprawled out under the night sky.

Funny, it was morning when I came out here. I think I'll sleep now..

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest wakes up some time in midday. No one bothered waking up the Zabrak. When he asked a near by Templar why they didn't wake him, he was told that they tried, he just didn't get up. Krest rubbed the back of his neck at the news. Seems he was working much harder then he thought. But today wasn't a day to rest. He needed to train in one last aspect. Melee.

The Zabrak moved back inside the Sanctum, his mind running at a mile a second. Mostly to the training yesterday. The bots, their blaster fire was weak, small. It was nothing to the real world. There was no way he'd be able to use it. So the most he could do is learn how to make it better. Make him stronger.

He found himself in the Sanctums library before long, reading up on the ability. It turned out to be a Master skill, something that would take him a while to learn. So he read up anyway, using it to further his ability with Force Barrier. There was a task, holding his hand over an open flame without getting burned, that he would do as soon as he could.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Templar Sanctum, Fountain.

Krest stood in front of the fountain, his hands up defensively. Across from him was a sparing droid, wielding a training saber and bouncing across the rock pathway. It ran right for Krest, slashing leghthwise for the mans chest. Krest brings up his barrier to catch the sword and does, but it shatters and the blade snaps into the Zabrak's arm. Krest hisses, sliding his way back from the droid, shaking his baddly bruised arms.

It had been going this way for the past couple of hours, him he shield and the droid breaking through. Krest was tired, still tired from the training he had done before. But this was important. If he could get this, he was done. He had learned the basics and could advance them in the field. But he needed the basics so he wouldn't get killed. So he pressed on.

"Again."

 

[Darth Ferus]

The droid charged Krest, slashing right for the Zabrak's chest. The droid was fast, enhanced to be similar to a force wielding opponent. The droids sole program was to beat its opponent into the ground and ultimately win by any means. Krest held his hands up to the side, forming another barrier. His brow knitted with concentration as he moved to catch the blade along the shields edge. For a moment, nothing happened. The blade stopped, floating in the air. But the barrier suddenly breaks. Krest leaped back, away from the blade entirely. At least he could still dodge.

But something was wrong. His sheild wasn't strong enough. He needed a tighter weave to create a better barrier. "Again." He ran right for the droid this time, forming his barrier as he closed in. The droid, always programmed to win, leapt at the Templar, bringing his sword right down with all the weight of the robot. Krest focused intently on his barrier, closing the net as tight as he could before holding his hands up. The barrier caught the saber, and this time he held. He kept the shield up until the droid landed back on the ground. Then, he kicked out with his robotic leg, sending his sparring partner back.

"No more." The droid drops its stance, moving back to where Krest had taken it from. Krest grinned wide. He did it. Now there was only one thing left. One final task.

I need a fire.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Templar Sanctum, Inner Chambers

Krest wandered his way back into the inner sanctum. There were fires everywhere, and it was something he planned to use. Krest moved close to the flame, watching the reds yellows and oranges flicker around in the banister. Part of him had no intention of going through with this. This wasn't something he thought would end well. But he needed to do it. He needed to master what he could. So the zabrak held out his hand.

Pain. Pain was all he felt. He tightened his focus onto the barrier, but it wasn't working. It didn't help. The fire continued to burn, singing his skin and causing him to wrench his hand back, holding it tight. The flesh was singed and smarting. This task was not going to be easy, but Krest wasn't about to give up.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest focused intently on his palm. There was a blister already forming. The scar would certainly look interesting at least. For now though, Krest needed to get the fire under his control. So, he went back at it. He weaved another barrier, and with another and another, focusing on layering as much as he could. Once he was done, he held his hand out once more.

Nothing. Nothing was felt. The entire area was dead. But something started to feel, something started to burn. Krest yanked his hand free as quick as he could, hissing. The layering worked, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't going to keep his hand safe and sound, let alone reflect the heat. But the Zabrak was as head strong as ever, determined.

For the next hour Krest flipped in between nursing his hand and burning it. No matter waht he did it wasn't working. It wasn't doing what he wanted. It annoyed the Zabrak to no end that he wasn't getting it. That no matter what his hand started to hurt. His hand scarred and burned caused him to have to find himself a medic to heal the palm. When he was asked why he was doing it, Krest only gave a vague answer. Training. It was as simple as that.

Soon after he was healed, and after a stern lecture by the healer about not sticking your hand into a fire, Krest went back to the flame and stuck his hand into it again. And again. Constantly working on the barrier to start reflecting the heat. And each was a failure. Always a failure. Krest growled in anger, starting to loose his patience. This was getting no where but pain in his hand. Constant pain. More and more. So he eventually stopped. Calling it a night. He needed to think this out.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest awoke early the next day. His hand still burned, but he wasn't about to give up. An idea came to mind, something new. He constantly thought of the barrier as a shield and nothing more. Something meant to take the hit and knock it away. But this new idea might work. A mirror. Reflect instead of armor. So this is where he begins.

Krest focused intently on his palm. He imagined a mirror and only a mirror in his palm. It didn't take long for him to feel the force work in the way he wanted. He stuck his hand into the fire and it worked. He didn't feel the heat on his palm at all. Krest was over joyed, but it didn't last long. He reflected the heat to his palm, but the fire only circled around his hand. The side and top of his hand caught the flame, causing burns all along it. Quickly the Zabrak pulled his hand free, swearing under his breath.

So close, but he had it. He understood what he needed to do. So now it was a matter of forming the mirror around the entire of his hand to reflect the heat and he'll have beaten the first stage. Finally got force Barrier under his belt. The Zabrak smiled wide, nodding to himself. This was his chance to be done with this whole day.

Krest focused in his hand again, his mind completely focused on it. A mirror, pure and fine, all around the edge of his hand. His entire hand. And once he did so, he pressed his hand into the flame. There he held it. Seconds turned to minutes. Ten minutes pass and Krest finds himself grinning wide. He pulls his hand free, wiggling his fingers. He had done it. He had began to learn an ability that was an advancement of his Barrier. He was sure he wouldn't be able to use this in combat at all, but he was on the right path. All he needed now was someone to teach him. Someone who knew what to do and how to do it. He needed a master.

And a master is what he was going to get.