Rule #1 stab them with the pointy end

[Darth Vaildra]

After Valdra's odd expermental way to teach martial arts, he decided to go back to the old ways. He awaited his student out side of a cave. He would be teaching him to use the lightsaber, but first he needed the crystal.

Valdra held a vibrosword that would serve as his weapon in the cave. It held dark crystals that would focus and colour the blade, but the Dark Side lived in this cave and creatures that fed off that Dark Side. He knew his student could handle this, this was the easy part of the training.

Valdra smiled as he waited, he enjoyed this training thing, he really didn't have to do much. Sure that would change soon, but right now it was a nice vacation especially since he recently returned from destroying a whole planet. No matter who you are, killing that many takes it's toll on the mind.



[member="T'zanith Zebron"]

 

[Shaddi]

T'zanith yawned a little as he left for the Cave [member="Darth Valdra"] had asked him to meet him. Stretching his body as best he could while on the way to his master, it had felt a little stiff after yesterdays...odd training lesson. Once close enough T'zanith could see that the cave was a focal point for dark side energy, might even be a dark side nexus if he knew how one looked that is.
"Maser I have come as you requested." He said speaking with respect and discipline in his voice. He was getting used to seeing much higher leveled and powered force users though he still had to "peer his eyes" at the sight of some of them. 'Babysteps it'll come to me' The young miralukan half breed thought as he was reminded the it was something that annoyed his master about his sight.
"What is wrong with this cave... it feels a bit...cold?" T'zanith then said to his master, his curiosity getting the better of him.

 

[Darth Vaildra]

"That, young one, is death. Not many have entered this cave and come out alive. Though I am sure you will be the exception." Valdra smiled, he smiled at what was in there. Mostly it was Hssiss playing around which would be cake walk, but there was Lignan Crystals deep in the cave that would be perfect for the lightsaber's power, but a Terentatek. It was a deadly beast that fed off the blood of force sensitive beings and the Dark Side itself.

Valdra handed over the vibroblade and smiled his dark, but charming smile. "My only mercy is this advice, do not drop your guard and open your senses completely or you will die. I will be here." Valdra waited for any last minute questions and for him to depart on this journey.

 

[Shaddi]

T'zanith took the offered vibroblade and pulled out his own vibrodagger out. Breathing in he could damn near taste death in the air from the cave but he wouldn't be intimidated he was going to prove he was worthy of being [member="Darth Valdra"]'s apprentice. "I won't fail master." He then said as he put the blade in his dominant hand and the dagger faced down in the other as he walked forwards into the cave.

He felt like a bat using sonic screeches to see as he walked through the first chamber of the cave. It reminded him a little about the temple but only a little. The first chamber was quite spacious and he extended his sight to try and pick up the room. As usual it was faded and out of focus but then he had an idea, perhaps like bats navigate he could do the same by exuding a force "pulse" to bathe his environment with a little of the force so that it would become more defined and he'd be able to see it better. Since he sensed no creatures inside the first chamber he decided to use it as a test run for this technique he'd hope would become beneficial to him.
Breathing in and out like his master had taught him the day before he began to focus the force into a small ball between his hands as he stood with his hands placed on his chest with a small space between them as the palms faced each other. After a few minutes of trials and errors he managed to make the ball though he could tell it was very unstable and then pushed it out letting it pop on one of the walls. A smile erupted from his lips as he could see the area clearly in a one diameter radios around where the ball had popped on the wall.

It was a success but it was too unstable and would need much, much further refinement to be of any use in the future, it took him too many tries and he felt if he'd keep going it would exhaust him. What should he call it? force echo? He thought it a bit over but then batted it aside and descended into the second chamber.

 

[Shaddi]

The second chamber was much larger than the other and it seemed as if it was also filled with all manner of debris to block his passage or dissuade him from venturing further. He decided to take a seat on one of the chair like rocks around him and took out a small canteen filled with water to quench his thirst. A light yet brief scrapping sound alerted him a little and he put the canteen back and kept his weapons ready as he kept walking a little farther.

He didn't hear it again but a rock he began passing by seemed oddly.. off. If he hadn't been looking at it he'd never have seen it as the hssiss came into view and attacked him. With a quick slice towards the beast he wounded it but he was also scratched by it's claws and the side of his head was hit by it's tail. As he widened his vision he noticed it fully and a sense of dread filled him, he was surrounded by a total of four of these things. The one who had attacked him first charged again but it was sloppy and T'zanith managed to spin around and buried his dagger into the beasts skull before he took it out and let the beast slump down with a hefty thud as it now lay there dead.

The second and third one attacked in unison and T'zanith had to thank his father for teaching him the acrobatic style of Stava that he manged to get out with just the scratches against his back and left calf. With an angry growl he lunged at the second and brought his sword down and chopped a deep gash into it's neck. Blood spattered every were as the beast howled in pain and began scratching wildly at T'zanith as he stabbed his dagger into its belly and cut it open.

The third came charging in and headbutted T'zanith way from the second dying beast and he hit a large rock wall, letting out a groan of pain as he felt his shoulder was nearly dislocated. 'No wonder so few ever make it out of here.' He thought as he stood up again and saw that the fourth was coming along on top of a few rocks that lined around him and would pounce on top of him. "Not in your life!" He yelled at the beast as he reached out with his left hand holding onto the dagger with his thumb, little and ring fingers while the index and middle one were extended out. The beast stopped in mid air and then it began to choke as it scratched wildly at it's throat, T'zaniths hand had clenched into a fist as he choked the life out of the beast.

At least that was what he intended but the third was coming in to headbutt him again and he was forced to throw the fourth against a rock, a loud popping crunch filled the cave as the beasts neck was broken against the rock. The only reaction T'zanith could manage was to get out of the way of the third beasts mouth as it shifted to bite him instead of headbutting him but the beast still hit him and into the rock behind him both went.

He let out a bloody cough as he felt something wasn't right inside his body after that impact but he then buried the blade and dagger into the beasts neck and kept stabbing and slashing until the beasts head was hanging on by a small amount of it's muscles and bones. "Karking die!" He shouted at the creature as he used the force to lift it up and throw it away before falling down onto his knees and coughed a little more blood up.

It had been a tiring fight to say the least so he waited by the rock as he drank the water from his canteen and rested to get up to strength again. Once he felt he was up to task again he ventured into the third chamber and before him in the deepest part of it he saw the Crystals his master surely wanted him to get. The force somehow flowed through them and he couldn't help but crack a smile but that soon faded as he sensed something else, stronger and scarier than the beasts before and for the first time in a long time since he came to the one Sith temple on Corucsant he felt pure, undeniable and palpable fear.

[member="Darth Valdra"]

 

[Darth Vaildra]

​

The third was quite large and rocks were everywhere. On the right side of the was a large hole with bones and skulls leaking out of it. As sounds became louder, more skulls and bones began to flow out as a Terentatek began to come out. The Terentatek was a small one standing at only 9 and a half feet tall. The beast had tusks on both sides of his mouth bigger than [member="T'zanith Zebron"]'s arm. It roared which sounded terrifying even when you considered it was only yawning. A full grown Hssiss had been outside it's home and had challenged the Terentatek for territory.

The Terentatek was bitten by the Hssiss and not effected by the poison. He then picked up the Hssiss with one hand and bit off it's head and half it's body. It then spotted the young Acolyte and let out a roar of joy. As it came closer it's scars could be visible if the Acolyte could be seen. The creature saw the Acolyte as no threat and simply lashed out with one hand at the Acolytes with it's claws ready to pierce the Acolyte.

 

[Shaddi]

T'zanith Swallowed a little as he saw the beast so easily dispatch something he had trouble with. "This won't end well..." He said to himself and immediately regretted it as the beast seemed to have noticed him because of it. As the beast approached every fiber of the miralukan half breeds body tensed and he felt like he'd easily be killed if the beast hit him even once. Thanking the force he was actually able to see the thing he jumped under the beasts arm as it swiped at him, his robes bottom ripped up as the claws caught the fabric but he was glad that it was already tattered enough so that the beasts claws wouldn't get stuck and then he'd be really screwed.

As he tumbled along the ground next to the beast he swiped with his word at it's knee, hoping to mess with it's balance. He then moved to keep a distance between himself and the beast and extended his force sight to the area around him, looking for anything to use to telekineticly throw at the beast. It was old and battle hardened that was for sure so T'zanith would have to be smart to beat the thing.

[member="Darth Valdra"]

 

[Darth Vaildra]

The beast growled as it's food moved out of the way, it was hungry and the Force was in the boy. It felt the blade cut through it's hard skin, but do little damage. The beast turned quickly and quickly lammed it's claws down at him.

Valdra stood outside using his senses to watch things. T'zanith was right about using the Force Echoing, but Valdra did it a bit differently. The Force was in everything and in the air itself. if you cleared everything and listened using the Force to enhance their hearing that could paint pictures in their mind. It was Echo Location made with the Force and Valdra had mastered the art of Senses. This way he watched his Acolyte move.

He took too much of a beating from the Hssiss as far as he could see, this would prove problematic for the challenge coming next. As he entered the last chamber he became very faded asit was far too above his level to see that far, but he saw enough, the beast was huge. He was using speed, this would be an asset, but he would learn that the Sword he was using would not be enough to kill the beast.

Valdra did this on purpose as he wanted his Acolyte to face death, to truly face death and ether fail or come out beaten, but unafraid of death. He spoke about being an assassin he didn't fear death, but everyone feared death because very little actually knew death. Valdra once feared death until he met death and made it scared of him. This was his goal here. He was not training an Acolyte to become a Knight, he was making a true Sith, a warrior with no equal. He would be warrior of the body, the mind, the soul and the Force.



[member="T'zanith Zebron"]

 

[Shaddi]

T'zanith only just managed to do a few back flips to get away from the blow but as soon as he landed he felt a sharp pain surge through him. 'Did I really take this much damage from the hssiss?' He thought as he then noticed the large stalagmite coming down from the ceiling. Seeing them he had an idea but he had to keep his focus on the beast. putting his Dagger away he used that hand to grab what was left of the hssiss the beast had eaten and threw it at the things face. Then he began to use the force to try and loosen some of the stalagmites in the ceiling.
'This has to work' He thought as he looked at the beast his fear growing the more he looked at it. He knew a bit about the beast from his time in the library and he knew that direct force attacks wouldn't work on it so he'd have to improvise since he didn't have a lightsaber. That's were the stalagmites came in, now he only had to hope to distract the beast long enough to make a few of them fall down on it, but then again this thing ate force-users for breakfast, literally.

[member="Darth Valdra"]

 

[Darth Vaildra]

The Hssiss body hit the beast in the face stunning it a bit and making it very angry. It then brushed it off and went for [member="T'zanith Zebron"] again until things began to fall. Some of the stalagmites broke on the beasts back, but some punctured the skin leaving it wounded, but not dead. One had hit it's mouth breaking off a tusk that hit the floor and sliding towards T'Zanith. The beast, out of desperation and anger grabbed the Acolyte prepared to crush and eat him. He began first by squeezing his body in it's large hand, bring the boy to it's mouth.


Valdra began to pace as the suns were going down and boredom was setting in. He could no longer see them, but sensed they were both alive proving he had chosen a gem for an apprentice. Valdra began to make fire in his hands to practice his own craft by trying to convert the area around him into pure force energy to create stronger fire.

 

[Shaddi]

"Chit!" He let out as the beast came at him and grabbed him. "AAHH!" He screamed before blood spurted out of his mouth and he had a hard time breathing. 'I ca-can't breathe... is... is this how I die?' He thought as he stared into the beasts mouth and saw all those teeth that would soon crunch through his body and bones. He felt for the first time actual mind numbing fear and he didn't want to feel it ever again. "n-NOOO!!!" He shouted out as he let out a force scream at the beast, shaking the cave with the power of it but it didn't affect the beast. What it did though was bathe the cave in force energy and he could see the entire cave as if he had eyes and it was well lit up.

In his fearful state he reached out with the force and threw the tusk at the beasts stomach. The scream had loosened many of the Stalagmites above and they began to rain down through out the cave.

[member="Darth Valdra"]

 

[Darth Vaildra]

The beast felt it's own tusk enter his stomach as more stalactites entered his body causing him to drop the Acolyte and fall down lifeless. While much damage was received, fear and then the conquering the fear had allowed a mere Acolyte to defeat a beast that some Knights had died to. Valdra's methods were harsh and dangerous, but this moment was proof that it made for a stronger Sith.

This was merely a meeting of Death, but not the conquering. He would meet Death so many times under Valdra's wings that by the time this was over he would see Death as an old friend.

[member="T'zanith Zebron"]

 

[Shaddi]

T'zanith lay there, half broken as he began to gather the force into himself out of instinct. He was fading in and out before he suddenly cracked a smile and began to laugh. 'I did it?!' He thought as he grudgingly leaned up and looked at the beast. "One wrong move and it would have been me rather than you." He said as he rested his forehead against the beasts forehead, in honor of the kill and the beasts immense strength. "You taught me death and I delivered it to you, for this sacrifice you will be remembered." He muttered out before he got up again and took out his knife as he began to skin the beast, glad his father had thought him the skill on a Training hunt.
Once he was done he draped the skin over his body and limped towards the Crystals and took out a large shard from it. 'A worthy pair of trophies' He thought as he held the crystal in his hand and then began to limp back out of the cave.
A brave hssiss came near him in the second chamber while the others were scared off by the terenteks scent. This hssiss soon would find itself higher in the air than it anticipated as it jumped at the acolyte, He was seething and the bloodshed and closeness to death strengthened his connection to the force. A part of him knew he wouldn't be able to hold such a connection for long until he reached a higher level of focus and knowledge in the force.
He came out of the cave holding the crystal shard in one hand, the loaned sword in the other and the terenteks hide draped around his body. "I have succeed m-master...." He'd utter before passing out from pain and exhaustion in front of [member="Darth Valdra"]