We’ll leave Spitting Rawl for last…

[Darth Timoris]

This felt…odd. She should have taken it as a compliment, two in fact, but instead she felt nervous for the first time since she’d arrived on Coruscant.

She’d faced Sith Lords for training and not batted an eyelash – but this was different. This time she was doing the teaching. The first positive was the fact that her training had been observed. Perhaps that was why Darth Ferus was so keen to train her in the fourth Form?

The second tribute was the fact that she’d been approached by him to teach him the art of Teräs Käsi. Whereas the use of the fourth Form was ingrained in her shared memories but was not natural – the actual training Maul had received to learn steel hands had been part of the transfer her sister had managed back on Ambria. And she’d spent weeks there becoming familiar with it before starting her training here.

It was as if she were a veteran of the martial art already and as such, was qualified to teach. The lessons Maul received were easily recalled and so she had prepared a range of props in the high-walled but open air circular training arena she’d booked for the instruction.

There was a huge pile of pebbles, some mannequins, a pair of parallel walls and various other paraphernalia.

But the reason for the nervousness was none of the above. Instead it was the fact that the training was…well shall we say unorthodox. And she had no idea how well it would be received by a man that could crush her at a whim. Talk about showing you’re worthy!

This would prove interesting…

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

It had been a very, very long time since the Zabrak had been trained himself. For years now he had always been the teacher, showing what he knew in an effort to make the Sith as a whole stronger. But for once it was his turn to learn. And from an acolyte no less. With a slight grin Ferus would step into the room [member="Melori Raaf"] was in, both hands behind his head.

For once he was weaponless, and armorless. He wore nothing but a pare of slacks, baring his red flesh to the world as a whole. Scars, from solid blades to raw flames, covered his flesh in a random and almost disturbing way. All of his skin seemed to be marked by something, and for his body to be a new one showed how much he fought on a daily basis.

Blue eyes focused in on the pale girl before he looked about the room again, smiling. "So, shall we begin then?" Already he wanted to get right to it. He was anxious to learn a melee form he did not know for multiple reasons. The first, it's potential use to make a new unarmed form incorporating the Assassins own hidden blade. The second, the help with mental defense. Ferus's mind was an open book to too many, and he really wanted to know how to keep his own thoughts private.

 

[Darth Timoris]

“The training we’re about to undertake is centuries old. But before we start, I have some things to share.” She went straight to the point; clearly pleasantries were not part of her make-up.

“Firstly I am the teacher. If at any time you don’t like the lesson, you are free to leave. Questioning the methods counts as a request to leave and will be granted. I am an Acolyte, you are a Lord. But here and now, I am the teacher and you are the student.”

She did not ask for acceptance or even stop to see if any were to be offered. She simply continued. “The training requires mental and physical exertion before it can begin. You appear…fit, so this will take longer than most.” She gave his body an appraising eye.

“So, I require you to drop and do press-ups. Whilst doing so, you should recite the Code. In your head, out loud, I care not which. Only when the lactic acid burns your arm muscles so that you can no longer continue can we move on to the next phase.”

With that she turned her back on him and went over to two parallel bars and started doing exercises of her own – clearly linked to her dance training. It was part balletic and part gymnastic. Not once did she look across to see how he was doing.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

A small grin formed on the red mans face as [member="Melori Raaf"] began the lesson. Already she was commanding, and the grin signified a respect. A good thing. To most, an acolyte commanding a Lord would mean a dead or missing some parts acolyte, but this was her lesson, one Ferus had asked for. And so, as she spoke to make sure he understood, he would bow his head.

"Yes, teacher." This was not to mock her, but to be a literal interpretation of his respect for one willing to teach. As she commanded, he would do. And so, when he was told to drop to the ground, he would. Holding himself up on his two red arms, one mechanical and one flesh, he would begin, slowly lowering himself to the ground before pushing himself back up to the beginning stance.

His eyes never once left the ground, for his mind was elsewhere. Within his head he focused on one thing. The Sith code, just as Melori had demanded.

There is no peace, on passion.​

Through passion, I gain strength.​

Through strength, I gain power.​

Through power, I gain victory.​

Through victory, my chains are broken.​

The Force shall set me free.​

​

Over and over again went the code. It was, while not something he went about shouting every day, something he lived by with everything he did. He truly believed in the code, believed in the Sith. The Zabrak was still chained, but he was getting there to finally completing the code.

Up and down his body went. Time slowly lost it's value to the red man as he found a rythem between the words and his actions, and slowly his body would begin to glisten with sweat. He was a powerful force user, but at his heart he was a warrior of endurance. To him, the one who lasted longer in the duel was the winner, which was true. The last standing was the only one who could be considered a champion.

And so this would take a while, but rather than fueling himself with the Force to prolong his endurance, he would keep it raw to himself. Melori would soon enough find him beginning to pant with sweat dripping from his red brow. His arms would ache by this point, burning. A smile now formed on the Zabraks face as he thought about burning. He himself could not feel the sensation of actual burning, but this beautiful agony in his arms was something he could remember fondly.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Once Melori sensed he was tiring - not necessarily exhausted - but definitely less fresh than when he started, she walked across and indicated he should stop.

"Those pebbles. There are about a thousand of them. I want you to count them. Once you've done that, I want you to count them a second time. Then count them a third time. If you get frustrated by the exercise, you will start again at the beginning. You may not use the Force. If I sense you do either of the things that are banned...you start again."

'In your own time."

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Ferus stopped as [member="Melori Raaf"] indicated, and he would push himself into a sitting position with both legs crossed. He would listen to her words, a slow frown forming over his lips. It wasn't what he had expected, that was for sure, but quickly the frown faded as he offered a nod of understanding. She was still the teacher, and he would do as she said.

Moving to the rocks themselves he would kneel, glancing over the pile as a whole. No force, no anger. The first was easy, the second not so much. With a deep breath the red man began to count them, two by two, sliding them from the main pile to make another with his hands. He would count in his head, focused on the task at hand without pause. But no matter how much he simply wanted to focus on it, he couldn't help but feel annoyed at this all. As he finally finished the first count to a thousand, his skin had slowly began to shift to black.

Melori wouldn't need the force to sense annoyance. Ferus's skin, originally blood red, was now a maroon, a side effect of his dark mark. While invisible under normal circumstances, the darkside and anger turned the skin pigment slowly darker until it reached a pitch black. And Ferus was not using the darkside.

A sigh would escape his lips as he knew full well what was to happen at this point. Only a third way through this and he would have to restart. This only seemed to annoy him more as the skin steadily grew darker, but he was no simple acolyte or knight. He was a Sith Lord, and he understood why he had to do this.

And so, with a deep breath, he would begin anew, his skin returning back to it's normal color within seconds. Blue eyes darted over the rocks as he found himself in a rhythm, counting them two by two to a beat in his head until the rest of the world faded. No longer was he focused on his teacher, or even the task itself. Just simply two by two until he hit a thousand. Then it would begin anew, constant, to the beat within his head. Time would pass without him noticing, and he would do this until he was told to stop.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was neither pleased that he completed the task nor annoyed that he'd failed previously. Such emotions were for the Jedi. She was a teacher and he would either succeed or fail. If the former, she continued with the training. With the latter, she would simply walk away. If he was not worthy, she would not invest the time. But so far he was performing well.

"Teräs Käsi relies primarily on an avoidance of the Force. We will train without accessing it. Once proficient, you can incorporate it into your usual moves. But if in training you become...emotional, you will fall into using the Force. It is inevitable. Physical tiredness and a sense of calm are essential to reach before we can begin the training proper."

"Which is now." She stood in front of him and indicated he should face her. "Now...show me your unarmed fighting stance."

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I would be lying if I said calm was something I did normally." Ferus spoke rather casually before pushing himself up from the rocks. Her voice snapped him right out of his trance, all of his attention shifting from the task to [member="Melori Raaf"] herself. These were the only words he spoke however, as when she told him to get into his unarmed stance he did not hesitate.

Growing up an Iridonian teaches one much about bloodshed and violence. How the only try thrill was the thrill of a kill, of breaking bone and spilling blood. With or without the Force. Most of his childhood was spent training without the Force as it was and now he just had to remember what it was like. The Force had become too much of a crutch for him as he now realized, and with a slight frown he would bring up his fists.

It was a simple, neutral stance with both hands up curled lightly into fists. His dominant foot was forward, pointed for the girl while his non dominant foot was to the back and pointed off to the side. He had nothing fancy about it, nothing remarkable, but also nothing bad or open.

"And now?"

 

[Darth Timoris]

She observed his stance. “Okay. First things first. High and heavy. Your foot dominance is good, but if I wanted to hurt you-“ She moved slowly, indicating for him to remain in her stance. She put her fist out, right at his chin. “That would hurt, wouldn't it?” She carefully moved his fists up, glancing at him. “Here.”

She moved his right hand, which she presumed was his dominant hand, towards his chin. His knuckles were at the level of his lips now, creating a barrier to his face. She extended his left fist, and cocked his elbow so the joint was only slightly bent. “This is a variation of shock boxing, but it's easy to incorporate into any fighting style. The outstretched hand-“ She tapped his left fist. “Isn't your dominant. This is to slap away any attempts to hit you. Don't block, never block…deflect. More effective. Less stressful on your body too." She looked down at his feet, and stepped back.

She turned his body, making a smaller profile. She spread his feet evenly, and made him crouch down slightly in his knees. “Better kicking position. And less chance of your legs getting kicked. Also, easier to block and deflect. There's a reason all the holomovie stars fight like this. It works."

“Now, on to movement-“ She took the position he was in, albeit she was a bit more loose and relaxed, not as rigid as he was. She was more confident in her fighting abilities - and it showed.

She moved quickly, but smoothly. She didn't jerk her limbs, she didn't make erratic movements. They were calculated and precise, and her footwork was balanced but light at the same time. At any point, it seemed she was about to jump. “And so to hitting.”

She stepped around him, and tapped the outside of his thighs with his foot, and the inner part of them. These obviously weren't invasive moves, they were demonstrative and she had no intention of making them seem like a sexual advance.

“This is where you want to put the hurt on a humanoid – I guarantee you give them a good solid kick to these parts, and they'll break their guard.” She pointed to his ribcage, and then pushed his elbows slightly more down. “Real fighters won't hit you in the face – that's a particularly romanticised way to fight. No – the best way to hurt someone is to hit them in the other places.” She stood back, and tilted her head at him. “Teräs Käsi is designed to take down Force users. So tell me, what do you think the most important thing to remember when fighting nine out of ten Force users is?"

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Ferus nodded along slowly with what [member="Melori Raaf"] was saying, and how she was moving his body. To some, having another person purposely move your limbs around like an over sized mannequin would be too invasive for them to handle. But as a man built around combat, it was normal.

Once she was finished moving his limbs around he seemed much more relaxed, for as she explained why it made sense to him. His usual fighting style was punch hard for the face until they stop moving, with a couple of kicks thrown in. He was a swordsman after all. But this, well. It was a foundation he had been missing.

But when she spoke about the Force Users, he simply cocked a brow. There were a number of things Force Users were dangerous for, but nothing came screaming to mind as the most important.

So he guessed.

"I assume their ability to pick you up and throw you without hesitation?"

 

[Darth Timoris]

“That’s true but I guess the answer I was looking for was that they will be able to read you and see you coming like no ordinary foe. The Force grants people awareness unlike any other.”

“So you must become an entity that they cannot read – free from mental probing and influence. If you’ve not already perfected closing your mind to Force Users, I suggest you learn soon. Then, you can focus on being faster than they are.”

“OK, to actual training. Do you know what move is synonymous with the art of Teräs Käsi? Don’t worry, it’s not another test.”

She paused and showed him the positions of her hands. Her fingers were erect and straight, with the upper most knuckles curled. Her palm was flat and protruding with her thumb in alignment with the other fingers.

“You hit anyone with this – I guarantee you that it will hurt them to the point that they will either fall back or die.” She pointed to a dummy, a humanoid punching bag with realistic bone and flesh and muscle density. She walked towards it, given that it was about six or seven yards away. “Hit that dummy with a steel hand.”

She stepped forward, shooting her arm straight out in slow motion. “Extend your arm out, and use your triceps and biceps to jolt your arm forward at the last moment, lunging your forearm and ultimately your palm forward. Smack them hard enough to break their bones. You don't use Teräs Käsi unless you're willing to break bones or take someone's life. Now go hit that dummy.”

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I've honestly no idea how to close my mind. I focus on a lot of things, but that tends to be the one I lack skill with." Ferus's mindset has always been act quickly and prevent those who would try to get in his mind from having the time to. As he's been learning however, he can't always simply distract.

He couldn't dwell on this for long however, and as she walked over to the dummy he did the same. The move she described was basic, but something he hadn't thought of. Something that was already making the gears in his head turn. For him, the movement offered an extension of his Order's own weapon, one he would have to think on later.

For now however, once [member="Melori Raaf"] finished describing the move, he went right to it. There was no hesitation for the Iridonian, he lived for taking the life of another, and his left, still flesh hand shot out to slam against the dummies chest. A loud crack filled the air as palm seemed to break bone. A small smile formed over his lips as the crack filled the air.

Oh how he loved that noise.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori nodded at the Sith Lord’s honesty. “It’s not for me to train, but I’d recommend it. But then it’s not essential, just a strong suggestion.”

Melori then nodded at his first effort. “Excellent. You have the power, all that needs to be worked on is the speed. It is the combination that brings you true power.”

Without warning her own right hand snaked out - there was no back-lift, all her motion was in the direction of the dummy. Even to a Force-User, the movement was a blur. To the man in the street, they probably wouldn’t have seen her move at all. Except they would have seen the hole, the size of a fist in the dummy’s chest.

Melori turned her hand over and opened her fingers. In it was a red rubber heart that the dummies clearly had fitted. “Not evil…just efficient. Continue until you can do that. There are plenty of other dummies here to use.”

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

While [member="Melori Raaf"] may not find it evil so to speak, Ferus found himself taking a small amount of delight in the fact that one could literally rip the heart out of another without the Force. Perhaps that was what amazed him the most. The beginning of his life started without any training or knowledge of the Force, and yet he had never once thought he could do what the female just did.

And so, with no attempt to hide his enthusiasm, the Zabrak would get right down to it. Humming a small song in his head, he would switch between his hands, thrusting his palm towards the dummies he was at. The sounds of cracking bone would quickly fill the room, but never once did he penetrate the dummies chest with the simple strike. Normal bone was hard, meant to withstand such brutality, and Ferus seemed to be having trouble learning the trick.

Till around the fourth or fifth. There were certain areas to hit that were weaker, that provided less stability then the center of the chest or so. With the right angle and target area, his palm ripped forward through the chest of the dummy. Another satisfied grin formed on his face as he ripped out the false heart, glancing over to the female.

"This is a very, very brutal style you have."

 

[Darth Timoris]

For the first time a true smile played across her lips. She’d been working hard on her arrogance – it was a flaw that should have cost Maul his life after all – and she’d learned the lesson almost first hand.

So the compliment from the Sith Lord was great for her ego. She saw how he relished the physical nature of the attacks. She simply saw it for what it was – a very quick and simple way of killing someone. He on the other hand seemed to gain pleasure from it.

If that was from the learning, his possible application of that learning or something else, she neither understood nor cared about. He was a willing and able learner – that was all that mattered to her.

“Excellent work. Make sure there’s no back-swing. That telegraphs your intention. When I punched before there was no warning, no hint it would happen. That’s how it has to be. The temptation is to use a back-swing to generate speed. It’s the final third of the forward momentum that does that. But with practice you’ll be able to penetrate even the most..stubborn bones. And armour too.”

“But now for the moves.” She cycled through them all one, calling them out as she did. “Aryx Slash…Charging Wampa…Dancing Dragonsnake…Death Weave…Förräderi…Gorax Smash…Gronda Stomp…Gundark Slap…Leaping Veermok…Nexu Grin…Rancor Rising…Riding Bantha…Screaming Squill…Shenbit Bonecrusher Blow…Slashing Wampa…Sleeping Krayt…Spitting Rawl…Steel Hands…Striking Sarlaac.”

Some were simple moves. Others had to be imagined with an opponent facing her, like Spitting Rawl where she’d clearly performed a sideways flip, brought her feet down three times on an opponent before bashing with both fists in a vertical fashion.

“Just like a saber velocity, practice them in combinations. Use dummies; use imaginary opponents…whatever works for you. But sooner or later the real practice will come with live subjects. I found a swoop gang on Irodinia a good place to start.” Again that smile reached her lips. “They were Mandos and presented a challenge.”

“But now, we’ll cycle through the moves slowly and you shall copy me. Once I know you’ve gained the muscle memory, we can speed up.”

And so she did just that, stopping every now and then to correct him and waited for him to say he was comfortable with the moves and was ready to increase the pace.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

There was a slow nod form the red man as [member="Melori Raaf"] spoke. No back-swing? For a moment, his brow furrowed in confusion, but that quickly faded as her explanation made sense. No one would see the attack, and the back-swing was unneeded. Once more he found himself thinking about things he normally wouldn't.

He wouldn't speak again, rather just listen and watch as she went through the moves. Some, the simple ones, were quickly tucked into his mind. Combat often involved the need to learn quick after all. But it was the more complicated ones, such as Spitting Rawl, wasn't so simple to remember fully. Ferus would have to ask her about it later.

Then it became his turn. With a slight grin the Zabrak began. The ones he did no he went for no issue, but the ones he didn't he willingly accepted her assistance in it. It would be some time before he was willing to take it up a notch however. This wasn't from hesitation, but simple determination to get things right.

Slamming his hand one last time against one of now many destroyed gel figures, he would shift his blue gaze to the female.

"I believe I'm prepared to take another level."

 

[Darth Timoris]

In truth this was simpler than many Force Abilities. Here you learned the manoeuvres, perfected your punch and you put the hours in.

The Sith Lord had the basics of the moves sorted now. Practice and repetition would build muscle memory. That was down to Darth Ferus. But she could certainly help him along the way.

“Early on, practice them all religiously but in combat, stick to the ones that come most naturally. Create combinations that work well for you.” As she talked, her hand went into her pocket and she pressed a button on a simple comms unit.

A door at the side of the training area opened and three unkempt men were brought in by a trooper. Once they’d reached the two Sith, Melori spoke again.

“These three have been chosen at random from a local jail. Their backgrounds are petty larceny, disturbing the peace, causing an affray, property damage and grievous bodily harm. They are, in the world of the worthy, surplus to requirement. Consider them practice. They are bound to have some skills – but you may use no Force, OK?”

She smiled and stepped back, indicating the trooper should remove the cuffs from the prisoners.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I didn't need the Force for most of my childhood to my early years as a Templar. This will be simple, especially with what you have taught me." A grin formed over the Zabrak's face as the three entered. This wasn't a first to him, though it was certainly the first time he was the intended target of this group. He slid down into a simple combat stance, hands held just as [member="Melori Raaf"] had shown him.

There would be no more talk from the red man as the fight would begin. The three came in all at once, each assuming that the one who killed the Lord would be set free. And with his inability to use the Force, well. They assumed it would be insanely simple.

They couldn't be any more wrong. The Zabrak moved without warning, his form just a blur to them. He closed in on the first, a Rodian, and snapped his palm out quickly. A sickening crunch filled the stunned silence as his palm ripped into the aliens chest. Next was a tear, and slowly the heart of this poor bug was torn clean out.

The body dropped then, leaving a bloody palm outstretched. Blue eyes, devoid of any emotion, glanced between the two left. A human, and a twi'lek. They hesitated. Ferus did not. He stepped into the Twi'lek's guard first, his left knee aiming for the blue mans crotch. Not the most honorable, but a fight was not a place for that. With him now doubled over in pain, his Lekku was exposed.
And tore off. A metal fist gripped this man's Lekku and ripped it backwards, tearing what most consider the brain of a Twi'lek right off his person. A hollow scream filled the air as this one fell. Ferus turned then, looking to the only one left. Human. He hadn't hesitated again, and was now holding a knife in his hand. This human was not bothered by the death or carnage, with instead a large grin on his face. He seemed to love it.

Ferus did too. The human came in first, swiping the blade for the red mans chest. But Ferus was quick to follow. His heritage, the Iridonian warrior clan, shown forth as he too got in close, catching the knife hand under his flesh arm. He gripped it tightly, and brought around his own for a quick jab to the humans throat. It would of sent him stumbling back, if he wasn't caught in a grip. Instead, he fell back, held up only by his arm.

And with a sudden twist, it wouldn't hold much longer. Utilizing the mechanical strength of his own arm, the Zabrak tore this flesh one clean off, filling the room with another sudden scream. She said no Force, but nothing about his cybernetics. Now the man would drop, holding the bleeding stump. Begging for mercy. That was what set the Zabrak off. A flash of anger formed over his features as the human began begging for his life. Swearing that he wouldn't ever cross the Sith again. Swearing on his life, on the life of children he probably didn't have.

With out warning he would snapped down his foot, crushing the skull of the downed man with his cybernetic leg. He'd keep true to the Force thing, but his metal leg would do enough.

It would take a moment, but Ferus would turn his head over to the female, his face once more devoid of emotion. "That work?"

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori smiled. "Good, you've picked up the basics. A test, perhaps? Hard work? I hoped not."

She turned to the trooper and wandered over to him, her hands sliding over his body as she walked around him, her fingers trailing over white armour. When she was standing alongside him, her arm around his shoulder and they were both facing the Sith Lord again, she spoke once more.

"Now the Captain here - he should be work. A veteran of a couple of dozen Invasions and Dominions. Armoured and with weapons and advanced combat training and what...over three hundred personal kills-"

"Three hundred and twenty-seven," the trooper interjected.

Melori's eyes flashed yellow and she slapped him around the back of the helmet with the flat of her hand. "If I wasn't giving to my Lord here as practice, I would kill you myself."

She glanced away and spoke again, "An idiot and I presume very soon a dead man..." and she walked a few steps away and turned to face the contest.

[member="Darth Ferus"]