Private Oh, Great

[Firrerreo]

The raid on the Fifth Cohort had gone well, for the most part. At least for Firrerreo. But there was quite a few actually killed within it. As much as the First were given freedom to do quite a bit and obvious bias, such an event was too well known. And Firrerreo hadn't bothered to hide his involvement as he should have. Even if many were frightened to say it, others weren't. Thus, punishment. He couldn't have too drastic of a punishment to keep the sponsor's happy, so the best way was to send him down a few pegs.

Not in rank, but classes for a day.

Combat classes in the lower Cohorts were brutal. The Fifth were possibly in the most dangerous zones, where the teacher wouldn't so much as raise a finger to help if one was in trouble. If they were even aware of there being trouble to begin with. Firrerreo gritted his teeth as he stared at the Sithspawn commonly used for combat lessons. They wielded a sword, were seemingly draped in shadow itself, and were beyond ferocious.

He didn't get a break. Part of him knew that he wasn't in any real danger. Well, no. That thought went away pretty quick after the first cut. Maybe they wouldn't let him die or be maimed in a way that would last, but pain? New scars? Those were free reign. He swung his own sword down, catching another strike that sent painful vibrations right up his arms. If this was the type of danger the lower cohorts had to face all the time, he didn't want anything more to do with it.

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

To say Adean hated combat training would be an understatement. Before coming to Jutrand, she was a civilian playing at being someone of status. When combat came her way, she was protected by false pretenses. She learned quite quickly that she wouldn't have such luck in the academy.

She skirted the edges of the practice arena, doing her best to remain in the peripherals of the Sithspawn that crowded acolytes, while still remaining in bounds. Pale hands clenched tight around two daggers, one in a forward-facing grip the other in reverse. As a spawn zeroed in on a struggling acolyte, she sprung from its blind spot, aiming for the throat. If the attack was successful, she'd help the acolyte up, give a nod of encouragement, and let them jump back into the fray.

It wasn't kindness. No, it was strategy. The most amount of kills with the least amount of physical effort, all while letting others see her as trustworthy, helpful, more in control of herself and the Force than she actually was. She'd heard another acolyte whisper to a friend once that it was as if she had eyes on the back of her head.

They weren't wrong. The only way she had been able to keep with this strategy was with the extra pair of eyes hidden in a corner. The familiar had been a massive boon, top of the short list of good things that came from the night raid on the Fifth cohort. Even so, having the familiar now in her care was not without its own drawbacks. The overheard whispers had been a grim reminder that to thrive here was to have eyes on you. Even more terrifying, there was the very real possibility the original creator of the familiar would catch wind of its new owner and seek revenge. The idea of being actively hunted haunted her dreams, made her cast extra glances down every hallway. Why, even in the moment, she could've sworn she saw the Firrerreo among her fellow Fourths.

A sudden ping was just enough of a warning to have her turn just in time to narrowly clear a swipe from another sithspawn that'd sought to outflank her. Adean - no, Brassius - tightened their grip on their weapon once more, steeling themself for another attack. And then they glanced over the spawn's shoulder (if it could even be called a shoulder), Adean's blood going cold as she realized. The Firrerreo was actually there, in the flesh.

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

There was no help for the First Cohort. It wasn't hard to see the wide berth Firrerreo was given by the other students. They knew who he was. Why he was here might be up in the air, but his presence was danger. Or opportunity for those willing to take it. The white masked Familiar on his shoulder kept an eye out for him at least, scanning and turning it's head in a way that didn't fit how it's body should be moving. As Firrerreo dipped under a strike, it's position didn't change in the slightest asides from elevation, as if it wasn't capable of feeling momentum.

A quick slash up from the boy's blade barely scratched the Sithspawn, but it was enough. Lightning rocketed through it's form, causing a spasm that was enough of an opening for a proper strike to it's neck. The body fell, leaving the shorter Acolyte standing there, taking a couple quick breaths. There'd be more. His gaze shifted, falling on one close by.

One he didn't recognize.

"You." He pointed his sword right for her, lightning crackling down it's edge as he started to recharge the blade. "We're working together. We need to kill at least three before we can leave, right? How many have you killed?"

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

There's no need to panic, not yet. Adean would keep repeating that to herself with hopes that in time, it'd become true. But why was a member of the First here? And why was it that specific one? A slash from a lumbering spawn, powerful yet lacking precision, interrupted her spiral of thoughts. As it keeled over from overexerting its weight, she dug one of her blades into its shoulder, jamming a foot into its side to kick the creature away as she pulled the dagger out.

The creatures were particularly vicious today, it seemed. Perhaps they were spurred on by a new, more powerful presence in the arena. Let them, so long as they target him and not me. The Epicanthix cast a quick gaze around the field, dipping into the familiar's senses for a brief moment, too, trying to identify how best to fade back into obscurity.

"You." ​

Adean froze as the other's blade was turned to her, muscles caught between risking punishment for fleeing the arena without her quota or bracing for the revenge blow that was sure to come. His continued declaration gave her pause, being requisitioned perhaps the last thing she expected. "Uh, okay," she stammered as she ducked under another wildly swung appendage. It would've been so easily to lie, to say actually they needed to take out twelve and move on, if only she didn't think it'd backfire shortly after. No, lying would put more attention on her than playing the follower at the moment.

"Three to stop, yeah. I've gotten one thus far. You?" And normally the bare minimum would be as far as Adean would want to go. But if a member of the First was dragging her along with him, well... "Supposedly, there's a reward if we take 'em all out too."

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

A reward for all of them?

Firrerreo hummed in thought. Part of him was keen on just doing the three and leaving. It helped she'd already gotten one herself, so they were at least in line to finish. On that same notion, which was smarter? To do the bare minimum rather than risk life and limb? Or to prove his might and strength by claiming whatever this prize is? He chuckled. That certainly made the answer for him.

"One, but let's make use of this.. Reward."

The prize itself didn't matter. Getting the top place here while he was aware there'd be people trying to kill him would send it's own message. He looked about to another of the Sithspawn currently taking on a group of Acolytes. Working and banding together because they weren't strong enough otherwise. Was that the lesson here? Not just combat, but doing what it takes to survive?

"We'll start with that one."

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

Adean was baffled. She shouldn't have been, in retrospect. Firrerreo was in the First for a reason, she should've expected ambition to be a part of it. And while Adean had no such inclination to go beyond 3, she wasn't about to tell him that. Not after what he did to the Fifth.

There was an opportunity here, though. Both for her to rise above her fellows of the Fourth and build a rapport with those above. The opportunity was too good to pass up, at least for the time being. And if they failed horribly, she could slip back into the masses and let him pay for the fool hearty attempt.

With a short nod, she twirled a dagger between her fingers, a nervous tick that had formed the more time she'd spent in the academy. As they both turned to zero in on the creature in question, she felt a ping in the back of her skull, a warning from the hidden familiar.

"Behind," she declared, dropping to the ground to deliver a swift kick to the knees of the spawn that had sought to rid her of her shoulders. She had little doubt his own familiar or senses had clocked the creature. And vocalizing it risked tipping off her hidden helper. But at the same time, surely it further sold the display of teamwork. "These guys are imprecise but strong. Don't let them get their arms around you or they'll crush you before you can blink."

Firrerreo

 

[Firrerreo]

"They were certainly made well."

His familiar stared up at the creature as it approached, even as Adean called out to him. Odd that she would, but then again, they'd chosen the difficult task of clearing all the Sithspawn here. Without using his own eyes he took the opportunity she presented and slashed up with his blade, cleaving right under it's chin to send it's head tumbling to the ground.

He finally looked towards it as it fell, frowning deeply.

"Maybe we'll be able to study it when we kill the rest. That'd be ideal."

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

"They're about the only thing that's well made here." Life in the Fourth cohort paled in comparison to that of the Fifth, she was sure. Nevertheless, the conditions Adean and the rest of her cohort lived in were far from easy. Knowledge gained was fought for and the price of failure was steep. Had survival not been her priority, the Epicanthix might've looked toward the Firrerreo with bitterness toward their differing situations.

Her brow furrowed a fraction at Firrerreo's words as the head toppled to the floor. Was that an invitation for further collaboration? Or a trap? Or, perhaps more realistically, the 'we' in his words wasn't meant to include her. Either way, now wasn't the time to dwell on the implications or social intricacies. "That would be useful, especially if we can turn them against their keepers." An added element of chaos to further help Adean - no, Brassius - slip by unbothered. "Best to move quickly, then, before the fallen are cleared out."

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

"Yeah, this place is pretty shitty." It reminded him of where he was before he came to the Sith, if he was honest. Part of him knew that was likely why he was put into the First. A challenge to see if the power it brought would go to his head, if he would grow lax and lazy. He wouldn't let it. He wouldn't let them control him. Let them think he was going mad with power

Maybe he was, somewhat. He was here after all.

"You shouldn't speak lightly of that. They hear everything." It wasn't a bad idea, but right now, their lives, their choices, their training, food, all of it was at the whims of their betters. Learning how to take a Sithspawn for himself would be handy. Especially since it was clear someone had done the same with his second familiar. There was a flash of irritation in his expression, but he did crouch beside the corpse. The sword was set aside as he reached into the white mask of his familiar to pluck out quite the intricate looking knife. One seeped in the dark.

And he got to carving. Slicing open the body with practiced ease to fiddle through it's chest. They might not get a chance to properly explore the body, but he could find a weakness or two.

"Hearts reinforced. Stab them from the side, not the front. Should slip a blade right in to kill them dead."

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

Adean nearly scoffed at the notion of ears all around. "They seldom do if you don't make a scene." There was a twinge of bitterness in her words. Moving unnoticed had become her specialty over the years and yet, that was no way to progress in the academy. To claim it was unfair would be a fool's errand, no matter how much Adean agreed with the sentiment. The Sith didn't deal in fair, that much she had accepted. It didn't stop her from being annoyed.

Her eyes widened as the First dropped his weapon, focussing on the Sithspawn they had just downed and leaving her to maintain a guard. Her. A guard. A month ago, she would've laughed at the prospect and promptly walked away. The temptation was still there, screaming at her to sidestep and let the creatures close on what should've been her rival. She'd heard what happened during the raid on the Fifth, had seen the bandages many of them had returned to class with, or the seats that were now empty. Absolute dream case scenario, she could rid the academy of the raid's orchestrator right here and take his spot for her own.

But that idea was foolhardy and would surely only make her enemies in the off chance that it worked. Adean couldn't afford that sort of pressure on her, not now.

The Sithspawn around them seemed to sense the duo's attentions were divided. Adean became all too aware that the number of acolytes still fighting had dropped, those having killed their three exiting the arena rather risking more injury. The Sithspawn that remained, most injured yet heartier than their fallen counterparts, had less to split their attention between. There were two on Adean now, trying to herd her into a corner. "Heard, great. A little help here?" She grunted as she was forced to withdraw from an attack to dodge another, a pain sharp pain running down her arm, her dagger remaining lodged in the spawn's side.

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

Even as he worked, the white mask of the familiar was watching Aeden. Always watching. Firrerreo would eventually stand, idly shaking his hands of the black ichor that made up their blood before bringing his sword to his hand with a pull of the Force. Though, he stared at the dagger in one of their sides. Smirked. He reached a hand up, and from it, lightning ripped across the room, right into he dagger.

The spawn lurched. With the dagger forcing the energy deeper, it couldn't stop itself from being burned from the inside.

"There, I helped."

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

Adean's eyes went wide as her vision was overcome by the lightning. So that was the difference between herself and those of the First. Her nose scrunched from the smell of ozone rising from the spawn's body, brow furrowing in distaste. The leather stretched over the dagger's hilt was no doubt fried. A small price to pay for remaining only mildly injured but still, she'd selected her daggers carefully based off how they felt in her hands.

"Right. Thanks." She was grateful, even if the clipped tone might've suggested otherwise. He could've easily left her to her own devices and there would've been little she could've done in retribution.

The other spawn wasted no time mourning its compatriot and so Adean had no time to dwell on the apparent alliance actually holding up when tried. She ducked under its arms, her uninjured one plunging the other dagger into its side and twisting. A spark of panic rose in her chest as the black ichor that kept the creature going stained her fingers. The first time she'd landed a mortal wound on one, she'd nearly cried, so shaken by the concept of murder. Now, she was nearly desensitized to it.

Wrenching that dagger out of the slumping body and summoning the other back to her belt with a telekinetic pull, she surveyed the area, turning back to Firrerreo. "Neat trick, how'd you learn that?"

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

"Lots of anger, lots of practice. And being shocked myself. Wanna try?" He gave a half smirk to Adean as he shook his hand. Near the tips of his fingers were blackened and singed. He still hadn't figured out how to keep that from happening, but he wasn't going to bring attention to it. Instead he moved closer to her, to the pair of dead now. The strike from the side worked wonders. Good.

So to did lightning. He kicked the smoking body a little, listening for crunches. Did it's flesh charr badly? Or did it just- ah. Still soft. So they weren't easily burnt, then? Lightsaber resistant.

"Their bodies are resistant to being burnt. Good thing they gave us proper blades." He turned his gaze to the remaining Sithspawn. He could count them on one hand, thankfully. But that meant five. He grimaced, or grinned hard to tell, before he readied his blade.

"Your daggers, Sithswords right? Properly alchemized?"

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

"Anger, right," that seemed to be a running thing in the academy. Everything - the lessons, the lodgings, even the food seemed meant to wear them down. Were they all a break in morale away from greatness - or perhaps more accurately, horribleness? "Learning it, sure, getting shocked, I'll pass if it's all the same." Her lips instinctually pulled to match the beginnings of a smirk before dropping back to caution. Now wasn't the time to fraternize with one who could betrayer her the moment it was convenient.

She twisted her injured wrist, not quite wincing as a more mild pain ran down her arm. So it probably wasn't broken, that was a plus. Still, the thought did cross her mind that if it had been broken, there was at least a chance the infirmary would do something about it. Her lips pursed, contemplating the boy in front of her. If what she'd seen of his quarters was any indicator, surely his cohort was tended to for the slightest scrape if they asked. Maybe he could -

She stopped herself before the thought could continue. They were allies for this battle, not as classmates.

Five left, that was a number Adean hadn't seen in some time, much less a time when she was still in the ring. It was almost a rush to be so close to the top, if one ignored the fact that the five remaining were likely still up for a reason.

At the mention of the daggers, she faltered. They had been normal daggers issued by the academy, once. Some students had taken to augmenting what little was given to them on their own time - something Adean couldn't quite tell if it was officially allowed or more of an open secret at this point in their training. To be safe, she had treated it as the latter. "Something like that. One of the Second needed help with a report, I needed something with a bit more oomph against these things. Judging what they needed help with, gods know if these were properly alchemized or not." It wasn't the full truth, maybe not even half of it, but it was a believable enough tale. "They seem to work well enough, though, unless you're offering something better." With her good arm, she gave the un-zapped dagger a flourish, steadying herself to take on the next spawn they set their sights on.

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

"Alchemized steel absorbs lightning. Their hides can't be charred from the outside, but it was plenty effective before. Get your blades in them, and I can at least fry them from the inside. Unless you suddenly figure it out. Might be worth figuring it out, mm?" He lifted his dagger again, brandishing both the blade he was given by the school, and the blade he'd brought here.

"They're coming." It was Firrerreo's familiar that moved first. It's white mask split down the middle. Below it, nothing. The literal nothing, a void where something should've been, at least until a red glow formed. A cascade of red lightning ripped out and through two of them in a line, instantly ripping them apart. The mask closed shortly after, though.

"That's two more."

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

"Let me get right on that." her mastery of the Force was questionable at best. Sometimes, Brassius could catch a dagger mid-air and throw it back with a flourish. Other times, Adean struggled to perform basic telekinesis. It was like there was a block on her abilities preventing progression. In such a place where everyone was in tight competition, seeking aid, and admitting weakness, was pretty much out of the question.

Adean's eyes widened, not unlike saucers, as the familiar acted. She had moved cautiously before, hearing what the shorter boy had been capable of and knowing his position in the academy. Now, after watching the familiar alone eviscerate two spawns in an instant, a wave of genuine terror washed over her. That thing could've done that this whole time? Why did he bother partnering up with her, then?

His words snapped her out of the moment of panic. Two down, three to go. Was victory truly attainable? She rushed forward and to the side, hoping to trick the remaining spawn into thinking she'd abandoned their goal of complete victory so they might focus on Firrerreo. Just before her boots could cross out of bounds, she turned, launching her good dagger in the direction of a spawn's side.

What she hadn't expected was one of the spawn having caught on to her ploy (or had not cared that she seemed to be retreating). A burly arm swiped across her midsection, knocking the wind out of her as her backside hit the ground. The world threatened to go hazy as Adean clamored for her remaining dagger, the creature looming over her and ready to pounce. Even with the extra eyes of the hidden familiar, avoiding the spawn's attacks was a nigh impossibility at this point. But they were so close. For her to come this far? Only to be pummeled in the last minute?

A resolve unlike what Adean had displayed in her time in the academy rose up within her. Forgoing attempts to dodge, she rushed the creature, letting it get its arms around her despite everything she'd learned previously suggesting that doing so was a near-death sentence. The proximity gave her just the opening she needed, though, to lodge the remaining dagger into the creature's side. "Now!" She shouted through grit teeth, shutting her eyes as she braced herself for the pain to follow, only hoping Firrerreo caught his cue.

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

Only once.

Firrerro glanced up to his familiar, frowning ever so faintly as he did. He'd have to fix up the bird yet again to handle another blast. He could already see the faintest of a crack over the white mask. His gaze shifted though as the girl spoke. She was- didn't she warm him about that? A sigh escaped as he figured she was dead. Only, she wasn't. The dagger in it's side.

Foolish, but, useful. He raised a hand, letting the lightning loose from his fingertips again to flood the creature with it. And, well. Adean too. Nothing debilitating, but painful certainly. Did he do it on purpose? Hard to tell, especially as the other two now closed in on him and he had to swivel to a focused defense. "You alive over there?"

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

Searing pain coursed through Adean's limbs as lightning overtook both her and the creature. Her muscles spasmed, shockwaves rolling down her spine. It was a truly strange sensation, limbs moving outside of her control, overridden by the pain of it all. It had been an ill-advised move, for sure. Adean was back on the ground, locked in a still-sizzling embrace of dead weight, but limbs still intact, quantifiably better than she could've been. Nausea threatened to overtake the Epicanthix between the smell of fried flesh and hair and the overall feeling of prolonged contact with the spawn, even a dead one.

Force be damned, she would not be doing this stunt again.

Adrenaline from the sheer absurdity of the situation saw Adean extricate herself from the crumpled spawn. She wanted little more than a hot shower and to fall into a real bed for several hours - neither of which would be an option (unless that was the prize for defeating the remaining spawn). "Something like that," she called back, standing on shakey legs as she surveyed what was left. The better of her daggers was still wedged into the side of one of the remaining enemies. Brassius reached out with a shaking hand, aiming to wrench the creature's legs out from under them with the intent of having them fall further onto the dagger.

Firrerreo ​

 

[Firrerreo]

They couldn't feel pain.

Or at least, that's what Firrerreo had assumed. He watched as one fell to the side, landing atop the dagger imbedded within it. And he felt himself grin as he swore he saw it wince. They weren't made to be painless. The lesson was there, wasn't it? To fight, tooth and nail, if they had to. Use everything they had. Like pain. He lashed down immediately, sending his blade through the creature's neck before spinning to parry a strike from the other.

"Look at how much we're learning. They feel pain. Why don't we make sure this last one feels pain, mm?"

Adean Castor

 

[Adean Castor]

Adean's brow furrowed, unsettled by Firrerreo's interest in deliberately causing the creatures pain. He wasn't the first person in the academy to have such a mentality. Even the faculty shared the approach, though often spun as using pain as a learning tool. And yet here they were, entertaining cruelty for cruelty's sake.

Was this a mentality she'd have to adopt in order to survive?

She shook her head as if to clear it of the spiral of thoughts on the verge of coming out. Leaning over to pull her dagger out of the electrocuted corpse with a sickening squelch, she let the cooler demeanor that was the role of Brassius disguise her trepidation as efficiency. "Not much point to it. You can play with your prey on your own time." With a flick of the wrist, she flung the ichor-stoked dagger in the direction of the remaining spawn, making her away to collect the other dagger as she did so. If Firrerreo wanted to relish in the kill, she wasn't about to stop him.

Firrerreo ​