Education is Important

[grammaticus]

Animus walked silently through the snow of Rhigar. In the distance the small little group could see the Imperial Prison complex, the location where Animus himself kept his personal quarters within the Jen'ari Empire. He enjoyed the cold. It was a simple thing, with the ability to change life in the greatest of ways, and also end it without a moments notice. He felt the Dark Side of the Force more keenly in the cold than anywhere else. It was nature at its purest. He had opened up sections of his helmet, letting the cold winds blow in and through his body, refreshing him with its cold bite.

Turning to the two figures following behind him, Animus watched them trudge through the snow, wearing simple clothing. He had forbidden them from wearing anything to protect against the cold, instead giving them a brief lesson on how to channel the Dark Side of the Force to keep themselves warm. It would not be enough in the long run, but it would keep them alive for several hours. If they perished before then, they were too weak for him to care anyway. Their strength in the Dark Side of the Force would be tested if they were to survive, and it was only the beginning of the day.

"We do not have all day. If you fall behind, I will leave you on this mountain, with orders to shoot you on sight back at the complex." He turned back away from them without waiting for a response, pressing on ever higher up the mountain, his cloak dragging through the snow behind him.

This was to be his apprentices first training session since their appointment to the post, and he had no intention of letting them slack off. They would become powerful warriors within the Jen'ari Empire, or die trying. Looking back at them once more, Animus cared little which way it would be for them. Such was the nature of the Sith for the weak to perish and the strong to flourish. He would do his part to give them a chance to rise to prominence, it would fall to them to do what they could with it.

[member="Scarlett Anderson"]
[member="Kao Xusros"]

 

[Scarlett Anderson]

Scarlett was karking freezing, why in the karking force did her karking master decide that way out karking here is sub karking zero temperatures was a good karking place for some karking training. Her karking sweater didn’t do kark all to keep her karking warm, all it was there for was to look good, her gas mask didn’t help either, there was some slight warmth to it, but all it did was keep the visor from fogging up with every karking breath, but that didn’t karking help much anyway, since everything karking breath that shot out of her filters made a cloud of karking condensation that she karking had to try and look though. At least the arse wasn’t totally heartless, he did teach them how to say warm though the force, BUT IT STILL KARKING SUCKED WOMPA TESTICALS, nothing would beat a real coat out here to help with her new found abilities.

Scarlett had here eyes locked forward on her master as he said something about being shot if they were left behind, there was no point in bitching about it, so she didn’t, not verbally, her head was full of anger and rage though unknowingly fueling the very power that she was using to keep herself for freezings her karking arse off. She still made sure to pick up the pace though, closing the gap between her and her master.



[member="Darth Animus"] Kao Xusros

 

[Taru Cadera]

The cold bothered him, and then the fact that he was not allowed to wear any insulating clothing really stung. Both he and the other apprentice had been taught, before this expedition of sorts, on how to utilize the Force to keep their body heat at a survivable temperature. However, it was still cold, and he hated the cold. It was snowing, and he hated that too. Such emotion which had always been there only to be given a chance to well-up and burst, charring the insides of his robes as his body temperature and the miniature heat wave that both permeated through him and surrounded him. There was anger, anger towards his Master in his Master's choice of a lesson, but this was controllable, and so he did. "Kao Xusros", he thought to himself. "Let your name become known, let your strength grow."

Kao let his feelings run through his body twice before he decided to resort to another trick of his. The Force. He brought his arms up and through the falling snow, He closed his eyes and smiled. Not one of happiness, but of grim determination. With such, he pushed telekinetically at the snow in front of his legs, creating a path about 8m in length. Opening his eyes, he rushed forwards, only to see his path begin to be eradicated by the snow. Even nature was against him. He was both irritated that it did not work perfectly, but then he remembered that all that he needed to do was to stay within a small radius of his Master, and to survive. Kao smirked silently, all while bolstering up his weak sith lightning, weaker now than before due to his exertion of the Force, but still Lightning. He placed his electrically active right hand upon his training lightsaber, and enabled it to charge up slightly, with the greatest effect being both the thrill of using his powers and for the creation of more warmth. He would come to regret his overuse later...

[member="Darth Animus"] [member="Scarlett Anderson"]

 

[grammaticus]

After several hours of endless climbing, Animus and his apprentices rounded a final bend, the mountain suddenly opening up to reveal a large structure just above them. The grey walls stood in stark contrast to the snow that was constantly falling, seemingly untouched by the snow itself. Red banners displaying the iconography of the Jen'ari Empire, as well as the personal sigil of Animus's himself hung from poles spread out along the front wall of the structure, waving in the constant bone chilling wind.

Animus led them through the entrance of the structure, the sound of the wind dying the moment they crossed the threshold. However, the deeper the Sith progressed into the structure, the colder it seemed to become. Finally, they emerged into a large courtyard, easily a hundred meters across in any direction, with massive hooded statues on each of the six points. Weapon racks lined almost every wall of the courtyard, with weapons from hundreds of different species. In the center of the courtyard was a small circle, with six smaller circles placed within it all colored a dark crimson.

Turning to his apprentices, he gestured to the courtyard, fires igniting in the up stretched arms of each statue as his hand passed over them. "This is the Kair iz azinimas, the Keep of Knowledge. You shall train here with and without my supervision, where you shall hone your combat techniques and force powers. Everything you could need is here, and anything else you could require can be acquired. Your training shall begin in one hour, I recommend you go rest and eat while you can. Once training begins for the day, it shall not be stopped for anything." Turning away from the two, Animus walked across the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back, entering a open room of the courtyard and closing the door behind himself.

Spoiler: Kair iz azinimas

[member="Kao Xusros"]
[member="Scarlett Anderson"]

 

[Scarlett Anderson]

Scarlett was just about karking done with this hike, usually there was something at the end to look forward too, not here, here there would only be more training more work, Scarlett wasn’t here to work, kark if she knew being a Sith was going to be like this she would have just stay back with the crew she was running with for now. But they were so close to the end, at least for the moment as they got closer to some sort of compound, Scarlett could taste the nap she was going to take once they got the chance to, though that might have been the residue of some poisonous gas in her mask’s filters, she probably should have cleaned and replaced them a while ago but she just couldn’t find enough of a kark to give, they’d work for now, and she could put new ones in quickly enough if something did happen. Scarlett was reminded of her bantha headed brother, karking Jack, this would be the kinda poodoo he was into, but no, he was getting combat training back in the city last she heard. The city was her element, not this karking force forsaken frozen arse mountain, at least in the city there was karking junk to do, or look at, or at least think about doing or looking at, out here was so boring, nothing but snow, clouds, and rocks to look at.

As they were let into the building Scarlett could start to feel her fingers and toes again, it seemed she wasn’t quite skilled enough to keep herself perfectly warm, more like she was wearing a light jacket instead of the heavy coat that she would have needed.

“Well I need a karking nap. Wake me up in an hour when it’s time for me to kick yer arse.”

With that Scarlett leaned against a pillar, half took off her gas mask, shoved a protein bar down her gullet, took a massive swig from a strong smelling alcoholic drink in a flask, reset the mask on her face and fell asleep, with her eyes open.

[member="Darth Animus"] [member="Kao Xusros"]

 

[Scarlett Anderson]

Fakk, double post.

 

[Taru Cadera]

Kao's first impression of the place after hearing its name be recited was awe. This seemed like a true Jen'ari temple/mini-fortress. After their Master walked out on them and Scarlett had fallen asleep, or so he believed as she was not moving. He walked into the very center of the courtyard, trying to memorize where everything was and what everything looked like. After completing this mental task, he strode over to the racks of weaponry and carefully examined each and every one, all in the hopes of finding those that were of slightly better or extremely better quality than others. He found that there were no discrepancies and that each and every one was of the same quality of sharpness. Kao found a few knives that were well weighted for throwing, and a nice ax with a sturdy handle and shaft. Happy with his results, he sat down on the other side of the courtyard from Scarlett and started to eat. He let his mind rest too, as the pain of watching his efforts be wiped away was necessary to forget... But forget this he did not, and it gnawed at him slightly. Other than eating and mentally attacking himself, he let the Force strengthen him by letting it course through him and restore his stamina, however not too much of it, as he was only going off of a teaching which he had overheard, and therefore was not to par with most in rejuvenating his stamina of the Force. And with all of this, he sat and eat, rested and pondered. Life was going to be interesting...

[member="Darth Animus"]
[member="Scarlett Anderson"]

 

[grammaticus]

Once an hour had passed, Animus emerged from the room he had entered, his armor and cloak removed to reveal a broad, scarred chest as he walked towards them. He still wore his helmet however, as no living individual in the Jen'ari Empire had ever, or would ever see his face. Even the Emperor himself was unaware what features lay beneath, and Animus intended to keep it that way. Walking towards the center of the courtyard, Animus turned to look at his two apprentices, regarding them quietly before extending his hands out in the air. A coiled whip flew from one of the racks to his hands, and he twirled it experimentally.

"Come, your first lesson begins now. You shall work together, and try to defeat me. You may use any weapon in this courtyard that you choose. I recommend you make your selection wisely." As he spoke, he uncoiled the whip in his hand, hitting an activation stud and igniting the electrical current running through the whip. He slapped it against the ground, leaving burn marks behind as he turned and walked to the opposite side of the courtyard. Turning, he held his position without moving or speaking, watching silently to see what his two apprentices would do.

[member="Kao Xusros"]
[member="Scarlett Anderson"]

 

[Scarlett Anderson]

Scarlett rose from her half nap as her 'master' came out of his room like some kind of broody martial arts teacher, she'd seen gangsters make a more impressive entrance than that with out trying, but she did find the idea of beating the kark out of her master with the help of the other apprentice way too intriguing to pass up. She looked around the room, but didn't see any weapons up to her rather odd scene of quality, she just pulled what appeared to be an ordinary entrenching tool seen billions of time over in the galaxy from her belt and twirled it a couple of times.

"I brought the mother kriffer in with me, this better karking count as in the court yard, nothin' else in 'ere's worth the effort picking it up anyway."

Scarlette was usually the type to just jump in with both feet, but she wanted to see what her competition was worth so she circled and waited for [member="Kao Xusros"] to make the first move against [member="Darth Animus"] but ready to strike the second she had an opportunity. She knew this fight was going to be nothing like anything she had been in before, and for once she chose caution.

 

[Taru Cadera]

Kao placed the axe onto his belt, the throwing knives up his left sleeve, and then, saw something that made him grin devilishly. There, in the very last place that he would expect, was a glaive. He grabbed it and twirled it around, all while beginning to circle around his Master. [member="Scarlett Anderson"] was circling [member="Darth Animus"] too, but as soon as Kao joined her she stepped back and let him take the front line, which was fine with him. Their Master had a whip which burned, and that would mean warmth for Kao. He could take the pain, he surmised, as long as it kept him warm in this god-forsaken place. Kao was still keeping himself warm with the Force, but after careful thought he stopped using up most of his reserves on keeping himself warm and more on ways to defeat his Master and pass the lesson.

With what seemed to be his left hand groping for a grip on the glaive, Kao let loose one of the four knives which he had found to his liking. It went out as though in a straight line, as it was being pushed telekinetically by Kao towards the left shoulder of his Master. Then letting go completely of the the glaive, he normally threw a second knife, but this time angled more towards his master's midsection. With a slight force jump, Kao then tried thrusting the glaive into the general upper body of Darth Animus. The knives had been mainly thrown for distraction, but if one or more of them were to hit their intended target then that would be great too, he quickly thought.