The First of Many

[Etherius Yvvera]

The walls of the compound on Alzoc had long become familiar to Etheriud. For the last 2 years he has called these walls home; 2 years that have shaped him and molded him as a person. His philosophies, his ideas, his thoughts, his actions all had been changed by his time spent in this compound with his comrades. Others had joined them and left them at various points; some seeking knowledge, others seeking refuge; others simply moving along as vagabonds. During his solitude Etheriud had become a master of the Sith language and its forms as well as the various histories and stories that were spread throughout the compound in various tomes. Epics, sagas, songs, stories, all were stored in the bookcases that lined various, random walls. He was the one among his compatriots that had immersed himself the most in his studies of the ancient Sith and their ways; the other two preferring to focus on survival and keeping physically fit. However, one thing continued to always elude Etheriud, and that was the grasp on the force and his lightsaber. While he had a limited understanding on the use of the two, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against a Jedi Padawan or a Sith Acolyte. His skills were severely lacking in multiple areas and today, Etheriud decided, would be the day he rectified this. Moving from his room, Etheriud wondered the halls looking for Xhinx, whom he knew was semi-trained in the ways of the force and a lightsaber.

"Xhinx, Korogum, I think now is the time we sit down and learn something. We've been stuck here for 2 years and yet we have neglected to advance a single portion of our force or lightsaber capabilities. In order to succeed in the galaxy at large, I think it would be in our best interests to do so."

Etheriud stood patiently in the quad that connected the multiple hallways of the compound; effectively acting as a "center" to what seemed like an endless maze of rooms and doors. How they stayed sane here, Etheriud did not know.

[member="Xhinx"] [member="Korogum"]

 

[Korogum]

As Korogum had been returning from his small venture out in the frozen wastes, to further hone his usage of his new weapon, he noticed a familiar figure standing in the connecting segment of the compound. [member="Etheriud Yvvera"], his long standing comrade in their struggles for the past two years.
As Etheriud started calling out to him and Xhinx, Korogum stepped through the threshold of the foyer and into the quad, getting Etheriud's attention.

"Lucky thing I just got back, you were saying something about training our force prowess, right? I've been meaning to hone it further as well."

Korogum slung his weapon onto his back and stepped next to Etheriud, looking down the hallways to see if he could spot [member="Xhinx"] anywhere.

 

[Emperor Xhinx]

Xhinx layed dormant meditating in his void of a chamber. After honing his senses he felt the presences of his congregation contacting him. As the black tower awoke he grasped an ancient Sith sword he found on his adventures and brought it to inspire the others combat and force prowess. This would also be a good time to dust off his own skill. Xhinx walked to the others wielding this archaic blade, he understood each others desires, as well as his own, and agreed to teach them.

"In order to fly we must first learn how to walk..." Xhinx uttered as he held the blade to his line of sight. "We must first grasp understanding of our martial and physical ability. Set forth the clay, sculpt it, and then give it life." Xhinx then alerted the others to a sparring match with out the use of the force. "Mastering the body will open the way to the mind." Xhinx then leaped towards the two, with his sword slashing upwards towards [member="Korogum"] and his fist leading downward onto [member="Etheriud Yvvera"] . Xhinx then awaited their strategy, hoping to catch them off guard.

 

[Etherius Yvvera]

Etheriud waited patiently at his location for the other two to arrive. He casually twirled his lightsaber around his palm with the force as his thoughts wandered into casual, meaningless ideas of history or faith. As Korogum entered, Etheriud put his lightsaber away and greeted him; affirming his question. With Korogum there, Etheriud began to ponder on the location of Xhinx. Xhinx was the one he truly needed for this as he was the only one of the group that was truly qualified to do any sort of training. As he had explained to the group many times, he was once a Sith Knight of the fallen Sith Empire and had received training from Sith Lords of the time. Etheriud had never bothered to ask for any more information than what was given to him. Questions, for the first time in a while, circled in Etheriud's head about Xhinx's past... but they were cut short upon Xhinx's arrival. Etheriud listened intently after his affirmation of training; nodding with his words as his eyes closed for just a moment to ponder. In that moment, Etheriud felt a shift, and opened his eyes to see Xhinx's fist slamming down towards him. Etheriud's eyes widened as he put his hands up to catch the fist; only to be thrown down from an unexpected blow. Etheriud felt his nose trickle with blood as he lifted himself to his feet, revealing his orange bladed lightsaber and activating it.

Well, that's a start.

[member="Xhinx"] [member="Korogum"]

 

[Korogum]

As he had been paying closer attention to the situation, Korogum was slightly swifter in just barely dodging the slash of the ornate blade, its tip grazing his metal helm ever so slightly. Falling back slightly, Korogum retrieved his spear from his back and activated one end, flourishing the blade into a pointing stance, aimed towards Xhinx. Korogum, in his more defensive stance, glanced at Etheriud, who he both pitied for being as close to Xhinx as he was, but envied him for having a proper dueling weapon on his person.

"I really should have brought my other Lightsaber..."

 

[Emperor Xhinx]

Xhinx watched in his peripherals as [member="Etheriud Yvvera"] fell with blood trickling down his mouth, and as [member="Korogum"] narrowly dodged the strike leaving a scratch on his helmet. "You must think faster, train your body to move on its own. Though I digress, we are here not because we are masters, but to become masters." Xhinx carefully eyes the red and orange glow of their weapons, knowing he was at a disadvantage. Xhinx held his sword perpendicular to their sabers now attempt an attack together, use your strength in numbers. As he backed up awaited their attack Xhinx willed his own black hilted saber into his hand preparing if need be.

 

[Etherius Yvvera]

Etheriud watched carefully as Korogum pulled out his own weapon and Xhinx brought his into a ready position. Etheriud had rarely fought with his lightsaber before and thus was truly a novice in its forms. Much like many of his other endeavors, however, Etheriud felt it right to dive into it and see where it goes. He knew, after all, that Xhinx would not kill him; they had become comrades during their 2 year stay in this desolate wasteland. Etheriud's blade made the old familiar humming noise as he cautiously twirled it, giving it a quick spin as he moved closer to Xhinx. He knew he had to be cautious in this situation, a lightsaber was no toy to be thrown around like a blaster. If he were to be as powerful as he wished to become, learning to use this elegant weapon was an absolute necessity. The weight of the lightsaber seemed to lessen in Etheriud's palm as he let his anxieties flow away and he became more familiar and comfortable with its weight. Feeling an opportune moment, Etheriud rushed forward, attempting a center stab at Xhinx with his orange blade.

[member="Xhinx"] [member="Korogum"]

 

[Emperor Xhinx]

Xhinx examined as [member="Etheriud Yvvera"] struck at the perfect opportunity straight into Xhinx's breastplate. Though Xhinx had prepared for the worst, and quickly ignited his black saber. It almost seemed to darken the room. The saber pushed back Etheriud's own saber. "A well placed strike. Now listen to your instincts, lets your body expect and react." The figure spoke as he withdrew his saber to slash at the neck of [member="Korogum"] and jab his stomach with a concealed sword.

 

[Korogum]

Korogum followed up behind Etheriud, in an effort to lessen the pressure of a one on one fight between Etheriud and Xhinx. As he rushed forward upon Etheriud's blade meeting Xhinx's, Korogum quickly became aware of Xhinx attacking him from two angles, and thus, Korogum reacted to the attack by flourishing his hilt into a solid spin, knocking Xhinx's lightsaber aside and meeting the swords slash with the bottom half of his hilt, locking it in place with their struggle. Gripping his hilt tightly, Korogum switched the rotation of his spear, activating the other end while releasing the lock of their blades and swinging this newly ignited end towards Xhinx.

 

[Emperor Xhinx]

As Xhinx witness both his sword and saber get deflected, he quickly dodged the incoming saber spear strike. Xhinx then deactivated and sheathed his weapons. "Excellent, you both have a good understanding of combat. Now lets us refine that, I will introduce you all to the lightsaber forms. Shii-Cho the way of the Sarlacc, Makashi the way of the Ysalamiri, Soresu the way of the Mynock, Ataru the way of the Hawk-Bat, Shien the way of the Krayt Dragon, Niman the way of the Rancor and Juyo the way of the Vornskr. Each forms has its own combat style, each represented by a spirit. We will start with Shii-Cho and Makashi. The fighting style of Shii-Cho is more of a last resort, used only when all else fails. It can be wild and hard to predict, but is ultimately used to disarm ones enemy. Whilst using Shii-Cho one would mainly strike an enemies arms or weapon. I will demonstrate." After a long breath Xhinx led the group to some target dummies he had set up and practiced Shii-Cho on the dummy. "Start by getting comfortable with these training dummies, then I will engage you in combat using this form."

 

[Etherius Yvvera]

Etheriud watched as Korogum's new elegant weapon moved past Xhinx as he stepped out of its way, easily sidestepping Korogum's attack. Truly, the two of them had much to learn. Etheriud listened as Xhinx explained the different lightsaber forms, shutting off his lightsaber and putting it back into his robe as Xhinx spoke. What he said intrigued Etheriud; he had heard of these forms but only in passing and vague texts littered throughout the compound. Nothing in depth enough to truly learn from. Shii-Cho and Makashi were to be their focus, and Etheriud readied his weapon. Watching Xhinx demonstrate the random and unpredictable form on the dummies, Etheriud studied intently. What was the purpose of such a random, jack of all trades form? Why was it a last resort? If used correctly, Etheriud thought this form could be used to a deadly degree. Readying himself, Etheriud approached a training dummy and readied his lightsaber. Feeling an opportune moment, he began a volley of strikes on the dummy ranging from overhead slashes to stabs and strikes to the arms. Etheriud moved in a random, unpredictable pattern that left a sloppy mess of the dummy. Etheriud readied himself for the next dummy and repeated this, trying to keep his movements random and critical in order to mimic what Xhinx had showcased. After 5 or so dummies, Etheriud felt comfortable enough with the motions to shut off his lightsaber and return to Xhinx, ready to face off when Korogum had finished.

[member="Xhinx"] [member="Korogum"]

 

[Korogum]

As Korogum lifted the large hilt of his weapon back to his center, finishing the small sparring session, he deactivated his Saber Spear and reconnected it to a small brace on his back meant to carry it. Knowing he would need a regular lightsaber after hearing the mention of forms, he beckoned to the others that he would retrieve his regular blade.

After a few minutes, Korogum came back just as Etheriud was finishing, and he himself took to the dummy course.

Gripping the weapon in hand, Korogum activated the blade and struck out against the dummies sides and unprotected sections with a flurry of sporadic, basic attacks. After a few minutes of this combat, he deactivated his blade and returned it to his side, joining Etheriud and Xhinx.

 

[Emperor Xhinx]

As the two fought among the training targets, Xhinx noticed their form and capability improve just from that. "Excellent, though in combat your target will not let you hit them. It is time to put your skills to the test. I will pit you two against each other, to truly grasp your martial ability." Xhinx then walked over the a proper spectating area and knelt down, signaling to the others to begin. "We are not here to kill, we are here to learn, but do not let that discourage you from fighting your hardest. While executing Shii-Cho, one would typically strike or slash at specific areas, aiming to maximize speed without risking excessive body movement. Specific moves include sweeps, disarmaments and deflecting. Now show me what you can do." Beginning the sparring for Shii-Cho.

 

[Etherius Yvvera]

Etheriud waited patiently as Korogum moved through his round of training dummies, preforming close to the same movements as him. This form was clearly something to be kept on the back burner; something that Etheriud could always rely on but should not use primarily. As Korogum finished, Etheriud listened to Xhinx explain the final details of the form and took them to his head. Sweeps, disarming, and deflection. Simple enough. Hearing Xhinx tell them to show what they've learned, Etheriud activated his lightsaber once more and twirled it around a few times to get re-adjusted to the weight of the weapon. Etheriud charged forward and slashed at Korogum's left side with his blade, hoping to catch him off guard enough to fall back but not to be cut down.

 

[Korogum]

As Korogum finished with the dummies, he took his own movements to heart, making sure to remember this most basic of forms, assuming it would be the basis for most others. As he took to the ring across from Etheriud, his mind wandered to how and when this form would be most useful. Korogum also tried to recall the last time he had fought Etheriud, although now would be without much earnest in this non-lethal setting. His Mind snapped back to reality as he heard the rapid hum of Etheriud's blade quickly closing in on his left, managing to back step away from the sweep just quick enough to feel the vibrating heat of the plasma. Korogum quickly retrieved his weapon and ignited the blade, it's black core contrasting violently against the red aura, as Korogum stepped forward and brought a downward strike against Etheriud.

 

[Etherius Yvvera]

Etheriud moved quickly to Korogum, bringing his blade to his left but just barely missing Korogum as he moved to the side and activated his lightsaber. Etheriud quickly brought himself to center and brought his blade to meet Korogum's, pushing it away with his blade and moving for a sweeping motion with his leg and saber at Korogum's feet; hoping to knock him off of his balance and put him on the floor. Etheriud had never truly fought with his lightsaber before this; the sensation was incredible. He had never felt this kind of rush before; a sensation he knew to be "fight or flight". However, he knew his calling was not in the way of the blade. He knew that he would not be able to hold his own against Korogum after he became proficient with his blade or Xhinx and his skills with a saber. He was content with his study of the force but knew that he had to master the art of this elegant weapon in order to hold his own.

 

[Korogum]

As Korogum's downward slash was parried away, he quickly hopped over Etheriud's swing that had been aimed for his legs, landing in a crouch as he brought his blade veering upwards towards Etheriud's center, hoping to catch him off guard with the quick reaction. With every swing of his weapon against a true, living opponent, he felt his past experiences welling up within him. The complex, the cultists, the unyielding amounts of fury he had disdainfully harbored for so long had left it's mark, but now, wielding his weapon, he could truly vent those feelings against other beings, and it reflected in the severity and ferocity of his strikes.

 

[Emperor Xhinx]

Xhinx quickly noticed the sheer ferocity in Korogum's eyes and had to interfere. Xhinx knew the strengths and weaknesses of both, and had to help Etheriud, Xhinx flew over to Korogum blocking his strikes with his black blade. Xhinx felt a little unstable trying to block the array of strikes and flashes, it was like Korogum was tapping into some hidden potential. "Easy now, no need to maim each other. You two have fared well, and I will now introduce you into Makashi." Xhinx said trying to calm the currently aggressive Korogum. "While Shii-Cho is wild and untameable, Makashi is more precise and thus predictable. The focus of Makashi was to defend ones self, and to achieve an inner balance. In this form you will utilize more lighter attacks such as cuts and jabs. Makashi is mainly used as lightsaber to lightsaber combat, and futile towards ranged attacks. You can use this form as a defensive tool. Now as before I will demonstrate, but seeing as how you two are warmed up, we will integrate the practice into the spar." Xhinx began to again display his ability on the training dummies, as an example for the others. He then returned to further teach. "Makashi is a more immobile stance, that utilizes tightly planned moves for precision over wild strikes of Shii-Cho. You will generally find your self executing small cross-cut attacks against an opponent. Now you may perform Makashi with each other." Xhinx knelt down again to observe the two, this time eyeing Korogum with his aggressive nature.

 

[Etherius Yvvera]

Etheriud, for the first time in a long time, felt a tinge of fear as Korogum struck his blade. The ferocity of his strike and the look he held made Etheriud wonder if he had done something, anything to upset Korogum in his attacks. As Xhinx intercepted Korogum's strikes and forced him to back off, Etheriud rose to his feet and dusted himself off, deactivating his lightsaber and keeping his distance from Korogum. Etheriud had not been prepared to have such a ferocious reaction from Korogum. Etheriud turned his attention back to Xhinx as he prepared to teach the next lesson; the next lightsaber form. Makashi. Etheriud had heard a little about this form; primarily used in duels and for lightsaber combat. Etheriud watched as Xhinx made an attempt to showcase the movements on the dummies even though they had no ability to fight back. Etheriud watched the position of the lightsaber in Xhinx's hand as well as it's direction towards the ground. After Xhinx had finished, Etheriud turned back to Korogum and activated his lightsaber, putting it into the dueling position he had seen Xhinx preform with the tip of the blade pointed towards the ground.

"You first."

[member="Xhinx"] [member="Korogum"]

 

[Korogum]

As Korogum's strike was made null by Xhinx's quick interference, Korogum stepped back and collected himself while Xhinx explained their next form. He knew he would have to learn to control this newfound desire for fighting in the coming hours of their training, otherwise he would create a very regrettable situation with his allies. As he looked up and saw Etheriud in the Makashi stance, giving him the first move, He gave a nod, as if both in apology and acknowledgement. Korogum himself entered the stance, and sent a few trying jabs against Etheriud, testing out the weight and stability of the form, meeting Etheriud's blade for the first few strikes. As he got more comfortable with the pacing, he let a few, faster jabs loose against Etheriud to further test him as well.