Thickening the Armor

[Krux Mullarus]

So much had been happening in the Sith Apprentice's life recently. Mullarus felt he was certainly learning everything there was to know about the Sith Code, about the One Sith Empire, and how to effectively raise his blade to destroy its enemies.

What had been left out of his training under the renowned [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] for the most part was defensive Force abilities, which was clearly demonstrated on Ragoon IV, when he could not properly defend his fellow apprentice of the Sith Lord and friend, [member="Darth Azurea"], from sniper fire.

Mullarus had never been a very aggressive fighter. He lately had envisioned himself as more of a shield than a sword, like the togruta Lord had forged him into. Rather than focusing on seeking out and eliminating the Jedi and the Republic, like most Sith who lusted for the opportunity to lop off a Jedi's head and bathe in their entrails, Mullarus aspired to become a defender of the Empire and her people. To him, it was a noble aspiration to have.

Even during his time as a prisoner after being defeated on Balmorra, he met Jedi and gained some newfound respect for them. Sure, their code is flawed and they fight for the Republic, a hive of corruption and hypocricy much like the Jedi Code that they worship, but many Jedi stood for the very same goals that he stood for:

To defend his people and his home.

That was why Mullarus had contacted Darth Azurea shortly after the Sith occupation of Ragoon IV, after their wounds from battling the mysterious Mandalorian had healed and they had time to recuperate. There were many abilities that could help him with what he aspired to be that Mullarus had felt she knew that he did not. It was about time to fix that.

Meditating within a dimly lit, silent room with stone walls and a few narrow windows showing the vast oceans of Glee Anselm outside. He did not wear his new armor he had only worn during a few seperate events so far. He wore his favorite comfortable grey and black robes, a favorite of the Sith. They were light, almost like wearing nothing at all. Patiently and silently, Mullarus waited with his head lowered and his indigo eyes closed. Meditation was relaxing and comfortable to him now, unlike how he felt about it early on during his Acolyte training.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Darth Azurea met the dark-haired [member="Mullarus"] in the Glee Anselm Training Academy, a location which was very familiar to the both of them. Their Master, [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] built the academy on the backs of the Nautolans he had conqured. The halls of the training facility echoed with the ghosts of slaughtered amphibian humanoids.

When they had last seen each other on Ragoon V, Darth Azurea had left the battlefield with a shrapnel would and her Malia puppies. She wasn't really sure what had happened to Acolyte Mullarus. Her own leg had healed for the most part. Only a faint scar on the back of her calf remained. Physical therapy took care of the rest. How badly her Sith colleague had been hurt that day, she didn't know. But she decided to find out during their reunion.

When Mullarus found her, Darth Azurea would be waiting in one of the training rooms, a wide expansive stone and concrete space with various weapons on the walls and training droids deactivated in the corner. The brunette Sith Knight also wore simple robes and loose-fitting black garments that didn't restrict movement.

"Did you sustain any injuries on Ragoon?" she asked. "And is there anything I should be aware of that has transpired since we've last seen each other?" They had been through a lot together recently. Not just Ragoon, but an operation on Toola, where he witnessed her own vulnerability. Azurea had weak spots, but she had come back from Toola resolving to fill in those holes wherever she could through pain, determination and ancient Sith practices.

[member="Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Mullarus took a deep breath, standing up and deciding to seek [member="Darth Azurea"] out instead. She shouldn't be too far from the room he meditated within.

Yes, there she was. After working alongside her so much recently, he could recognize her Force signature immedeatly. He approached her chamber door and opened it up, stepping inside. She had some gear waiting around, some training droids, weapons and the like. She then asked him about how his wounds had turned out after his fight on Ragoon IV.

"I was about to ask you a similar question. I'm fine...took a blaster bolt to the shoulder, but it wasn't that severe. How is your leg? I can see you're standing, so it must be alright now?"

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

"My leg healed just fine," Darth Azurea said. "I am still getting the full movement back, but it doesn't hinder me."

The Sith Knight laced her hands together like a teacher would and launched right into the lesson. In that way, she was like Darth Pyrrhus - efficient and focused on the task. But her approach was much different. The Sith Knight and her Master worked well in battle because of their different styles. Darth Azurea's fondness for defensive moves made it easier for Darth Pyrrhus to constantly press in to attack. He would give the blows, and she would often take them. But they often maneuvered together seamlessly like this. And the close, emotional bond between them also helped harness the ability to predict each other's next move.

She smirked, knowing Mullarus probably wasn't so lucky in his training. She could imagine Darth Pyrrhus losing patience with the young dark-haired Acolyte and probably often. Darth Azurea seldom lost her patience, but that didn't mean she could not inflict pain as well. "There are a couple of skills I'd like to teach you today," she said. "The first one would have helped with that shoulder wound, perhaps not in the heat of the battle, but shortly after. The other is the Force Protection Shield that you saw me put in place on Ragoon V."

Her yellow eyes scanned the weapons on the walls, instruments and tools she had used and which had been used upon her.

"Which would you like to learn first?" Azurea asked.

[member="Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The Protection Bubble. Yes! Ever since he saw it in action on Ragoon VI he knew he wanted to know how to use it. How could he effectively protect anyone with Form III being his only form of defense?

"The Bubble, please." he answered, following her gaze to the practice weapons on the rack on the wall. He recognized a large-framed, greatsword-like weapon that he practiced with for hours before crafting his exotic crossguard lightsaber.

[member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

"Good," said Darth Azurea. "Like your other Force powers, this one requires concentration and visualization."

As she spoke, she pointed at the stone wall where a row of sharp daggers hung, and with Telekinesis began to pull them from the wall, one by one. They hovered in the air of the training room, until she positioned them so that they pointed at Mullarus.

"You can take pleasure in the fact that I've used this same technique on Darth Pyrrhus in training and with amusing results," she said, chuckling softly. Watching her Master dodge flying daggers was relatively entertaining, but she also received her own strict punishment that day as she was beaten by both Darth Pyrrhus and Lord Mythos in an exhausting saber battle.

"Tapping into your emotion and rage, visualize a protective bubble around you, a shield of energy... and go!" she shouted, as she sent the daggers speeding towards him with a flick of her index finger.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

What Mullarus was expecting was something along the lines of relaxed meditation and inward focus until he was able to produce a shield around himself before having projectiles hurled at him. What he got was...the inverse.

Instinctively, Mullarus quickly sidestepped the dagger, one of them grazing his sleeve and cutting a small hole in the silky fabric. "Ah! I can't focus and visualize if I don't have time to prepare!"

[member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Darth Pyrrhus would probably have launched a full-scale attack by now, pulling down every weapon off the wall in punishment for Mullarus's slow response. But Darth Azurea was more patient. There was no need to get frustrated. He would learn this, or he else would die out there on the battlefield without even a couple of defensive moves. It was really his choice.

But she still felt that a gentle scolding was in order.

"You will not have this much time, Knight Mullarus! You will need to learn how to do this in a split second."

Sighing and lifting the knives up again, pointing them back at the tall, dark-haired Sith, she said, "Concentrate... and in 3, 2, 1-"

Repeating the process, the knives were hurled at him again, but this time they centered and made a beeline towards Mullarus's chest with the intent to kill or severely wound him. Even if he failed the Protection Bubble there were other ways to stop the blades.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Mullarus still couldn't imagine a way to think that fast, so this time, instead of stepping out of the way, he simply threw a hand forwars and, using Telekinesis, grabbed the daggers out of the air and simply held them there. Slowly, he closed his eyes and knelt down on one knee, holding the daggers in place, and began to focus. Holding the daggers did not require much of his concentration.

He fully expected [member="Darth Azurea"] to give him more scolding on thinking faster, but it was one thing to put pressure on a student when he had what he needed to practice without any time to react, but it was another to expect the impossible from a student whom had never performed such an ability in his life. It was things like this that excited him about having an apprentice of his own one day. He would look forward to teaching an apprentice of his own and challenge them just as his own master had.

Assuming Azurea had began to scold, Mullarus simply lowered his head in his focused meditation and would tune out her voice, the daggers floating a few feet in front of him. Azurea could try to take them from his grasp, but there was a firm Force Grip placed upon them. Because he was so focused on puttng up a shield of some kind to humor his teacher who expected so much from so little, she probably could rup the daggers from his grip.

On the other hand, if she were more patient than Pyrrhus ever could have been and waited, it would take a few minutes, but before long a very transparents, thin veil of blue energy would appear in front of Mullarus. It was no bubble, but upon releasing his grip on the daggers, they would all launch forward and stick into the blue veil. Clearly, it was a weak shield, but it could be improved upon with more focus, time, and patience.

Whether Azurea approved of Mullarus' patient, time-consuming approach to learning the basics of the ability, he would soon hear as he opened his eyes and looked up to stare at the daggers poking out of the thin veil a couple of feet in front of him.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Mullarus's knife block was a start. "The reason we meditate on the darkside is to enhance our concentration. Does Darth Pyrrhus have you meditate?" Azurea asked. "This way you can build your concentration before battle. And you'll have reserves to tap into for quick defensive moves like the one you just did with Telekinesis.

She watched him carefully with her piercing, yellow eyes, making sure the daggers weren't headed her way. Then he lowered his head, and indeed, began to meditate. Darth Azurea did not interfere with the knives. As long as he wasn't going to attack her with them, she was fine just watching what the student would do. The corner of her lip arched upward in a smile when she saw the Protection Bubble appear. The knife attack was thwarted.

"Now hold it, Mullarus!" she shouted with an almost demonic glee, most likely breaking him out of his trance. "Hold it steady for as long as you can!"

Darth Azurea was a blur of Force Speed, igniting her lightsaber at the same time. She charged headlong into the bubble with her lightsaber high. If repelled she would bounce back. If not, he would be attacked by the Sith Knight and have to spar her as punishment.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Mullarus could not recall Pyrrhus ever specifically instructing him on proper meditation. Instead, Mullarus had researched it himself and eventually picked up on it. He liked it. It was relaxing. "No ma'am, I don't reckon he did."

He listened to her short lecture and nodded, the veil beginning to fade and the daggers starting to fall to the floor. Now he was instructed to hold the shield, so he did so. Now that he didn't have to focus on holding a handfull of daggera in place, he could focus his entire mind on producing the Protection Bubble.

Only, he appeared to have trouble producing a bubble, and instead gave life to a blue veil similar to the one he had previously conjured. It was thicker, though, so perhaps projectiles may actually bounce off as they were meant to.

Well, that theory was immedeatly teasted. Mullarus focus did not waver, no, he was not listening to anything happening in the room. His meditation was deep, as it always was. So when [member="Darth Azurea"]'s crimson lightsaber ignited and she lashed out at the shield he conjured, he remained in his meditation as her lightsaber carved a deep gash in the shield, but would get stuck about halfway in, like trying to cut a sheet of steel with a sword. She could chip pieces of the shield away one by one, but it still offered some resistance and protection.

If she cut at it more, her lightsaber may come inches from Mullarus head. In fact, the heat and light produced from her blade coming so close to his face was beginning to disrupt his concentration. He brushed it off as Azurea testing his shield with projectiles and continued to meditate. Mullarus had many weaknesses, but one strength he did have was a massive force of will. It went hand-in-hand with his ambition and determination.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

One thing could be said for Mullarus. Once he tapped into his concentration, he had an unwavering focus. He didn't blink when Azurea stood in front of the blue veil, giving it her best Makashi moves. "If we can work on your quickness to react defensively," the brunette Sith Knight said, still trying to tear down the energy shield. "The type of focus you are displaying will serve you well." Out of breath, she stopped for a moment and began to wander around the shield, touching it with her hand, mostly to feel the tactile sensation of it. The Force never ceased to amaze her, even in its most terrifying forms.

His shimmering blue wall was clever though. Darth Azurea couldn't get past it. Even though it wasn't an orb surrounding him with its protectiveness, he had stretched the veil of energy from floor to ceiling and then to either wall. The Sith Knight was squarely on the other side of as he sat there patiently.

"But the reason you need to make it a Protection Bubble is so someone doesn't do this to you," Darth Azurea said. With her hands stretching upwards as though she were about to catch a large ball, she began pulling the stones out of the ceiling directly above Mullarus. One by one, the moss-covered stones began to fall upon the dark-haired Knight as he sat meditating.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The shaking of the building around Mullarus was enough for him to break his focus. The wide shield of blue he had produced faded as he hopped to his feet and reached both arms up to catch the falling stones. Thankfully, Mullarus had been listening for a few sentences, and caught the last bit. Best to not get a severe concussion during training.

He chuckled, "Fair enough. I'll work on it. Any other pointers?" he asked, his dark blue gaze falling to her as he held the stones above himself.

[member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

"Not particularly with a Force Protection Bubble," she said. "As with your meditation and lightsaber training, keep practicing it, and you will realize its strengths and weaknesses." As usual, Darth Azurea was not going to micro-manage the tall Sith Knight. He would need to dedicate himself to advance, and she knew he was quite aware of that.

The daggers which had been tossed around the room still lay on the floor. Darth Azurea began picking them up and placing them back into the weapons rack on the stone wall. But this wasn't a normal cleaning exercise. She took the last sharp dagger - a normal one, not a vibroblade - and approached Mullarus.

Without asking him permission, she firmly clasped his wrist and pulled his hand upwards, palm facing her. With the knife, she sliced him, not too deep, but enough so that he would feel it. "This next ability is also good for defense, but it's not without it's price as well."

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

(OOC: I took the liberty of cutting Mullarus but can edit if you need me too.)

 

[Krux Mullarus]

He let the stones from the ceiling fall gently to the side of the room as he stood up to full height. As [member="Darth Azurea"] explained what he should do with his meditation and lightsaber training, he helped pick up some of the daggers until the very last one, in which she Force-Pulled from his hand and approached him with.

He didn't doubt her judgement, so he said nothing when she grabbed his wrist. He did wince when she slid the blade across his palm, though. He said nothing, just watched the blood begin to fill up on his hand.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Like a good Sith, Knight Mullarus barely flinched when Darth Azurea sliced his palm with the knife. "It's handy that you can withstand pain because what I am about to show you will require you to deal with quite a lot of it." The brunette Sith Knight let go of his wrist, and then with surgical precision, sliced her own palm in the same way. Although it seemed as though she were about to perform some kind of sinister blood ritual between the two of them, she just held up her hand so that her own crimson blood dripped down her pale wrist.

"I will show you how to Force heal, but this is not the way the Jedi do it. The healing requires you to refer the energy to another living being. This in turn, is excruciatingly painful for the recipient." She absentmindedly touched the open wound on her hand. "While you can heal yourself, it takes longer and may need to be performed multiple times for the wound to actually heal. In the throes of battle, you will not have time to waste."

She cleared her throat and said, "I want you to refer the pain to me, Krux. Focus your rage and anger on causing me pain - real physical pain - in order to heal your flesh wound." A Jedi would be insane to subject themselves to that level of pain, but for a Sith, the pain would almost be bearable. And to Darth Azurea, Daughter of Agony?

The searing pain would be akin to bliss.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

It amazed Mullarus of the extent at which Sith would go to stay true to their pride behind the Dark side. While the Jedi posess the ability to close wounds and heal sickness at a simple touch and a little focus, the Sith refuse to practice it because it is a power of the 'Light side'. Instead, to keep their pride intact, they use a similar, but completely obselete power. It was amusing to Mullarus how scared the Sith were of Jedi powers. Even more so how not a single one would ever admit it aloud.

Still, it couldn't hurt to learn. It sure sounded like a true self-centered monster's ability to heal one's own wounds at the cost of another's pain. Mullarus had to wonder now, why had [member="Darth Azurea"] given herself a wound, then? Was this a test to see if Mullarus would, instead, heal her wound instead of his out of selflessness? For the sake of learning the power, he would humor her, though he would take no pleasure in inflicting pain upon her.

Even calling him by his first name, the name nobody had called him by in years, Azurea insisted. He winced as he moved his fingers, the wound on his palm rubbing itself and gushing out more blood. With his other hand, he reached out and rested it on her shoulder. He focused for a few moments, envisioning the stinging pain in his hand leaving his body and exiting through the fingertips of his other hand...

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Knight Mullarus may not have deriven any pleasure from causing Darth Azurea pain, but it was the opposite for the brunette Sith Knight. A Jedi may fear the physical state of discomfort, of extreme inflammation, of agony, but to Azurea, pain had become a welcome stab of release, replacing any other emotions she felt in that moment. Pain was all encompassing. The Jedi were wrong. It was not something you could block out or meditate away. Agony in all of its forms needed to be embraced, nutured and caressed like a lover.

She closed her eyes, the moment that Mullarus put his hand on her shoulder. She breathed deeply readying herself for the wash of pain. And when it came it was divine. She made a sucking noise through her teeth, her body shuddered but those were the only outward signs that she felt anything. During earlier times in this ritutal, when Azurea was herself training in darkside healing, her knees would buckle. She would sometimes lose her footing or even the contents of her stomach. But no longer. The pain covered her like a soothing ointment, seeping into her flesh, muscles and bones until that's all she could feel. And her mind became blank.

By the pain, would come renewel in Darth Azurea. Reaffirmation of her beliefs would come quickly and furiously. And renewal would also be granted to Knight Mullarus in the form of his wound closing, skin knitting back together. He would not feel the pain at all - that was reserved for her.

Her eyelids fluttered open. She opened her palm as though she were ready to receive his hand.

"Would you allow me to refer the energy to you now?"

Azurea wouldn't push him. She wasn't a punisher like Darth Pyrrhus. But she was well aware that Mullarus sought knowledge the same way that she did - with a fervent passion. If they were as alike as she had guessed, he would want to know how the pain felt.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The feeling of the deep cut on Mullarus' hand was a strange one. It was like being tickled when there was no pain to be felt. It equally amazed him at how well [member="Darth Azurea"] took the pain. He could tell it was not her first time feeling it. So when she asked if he was ready for it, he nodded. "Don't hold back"

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

The pain wouldn't last long for [member="Knight Mullarus"], but that was because Azurea's cut wasn't that deep. Still, she did the same to him - placed her hand on his arm in order to anchor herself to him so she could refer the energy. Once her strong fingers gripped him, he would feel a searing pain in his hands, and then it moved through his limbs. It was a relentless agony, and there would be no relief from it until Darth Azurea was done with her healing. She bit her bottom lip in concentration, holding her hand up. He could see the tendons and skin knitting back together before his eyes. His own skin would feel like it was being burned, slashed and sliced simultaneously.

And with a sigh, she was finished. She released his arm with a flourish. And as though he'd been tasted by a vampire from an arterial wound, he would feel drained now. The energy she had taken from him would rob him momentarily from his vitality.