PsychoSith
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: -372
Posts: 1758
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« Reply #34 on: May 18, 2021, 01:17:38 PM » |
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V
The acolyte’s eyes snapped open as he lurched forward, sitting upright. His stomach lurched and his head spun, prompting his falling back to where he laid. Kiath’s head made a quiet rustle meeting soft fabric, though to him, it may as well have been duracrete. Groaning, he gently propped himself to his side, letting the dizziness subside and observed the room around him. It was small, personal quarters craved from stone, flat shelves sculpted into the walls held up a few of Kiath’s personal items; his battered armor, comlink, and his lightsaber. Something else nearby tested the limits of his extrasensory perception. Kiath took inventory of the situation.
Well, I’m not dead. Kiath winced at the pain seemingly pushing against his skull. As if those tricks could kill me. With some effort, he lifted himself to his feet. His body screamed in rebellion, his lungs burned, his vision blurred, but he stood nonetheless. Kiath closed his eyes and steadied on his breathing, commanding his flayed nerves and scarred skin to obey his focus. The pain subsided to a tolerable level as he opened his eyes to the being he had sensed outside the doorway.
A girl, scarcely younger than the acolyte himself. She was human, taller than Kiath, with light blonde hair and amber eyes, and wearing a coarse cream-colored tunic. A large, seemingly damaged lightsaber hilt hung at her waist. But it wasn’t what Kiath could see that struck him. He could feel it, palpable in the force, like a javelin from her eyes to his core. Judgment. An unmistakable resentment, and an ephemeral sense of curiosity – no – it was harsher than that; he could feel her mind scouring his, looking for anything and everything she could gleam. For a moment, Kiath felt fear, but only for a moment. He quickly brought his mind and body into unison gathering a presence, a root, to the moment. He spoke first.
“Normally, I understand why someone might take irritation to me, but I cannot honestly say what I have done to slight you. Nor why I should care.”
“You haven’t slighted me.” Her voice was flat and cutting, without accent. Though the response acknowledged Kiath words, it was said so quickly the acolyte was left with disbelief if she had even fully understood the meaning, “Not yet. But you will. It’s written all over your mind.” She walked out of the doorway and down a hall, “we’re expected, I believe.”
Kiath stood a moment, processing the bizarre exchange before quickly clipping his lightsaber to his belt, following the strange woman at a distance. The halls appeared carved from a type of sandstone, too smoothly for hand-tools, yet tiny imperfections in the angles of the walls, doorways whose entrance was just shy of parallel, and the lack of harsh angles discounted the idea of modern machinery. Faint etchings depicted curving patterns that repeated at odd intervals, producing a sort of visually dissonant cycle. Light was present enough, but seemed to emanate from the air itself, no source making itself known. Kiath reached the end of the hallway, reaching a large chamber Kiath instantly recognized – and the associated man kneeling on a raised section of floor in the center of the chamber. The unfamiliar woman stood before Vansi, arms crossed, glaring at the acolyte from the edge of her vision. Kiath kept his distance. An upbeat voice boomed.
“Acolyte, welcome. You’ve nothing to fear here, please come closer.” Vansi stated, his hand outstretched. Kiath approached out of curiosity as much as obedience. “I apologize if our first meeting left you pained, but you needed to provide me answers that you were unlikely to divulge with words.”
Kiath sighed, more riddles from a madman, “Well I’m happy that pathetic excuse for a beating brought you your precious answers.” His sarcasm elicited another icy look from the strange woman. Vansi answered the look first.
“Indeed it did. I see you’ve met your newest compatriot. Czeq Kiath, Rilee Amorte. Rilee has rested here for a short while now, but I am giddy to accept you into my home as well.” An uncomfortable silence permeated the chamber, Kiath pondered on his situation, his original purpose here becoming more complex by the moment. He thought on this woman, and her lingering yet clear animosity; he wondered of the source nearly finding some kernel of truth, until his thoughts were broken by Vansi’s unsettling laughter.
“Yes, Acolyte, your senses serve you well,” Vansi said, rising from his perch, “Rilee, your new compatriot, is indeed a Jedi…that will not be a problem for you, will it?”
Kiath scowled. He had entertained this vague game long enough, his time, his body, and now his mind had been at the mercy of this puppeteering. He focused his built rage from his chest and into his vocal cords, producing an inhuman timbre as he spoke. He made his declaration.
“Enough!” A fine layer of dust shook from the walls, the sound echoing, Rilee’s face twisted in disgust as Vansi’s head tilted curiously at the enraged Acolyte, “Not one more riddle, duel, half-truth, or unspoken judgement! Too long have I tolerated subtext and manipulation from so-called masters and Darths. I demand the whole truth. Spoken plainly. Do you hear me wizard!?”
The room quieted and the dust settled. Rilee’s disgust had turned to guarded curiosity, and Vansi walked to the acolyte, facing him directly from an arms-length away. Kiath could only see his warped reflection in Vansi’s mask as the man spoke. He could not feel emotion from the man’s spirit, but Vansi’s motions spoke of pride.
“Indeed Acolyte,” Vansi spoke deliberately, “you, more so than most perhaps, deserve clarity. Sadly, no such thing exists. However, I can give you some small reprieve.” Vansi walked back to his perch and sat, gesturing Kiath and Rilee to sit before him. Kiath exhaled and approached the man, kneeling as indicated. Rilee followed suit, Kiath could feel the tension in her being.
Do the Jedi truly fear us this much? He mused to himself. He focused attention to the enigmatic man as Vansi spoke once again.
“You both sit here before me because you have been lied to. You have been twisted and directed by the wills of uncaring masters.” He regarded Kiath, “I tell you acolyte, your Master sent you here to die. For the world to ravage your body and leave your mind alone to shatter. The fires and winds day brings have surely left your vessel irreparably damaged and it is questionable if your Master even suspected you would be able to find me. She surely suspected that even if you did discover me, I’d be of no help to you.” Kiath gritted his teeth but said nothing. Vansi continued, “However, she underestimated you. Your connection with the force is an unfocused dissonance, but undeniably strong. Stronger than she accounted for.” Vansi turned to face Rilee.
“Padawan Amorte, fresh from your trials and already questioning the word of your elders. Your Master was perturbed by your unconformity and sought to correct that. He travelled with you to this desolate place hoping to “teach” you of the Dark Side. In truth, he did not hope to teach, he hoped to terrify you. He hoped your fear would galvanize you to the light - how hypocritical of those who claim their fear does not control them, no? And what did that bring you?” Kiath noticed as her expression turned pained, absently touching the saber at her waist. Vansi stood and outstretched his arms.
“Acolyte. Padawan. I strip you of these titles and of the shackles of manipulation forced upon you. No longer do you answer to dogma and games. Today, you are for the first time, free. And while I cannot provide the means to leave this place, nor can I replace your grand temples, I can lift the fog of the world around you. I bestow upon you only the title of ‘Student’.” His arms turned inward, “I am no master but I would be humbled if I could be called your Teacher.”
The room turned dead silent, and the two students turned their thoughts inward, searching for some insight and wisdom in the chaos the universe had thrust upon them. They raised their heads to greet Vansi.
“Yes, Teacher.”
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