Of Swords, Shadows, and Magic.

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton had spent the last few weeks doing some personal training, and had brought himself to a world outside the Republic by the name of Kashyyyk. He had hoped to train with the impressive Wookie species, a race who's natural power and strength exceeded his own. Jaxton felt it was a good idea to take one of his biggest strengths as a fighter and as a Jedi, and then train against opponents who were his equal or superiors in that area. In the past few days his lack, or evening of strength had taught him to be quicker, and more reliant on the Force, and he had gained the trust of the inhabitants through his dedication and work ethic.

So, after a riveting duel where he managed to finally defeat the chieften of the Wookie Tribe he was staying with, the wookies asked him to investigate something down below, in the shadowlands. Hunters had gone missing, and there were rumors among some of the more traditional Wookies that there was some sort of sorcerer or witch doctor hiding below. As Jaxton was grateful for their service in aiding in his training, and also curious as too the so called "Shadowlands", he agreed, and after two days of rest was lowered into the dark, beast filled jungle below, and followed his senses in the Force, latching onto the pule of the darkside until he found an managed to find an old Whiphid.

"Who are you?" Jaxton asked the Whiphid, his senses ready and lightsaber in hand, yet not ignited.

@[member="Velok"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

Young and strong. Simple, perhaps even specialized, in his skillset. These were Velok's first assumptions upon seeing and sensing the Jedi Master. Such a being could not be treated with contempt, at least not inwardly. Such a being could not possibly understand yet how much was risked with each swing of a lightsabre.

"My name? Irrelevant. I collect things, Master Jedi. I collect knowledge, preserve it, treasure it inversely proportional to its popularity. I am the last lor pelek, the destroyer of the Bando Gora, the distant guardian of Dathomir and Kro Var, but I was born the last Blackguard. I am the Living Holocron, I have three claims to the title of jen'ari, I dropped a Force Storm on the army of the Dictator on Gand. I am the heart of pelekotan. I am the Curious Man."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

@[member="Velok"]

Jaxton paused as the large Whiphid listed off a long list of achievements and titles. Normally Jaxton would merely dismiss the claims as mere pomp and egotism, but Jaxton could feel the darkside radiating from the man. He doubted a man of such power would feel the need to boost his ego with achievements he didn't earn. Perhaps he was lying, but perhaps he wasn't, and Jaxton couldn't take that chance. Though he was young in the Jedi Order, they considered him a Master, and it was his duty to help the shine the light to the wookie people of Kashyyyk, even in the untamed jungle of the Shadowlands below.

"Tell me then, Jen'ari." Jaxton used the man's claimed title. He admitted the title's meaning eluded him, but he knew the name of 'Sith'ari', and if it was anything like that he might have bitten off more than he could chew. "Why come to planet of Kashyyyk? What knowledge do you hope to find? If you wish to leave peacefully I will let you, but I cannot allow you to be 'dropping Force storms' or exerting other such techniques here, or anywhere for that matter." Jaxton said in a firm tone while standing his ground, but with a sliver of doubt in his mind. He had fought the Sith Empress before and lived, but he was not alone, and he was not in a jungle like this. Jaxton suspected this fight would be far worse, but he owed to the wookies to sort this out, and he owed it to the Order to be the best representative he could be.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

Velok squinted at the young Master.

"The forest holds a secret, well-buried. Even people as unassuming, straightforward, primitive and irritating as the Wookiees have a Force tradition or two. There was a Jedi Knight, a Wookiee closely associated with the Skywalker family. His grave site is unknown, but I think I may have found it. The beasts of the Shadowlands are my scouts and my excavators of what I believe to be the tomb of Lowbacca. Naturally, the forest is a dangerous place. I trust that's why you're here." He focused on Jaxton, whuffling in impatience. "Well, I do not intend to stop my work."

A spear of lightning blasted out from his left hand as a ray of golden light shone forth from his right. Force Drain and lightning at the same time -- difficult, costly, but possessed of a decent likelihood of removing this interruption quickly.

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

@[member="Velok"]

It seemed that Whiphid would not go peacefully, and the battle was initiated with the man shooting bolts of lightning and the gold light of Force Drain. Jaxton had felt the power of Sith Lightning before, and it was not pleasant, but it was not the electricity, but golden light he feared. He had only read and heard of the power, but knew it could siphon the life of one man into another. Jaxton could afford to take some damage, but he couldn't afford to strengthen his enemy.

So, using the Force to enhance his speed he right right and forward, away from the golden light and slightly to the right of the lightning. As he came he ignited his lightsaber and blocked the stream, but the lightning still forked around his blade, singeing through parts of his robes and onto his skin. Blanketing his body in the Force, he could press it to fight and function beyond the pain, but it slowed his enhancements of speed and you could only filter out so much pain. Drawing closer to the tall whiphid he sliced his sword upwards and to the right, before enhancing the speed of his left, durasteel prosthetic hand in a lightning quick punch, before returning his blade in front of him to guard his body.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

His arms no longer had the speed to rip his lightsabre from his belt in time to block. As both lightning and Force Drain ended, the Dark Lord latched onto the lightsabre with telekinesis. It settled into his inverted left hand for an upside-down Djem So block that stopped the strike dead.

The real danger was the fist.

Velok met it with his own. A Whiphid fist only had two knuckles, gigantic hammer-like things, and he had lost his right hand in the process of killing a man named Darth Obscurus, deep in the Unknown Regions. Durasteel met durasteel, each propelled by Force-enhanced momentum, with an almighty crunch.

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton was surprised to see the Whiphid meet his durasteel prosthetic with a prosthetic of his own. The two durasteel hands made a loud, audible crunch, and creatures could be heard recoiling and clinging from the surrounding brush, in fear of the strange metallic noise. Jaxton felt the hand contort, and a piece of the exoskeleton covering his metallic bones broke off and flew to the side. With his hand now dented and slightly mangled, he took a two handed grip of his saber, but couldn't make a completely fluid grab. Focusing his strength and using the Force to aid his speed he slashed from right to left, then up to the center of the whiphid, then followed the momentum into a downward crushing blow, then kicked himself back a step as he brought his blade back to a defensive position.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Blocking a two-handed strike required Velok to put the majority of his attention into enhancing the strength of his arm. He could Djem So with the best of them, but he was...tired. Very tired.

He blocked left-handed, just a simple inside-outside thing, then whipped the blade down and up again for the follow-up strikes. He locked Jaxton's blade high above their heads, then shoved back with a roar.

And not just any roar. The Force amplified the strength of his lungs and enhanced the sound, compressing it into a hemispherical, point-blank shockwave that ripped up the ground. Force Bellow -- a signature move. One of the ways he'd killed Obscurus.

Well, that and turning off his inhibitions, slipping into sociopathy and clean, direct purpose.