Rage

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]

She had noted the sparks in his hand, and she kept contingencies on her person for such occasions. There were lords of the Sith who enjoyed using electricity to assert themselves over those who climbed. In addition, there were always a few persons out there who wanted to draw a gun on a daughter of the Emperor, as Curtis had done earlier this very session. For this reason, Joycelyn carried a little item on her person; she had reached for it previously, but never pressed the button as Curtis never pulled the trigger.

Now that Curtis' hand sparked and the energy shot out, she pressed the button of the SI-PES defender at the back of her belt.

When the spark shot out towards her, it scattered over an invisible bubble around her. The electricity was sapped into the battery, recharging a fraction of the energy spent to protect her from the shock.

"Go deeper, reach further." "Let go."

After the electricity dispersed around her, she stepped into measure, launching her counter strike in a straight punch for his face to draw his attention up, followed by an upper cut for his chin.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

The blows to his face and chin connected and sent him stumbling backwards and onto one knee, blood dripping from his lip as he spat yet more of the crimson liquid onto the floor. He had to win, had to survive, because deep down he knew that she would kill him if she needed to, if he proved to be a weakling that had somehow tricked his master. Spinning quickly, he sent his palm towards her chest, feeling the force collect around his hand before being sent outwards to push her violently away.

"Get away from me!" Curtis yelled, his face arched with anger. Whatever she wanted to happen was working, he could feel it.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]

His forceful push launched Joycelyn back, and she slammed into the ground hard enough to wind her. However, rolling back over her shoulder she got to one knee. A wicked smile on her lips as the acolyte was finally beginning to delve into what she was teaching him.

"That is more like it!"

Stepping forward, she rose back to her full height.

"Stoke that fire." "Keep it with you."

Her hands curled like talons as she gathered the force and unleashed a wave in return back at Curtis. The wave itself was laced with a sweltering heat, a remnant of the fire that wreathed her when her anger flourished.

At this point, she was trying to nurture him into wielding his anger, stoking the flame, and eventually the aftermath.

Training as a Sith was a brutal affair, but Joycelyn, like many other Sith, cared deeply about passing on the teachings to new generations. It was easily overlooked, but absolutely vital to the preservation of the Sith Order that knowledge was passed down and improved upon. That way, and only that way, could they finally conquer all things, all lands, all peoples, all knowledge, as they were destined to do.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

The burning force hit Curtis like a truck, sending him flying backwards. He managed to land on his feet a few metres back, and collected himself quickly. The anger in him swelled and bubbled to the surface as a torrent of lightning erupted from his fingers and cracked the glass ceiling above them, causing shards to fall to the floor. Focusing on the tiny blades, Curtis collected them with the force, before firing them at his teacher. The power he felt was unreal, like it had been collecting for years and was finally being allowed to rip free. It felt raw. It felt good.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

He was beginning to give it his all, it would seem. The use of his surroundings was well thought out and would have caught a less experienced opponent off-guard.

As the glass came raining down and shooting at her, she raised her hands in front of her and then spread them out to the sides. The torrent of glass parted around her like the sea around a keel, and crashed into the walls and floor like rain. Each piece broke anew into smaller shards that clattered to the floor anew. Some shards embedded themselves in the floor, standing proud like jagged gravestones.

And as she sent the glass to the ground, she did not stand still. Rather, she made a determined stride forward in the direction of Curtis.

But as she stepped forward the glass did not remain in place. Her arms fell down along her sides, fingers curling like talons. Her elbows bent as the glass formed into a whirling ball that rose over her head like a scorpion's tail.

[member="Curtis Learchin"]

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis' eyes widened with fear as he saw her effortlessly brush his attack aside. All that for nothing? No, he would not let it stand. Seeing her advance and the shards collecting above her, he knew that this was his only chance to counter her. She was focused on the glass after all. Clasping his hands together, Curtis poured every last piece of strength, every fear, every thought of hatred, directly into the force. He felt it gather in his hands, fighting to be released. His gaze met his teacher's.

"Finally." As the words left his mouth, he shot his hands forward, sending a violent push of the force directly at her body. As the energy left his hands, he immediately dropped to his knees in exhaustion, hoping that his last effort had bore fruit.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]

She had waited one second too long, and the blast he threw crashed into her just before she was able to send the storm of glass in return.

She was flung back and crashed into the wall as the glass rained down between them. The wind left her lungs, but once she bounced back from the wall she landed on her feet and refrained from falling to a knee. Though, she was a little wobbly.

She raised her hand and rubbed the back of her head, then looked at the red staining her fingers.

"Good"

She hid her pain and took a few steps forward, fighting off the dizziness.

"Rage gives you power, but it will also drain you." "Make sure you win before the rage ends."

It was a fight for her to stay on her feet. Her vision tunnelled, but she felt the need to stay up and preserve her pride.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

"How... are you still standing...?" Curtis panted, slowly pushing his body up so he was looking at her whilst still on his knees. The sea of tiny shards glistened in the low light, and for a moment the room was completely silent. He had made her bleed, made her stumble, that was a victory for him. But she was right, the rage had left him quickly once he'd attacked, and he felt exhausted. If she expected him to keep fighting, then she'd be sorely disappointed.

"That power... does it always leave so quickly? Why can't I use it all the time?" This was a genuine question, likelihood was that the exhaustion could kill you if you tried. But if he could use it for prolonged periods of time, it could turn the tide of battle quickly, and keep him alive longer.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]

Joycelyn reached the side of the room where she had left her folded clothes and where she had since thrown her blaster in the scuffle. She knelt down to pick it up as she mulled over his question. The reason she was still standing was because she had practised another force ability that allowed her to postpone the pain and exhaustion for a few minutes. It also allowed her to ignore physical trauma to her body and fight on when she would otherwise collapse. She was far from the point of collapse, but preferred to remain standing even though the aftereffects of her rage wanted her to kneel.

"The more you use it, and the more powerful your hatred is, the longer it lasts."

She simply bundled her clothes up in her arms and leaned on the wall, looking as casual as she could possibly muster.

"There are many powers out there, and they all come at a cost."

She fished a piece of flimsiplast out of a little pocket in her bundled cape, and as she walked toward him, she presented it. It was a small notice, featuring some drawings, some scribbles, and hand-written text in what looked like the sith language. Yet, the flimsi itself was new.

"If you can decipher that, you might just learn something new" The secret to fire.

He had asked, and he had completed her lesson. She had no doubt that Curtis' master would be able to translate it, if not Curtis himself.