"This Weapon is Your Life"

[GhostOfProtocol]

The main training room of the Atrisian Palace was spacious, a large alter against the wall, the same alter that Colt had crushed when training himself. Lucky for him, his master had been able to rebuild it, otherwise he was sure something bad would of happened. Darth Novus paced the room lightly, waiting for someone. His apprentice was strong, but untrained. His apprentice was weak, foolish, but he was useable, he could be shaped into a great Sith.

They would be training with real sabers, real pain. Colt had turned his blade power down however, he would hurt but their would be no loss of limbs. His mask reminded him constantly of the damage a real powered lightsaber could do. He'd lost an eye in a battle, he wasn't loosing anything else. The high pitched noise from the small speakers on the mask itself would fill anyone with fear, which was perfect. His apprentice needed to fear to unlock his pure potential.

He crossed his arm, breathing heavily.

 

[Txon Taronyu]

[member="Darth Novus"]
Txon walked through his new teacher's home, awestruck by its size and magnificence. He had changed somewhat from when his teacher had rescued him on Dagobah, he had cleaned the swamp from his skin, eaten a hearty meal in the Palace's kitchens, and had gotten a long and well-deserved rest. He felt rejuvenated. His teacher had told him they were to practice saber training, so he held the small cylinder in his hand. Some people might have worn some sort of armor to a training session, but Txon was still dressed in the simple hide briefs his teacher had found him in, though they had been washed along with his body. Sustaining injuries in a fight steeled nerves and focused your mind.

Txon finally figured out the maze of passageways, many of which made his a little claustrophobic, coming as he did from the plains of Kelku, and found the training room. He stepped inside, and found his teacher waiting for him. He stepped before the man nodded slightly.

"I am ready for today's instruction," he said.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Spoiler

The video that helped me learn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvc5UNH8PUw

He eyed his apprentice lightly, knowing full well that this was the last time he would see the clothes he was currently wearing. He'd arranged for a black tunic, black trousers, black belt, black cloak with hood and brown boots to be delivered to the room of his apprentice. He would need to dress the part to be classed as a true Sith. A true Sith he would be, a fine Sith he would be. He had much training to complete first however.

The lesson Colt had planned would teach his apprentice two things. The first would be constant guard. Always keep the force open, always feel for danger. The second would be the art of Djem-So, a lightsaber style Colt always went for when opening combat. It allowed him to be quick, push the offence. It wasn't the form he was naturally used to, his body pushed for him to use Ataru, but that form was always plan B.

Within seconds his lightsaber was in his hands, hood and cloak remaining perfect. He thumbed the blade, quickly pouncing on his young apprentice. Harsh, bad pain, but no lasting damage. He quickly took his blade in Krayt's Eye, bringing it down in a falling avalanche to end in a Krayt's Claw. The tip of the blade would burn right down the center of the torso if his young apprentice couldn't feel what he was doing and learn to defend himself.

"Constant...

Vigilance"

[member="Txon Taronyu"]

 

[Txon Taronyu]

[member="Darth Novus"]
Any lesser warrior would have been caught completely off-guard by the sudden assault, but not Txon. From childhood he had learned to communicate not only through words, but also through signs and body language. Anything, from a subtle eyebrow to a series of complicated signs could mean something. Txon sensed from his teacher's first action that he was preparing to attack, not just through the Force but also through the subtle hints of his body.

When the attack came, Txon did not try to stand against it. The flurry of blows was too focused, precise, and quick for someone with no saber training to face. Txon had trained with swords and the other weapons of his people many times, but no Anatasi warrior had this speed and precision, and none fought in such a style. So, like a howlrunner facing a charging nerf, Txon did not stand against the onslaught. Like the alpha predators that were his ancestors, he leaped aside, rolling and coming up in a crouch. His fangs bared and anger growing, he prepared to defend himself with tooth and claw. However, he suddenly remembered the weapon in his hand, the one with the striking blue blade.

Baring his fangs in a roar of challenge, he thumbed the sword on and held it in a well-rehearsed defensive motion. First he would analyze his teacher's style, then target his weak points, just like he had been taught back on Kelku.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Darth Novus stepped back lightly, spinning his blade into the Krayt's Eye hold. The tip of the blade would scorch the tile lightly on the floor, a smile under the mask. His apprentice was great, his pain tolerance was amazing. He needed to feel the force flow through him, that was his issue. He needed to allow the force to lead his attacks. He would be a great duelist, taught by one of the best. Though, Colt knew perfectly his own personal issues.

He needed to learn each and every saber form to make him the best.

He looked at his apprentice lightly, stepping forward slower this time to allow the man to copy. The speed would be there, sure, but it would be slower than last time. He brought his blade to the side, arching it across towards the midsection of the body. If the apprentice could block it, then Colt would allow the young man chance to practice the move on him. Normal enemies wouldn't wait like this, but Colt was willing.

As soon as Txon attempted to attack, his would raise his own block in a parry, pushing the blue blade away, nodding. He would feint a shot towards the midsection, twisting his body and bringing his blade from heel to head in an upwards arch. That was what made this variation of Form V so great, it was all about feinting and attempting to trap and confuse your enemy. A great tactic, one Colt loved every minute of.

[member="Txon Taronyu"]

 

[Txon Taronyu]

[member="Darth Novus"]
When his teacher began to slow down, Txon's adrenaline began to subside. Slightly. He remembered that this was only training; the attack had been meant to teach him. Still, Txon had learned long ago that you acted the way you trained. So when his teacher swept his scarlet blade at him, Txon met it in a standard side block with all the speed he would have if it was an actual attack. He aimed his own attack, but his teacher was swift, and his blade was deflected.

When his teacher struck next, Txon spotted the subtle hints: the slight hesitation, the arms tensed in the opposite direction, the slight reduction in speed. And, for some reason, he felt a twinge in his mind.

Don't fall for it, the voice said. It confirmed Txon's suspicions. The attack was a feint. He did not fall for it. When his teacher spun, Txon met the red blade with the blue at about waist level, and then, using his left foot as a pivot point, he launched a high kick at his teacher's head. The move was classic Anatasi. In Anatasi combat, you used every weapon you had. Txon had no claws on his feet, and the kick was not powerful, but he had enough power to at least disorient. He finished the spin and ended in a defensive posture.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He fell backwards as the kick connected, stumbling lightly. It was a move he used constantly, but had never actually had done to him. He shook it off, stepping back into the battle. The palace of Atrisia was his, he would prove it against any attackers, his apprentice would help him defend HIS home. He smiled under the mask, bringing the blade down into the Krayt's claw position. Slightly, he would flinch, bringing the blade up in an arch, aiming to miss. When in the air, he would strike at the man with a falling avalanche, over and over, trying to break the block of the man.

"You are good, you are quick. You will prove yourself to me soon enough, don't worry about that my friend"

He stepped back, orbiting the blade in his hand, the tip hitting the stone and tile underneath him once more. He loved dueling, it freed him and allowed him to use his anger and hatred for something great. Dueling was great indeed until someone decided to hit him in the eye. That he could never forgive, his eye had been ruined in an attack by a Jedi, but it only made him stronger. He would be ready for the next duel, he didn't need to worry about that.

He raised his blade, bringing it down in one more falling avalanche.

[member="Txon Taronyu"]

 

[Txon Taronyu]

[member="Darth Novus"]
Txon smiled as his teacher reeled. He was enjoying this. He could sense that his teacher was holding back, that he was not using his full strength, but Txon still felt giddy as a toddler. He was doing well. Like all Anatasi, combat was like an art form to Txon. Every strike, every block, every parry told a story. As his teacher came on, Txon laughed and blocked strike after strike. He felt alive as the blades crashed together, making a song of battle that rang beautifully in his ears.

Txon continued to block, then tried to copy one of his teachers moves, pushing the saber away as it struck to allow a clean shot at his opponent.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He allowed his saber to be pushed away, smiling. His apprentice was clever, following his teachings well. Colt smiled under his mask, orbiting his lightsaber once more. He brought his blade across from his side, leaping into the air as he did, the blade swinging towards the head of his young apprentice. Ataru was all about jumping and being acrobatic, and Djem-So could defend that perfectly.

He landed behind his apprentice, using the force to power his attack. He was holding nothing back, and he thought of that as he lunged at his foe, his friend, his apprentice. He feinted another attack, twisting to attack the arm instead of the stomach where he aimed. At the last second however, he would twist again, lunging towards the stomach. He cackled lightly.

[member="Txon Taronyu"]

 

[Txon Taronyu]

[member="Darth Novus"]
Unfortunately for his teacher, Txon was not there for him to strike. As soon as his teacher started leaping, Txon did his own evasive maneuver. Ducking beneath the slashing blade, Txon continued the motion to dive roll forward, knowing that his teacher's actions would put him behind Txon an at an advantage. Instead, Txon came up from his roll a slightly further distance away, dodging the attack. Then Txon struck again, coming on hard with a flurry of strikes, coming in a cross pattern from right to left then down and up. He kept the blade tight to him as he struck, protecting himself.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Spoiler

We'll end this thread after your post, then we have a siege to do

Colt stopped, smiling under his mask, thumbing the power of the blade down. He clipped the hilt of the lightsaber onto his belt, staring lightly through a window. He'd been getting reports for days that somewhere a loyalist who Lord Mythos apparently put in charge was rallying some sort of force to storm the palace. Colt could run, he had the chance to take his apprentice and run, get as far away as possible.

Of course he wouldn't.

Atrisia was his home, a place that he'd formed a bond too over the months. He crossed his arms behind his back lightly, a thinky face forming under the mask. He had roughly two hundred loyalists serving with him, add him to the mix that brought the numbers up to about two fifty. In his own way, he was worth about fifty men. His young apprentice was worth about ten men. That made his force two hundred and sixty men. The enemy was apparently the loyalists, loyal to Lord Mythos and the bloke he put in charge. Roughly six hundred men, with the Sith involved about six fifty. Eight hundred, nine hundred men colliding in the palace to take charge of the planet of Atrisia.

He'd been feeling it in the force, the fight would end with one man standing.

"War is coming. It will be bloody, it will be vicious and only one man must walk away. You will leave me, you will take the two hundred men that we have and you will lead the fight away from the throne room. I may never see you after that moment, if I fail then you will be arrested and held for trial by the Sith currently vying for control. You do not yet have the power I wish for you to have during this battle, but it is too late to train you any better than what you have. Use the anger, use the hatred inside of you, allow it to fuel you and make you more powerful by the minute."

His words formed daggers, no emotion behind the emotional speech.

"If you taken prisoner and I am confirmed dead...

Blow the palace"

[member="Txon Taronyu"]

 

[Txon Taronyu]

[member="Darth Novus"]
When the training session apparently ended, Txon turned off his own saber and stood before his teacher. Though he had only known the man for a brief time, he already felt a connection to him. In Anatasi culture bonds were forged in the fires of war and battle. Their fuel had lasted minutes, but minutes had been enough. He stood before his teacher, tall and proud.

"I will fight as no Anatasi has fought before," he said, "No matter the outcome, I shall forge my legacy in these flames. I will fight with honor, and I will not fail." Txon had been fighting since he was a child, and had faced death many times, but he had never felt as sentimental as he did now.

"Should I fall, I have one request," Txon said.

"Take me home."