A Padawan No More

[Qhorin Solas]

--Jungles of Felucia

The horizon was a vibrant, verdant portrait, bioluminescent plants hugging the rolling hills and cresting mountains, choking great rivers into thin streams. There was such life that the planet seemed bloated with it, bloated with the Force, making it difficult to study and discern individual threads of the great energy.

Cronos was meditating atop one of the giant mushrooms, the stalk as tall as any tree, the cap round enough to land a starship on. He was waiting for Master Jericho so they could have a bit of a spar The first time they met, Jericho had been a Padawan, and Cronos had been an Inquisitor. Now, Jericho was a Master, and Cronos was a Jedi.

Strange, how things changed over time.

Cronos was almost anxious to see if the man was worthy of his title. Even now, the former Inquisitor loved to fight, found it as natural as breathing to lose himself in the passion of battle. Or was he finding himself instead?

Battle was, in a way, his lifeblood. It helped him keep the darkness at bay, helped him to control if, to channel it.

And so he waited, awash in the vibrancy of Felucia...

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

It was late at night, far into the dark hours of the cycle of the sun and the moon. The latter wasn't up this night; it was pitch black in the sky, and especially in the forest. Even in the small patch of a grassy clearing wasn't enough openness to receive the moon's light; the bright circle had disappeared entirely for the time. No worries; it would be back the next night, in its sliver. But now, in the cover of the darkness, Jericho sat crouching in the pitch black, breathing in the cold, freezing air as they ground the two long pieces of wood together, an attempt to create a warm hearth.

Sparks arose, and soon a flame, growing rapidly until a blaze formed. A few more pieces of wood thrown in, and the fire growing faster than ever. The fire began to illuminate its surroundings, revealing more of the area around him. Jericho closed his eyes for moment while sitting round the fire upon the wet grass and engaging in a deep meditation of emptiness to purge himself of all negative emotion. After doing so he felt the presence of a familiar person. A name he could not put on but he knew this feeling from youth, a warrior much like himself. Much time has passed since he felt this presence but felt like he faced off with him yesterday.

Jericho opened his eyes and walked over to the presence following the signature to a giant mushroom. He place his hand lightly onto his weapons, a habit of his that he made to ensure he had them on him. His heavy armor clipped on tight hidden under his jedi robe and adjusted his masked readying himself for the fight. He looked around to his environment for a moment and nodded his head, though their battlefield was similar to where they first fought. Jericho had much more tricks for the former Inquisitor.

[member="Cronos Aegir"]

 

[Qhorin Solas]

When darkness fell, the forests came alive, fungus and pools and plants alike all shining like beacons against the night sky. And, amidst all the life that thrived in the neon world created by those plants, Cronos felt Master Jericho approaching. He wouldn't have known the Master's name if not for the research he'd done during his probation.

Jericho came upon the base of the mushroom, but didn't climb up. Did he mean to have their duel on the surface? The surface could be treacherous. There were pools of green acid here and there that belched noxious bubbles every few minutes. Some of the more exotically colored spores secreted poisonous gases. There were Sarlaccs on the surface too, disguised by overgrowth from the jungle.

All in all, a perfect place to duel, now that he thought about it. The locale would help to keep him on his toes.

With that in mind, he leaped from the edge of the mushroom cap and plummeted to the ground below. Wind howled in his ears and whipped through his hair. He reached out with the Force to slow his fall, and landed softly, as if he'd fallen mere inches as opposed to dozens of feet.

"Master Jericho." Cronos nodded briefly to show his respect, then brandished his weapon. "Whenever you're ready..."

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

He could feel the warrior make his way down from the giant mushroom down to the more treacherous surface of Felucia. Jericho calmly raised his hand to adjust his mask turning on the filter of his breathing mask. The mask he wore was multi-purpose meant to help him breathe in more toxic areas and under water. Aside from that there was little to no worries he had, the two were skilled to take on any beast the would decide to crawl from the depths. Jericho took a deep breath of air and let out a long exhale, the warrior clenched his fists tightly all the while relaxed the entirety of his body.

When the other warrior made his landing and faced him; to Jericho's surprise, he did not age from the time he was a padawan. But there was much change in to man. He seemed less angry, more focused and more humble; in that even his more aggressive style of fighting seemed more relaxed. Though on that aspect that could change at any moment, "Knight Inquisitor." He said with a bow of his head showing his respect to the man who stood before him.

Jericho let out a breath and summoned the earth it began to circle around him. Without another word he started their duel; Jericho fiercely stomped on the ground causing a small fissure towards him while keeping large stone flowing around his person.

[member="Cronos Aegir"]

 

[Qhorin Solas]

"I'm not an Inquisitor anymore. Just Cronos is fine."

Jericho proved to be an elementalist. The silver Jedi pulled stone from the earth to revolve around him like electrons around an atom. He stomped the ground and it ruptured, a fissure spreading out in a line towards Cronos.

The former Inquisitor lunged to his left, quick and sure footwork enabling him to maintain his balance. For all that he tended to favor power in his saber-work, speed was his first love, that which had carried him through conflict after conflict after conflict.

He darted toward Jericho as if shot from an ion cannon, blade oriented for an overhead strike, mindful of the stone and wary of further elemental abilities. But then he drew short, stopping on a dime some ten feet away, to far a distance to attack with his blade. He snapped his arms down as if to cleave Jericho in two, activating the second phase of his saber as he did so.

In the merest instant, the blade leaped from five feet long to fifteen feet long, thin, needle like, and even more deadly, for the great length of it.


[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

There was no doubt that the former Inquisitor, or rather the Jedi Knight [member="Cronos Aegir"] was fast and as skilled a warrior as ever. But the trained eye of the Lorrdian man saw the man's movements. Unlike last time they battled, he took the time to learn and train in many new force powers as well martial arts. He didn't become a legendary warrior from just his meditations, he created a wall of rock and stone but didn't harden it in case the Knight ran into it, he would surely brake a bone or two. But as swiftly as the warrior darted at him, he elegantly stopped his attack and from the wall Jericho blinded his own vision of what the warrior was doing.

Jericho witness as if in slow motion his blade expanded breezing through the earthly wall and passed the earth the flowed in his defense. Having not anticipated such an attack the blade tore lightly against his cheek and Jericho's eyes widened and a small grin appeared on his face under his mask. So unorthodox, so random, so....New....Already Jericho was revving for the enjoyment of the fight. He though the Jedi Knight would be caught up in his old ways and he wouldn't learn anything new from fighting him and already the Jedi Knight scored a blow. He haven't felt like this since he fought the flexible Imura and the Immortal Shaw. Jericho clenched his fists tightly and he re-engaged himself for the fight and quickly analyzed his foes attack.

Jericho lowered the stone wall and looked to the Knight from the radius of where he stood, the man was about nine to ten feet so the bladed extended out from the normal five feet to around the length to where he striked him. Assumed that his range with his blade was appox from what Jericho had to assume could range feet in length maybe even more. It also took seconds for the blade to reach from the range between the two which meant that Jericho was at the disadvantage if he intended only using earth shaping regarding speed and timing of attacks. It would mean he would have to either keep a distance and learn about the blade and the skill of the user or remain close and keep him from using it in such a manner and chance being struck in seconds.

Jericho clenched his fists, he didn't wanted to show all of his cards quite yet, that would take a bit more of fun for him to do that. He was going to stick with the slight disadvantage and keep with earth for now. With another hardly breath, Jericho's already armored self and encased with harden earth around his person. Despite having be so armored and heavy; he still moved with swift expertise, He fired blasts of earth with the movement of his arms and legs, mainly to distract the warrior. His aim was to get in close and go for a combination of punches. Jab, Jab, fake cross ending with a flying knee aimed for his torso.

 

[Qhorin Solas]

In response to the strike against his cheek, Jericho pulled more stone from the earth to armor himself, allowing his wall to drop. The armor appeared bulky and ungainly, but if the Jedi Master was in anyway impaired, Cronos couldn't tell. Was it due to his mastery over earth, or was he using telekinesis?

In the end, Cronos hadn't the time to contemplate. Jericho launched chunks of stone at him, targeting his limbs. They came rapidly, with little pause between them, each careening projectile signifying another step the master had taken to close the distance between them. Cronos dodged what he could, ducking, weaving, twisting aside the rocks. It reminded him of practicing blindfolded with training remotes, as thought gave way to reflex.

Still, he was unable to avoid them all, not when the approaching master commanded so much of his attention. Some, he swatted aside with telekinesis, some he dodged, but a spare few struck his shoulders, glancing blows that made him wince.

And then Jericho was there, incased in his bulky armor, fist lashing out with a punch. For the briefest of moments, Cronos' mind flickered to his lightsaber, and the dial turned back to the standard five foot length. He shuffled backward out of reach of the first punch, but Jericho pushed forward with another. Cronos snapped his blade up to bisect the encased fist, but the master's shoulders were already twisting to unleash another punch. Cronos continued to give ground, blade held parallel to his body and between them at stomach level, wrists twisting back and forth to form a flickering gold barrier of super-heated plasma.

Jericho came at him with a flying knee and he snapped his wrists down to send his blade arcing towards the master's shoulder. His backwards momentum helped absorb the blow, but he still felt the pain of it shoot through his chest, still felt the air leave him, breath coming in a wheezing gasp. He stumbled backward a few steps, and his knees buckled, but the Force kept him steady. The pain brought a measure of focus, and he siezed it as one might take hold of a tool, gathering himself before he mounted his attack.

He held his blade parallel to the ground, arm outstretched, the golden tip level with Jericho's chest, and the dial turned again, blade elongating in a blink. Just as quickly as the saber had stretched to fifteen feet through where Jericho was standing, if he hadn't moved, it snapped back to normal length.

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

Jericho closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of the warm air around them after he made his moves. The warrior kept close to [member="Cronos Aegir"] even though the Jedi Knight was giving ground, the warrior kept his relentless attacks leaving the Knight barely any room to strike. It was only when Jericho went with a knee strike to end his barrage for he predicted the attack and competent orthodox fighter would do. Aim the closest open spot with one's blade hand. When Jericho saw Cronos bring down his attack, the warrior tightened his defense, he pressed foreword to stay close to the attacking and and from stoned arms formed spikes five inches long to cut into his arm, but his aim was to wound not do any permanent damage. The knight retreated back once more and aimed his a saber for his chest. The blade ignited longer once more in a blink of an eye, Jericho increase his speed with the force and spun out of the way it's golden light tearing through his Jedi robe.

This man; was longer an Atrisian soldier, but he was just as agile, he was just as intelligent, and he was still strong in the force. But unlike before Jericho took a slightly moment to reflect on his past battle with Cronos when he was younger. From what he remembered; Jericho had no idea of the man's true strength, it has merely been a couple strikes back and forth such as this. But one and to be calm and competent in the use of the force to divert a flurry of attacks as the man had just done instead of Jericho's saber, the man countered the element of earth. But this time instead of Jericho being pushed back it was him.

A slight smile came upon his face slightly; this was, in a since, a milestone from his youth like wise to see one change from one life to adapt to another. He inhaled the air around him deeply and exhaled slowly gathering the air and the force him to develop a strong force bellow; back then this was merely a burst. But this time his bellow was mighty and it could be seen that giant mushrooms moved by it's might. He follow the attack by sending spikes of earth to keep him falling back when Jericho saw the Knight's saber flicker back to its original length.