From Poverty to Power (Trainer Requested)

[Braduk]

The newly anointed Apprentice had barely enough time to change into his robes before being called to join the rest of the new recruits in the main hall. The academy on Korriban was ancient by Braduk's standards and he felt like an invisible dark energy was pushing against his chest. Besides that feeling he felt right at home, the smell of fear and desperation was thick in the air. Recruits from all different races gathered around a central instructor, some he knew and others that were unknown to him.

“Welcome to the Korriban Academy whelps.” The instructor's voice seemed to boom against the flagstones. “Some of you will rise to greatness, others will be stepping stones to power.”

Braduk smirked. This was exactly the environment that he had grown up in and thrived in. He would prove his worth, in due time. For now he was a raw recruit, eager to harness power in the culture he would soon be immersed in.

“Each of you have been assigned a Master. Find your Master and soak in their knowledge and one day you too will be asked to join the ranks of our Knights. Go find them, and try not to die to quickly.”

The group of thirty or so Apprentices hurriedly dispersed causing many to run into each other. Each seemed to know where to be going, except for Braduk. He looked around at each Apprentice who seemingly knew where to go but he himself had not been assigned a Master. He looked around rather dumbfounded as where he would begin.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal appeared, there, he had picked one but 'forgot' to have him notified, and as such watched from a distance. He was curious what the apprentice was up to. What would he do? He was on his favorite world, as he waited in the hot sun, watching the boy. Tal would not screw this one up, he just waited watching from afar, he would not stand out.. he was sitting on a building near by, curious if the apprentice would find him.
Tal had planed to do this one better, go about it a different way. He was going to train this apprentice and make him strong yet dependant on him. Tal had this one planned.

 

[Braduk]

A cold shiver ran up Braduk's spine. This sensation wasn't new to him, someone was watching him. Instinctively his hand dropped to the training saber he'd been givin. The Human looked around the room at all the different sets of eyes that seemed to have settled on him.

He mused to himself, not only do I not know how to use this weapon, naturally everyone would be looking at me, I'm clueless. This isn't the way I'd prefer to start things.

A male Duros blind sided him, nearly tackling him to the ground. Braduk knew at this moment an open fight was not in his favor, nonetheless he stood his ground. Seething anger poured out of him like a cascading waterfall, the Duros said nothing.

"You two! Public challenges only! You missed your shot blue man! Get to steppin!" The instructor seemed even louder than before.

There seemed to be a pretty large crowd that was breaking up just as quickly as it had gathered. He wouldn't have noticed it otherwise, but as he was looking past the Duros he noticed a man sitting on the adjacent building watching the scuffle. It struck Braduk as odd, a place to start. He walked past the Duros but not without shouldering him out of the way and pushing through the remainder of the crowd. He was in trouble, and he was going to need help quick if he didn't want to become a corpse.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal, sighed, he made his way down.. and to the hall way outside the very room that Braduk had found himself in. Tal, was curious t owhat this mand could do but alas he needed to ensure the apprentice found him first. Tal leaned against the wall looking through the door, as the room emptied out. It was only after everyone had left did Tal, make his way slowly into the room just the sound of his foot steps echoing. He closed the door with the force as he entered and looked to the apprentice "You, if you wish to be trained, Fight me and show me your worthy and don' t hold back, I won't now attack when your ready" He said as he pulled out his double bladed lightsaber and held a stance that to a trained eye was juyo.

 

[Braduk]

Braduk retrieved the training saber from his waist and ignited the red blade. He was accustomed to wielding a vibrosword on Coruscant, minus the gyroscopic effect it felt familiar. He took a shoulder width stance and held the blade in a two handed grip, awkwardly trying to control it.

Hate poured forth from Braduk. Everthing that had ever gone wrong in his life he was able to pin point his rage at a single target standing in front of him. The rest of his life rode on this single moment. Braduk dropped the blade to his side as he charged and made a wide diagonal upward slash that would hit Tal at the knee or hip.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal smirked, and esially deflected the blade with a swirld of his saber. Tal countered with a series of blows which seemed to not be to any set pattern, almost as if it was following the chaos and heat of the battle. If he hit he would pull back but only enough so that it still burned the boy. He wanted to teach him lessons in pain. Hate would take you far but you needed to temper it, to focus it, and Tal was in the heat of battle using his hate, and passion and love for the fitght to ensure that every hit was powerful and full of his fury. A light saber was so much lighter than a regular weapon, that Tal had to train for ever just ot adjust as it was almost like he was swinging nothing. " Come on boy, Hate me... Show me your mettle, or else I will end you, and you will be like countless others who have come here, only to die.. to wither away. Those to weak to make it. "

 

[Braduk]

Braduk could feel the warm breeze flow through the many burn holes that were now in his robes. He began to concentrate through the pain and redoubled his efforts with a forearm slash. Tal blocked then parried a stab aimed for the stomach. A riposte came so close to Braduk the hair could be smelled that was burning away from his neck.

Gritting his teeth Braduk launched himself forward for a decapitating over hand strike only to have it blocked and pushed back up over his head. With his chin unguarded Tal slammed the pommel of his hilt against it three times before Braduk fell backwards.

The Human rolled over to his hands and knees and finally up to just his knees before eyeing the Twilek and spitting a massive mouthful of blood to the side. Braduk roared and charged again, barely sidestepping a downward slash. With wide eyes Braduk knew this would be one of few, or his only opening and delivered a punch square to the chin of his opponent causing him to rock on his heels.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal, almost didn't see it coming, he actually had to use the force, as he gave his body that extra force enhanced push he got out of the way but not before taking the hit as a grazing on his shoulder, the boy could hit. The Twilek deactivated his saber and held the human still with his force, curious to see if the human would fight it... but he would lift him up slightly, by the neck before dropping him. Surely the many burns on his skin would begin to sink in... the pain Tal looked at the human, standing there, curious if the boy still wanted to fight.. or was he done? spent... Tal remembered his time at this stage... his master had worked him till he was spent. " Is that all? i if you can't master your body than you can hardly master the force" He said, waiting, ready to react to whatever the human decided to do.

 

[Braduk]

"Never."

Braduk had been beat worse before. His initiation to his former gang had left him inches away from death. A run in with rivals had left a scar all the way down his arm. The blackness was starting to push in on his vision from the amount of trauma being wrought upon him. He had spirit and nobody would ever take that away from him.

Out of sheer desperation Braduk reached for a nearby rock and hurled it side arm at Tal and without realizing it, drew upon the force to increase its acceleration. All he could do was hope that this would end it.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal chuckled but then it hit him... damn.. .the punk had used the force on it. he had just been about to move... Tal turned on one side of his lightsaber, " Come on now, Tired already? Push your body... you drive it, not the other way around" He had been in that situation... where you body hurt to move.. when you knew you were pushing it past its limts... but he had sense learned to do better.. but he always knew he could keep going... at least that long. Thanks to his own master.

Tal used the force to appear beside him suddenly and to swing his saber at the human with suprising speed, waiting to turn it back at the last moment or counter his next rash decision, deciding not to let somthing like the rock happen again.

 

[Braduk]

Braduk's eyes went wide as he barely had time to reignite his lightsaber and get it up to his face to block the incoming attack. He was surprised he was moving as quickly as he was, desperation pushing back against the darkness creeping in at the edge of his vision. Was he actually that quick or did he unknowingly use the Force to assist him? He wasn't sure at this point if his body was unleashing its true potential in a last ditch attempt to keep him alive. All he knew is that he wouldn't die on his first day.

Pushing out his left hand he tried to imitate his master and pull at him through the force.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal was impressed.. but he wanted to break the man.. to cause him to pass out... so he kept at it and when he tried to pull at him he knew he had to break his concentration, So Tal, used the force to throw the same rock that had hit him at Braduk. Accelerating it, so that it would hurt, but not wound him badly. He didn't want him dead he wanted him broken. He needed Braduk to push his body to the max, to realize he had the force and could use it.. and nothing made you want to use it more than the thought of losing life. Tal stayed away and began to raise Braduk up again, this was to see if the human learned how Tal had freed himself, it was hard to concentrate on the force as another lifted you but he wanted the human to break his concentration in return. He just was curious if the human was smart enough to figure it out while he still had air in his lungs.

 

[Braduk]

Braduk winced in pain as his own rib cage began to crush his lungs. Feet dangling in the air and the darkness closing in on him. His left hand reached out to his Master, pleading for him to stop but no such mercy came. In the final moments were Braduk had thought his life spent, two tiny tendrils of electricity shot out of his finger tips and struck his Master square in the chest. It wasn't enough to harm him, just enough to break his concentration. He fell from the air like a rock and landed on one knee. Gasping for breath the darkness seemed have been pushed back one last and final time.

With sweat dripping down his face, he was in a deadlock with death. It was no time for thinking and doing so he summoned all of his anger, all of his rage. He picked up his training saber beside him and ignited it, bellowing something inaudible as he charged. There was a smirk upon his Master's face as Braduk closed the distance with superhuman speed. He swung wide right, blocked. Tal countered with a slash aimed at his head. Braduk managed to duck underneath and get behind the Master only to be rewarded with a snap kick to the chest. With his superhuman abilities waning, the Human unleashed three overhead strikes with the strength and ferocity he had never felt before. Tal staggered back from the vicious blows but before Braduk could press his advantage his force assisted moment of rage had fully ebbed. With his body spent, he sank to his knees.

“End it.” He somehow managed to mutter.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal was suprised, the apprentice had promise... those last few minutes rivaled his own skill, He had to take the human seriously for those passionate attacks on his life. He was challenged but in the end, he had won. He began to clap, slowly.. " Good job... report for training.. on the marrow..." he let a space sit there as he glared down at the pitiful human and Tal turned and left. he didn't wait... he didn't check to see if he would live... he just left... knowing that the next day, the real fun began. Tal rested back into his office before retiring for the evening. He did love his books, When it was early the next morning, he was already in the training area, doing saber moves, and stretching. He needed his own exercise every day after all, he just wondered if the human would show up. Would the Human live... if he lived did he have the courage? Tal waited, while continuing his morning exercises.

 

[Braduk]

Completely exhausted he had barely managed to make it back to his bunk for the night. Every step of the way he doubted himself and if he were able to continue. He plopped himself down and let his face hit the stiff and probably pre used pillow. He finally allowed the darkness to consume him, he was out like a light.

Waking up in the Korriban Academy was a jolt to his system, at first he had no idea where he was. He suddenly knew where he was and check his chrono. He was late. Without time to change out of his ruined robes he snatched up his training saber and sprinted down the hallways getting colorful insults thrown at him by others he passed. Upon entering the courtyard he saw his Master performing saber drills. He slowed down and approached, careful as to not get to close.

“Reporting for training, Master.” He said with a deep bow.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal looked at the human... sighing... " I see that, now run around until I deemed you have been forgiven for being late. " He said as she finished up his exercises, Tal finally finished and yelled " Enough" Tal waited... and held his hand out.. and soon it was occupied with the Aprentice's saber. " mine..." He put it on his belt, and began to walk, leaving it for the human to follow him. Tal needed to achieve a few things... and this was his way.. he didn't want to talk much.. he had plans... and it was time to enact them. they ended up at a speeder.

 

[Braduk]

Sweat dripped from his face as he tried not to show his discomfort from the exercises his Master just made him do as punishment. He could only blame himself for being late and thankfully it had been nothing worse, which surely he knew it could be. Once he had completed his drills and Tal had completed his saber drills he stepped over to the speeder nearby. Braduk blindly followed, unsure of what kind of agony would be laid upon him next.

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal took him to a clifside, it was 'beautiful' if one looked at that sort of thing, but when the speeder came to a stop, Tal began to speak. "Look as far as you can out there... I want to know what you see, " Tal, stepped rather close to the edge and used the force to see further, He wondered it his apprentice could do it. Tal knew it was important to learn how to use your body with the force, and this was a good testing sight so he hoped it wasn't wasted on his apprentice. They were at least several hundred feet up. He identified a old tomb, and some various large rocks. " Tell me what you see"
He waited, and would wait til the his apprentice was trying hard to look for something out there. He waited until braduk was actually trying to find what he could see and was closer to the edge before he used the force to push him off the cliff. " survive that!" He yelled as he watche the apprentice fall, and fall.

 

[Braduk]

Panic and terror and complete control over him. Had he managed to live through this ordeal he would surely plan on killing his Master sooner than later. Plummeting through the air Braduk managed to get himself back under control and saw what might be an outcropping below and to he side with vines just above it. He had to move quickly. Outstreching one hand he grasped a vine through the force and yanked, tearing one end and sending it straight up to his hands. No longer freefalling, but still moving quicker than hed like. Swinging through the air he had missed his first approach at the ledge and came back for a second pass. Braduk felt the force around him and wrapped himself up with it like a blanket, hopefully this would stave off some of the damage from the fall. Just as he was about to touch his feet down the vine snapped and dropped him to the ledge, flat on his back. The shock of the abrupt collision sinking in as he layed their.

After catching his breath for a moment he yelled up at his Master. "When will you teach me how to harness the force instead of trying to kill me? Desperation can only get me so far!"

 

[Tal Lom]

Tal could only hear him due to his heightend senses, he yelled down, " When you prove you are ready to handle the force" He left on his speeder... it was the apprentice's job to get up and back now... and of course Tal left no provisions no tools.. only the very subtle trail of his speeder. He wondered if the man could get back up and back to the academy. but then again it wasn't his problem, he had to teach the man that his own connection to the force already let him, he just had to learn how to consously call on it.