Private Empowerment [Zeptepi Zambrano]

[Darth Ahriman]

"Energy is energy. Put it to work for you. Form it.
Move it. Manipulate it. It can be felt as literal cold, the Darkside."
​

Valen had previously learned that all life was made up of the Force, and vice versa, the Force was strengthened through all living things, but to hear that everything of himself was created within the Darkside of the Force, the way Zeptepi Zambrano spoke as though nothing else existed or was significant by comparison was entirely new to him. Was the Darkside truly responsible for his being there, was it what had brought him to where he was today?

As the energy coursed throughout his body, Valen struggled against the shear strength of her power. His Master seemed able to control and manipulate it in ways that either caused pain or merely flooded through him without physical consequence, yet a coldness found him the second she mentioned the word, sending a shiver up his back as it felt like his bones were slowly freezing within himself.

"It can be manipulated to torture,"​

Without warning the energy turned into what felt like an electrical current as she had previously demonstrated, burning throughout his inner body with excruciating pain that would have brought him to his knees were it not for her control over him. Valen hadn't yet been able to redirect the force with his other hand but now it seemed so much more urgent as his teeth grit tightly down against each other, his cry of pain being released between them as his jaw locked in place, being forced to undergo the experience.

"I can control your heart rate,"​

The pain subsided however the feeling of his heart being slowed by something or someone on the outside was another kind of torture, almost as though he were suffocating, his mind being clouded as he became lightheaded, a lack of oxygen being threaded through his bloodstream causing his body to suffer and resulting in a sudden onset of fatigue.

"All power comes to you, and affects you because it enters into you.
Learn to repel it!"​

Valen struggled to raise his right arm, his head reaching out away from them both as he sought to control the energy being channelled into him. His eyes closed, trying to ignore the blurred vision and the difficulty he found in concentrating on any one thing. He needed to see through the Force, to use it's sight as she had shown him. To feel the power flowing within and to ignore the pain and suffering that she was inflicting upon him. It took every ounce of will that he had to stop himself from crying out again, he desperately needed to stop thinking about how overwhelmed he was, and instead focus on what he needed to do in order to overcome it all.

Zeptepi was using their physical connection as a point of entry for the Force to enter his body, Valen turning his focus to the energy that coursed through him and channelling it back up to his right side, his shoulder, shaping the power within his control and guiding it to flow through his arm and towards his fingertips, finally to be released across the room.

A stream of purple energy erupted from his fingertips, violent electricity embedded with the Darkside of the Force raged through the air in frenzied bolts, colliding with the far wall and scrolling static currents in all directions. The Acolytes eyes remaining tightly closed, his mind only on the exertion of all the power that his Master had given him, not stopping himself until he had redirected all of it away from him.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

Valen

He succeeded at the skill and she found herself genuinely pleased. "With this skill, blaster fire can be diverted. And the energy can even be guided to return directly back to the sender."

Zeza spoke as she continued the flow of energy between them and watched on as he expelled the force by his own hand. "To be Sith, is not to coddle another. You can hold the deepest respect for someone and still kick their arse. In fact, isn't it more respectful to help someone learn how not to die? We let our enemy die, not those we respect. I'm sure you're wondering why we are so harsh in our training here; now you know. Those other Acolytes would kill you to take you out of the running for my Apprentice. They would take out one another one by one as well, till only the strongest survived. That I no longer seek anyone now that you are appointed, you shall be safe."

'There is just something intense about you…almost remarkable.'

As she continued to hold onto his one hand, she laid her other over the backside of his palm and gripped him forcefully. She attempted to overload the Darkside upon him. Her tone grew grave. "This is your ally. The more you become accustomed to suffering, the less you will be startled at pain's onset, or fear your endurance on the battlefield. Learn to shirk the pain so you can keep your mind focused on your task."

In a moment of watching how he reacted, she let up entirely, and continued answering his inquiries from before. "To give you some insight on Sith ideals. I see the Jedi flaunt their beliefs openly, declaring themselves the cosmic appointed protecters of the natural order of life and of the entire Force itself. But when you step back and watch them, they are always the aggressors, the one initiating attack on everyone else who doesn't dwell in their state of the light of the Force. They speak of feeling no emotion, but they are filled with hatred enough to initiate wars. None may even walk past them in peace upon a neutral planet without being forced to fight to the death. So we fight, as we have historically always fought; then there must come a time in one's life, in society, when we stop reacting to being challenged all the time, and we logically become proactive for the sake of survival."

Zeza would relay no unbiased observational opinion regarding the harshness of the Sith, for she was brought up among the most brutal, and also respectful of any who have ever lived.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

As Zeptepi Zambrano once again channelled all of her will and control over the Darkside through Valen, he listened to her words while trying to keep himself open to the power that coursed throughout his body. There was no pain this time but rather the feeling of power as the Darkside brought a heightened sense of strength to his muscles, as well as a sense of confidence to his mind that made him feel untouchable. It was a fleeting moment, but one that made him feel like he was beyond the chamber the both stood in, as though he could reach beyond the physical walls to other sources of life and energy that suddenly seemed so tangible and easy to pick up on.

His Master explained her reasoning behind the brutality of the Sith Order's teaching and treatment of Acolytes, putting them through the paces in order to strengthen them for the merciless opposition they would face in battle. It seemed harsh, yet it also made sense. If they could survive their training, then they could survive the cold and harsh reality of the Galaxy out there. Valen had already seen his share of it, having been enslaved on Arcadia-N-30. The power that he was feeling now, would have made things so much different back then.

As she spoke of the Force being his Ally, the Power she channelled through him turned to immense pain once more, Valen biting down once again and trying to resist as he felt waves of energy charge through him like electricity once again, his clothes that he had arrived in starting to wisp with a light scent of smoke as he stood there, body tense and his mind focused on trying to manipulate the energy, to attempt to change it's the effect on him by his own will, wanting so desperately to make the suffering stop once more.

"...-But when you step back and watch them, they are always the aggressors,
the one initiating attack on everyone else who doesn't dwell in their state of the light of the Force".
​

Zeptepi's words surprised him. He hadn't seen the side of the Jedi like she was describing, yet he had also only been with them for a year and in that time only once journeyed to another world with them for the sheer experience of getting out of the Silver Rest. Still, he was most intrigued to hear more of how she had come to believe this, wanting to understand it for himself if the Jedi weren't the guardian's they made themselves out to be.

"The Jedi attacking first?" He asked, looking to her with a studious gaze, not disbelieving but interested and wanting to hear more.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

Valen

"I guarantee you, now that you are one of us, you will see the hypocrisy. You will become targeted." Zeza bought into the propaganda that the Sith protect those they govern. Like most systems however, subversive subclasses of citizens are expected to rise up against any authority, regardless of who governs them. However, as a Sith, she believes this part of the galaxy feels comfortable to Darksiders, due to the magnitude of the Force in its amazing Nexus. The citizens who live here are inherently aligned with this Darkness.

"I don't expect you to comprehend everything I share with you right away. I spent fourteen years being taught about this stuff. In time, from being here long enough, you too will formulate beliefs on your own. We can discuss those whenever you realize them, and see what you have uncovered compared to what I understand."

His practical lesson is far from through however. Zeza whistled once to the air and a dozen Training Remotes activated and drew out of their charging stations sunken in the walls around them. She pondered to render a second whistle to call another dozen, but decided against it.

The Crusader drew her Lightsaber from her hip and raised her weapon before her. She took a moment to clear her mind, drawing in and out a deep breath before igniting her blade. The instant the blinding crimson fire sparked with an audible crack, the training droids began their aerial assault. The twelve spheres scattered about the room, firing blaster bolts from all directions, with no sequence or pattern to their rendering fire nor flight pattern, but they were all very quick. She gave a demonstration of movement, dancing around Valen with grace and sheer swiftness of fluent precise motion, yet displayed focus and an inherent fierceness.

When she had pushed back all of the remotes by returning their own fire back into them, she did not end the display but carried on until her heart rate increased considerably. When she had managed to respond quickly enough that the droids became pushed back in unison and far enough that they were nearer their charging stations than herself, she then disengaged her Lightsaber.

"This is just another way to utilize the Force. Its not just about learning a physical form of defense. It is about focus and action, through connecting with the Force. As much as Force Powers are important to learn, this alone is equally as important as all of those skills you will learn. Only after you become a Lord, can you then put aside anything you wish. For now, I want half your time to be spent on Lightsaber combat training."
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

Valen watched as Zeptepi Zambrano drew her lightsaber, the training remotes each darting apart and beginning to move about the chamber sporadically, without any sense of pattern or logical trajectory, entirely at random. The snap-hiss of her crimson blade flared up over the low-density blaster fire that aimed to strike at her from all directions, all remotes opening up on her and yet somehow missing Valen entirely as he stood in the centre of the room, eyes wide and focused upon watching his Master move with a fierce grace that he had not known possible. 'How could something so violent be so beautiful'.

"I guarantee you, now that you are one of us, you will see the hypocrisy. You will become targeted."
​

The news that he would be targeted by other Jedi should have been at the forefront of his mind, yet he could not help but feel a sense of pride when his Master had confirmed that he was one of 'them'. Valen who had been nothing prior to his arrival on Dromund Kaas was now a Sith Acolyte and one step closer to bringing his vengeance against the Cult of Typhojem and discovering the truth behind his parents' identity and location today. Not only that, but he had earned his place above others who had waited an unknown period of time, training and seeking to earn Zeptepi's approval, where he had somehow managed to overcome them all and do so in a single day.

It should have been daunting, to know that his future ahead would be long and hard-fought, yet the power and prestige that was being offered to him was also exciting to learn of. She, his Master, would train him to become a powerful force wielder, a true Sith who would never again be downtrodden by others or shown the abuse and disrespect that he had received as a slave to the cult. Even Caedyn had danced around the subject of his family, when Valen could not help but suspect that the Jedi Knight had known more than he let on.

When Zeptepi disengaged her lightsaber, the remote droids all having ceased their weapons fire, his Master once more spoke to him.

"This is just another way to utilize the Force. Its not just about learning a physical form of defense.
It is about focus and action, through connecting with the Force. As much as Force Powers are important to learn,
this alone is equally as important as all of those skills you will learn.
​

"I understand, Master" Valen acknowledged and complied with her instruction. He would do as she wished, dedicate hours on end a day to his practice of swordsmanship and defence against the training remotes that she had demonstrated.

"However, you confiscated the Lightsaber I had brought with me" he pointed out, unable to keep in mind that it was a green bladed saber, a stark comparison to the Sith traditional crimson blades.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

Valen

She heard what he said and her lip curled instantly into disgust while her brow scrunched to reveal her bewilderment. "Wait…you don't want to work with that childish jedi piece of crap?" It was as much a legitimate question as a chastisement. "Did I not tell you to forget all that nonsense from before?"

She knew he would eventually push her to make a demonstration of just what she can make the Force do to him. 'They always do.' "In due time," she whispered to herself.

She handed over her lightsaber to him and suggested, "Work with this and modify it any way you wish. There are classes here specifically for individual modification as well." She smirked ever so mildly, knowing full well he would learn quite a bit from the provided class, should he accidentally destroy the inner workings of the Lightsaber.

When Valen took hold of the Lightsaber, Zeza whistled and for the moment only a single training remote floated towards him, stopping just in front of him, waiting for him to ignite the weapon and take his fighting stance, the signal to begin.

"For this stage in your lesson, I want you to focus on the Force. The energy from the remote is part of that same energy you watched ebb and flow earlier. As you can see with the Force, experience everything around you with this new sight, so can you sense the bolt of energy which the remote sends towards you. Demand the Darkside grant you the physical speed your muscles require for you to remain protected against an assault by this rogue energy blast."

She stood directly behind him and peered over his shoulder at the remotes prepared to watch how Valen reacts. "Begin," she directed.​

EEEK! Preview is gone!

 

[Darth Ahriman]

When Zeptepi Zambrano handed him the Lightsaber, Valen's gaze was drawn to the weapon in studious intrigue. The design was far different from those of the Jedi's standard-issue training hilts, this one encompassing a crossguard feature that would mean some needed adaption within its use least he cut his own arm by a mistaken twist of the hilt.

The acolyte soon looked back to his Master for a moment, hesitating as he sought to gauge the seriousness of her offer, as though there was some sort of catch that accompanied the possession of a new lightsaber. She didn't seem the type to simple gift something without compensation or some kind of ulterior motive, yet their time together was still short-lived and first impressions were rarely reliable.

His question had been genuine, not having had a weapon on hand to defend himself with; it had reflected nothing of his past with the Silver Jedi but rather his own sense of self-preservation. Despite his Master's chastising him for what she perceived had been his clinging to that which was clearly behind him now, Valen focused upon the weapon within his hand, his thumb moving to toggle the hilt's ignition and with a snap-hiss, three crimson blades being expelled from the blade emitters, the cross-guard much shorter than the primary blade, yet still looking very intimidating and causing the Acolyte to smile faintly in approval.

A swift and sudden movement from above awoke him from his admiring the Lightsaber and quickly forced the Acolyte into action, dashing forward to avoid the first blaster shot the remote had fired at him, turning back on his heel and bringing the blade sweeping about to deflect the second shot, the blaster bolt hitting his blade and being rebounded high against the far wall of the training chamber.

Reaching out into the Force, Valen sought to draw in upon the darkness that surrounded him, Dromund Kaas a haven of Darkside energies, a power that the Acolyte sought to manipulate, to bring under his control and to strengthen his body, heighten his reflexes and to push himself beyond his previous limits, seeking to exceed every past exercise as ordered he do so by his Master.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

Valen

He moved swiftly, not hesitant as the moment he had first been confronted by the other acolytes, and she felt the Darkside emitting from deep within him, conjoining with his psyche. She sensed something remarkable, and gloated that he would do her proud. If not, he shall die like the others. They all do, who are unworthy.

She continued to watch him, almost with disbelief. He suddenly stopped thinking his way through maneuvers, and appeared moreso as if understanding clicked deep within him, his shackles broken.

'My Apprentice is not fully unlocked yet,' she realized.

"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion!" Zeza pulled a second Lightsaber from her belt, stepped forward and ignited her blade.
"Through Passion I gain Strength," she continued, her words firm and clear, she stared him in the eye like a predator.

"Through Strength I gain Power." The training droids gathered around the Crusader and all took aim.

"Through Power I gain Victory," she spat, deep in focus.
"Through Victory my chains are Broken! The Force shall free me!"

Zeza did not react as the training droids all at once fired upon her. She had permitted the assault. All around her body lit with blinding light of the onslaught. While her Apprentice might hope to discern the situation, Zeza struck out at him with the energy that bombarded her own body through Tutaminis, and she swung her lightsaber high over her head and swung it heavily downward overtop his own.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

Peace is a lie, there is only 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 free me.
​

This was his first time hearing the code of the Sith Order, Valen's movements slowing none as he instinctively deflected the droids blaster fire while listening to the words and allowing his Master's aura of darkness to envelope him, using those tumultuous energies to heighten his reflexes and ascend his limits as the Darkside guided his every movement.

The remotes suddenly diverted away from Valen however, turning once again upon Zeptepi Zambrano as she recited the code and displayed a frightening use of the Darkside by way of allowing the blaster fire to cascade over her, sparks and smoke threatening to cloud her from his sight were it not for his senses, his Master soon moving towards the Acolyte himself, the Force calling to the boy in lieu of what was to follow.

The plasma charge from the multiple bolts seemed to channel through her body, redirected to her lightsaber as she lifted the weapon high above her head, stepping in closer towards Valen and bringing it down in a mighty assault. The power that radiated from her movements was enough to fill the acolyte's stomach with dread, quickly discerning that it was better to evade than to try and block the strike.

He threw himself off to the right, hitting the ground on his side and rolling, using the force to guide himself back to his feet with his lightsaber still clutched within his right hand and wasting no time, he lunged forward at Zeptepi with a two-handed plunge of the weapon, seeking to drive it through his Master.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

@Valen

Her Apprentice did not hesitate to react. The Crusader senses the Acolyte's roll away from her swing, and Zeza's lightsaber made an alarming grinding noise as the tip of her laser beam scraped firmly downward, colliding with the steel floor of the training arena. Her robes singed and smoking from the blaster fire she had permitted assault her body, she did not focus on these unimportant details. She did not cease in her motion but immediately she moved towards him again. Her form hunched and geared towards sudden reaction. Her stare energetic and alert, unceasing to follow him.

The training droids scattered and began to target them both. Zeza diverted the blasts from two different directions without taking her gaze from Valen, before she swung the center of her blade downward upon his forward lunging strike. She rounded the tip of her blade to lead his lightsaber aim away from her body as she reached out to grip him in the Force to shove him off balance and away from where she stood.

'I taught you a few techniques on how to live. Try and take me," she demanded within his mind through Telepathic intrusion.

As the droids continued to randomly target them both, they suddenly gathered to attempt another unified onslaught. Zeza leapt high in the air to escape them this time, holding her swing of the Lightsaber out before her as she came crashing down to set her heels upon the steel floor again near Valen. The quick and long practiced strikes of her lightsaber did not cease but for the blink of an eye necessary to react and change direction, as she heard the whir of the droids while they realigned themselves.

She held her focus on Valen offensively, and continued to defend against the blasts from the training droids. She lunged forward with an over-reaching horizontal swing toward his midsection, and continued to twirl her body and she reach for him a second time, closing in distance upon him with broad footwork.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

'I taught you a few techniques on how to live. Try and take me,"
​

The Acolyte's blade was cast aside as he had tried to run it through her midsection, instead forced to be parried and stumble into her telekinetic hold before being thrown back several feet just in time for the droids buzzing around the pair to prioritize both of them as targets.

Zeptepi Zambrano was a beacon of darkness, refined and controlled power that spread out against the training chamber by her every whim and movement; There was clearly no competition between she and Valen who was by all means dwarfed by her experience and skill, yet he knew that if he wanted to not only impress and earn her favour but also simply survive his training, he needed to commit to her instructions with every fibre of effort he had. To spare nothing, and to surpass her expectations one day.

Caught between having to block his Master's lightsaber strikes and also seek to defend himself from the training remotes, Valen managed to parry one of Zeptepi's blows before taking a training bolt in his right side, the lower ribcage, causing him to hiss between tightly clenched teeth as the pain shot throughout his torso.

While not fatal, these training remotes were far more aggressive and powerful than he had experienced from the Silver Jedi's training. This however did not discourage him as it also proved to make the training a superior method of attaining power through his control and manipulation of the Force compared to their restrained curriculum back on Kashyyyk.

Angered by his failure to deflect the blaster bolt in time, however, Valen reached out with his left hand and called forth every ounce of pain and passion, manipulating the currents of energy to be directed out towards his Master, his anger churning the darkness within to be reformed into wild and erratic purple streams of electricity released from his fingertips, with every intention of impacting her head-on.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

@Valen

The skill Valen instinctively chose to wield took Zeza by surprise. She showed him easy skills and yet his mind immediately mustered focus on Lightning...HOT Lightning, a rare advanced form of the skill. She isn’t force-feeding him the energy now like she had the first time. He managed to collect the raw energy and draw it inward on his own, and she marveled at him everso briefly.

She immediately twisted her wrist and maneuvered her Lightsaber before her, to cover her center line. Something is seriously remarkable about this instantaneous ability, which he did not seem to struggle at all to accomplish; she would be sure to glance over his palms later to see if he singed his own flesh in the rendering. ‘How in the hell did he do that?’ she wondered. ‘He is certainly meant to be here.’ But the more seasoned warrior did not fester on her thoughts. Unprepared for the onslaught, she soon had to deflect the energy away, for the intensity of it was too much to continue to collect without being made to suffer serious infliction. She wondered what else he could naturally accomplish out of a state of finding himself overwhelmed.

Zeza tapped into the force to lure the training droids to encircle them both, and as they all fired at once she suddenly sprang upward, leaving Valen the target of the entire lot.

Zeza reached out and gripped his windpipe through the Darkside as she came down to land behind him and the training droids. She did not Choke all the air entirely from his ability to breathe, but just enough to alarm him and inspire a sense of desperation within him.

"FEAR ME!" she spat, her lip curled in a sneer, with superiority and sheer disregard for his life reflecting in her countenance.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

The violent discharge of power Valen had unleashed upon Zeptepi Zambrano had been summoned out of impulse and passion, allowing his anger to pave the way and in doing so, subsequently being sapped of his strength in the Force all at once. For his Master, it would feel as though his presence had significantly weakened by way of the technique that he had displayed, and as Zeptepi launched herself into the air and the training remotes all fired down upon the Acolyte.

Valen raised his lightsaber defensively, able to only parry a small number of the overall blasts whereas others hit him in the legs, chest and arms, forcing him to stagger in his position, refusing to drop to the ground as steam wisped up from his clothing, frayed and scorched in places where the blaster fire had met its mark.

Suddenly, Valen felt the pressure clutching around his throat, closing down on his windpipe by an unseen but not inexplicable force. His glare snapped back across the chamber to that of his Master, she who had taken hold of him by way of a telekinetic grip and threatened to further hinder his ability to rival her.

"FEAR ME!"​

He heard her words yet refused to submit. His Master had challenged him and he would not disappoint. Not if he wished to succeed where others had given their lives up in failure to meet her expectations.

His response was a simple one, while his vision waned under the restricted lack of oxygen to his brain, he swept his sword-arm across a horizontal arc, releasing the hilt of his Lightsaber to be thrown directly at her, the red blade spinning rapidly and with a thirsty crackle of compressed energy, his Master standing in the very path of it's trajectory.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

@Valen

She could make him hate her…
in time.

For now she felt the Force well up within him even greater than a moment before and she knew she set him on the right path, in the right way. There is so much more left to unlock, she knew, and he is beginning to grow tired.

The Crusader had all but a second's time to react, seeing the Lightsaber she had only moments before handed over to him, fly at her through the air at a pace he hastened through the Darkside. She stiffened her bodice, and slipped a foot behind her, pivoting her stance aside. With lightning speed she reached up and snatched the Lightsaber out of the air, as it was about to fly past her, twirling the hilt within her fingertips.

"The Force is not something you control until doing so tires you out. When your body becomes tired is all the more reason to become further strengthened by the Force. You are more than this physical body which requires oxygen. Get control over yourself now, or die!!"

Zeza leapt forward aiming to land her boot into his chest, with both Lightsabers in hand, crossed and prepared to slice off his head if he doesn't muster up strength in the Force to act quickly.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

Zeptepi Zambrano had managed to catch his lightsaber, twisting aside and snatching it out of the air by the hilt in a marvel display of timing and agility, leaving Valen to stand there in momentary shock, having essentially just given her his weapon and in doing so, seriously left himself at a disadvantage. A grave disadvantage when faced with an opponent like his Master who would spare him no mercy in her retaliation.

"The Force is not something you control until doing so tires you out.
When your body become tired is all the more reason to become further strengthened by the Force.
You are more than this physical body which requires oxygen.
Get control over yourself now, or die!!".​

She lectured him, giving Valen precious seconds of reprieve. The threat she unveiled, he knew to be very real and leaving him with little choice but to exert his control over the force and the manipulation of their environment lest he be ready to give it all in a veiled attempt to attain power and strength. Failure was not an option, not if he wished to accomplish the goals he had laid out before him.

With both weapons in her hands, his Master moved towards him on the attack!

Drawing strength from their environment, Valen siphoned power through the molecules of life and oxygen, the force ever consistent and present even in the smallest of forms, the Acolyte called forth as much energy into the centre of his being, attempting to heighten his speed and response, soon moving to propel himself backwards, his spine arching as he retreated into a backwards somersault, his heads reaching for the floor as his feet kicked up and over, clearing himself out of the reach of the two lightsabers that swept through the air just inches from his midsection as he sought to return his feet to the ground, using the momentum to further launch himself back, this time into the air in a backwards flip to place further distance between the two.

The Acolyte landed with a quiet thud, his feet hitting the ground and knee's bending as he tried to absorb the impact, forced to place both hands upon the floor as he crouched, his eyes intently focused upon that of Zeptepi Zambrano. She remained a threat with his weapon still within her grasp, yet he had managed to avoid the first fatal blow and now he needed to find an opening to retake his lightsaber, and to look for a means of countering her offensive.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

@Valen

Zeza witnessed Valen perform techniques involving powers that she had just taught him, for he thrust himself back and out of reach of her strike. She graciously relieved his windpipe from her choking grip; he earned to be released.

She took great strides to prove herself worthy of the notorious name she bore. The legacy of her family hung over her every move, her choices, and accomplishments. She is determined to prove herself worthy to inherit from their legacy, just as she expects Valen to prove himself to her this moment.

'The struggle to survive begets wisdom. Survival relies not on only one's Lightsaber, but Force Skills, Intuition, Telekinetic, the Arts of Mental Illusions and Control…'

Zeza did not waste a moment in her advance to ponder Valen's result. She rapidly twirled her Lightsabers in an alternating sequence as she continued to close in the distance. All at once, she changed the pattern of her motion, and dropping low to the ground, she first swung both Lightsabers over her head in unison and followed through with them both outstretched before her and parallel to the ground. She would slice him in half at the knees and midsection if he does not react hastily.

"Death hastens for the tired." The Darkside is unending, and Valen must train for endurance.

Zeza realized that she can truly hear Valen's thoughts. 'How the jedi always speak of tiring,' she taunted. 'Will you live beyond today?'

She next rose and spun upon her heels, continuously twirling the Lightsabers' blades of death in her hands, like their purpose amidst the grand scheme of life and death matters little.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

Zeptepi Zambrano closed in, seeking to cut him into three, both sabers sweeping out at the height of his knees and midsection, yet finding nothing but air as Valen once more launched himself into the air. This time he lept toward his Master, using the force to elevate his ascent whilst sweeping his right foot down and back as he passed over her, hoping to send his heel to the back of her occipital bone, the point where the neck meets the back of the skull, investing enough force that he hoped to topple her whilst he himself had to land behind the woman, throwing himself forward into a roll to get clear of any potential counter-attack or retaliation before sliding to a halt against the chamber floor and turning to glance back as he sought to recover and stand once more.

Valen knew what it was to be beaten down and broken over and over, he had experienced these feelings during his captivity by the Disciples of Typhojem and he also knew that he would never allow himself to be put in such a degrading and helpless position ever again. They had crushed his spirit and forced him to relive the abuse again and again, so much so that he no longer retained any memory of his former self prior to those months. They had treated him like some form of monster, and someday they would see the results of their creation, yet not before he had the power to destroy every single last one of them, taking back what was owed. Zeptepi Zambrano was the one who would teach him this power, she who was so young and let nothing and no one stands in her way as far as he had seen and heard. She would help him to drain his enemies of life, using their spiritual energy to fuel his strength to greater heights. He would again have his identity, know his family and his origins, and have his revenge...

It was powerful motivation to have, where everything before this felt empty. Nonexistent and unknown. The only direction he had was to go forward and he would do so with every bit of will and strength he could muster to excel beyond expectations. No one would presume him to be beneath them once Valen's goals had been realized, and perhaps then he would be welcomed into the Sith Order as an equal, but he had yet to earn that right.

The presence of the Force grew exponentially as Valen summoned forth all the strength he could muster, calling and drawing this energy from his center to his hands and finally releasing a powerful telekinetic wall of energy hurling back against his Master, seeking to have her thrown against the chamber wall.

He was watching intently, waiting for her to release his lightsaber by mistake so that he could snatch it back up and defend himself once more in melee combat.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

@Valen

The Crusader followed her instincts to immediately extinguish her lightsabers and duck into an immediate roll away from him as he landed. She ignited the lightsabers once again and slashed blindly behind her back before quickly twirling back around to face him, only to discover he had rolled out of her reach. She has what he wants, a certain lesson she is sure he will never forget! And yet the longer he is forced to fight to survive her possessing the upper hand, she also hopes he learns from above all.

She pressed through his onslaught through the Force. Zeza crossed the Lightsabers in front of her torso and used them to avert the direction of the pressure that Valen initiated in the Force. Her body stiffened as the soles of her boots slipped backwards along the smooth steel floor of the dojo. He impressed her in his determination.

"How you fret over the loss of your weapon after only holding onto it for mere minutes!" she teased. "But I tell you truly that you now only use a part of who you are to fight me!" she spat. Pacing, she held her gaze upon him like a lioness about to pounce. She stared intently into his eyes, watching his internal struggle, his motive bubble up to the surface of his thoughts.


"These Lightsabers are a physical extension of me, but they are only a singular aspect of the power I wield." She would prove to him that while they are a very important weapon of choice to a Darksider, they are only one expression of internal greatness. "I am technique. I am brawn. I am cunning. I am emotion unbridled. I am one who manipulates the Force to serve my Will." Zeza snarled while she circled her Apprentice. "You gave up one component of your power to me; learn to compensate for your error."

The loss of his Lightsaber does not limit his ability, he need only think outside the box!

The hum of the training droids increased, as they began to circle the two Sith, preparing to initiate another attack maneuver.
​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

Only one aspect of his power...

Valen's gaze did not divert away from his Master as she began to circle him, yet with her teaching came the idea of using the training remotes as a weapon against her rather than continuing to be hounded by their blaster fire now without his blade to deflect the bolts.

The Acolyte's arms raised to either side, hands reaching out for the closest training droids and drawing them in close with a telekinetic grip, soon to be turned and aimed in front of him where Zeptepi Zambrano stood. A crackle of electricity soon unleashed from his fingertips, causing the droids to malfunction and begin to rapidly fire sporadically towards he, lacking any real accuracy but rather spraying her general vicinity in blaster fire.

Valen did not stop there however, instead leaping further back to keep distance between them as he knew his Master's skill with the lightsabers would likely make quick work of the two remotes, yet as he landed, he called to two other of the droids, again taking hold of them telekinetically and this time hurling them at her like projectiles. The momentum they were thrown with, strengthened through his use of the Force, would be enough to throw her off of her feet if they hit.

 

[Zeptepi Zambrano]

@Valen

'Whatever caused him to focus on the training droids?!' Such just so happens to be a good start to the originality she is looking to dig out of him. 'Just moments before he was a sniveling oaf. Now look at him.' Perhaps he needs to be knocked down a peg. He does however seem more headstrong than confident, luckily for him pride is not his downfall. In time, however he will be worthy to entertain such honor, and she knows it.

The droids cracked to life due to her activated Lightsabers. But this time they weren't remaining off in the distance, but started physically charging after her. She remained connected to the Force and her arms swung wildly to deflect the sudden barrage of chaotic fire.

Then…

The continuous demands of her occupied focus happened to become too much for her physical body to keep up with. In addition, the training droids Valen flung in her direction, became a bit more than her arms could address. As the droids fired from all direction, and swarmed her, the first he sent straight on a path towards her met her lightsaber hard; its armored steel caused a heavy clash, and her muscles met it unprepared, throwing off the fluency of her motion with her blade. She gave the droid a shove in the Force, only to find a second approaching rapidly behind it, aimed straight for her.

It spun wildly as it cut through the air, and the blaster was only inches from her torso when the canon opened up in a flash, and the laser discharged directly into her heart.

The Lightsabers disengaged as Zeza flew backwards into the wall, gripped in pain. Her body remained stiffened for a moment while her heart pounded out of control before it stopped beating altogether. Both silver cylinders slipped from her grip and onto the floor. She slid down the wall as her knees buckled under her.

The droids withdrew.

Still in all of it, the Crusader flamed her connection to the Darkside of the Force and mustered control over her autonomic nervous system to restart her heart and begin to catch her breath again.
​