[Encounter, Luminara]

[Ballen-Ist]

The cold, barren terrain of Korriban's land was harsh, it's winds having already blown up a sandstorm recently. With every step, the young adult's feet would sink into the sand slightly, having to exert his leg muscles in order to make another step. To add onto that, he was already tiring from having fought a battle against two Jedi. Luckily for the teenager, one Kycoros Oberon had decided to flee the battle, leaving his fellow Jedi Azareal to die by Ballen-Ist's hand.

The dark side would permiate around his body as he travelled endlessly, his mind not sure if he would ever come across civilization again. However, there was something that proded the boy in this direction, it was ominous, and dark just like himself. Squinting his eyes. the boy's draped, black form would peer across the dunes, indeed spotting a single figure. Who was it?
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara stood in silence. The great ruins of Sith tombs lay outstretched before her eyes, a testimony to a once great legacy. Then sheer size of them left her in awe. The cold wind tousled her lekku as she stood like a statue in the barren landscape. From afar, she could sense someone approaching. Their aura was dark, menacing. A smile formed on her lips. Exactly what she liked.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The figure who he had spotted earlier would become more clear as he neared, his eyes being capable of spotting most of their details from afar. Judging by the two lekku that hung from the female's head, it was safe to say she was a Twi'lek. However, she was a strange case, for her skin was a white color. Adjusting his previous course, Ballen-Ist would begin to approach [member="Luminara Rikanati"], for she was just twenty meters away at least now. The chance of encountering someone in the dunes of Korriban were incredibly low, so given the opportunity the boy took it. "Greetings.." His coarse, dry voice would call out, stopping at a safe distance.

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara turned to see a Sith Pureblood calling out a greeting. Now, this was a rare sight indeed. It wasn't everyday one got to meet a Pureblood. She nodded to him, smirking. "And to you, Pureblood," She called back to him.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The cold, powerful breeze continued to roll in, blowing sand around the duo. The boy's black damaged cape would flutter in the air, revealing his waist. Along it was a belt, that held three lightsabers in total. Though, there was a fourth weapon, a sheathed blade that hung at the boy's side, hidden to all with the aid of the cloak. "It's unlikely to find anyone out here, more so a white Twi'lek. Who are you, and who is your master?" The teenager would question, his brow furrowed as his force sensitive mind took note of the dark side aura that surrounded her. Indeed, she was the signature that had drawn his mind to this location.
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara gave the man a mock bow. "I am Luminara. My master is Darth Ferus." She placed an index finger playfully on her chin. "Ol' Blue Eyes is a stickler for fancy titles..." She said. She looked the stranger over. "And what, pray-tell, is your name?" She asked him.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"I'm known as Ballen-Ist.." He spoke, pausing as he realized that her master too, was Darth Ferus. "Ferus has taught me much. I was intent on finding his other Acolytes too. There is a tournament coming up, no?" He spoke, approaching seeing as he sensed no hostility. Lifting his arms, he would have his hands grab at the black hood that loomed over his head, pulling it down to reveal his youthful features.

He was indeed young, his life having been ensnared by the Sith ways long ago. His dark slicked back hair wavered as the breeze came in, not as strong as last time. The sand had died down, the sun having raised just a few moments ago to cascade the area in a pleasant heat. "What are you doing out here?" He would ask, curious as to why she had journeyed to the Republic infested Korriban. "This planet is a mere shadow of it's previous self."
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara turned back to the view of the tombs. "That it is. But everything it once was is still here. Can't you feel it? The energy coming from the tombs as steady as a pulse, a heartbeat? That's why I'm here. I could care less about the Republic and their planets. This is still a Sith world. The Force says so."
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"Soon, the Republic will continue their searches. They'll eventually destroy everything here, in fear of it's power." He spoke, his gaze having been averted to the large, majestic tombs that held a powerful Dark Lord within, assumingly. "I have already encountered them, searching for tombs to desecrate them." He stated, his hand lowering to point at the two shoto saber handles that hung on his weapon belt. "Like them? Trophies." He muttered, grasping his cloak in order to pull it over his form once again. "You don't have to tell me, I was born here." He replied, in remarks to her last comment specifically. "What do you hope to find in the tombs?"
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara cocked a brow, glancing down at his belt. "Trophies are nice. But I don't much care for them." She placed her hands on her hips, glaring as the sun beat down on them. "I want to see if I can't save what Sith artifacts remain and bring them back to the academy. I refuse to let Republic whelps steal what is rightfully ours."
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"That makes two of us." He stated, a humored tone to his voice. It was true, the Republic was attempting to make this planet their own, it was a thought that the boy did not like to ponder on. It made him very angry. "Well, it's nice to finally meet another Acolyte. Do you know of Maleus, or maybe Rafeesh? Dovian?" He would question, curious as to how she would react. These were all individuals he was affiliated with. Ballen-Ist wondered if she had met them before, hoping to find answers to unspoken questions in her reaction. "More importantly...Where is the nearest civilization?"
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara shook her head. "I rarely interact with anyone besides my master," She said, playing with the end of her right lekku. She pointed south. "There's a small town to the south of here. If you want to, we can stay there and come back in the morning. We'll need to rest if we want to have enough energy to go into the tombs." She turned t him, smirking. "Unless, of course, you'd rather go on alone."
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"You want to venture into a tomb? An intriguing offer, one I must accept. Let's be off." He spoke, quickly turning towards the direction she had pointed in, his booted feet trudging through the deep sand. Their journey would take awhile, so Ballen-Ist took advantage of the time to ask some more questions. Seeing as she didn't know anyone but Ferus, he figured he would be fine. "How long have you been learning the dark side under Ferus?" He questioned, walking along with her through the vast desert.
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara thought for a moment. "About a month now. Though I was taught by another master for five years before I ended him."
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"Traditional, of course." He spoke, referring to the part where she slaughtered her master. The teenager couldn't help but smirk at this, being unable to surpress it for the fact that he desired to do the same thing. Ferus was powerful person, the young pure blood was wise for he had not angered the man once. He believed himself to be the ideal apprentice, obedient on the outside, but treacherous on the inside. "Who was your master?" He questioned, interested in knowing who she had been taught by. Luminara was indeed strong, he wondered how she would fair against his self.
[member="Luminara Rikanati"]

 

[Slot 19]

She shrugged. "It was many years ago, and he never really gave me his name. He fell head-over-heels for me toward the end. It was pathetic to watch, but fun to use. It's amazing what a person will do for you when they're wrapped around your finger." She said, smiling mischievously.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"True, Sith do specialize in manipulation." Commented Ballen-Ist, still sounding tired, looking rather rugged as well. The pair would continue to trudge through the seemingly endless sands of Korriban, leading them to a rather tall dune. Bursting over it's edge, came two Tu'kata beasts, their lizard like form crawling towards the duo. The creatures would open their mouths, bearing their fangs as they began to roar, showing their obvious hostility. "Well, these ones were trained, they don't speak the Sith language.." Ballen-Ist would mutter, his cloak fluttering upwards as his hand flew down, using his adept skill in telekinesis to quickly pull one of his sabers into his hand, it's bright crimson blade igniting with an audible hum.

Lifting his blade, the boy would pull it closer to him, his opposite free arm extending forward to aim at the beasts. His gloved fist would slowly open, the boy's palm aiming directly at the creatures that had decided to attack. The creature on the left would leap, it's body lunging forward in an attempts to slam into the pure blood's upper torso. However, utilizing Soresu, the boy's body movements would be quick and efficient as his legs bent at the knees, allowing him to duck under and avoid the raging Tu'kata. As it soared through the air, the blade he had kept close to him took advantage of the small distance, striking out to cleave the beast in half with a single motion of his arm. The other one would target [member="Luminara Rikanati"], he turned to watch how it played out.

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara smirked, locking her energy onto the surface of its mind. She blinded it with her power over illusion for a moment to distract it. She activated her saber and jumped into the air toward it. She landed on top of it, balancing on the balls of her feet. She sent quick and furious slashes into its back before sending a wave of Lightining into its open wounds. The beast let out an unnatural cry as it was being electrocuted. As the animal fell lifeless to the ground, she jumped off of it, landing on her feet.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The shining crimson blade that Ballen-Ist wielded would deactivate as the halved beast well to the sand with a thud, the small grains scattering in every direction as it impacted. He had been waiting for the moment to examine [member="Luminara Rikanati"]'s combat skills, and she had delivered perfectly. Nothing else but the lightning surprised him, it was unheard of, an Acolyte able to harness force lightning. Clipping his saber back onto his belt, he would approach her, looking down at the fried creature. "Well done...Your lightning does not seem to tax much energy. Does it really?" He would question, genuinely curious.

 

[Slot 19]

Luminara deactivated her blade, smirking at Ballen-Ist. "Lightning is a natural talent of mine. It doesn't take as much energy as you'd think it would for me," She said. She nudged the beast with her foot to make sure it was completely dead. "There's nothing I love more than fried enemies."
[member="Ballen-Ist"]