The Shadow Academy felt like home to Darkblade. Every room the facility had to offer the Anzat was imprinted on his mind like a map. He could walk the halls blindfolded and find his way to whatever room was required. This particular sparring chamber was no different, yet it seemed that Lo-Kain had gotten lost. the Anzat chuckled slightly to himself as he remembered his days as a Journeymen. Breathing slowly he sat down on the floor, meditating until the Zabrak found his way to the chamber.
Images of Darkblade’s first bouts in this very room against his former Master flashed through his mind, not forgetting that these were the toughest moments a Journeymen could go through. The knowledge of fighting someone who was superior in every way, and that the moments were not only lessons in humility, but also recognizing when an opponent was above your skill and how you would handle those moments physically and mentally in real time situations. Being killed, or worse, seen as weak, was a very real danger in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.
The door swished open and the Mystic saw the head of a Zabrak poke through the doorway. Realising he was in the right place, Lo-Kain entered the room.
“You’re late.” the Anzat growled in a low voice. The Juggernaut shed his outer robes, revealing sleek fit combat robes, and strode to the center of the chamber. As he planted his feet wide as if preparing to do a squat, Lo-Kain stood still and announced he was ready to begin the session. “Very wise of you to refrain from commenting. Let’s see how well you have been training these past few weeks.” Darkblade said whilst he looked up at the Zabrak from his sitting position.
Making a show of getting to his feet, grunting and making slow and exaggerated movements, the Aedile stood before his subject faking a yawn. As he brought his left hand up to his mouth, hoping to catch the Acolyte unprepared, the Mystic fired out his right hand which he had bunched into a fist, to connect with the Zabrak’s chest in front of him. The loud thump reverberated through the chamber, yet the Juggernaut stood firm and didn’t budge nor let out a sound.
Damn this guy is tough! the Anzat thought to himself. Turning his back on Lo-Kain to secretly nurse his fist with his left hand he laughed out loud. “Good. I understand you have been trained in the martial arts too. For our next exercise I want you to find ways to break through my defense with the use of your lightsaber.”
Barely nodding an acknowledgment, the Acolyte reached for his armory lightsaber and ignited it. The red hue all to familiar amongst their ranks watching in slight amusement as the purple saber from the Mystic ignited before him. Without another word the Anzat and Zabrak went through a ritual of slashes and parries as they danced around the room. Darkblade realized that Lo-Kain was a strong opponent in the muscle department, able to parry attacks and deliver his own with powerful intent.
Suddenly the Acolyte delivered a powerful overhead downward swing, after parrying an attack that caught the Mystic off guard. As Darkblade attempted to parry he realised his error in trying to block the attack with both hands. His opponent had outsmarted him, in using his superior strength he was able to saber lock the both of them whilst his left hand remained free.
As this processed through the Anzat’s head, a fist smashed into the right side of his ribs. The pain was immediate and intense, as well as unexpected which caused the Mystic to falter. As he took steps to regain his balance, Lo-Kain did not relent in his attack and pressed on. Amplifying his strength through the Force, the Juggernaut became an unstoppable machine that would be terrifying on any battlefield against inexperienced members. What had begun as a training session seemed to have turned into a true test of skills with no one holding back.
The Aedile grinned to himself, biting through the pain and remembering that the attacks his opponent had were only limited to the simplest form of lightsaber combat. Drawing upon the power of the Force the nimble Anzat propelled himself through the air as he jumped back out of reach of the frenzied Zabrak.
Darkblade shoved out his arm and summoned a blast of lightning through the Force that erupted from his outstretched hand. As the electricity raced across the room it connected with Lo-Kain, who let out a howl of pain as the bolts slammed into him, inflicting its torturous power across the entire expense of his body.