The Sith Hunter and His apprentice. (Emily Kao)

[Jericho]

Thirty minutes had gone by and Jericho could not feel her signature. Good, she was smart enough to do that aspect. Second, he wasn't able to hear where she had moved, also very good. It's seemed that she was very good at controlling the force more so than she had believe. This made the giant of a man smile at his padawans growing improvement. But not even five minutes out searching for her he was already able to find a foot step. He let out a sigh and followed the prints with great speed, increasing his own speed to rush to her not even bothering to hide himself.

He followed until the prints until they stopped and for a spilt second he looked up and saw that the trees were untouched but when he noticed that the gravel was moved. It was a slight change most untrained eyes would not see it but his did. He reached into the gravel in which she tried to hide in withing the under bush and pulled her up by her robe making her face close to her mask. "Captured or killed. You failed. You're going to have to hunt your own meal tonight. On top of which you will have to do 1000 push ups, squats and sit ups and stand in low echani stance for two hours." He said dropping her soundly onto her feet.

Though he had to admit she did do fairly well for her first lesson in Sokan but she was far from great. "The forest was your weapon padawan. In the time I gave you, you could of made traps, or hidden your presence more.....Adequately. I understand what you were trying to do but know if you wish to take a defensive stance against an enemy, it would be better to have the high ground. Instead of hiding in that gravel you could of pounced me from the air." He stated sternly. "Remember this, it is not just the forest that could be your weapon but the anywhere and anyplace. Everything can be used as leverage, if used properly."

He sat down once more and closed his eyes. "Again, adapt and learn. Take what I said in consideration and think about your movements. This time if it takes me more than five minutes to find you, I will gather dinner for the night. Again be very thorough." He stated calmly as he began to meditate again.

[member="Emily Kao"]

 

[Slot 20]

Emily grunted as she fell back downward into her failed hiding place. She climbed out and covered it back up, dusting some of the soil off of her. She didn't say anything as Jericho spoke, but instead merely nodded her head and listened. She stared down at the ground the whole time. When he gave her a second chance she clenched her jaw, determined to do better. She once again sped deeper into the forest, quieting the sound of her feet. This time, however, she chose to be a little more crafty. When she was a good distance away, she began running in multiple directions. She ran in every which way possible, making it extremely difficult to be tracked by her footprints. On her final run-through, she found the perfect place to hide. There was a small cave a little ways up a tree-covered hill. The entrance was shrouded in moss and ivy and tree roots. She made a few more false trails before heading into it. She entered backwards so it would appear she had decided against hiding there. Once inside, Emily found multiple rock clusters, each a good place to hide. She chose one not too far from the entrance, but not too near it either. She crouched as low as she could and let the darkness and the silence shroud her presence. Lastly, she masked her Force signature once more.
[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

Once again thirty minutes has passed and he sped out after find, the warrior caught on to her tracks and saw that she took time to hide where she was running. Smart, she was catching on rather quick and listened to his words very well. Again this impressed him and he took and knee and really looked at the tracks as they overlap after taking a few minutes he caught her trail once again. He sped to find where she was heading and again she hid her presence by crossing prints again and hide where her goal hiding spots. Wise but sloppy as she made her decision too quick. He sped off again going to she real destination and found a cave, Jericho nodded and used force pull, demonstrating his strength in the force to pull her out once more gently to his feet. "Eight minutes and twenty seconds. Much better my padawan." He stated calmly patting her. "You listened to my words intently. You learn quick, so remember the skills you gain here are limited to you imagination of using your environment. We will act on the more later for now, I will teach you Nimen, but first you must finish your original punishment. 1000 push ups, squats, and situps, then standing in low stance."

[member="Emily Kao"].

 

[Slot 20]

Emily gasped as she was pulled from her spot in the rocks. She landed on her feet in front of Jericho. She smiled a bit when he complimented her improvement. It was nice to know he actually noticed when she got better at something. She took a deep breath when he said her punishment was still on though. Complaining was not in her nature, so she merely gave him a single, sharp nod, and got to work on the push-ups. Thanks to pushing herself to extreme limits while training in the past, it wasn't as hard as it would've been for a normal padawan. She still worked up a sweat, however.
[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

With every push up, he would place his hand on her upper back and increase the resistance with everytime she was force to get up. "Slow, feel every strain, feel every push, every little movement you make. Feel the different muscles work together with every single push. Feel the flow my young padawan, feel every tightened movement. Feel yourself grow with each push." He stated in his usual tone, he was not only motivating her he was laying the base of teaching her the way of force augmentation. As she hit her hundredth he pushed down even harder.

[member="Emily Kao"]

 

[Slot 20]

Emily clenched her jaw, her breath coming out in shallow huffs. She pushed up and down despite the pressure, focusing instead on the movements. Up and down. Up and down. She focused on her arms and her chest as they worked in concert, loosing and tightening with every motion. As her muscles began to throb, she thought about how she had been tortured. This was like sleeping compared to what she'd been through. No matter how difficult it would become, she knew that she could pull through because of that fact.
[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

He didn't know what was going through her mind but it was making her push herself pass her limit. This was her nature, to grow and to endure what was being thrown at her. In this sense she was a lot like himself. Having that drive to become strong to become wise, thought most likely their reasons for it may be very different. It had only been a month since they have known each other but already it seemed that they had more in common than expected. Her spirit burned bright that even he could see it.

After her five hundredth push up she kept on going where most would have given up. So of course jericho was goin go push her more. He placed a heavy stone on her back for her next five hundred.

[member="Emily Kao"]

 

[Slot 20]

Emily began grunting each time she pushed up. Every part of her body was screaming with pain, but she didn't stop. Not once. Her eyes scrunched shut as she kept going, sweat dripping onto the ground below her. Again and again she pushed upward. Her body was shaking from exhaustion, but her pace didn't slow for a second. Most people may have passed out at this point. Emily knew how to work past that stage altogether. The key was to focus so hard on something very important to you that you give yourself a headache. That way, your brain keeps working and you don't feel faint at all. Emily focused on getting through her training. Getting strong enough to track and kill Sith. This iron will that possessed her was what saw her through to the end.
[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

She was more than motivated, she was driven, but were it for the right reason. Though it was true that Jericho did very little socially aside from Sith hunting and overall taking down any evil and taking names. He knew what he was getting into he knew what he wanted from this and he understood the consequences of his choice and what might happen if he were to lose a fight. But did she? He went into the sith hunting business at a younger age than her but it was through circumstance and own choices. In her mind she might think she doesn't have one. He would have to discuss this with her in a later date, for now he would train her and not allow her to lose her drive to learn.

Hours later...

"Good you were able to complete your punishment." He stated calmly. "Are you ready for your saber training? Or do wish time to rest?"

 

[Slot 20]

Emily's body was aching terribly, and her muscles were shuddering. Sweat covered her face, and her breath was heavy. "I'm.....ready......" She panted.
[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

"Good, the form Niman, is also known in three names; The Rancor form, The Moderation form, and The Diplomats form." He started off, circling his young apprentice as she showed her endurance to learn more. The young girl was quite winded and her face was pouring with sweat, only made Jericho sigh a bit. "This form has no particular weakness nor does it have any specific strengths. So it's greatest limitation and strength is the mind that uses it." He pulled out his lightsaber and turned out his purple light and let it's glimmer trail over the darkness around them then went into a natural stance. "Unlike most forms, the standard stance of Niman is natural, relaxed." He began to perform slower but powerful swing then switching instantly to short but faster strikes. "One utilizes the natural stance properly can switch from powerful but slow like Shien and fast but short similar to Ataru. That's just saber strikes alone." He stated using the force he pulled many various plants and vines then swiftly slashed through them the instant they came into the saber's range. He th He went over and used his cloak to wipe the sweat from her forehead as a warming gesture. "Overall this form, can be used in many ways after you form a strong base and really dig deeper into using tactics like Sokan; or using one's environment to one's advantage. Do you understand?"

[member="Emily Kao"]

 

[Slot 20]

Emily nodded. "Master using Sokan first so that I can better use Niman," She replied. She gave Jericho a small smile of gratitude when he cleaned off some of her sweat. Despite his cold demeanor, he was still kind at heart. She stood up a little straighter, and began to settle her breathing.
[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

He let a small sigh released from his lips and shook his head. "Yes and no, young one. There are many ways to fight a foe, so that entails learning many things. Think of Sokan as an appilcation to do more. Learn, adapt, and grow. Experience will be your greatest ally in the battles to come. Whether it be good or bad, it will help you grow and become not only strong but also wise. No matter how strong a person is they have a weakness and you must have the wisdom to see it. This also applies to you, young one."

[member="Emily Kao"]