Faction Going Away to College | Sith Academy

[Kal-El]

JUTRAND - THE ROYAL ACADEMY TRIALS - THE LABYRINTH
Sasha Stellacend | Karok | Ilentos Kalosi | Adean Castor | @Everyone Else

Sasha. A name. The Echani's name was Sasha. Kal made sure to note that. Following each of Sasha's questions with a nod, Kal-El smiled in agreement.

"Exactly!" Kal raised two thumbs up before explaining further, "You got it right first try, Sasha! Although, I would prefer we could find a third team to work with. It would definitely increase our odds, but beggars can't be choosers, right?"

Thick Huttese broke through the conversation. Raising a lone eyebrow, Kal cast a sidelong look at the new arrival. The Gen'Dai Kal had hoped to rally to their cause certainly had an attitude. Nothing Kal could not handle, at least for this portion of the trials. Shrugging his shoulder and arms, Kal simply grinned before waving for Sasha Stellacend to make a move towards Ilentos Kalosi and Adean Castor .

"Sasha, why don't you go talk with our new friends? I'll take care of convincing this guy."

Before speaking in Huttese back to the Gen'Dai Karok . There was barely a change in tone or demeanor as Kal kept his movements relaxed and that same small smirk on the edge of his lips at the ready.

"(Aw c'mon, squidface. Is that any way to treat your new teammates?)," Kal-El shook his head for a moment, "(Especially since there doesn't seem to be anyone else running to join you or help you out. I sure hope that has nothing to do with breaking a poor applicant's leg or your 'sparkling' personality.)"

A sigh escaped Kal before he raised both hands up for there to be a moment of pause. People like Karok have either large tempers or large egos (or even both), but the difference was minuscule. But even the most temperamental Sith had to see reason that worked towards their self-interest.

"(Listen, we don't got to like each other, but we're not your enemy,)" the truth of the matter began to lay itself out, "(You can run in there alone or scare a couple applicants to working for you, but here's how those two plans will work out. Either you'll be overwhelmed by the tests or the sheer numbers--or perhaps the talent on display--of other applicants competing, or your teammates will backstab you sooner or later.)"

Kal gently gestured towards all the other applicants surrounding the conversing pair.

"(Considering the creativity present here, I don't think they'll need to literally stab you to remove you from the equation, fast healing or not.)"

Kal's eyes locked onto the Gen'Dai's, meeting the larger applicant's gaze. There was a simple determination and blunt honesty there. Kal figured that is what would be needed to convince the Gen'Dai.

"(Now, I can't speak for the rest, but I want you on our team. I was about to approach you first until you lumbered over here. Honest.)" Kal shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance while pursing his lips for a moment.

"(Soooo, you can either play nice for one trial, just one, and work together with us in the name of mutual self-interest--something I think we can all get behind--and increase our odds of making it through here together, or we can get nowhere with each other and continue exchanging our earlier pleasantries.)"

Kal raised his hand for a simple handshake.

"(Here. I'll start. I'm Kal-El, but Kal works too. What's your name, warrior?)"

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Darth Carnifex | Darth Malum of House Marr | Fiolette Yvarro | Srina Talon | Quinn Varanin

“It is based merit,” he pointed out to Fiolette. “Leaders are tested by many things. On that we agree. The entrance examination of this academy is just the beginning of many things which test these students. Are there many here who represent the progeny of Sith who hold power now?”

Gerwald motioned to the array of students.

“I only count three, and I was not the one to sponsor them. Do I care that those close to me find them to meet or exceed expectations,” his eyes moved to Srina Talon for a moment, “Yes, but that is not because of my own ego. I can admit that much, but if they make it into the academy it will not be because of who I am. Rather it will be because of who they are.”

Srina knew him well enough to know her opinion and praise mattered to him. She was the only one among the Sith whose opinion he valued that was not his mate. The other voices allowed to speak into his life had all been connected to him longer than his tenure among the Order, and certainly longer than his appointment to the Dark Council. He could not expect that Fiolette Yvarro , who only recently re-emerged from shadow would have an accurate view of what was.

As the exam moved along, Gerwald found his eyes drawn to a new arrival. He nodded to agree with what the empress said. Whatever assessment there was to be made could wait until the end of testing. His children had a sponsor already, but that did not mean he would help them where their sponsor could not. His one promise to them had been to see them through their first change.

For Aerik, that would be soon, even the next full moon.

“We are what we are,” he agreed.

Neither of them could afford to give any public slight on the tradition of what the academy stood for. It would produce the leaders of their movement, regardless of what others might suggest. The Sith Order was not blind to the sins of the past. Did it commit its own? Every nation did, but the Order had learned from those of previous empire’s and stood as something different.

His attention turned toward the other comments made by the admiral. They were interesting, but not necessarily correct.

“Tell me admiral, you did not happen to be raised in an agricultural community by any chance?”

Gerwald genuinely did not know, but it would inform his response to her claims.

“We would often burn our fields to prepare them for new growth. Controlled burning. Sometimes it is necessary to raze a thing in order to raise a thing.”

Whether that was what Empyrean was doing or not was a different question entirely. Gerwald did not pretend to know what the motivation of the Emperor was. Did that mean he followed blindly, not as he did at the start. He and Naedira had discussed the dangerous place the Order seemed to be heading, and while her concerns about his appointment had been voiced, Gerwald would attempt to bring change.

Even as his eyes looked at Srina once more, the words of caution rang true in Gerwald’s mind. She was not the same person as the Exarch. Yet, she would always be able to command Gerwald’s loyalty. Everything he did in the order was for the benefit of what and who belonged to him. That included the Empress. He was her wolf, and she was his master. They belonged to each other in a way that had defied allegiance to any nation, and it would continue regardless of where they found themselves.

She had made him what he was. Gerwald would never spurn it.

 

[Fiolette Yvarro]

The Admiral listened to Gerwald's words with a mix of curiosity and irritation. She had grown up in an aristocratic family on Galidraan, where agriculture was more of a concept discussed at dinner parties than a hands-on experience. Nonetheless, she was familiar with the principles of crop rotation and the necessity of burning fields to prepare them for new growth. The irony of Gerwald lecturing her on such matters did not escape her.

The Galidraani noted the deference he showed to Srina Talon, recognizing a bond there that went beyond mere professional courtesy.

Fiolette's lips curled into a slight smile, a mixture of amusement and determination. She threaded her fingers together, her gaze unwavering.

"Councilor Lechner," she began, her tone measured and firm, "while I may not have tilled the soil myself, I am well-versed in the principles you speak of. Burning fields to prepare for new growth is a concept not lost on me. But let us extend this analogy further, shall we? Just as we burn the weak and diseased crops to make room for the strong, so too must we sometimes cull the weak within our ranks to ensure the strength and unity of the Sith Order."

She paused, letting her words sink in. "It is commendable that you can claim not to have sponsored your own progeny. However, the real test lies not in avoiding favoritism but in ensuring that those who rise do so on their own merits. If your children are worthy, they will succeed. If not, they will perish, just as wheat weakened by pests is burned away."

Fiolette's eyes bore into Gerwald's, her aristocratic bearing exuding confidence and authority. "The Sith Empire must be unified, unburdened by those who speak more than they should, but rather led by those who are decisive and willing to do what is necessary. Sometimes, that means making hard choices and burning away the weak to make room for the strong."

She glanced briefly at the students undergoing their trials. "Remember, Councilor, it is not enough to simply avoid bias. We must actively seek to strengthen our Order by ensuring that only the best rise to the top. Those who cannot support the vision of a unified Empire must be culled, just as we do with our fields."

The Admiral gave a look over toward the Empress, "perhaps we can speak later, Empress Talon, in private." Away from the prying ears of her lap dog, "now then, if you will both excuse me, I must keep a look out for acolytes worthy of my wife's attention." With respect to the Empress she departed the pairs company, noting to speak more with her wife about Lechner. Maybe the first impression was off, but her own philosophy coupled with the Tarkinist ideology she picked up from the New Imperial Order... Told her there may not be much more for her to work with here. He would more than likely always side with whatever the Emperor or Empress said, or did.

This Empire was weak, and for the time being she would not serve it. If her wife needed someone to command House Raaf's vessels then so be it, otherwise this Empire had more than enough to serve itself.

Srina Talon | Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Matteo Guo-Yian | Soah Ty’Jyn
​

Even through the din of the fight, the mechanical sounds of the droids, Rosalia heard the ferocious growl. It took her a good long moment to realize it had come from Soah. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the other girl pounced one of the hovering droids. It was a display of feral power, claws and all. Fierce!

Matt didn't jump to attack, but rather wove in and out of the action, skillfully so. He seemed to have a sharp focus, while her own seemed to flit about. There was a lot to keep track of, after all – killing droids without killing her teammates or getting killed herself.

A blaster bolt from the second hover droid sailed by – just managing to scorch her sleeve and leave a burn. It was minor damage, but the stinging pain only fueled her. Rosalia gripped the mace in both hands and jumped hard, propelling herself into the air. As she did so, she brough the mace down hard on the droid. As it crashed to the ground, she landed gracefully next to it, like a cat.

As she turned, she caught sight of Matt taking out a snake-like droid that had wound its way around his leg. Her head canted to the side at the scent of blood, and she made her way over to Matt as he inspected the wound. To the girl, the bite wound looked almost… familiar.

And had he not been in pain, she might have remarked that it looked 'nice.'

"Alive," she affirmed. "Are you… okay?"

Rosalia tried not to let her dark eyes linger on the wound for too long. "We need to keep moving."

 

[Meili Feng]

A bottle of water floated through the air, as if borne on an invisible tray by a ghostly butler, some servant who had been summoned from another realm. The first time she'd seen the force in use that's what she'd thought it was, ghosts travelling through the world, laughing as they rearranged the room around her. She could have sworn she had heard their laughter, cushions and a makeshift staff tearing through the space they would have had to occupy till the girl had realised that the laughter was her mothers.

That had been years ago, now a brief touch of the force allowed her to find the will that held the bottle aloft. A head nodded gratitude at the boy who held it aloft before she plucked the water bottle from the air, feeling the cool condensation slicking it's side as she reached up to almost tear off the cap. There were many drinks in the galaxy, but none that Mei had ever tasted could compare to the pleasure of a cool drink of water. There was a part of her that knew that it was risky to just drink the offered water, that they were meant to be competitors, rivals. It would have been so easy for someone to have laced the water, but right now she just didn't care. She just needed a moment, a breath to recover herself as she sank down into the nearest chair. She'd been practicing every day, trying to push herself further but the show she'd put on today had been enough to leave her feeling a little raw and ragged. Just a little, enough that she needed to catch her breath and recover. She knew that she could reach out and use the force to refresh herself, but there was such a thing as using the force as a crutch. She'd use it, but only as a tool.

Luckily she had a chance to recover while the last students ran through the tests, giving the girl a chance to observe them, take the measure of her competition. Some people stormed through the tests, spectacular blazes that drew the eye, drew the attention of the arena. Others snuck through, through intent or circumstance not drawing the eye but slipping under the radar. Students from across the spectrum, all shapes, sizes and species. A cornucopia of the empires youth, sieved until only the best remained.

Till the provost stepped forward to announce the next stage of the competition.

The time for solo competition, for showing off had passed, Mei had expected to go forward or fail based on her own capabilities, her own training. Now she had to team up, pair herself with another student, or two. For a moment she let herself feel the frustration before forcing it away from her mind, as she took a deep breathe and let it out.

A small stretch as she rose to her feet before Mei paused, hand flicking and the bottle arcing through the air to bounce into the bin. She couldn't stop a small smile touching her lips before she turned to the group, eye catching the boy who'd helped her out before.

"I honestly didn't see this one coming, I thought they'd keep testing to ssee how powerful we were alone."

That had always been the difference between the Sith and the Jedi, one fought alone, the other as a group. She'd trained with the military back home, but even so this was…not easy.

"Did you need a group?"

Aerik Lechner

 

[Ilentos Kalosi]

A low growl simmered in Ilentos' chest. "Brassius? A name with volume for someone so ... small. You are wise to recognize my destiny, Brassius." Each time he spoke her name, a hint of mocking came with it. "You may call me Ilentos. Soon, you will call me Lord."

Time was of the essence. Some had already found their way into the labyrinth, maybe even found the end. Ilentos grew restless. The tigerkin's eye averted to the one Brassius had spoken to. Another tiny human. More tinder for the fire of the Sith. Destined to nothing but mediocrity, but lucky enough to be along the path of someone as great as Ilentos.

"This one speaks truth. Nothing against us ... working together." Ilentos sighed. He wondered whether the other team would be dead weight, or do they truly have some potential. That remained to be seen. "We are falling behind, Brassius. We need to go. Now. Damn the third."

Adean Castor | Kal-El ​

 

[Renora zambrano]

Jarek Voss Irina Jesart

Renora walked closely behind jarek ready for whatever the labyrinth would throw at her 'I agree we should be a very solid team together" she said. She wasn't afraid as she walked in the darkside wasn't New to her she was raised around it her whole life. It permeated her being her whole life she was Trained to ignore fear to embrace her other emotions as she walked into the labyrinth awaiting a challenge.

 

[Viers Connory]

//: Firrerreo //: Zarava Dekki //:
Team Charhounds

The smile plastered on Viers' face faded as Artemis ( Lunaria Talon ) declined the offer of the fruit. This was a moment she wouldn't forget, but she didn't understand why the fear of the gift. There was nothing that Viers had done that proved she was untrustworthy; her smile faded into confusion as she pulled the offering back. "Oh, but I'm not bad..." For the first time, she felt a sense of embarrassment. Viers flushed her cheeks as she looked at the others circling around her. There was a sudden awareness of every single person in the vicinity. Not saying another word, the girl pulled away and headed back to where she had been previously.

Before Viers could begin to understand the conversation that had just occurred, the people in charge had another announcement for the participants. Viers quickly forgot what had happened and watched in awe as the grand theatrics of the event unfolded. Unlike the other students, Viers had nothing at stake, nothing to lose if something didn't go her way. If anything, her only goal was to survive, but even then, if she genuinely wanted to leave, she could just enter another portal and hope for the best.

Yet, that's how she ended up here.

Viers watched as suddenly her face appeared. While it brought fear and concern to others, the Corellian's features brightened as she pointed excitedly at the torch that showed her fruit-stained face. The pressure that came with her face being up there and her name being announced to the other students went over her head. In her mind, the eyes that glared and plotted against her - were only sights of admiration. "Oh wow! It's me!!!!" Looking at the fella that had given her the fruit, she pointed again with a little jump. "It's me!!" Having the fruit on her face meant nothing to her; for the first time in her life, something exciting happened to her.

For once, she was seen.

The speech continued, and Viers half listened, still revealing that her face appeared as one of the top contenders. When the wrinkled, leathered men finished talking, the red-headed boy from before spoke to her again. Viers tilted her head and then nodded. "I like that; you never told me what to call you?" Viers chuckled, "I don't think you want me calling you a Charhound." Firrerreo would have a moment to answer before another redhead found themselves speaking to Viers. Tilting her head, she wondered if there was something about her that attracted what seemingly was another pair of twins.

"Okay! I like that. We're friends now!" Viers handed the fruit she still held in her hand. "What do I call you, Charhould, number two?" Viers continued to smile as she looked towards the gateway towards the maze. Something began to buzz in the back of her head. There was potential technology that held things together within the labyrinth. They could make it through quickly with her affinity with mechu deru. Looking back to her teammates, she nodded. "We should get going - also, I think there are machines in there - I make them go beep boop, and they do what I want. Maybe we can slice our way through any gates." Viers nodded and began to speed walk to catch up to the others. They needed to get to the maze before anyone got ahead of them.

 

[Soah Ty’Jyn]

Rosalia Aros Matteo Guo-Yian
​

Soah's nose gave a twitch at the scent of blood, hazel vertical slitted eyes darting over towards the boy. He was injured on his leg. First blood drawn. Now the question was if he would be liability or if he could still continue?

"Alive as well," So far no injuries on her person. Rosalia asked Matteo if he was okay, and while she let them talk, Soah prowled forward, investigating the droids to see if there was anything of use they could pull out of them. Another rather large looking blade jutted from one of them, which she yanked out. It was about the length of her foreame from finger tip to elbow. Good enough for an impromptu sword.

A curt nod at the recommendation of keeping moving indicated that Soah was all for that plan. Nostrils flared and her head canted up, ears twitching to discern any unusual sound.

Water.

A frown would draw across her tattoo'd face.

"Come. I hear water." She told them, moving forward swiftly but cautiously. There could be a number of other traps. As the sound of water grew louder, they came upon a teetering rope bridge of sorts that led across a dark abyss like expanse about fifteen feet wide.

They would have to cross.

Moving forward, Soah went to try and check the lashings of the rope bridge. It had no beams, only the remnants of ropes that meant that they would have to balance and walk the remains of the rope to cross.

"Can you manage crossing?" Soah turned to look at Matteo. He was the one with the injury.

 

[Matteo Guo-Yian]

Tag: Soah Ty’Jyn | Rosalia Aros

Was it his imagination or did Rosalia look at him strangely?

Like some of the animals he fought in the training pits back home. But that was a silly idea and he quickly abandoned it, assuming he was just stressed out from the bad start of the trial.

"Yeah, I am fine. Thanks, Rose." He muttered as he grimaced and checked the gashes. They weren't too deep and while Soah salvaged an additional blade, he quickly bandaged up the leg wound. It was still hurting. Each time he took a step the pain surged through his body. Thankfully his parents had prepared him for this.

Whereas for a Jedi pain was a distraction for the Sith it was stimuli. He forced himself to power through, drawing from every flare of pain and pouring it straight into his body.

It even made him walk up straighter and with more purpose.

"It will be a cold day in the Netherworld before a little gash like that is going to slow me down." Matteo reassured Soah before glancing to the bridge. It was a good thing he didn't have a problem with heights, because this thing was ridiculous. "Though I am not so sure it can hold all three of us at once. Maybe we need to cross it one by one?"

It could be a test of character and trust.

Whoever went first could cut the ropes and strand the other two on the other end.

He went to the edge, keeping a side eye to his companions, but as expected... the bottom was covered in darkness. However deep it was, the fall would kill them with no hesitation.

"How the feth did they even make a canyon like this in a maze?" Matt already hated the Sith and their creativity.

 

[Adean Castor]

A dark brow rose at the Tigerkin's words, a brave face cast while under scrutiny. Any other task and Adean would've avoided the other and the arrogance that emanated from him. Yet the pool of acolytes was thinning. Her mind drifted back to the acolytes she'd seen being spirited away, sending another shiver up her spine. If they didn't get a move on, would they share such a fate?

Adean was determined to ensure that wouldn't happen.

"We'll have to coordinate in the labyrinth, if we run into each other," she said, addressing the other acolytes of this potential alliance. There was no telling what would be down below, let alone what familiar faces they'd actually run into.

She gave a short nod to Ilentos, emerald eyes catching another group of acolytes nodding to each other before one split off, searching for something - probably one of the guards to escort the trio down. This gave Adean an idea. "You go get one of the escorts, I'll find another for our group," she told Ilentos, still watching the other acolyte.

Once the lone fellow was out of sight of the others, she moved to intercept them, spurred on by another mental image of being pulled away to force knows what. "Hey, I saw you talking to those other acolytes," she said, looking into the acolyte's eyes with a sincerity that could fool the sharpest of swindlers. "I don't think you saw them before, but they were talking about using whoever they got to join their group as cannon fodder." She must've fallen into a nerve, the Epicanthix clocking how their face twitched, how they turned over their shoulder to check on the other two, who were fortunately (or for them, unfortunately) distracted in the moment. "You could come with us, instead."

It didn't feel right, robbing another group of acolytes of their third member. But neither did going into the labyrinth alone. Adean could only hope a such deception wouldn't come back to bite her later.

Sasha Stellacend Ilentos Kalosi Kal-El ​

 

[Karok]

"(Now, I can't speak for the rest, but I want you on our team. I was about to approach you first until you lumbered over here. Honest.)" Kal shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance while pursing his lips for a moment.

"(Soooo, you can either play nice for one trial, just one, and work together with us in the name of mutual self-interest--something I think we can all get behind--and increase our odds of making it through here together, or we can get nowhere with each other and continue exchanging our earlier pleasantries.)"

Kal raised his hand for a simple handshake.

"(Here. I'll start. I'm Kal-El, but Kal works too. What's your name, warrior?)"

Many words were said. Even standing so near to this would be acolyte, I could feel his heartbeat never waver once. Which only meant he was being sincere. Even so, he spoke...so slow. I understood all he said. I wish he put it simply. Many did not fully understand how fast Gen'dai could perceive reality. Combat at its peak was slow, but talking and have conversation.

Karok lifted a brow and seemed to listen. Though at some point his eye wandered to the Praetorian Guards and their movements. The raw connection of the darkside moved win the Gen'dai faintly and suppressed as a thought came to his mind.

" Du baua cohai uba dayan mi.." Karok scoffed.
In other words you need me. He felt honored and disgust at the same time, but responded firmly and began walking to another group of fresh acolytes.

"No."

Tag: Kal-El

 

[Irina Jesart]

Jarek Voss Renora zambrano

The entrance to the maze was meant to disorient them, leave them unsettled as it stole away their sense for a moment, leaving them to trust in the Praetorians as they walked forward. It almsot worked, with nerves already running high and the thought that there were many here who would no doubt have painted targets on her and Jarek's backs... Irina counted Renora among those she could consider an enemy, their allegiance was temporary.

A few steps forward and the light mostly returned, Irina let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding and shook herself mentally, glancing back over her shoulder as Jarek asked about the maze walls. She reached a hand to touch them, cool beneath her fingertips. "I think so..." she answered, trailing her fingers along it as they walked, her head snapping round to look at Jarek.

"We haven't made it yet." she countered, her voice calm, though with the slightest hint of condescension. "We can celebrate when we make it to the other side of this maze alive." She wanted to add ' and unscathed' but the odds of that happening were highly unlikely. "Come on, and watch your step." she said, taking point and leading them forward, reaching out in the force and listening for any hint of danger.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

For all that Nwul had been to him once, Malum should have defended his old friend, alas, what was there to defend him on, despite the harshness in how it was said Kaine's words struck true, for all which Nwul had accomplished in luring the Jedi to Thule, and take power there, ever since hi- their experiment with the Golden Covenant.

They had disappeared.

Still, as true as Kaine's words were, Malum as his nature demanded may have still defended his old friend.

Only to still entirely, as Kaine's cloak seemingly encrusted and inscribed with runes and patterns of a rusted texture, began to shift.

The Epicanthix's form in its entirety began to shift.

The giant was moving.

A simple command.

And he was off.

Malum parsed his lips, even the implication that he was to follow the Twice-Failed Emperor was enough to make him discount the idea entirely, at the same time, his ever-present curiosity had stirred with a reckoning that had demanded him pursue. After all, what harm could there truly be in doing so? They were upon Jutrand, despite what Kaine had said of its and the Malsheem's unity, he was rather confident that Kaine could not in fact harm him here.

And if he could?

Malum was not one to go quietly into the darkness... in that sense.

And he did have his own avenues of escape after all...

He turned his head, red eyes meeting the gold of Srina Talon , the Empress which he had noticed had stood nearby, from an... odd correspondence with the older woman, he had been able to slowly puzzle out how that... odd... mind functioned, such that he knew his silent plea for potential aid may actually be met with confusion rather than the aid he desired.

But such was the risk in all things.

He pursued the one Dark Lord of the Sith, ruby eyes committing the path to memory, surveying along the auxiliary and minor courts they passed, as though the Epicanthix held a considerable lead with Malum's delay, his giganticism made it so that there was little chance the scion of Darth Marr would lose him.

And stepping down into one of the courts.

Malum could not help but raise an eyebrow at the challenge in front of him.

There was little else in the galaxy that he would rather do than launch an assault aimed at killing the Twice-Failed Emperor... unfortunately, the circumstances in which he had long imagined such an attack would take place, were certainly not this.

Alas, he would take what he could get.

"As you wish, Darth Carnifex ." Malum intoned, feeling the Force around him, gripping onto it as one would grasp a sheet, pulling it towards him with wanton disregard for its own wants or desires. It had been years since their last encounter upon the Malsheem, in those years Malum had risen higher than he could have dreamed.

He had killed Darth Ophidia , and even as it was as he lost control, under that beskar dome upon Mor- Mandalore, the opportunity had been there to kill Kaine.

Even if that memory brought darker feelings to the fore.

Electricity twisted around his hand, a pale white lightning that likely was familiar to the once Dark Lord of the Sith, coiling about his hand, reaching the tips of his fingers like many disparate snakes of size and length, as he gazed forward towards his inextricable foe, his size made him an easy target.

But his speed was a factor, could his speed overcome the speed of light itself?

With the cacophony of a bullet firing out of the chamber, the lightning shot out of his fingertips, aiming to strike the Epicanthix...

...Yet, said Epicanthix had asked him to strike with all his might, without restraint, and Malum was more than willing to oblige.

Seeming to leak out of him, the darkness was wisps along the air, a black ichor that was the darkside made manifest, curved around to a familiar shape, spears.

Six of them, spread out to surround the Twice-Failed Emperor, and as the lightning coiled and shot out, so did the spears.

An attack from all directions, as fast as he could manage.

His move now.

 

[Rosalia Aros]

Tag: Matteo Guo-Yian | Soah Ty’Jyn
​

Rosalia followed after Soah, listening to the rather ominous sound of water. She kept her focus on the task ahead of them, not the bleeding wound on Matt's leg. Her dark eyes widened when the dark water stretched out before them with only the sad remains of a bridge to help them across. As Soah checked out the bridge itself, Rosalia walked to the water's edge.

A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that swimming would be a bad idea.

Her gaze flickered back to Matt, the strength of his resolve was evident – he even seemed to stand taller now. He had a new bloody badge of honor. He brought up a good point, they couldn't risk using the old ropes at the same time.

Rosalia's eyes shifted between her two companions.

So far, they worked quite well together. However, Rosalia knew this was not a team-building exercise. These other teens were her competition.

"I'll go first," she said, stepping up to the 'bridge.'

Rosalia held onto the top rope and placed her foot carefully on the bottom one. Shifting her weight, she tested the strength of the bridge – it seemed to be holding together. As she began to make her way, she turned to look at the far side. There were jungle trees and vines hanging down. Maybe there were beasts waiting for them.

And who knew what was below?

The teen slipped, the bottom rope was a bit damp, but she managed to hold tight. She blew out a deep breath and kept going. The other side was near now, so close she would need only to hop – which she did.

"Who's next?" Rosalia called across.

She'd been so focused on getting across that she hadn't noticed the end of the rope was just beginning to fray…

 

[Soah Ty’Jyn]

Rosalia Aros | Matteo Guo-Yian
​

A low distasteful growl rumbled in the back of Soah’s throat. She disliked water. She disliked heights with black abysses at their bottom. However, even she could tell there was no way she could be able to leap across without potentially falling to her death.

Crossing the bridge would have to be it.

Turning towards Matteo, Soah cocked her head to the side. Really, since he was the one injured, he was the weakest link if he was it able to cross.

“Can you cross it?” Soah asked, plain and simple. Depending on his answer, she’ll make her move next.

And if the bridge was frayed… we’ll, things were going to get interesting.

 

[Kal-El]

JUTRAND - THE ROYAL ACADEMY TRIALS - THE LABYRINTH
Adean Castor | Ilentos Kalosi | Karok

Kal-El simply stood there while watching the back of the Gen'dai Karok simply walk away towards another group of acolytes. With a raised eyebrow followed by a shrug, Kal turned around to the one group he knew did not have a third on their team . . . yet.

Well, you can't win them all. And in this case . . .

But the opportunity would be lost soon if he did not react fast enough.

. . . I think it's appropriate I cut my losses . . .

He almost did it without thinking, operating on an instinctive auto-pilot, as Kal-El grabbed the scruff of the acolyte's uniform. The same acolyte Adean Castor had been talking to moments before. And with a singular twist of his hips as he took one step foward, Kal pulled the acolyte up and over his shoulder with his bare hands before tossing the poor acolyte away. Flailing and yelping, the unlucky acolyte crashed into his old group of pals--none of which Kal-El recognized or cared to recognize in the moment.

"Sorry! It was her idea, but you are such a sucker for falling for that!" Kal-El called out, cupping his hands around his mouth to make sure the sound traveled properly to the recipients, "Didn't you hear? They found a third member, and he doesn't land with his face!"

A short laugh escaped from him. He could not help it. Trash talking never felt so good until now.

. . . and run.

Turning his attention towards the green-haired girl, Kal motioned with one hand to hurry up.

"Where's Fuzzy Face? Oh, and RUN!"

After all, it would not take long for those acolytes to brush off the bruises and seek revenge. Painful revenge. It would seem like the three of them were stuck as a team for the foreseeable future.

 

[Jarek Voss]

TAGS: Irina Jesart , Renora zambrano ​

---

"Come on, and watch your step."

"Right." Jarek said, following behind, and waving Renora to follow along.

The young acolyte noticed Irina reaching out to the walls, and her concentration. "Good idea." Jarek thought to himself, trying to pay closer attention to the walls, and the floor, as the trio made their way forward. Closing his eyes, Jarek began reaching out through the Force, trying to detect a trap, other acolytes, anything. They group seemed to have gone done this particular way for what seemed an unusual amount of time when Jarek felt a ping in the Force. "Wait!", he called out to the others. The acolyte slowly walked forward, the Force telling him to step on a particular spot on the floor.

pew!

A blaster blot whizzed past Jarek's head.

"Blast it all! That was close. They had us walk, and get us comfortable before the traps appeared."

Jarek reached out through the Force, sensing many more traps.

"We need to get through this, and fast. I will be a Sith, or die trying."

Jarek took a deep breath, and rushed forward. He ran with all he had, trying to use the Force and his mastery of Echani martial arts to augment his movements. Jarek lunged forward, spinning, landing on his hands and using the momentum to flip himself over and back on his feet. Blaster bolts, fire, poison darts, parts of the floor falling away into nothingness. Jarek spun, flipped, and used the Force to jump as he quickly made his way down the corridor, dodging traps. However, the more Jarek made his way down the corridor, the more frequent the traps were sprung, and it was starting to overwhelm Jarek.

Sensing he was nearing the end, Jarek made one last lunge forward, only for a blaster bolt to hit Jarek across his right thigh.

"Gah!"

Jarek yelled out, landing hard and tumbling over, but was able to flip over to his feet. He kneeled to one knee, inspecting his injury. Before Jarek could fully see the extent of the damage to his thigh, a section of wall slid open. Looking over, Jarek met the eyes of three other acolytes.

"Chit..." , was all Jarek could get out before one of the acolytes raised a hand, sending a Force Push to Jarek. The young Echani raised both arms, forming an X in front of his face, to block the attack. The force of the attack sent Jarek into the opposite wall.

"Ack!"

Jarek jumped up, using his martial arts to defend himself as best he could with his injured thigh. He was fighting alone, and could quickly become overwhelmed.

 

[Renora zambrano]

Jarek Voss Irina Jesart

Renora was close behind jarek dodging traps and laser fire using her echani martial arts training aswell she did take a few blaster shots. Her genetic healing factor kicked in healing the wounds in record time as she dodged and flipped her way through as she let the force guide her instincts along with her martial arts training.

She dodged the fire and the falling pit traps aswell moving with a grace and elegance to put most expert dancers to shame. As she approached the end of the hall she saw jerek get force pushed into a wall as she heard commotion she ran up seeing the other acolytes. Renora cracked her neck letting out a sound jarek could hear as renora walked into the room she took an echani martial arts opening stance as the other students charged renora knocked out one of the students with a quick blow to the side of their head.

 

[Eira Dyn]

Location: Jutrand
Outfit: Academy Uniform
Tags: Alaqai Temuha | Iuuna Talon (Sponsor)

It seemed that her offer had been rejected. Without even a word said to either her or Alaqai. That cut Eira deeply, hitting the nerve that she was not worthy, that she was too weak, too much of an unknown. Eira felt like an outsider trying to squeeze in amongst some of the biggest names, it was intimidating even if she refused to show that she felt that way.

For now, she shrugged it off, "her loss." Eira stated to Alaqai, "she'll be the weaker for it." A way to cope with the rejection and maintain her dignity as well, at least in her mind. She looked around and there were fewer and fewer people left without a group and some of the groups were already heading inside the maze. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she refused to fail this task and finally noticed a Duros standing alone. She didn't rate him as someone of great skill or power, but he had gotten this far and Eira had sworn to get anyone by her side all the way. Even those weaker.

"Him. He might seem pathetic, but a third is a third. Whether he lives or dies is on him." Eira stated firmly. Leading the way over to him, "I am Eira, this is Alaqai. You going to be our third?" Eira asked firmly, keeping it short and simple.

The Duros looked at Eira in surprise and blinked several times, then nodded his head.

Perfect, she had a team. "Where do your skills lay? I am proficient with the Force, especially Force Lightning, so no weapons works for me. The Force is what I need most to survive this." Eira stated, explaining where her strengths laid to ensure that they could balance each other out.

She was walking to the entrance of the maze, eager to begin their next trial and demonstrate her power.