The Darkest of Sciences

[Daxton Bane]

Pungent smoke filled the sacred meditation room as the sound of Daxton's eerie intonations filled the air. Kaine has had neither rest nor food or water for the last forty eight hours as part of the ritual cleansing. Sweat, hot and sticky coating his skin, as he garnered his focus once more.

The only source of light came from the tapers of black candles scattered randomly across the floor, the fat of their tallow adding to the smell of the incense that had been burning nonstop all night long. It was enough to make one's head spin and empty the stomach on the floor. If there was only something to empty out to begin with.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! Hear me old ones, Gods of Battle, Strife, Decay and Life. I dedicate this servant, Kaine Zambrano to the darkness of the Sith. He is the sword of chaos, harbringer of change. Hear me slumbering ones, bless our dark ritual. Manifest your power."

Without warning a powerful crack rings through the air, as presence of something dark and sinister could be felt hovering, watching with hungry eyes.

"Repeat after me. I, state your name, pledge my heart and soul to the service of the Sith. To embrace the Dark Side of the Force, to be breaker of shackles, harbringer of Chaos. I pledge to serve unquestioning and without hesitation to my master, Daxton Bane. By the light of my eternal salvation and the Dark Side I swear."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Side flowed through Kaine like a tidal wave, he could feel it prickling his skin and warming his very soul with its dark warmth. Kaine looked at Daxton, and as Daxton beseeched the Gods of some unknown aether, he could feel the dark side condensing more and more in this room, a nexus of pure, unadulterated energy that threatened to suffocate him and snuff out his very existence. If he was weak of course, but Kaine was not weak, he was strong! His family line was proof of that, and he himself was even greater proof. As Daxton began to speak the oath that Kaine would have to repeat, Kaine joined in. "I, Kaine Zambrano, pledge my heart and soul to the service of the Sith. To embrace the Dark Side of the Force, to be breaker of shackles, harbinger of Chaos. I pledge to serve unquestioning and without hesitation to my master, Daxton Bane. By the light of my eternal salvation and the Dark Side, I SWEAR."

 

[Daxton Bane]

Kaine could feel the sensation as if an invisible hand were around his throat, cutting off the air, causing his blood vessels to burst. Then without warning the sensation passes as is the presence of a dark entity.

"Arise my son. The elder gods are pleased with you and your dedication. From this day forth you are an apprentice. Heed the lessons of the dark side well and serve honorably." Then a powerful blow rocks Kaine and causes him to lose consciousness.

When he awakens he would be on a strange jungle, naked save for pair of thick pants, his dagger and a small holocron, which activates when he shows signs of stirring.

"Greetings young one. You are now on the Demon Moon of Dxun. The first test is to survive. If you survive this test then perhaps your training can continue. I would wish you good luck but that would be a lie. Trust in the power of the Dark Side and I shall see if you survive this week alive."

What Daxton failed to mention was that the area was seeded with assassin droids. If Kaine were to survive a week in this hellhole then he would show promise as an apprentice. If not, well the jungle always feeds on the weak.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine stirred from his dreamless state of unconsciousness and awoke into a world of humidity and foliage. As his eyes opened and he forced himself to an upright position, the Holocron's message played, confirming his location and current objective. He was on his way to becoming a true Sith, and this was just the beginning. He slowly rose to his feet as he got a bearing on his surroundings, and began to formulate the best course of action for his survival. He'd need a shelter, food, and water if he wanted to even have a chance at making it a week. So, he gathered what little things he had, and looked towards a mountain range just visible through the thick jungle, and decided it would be best to head that way and began to walk that way, but also keeping his senses open in case one of the vicious jungle beasts that took up residence on this hellworld decided to try and make a snack out of him.

 

[Daxton Bane]

Day two. Already four assassin droids have been dispatched, their remains scattered on the jungle floor. Subject is displaying definite promise. Activating the remaining assassin drones and if he survives until the end of the week he would be ready for his first mission. A pity they underestimated him, but the loss of the other Masters is Daxton's gain. Kaine will prove to be a very useful pawn in the coming conflicts ahead.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine had fashioned other weapons out of the resources available to him, as well as set traps to catch the native fauna for food. He'd found a suitable shelter near a mountain range, as well as decently clean drinking water, but only after going through at least five stagnant pools before finding the right one. He'd also fashioned primitive footwear to keep from keeping cuts and gashes on the bottom of his feet, which could lead to infection, and that would be a serious blow to his morale. He'd received a gash on his right arm, but his previous knowledge in the field of medicine he was able to properly treat it, despite his location. Now he went out on another trek into the jungle to find food and fend off whatever came at him, especially those damned assassin droids.