The Fourth Teacher [Velok]

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer rubbed the few places that had gotten stung from the little orb. She had lost a little bit of feeling in her arms, but that would pass with a little bit of time. She would have to fight against it to keep up her speed when blocking the blaster shots. Taking a deep breath she focused on weaving the force aura along her hands, she would be able to block the bolts especially if he kept the slow speed up.

Seeing as she was keeping up with the slow shots, she realized he was starting to pick up his pace. Gritting, she started having to force her body to fight the strain of the numbness from the previous training. As she started to miss the blasters she had to move her body to dodge the shots. Realizing she can’t just use her hands, she needed to focus on weaving the aura around her entire body. Holding her breath she started to push her aura outward, forcing it to weave against her body like she did when she was doing it to her hands. The shots were becoming rapid now and she couldn’t defend against it.

Her hands fell to her sides and her head turned slightly. The next shots would hit her body full force. As they hit her, they as if they caught her hands lingered for a moment and then dissipated. Spots all over her torso were going numb, but it was bearable. Looking back towards Velok she looked down at her body.

"Interesting"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

The blaster clicked empty, and Velok holstered it. "Outstanding," he growled, pondering his student. "Now, I failed to pack a second clip, so I'll just have to improvise an escalation. Take a little while; rest and meditate. I have other tasks. Come find me in an hour or so."

He wandered away across the tundra.

Pursuit after that time would find the Dark Lord sitting by a fresh fire, grilling a large tundra beast.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer waited till the Dark Lord had left the area and then she collapsed and decided to sleep till she had to go looking for him.

The nap felt amazing and Spencer quickly moved across the tundra searching for the Whiphid. Seeing smoke in the distance she ran over and quickly caught up to it. Looking at the BBQ she felt her mouth salivate. She was hungry and all she had in her pocket were disgusting military issued ration bars. Sitting by the fire she looked over at the Sith.

“So, what are we doing next? How did you…take down something this big?”

She knew Velok was strong, but from what she had seen he was old and wasn’t the same as he used to be. Guilt set in since she figured she should have helped him take down the beast. As much as she wanted to eat, she decided to wait to be offered – it was only polite.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Eat up," said the Whiphid, gesturing at the cooking creature. A triangular hole perforated its breastbone and heart. "As to how I took this down...well, powerful energy manipulators are able to make energy into tangible constructs, semi-permanent. One such spell is known as the Spear of Midnight Black, a grandiose name." A construct shimmered into existence, hovering above his great three-clawed hand. He gripped it and slashed its tip into the creature's haunch, then again, slicing out a steak for Spencer. He presented it to her on the tip of the Spear of Midnight Black.

"I once swam in the bloodstream of a mile-long creature. I escaped its heart by throwing one of these end-over-end and cutting a long slash in the ventricle. Then, of course, I clawed my way out.

"I'm going to throw one of these at you. You may not be able to fully absorb it, but you can certainly learn to repel and break it into loose energy.

"But eat your steak first."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer smiled as she reached for the steak, it was cooked perfectly and she quickly devoured it. The girl didn’t realize how hungry she was until this moment. Velok was a tough tutor, but Spencer welcomed it knowing that in the end Ashin would probably be her toughest. Everything lined her up for those final lessons. Finishing the steak, Spencer wiped her hands with her clothes and ran her arm against her mouth. She looked at the spears remembering them when she fought Meric.

“I’ve seen those before, I fought a bounty hunter that was able to use them. Though he wasn’t very accurate and only was able to catch the side of my leg.”

A hand found its way to the scar that now adorned her leg, frowning she knew the man still hunted her. She would be ready for him this time around and only one of them would escape with their lives the second time they meet. The anger fueled inside of her, but she caught it and calmed herself down.

Balance was everything.

“Right then, I’m ready when you are. I won’t be able to absorb it, so I should focus on repelling it and tossing it aside? Is there a way to return it back to its owner?”

Spencer stood and walked a bit of distance from Velok; hopefully he would allow her to start with some distance and then eventually move closer. Already being able to defend against the blaster, she felt a bit better for this round of training.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok got to his feet, heavily.

"Send it back? Oh, that's a beautiful thought. If you find a way to pull that off, let me know. Because the construct is so tightly bound to the wielder's energies, it normally can't be controlled or affected without, well, doing it the hard way. Breaking it. Stopping it dead." He conjured a black spear in his hands.

"Force Light can erode it in midflight, but that's something only the strongest Jedi Masters can do -- it's so much more than just creating a flash of illumination. Force Drain can sap some of its strength, but not all; it'll still cut you. No, to stop a black spear, you need...timing. You need perfect force of will, maybe around your hand, maybe just a Force push or some kind of shield. Or you need excellent speed. You can't always rely on speed, of course, but for someone with your body type, I think we should focus on mobility and physical acuity. In and out, Ataru, Sokan. Ashin is probably grounding you in Shii-Cho, and that'll stand you in good stead, but you need something vastly more mobile. Either that...or just a very thorough understanding of how to enhance your body's natural capabilities so that you can block a full-powered blow from Darron Wraith or me, without breaking your wrists.

"There's a Mimban crystal buried about twenty hours' run from here, in that direction; you'll be able to sense it once you get close enough. You'll have to cross the tundra on foot, enhancing your natural speed and endurance with the Force. Power in the moment is all well and good, but I will teach you consistency. You'll have to run all night.

"I'll see you in two days."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer stood there for a moment in disbelief, she had just caught up to him and now she was going to have to do things on her own for two days. She thought about what he had said about her mobility, she was built small and thin. In a lot of the padawan games she played she always was the one dodging small force attacks. Her father had taught her a bit with Echani combat and her flexibility got her through a lot of things.

She knew what the Mimban crystal was, Ashin had explained that before. Remembering the surge of power she had felt when she held the Kaiburr Crystal and used it to heal Ashin she figured it would be something along those lines. Waving bye to Velok she moved forward like a dog sniffing out its bone. She continued to pursue and used whatever element of the force she needed to survive the next two days. Groaning she didn’t know how she was going to handle the lack of food, but she needed to there was no time to waste fate was nipping at her heels.

Remembering Velok mentioning running, Spencer focused the force to her legs pushing her body to the limit. Using one technique to push her body beyond its normal limits she pressed onward. Her body would hate her after all of this, but she’ll have the conditioning she needed to survive.

“See ya Velok!”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok sat down to wait.

When Spencer returned after roughly forty hours' run, she would find a number of tall thin poles protruding from the tundra, and Velok holding a Spear of Midnight Black in his hands.

 

[Allyson Locke]

It didn’t take long for Spencer to find the exact place the crystal was located. Digging through the snow she grabbed the small shard and frowned. She had expected something a bit more, but either way she had completed her task and it was time to head back to Velok. Her body was starting to feel the strain and she was mentally tired as well. Standing for a moment, she took a breather and then refocused her energy and drew in the force to her body. She had to push the limits; this was all training for what was to come.

You’ll be scared Spencer…terrified

The memory of the vision fueled her drive again. The force fueled her body as she ran again finishing until she got to Velok. When she stopped moving she nearly collapsed to her knees. The strain on her body taking full effect. She noticed all of the poles and raised an eyebrow towards the Master. He had something planned for her and she wasn’t going to be able to rest at all. The moment she had she focused the force tapping into Force Body. Everything felt revitalized and she stood straight with the small crystal in her hand.

“I found it, so what’s next Master Velok”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

The crystal floated from her hand to his, and he tucked it away. "Thirty-eight hours. You're fast. You've learned to enhance your stamina with the Force, and that'll stand you in good stead.

"You need a rest, and you deserve it. Instead of sleep, however, I'd ask that you enter a Jedi hibernation trance in order to gain your rest. I trust you're familiar with the technique? There was a time when all Jedi knew how to do that.

"And when you wake, I'll teach you everything I know about how to counter the Spear of Midnight Black."