Indoctrinated

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGCsyshUU-A​

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"One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them."​

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Planet: Panatha
Location: Vain Hollow Citadel
Time: Morning

The smell of the palace was acrid, pungent, pervasive. It was something the Twi'lek could hardly get used to. This place, as magnificent as it was, simply left the woman feeling as if life itself was being snuffed out, replaced by the weight of dead air beneath a smothering coffin. She rarely slept well, as indicated by the heavy dark rims beneath her gentle green eyes, though as of late had seemingly begun to harden and darken into a twisted hue of growing disdain for the world around her and the lack of order this untamed galaxy stumbled about within. The woman scoffed, feeling the tension in her mind rising once more. Lately she had found herself becoming short of patience and heavy on temper each and every time she found herself disappointed or hindered.

Sure, the shackles that once bound her person no longer adorned her hands, yet they were still ever present in her mind, bogged down by incomplete memories, a lasting impression of torture, and an ever growing desire for vengeance. The collar around her neck was a firm reminder of the danger she continued to pose to those around her. Her uncertainty and cloudiness of her own mind kept the woman at risk of potentially harming [member="Darth Vornskr"] and others.

Seraphina's indoctrination into the Sith had been slow at best, and at worst, painful. A number of scars decorated her once flawless form, traveling everywhere from shoulder to back, legs, and arms. Restless nights followed longer days. Relearning that which was never truly known save for false memories was a daunting task, a task made monumentally larger by her own stubbornness to follow through to perfection.

While inside the woman was standing on the precipice of collapse, outwards she projected a composed, determined, and strong willed fighter with limitless ability and insurmountable fears. Perhaps a remnant of her old Jedi life still imbued deep in her core. Sera had come into a bit of a daily routine, finding herself sitting in a cross-legged fashion in the center of the largest of the citadel's gardens under deep meditation. It was the one and only place that anyone could hope to escape the smell of death and decay that permeated throughout the rustic combination of stone and durasteel that comprised the Zambrano palace. Rarely did anyone ever bother her here. The lesser servants were forbidden from deviating from their daily duties, and those above them typically found more interesting things to busy themselves with than to bother with such trivial things such as flowers. The Twi'lek however found her center, her balance here. Meditation, and even acting as the keeper of said garden kept her sanity in check and even gave her the bit of happiness needed to anchor herself to the ground and drive out the demons that ached to escape her soul.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD_IRiEQdtA​

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He didn't sleep at all during the night. He hadn't slept a wink ever since his rebirth on Lujo, but this deprivation of slumber was not brought on by insomnia or a gnawing sense of anxiety or anticipation, but rather he had come to discover that he no longer craved the dreamless euphoria. He laid awake at night, his eyes peeled open as his gaze bore into the hard walls of his chamber, the soft silken sheets, and his wife's curvaceous supine form. He often wandered to and fro in the bleak hours before dawn, the light of the moon the only witness to his restlessness as his mind drifted incoherently. Sometimes he would ponder the path that he was now set upon, but other times he would reflect on what brought him to this point. So much violence, so much hate... He could not remember a time when he knew anything else. Such darkness hung heavily on his soul, but he welcomed it eagerly for now he was inexplicably tied to the darkness as it was to him.

There was not a single scrap of light that existed within him, he was sure of that now. In the past there had been some vestigial echos residing in his heart which fostered grief and remorse, albeit such feelings were ultimately repressed or utterly ignored. But now there was nothing. They had been discarded at long last, cast aside when lightning pierced his breast from the heavens and his body crumbled to soot and ash. His soul was sundered and all that tied him to his fleeting humanity was, at long last, abandoned. Now he was more complete than he ever was before, and he was no longer burdened by such meaningless morality.

Truly the last bits of that lonely, abused child that had been Kaine Zambrano were snuffed out, and now in their place stood only Darth Vornskr.

Sith. King. Butcher. Conqueror!

At last the faint glimmer of the dawn broke over the horizon, light streaming in through the wide transparisteel window that overlooked the main courtyard leading up to the palace proper. Along its perimeter were many sub-yards that acted as gardens, overflowing with plant life both native to this world and those imported from all across the galaxy. Measures were taken so that no invasive species would be introduced to the Panathan ecosystem, for despite being a murderous tyrant Vornskr still harbored much pride and love for the world that birthed him. With a wave of his hand part of the window retracted into the wall it ran parallel with, and the Sith Lord took a step out onto the stone balcony. He breathed in deeply of the crisp morning air, letting out a content sigh as the odor of the gardens filled his nostrils. Already the palace was a hive of activity as servants seemed to move about constantly, performing one laborious task to the next, and members of the infamous Blackblade Guard drilled in a distant yard.

However; Vornskr's attention was not on them, but on [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] as she meditated in tranquil solitude down below. Without a moment of hesitation he hauled himself over the stone railing that bordered the balcony and began to descend the castle walls before landing barefoot on the cold stone of the courtyard. He wore only his microgarments, which included a black tunic and black shorts that tightly hugged his well-built frame. His size belied the speed and grace that he could muster as he quickly moved from courtyard to courtyard until he entered the one where Seraphina meditated in absolute silence. His approach was just as silent, his feet barely making a sound as he walked through the immaculate rows of flowers and shrubberies.

In fact the only sound he made was: "Enjoying the gardens?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Long before [member="Darth Vornskr"] uttered a word the Twi'lek had sensed his approach upon her. The encroaching darkness that trailed in his wake was nearly palpable. His presence, no matter the intent always seemed to force the muscles in her chest to tighten. The involuntary reaction wasn't out of fear, no. The reaction was due to his unpredictability. For all of the ex-Jedi's time spent with the Sith Lord, she was still wholly incapable of predicting his feelings, his intentions, and his next move. For all she tried, he was an incomplete jigsaw puzzle where a piece was always missing, the piece that brought to life the full picture. Simply put, despite her efforts, she could never at any given time understand what the man was thinking through body language or spoken words.

The sickly sweet scent of Vornskr's body lingered over her as he stood a short distance away. Despite his efforts, whether intentional or not, never truly wiped away the smell of death from his form. The woman sitting before him had become somewhat used to his odor, more so because it was less potent than the scent of the rest of the citadel, and here and now the flowers were able to overpower even the most offensive odors brought on by that which surrounded them.

For another minute Sera remained quiet, slowly escaping from the meditative state, before finally drawing a deep breath into her lungs. Once again the pleasant perfume of the collective flora tickled her senses, painting a delighted smile on her face. Without turning her head to face the Lord the Twi'lek, dressed in a simple, yet elegant blackened robe made of a sheer fabric along the arms, back, and shoulders spoke quietly and simply. "Quite. There's an elegant solace here." It was only when she finished speaking that she stood and turned to face the Sith Lord, offering him a proper greeting through a deep bow of her head, her hands placed atop her legs, a moderate pause followed by a return to a standing posture. "Master."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He nodded in agreement, "In my youth I would often find myself wandering the gardens of my parent's estate, but the appeal had been lost through the discords of time." The once painful memories of him walking down an aisle of flowers and other flora linking arms with a Twi'lek with crimson skin bubbled to the surface, but where he once felt sorrow and anger he felt only a dull indifference. That was so long ago. It felt like an entirely different lifetime to him now, and he had at long last discarded his petty feelings towards the woman who had shattered the only semblance of love he may have ever outwardly projected. His heart had grown cold that day and became all the more frigid with time until he wasn't even sure if it still beat in his chest. The knitting of his brow would be obviously to [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"], the only brief glimpse into the brick wall that was Darth Vornskr.

But it only lasted for a moment before a stillness settled over his features, masking his emotions and hiding himself beneath the veil. "Nowadays I find myself more comfortable on the fields of battle, or in the training rooms. I may be nigh unrivaled in battle, but complacency is the greatest sin a Sith could ever commit." The Sith philosophy was all about the survival of the fittest, adapting and evolving in a galaxy that was ruthless and hard. The Sith, including Vornskr himself, considered themselves the apex predators of the galaxy, and thus any weakness within the group was brutally stamped out. The One Sith may be working towards a common goal, but only the strongest could fulfill it.

Which reminded Vornskr that if Seraphina was to be his acolyte, she would have to be re-educated in the fighting styles of the Sith. "Come with me, Satyijau'ira. We will train together, and I will continue your instruction in the Sith art of combat."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Tilting her head to acknowledge his request the woman lightly brushed away the bit of soil that had collected on her clothing earlier. "As you wish, master." Tucking her hands into opposite sleeves the brightly colored Twi'lek followed alongside [member="Darth Vornskr"] as they made they way out of the gardens and back into the halls of the grand citadel. The architecture and design indoors was a stark contrast to the flowery exterior, one that she felt could do with a bit of redecoration. Why must everything always look so foreboding and bleak? She wondered curiously within the confines of her own mind. Finally when she did speak, her voice echoed off the marbled floor and walls, making its way to a silent grave towards the end of the walkway. "You speak of complacency, master. Do you believe that meditation and isolated thinking amounts to complacency when it comes to training? I ask because I see the mind as a magnificent tool, one that should be utilized as much as brawn." Sera looked up towards the much larger physique of the man beside her, green eyes surveying him before gesturing towards herself. "As is obvious I'm sure, I'm not extremely imposing."

Raising a hand the woman ran it back along a lek. "What did you have in mind for today?" The question was simple but served a few purposes besides the obvious. For one it would give her the ability to mentally prepare for whatever was in store for her that day. It would afford her the opportunity to ask questions before she was thrown into whatever Vornskr had planned. Furthermore, it would grant her the insight as to whether or not the day was going to include some measure of potentially life threatening danger, or just the potential for fresh new scars. Seraphina had come to understand that any given day the range of possibilities were neigh endless. The Sith Lord was anything but a sensitive trainer. It often raised the question in her mind as to what he had endured during his younger years, though the prospect of asking such a question would typically deter her from doing so, out of fear for how that story would both begin and end.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He waved his hand dismissively, "No, not at all. When honed correctly the mind can be a Sith's more powerful weapon. The complacency I speak of is when one believes that are strong enough that they no longer require rigorous training, and eventually their skills become dulled by inactivity and hubris until they are eventually felled by an opponent who believes in the way that I do. No matter the skill level, and no matter the experience a Sith must always hone themselves until they are a blade of unparalleled sharpness. Meditation can further connect one's self with the Dark Side of the Force, that much is true, but do not solely pursue the strengthening of the mind at the detriment of the body and soul, Satyijau'ira. A powerful Sith conditions every aspect."

During his explanation to [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] they would pass through several more courtyards, several more gardens lined with statues made from the smoothest marble, until they reached a massive open-aired amphitheater where several other adherents of the Dark Side were busying themselves with studies, training, and general philosophical discussion. However, all of them hushed and grew still as the towering frame of Vornskr and his lithe protégé entered. Many dispersed, but many more who had been studying under Vornskr's tutelage for years remained and bowed in deepest respect (and perhaps fear) for the Sith Lord of Panatha. He had known many Sith who were content to hole themselves up in their own strongholds, training alone and in perpetual solitude, but as Vornskr grew more connected to his ancient heritage he found the company of others in the training grounds more appropriate.

He quickly discarded the thin tunic that covered his broad chest, letting the wind carry it away to who-knows-where while he proceeded to extend all of his extremities, letting the ligaments stretch and the bones audibly pop as he limbered up. Despite being sixty-one years old his body was in prime condition, although that was more in part to the body being one of artificial construction and designed to resemble the Butcher King when he was in his later youth, around the early to mid thirties. But despite the relative freshness of the body he already carried multiple scars across his chest, stomach, back, and arms resembling knife wounds.

"I suppose it wouldn't be too arduous for you if we started back at the basics, would it? It never hurts to revisit the very roots of combat, especially Form I."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I understand. I ask only so that I do not fall short of your expectations, master." The Twi'lek offered the towering Epicanthix a genuine smile as they eventually made their way into the large open amphitheater. The woman turned to observe the groups of trainees stop what they were doing to watch [member="Darth Vornskr"] and Sera. Some of the students scattered, perhaps in fear of the man, others to give additional space to the man. Those who stayed did so with utmost caution, their heads bowing low while they made not a sound. It was an interesting sight to her still, that he commanded such unspoken authority and respect that no matter where the Sith Lord found himself, those beneath him would always react in the same manner, total and complete fear, or silent obedience.

The cracking and popping of muscle and bone made the Twi'lek flinch with a momentary display of discomfort at the sound that just as quickly subsided into nothningness. Green eyes fell upon the man as he disrobed, revealing the multitude of scarred over wounds. "The basics?" Her voice held slight confusion. "Master, I don't mean to sound pretentious, but I'm quite a bit more skilled with a weapon than a student holding a lightsaber for the first time." She mulled over his words for a few moments in her mind. "Are you worried I'm incapable after all this time?" There was clear apprehension in her voice by asking such a question. Sure, it was true that she hadn't yet engaged in any serious combat since returning, but it wasn't like that knowledge and skill disappeared so quickly.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"A Sith should never be too proud to revisit the basics, Satyijau'ira. Even a master like myself works from the ground up to strengthen what I know and gain a better understanding of what I don't. And if you are as skilled with a weapon as you claim then this should go quickly." stated the Sith Lord in response to apprehension to diving back to the bare bones basics of combat. He flexed his biceps as he continued to limber up, letting the cool air settle over his bare form as a pair of shirtless individuals approached the Sith Lord and his byzantine companion carrying plush pillows upon which rested rather plain looking double-edged swords that had been purposely dulled to the point that there weren't necessarily lethal, but could still break the skin on direct contact. Vornskr summoned one of the blades to his hand with the Force, and twirled it in circular motions as he waited for [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] to claim her own.

"I assume you remember the body target zones of Form I. Yes? Good, then we'll begin with Zone 1; the head. The corresponding attack and defense moves for Zone 1 are quite simple. An attack consists of a strong, overhead slash meant to cleave an opponent in twain, and predictably enough the counter to such a strike is to block with your blade held horizontal against your opponent's vertical blade. Observe." The Sith Lord deftly turned to face one of many combat dummies that were situated around the training field, and with a single overhead blow he split the armored body directly down the middle, spreading straw, cloth, and bits of armor in all directions. "Even the greenest of Jedi knows how to defend against such an obvious vector of attack, and unlike the dummy he would've employed the correct defensive maneuver. Ready your weapon and strike at my zone 1 with all of your might, and I will demonstrate the effective defense. Then you will mimic my movements, and so on and so forth."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek lifted a pink hand and retrieved the weapon from the sash pillow, a small nod to the servant as a silent thank-you before turning her focus to [member="Darth Vornskr"]. "As you wish, master." the woman would quietly respond. Despite her view that returning to an untested acolyte's level of training was a waste of one's talent and time, she was not so foolish as to deny the man his instruction. With only a nod she readied up in stance and posture. Standing still her eyes followed both hand and blade as Vornskr demonstrated the basic maneuver of his strike while her ears listened carefully to his words. Sera rarely ever utilized Form I as it was, to her, the most predictable and easily defended against in the midst of combat. Preferring her own style of Ataru, implementing dance and gymnastics to compliment the form's acrobatics served her far more than the simplistic methods of Form I.

With the task of cleaving the training dummy in two complete, her instruction had been to strike at him using the same method. A child's task she thought to herself as her eyes spoke volumes to what she was thinking in that moment. Her strike at the Sith Lord would likely be more aimed toward the face and upper chest, given their drastic size difference, though she would make ample effort to hit where required. Both hands slowly curled fingers around the hilt of the sword, right hand just beneath left. A wealth of physical energy, unaltered by the Force was drawn through her upper body, biceps and triceps flexing before making a well calculated swing toward the center of the zone towards her master, knowing full well it would be consciously countered.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

And as was expected he easily by arraying his blade in a horizontal block to catch [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]'s, and deftly knock it aside so that it no longer threatened any of his zones. He twirled his blade around in his hand before suddenly moving to deliver a vicious horizontal sideswipe towards Sera's midsection, and with his greater reach his blade would lash out in a wide-reaching arc. Perhaps the pretense of exercising the different zones was an excuse to lull the Twi'lek into a false sense of security for a sparring duel, or perhaps the Sith Lord himself had gotten carried away and instead reacted with pure martial instinct. Whatever the case he now turned it into a duel strictly using the most basic of lightsaber techniques, and despite the visible restraint he maintained as to not irreversibly maim his apprentice he still moved like a madman possessed.

After a minute or two of solid swordfighting he disengaged with a backwards leap, "Perhaps this is a waste of time, so let's up the ante. Come at me with all of your strength and skill, and let's make a real fight of it."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The moments passed by as one would assume. The Twi'lek, while still 'getting back into the swing', was able to keep up with simplistic ease during the warm-up spar with [member="Darth Vornskr"]. As her master disengaged and backtracked Sera withdrew her stance and returned to a relaxed pose with a smile as she listened eagerly to what he had to say. A wide smile grew from ear to ear on the woman, his words like honey to her. The smile turned devilish as she wiggled her nose and cracked her neck from side to side before rolling her shoulders in preparation. "If a real fight is what you're after master, then I will provide." A modicum of playful laughter trailed her words as she returned to a more offensive stance, fingers curling around the hilt of the sword, each and every knuckle popping and cracking as it was manipulated into its' proper place. Despite her outward confidence, single bladed combat still, and had always felt, incredibly awkward to her. There was something embedded deep within her mind that disagreed with the philosophy that two hands should wield one weapon. The former Jedi had grown up embracing, and knowing the power and benefits of dual-saber combat, and thus, reverting to what felt primitive somehow betrayed the pinnacle of her confidence to a degree.

Still, she would give the man what he asked for. Without another word the Twi'lek dropped the blade into a low guard towards the ground on her right side, her left hand tucked just beneath the right in the center of the hilt for optimal manipulation during an attack. The moment the gap between the two had been closed and the woman was within striking distance of Vornskr, a rapid succession of slashes would follow. Utilizing the first of the forward momentum, the sword would pull sharply upwards and across from Kaine's left leg to his right shoulder. Immediately following the attempted slash the woman would follow through, spinning herself back around from the inside to maintain eye contact on her opponent while utilizing the remaining momentum to make a horizontal slash directly across the Sith Lord's midsection with the full weight of both arms.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

(( So sorry for neglecting you bby. The recent invasion got my blood pumping and my bloodlust was singing ))

The gap was closed and the true fight began, steel glinting in the light of the early morning sun as both master and apprentice clashed their blade against one another's in ferocious succession. With each strike there rang out a tumultuous clang of steel upon steel that echoed off of the citadel's walls, parapets, and high towers. But despite [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]'s best efforts she would find her master's defense unwavering, his mind and body tuned by thousands of battles until the actual act of swordfighting became nothing more than second nature to him. Still, he could sense her discomfort in wielding only one blade as opposed to two, a remnant of the Jedi training that was permanently lodged in her memories that would never quite go away.

He deflected an upward slash aimed to split him from left leg to right soldier, but as Sera twirled back and then rushed forward to carve a canyon across his midsection he did not raise his blade to block. Rather he put forth his left hand to catch the blade as it swung in a horizontal arc, and while the dulled blade cut into his palm he showed no pain of discomfort and instead his face was hardened by determination as he his fingers wrapped around the blade.

"Excellent, my young apprentice. But remember to use your pain, your anger... Think back on the Jedi and the atrocities they committed against you, use that to give you strength, let it fester in your gut until it burns brighter than the hottest inferno and with it you shall overcome anything."

He released the grip he had on her blade and shoved her back with a quick application of telekinesis, and then with deft precision he tossed his own blade through the air so that she might catch it with her free hand. She was once again armed with twin blades and he was armed only with his hands.

"Perhaps even me."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The female stumbled back a few paces from the sudden and unexpected use of Force energy. Though not enough to topple her or force her to use the momentum for an acrobatic maneuver, it was enough to jar her for a second before recovering. Seeing that the man had thrown his own sword into the air, in what looked an apparent intent for her to catch said weapon, the woman focused briefly on the object and caught it as it soared in a downwards motion. As her hand locked on and fingers wrapped around the hilt her wrist allowed the blade to make a half spin around before returning upright and into her proper control.

The surprise on her face though was not from being given a second blade, but that [member="Darth Vornskr"] was entirely willing to utilize his own body in order to both prove a point and display for her his own seemingly insane method of defending himself, by sacrificing potentially less important limbs for the greater safety of his person. If that were a true fight, it may have been enough to momentarily surprise his opponent just long enough to endanger them.

"Perhaps." She said with calm certainty. Though immediately charged back after him with both weapons in sheer aggression. A groan of determination was let loose as the Twi'lek raised both blades, using both her body's momentum, and that of the weight behind each steel weapon in hand to pursue a pair of bone crushing slashes towards the man's left shoulder.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A smirk dared to grace his otherwise hardened face, his eyes narrowing as he prepared for [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]'s retaliation. He may have been weaponless, but he was not without his other strengths. Even as the muscles coiled in the Twi'lek's body in preparation for her charge his mouth opened, whispering ancient words in an obscene dialect forgotten by most and abhorred by all. He clenched his fists, a reddish pallor encompassing them in a smog-like shroud, the flesh hardening as Vornskr took a page from [member="Darth Voracitos"]' book and began to use Sith Alchemy on his own body. Once the smoke infused with his hands and forearms they would be hard as stone, able to take on the dulled blades wielded by Seraphina.

And when she did bring those weapons down to bear at his left shoulder, he was ready. He crossed both arms into an X pattern to catch the blades in the crux of his arms, and just as predicted thanks to the Sith Alchemy now coursing through his limbs the blades were stopped dead in their tracks against his now stone-hard skin, sparks flying as they slide along the flesh before stopping. Vornskr swiftly uncrossed his arms, pushing Seraphina back with a quick push before rushing forward to unleash a series of devastating punches with his Alchemy-enhanced hands.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek had seen Sith Alchemy many times in the past. It was typically found on Sith weapons, daggers, swords, and the like. These weapons were common among the assassins, namely [member="Darth Ferus"] and a few others. Weapons imbued with Sith Alchemy were far from the only uses though, and had been discovered within talismans, rings, and other jewelry for purposes of espionage, protection, and interrogation. The difference here was that it wasn't quite expected that [member="Darth Vornskr"] would opt for such a defense against his apprentice wielded two rather obsolete weapons instead of a pair of much more lethal lightsabers.

The smoke that encompassed the area was her first warning that her master had decided not to defend himself by any traditional means, though she had already well committed herself to the strike. The moment that the twin blades collided against stone skin, a pair of loud clangs rang out and echoed throughout their surroundings. Vornskr would surely see the gnashing of the woman's teeth as the right half of her lips curled backwards in dismay immediately prior to being pushed backward with an astounding level of force.

The Twi'lek raised each blade to block the punches that came one after another, each blade being knocked back by the sheer weight and force behind each thrown fist. Small flashes of light brightened the immediate space between the two as momentary sparks were cast from fist and blade after each contact. As quickly as Sera raised each weapon another strike was made, until finally a single fist was thrust between her guard, catching the pink-skinned woman square on the jaw, instantaneously causing her to stumble backwards and fall to her rear, both blades echoing as the durasteel clashed with the stonework flooring beneath her hands.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The sound of alchemized stoneflesh against [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]'s jaw rang out across the courtyard, leaving the Twi'lek sprawled across the notched stone with a rattled noggin' and a sore jaw, if not a dislocated one. Vornskr offered no sympathies, not even a helping hand, but rather he crossed his hands in front of his chest and loomed over her.

"Get up." he said, his voice demanding obedience, "Do not be disheartened by the pain you feel, harness it, let it fuel your anger. Your anger will make you stronger, it'll give you focus where once there was none. Conflict is the essence of the Force, and it finds fertile ground in your anguish, and when nourished it will grant you strength unbound. But be vigilant, you must control your emotions, not the other way around. Those Sith who are slaves to their emotions are nothing more than mindless beserkers, shock troops to be wasted on the front lines."

The wind howled across the courtyard, the many Imperial banners fluttering loudly as they were subject to its motion's. The Sith Lord uncrossed his arms and gestured for Seraphina to continue her attack against him, "Are you an expendable statistic, or are you a Sith?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera looked up as [member="Darth Vornskr"] spoke. Quietly she sat as she listened to his words, all the while wanting to rub away the stinging pain she was feeling in her jaw from the stoneflesh one-two she'd just received not more than five seconds prior. There was no mercy to his teachings, no empathy nor compassion, it was all grit. The cold hard truth was that Sera was keenly aware that he felt no sympathy for the weak, as was the Sith way. The Twi'lek knew if she failed she would undergo further pain. The irony was that she was expendable regardless of whether or not she got up and succeeded or stayed down. The illusion was choice, the choice that one could somehow avoid becoming a chapter in the history books.

Craning her neck the woman spit a splotch of blood from her mouth on to the stone floor. Her hands surrounded each of the hilts of the blades beneath her, and with a groan pushed herself up from the ground, wiping her lip clean with her right hand as she returned to a defensive ready state. "I am not fodder." She said defiantly, before leaping to the side, one leg tumbling over her body while the other followed, landing forty five degrees from where she'd left to re-engage the behemoth of a man, slashing both blades towards the man's midsection with speed and precision accented through the Force.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"We shall see." He clapped his hands together loudly, the stone-flesh grind against each other in a single moment of impact that send a resounding boom across the courtyard that did nothing but sweep the surrounding area of dirt and debris. But as she Seraphina lashed out against the Sith Lord she would find that her blades would only cut through thin air as the Sith Lord lunged back, despite his overall lack of mobile acrobatics, several meters away before landing with a thunderous crash that cracked and buckled the stone beneath him. The Force shuddered through his body, tingling down his spine and into his legs as the muscles strained beneath the skin to launch the Sith Lord forward off from where he had landed in an arc towards the Twi'lek. But he did not aim himself directly at the Twi'lek, rather he landed a meter or two away from her and with a bestial growl he shoved both of his stone-flesh arms into the ground.

The stone parted before his alchemized hands, and through them the Force expanded out like a mighty explosion to sunder everything around it. There was a ripple that flooded out from around Vornskr, buckling the courtyard and sending odd chunks of dirt, stone, and dried mortar out in all directions. Mighty crevasses spider-webbed out from the impact point, and from them the blowback energy of the Force erupted up like magma spewing from the planet's core. By the time the tremors had subsided the courtyard was an absolute disaster, columns had been toppled over and the immaculate stonework had been utterly devastated.

Yet even as the Sith Lord surveyed the destruction he had wrought, he showed no remorse, no regret for what he had done to his own domain. Only the glimmer of malice twinkled in his cold, hateful eyes, and a wry smile split his face from cheek to cheek. "Oops." he commented sarcastically, "I might've overdone it."

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera eyed her master curiously as he leaped back to avoid her blows. A sudden sense of danger and urgency riddled her body. A modicum of fear rippling from that surprise. In succession the ground in front of the mighty Sith Lord exploded in an almost pattern-like manner towards her, expelling debris, dirt, dust, and large chunks of rocks in its' wake. A path of destruction head was headed for her, and there was little in the way she could do to navigate through or around the stone shrapnel. Lightsabers and swords would be of little help here, nor her own impressive command of acrobatic feats.

Instead the Twi'lek dropped the weapons to the ground, hands extending forward as a small shimmering light enveloped the body and surroundings of the woman. Despite this, the sheer force of the impact skidded the woman several meters in her protective bubble, though quite luckily for her no physical damage had been done. Where her weapons had gone though? That was entirely a mystery. It was entirely plausible that they were destroyed by the blast caused by [member="Darth Vornskr"]

As the dust finally began to settle within the area Seraphina allowed the Force to fade from around her. A long, deep breath followed as her green eyes surveyed the landscape with concern. He would have killed her if she had simply stood her ground. This was the reality of training under the Sith Lord.

"Still not good enough, master. I stand yet." Her voice was full of confidence, tone even a bit smug.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I would be disappointed if you had fallen, your strength and resolve are above that of any of the Jedi's mindless droogs." The Sith Lord adopted a casual stance, his arms crossed over his chest and his posture less threatening than it had been before. "The Jedi have numbers that occasionally dwarf our own but we have stronger warriers, more cunning warriors willing to go to any length to ensure victory. We are not shackled to a belief that forces us to stay our hand whenever the weak threaten to be caught in the blast radius of our conflict, and while it may be tragic that innocent lives are destroyed it is only a small drop in a bucket of trillions of souls torn by strife and endless war." Of course Vornskr didn't believe that anyone could be innocent, but it helped to at least feign sympathy to their plight even though he still openly endorsed not pulling any punches when civilians get involved.

Even the people of the Empire he served were nothing more than an endless sea of cogs being fitted to a great machine that churned out the armaments and munitions the Empire used to tear apart the galaxy in its vicious vendetta against the Republic and its leashed dogs, the Jedi. Many systems suffered from famine and economic depression as the decade-long war leeched more and more resources to fuel both sides of the conflict. It was like a wild fire now, spiraling out of control and constantly feeding upon it self as it grew and grew into a maelstrom of hate and death.

Vornskr loved it.

"One day you will join me on the front lines, and at long last you will reap your terrible vengeance against those that held you against your will and tortured your body and mind. We will tear down the walls of whatever capital the Republic chooses to occupy, and we will hang their leader's corpses from the parapets." He clenched his right hand tight, a symbolic gesture to define the destiny of the Republic. "And while your training is not yet complete, my confidence in you is unwavering. Now go clean yourself up and rest, and then we'll resume your studies."

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​