Private Loyalty And Fealty

[Kalt Bruq]

You better pick up the pace.

Kalt sat peacefully cross-legged atop a cushion. His eyes closed and his mind in full concert with the force. But beneath the peaceful exterior was a sadistic pleasure that subtly radiated through the force, along with the grin on his face. Before him was a large maze. Harshly trimmed and thick hedges rose dozens of meters above the air. Each separating a winding and weaving path through the maze. This particular species of hedge featured jagged sharp branches and inch-long thorns that would skewer anyone unfortunate enough to brush up against them. Any real effort to squeeze through without the proper cutting element would be met with intense pain and injury. There was a mystical element to the maze as well. It seemed to wind on and on, despite any efforts to keep track of one's location. Sometimes, even the dead-ends weren't quite what they seemed.

Within the maze was a chase. Predator and prey. The Prey, a human. He was fairly young and fit, despite having a few injuries already. He quickly limped his way through the impossible hedges. His heart raced, seemingly faster than in any moment prior in his life. He wouldn't look behind him, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't. It would only slow him down. He needed to figure this fething maze out fast. He couldn't keep up the chase for too long. Not with his leg mangled the way it was. If he could just find a corner to rest, he could stop and thin—Every process in his brain stopped upon hearing the blood chilling roar, just a few paces behind him. It was the other member of the chase, reminding him that he wasn't far behind. The noise broke any thought process or reasoning that was within the human's mind with the simple fight or flight processes that were needed to keep him alive in the moment. In this case, it was definitely the latter.

Turn Right. The thought had entered the young man's mind, and he listened to it. Turning at the nearest junction to the right. Left. He did so again, almost without question. In fact, the thought of disobeying the voice was, at this point, as terrifying as his hunter. The maze continued for several moments before the voice in his head led the human to a dead end. He collapsed to the floor. "PLEASE!" He cried out. "I'M SORRY!" The man sobbed as the faint thump, thump, thump of his pursuers footsteps neared with ever moment that passed.

Crawl through. The voice said. The man turned and looked at the barrier before him. Just briefly he can see the light of day on the other side of the dense foliage. The needle-like thorns breaking the glorious salvation of daylight. The man hesitated, seeming to panic as he tried to figure out what to do. All the while, the sounds of the footsteps following him grew louder and closer. Thump. Thump. Thump. The pulse of it's rhythmic steps seemed to shake the very ground beneath him, emphasizing how close he was to death. There was no way he'd get a second chance. He could not fight what was coming around that corner. The man turned looking for thinnest cropping in the hedge. He took a deep breath and dove in.

In the distance, Kalt can hear the cries of pain from the human in the maze as he struggled through the hedge. Kalt's grin turned into a sadistic smile.

"Victory."

[ Firrerreo ]​

 

[Firrerreo]

"An interesting pass time." The young acolyte seemed to approach from no where, casually taking a seat beside Kalt. His amber gaze focused in the distance, towards the cries of pain and suffering. The boy was completely devoid of emotion at this point, his lips thin, eyes blank. It was almost impossible to get a read on his intentions, even through the Force.

"Tell me, what is it that's chasing him exactly?"

Kalt Bruq

 

[Kalt Bruq]

"And a useful exercise," He said to the stranger, with regards to his remark about an interesting pass time. Then the man asked about what was chasing Kalt's poor victim.

"His nightmare," he said simply, in response to his question. "And his punishment." The man made it through the hedge scraped and bloodied, even more so than before. At this Kalt sighed, opening his eyes and breaking his concentration. The illusion of the maze broke with it, revealing an open field in it's place. The creature, and the sources of the cuts from the hedge was revealed to be a series of daggers, which Kalt was controlling with the force. Kalt opened a box that was next to him, and the blades flew into it, packing themselves away. Afterward, he signaled for the man to come to him. They got up and limped toward the pair.

"My apologies. He needed to learn some discipline. How may I help you?" Kalt said, looking to his guest. His expression was far more formal now. He thought he recognized him. Had he seen him around?

[ Firrerreo ]​

 

[Firrerreo]

"An interesting way to teach discipline. But a good one, none the less." The young acolyte lifted a hand, pulling free his journal before lifting it up. It floated beside him as it started to take notes, idly jotting down things out of sight of them both. He kept a calm smile as he watched Kalt Bruq , hands folding over each other.

"We can cut to the chase, I imagine. Tell me, do you think your master is a loyal Sith?"

 

[Kalt Bruq]

Kalt nodded at the comment about teaching discipline. "Admittedly, it was also practice. He volunteered as an alternative to other punishments." Kalt clarified, seeming to like the effects of his illusion. He hoped to perfect his technique to utilize it for other projects he had planned in the future.

The stranger asked if he thought his master was loyal to the Sith. "Of course," he said, his expression now confused as he attempted to reach out to the force and read the stranger's intentions. "I believe I'm at a disadvantage, who are you? And what do you mean by such a question?"

[ Firrerreo ]​