Private Bloodshine Blades

[Darth Ophidia]

It had been five standard weeks since last anyone had heard from Darth Ophidia.

Among those who served her closest, concern had hardened into a determination to carry on into the future ahead. While none had clear answers as to what happened to her, and some still sought for a way to find her in life or death, they all knew that her vision to preserve the Sith Empire into eternity could not be weakened by her absence.

That was why Darth Raust was on Korriban in the weeks after the Test of Strength.

They had to teach the new generation of Sith how to fight, and how to defend themselves effectively against their most deadly opponents. Through his research, he had found that one apprentice has garnered much of their former master's attention: One Darth Strosius . Having identified the young apprentice during the Test of Strength and given him time to patch up, Darth Raust sent for the young man to meet him in the Valley of the Dark Lords.

The ancestral graveyard and trial ground for Sith.

There, at the top of the ancient, carved stairs, the Quarren overseer meditated under the pale sun, feeling the chill of the dark side settle into his very bones.

In front of him, his lightsabre floated in the air, turning slowly as if caught in a bubble of neutralised gravity.

Behind him were simply crumbled ruins, but ahead of him were the weatherworn statues of sith lords past, and their ancient tombs since buried, discovered, reburied and rediscovered again ad infinitum. The structures of the Sith of old stood in defiance against the wind and sand that sought to wear them down, and where one monument had toppled, another was built. The Empire had uncovered and rebuilt many a thing here, patching the orange sand with black metal slabs and spires.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri had spent most of his time after the Test of Strength either recovering or reading. His efforts had garnered him some form of attention so he was allowed to do some "independent" studies here and there. Usually under some form of supervision, he wasn't exactly a proper student here after all.

Still, he had plenty of fun attempting to learn whatever they would allow him to.

However, he hadn't heard anything from his master Darth Ophidia even before he had arrived on Korriban. He was concerned of course, but he usually had several things keeping his mind occupied. Whenever he had gotten a message to travel out into the Valley of the Dark Lords however, he was all too eager to drop whatever he was studying and head out to go meet with who had sent for him.

He had long since swapped out the scout armor that he acquired for his first mission before he first traveled here, now clad in what he deemed to be in a more Sith-like outfit. He even managed to barter with some other acolytes back on Krayiss Two for a decent mask.

Well, barter being a mixture of bartering and some minor intimidation of course.

His steps almost seemed to echo in his own ears as he ascended the ancient steps up to the ruins proper. Korriban had plenty of ruins to peruse and study, but Alisteri had not yet gotten used to the sight of them; nor had he gotten used to the imposing presence they gave him. Finally he finished his ascent, stopping at the top of the stairs as his gaze swept over the ruins before landing on the figure ahead of him.

It wasn't his master of course, but he wasn't too surprised. Her messages were usually more cryptic than this.

He walked forward, stopping about a meter away from the figure and giving a respectful bow. "I am to assume that you sent for me? To what do I owe the pleasure of being summoned?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

The quarren Sith remained still, but his lightsabre slowly descended into his hands, where his taloned fingertips curled around it. The sabre showed signs of wear and tear as the glossy, black finish was scuffed and scraped near every corner. The leather wrapping looked fresh, and was presumably recently changed from a much more tattered one.

"I observed you on behalf of your master."

His eyes opened, like two pinpricks holding back a firestorm within him. His face was not as impassive as Ophidia's but he was still a hard one to read, if only by the nature of his alien physiology. The quarren stroked his facial tentacles in thought as he continued to inspect the human before him.

"Her assessment is correct: You show great promise, but require much practice." He flicked one of the tentacles to the side as if in contempt "I see it even now, you are unrefined, sloppy."

Stirring from his sitting position, the sith rose to his knees and then to a full stand. He was not much taller than Ophidia, but considerably broader and bulkier in his build than the slender and serpentine lady of shadows. While the most domineering weapon on his person was his sabre, the electrowhip on his hip became painfully apparent as he stood up. It was also, perhaps, an implement familiar to any former slave.

"And worst of all, you doubt yourself."

A shade of disappointment was visible on his face, as if he had hoped for something greater than what he found. Whether it was something he put on to affect Alisteri or if it was genuine was even more difficult to tell than what he truly felt to begin with.

"I will train you while she is away."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri was rather tense as he observed the Sith in front of him, his eye twitching underneath his mask at the Quarren's words. He was a bit intimidated by the other, although he did his best to try and disguise that fact.

He flinched slightly, saying nothing as the Sith stood and critiqued him. His gaze trailed from one hip to the other, settling on the electrowhip as his hands clenched at his sides from the sight of it. If there was only one object that the apprentice despised, it was those accursed electrowhips. The wounds they left on slaves hardly ever stopped stinging with pain, or maybe it was just the mental wound that they left that stung.

Either way, he hated that weapon.

His thoughts scattered as the Sith spoke again, his gaze shifting back up to watch the Quarren's face as he spoke. He wasn't too thrilled by this matter, he hadn't walked all the way out here just to be berated. The training however, was something that he had no problem with enduring.

"Of course; I shall do my best to prove my worth to you, my lord."

A small, respectful bow of his head punctuated his sentence. He rolled his shoulders and did a couple of basic stretches before nodding to the other Sith. After the brawl that he had participated in a few days ago, he had been itching to learn more of the arts of lighsabre combat. That had been one of if not the biggest weakness.

"I assure you, I am ready for whatever you will put me through."

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Raust could feel the anger in Alisteri. He noted the balling of the acolyte's fists when he stood up, recognising the effect the sight of the whip had. To one like Raust, it was not just a weapon of pain, it was a symbol of intimidation and oppression. He wore it in part to remind everyone that they were below his thumb. The anger this feeling sparked so often turned to great and spiteful actions, fuelling the passions of young sith acolytes and spurring them into action which they took out on a galaxy of disorder and violence. For some, the mere sight of the whip was as effective as receiving a stroke of the lash itself.

But it had the most effect when he said nothing.

Ophidia's apprentices always had that spark of hatred, that tenacious fire born from an experience of cruelty. If only she was a better teacher, she would have created a new Dark Lord of the Sith.

"We shall see."

The quarren Sith Lord stood up, dusting off his black robes. He turned his back on Alisteri and walked further into the platform at the top of the stairs. He did not want to start this lesson at such a precarious precipice, but he did want to see what kind of chances Alisteri was willing to take when alone with a Lord of the Sith.

"Take out your sabre, show me how you wield it."

Once more, Raust reached up and stroked one of his facial tentacles, his back still turned to the apprentice.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri idly rolled his shoulders and flexed his hands just to hear the satisfying cracks and pops for a moment. He felt as if he would need the distraction, seeing as his gaze kept wandering down to that accursed weapon on the Sith's hip.

Many a long night had been spent trying to soothe the wounds from weapons such as that, the mere thought of it made his eye twitch.

He watched as the Darth Raust stood, reluctantly following after him. He kept the distance between them constant however. Half out of respect, half out of the desire to stay away from this Sith Lord.

"Of course, my lord."

He nodded, taking a step or two back to get some more room as he pulled the weapon from his side. It slid easily into his right hand, he had gotten used to using it as effectively as he could in both of his hands; sometimes he even managed to swap hands in the heat of the moment with little loss to efficiency. That was a little trick that he was still working on however.

With a small exhale of breath he ignited his lighsabre and began his demonstration. He was very clearly sloppy and untrained, although his experience in the Show of Strength had clearly taught him some lessons on blocking and parrying. Still, he lacked any sort of proper form. Instead he seemed to be the kind that adapted to the situation at hand rather than a proper style. However; said adaptation had very mixed results.

All in all, it was clear he stood no chance in a real duel.

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As the sabre ignited, Raust turned half-way to watch. He did not face Alisteri, but kept his left shoulder toward Alisteri as he observed, which meant the whip remained in sight. He watched quietly, never taking his eyes off the young man nor even taking the time to blink. He nodded once at a point, then curled his tentacles in displeasure at another, but overall his expression was unreadable.

"Stop."

The word cut harshly through the wind and Alisteri's performance as the Sith Lord approached.

He reached out casually with his right hand as if trying to touch Alisteri's active lightsabre blade. However, before the blade could touch his skin, he pressed it aside with invisible force. Darth Raust did not try to throw the blade aside, but turn it away just so he could look Alisteri right in the eye without threat of the blade.

"Awful. Your parries are sloppy, your blocks are weak, and your attacks lack conviction."

Oh, he had seen sufficient blocks, parries, and attacks in Alisteri's routine, but the Sith rarely functioned on positive reinforcement. The Quarren stepped back into a position mirroring Alisteri's. His hold on the apprentice's blade released as her picked his sabre from his hip and activated it. "If you try to block me like that, I will cleave you with your own blade." He put his blade against Alisteri's and showed how the tip could be manipulated with a little pressure.

"Like this." He moved his blade slowly back, changing the angle of his blade to block off one side of his body. His elbows tucked in to strengthen his hold on the blade and the tip kept facing straight at Alisteri's eyes like a spear threatening to impale him. "Always be ready to attack again, even when you defend."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Although he was rather caught up in his little display, the acolyte was quick to stop when given the command. His gaze almost immediately landed on the whip, casting a wary look upon the weapon. As silly and childish as it sounds, a part of him was idly hoping that such an accursed weapon had just vanished for whatever reason.

He watched the Sith curiously, about to pull the blade back reflexively before the other could touch it, but the his gaze traced the blade as it was merely pushed aside by...well to him it looked like nothing. He knew better by now though.

Under the harsh judgement, the masked man couldn't help but wilt a bit.

Of course, Alisteri had no delusions about being good at his sabre work, but he thought that his attacks at least were worthwhile. How hard was it to attack something with effort? His eye widened for a moment as the Quarren ignited his own blade, his tension left however as he saw that it was used for instruction rather than to cut him in two.

Thank the Force that this was a lesson.

He nodded, listening and doing his best to absorb the lesson even amidst his own nerves and trying to subconsciously out-stare the Sith. "Right, I see..." The acolyte was quick to try and mirror the other's stance and pose. It took him a second or two to get the proper footing and angle just right, but sure enough he had it.

"So, you mean be ready to counter and parry or just always be ready to go on the offensive?"

Admittedly the question was a very hesitant one, a part of him afraid of reprisal for speaking out of turn or for simple asking a dumb question. Still, he had worked up the courage to ask it anyway.

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Are they mutually exclusive?"

He said, tentacles curling at their tips. Whether it was a sneer or a smile was hard to tell at this point.

"A parry and riposte, a counterattack, can be carefully laid out and exploited to great effect. It can also be stumbled upon by the lucky, and give you the chance to turn a fight around." She looked at Alisteri, keeping the two sabres in line. "If you have the chance to go on the offensive, you take it." He moved his blade into a parry, then lunged forward in a thrust which immediately flowed into a swiping upward cut, then a diagonal downward sweep. With each cut, he pressed forward, gaining ground against the imagined opponent before swiftly pivoting to face Alisteri. The sith lord's blade now at his side, parallel with his leg. Somehow, the position of the blade both invited an attack and threatened to bisect any opponent in one fell sweep, even though it remained perfectly still in his hand. "There is no other fate for the Sith: We are victorious or we perish."

The glowing orbs of his eyes, like pinpricks expelling the light of a furnace inside him, set hard on Alisteri's face.

"If you are not ready to do so, you should lay down your blade and die."

He looked at Alisteri's feet and blade again.

"One more time. Show me your attack, parry, and riposte." "Mind your feet."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

His eye narrowed slightly at the response, providing no reply of his own. He supposed the Sith did have a point though.

Alisteri nodded at the other Sith's words, idly regretting that he hadn't gotten this lesson before the little acolyte arena brawl. Perhaps he'd have done better, but then again he wasn't exactly going sabre to sabre at the time. Still, better late than never he supposed. He watched the display before him curiously, his eyes tracking every movement that the Quarren made.

The acolyte's head inclined slightly in reaction to the other's words. They were a bit harsh, but the Sith were built on the harsh truths of the galaxy were they not? The path of the Sith wasn't for the lighthearted, and especially in war, you had to have some sort of strength or ability to call yourself a Sith. One day, Alisteri would be deserving of that title.

"Right, mind my feet of course."

He snapped out of his thoughts and was quick to adopt a decent fighting stance. His attack began with a swift yet wide horizontal slice, shifting his feet and bringing his sabre up to do a few thrusts before spinning and finishing with a small flourish of swings. One of which seemed to be aimed at the head of an invisible enemy.

Shifting his feet again, he went into a defensive stance, with the blade of his weapon positioned diagonally across in front of him, and blocked a couple of phantom strikes. The last one he blocked was deflected to the side, quickly bringing his sabre back to deliver a savage slice across where his opponent's shoulders would be. He then followed up said slice with another thrust. His footing had been shifting the whole time of course.

He was still a bit sloppy, especially in the parry department, but at the very least he had some idea of proper form now.

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Raust watched intently as Alisteri performed his movements, only when he came to a natural stop did the quarren Sith speak up again.

"Better. You are making progress. However, your form requires refinement." "Like steel, the best refinement available is hardship: Sparring and drilling will make these motions second nature."

Brushing a hand over his tentacles, Raust appeared to think for a second.

"This is Form I: Shii-Cho. Upon this foundation, all other forms are built."

Raust stepped once more into the opening stance; the sabre covered his right side and pointed slightly toward Alisteri to deter him from advancing.

"When you attack, consider the body divided into six targets. One: The head." His sabre hissed as he quickly moved it to over Alisteri's head in a feigned strike "Two: Upper Left." The tip of the sabre did a quick loop before coming around to Alisteri's right shoulder, left for Raust. "Three: Upper Right" The blade retreated in a loop then came to the other shoulder. He did not strike, but simply marked out the targets. "Four: Back." The Sith Lord then seemed to vanish as he ducked to the side, and pointed at Alisteri's back just long enough for him to notice before he once more moved the blade. "Five: Lower left." The blade went to Alisteri's right leg, then transitioned through a block before going to the right one. "And six: Lower right."

The Sith Lord stepped back, sweeping the blade to the side again in the position from before.

"These are the natural zones of attack: Consider them when you plan your assault." "Attacking in the first and the sixth-" he gestured with his left hand, high then low. "-Presses your opponent's ability to react. If he cannot regain the advantage, you will penetrate his defences." "Unless he can counterattack."

Bringing his blade back into the starting position, he nodded to Alisteri.

"Try it."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

For a brief moment, the shoulders of the acolyte relaxed as a small sigh escaped him. To say that he was relieved that he had done something right would be an understatement. At the very least, he was glad to be on the right track if nothing else.

"Shii-Cho..."

He muttered under his breath, doing his best to commit the word to his memory as he watched Raust dutifully. Alisteri was very excited to finally learn a proper lightsaber form; if only to say that he knew one in some form. It was more than that however, it meant to him that he would be able to properly serve the Sith better. Maybe he could even try and join in on some form of assault or defense in the future, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Right now he had a lesson to learn of course though.

His gaze tracked the blade as it was pointed at various parts of his body, occasionally glancing back at the Sith to try and picture the six regions on his own.

He was distracted for a brief moment whenever it came to the fourth target however, jumping slightly as he noticed that Raust had seemingly disappeared and then was suddenly behind him. He still had no idea how Sith occasionally did that.

By the time it came his turn to attempt it, he had some idea of the proper dividers between the targets.

Alisteri nodded and readjusted his grip on the hilt of his sabre as he got into a decent attacking stance once again, his eye narrowing as he concentrated on his current teacher and pictured the six targets. With the blade of his weapon raised up for the fake jabs that he was about to do, and a plan to try and show that he had learned, he was ready.

Or so he hoped anyway.

The first jab was to the upper left, quick to step back and go in for the lower right next. Then his sabre went to the lower left before finally sweeping his blade up to the head.


Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

It was a beginning, but swordsmanship was a long and arduous path. The forms were but one aspect of the multi-faceted gem that a bladesman had to understand. One had to understand that in combat the forms would lose their ideal form. However, as most fencers knew, it was much easier to throw out the handbook after having read it than before. So he would hand this one the handbook and hope he understood it before he threw it out.

With each of Alisteri's jabs, Darth Raust performed a basic block.

Previously, he had intercepted Alisteri's blows at an angle, redirecting the power rather than taking them on. Now, as the purpose was more formal and instructional, he used the more basic blocking pattern of catching the blade in a more straight angle. When he did, a perceptive student could perhaps see that the blocking movements created a distinct box-shape which the strikes then battered on the flats.

Raust could have turned each strike against Alisteri.

He could have used different parries and sweeping movements to blow him off course, butt hat would not teach him what he needed to see. The simple box of defence, however, did. Only on the final blow did Raust make a follow-up movement.

He caught the tip of Alisteri's blade with the strong part of his own, then immediately took a step toward the acolyte and to the side while forcefully sweeping the acolyte's blade aside while simultaneously bringing it into a counter-attack. It was like a barrier, keeping the acolyte's blade away, while rushing toward him like a plummeting freighter. He stopped before the blade passed Alisteri's hand. He wanted to show that he could have taken his fingers or his life.

"And that is when the counter-attack happens." "Your combination was fine, but going low is risky. Your head will be exposed if you are careless."

He withdrew the blade and took a step back.

"Did you see the way I blocked you?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

It took Alisteri about the third or fourth block to realize what the Sith was doing.

His eye narrowed, trying to connect the blocks into some form of pattern or method. It wasn't until the end of his strikes that he finally realized the shape, as well as the fact that he had left himself wide open the entire time. That last point was mostly discovered via Raust nearly taking some of his fingers off in a couple of swift movements that left the acolyte a bit dazed for a moment.

Well, a couple of moments really.

He was quick to nod in response to the other Sith, a sigh of relief escaping him as the other stepped away. "I believe I did yes. You made a square...no a box pattern when you were blocking, and you did it along a straight angle."

As he spoke, he idly attempted to repeat the blocking movements to show that he had been watching.

It was fairly decent, except for a misplaced foot here or there that left him a little off-balance.

"Rather than deflecting and going for a counter, you just took them on the blade." He paused, feigning a parry as if to prove his point. "So I aim high or keep in the middle then?" Going low had its advantages of course, but as Raust had demonstrated it wasn't exactly the safest avenue of attack. With any luck he wouldn't have to have a blade so close to his hand again.

Or so he hoped anyway.


Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Indeed. Those are the parries as shown in Shii-Cho. They are simple, but effective." He raised a finger in front of Alisteri. "Other forms will present you with different ways of parrying a strike, each having its advantages and disadvantages, but none reject the basics." His finger made a quick wave, left and right, before folding back into his hand.

He once more stroked his tentacles tentatively, considering Alisteri's question.

"Each to their purpose." "Often, you will attack high and middle to keep yourself safe. However, there will be times when safety must be abandoned for greater gain."A sinister curl appeared in the roots of his tentacles. "And in some cases, dismembering your opponent is more advantageous than killing them."

Whether capture, conversion, or interrogation was his intent, or if he considered his opponents to be live bait, was anyone's guess.

"Furthermore, there are many species out there; many physiologies differ from your own. In such an event, the legs may be the most readily available target."

He cleared his throat for a moment, his tone becoming once more factual and plain.

"Remember: If you deflect a blade, they are free to move it and attack you differently." "When I returned the attack against you, I made certain I knew where your blade was." "Control the fight." "Dominate your opponent."

He brought the blade up again.

"One more time, remember what I told you."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Right...I see..." The acolyte nodded in response. His gaze idly followed Raust's finger as it moved, almost as if he was expecting some sort of secret message or hidden meaning behind its movement. It was worth a shot, in his mind anyway.

Thankfully, it seemed as if Raust got easier to understand as it went along.

He inclined his head slightly, and for a very brief moment that surprised even him, a small smirk appeared on his face at the dismemberment remark. It faded quickly, but a small look of confusion was left in its wake. Huh, strange. That was new. He snapped out of his thoughts when Raust cleared his throat, quickly nodding as if he had heard what the Sith had just said.

Something about legs maybe?

Hopefully it wasn't something too important.

Alisteri nodded again, bringing his own blade up again as he thought about what he had learned thus far. "Control...and Dominate...I think I know what you mean." He slightly readjusted his grip on the hilt of his sabre, ensuring it was firm enough for the task ahead.

His eye narrowed and his whole body tensed up in anticipation right before he lunged at the other Sith.

The first strike was a thrust straight at Raust's core, right in the middle. But that quickly turned from a thrust to a slice, quickly flicking his wrist and bringing the blade of his sabre up as if to try and slice the Sith's left shoulder. It was mostly to try and deflect the blade of his opponent upwards however, intending to go and try and go for his right side if that worked.


Darth Ophidia