Sacrifice, Clear Sight, and Really Big Explosions (Open Fringe Training)

[Isar]

The mewling of one of the mortals reached Faenrovon's ears. He craned his long neck down, fastening enormous yellow eyes on the ant. @[member="Kayvaan Niveus"]. The sixty-eight foot long dragon leaned his giant head down until he nearly touched noses with the tasty mortal morsel, then he snorted, plumes of smoke curling from his nostrils. It asked a great many questions...

 

[Ashin Varanin]

So far, @[member="Faenrovon The Radiant"] had failed spectacularly and was now being distracted by tasty nibblies, @[member="Shado"] was teaching exactly the wrong lesson, @[member="Kitt Solo"] was sitting at the base of the slope, @[member="Kayvaan Niveus"] was talking a mile a minute, and only the reliable Shinju Ayasha had begun to climb in earnest.

Ashin began to remember why she didn't train anymore.

"Shado, let them do this on their own and help each other. Dragon, you're not harnessing your rage. Do so and stop thinking with a curious stomach. Solo, Niveus, get moving. If you haven't all made significant progress on your own by the time I count to ten, we're going to have an exercise in voltage."

 

[Shinju]

Shinju listened and continued to climb while she ignored the rest. it was true they might need down the line to help each other but for the moment there was no secret... At least she hoped, it could turn into the arena where only a few of them tried to work together and the rest just refused to. No matter what she wanted to avoid being on the receiving of the commanders lightning... Not again. So she kept moving and gripping the spire while she searched for the next rock and area to grab. Pushing the force through her boy to give herself the upper body strength and the air in her lungs. To keep them from burning or tiring, all she needed to do was keep going while she pushed onwards and upwards.

 

[Matreya]

Shado sighed, seething nearly. Why did he try? Either they didn't want his help, or he was doing something wrong. Feth it, Shado thought as he brought himself back around and again continued his slow steady climb. Hand over hand, careful planning backing each choice. Concentrating for a moment Zaiden channeled the energy he was putting into other acts, into powering his own body and muscle.

His next moves seemed ever more quick, as he launched higher and higher up the spire. Each leap now was covering near 5 feet in distance everytime, but despite the tiny jumps he moved with a much more sure speed as he knew the small distance was enough that he could assure his hold. Jump, grab, leap, clasp. The repetitive pattern became second hand.

To those about him he would appear almost like a feline animal chargin along a prairie, save he was doing it vertically.

 

[Kitt Solo]

"I see, the strong help the strong around here," she scowled, staying in her fetal position for a moment longer. To be exact, it was less than ten seconds longer. She imagined being a burned crust wouldn't help climbing up the wall a kriffin' half mile. Standing, she stared at the wall, pressing a button on her wrist to retract her space-suit helmet to her neck.

"Let's not get spark-happy, I'm going, I'm going," thumb brushed along her nose as her back remained to the mysterious, masked leader, @[member="Ashin Varanin"]. The young and out of place Fringer sure had enough fear to fuel her emotions through the force. Shooting @[member="Faenrovon The Radiant"] one last cautionary glance, she pushed off the ground, hoping the next time scaly fell he wouldn't take her down with him.

"You could've stayed on Corellia and been the second best gorram mechanic on the South side." She reached for another hold, the invisible, magical thing known as the force fueling her muscles and breathing. Part of it felt so natural, it was scary. She didn't like it. This whole exercise was beginning to feel like a gateway drug. "Coulda followed in mom's footsteps and become a political leader," she scowled.

Hand. Hand.

Foot. Foot.

Hand. Foot. Hand.

"Coulda been hangin' with Hannibal and discussin' bounty stats, but nooooooooooooo, you had to let Shorn get to you. Force this and force that, power, power, power. Wonder if my sister ever did anything this stupid."

Foot. Foot.

 

[Isar]

An enormous head swung toward @[member="Ashin Varanin"]. Yellow eyes narrowed followed by another puff of smoke, then Faenrovon began to climb once more. The last of the Arkanian Dragons remembered what had happened to his kind as his claws dug into the wall. Slaughtered by these lesser beings. The memory burned within him, the heat for his fire. That fire roared within him, waiting to be released. Fueled by the dark flames of his wrath, Faenrovon pushed against the forces attempting to bring him down. Slowly, but surely he made headway up the wall, until his enormous length had passed all but those two in the lead.

After a grueling climb, he at last reached the top, more exhausted than he had been in centuries.

 

[Kayvaan Niveus]

''Lesson in voltage?'' He asked, but then he flinched as he realized what his instructor meant. ''Nevermind, I don't want to find out.'' Kayvaan said before he looked up at the tower in front of him. The tower was so high that he couldn't really see the top, only how it reached upwards and ended somewhere in the middle of space. How was he going to survive the climb? And more importantly, how was he going to get up there?

After a couple of moments of waiting he decided he would just try it. If he failed he would fall to his death and if he didn't start climbing he would get fried to a crisp by his instructor. So either way it would end badly for him and the only way out of this was that he had to climb up. He took one last deep breath before he positioned his hands and feet on and in front of the tower. Then he let out the air he had breathed in and started climbing. It wasn't as difficult as he had thought it would be, but that was probably because he used the force to aid him in this endeavor. After all he did have the training of a padawan and could thus enhance his strength a bit by using the Force and if it were to get too difficult he could stop and meditate a bit to regain his strength. Now with a clear mind and focused on the task ahead, he kept climbing. He was sure he would succeed.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Well, that was much better. People were climbing, and successfully using the Force to enhance the strength, durability, and stamina of their own bodies. In short, people were finally learning. These skills would help them hit harder, run faster, take bigger hits, and trust their Force instincts more thoroughly.

Ashin didn't go wait for them at the top. Instead, she meditated below them, ready to catch anyone who fell, using telekinesis. Catching someone who fell half a mile would be, in some ways, a fascinating challenge -- and catching them gently enough to keep them alive, too.

Those who made it to the top of the climb first would find that the spire ascended for several hundred more kilometres; their climb terminated at another large platform, where space heaters and food waited.

 

[Matreya]

After a few minutes of jumping, and nearly 50 feet added on to his climb, Zaiden paused for a moment and took a breath. There was no need to keep going at full tilt with no break, it was only a training regime as it is. Deep cleansing breaths cooled his lungs while also dampening the anger even more.

Since giving in utterly to the Dark Side he could barely control the rage and hatred he felt constantly. He rarely felt emotions other then those, and when it happened it was fleeting, leaving him feeling even more hollow then before. It was to difficult to be the kind of man he was inside and remain good and just.

 

[Kitt Solo]

Oddly, it was less of the darkside fueling her climb, despite the very real and pronounced fear she felt. It was more from a sheer dauntless and stubborn attitude. However, it wasn't helping her stats because she was the last one. Even that fox kid @[member="Kayvaan Niveus"] was above her by several yards.

"Oh, for frak sake," deep breaths filled her lungs as her tired muscles trembled, the trembling getting worse with each foot and handhold she found. Don't look down, don't look down, don't...

Leg muscle wobbled and her toe slipped. A scream of terror ripped through her throat as she pushed herself against the wall, losing more control of her motor movements. Even with the cold in altitude, it was a relief to press her hot-face against the scratchy, cool surface of the wall. A quiet whimper left her lips as she remained frozen, just a few feet from reaching the top.

She couldn't go up and she couldn't let go. She was, essentially, stuck. "Oh God," lips barely parted as she mentally reached out for that invisible, magical connection to the force. Fear and anger worked for the temporary burst, but she was having a hard time using it for more long-term effects.

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Shinju]

Shinju kept at it, letting the spire and the others around her while she didn't look down. That would have been the dumb move but more then that she couldn't sense th others. The limits of her perceptions in the force enough that she focused on physical sight compared to them and.... and then she was at the platform and looked around while crawling up. Her face with a sheen of sweat and grim where she had hugged closer to the rock. Her hands thankful that there was latex covering them and the suit. She rolled over on the rock and gulped in greedily the air letting her muscles strain from the exertion of climbing. A fight might have been preferable she could feed from the other person to keep her strength up while a deep gulp of breath went in. She was hungry and the food was only so... appetizing.

 

[Matreya]

Shado brushed past Shinju, bare seconds after the Infinite Empress won the race. He probably would have bested her, save he tried to help. Like every other time that was an error, he thought summoning an apple from the nearby foods. That climb alone should have tired him, and any other placed against such a feat, but it was not so. Zaiden had climbed every major mountain in his home's region by the time he left Hoth. Cold and climbing went well in his eyes.

Taking a deep bite from the apple, Zaiden spke around the bite, "50 creds says Admiral saves at least one by the end of the climb."

@[member="Shinjū Aÿasha"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Kitt Solo"]

In her climb, Ashin drew even with the rogue Padawan.

"Hate me for putting you on this cliff," she called out. "Turn that terror into something useful. The Force will respond to you if you can get out of your own way."

She made no motion to help.

 

[Arage Bao]

Jared sighed softly, it seemed he had dreamed off again. Thinking about the Force knows what and it seemed he was falling behind the rest. Even his Empress had started climbing and that said something when his own liege decided to abandon the wait. He shrugged silently and mounted the Wall, enhancing his speed with the Force. It was still a low enough altitude, so the temperature did not bother him as much for now. That would surely change later on, but for now he could focus on regaining the lost ground.

He took one step at a time, taking his sweet time being careful. Jared was strong with the Force, but that would not protect him from being splashed against the rocks beneath him. He wondered if it would hurt that much, or if the impact would kill him swiftly. The Knight repressed a shudder, why was he thinking about those kind of stuff. Worrying would only make it easier for him to make mistakes and a mistake here? “By the Force and Velok's nonexisting beard. Why must I always do that.” he cursed to himself.

Looking up he saw he was slowly gaining ground, in a few seconds he would climb next to his Empress. With a gentle touch he reached out to her mind “Excuse me for my late appearance, my fair Empress. It seems my mind was occupied with something, but I am here now.”

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]​

 

[Shinju]

Shinju rolled her shoulders as she saw Shado and raised an eyebrow. The sight of the others climbing and the thought of what might be happening brought a grin to her face while she shrugged. "I don't have credits. No need for them." Her face went to the food as she licked her lips and moved over to it. The others would come and they would continue.. hopefully this would be the part where they fought Ashin.... cause she would just smack them off the platform.

 

[Kitt Solo]

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

Muscles twitched involuntarily as exhaustion continued to eat away at her body. Breathing heavily, she managed to turn her head to look at the mysterious Fringe leader. One side of her face continued to press against the relief of the cold, sandpapery wall. "I...don't hate you," voice bit out. "I make my own choices." Eyes closed and brows scrunched together in worry and concentration.

Stars, I'm an idiot.

Still, something Ashin said, stuck: Get out of your own way.

She let go. Not in the literal sense. Just her mental barriers: her distrust of the things that were unseen that she couldn't define, her doubts, and her fears. A power surged at her core even though her muscles continued to tremble, they suddenly felt solid. Strong. Chin tipped back, dauntless-gaze narrowing at the few meters that stood between herself and where all the others waited. Pushing away from the wall and her sanctuary, the young bounty-hunter leaped the remaining distance in something she would later learn was called a force jump.

Legs collapsed immediately when she hit the platform and rolled safely to a stop, away from the edge. She lay there happily, cheek pressed against the heated floor looking like a hot-mess. Sides ached as she sucked in the surrounding oxygen, body trying to drop back down to a normal heart-rate. "Gotta...work on...my...landings." No matter how tired she felt, she also felt oddly energized, clearly running high on the power of those magical, invisible tendrils.

She was happy because she was still alive and she made it, but most importantly because she was successful in her own way. The force-leap she just used wasn't powered by fear or hatred but by something else entirely.

 

[Matreya]

Penumbra looked further over the edge to Ashin, Can Shinju and I get a hint at what comes next? he sent to the woman telepathically. He wondered what it would be. They had climbed quite a distance, but for what?

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Innumerable telepathic messages crawled into Ashin's mind, to her immeasurable irritation, as she hung from the side of a twenty-thousand-kilometre cliff and watched @[member="Kitt Solo"] make the final leap.

Rather than return @[member="Jared Ovmar"]'s telepathic message, she turned toward him on the cliff face. "Glad you could join us!" she called over the wind, and kept climbing.

@[member="Penumbra"]
Next comes the breaking of all barriers, Zaiden.

She reached the platform and examined the crowd. Some had made it, some had given up. None had died.
@[member="Faenrovon The Radiant"] @[member="Kayvaan Niveus"] @Shinju Ayasha

"Gentlemen, ladies, welcome to the Grand Balcony of Bluespire. You've made the long cold climb, and learned to master fear. Some claim they know what the Sith philosophy is about, but virtually none of them do. I know not all of you call yourselves Sith; I certainly don't, not anymore. But this principle remains useful.

"Power is all well and good, but true power has nothing to do with money, the Force, people's lives, weapons, skills, being the best, or anything of that nature. True power has to do with overcoming all of your limitations in pursuit of whatever it is you want. I need you all to tell me and the group, right now, what it is that you want more than anything, and what you're willing to sacrifice to get there. Remember, a sacrifice is only a sacrifice if it hurts."

 

[Matreya]

"What do I want.." Zaiden murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he did so. He wanted peace, even with the darkness that dwells inside, Penumbra had always wanted peace and that hadn't changed. Whether it be by his control, or Ashin's, didn't matter, "I've had nearly every person I care about, ripped from my grasp. I know I can't get them back no matter if I wish it or not. But what I want, that's simple. Peace. Undeniable, whole hearted peace. Do I care if it's galaxy wide, no, of course I want it to be so, but it most likely never will. I want none to ever have the feeling of a love one removed from their life. That is why I stay with you all, my true family. We all yearn for peace in our own ways."

"What am I willing to give? Ask Ashin here." Zaiden chuckled but held a hand up so none would really ask. He wondered why even though this body had none of the same wounds as his previous, he still felt the cut as it smoothly went through his body..."I will give my everything if it achieves something this meaningful. My life, my soul, and everything in between."

 

[Kitt Solo]

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

Her body felt very much in tune with Ashin's use of the word hurt. Pushing herself off the ground, she dragged herself to the table of bounty in the center, grabbing a simple bottle of water even though her eyes screamed for something sweeter, something temporarily more satisfying. Leaning against the table, she faced the others, feeling a break in the conversation to answer their mysterious leader's question.

"How strong can I be without losing myself? Where do I belong and where can I be at my best? Where can I be known for my own name and not the name of my family? I want these questions answered. And I'm willing to risk coming to the precipice of losing myself. Apparently, I'm willing to risk falling twenty-thousand kilometers and breaking every bone in my body by following the commands of someone I've never met."

She finished off the bottle of water, never breaking eye contact with Ashin.