Cloak of Shadows (Zalderic Drayke/Daxton)

[Daxton Bane]

For the past few months, Daxton had spent the time honing the combat skills of his young apprentice until he was capable of handling multiple foes at the same time.

"Tell me, my young apprentice. Have you realized the greatest gift of the dark side is also its biggest irony? Can you tell me what it is?"

Even as he spoke, Daxton and his apprentice engaged in a series of complex atrikes and counter strikes, although neither's guard was broken through, neither also gave ground, locked in a stalemate as the Sith waited for a response to his question.

@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]

 

[Zalderic Drayke]

Zalderic deflected his attacks, then launched into a series of his own attacks as he considered the question.

"Power. And their willing to kill their own for it."

His attacks were deflected as he spoke as they continued to fight on, locked in a stalemate. Though he knew that should the man choose to, he could easily overwhelm him.

@[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"Close, my apprentice, but incorrect. The gift of the Dark Side comes from raw emotion, however, the more you use it the less effective it becomes. A Sith who uses exclusively the dark side becomes more drained and spent, physically weakening as the power consumes them from within. Many of our brothers and sisters are foolish and arrogant. Trading the power the gain now for the uncertainty of the future."

Feinting an attack at his legs, he suddenly sweeped with a series of powerful blows to the flanks to drive the apprentice backwards. "Rage, envy, love, these emotions are useful at the most raw, but the more we utilize them the weaker the effect. To be a superior Sith, you must learn to go beyond the Dark Side. Use the arsenal of our foes against them, act the way they would least expect."

With a gesture the shadows around them slowly began to elongate and deepen, as if twilight was falling although it was only early in the afternoon. "Expand your mind and impose your will. Dictate the course of the battle or you will spell your own doom."


@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]

 

[Zalderic Drayke]

Zalderic was quickly forced to go onto the retreat as he used a series of powerful blows to force him backwards. Shadows began to deepen and surround them, despite it only being in the afternoon.

Knowing he had to act or face sudden defeat, he launched himself over him, then unleashed a powerful blast of light from his hands, blinding them. Using the Force to guide and amplify his lightsaber, he began series of attacks using the rest of his energy and feeding off raw emotions in a desperate attempt to end the duel and claim the victory.

@[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

Despite the blinding flash of light, Daxton's blade met the onslaught with a dazzling parries and counter thrusts, creating an almost impenetrable defense. But every defense has a chink and the apprentice found it when he double slashed his master. The first was deflected but the second was too fast to counter and parry, scoring the master as he said, "Very good. You are starting to understand. Use your emotions in bursts. The longer you bottle them inside, the more powerful the explosion."

"You, however, forgot that your blade is not your only weapon in the arsenal. Your mind should be as sharp if not sharper than your blade. When you foe is concentrating on your blade, he opens himself up for a mental jab. This is something few are aware of so they do not expect it when they duel."



@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]

 

[Zalderic Drayke]

Zalderic attempted to infiltrate his mind, but failed as he lacked the will and concentration. As they continued their duel, he felt himself slowly losing the upper hand. Knowing he had to maintain control of the fight, he tried once more. It was unsuccessful as well.

He locked blades with him, then using the force for strength knocked him back a few feet. He took a step back imagining them, wishing them into existence. Then they appeared multiplying until their were ten encircling him. The Zalderic's moved in unison, everything he did, they did. They were all identical, each holding dual violet blades.

"Can you not defeat so many?" They said in a mocking tone, daring him to attack.


@[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

Daxton smile grew as his student took the lesson to heart. "Good. You begin to understand. If you dictate the terms of the battle, you force your opponent to fight at a disadvantage. Come at me!" He commanded the apprentice. Surprisingly, Daxton adapted a full defense stance, one he would typically use in the past.

What the apprentice couldn't possibly know was Daxton was using the Force to sense his true location using Shatterpoint. Seeking the cracks in the Force, he could disregard the false images and determine which one was real, that his pose was merely a feint to buy time to determine who his real target was.

@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]

 

[Zalderic Drayke]

"And let you dictate the course of the battle?" They replied defiantly. "No. You will attack us."

Zalderic stood there, not moving, sabers raised in a defensive position. He had no intentions of attacking, fearing that it was a trap. He would force him to attack, he would decide the course of the battle. He contemplated his next move for when he attacked, assuming he did.

@[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]

"When you have the advantage, you must press your opponent. Do not give them time to defend, do not give them to breath, they must be constantly reacting to your attacks and not acting against you." To illustrate, Daxton lashed out with invisible tentacles of Force at two of the mirror images, shattering them like mirrors before launching a barrage of calculated strikes at his opponent.

 

[Zalderic Drayke]

The mirror images faded as a result of the attacks as Zalderic was forced to focus on his defense. He quickly retreated barely even fighting back, making it seem almost too easy. Then conjuring his darkest fears, he directed them at him through the force, trying to pry on his worst memories and fears.

@[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

The tactic would have worked had it not been for Daxton's constant exposure to the phantoms of the mind's eye that the Dark Heart subjected the Sith to on a daily basis. Instead of fear and dread, Daxton actually felt at peace as the ghosts of his past sins began to manifest before his eyes.

With a powerful sweep, he sweeped the apprentice off his feet and put the blade close to his chest, stopping an inch before it could penetrate the flesh.

"Excellent progress, my apprentice. You do seem ready. Go and rest. Tomorrow report to my office. I have a mission in mind for you."

@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]

 

[Zalderic Drayke]

Zalderic stood up and began walking off, not giving as answer, believing it was unnecessary. His looked up at the afternoon sun, his emotions mixed. He was overall glad to have impressed him and that was his main goal, but his defeat was still unpleasant.

As he entered his quarters, removing his cloak, he sat in the center of the room. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the Force, it's vastness, and power. Drawing on it to calm and restore him.

@[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

@[member="Zalderic Drayke"]


The Sith Lord was always looking for ways to exploit and create weakness in his enemies. First there was the Jedi, then the Republic, then the Mandalorians. After that was a vast assortment of foes and villains who sought to undermine his power. In truth it was a delicate game of balance and counter balance, one that Daxton sought an edge in to exploit.

His choice was rather a matter of practicality. If the apprentice succeeded, then another pawn was in place, if he failed, well it wouldn't be such a big loss. More of shame but not a big loss in the overall scheme of Daxton's plans.