Scions of the Darkside [TSE]

[Juliet Varos]

When she saw him throw away the lightsaber, she felt momentary satisfaction. Her bet, her throw of the dice, had won out. Good. Now, all she had to do-
That was when she felt the heat. Her dress was beginning to light. A fireshaper? This boy was setting her dress on fire! She yelped, momentarily beset by panic, until she realized something after a few moments. It wasn't burning her. Just her dress- that sly scruffy nerf-herder. He was attempting to ruin her expensive dress!
She had to make a decision, right then and there. Her dress, or victory. Her dignity, or pressing her now known advantage. The choice was hard, but it had to be done.

"If you don't want someone in your head, you should keep up with mentalism and other worthy things." Her mind set about not itching, this time, but another feeling. More psychological than physical: fear. Terror. She attempted to bring out his worst fears to the forefront of his mind, every nightmare he had ever had, every fear he felt, all his doubts, worries, into one moment of experience. A daring thing, that once more required all of her concentration, which meant letting her dress burn, though she did impress one thought into his mind, a simple sentence of communication:
Stop it. Now.

[member="Ignis Imura"], [member="Vaylin"], [member="Jorryn Fordyce"], [member="Pythia"], [member="Rys'sya"],

 

[Ignatius]

After igniting the dress, She at first was fearing for her life. Attempting to wipe away the flames. Only she then seemed to harden in the force. She was going to get at me again. I just knew it. Me resisting the temptation to burn her like my father would have, I instead opened myself up to an attack. I never wanted to become him. His monstrous ways. He was called the Demon Prince of Kro Var for a reason. As I thought of it, I could feel the fear grow stronger within me. Lifting both of my hands to my head, I wanted to crush my head in so I didn't have these thoughts.

"YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Yelling out in pain, and fear of becoming a monster. The very reason I became a sith was to learn of the darkness, and fight it. Fighting it meant I was stronger than him. I could control my urges to kill or harm someone. Yet this woman, this queen kept trying to bring it up. I had to fight this. There was no way for me to fight it by punching her face in. Instead, I opted to fight in my mind as well. I knew I may lose, but I needed some kind of reprieve.

Instead of blocking it, which would have been impossible, I fought with the images of my mother and father. teaching me, taking care of me. Aiding me in my childhood and into the early years of my adulthood. It gave me something to fight against this fear. Opening my eyes, She wasn't moving from her spot. I had just enough in me. Just enough to maybe end this.

With my left hand still on my head, I used my right to reach at her throat with the force. And squeezed hard. If she couldn't breathe, if she wouldn't fight against it, then her falling to unconscious would get her out of my head. Or at the very least, get her to back out of my head to fight a more impending threat. Even if her words were speaking to stop. Commanding me to end this, I threw my own words at her. She was in my head. She knew what I was thinking.

"I can't stop. You are not a being of power. You cannot control me. Release me and I shall release my hold on your throat."

Even more so, if she caused more to my head, I can easily tighten my grip. Even if I have to fight in pitch black, I will. I can't kill her. I won't. I promised myself.

[member="Juliet Varos"], [member="Alkor Centaris"],

 

[Juliet Varos]

For a moment, she enjoyed victory once more, watching and feeling him squirm, experiencing his fear vicariously. It was delicious. Feeling that power over another sentient being, feeling herself control him, it made her feel powerful. For that moment, she was not a lowly Knight, but a Lord of the Sith, and she relished that feeling for as long as it lasted. Which was until she felt the pressure around her neck, and her breath cut out.
She choked and strangled for breath, panicking. This was not how it was supposed to go, at all. She was supposed to make him fear her, fear her perfection. It appeared this was not going to happen. For now.

She was never one to give up, and now was no exception. Rather than allow herself to be cowed, she threw her entire mental capability into destroying his. Fear, agony, hatred, shame, doubt, any negative emotion she could even begin to think of, she tried to draw out in him, with everything she had left. She didn't have long before her dress burned away and she fell unconscious, so she needed this to work, now, or this was all for naught. Her mind set to destroying his as he destroyed her throat.

[member="Ignis Imura"], [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"Enough."

He stood by and watched out of respect for the dark sided traditions of rivalry and self improvement, means by which to gain and consolidate power. Those things were far and away from what he witnessed. Two children, hissing and spitting like alley cats over territory, clawed at each other's throats- one with true hands, the other invisible.

Alkor ripped the Imura pup off of [member="Juliet Varos"] by his hair, gripping tightly and yanking so that the jolt of pain would rip his concentration far from his murderous grip. As he flung the youth aside, he pressed a foot firmly to the chest of the girl fluent in the Telekinetic arts.

"Let him go," Alkor instructed in a cool voice that barely hid his annoyance. "And if you think to turn your power on me, I will ruin more than your dress."

It was not a threat.

"As you all plainly see," Alkor raised his voice a fraction. "You are invited to challenge any one of your peers, at any time. Likewise, you are expected to exhibit control of your power, and you are not to inflict lasting damage on them. This is a training ground. These are your allies."

To Juliet, he said: "you are a novice, and have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself. Your pride was just used against you. Remember this lesson well."

He removed his foot and turned an unreadable gaze toward [member="Ignis Imura"] .

"Embarrassing," was all he said.

 

[Ignatius]

I was squeezing on her harder and harder. She was never going to get me to release her. I would fight her with all I had. She then pushed harder into my mind. Clouding everything I was doing with fears and doubts. I could feel them taking hold. The one thought that mixed in with all of them was to squeeze my hand. To not let go. It was then, I could feel the searing pain of my hair being yanked, and my body flinging to my back and rear. I reached up to feel a hand there only for a moment and then release me. I still clutched my head as the powers of this woman were still taking hold.

Soon though, the powers released me. I could have control over my thoughts. I was shaking my head. My vision hazy and I felt like I had been beaten to a pulp with a 2x4. Even then, I looked over to see Alkor had his foot on Juliet. He then spoke to her. Saying that her pride was her downfall, and that she needed to learn control over it. I snarled at her. Standing up and was so close to walking over to her and adding more about how much of a brat she was. However, Alkor looked over to me.

I froze in place as his look was emotionless. Yet, the one word he spoke hit me hard. Embarrassing. I felt like I had been kicked while I was down. Hard. I just looked at him. I had two things confirmed from this. Alkor was the dark nerf herder figure of the Empire, and he also knew my father. I could feel Kinta trying to prod my mind with her words, but with my limited knowledge, I blocked her out. Staring at Alkor. I reached over and with the aid of the force, zipped the lightsaber into my hand.

The slapping of the weapon into my hand felt like nothing. Nothing compared to the wide range of emotions I was feeling. Thus, I crunched down on the hilt with my hand. My fingers hurt from the amount of stress I was putting them through. Raising my hand, the lightsaber floated above it by a few inches. With Telekinesis, I crushed and tore apart the lightsaber. Letting the parts drop down to the ground.

If he was ashamed of me in this fight, then there was no need for me to be a lightsaber user. I was a shame to use this weapon. I didn't need one anyways.

"Don't try and replace him."

Letting my hand drop, I tore off my ruined jacket and dropped it upon the ground as I walked away from the training area. Rolling my shoulder over as the burns were starting to harden on my skin. I could still feel the heat from it and would likely get blisters later. No more of a need of me being here. So I walked back inside the temple. Leaving the two at my back.

[member="Alkor Centaris"], [member="Juliet Varos"],

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin's position in the sidelines allowed her a wide view of what was transpiring across the open room. And while her attention was fixed onto the two soon-to-be combatants, it wasn't difficult to notice the Miraluka approaching her.

Her focus shifted to the shorter Acolyte as she finally reached her.

"It's not her lack of prowess that I find fault in, it's her attitude towards it. Beyond dismissing any notion of learning to wield a lightsaber, it's the type of thing that will bleed out into other aspects and get her killed." Did Vaylin particularly care if [member="Juliet Varos"] stumbled one day, found herself dead by her arrogant attitude?

Not particularly, but it would be a waste of potential talent cast from the galaxy.

The Zabrak raised an eyebrow at the offer to spar, part of her expected it and yet was still surprised. Vaylin had never fought a Miraluka, at least outside of the battlefields and the intent to kill without prejudice.

"I'll think on it," she mused quietly. "For now, join me in watching this...likely farce of a duel." With new company at her side in the form of [member="Rys'sya"], Vaylin returned her focus to the impending fight.

Immediately she wanted to roll her eyes upon watching Juliet. Right from the outset, it was blatantly clear the woman had never held a lightsaber before. The Zabrak was certain she made out a shudder when Juliet had wrapped her fingers around the hilt finally. And that was saying nothing on how she was holding it...Vaylin let out a disappointed sigh.

But then neither did [member="Ignis Imura"] fair much better. The way he was holding his training saber demonstrated a lack of knowledge, it seemed as though he wasn't use to how weightless the blade was either. Holding it out like it was an ordinary sword - not a lightsaber. Both combatants were lucky they were only using training ones, otherwise Vaylin suspected they'd be seeing some lost limbs very soon, by their own doing.

Juliet showed some promise however, something the Zabrak picked up on in the seconds before the fight. She was laying out the battlefield in her favour, reaching out with mentalism to force her opponent's hand into a disadvantage. Perhaps this duel would not go the way Vaylin was suspecting it would...only time would tell.

And then the duel was started, ignited by Ignis speed as he dashed towards Juliet. But the latter was on edge, prepared enough to dodge the first strike. Although it seemed to have caught something that pissed the female Sith off. Vaylin saw it as Juliet turned, Ignis' strike had cut a hole in her dress.

Vaylin let out an audible, disappointed groan, easily picked up by Rys'sya. The 'princess' was so quickly brought to anger from such a simple thing, it did not bode well for her eventualy experiences outside of the training room.

The fight continued as Ignis moved like a duelist, but not like one who had spent hours upon hours practicing their saber form. It was more like he was drawing from observations he had made, no physical practice. That flaw, was what allowed Juliet to catch his arm with her lightsaber.

Pride and anger seemed to be a driving force for Juliet, more so when Ignis managed to surprise her and smack her face with the hilt of his lightsaber. Vaylin shook her head, knowing that was just going to enrage the woman even further. Anger was a useful tool, no doubt. But it needed to be leashed and controlled to be effective. Then the battle seemed to change hands, as Juliet drew more still and focused on her opponent. Vaylin had seen enough mentalism to know what the Sith was doing, and seeing Ignis' reaction, it appeared like it was working.

Until Juliet was suddenly ignited in flames.

That certainly surprised the Zabrak, not expecting Ignis to be a Fire Shaper, but it did mean she now knew one of his trump cards - something to watch out for should she ever face against him at some point. Vaylin was curious to see whether Juliet would panic, but it seemed she quickly proved to have some semblance of concentration, seeing the flames for what they were doing and focusing her anger towards Ignis despite her precious dress burning away.

She watched, as both Ignis and Juliet found themselves at an impasse. One being battered down by the other's mentalism, while the other was finding her airways getting increasingly tighter through the manipulation of the Force. Neither of the two seemed like they wanted to give, each trying to push as much power behind their last attack as possible.

Until [member="Alkor Centaris"] finally stepped in, ending the duel with swift and decisive action. Casting Ignis aside like he was nothing, then pressing the weight of his foot down onto Juliet. Even beyond the physical acts, the Dark Jedi Master dealt them equally verbal blows. Vaylin could only imagine Juliet would be limping away from this, pride burned from those words.

The Zabrak turned to look at Rys'sya.

"Well, it was certainly entertaining after all."

| [member="Lark"] | [member="Kizaark"] | [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] | [member="Syss Rembala"] | [member="Dalansa"] |​

 

[Juliet Varos]

She felt her airways become tighter, then tighter, then tighter, until it felt like she was going to die- then just as sudden as it had arrived, it was gone, and she was gasping for air, eyes tearing slightly. And of course, she found herself with a foot on her chest, on her back.

His words stung, but only briefly. There was only one thing she took away from that statement, and it greatly offended her as she still struggled for breath, panting.
"Novice?!"
She thought she had handled herself quite well, herself. As for the idea of this boy being her ally, it made her internally scoff. He had certainly seemed keen enough to end her, as much as she him. She wasn't a person who had many allies, but it seemed to her that wasn't what they were supposed to do. Besides, it was his foolishness that started the entire damned thing, anyway. Juliet had no allies, not here, not anywhere. And that was how it was meant to be. for her struggle and her plans were ones best fought alone. Others would simply get in the way.
She narrowed her gaze at [member="Alkor Centaris"], huffing.
"May I get up? I find myself in need of a change of clothes."

[member="Ignis Imura"]

 

[Katicorn]

As the saying goes, “old habits die hard,” and Ka’ta’lek was nothing if not a creature of primal habit. As was her nature, she found herself approaching a large building - a font of Sith archives and literature - just as she once had so long ago. Only now, everything was different. Even if it was a distance she couldn’t fathom and far away from the place she once called home. As she cautiously stalked the halls, doing her best to blend into the cascading shadows, she saw what she expected to see. Trainees fighting, Sith brooding, and Elder’s sniping at them with vitriolic and condescending remarks of disapproval. It was nostalgic. The Twi’lek had been in each of their places, at least once, and was unsure as to which persona to imitate.

Eventually, she chose neither. This new place was her one chance to be something new. Something better. Someone who could, one day, matter.

Although Ka’ta’lek was never a studious apprentice and, worse, an obstinate one, she felt it was about time she learned to be. Quietly she made her way into one of the rooms, stepping delicately around the body of a young Human-looking woman who lay on the floor panting for breath and scowling with tears in her eyes. An urge to offer a hand to the violet-eyed girl rapidly passed as the Twi’lek made her way to an archive. Her fiery gaze locked onto an ancient looking text and she lifted it with great care, making sure to efficiently scan the room of the people therein before burying her nose in the book.

With easy steps, Ka'ta'lek made her way to the back of the room where she spotted seats a moment before, and sat down to "read." Whatever language the book was in, the Twi'lek could not read it, but she assumed that no one would question it and she could assess the others, learn their behaviors and gauge what her time with these new Sith would be like for the foreseeable future.

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

The two began off with a bit of promise, taking stances that they had recognized before beginning to spar. Unfortunately the duel quickly fell apart after that, with both of the knights beginning to fall back onto their specific skill set. The two of them obviously preferring to rely on the aspects of the force that they were familiar with instead of working on their ability with a lightsaber.

The man had started the whole thing by smashing the hilt of his blade into her face, a dirty move to begin with, before she attempted to use her mentalism to throw him off. That's when fire began to come off of the man, making it's way towards the girl. Jorryn again rubbed the palm of her hand into her face expressing her disappointment that the pair had essentially thrown their lightsabers away and relied on their force abilities, giving up an opportunity to expand on their weak points.

She raised her eyes back to the sight as the master overseeing the duel interrupted it, throwing both of the combatants out of commission and ending the fight unceremoniously. It was unfortunate that it had ended that way, a little bit of pain and rage only benefitted a Sith. If one of them died then it would only serve as a culling of the weak and a strengthening of the victor.

Unfortunately the duel had ended how it had, the man knocked to the side and the woman laying on the floor in her somewhat tattered and burned clothing. Jorryn couldn't help but feel some semblance of pity for the woman as she began to rise, after being held down by the master.

Jorryn unclasped her coat as she pulled the black lightly armoured uniform from her shoulders and tossed it at the rising knight, a gift that would leave her more dignified as she made her way to get a change of clothing from her chambers.

"Here take this, be thankful it's hot enough for it to be a burden on me." The Echani said demeaningly as she turned her attention to the potential duel to her side.

A Miralukan had appeared next to the woman that had proclaimed the greatness of lightsaber combat with Jorryn herself, challenging the Zabrak to a duel. It was doubtful that the blind girl was a weapon's specialist due to the natural gifts of her people, but directly asking the taller woman for a duel had piqued Jorryn's interest in how this situation would play out between the pair.

"Well if you two do come to blows then I would love to spectate!" The silver haired Sith said, with a song-y eager cadence in her voice as she approached the duo. "As long as it lasts longer than this one did." A quick glance over her shoulder as the situation began to diffuse before turning back to face the others.

"And I would be more than happy to take on the winner of your little sparring game." She smirked, the eagerness being replaced by a devilish sounding excitement.

[member="Juliet Varos"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Rys'sya"] | [member="Ignis Imura"]​

 

[Rys'sya]

In the aftermath of the 'match', Rys'sya noticed the Echani acolyte came to join her and the Zabrak in conversation. A slight nod of her head in greeting, as a smile remained affixed upon her face. "I do doubt that I will prove too much of a challenge for either of you, in the realms of martial prowess." she confessed, "But, how can one improve without suffering some losses?"

'Looking' in the direction of the now vacated 'battlefield', the Miraluka would gesture. "If you would accept, perhaps we shall play to three?" she asked, head angling slightly as she looked back to the Zabrak. She was, of course, referring to a duel of three solid strikes, resetting after each successful blow to the opponent. Again, the blind acolyte knew full well she was likely to lose. But, she also was fully aware that one could not ascend without descending a little first. Each defeat becomes the foundation for the next growth.

Moving to the middle of the dusty battle ring, she produced a pair of lightsabers. Training sabers. She could not quite manage using them in tandem, but she always carried both, as her Master would occasionally demand a spar without warning. She learned to carry a spare for him to use, because his own saber, when lowered to the lowest settings, hurt far worse than any normal training saber. Turning to the Zabrak, Rys'sya offered the fellow acolyte her choice of training saber, should she not have one of her own. Both sabers were presented in open hands, palms up. "If you do not have your own training saber, you may take one of mine."

[member="Jorryn Fordyce"] | [member=Ka'ta'lek Blen] | [member="Juliet Varos"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Ignis Imura"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"]​

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak watched on with amusement, eyes fixed on the white haired Sith as she handed some clothing to [member="Juliet Varos"]. If it had been Vaylin, she would've let the woman walk to her chambers with whatever shreds of dignity she had remaining. It would've (hopefully) have been a valuable lesson that would knock the princess' attitude down a few pegs.

Something told her that it wouldn't made much of a dent.

Vaylin looked on with curiosity when [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] turned around and headed towards her and [member="Rys'sya"]. A grin began to form as the Echani offered a chance to duel, in the wake of however the initial one turned out against the Miraluka. It seemed the Zabrak's decision to come to the Training Grounds had been a good choice. Already, she had gotten her entertainment from the two Knight's duel, now it was time to test her own skills.

One against a woman who relied on Force Sight than physical. Then potentially against an Echani, who we known for their prowess in combat; both melee and unarmed.

"I can agree to that, I'm sure I'll even enjoy it." Vaylin grinned as she accepted Jorryn's offer, confident that it would be her that would face the Echani. She turned to face Rys'sya and nodded, following the woman as they stepped into the centre of the room. "Precisely, you have to take some beatdowns before you can rise up. Otherwise you'll never discover what weaknesses you have, and how to fix them. If you think otherwise, then you're either arrogant, foolish, or both."

"To three it is." It would set their duel to be a bit moderately paced, opting to strike few and hard rather than wild flurry of attacks. Well that was the case most of the time, and Vaylin had a habit of not sticking to tradition.

She took one of Rys' training lightsabers, igniting it and testing how it felt in her hand. The reality being that Vaylin hadn't held a training lightsaber for several years now. Her training under Aria had been straight to real thing, which meant the last time she had one was over five years ago when she had still been a Jedi. Although it didn't take particularly long to get use to it - feeling the same weight as any other lightsaber, just set to a less powerful setting.

The Zabrak slid into a stance, feet shifting across the ground and arm held poised; ready to either strike or defend.

She was giving Rys'sya the first move.

| [member="Ignis Imura"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Ka'ta'lek Blen"] |​

 

[Ignatius]

Taking a moment, I was angry. I hated the fact that Alkor had said such a thing to me. I just wanted to punch his goddamned face in. Juliet's too. Just grab them by their own hair and bang their heads together. Me walking away was to prevent any other actions or outbursts. I needed to be better than my father. I needed to prove that I was not someone who was ruled by emotions. Our fight was a loss for both Juliet and myself. We both would have died, and we both lost because we were acting like children. I was acting like a child. I needed to not be that way. I needed to control my stupid emotions and take a second to think.

I walked away from everyone to get some time to myself. Instead of punching the wall, or punch anything, I moved to one of the pillars, and leaned against it. Breathing in and out, I wanted to calm down. Gather myself before I made myself look even more of a fool. I could hear others sparing. I likely wouldn't spar unless someone actually asked. Otherwise, I might watch so I can learn and otherwise train by eye.

I will stay here for a moment more. Just keeping my emotions in check. Kinta not coming up to me for fear of me knocking her out, she did speak to me with the rings we wore.

"You were foolish and acting like a child."
"I know."
"You need to control you-"
"I know Kinta. I lost it. I lost the fight even if I had won because I had let my temper take over control. I should have just stuck with the lightsaber. I can learn on my own you know."
"We work together. I am here to make sure you don't kill yourself, yet you go off and do that. How poorly will others look on you from now?"
"if they have low expectations of me, then I can only prove them wrong. I have no where to go but up."
"You forget, you can always go lower."
"Yes, but unlike my father, I can't, and won't."
​"Then learn from this. Become better. Prove yourself, and maybe then people won't look at you like an embarrassment, or as a child."
"I will."

Taking my ring off, I didn't want to speak to anyone now. I wanted to reflect on my actions, I wanted to become better. If I wanted to become stronger, and more able to combat my demons, then I needed to do it alone. No one will take my hand. This is no easy journey. This is something I have to learn and experience on my own. Taking a few seconds more, I then walked back out onto the training field. Picking up my jacket that I had thrown down, and using the force to pick up the shards of the lightsaber, I decided that I would fix myself. One piece at a time if need be. Putting all of the pieces into the pockets of the jacket, I placed it on the side, and now watched the others as they started their own sparing matches.

[member="Vaylin"], [member="Rys'sya"], [member="Jorryn Fordyce"], @Ka'ta'lek Blen , [member="Juliet Varos"], [member="Alkor Centaris"],

 

[Katarina Vox]

"Every Sith must start somewhere, Miss Vox. You are no different. We are done here, and it is finally time for you to step into the welcoming arms of the Empire. Bastion awaits."

These were the last words said to her by her last instructor. She was to go to Bastion, and there, begin the long and arduous work of making an impression upon the Galaxy - regardless of if the wider Galaxy wanted her to do so or not. Such was the way of the Sith. Such was her way. The transport to the planet was... well. Unremarkable. The dim lighting of the standard Imperial transport ship did little for her other than act as a reminder that she must never allow herself to be constrained, or captive to another being's designs. Yet finally, after what could have been days, there was an interruption. Something abnormal for space travel - a small bump, as if the ship had made contact with something physical. Something solid. The feeling was soon followed by the unmistakable hiss of hydraulic hinges and the sliding of a mag-lock door that was in the process of unsealing itself. The landing ramp lowered.

"... So this is Bastion.." she muttered to herself while disembarking. There was a certain grandness to it - the buildings were designed to appear imposing, and the constant hum of ships in formation above, combined with the ever present star-destroyers was evidently done to remind every being on the planet exactly where their loyalties were supposed to be. She tried to be impressed, but this... posturing, was something that she had seen on many worlds before. Indeed, it was practically the norm for the outlying Sith academies to have a heavy military presence. Gathering her composure momentarily, Katarina made her way slowly but surely off the landing pad, and towards the main entrance of the Academy.

| [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] | [member=Ka'ta'lek Blen] | [member="Juliet Varos"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Ignis Imura"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Rys'sya"] |​

 

[Darth Voyance]

[member="Syss Rembala"] [member="Venthis Zambrano"]

A viscous assault on her mind engulfed Pythia as she attempted to reply to the umbaran. A foreign entity bleed into her vision and began to warp her reality. The horrific image she witnessed made her buckle and clench her head. However, the dark prowess within her revolted stabilising her mind. Her training on Korriban had helped her become attune with her natural dark powers but, it would not help her from the visions that plagued her vision. Still dazed Pythia lurched forward and unwillingly stretched out an arm to brace herslef on the umbaran.

Just then, Pythia's empathic powers poured into the umbaran. A result of her heightened alert and dazed state by the interfering force. The Umbaran would have felt Pythia empathic and force vision powers stream though her like a lightening bolt stripping thought as it flashed through and out of her body. Pythia realised what was happening, staring at her hand resting on the umbaran's shoulder. She recoiled away and slumped onto her knees. Took a moment but, reality returned to her and now her nerves shook. Her dark side energy boiled with rage, although one wouldn't notice from Pythia somber and timid exterior. But, Pythia had become adept at drawing on rage but, concealing it. The dark side yelled at her. Who was this interloper! It demanded.

"You must be Cousin's apprentice," He stated, squinting briefly towards her. "I'm Venthis Zambrano."

Pythia paused, cousin? Was this interloper a family member of her dark master? Had this been a test. Had she failed? Pythia's golden eyes narrowed at the man known as Venthis. He was tall with pale ghostly skin and long dark hair. He was, obscure in the force. Pythia knew her master well. His darkness was a towering brooding monstrosity of power that warmed her soul in the dark. But this man, this man was a sinister mist of vile machinations tempered by a cold facade. It made her sick. Pythia's lips bent into a frown and she rose up slowly, wary to portray anymore discomfort.

"I am Pythia," Pythia said. "My master had bid me to come to this academy to seek you out."

Suddenly she had remembered the Umbaran and her unintentional trespasses. She spun her head back to watch her, her golden eyes met the umbaran's. "I must apologise, sister." Pythia lamented. "I did not mean for you to be caught in my trauma."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Darth Avacyn had come to accept the fact that killing [member='Krest'], the Lord of Trials, had consequences. As he had many apprenticed under him right up until the moment she ended his life, the woman herself now found herself having multiple of her own. This meant Bastion was a much more common destination, the Sith Temple the place where the vast majority of time on the planet was spent. She had found satisfaction in seeing the growth of those under her, which had left her to wonder if her former master felt the same way.

"Good day, milady." A guard greeted the redhead as she entered the temple, to which she answered with a curt nod, not slowing down her pace as she walked past. She was here to watch over the acolytes and knights that had gathered here today, curious of the potential they had within them. Only the most powerful among them would survive, and those were the ones she would gladly impart her knowledge on. Carrying on the work of the zabrak, a man she begrudgingly respected, was something she had never expected to do, yet here she was.

Clad in her Valkyrie Founder's armor Avacyn marched into the chamber where the confrontation between [member="Ignis Imura"] and [member="Juliet Varos"] was just broken up. She turned to [member="Alkor Centaris"] and dipped her head downwards as a show of respect before surveying the collective of those who were there to learn. "I must second the invitation. Challenge your peers, keep testing yourself relentlessly, but never forget to learn from it." A glance was sent towards Ignis and Juliet specifically after what she said. "My name is Darth Avacyn, and I am here if there are any among you whom I would invite to learn from me personally."

[member="Pythia"] | [member="Katarina Vox"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Rys'sya"] | [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] | @Ka'ta'lek Blen​

 

[Katarina Vox]

The walk into the citadel had been uneventful at best. She had quietly made note of the scurrying of the other Acolytes, as they made their way to attempt to impress those who would ultimately end up being their end. Such was always the fate of those too eager to please - they rushed into traps designed to weed out those with no sense of caution, or those with no skill to back up their headstrong behaviour. Before she knew it, she had made her way through the he grand entrance, so heavily guarded by imperial guards and the few Sith who had been assigned to ensure that the location was free from conflict - after all, it wouldn't do to have the Sith killing eachother in all out war before they had even finished their training.

The sight the raven haired girl was met with in the central chamber however, caught her eye long enough to warrant pausing to listen. There seemed to be some measure of conflict being interrupted by none other than a Lord of the Sith. A red headed woman by the name of Darth Avacyn. She had seen Holologs of the so called Lady of defiance before from her former tutors, who had seen it fit to make certain that Katarina know exactly who her superiors were, and how best to avoid immediate decapitation by way of disrespecting them. So, as she had been taught, she refrained from stepping forwards and being overly casual with the Sith Lord. Instead, she positioned herself within her line of sight on the far side of the chamber with a somewhat formal, yet undeniably proud posture, and fixed her stare directly at the Darth's eyes, silently challenging her to make eye contact with the Acolyte. It was a clever move as far as introductions went - make the Lord come to her on equal footing rather than throwing herself at her feet as a supplicant, and immediately allowing the Sith to exert command over her.

[member="Pythia"] | [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Rys'sya"] | [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] | [member="Ka'ta'lek Blen"]​

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

Darren arrived to the room with an almost permanent grimace on his face. Back in his academy days within the Imperial Army there had been horror stories about the training Sith went through to make them the masters they were on the battlefield. While many were gross exaggerations (or so he was lead to believe at least) he felt a pit of fear in his stomach.

You're over thinking. You have a master, this is only superficial to remind you who Sith are, and your current place within them. The voice of Wraith sounded off again as darkness overtook the soldiers vision and the bright red form of the long dead Sith Warrior was revealed.

"Regardless I'd rather not be here. Who knows what they could do to me. To us."

I have a pretty good idea. Wraith chuckled as he faded from view and light once again filled Darren's eyes. With a hard gulp he walked through the doorway, dressed in military slacks and a standard issue blaster on his hip.

[member="Katarina Vox"] [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] [member="Pythia"] [member="Ignis Imura"] [member="Vaylin"] [member="Rys'sya"] [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] @Ka'ta'lek Blen [member="Juliet Varos"]

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

"Then I look forward to it." Jorryn said as she took a small bow towards her, a bit caught off guard by her declaration of victory. "May the strongest Sith win."

The confidence of the Zabrak came through her words, the arrogance being refreshing from someone who could seemingly back it up. The Echani's head nodded with amusement as she began to back herself away from the duelling circle, her hands intertwining themselves behind the small of her back as she carefully examined both women.

Amber eyes watched how the two acolytes began to position themselves for the duel, keeping a close gaze on the footwork and body language of the Zabrak woman. Jorryn had to give the Miralukan credit for challenging someone who seemed so confidant in their ability with the saber, though the outcome of the duel seemed essentially pre-determined. With that knowledge Jorryn watched her future opponent closely, hoping to find some sort of opening in either her footwork or during one of her strikes.

The pair took up their training lightsabers, familiarising themselves with the blade before taking to the fight. The Echani was never a fan of practice weapons, preferring the risk to be real so that she would never be lax in her training regimen. The Miralukan aired on the side of caution however, her opponent obviously being more familiar with a blade in her hand. It did not matter what type of weapons they used, there was still a great deal to be gained by watching how the two girls fought.

Jorryn's smirk slowly faded as the woman began to take her stance, focusing on the defense. It was similar to how Jorryn began all of her duels, but it was hard to face against another defensive fighter. Ideas began to race through her mind as she thought of ways to provoke the woman into taking the first attack in their duel.

As the thoughts raced through the silver haired Sith's mind, her attention was pulled towards a few more recent entrances into the academy. A man and a woman she had not seen before, though both coming to learn the ways of the Sith. The man had a disgusting presence around him that Jorryn could not place, a sneer forming on her lips as her gaze crossed him by. The girl looked around the place and seemed guarded, or perhaps simply unimpressed.

But the one that had pulled Jorryn's attention away from the duel unfolding in front of her was the red haired woman that carried herself like a proper Lady of the Sith should, guards of the academy paying her the proper respects as they greeted her. The Echani's smile came back to her face as she felt the presence of the woman match that of the other Sith Lord present, though she came with promises of power and advice for all the acolytes and knights gathered together.

"Come fetch me when you're finished, I won't wander too far." She teased to the pair of Sith beginning their duel as she began to make her way to the Sith Lady, aiming the words at the Zabrak to return her earlier remark.

Jorryn's heels tapped the floor as she made her way towards the Sith Lord, taking her time to size the woman up as she neared her. The Echani came up short compared to the woman as she came to a stop in front of her, before placing her right hand over her chest and taking a bow. "Welcome My Lord, I assure you there are better displays to be seen than... that." Jorryn muttered as her gaze looked disapprovingly towards the pair adjusting themselves after the duel.

"I would be more than happy to learn from you if you are willing to teach," She said as her posture shot up again and her lips curled into a confident grin. "I am sure you won't be disappointing in what I have to display."

[member="Ignis Imura"] | [member="Juliet Varos"] | [member="Darren Korpil"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Rys'sya"] | [member="Katarina Vox"] | [member="Kaalia Pavanos"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

[member="Jorryn Fordyce"] | [member="Katarina Vox"]​

Darth Avacyn glanced over to the two who were about to spar, immediately noticing the familiar figure of [member="Vaylin"] as she did. Who the other woman was remained an unanswered question, but she knew from what she had seen on Mirial that the zabrak had a fierce fighting style, one that served her well. Having her close ally [member='Aria Vale'] as her master created a set of expectations in the redhead's mind, and if she had been a betting woman her credits would have been on Vaylin, but it was never wise to discount the unkown. Perhaps the Miralukan woman would be able to surprise the Sith Lady, nothing was ever truly certain, but even if the zabrak would outclass her it would be a valuable experience. This was going to be an interesting duel.

As she awaited the spar to begin however, Avacyn noticed a newcomer on the other side of the room, the woman's stare directly fixed on her, challenging the Sith Lady to see her. The stance, the look in her eyes, the way she looked to silently challenge those above her, it was all too familiar to her. It was like looking into a mirror depicting her younger self, the tiniest mannerisms aimed at showing confidence and a certain fearlessness. It was at the core of why Avacyn had claimed the title of Lady of Defiance; looking for the edge and pushing it further and further everytime. It was a trait to be nurtured, and perhaps she was the one to do so. The acolyte had succeeded in getting her attention, and had done so the proper way. She would keep an eye on her.

Hers was a subtle way of getting her attention, but it did not take long for another person to do so in a more upfront way. Although not a full echani she carried features that unmistakably pointed towards a mixed heritage. As she spoke the redhead assessed her closely, the slightest of grins forming at what she had to say. She was confident, but it carried an air of cockiness that had yet to be backed up. If she was able to back up her claim Avacyn would gladly teach her, but she was not going to make it easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. "Is that so?" Her tone was one of subtle amusement, but it quickly shifted to something more serious. "I would like to see if your claim holds merit. I know you already have a spar planned, but I have another for you."

Avacyn's head tilted towards the far end of the room once more, making eye contact with the woman who had captured her attention before. "You." Although she did not raise her voice, it carried weight as it reverberated through the chamber. "I have an opportunity for you. Could you come over here for a moment?" Although phrased as a question, her intonation made it clear she expected her to comply. The woman waited until she had made her way over before speaking again, casting a quick glance towards the currently ongoing duel between Vaylin and the Miraluka. "I want to invite the both of you to face each other. I will set only one rule; do not inflict lasting damage onto the other, like you have been told. As long as you adhere to that rule, anything goes." Her head tilted towards an empty battle ring. "I would gladly take the one who impresses me the most under my wing and teach them the ways of the Sith personally, if they so wish." With that the Sith Lady returned her attention to the two acolytes. "Do you accept the duel?"

[member="Ignis Imura"] | [member="Juliet Varos"] | [member="Darren Korpil"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Rys'sya"] | @Ka'ta'lek Blen | [member="Alkor Centaris"]​

 

[Katarina Vox]

Her plan had worked as intended. To a degree. The Sith Lord had called upon her to step forwards and do battle with what appeared to be an Echani, a race notable for their martial prowess. As she sized up her opponent from afar, she supposed that it would be an interesting experience. Yet Katarina was naturally wary of the girl. After all, if she truly was trained in the Echani arts then she would likely take the combat past that of a lightsaber duel, and into the realms of unarmed martial prowess - this was something Katarina did not intend to allow.

Wordlessly she slipped free of the trenchcoat that adorned her body, passing it over to the nearest protocol droid so as not to lose it. It was always said among the Sith that combat was a right of passage - a crucible in which to forge a warrior fit to crush the life out of the Jedi and exact countless millennia of revenge in the name of their spiritual ancestors, and this offer of a duel was almost exactly that. It was the first of many tests that she expected to endure on Bastion. What she did not expect completely, was the Lord demanding they left no lasting injuries.

Katarina stepped forwards without a word, both answering the call of the Sith, and accepting the offer. Her hand gently plucked the lightsaber from her belt, letting the mildly curved hilt rest comfortably within her practiced grip. She took no obvious opening posture, an unorthodox habit picked up during her time in the outer rim that was designed to deny opponents the ability to understand her favoured form before she had a chance to utilise it, yet despite this, and perhaps unnoticeable to an untrained eye, her left foot slid back a fraction in preparation. A minute motion designed to shift her weight slightly so that the other With would not immediately catch her off guard - after all, she had been upfront enough to approach the Lord in such a manner. She may have been bold enough to strike without warning.

​

All that was left was for the Echani to accept, and attack.​

[member="Juliet Varos"] [member="Ignis Imura"] [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Vaylin"] @Ka'ta'lek Blen [member="Jorryn Fordyce"] [member="Rys'sya"] [member="Pythia"] [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] [member="Darren Korpil"]​