If Armageddon, and Doomsday Had a Baby...(Rugz)

[Deleted]

Those weak worthless people...They couldn't handle him so they had to go, and get him sent over to another training group. Rolling his golden eyes at the weak fools as he walked past them he sauntered his way over towards the new instructor that he would have. All he knew was that the guy's name was Aurelius, and out of all the other instructors his Initiates were making the highest progress. Psh like they could even hold a candle to me, I was raised in the dark...They know nothing he thought to himself as he made his way through the temple over to the section where he was reassigned.

When he got there it wasn't too hard to spot his new instructor as the guy was physically built similar to him, but bigger. Blue streaks in his dark hair, and of course piercing gold eyes. The same eyes that he himself had, and he looked on to his new instructor with a sort of admiration. However that feeling quickly died as he remembered how his last real instructor had just left him on his rock to figure things out on his own. It was infuriating, and he couldn't wait for the chance to go track down the man whom he had called master, and sink his lightsaber in the pink flesh of his throat.

Walking up to Nieraan he made sure to skirt around the edges of the Initiates who were training so as not to disturb them, he made a simple gesture, fist over heart, and he bowed slightly.

"Instructor Aurelius my name is Zexva Vuluha, and I have been transferred over to your group." he spoke the words with strength, and vitality, however he made sure to not use the M word.

Of course it would only be a matter of time before this guy sent him packing like his previous instructor, and just thinking about that made his hatred rise ever so slightly. He wondered what the students around him were thinking, standing up straight he looked right into Aurelius's golden eyes, with his own awaiting some sort of direction.

[Rugs]

Nieraan stood in one of the Temple's training grounds, under the heat of the merciless Korriban midday sun. The heat didn't bother the Firrerreo overmuch, as temperature often didn't. Still, he was dressed lightly, as he often was for training affairs. A smoke-gray sleeveless shirt, some lightweight pants, a pair of dark, simple boots.

He watched from edge of a square area that had been cut into the stone courtyard. The floor here was dirt here, hard enough to be solid, but still softer than the rough sandstone. A group of Initiates worked before him, training as he directed. Some were new faces. Others were regulars.

At this point, he was letting the students spar amongst themselves. Some picked their own partners. Other, he paired intentionally.

Everything progressed smoothly, as far as the Firrerreo was concerned. The ones that had the will to win would triumph; those that lacked it would fail. It wasn't his job to coddle them, not now. They were soldiers preparing for war, after all.

"Keep your feet under you, Feryn," he yelled at one student as she overextended a strike, stance poor and sloppy. "Shien's power comes from the ground, not your shoulders alone. Keep it right! Vera would've killed you for that mistake if that blade was live. Start again!"

Beyond his occasional shouts of correction, he watched on in silence. Most of the students were fairly well matched. Torrance, of course stood out above the rest. But one student in particular was missing.

Rod... Late again. Third time this week. Nieraan fought the urge to grind his teeth. It was truly too bad Renata didn't let him kill the fat bastard. Would have made things so much simpler...

He felt the student approaching before he heard him and turned to look. A Zeltron boy approached, obviously intent on speaking to him. Nieraan vaguely recognized him in the way he vaguely recognized most Sith at the Temple. It didn't mean he cared a lick about him.

"Instructor Aurelius my name is Zexva Vuluha, and I have been transferred over to your group."

"Transferred?" Nieraan asked, lifting a brow. He wasn't the only training instructor, though he was one of the top ones, handpicked by Renata herself. Most students that came to him simply came; he didn't require explanation. If they could keep up with his pace, they'd stay. If not, they would move elsewhere in hopes of an easier path.

Except for Rod, he lamented silently as he saw the rotund young man come power walking out of the Temple and to the training square. Like a parasite stuck to my ass that won't go away...

"Valuha, was it?" Nieraan asked, regarding the student. He was obviously young. Physically fit, seemed to have some determination about himself. Confident. Nieraan grunted and made a motion to an empty patch of dirt in the training square's corner.

"You're welcome to the group, if you can keep up. Go stand over there. Set your saber to stun. Someone'll be with you shortly."

Then came Rod, huffing and puffing. The underarms of his shirt were wet with sweat, as were the sides of his face with that damnable scraggly beard he refused to shave.

"Aurelius, I know I'm la-"

"I don't care, Rod," Nieraan said. He motioned over to Zexva with his head. "We've got a new student. He's your sparring partner. Maybe you can actually beat someone today." He smirked, showing a sharp canine at Rod's look and shooed him on along.

As the Initiate moved to his partner, Nieraan followed and crouched near them, deciding to watch to see how much work the new arrival would need.

"Instructor Aruelius says we're to be partners," Rod said as he reached Zexva. He looked at the Zeltron, who was an inch or two taller than he. Certainly much fitter, with a flat belly where Rod's spilled over his belt. That didn't mean anything with the Force, though. That's what he'd read on the holonet, anyway.

"I'm Rod," he said, lighting his red saber and missing Nieraan's roll of the eyes at the extended introduction. He made ready, shifting his weight into an opening stance for Ataru. He lifted a hand and waved at Zexva. "Come on. I'll go easy on you."

Nieraan just sighed.

[Deleted]

He listened to Aurelius ignoring the slight mispronunciation of his last name as he went to where he was directed. Noting that the man didn't seem to care why he had been transferred over to his group. That was rather curious, but he waited, and then came his partner. Looking over at his new instructor he quirked an eyebrow at the man in a "are you serious" kind of way. The kid he was suppose to be sparring was overweight, and didn't look all that great in shape. This was surely a mockery of him, and he was rather frustrated with it, though none of these inward emotions showed on his outward appearance. Only someone with a good force sense would be able to tell what he was actually feeling.

With a bored sigh on his lips he took off his robes to reveal his black leather vest, and left the robes on the ground. His crimson red hair was pulled back into a wolf tail as it normally was, and he made sure that the sash around his waist was tightened so that none of his clothing would become loose during the oncoming engagement. Once he was satisfied with all of this he heard his sparring partner begin to talk. 

The boy introduced himself, but he made no mention of his own name, and instead waited patiently for the boy to finish his silly little introduction. Having already set his lightsaber to the appropriate setting he clicked the small red button, and the golden plasma blade appeared. Piercing golden eyes locked on the obese kid in front of him, and he smiled sadistically at his opponent. Extending his left hand quickly he summoned his power from the deep well of hatred inside of him, and launched a Force Push at the guy in front of him. As far as he was concerned there were no rules.

The moment the concussive burst of air left his hand, and headed towards the boy he was already formulating his next move. He was just going to wait there, and see how his first strike went before rushing over, and getting himself beaten by someone who was obviously not as good as him. Of course if he really wanted to play dirty he would just use his favorite power, and send the boy running away in fear. However he got his basic stance ready, and waited.

[Rugs]

Rod blinked as the other Sith activated his lightsaber. A gold lightsaber. What a curious col.. He felt the Force stir and realized he wasn't going to get an introduction.

How rude.

The Zeltron Sith loosed a push of the Force. Just as well he did, in Rod's eyes. He'd been practicing barriers lately, hoping to impress Zarander into an apprenticeship. He threw a hand out and willed the Force to solidify in front of his palm.

It did.

The problem was that it was the size of his palm.

Even if it had been larger, the Zeltron's push was too strong. The barrier shattered as the blast connected and set Rod stumbling back. He nearly fell out of the square, but stopped himself. "Alright, wise guy," he said, "I see how it's gonna be." He rest his stance, drawing the Force in with a deep inhale, as if doing such could draw more of the energy in through his nostrils.

He noticed Nieraan shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Teacher, I know I started poorly, but he didn't eve-"

"Rod," Nieraan cut in, voice and expression flat as a tabletop. "Shut up and fight."

The big Initiate huffed and squared himself up again. "Fine. Don't blame me if he gets hurt though." The Force surged into Rod, filling his body to the brim. He grinned maliciously at the Zeltron. "Alright, new meat. Here I come."

And there he went. He launched himself forward, using the Force's power to speed his movements. He drew close to the Zeltron, then leapt up over his head, blade down to try to keep counters away from him. He landed behind the boy and struck out at the back of his legs, saber cutting a graceful red arc diagonally down as he came into a crouch.

Or would have, if he didn't stumble as he went down...

[Deleted]

The boy was blown back by his Force Push, and almost knocked out of the sparring square. Of course that would have made it to easy for him, as the obese boy managed to stay standing, and then he quickly rushed forward much faster than he would have guessed someone that size could even move. Of course he figured the force had something to do with that. The guy did a great flipping motion over him, and he was about to retaliate before he realized that the kid stumbled when he landed on the ground. Such a perfect move wasted on such a clumsy guy. A smirk appeared on Zexva's face as he realized just how screwed this guy was.

While the guy was stumbling around on the ground he took action, and tried to strike the guy in his back. Of course he wished that they weren't set to stun so that he could just put this guy out of his misery, but of course he hadn't gotten such permission so he wouldn't be able to do that. However he could send the guy away with a bunch of bruises, and if he was lucky a few broken bones. Seeing as how this guy was nothing more than a bumbling idiot it probably wouldn't take to much effort to hurt him.

"How have you survived this long? I mean honestly why haven't you been killed yet?" he sneered at his so called opponent.

His golden eyes locked on his target, and he was planning his next move, he was going to start playing the mental game with this boy. Maybe he would start out by feeling his emotions, and start using those against before putting the final nail in the coffin by making his worst fears come true. A cruel smirk appeared on his lips as he thought about it.

[Rugs]

Rod yelled a variety of curses as he knee gave beneath him and he stumbled down. Fortunately, if anything about his current situation could be called fortunate, it wasn't the first time he'd had such an embarrassing trip or stagger or stumble, so he'd gotten somewhat skilled at recovering.

He also knew the situations opened himself to attacks, and his foe's strike wasn't a complete surprise. He flailed up with his weapon, red blade slapping the gold away as he rose to his feet again. It was a sloppy defense, but a defense was a defense.

Most importantly, he hadn't been 'killed' in two moves. That was always embarrassing when it happened.

"How have you survived this long? I mean honestly why haven't you been killed yet?"

I wonder the same things, kid, Nieraan mulled, fighting down a smile.

"Well aren't you just a rude little bastard," Rod asked, bulging cheeks flushing with color. "I'll show you why."

He lunged forward, Force drawing into his body again. This time he came straight at the smug Zeltron, the grip on his blade switching to Shii-Cho. He drew near and put all the strength he could into his blow, coming down hard in a diagonal slash aimed right at his opponent's chest.

He'd shut him up.

[Deleted]

The kid was able to put a slight defense against his strike, and he raised an eyebrow. So maybe the guy wasn't completely defenseless, but he was growing bored of these little games that the guy insisted on playing.

"Well aren't you just a rude little bastard, i'll show you why."

Then he surged forward aiming a diagonal strike across his chest. The attack wasn't very fast, and he simply jumped backwards, and stared straight into the guys eyes. They said that the eyes were the gateways to the soul, but he knew better, they were a gateway to a much darker, and bleaker part of an opponent's mind, and he was tired of dragging this fight along. There was one power that he was more proficient with than the rest, and he was going to use it against this pathetic fool of an opponent.

"Playtime is over..." his voice was lod, and cold as he spoke the words to his opponent.

Staring into Rod's eyes he allowed the force to fill him up, his hatred, fear, and anger swelled inside of him strengthening him, as he saw through Rod's eyes into his mind, and began striking at the deepest recesses of his mind. Of course whether or not this would be successful he didn't know, but he was rooting through his head trying to find his darkest fears, and bring them to light. Intently he was focused on this trying to bring the boy's fears to his waking conscience, and make him cower before him.

[Rugs]

The damnable Zeltron jumped away, effectively dodging Rod's stroke that he thought to be so masterful. Perhaps another foe could have extended the strike, could have struck the smug little bastard while he was suspended by the movment of his evasion. Perhaps another, fitter foe could have turned one stroke into two and caught the pink man unawares.

Unfortunately, Rod was fat, Rod was slow, and Rod was not particularly graceful.

"Don't toy with me!" he yelled at the Zeltron's proclamation that the time for games was past. "This is all your fault," he continued, staggering as he brought the whole of his mass to a awkward, wobbling stop.

The Zeltron was staring into his eyes, as if a look alone could kill him. Rod was vaguely aware of something prickling in his mind.

Other students would know that meant a foe was invading, trying to find their secrets and bring their fears to bear. Rod remembered these lessons and tried to turn the telepathic assault away, as Aurelius instructed. But Rod did not have the hardened telepathic defenses of his instructor, nor even the semi-hardened defenses of most initiates.

Rod's defenses against the Zeltron's attempts were about as soft as his belly.

But the attack didn't seem to be too terribly malicious. As Rod stared his younger foe down, he didn't feel the flashing pains or see the unbearable lights of telepathic assault.

If anything, the attempt seemed to have faded.

Must have fought him off, Rod concluded, and with no small amount of self-satisfaction. But for some reason, all he could think of was the prospect of falling in battle to this newcomer. He could see himself, laying on the ground, battered and beaten while the Zeltron crowed his victory, with girls swooning over him.

His identity as a great Initiate would be blown. Everyone would think he was a loser. Worse, Zarander would never take him as a student.

The thought terrified him.

"No," he murmured, not seeing Aurelius' slightly lifted brow or the looks from other students. His hand trembled. "No, I know what you're doing you sick little freak!" More images rolled through his mind, all of them having to do with being less, with being inferior to this boy.

"No, you won't get me, you hear?!" He yelled, stomach rolling with momentum as he lifted his blade and threw himself at the Zeltron, blade flailing wildly to make the visons stop

Nieraan, still crouched, just quietly put his face in his hand.

[Deleted]

The mind was such a curious thing...It could process several emotions at once, allowing the holder of the said mind to feel them all at the same time, but of course despite the fact that they could feel them, emotions seemed to overrule common thought process. Rod had been thoroughly shaken by his mental assault, and whatever he saw, had scared him. With fear there came the fight, or flight response that was located in everyone's mind, and Rod chose to fight. In doing so he made himself more reckless, and a twitch of a smile curved at the very edges of his lips as he had successfully garnered a response that he had been trained to deal with under the tutelage of his previous master.

The boy was flailing wildly trying to attack him, and Zexva simply pivoted on his right foot twisting around the incoming attack, and while he was now behind the boy's body it was time to end this fight once, and for all. Extending his left hand he loosed a powerful force push, hoping that the combination of the boy's movement, and his power would prove sufficient enough to knock him out of the ring. Even if it didn't he knew that this fight was over. This boy had no chance of beating him at his current level. His move however worked like a charm, as the concussive burst of air hit the obese rod in the back, and combined with gravity sent the boy sprawling outside of the sparring square.

"Pathetic..." was the only word that he muttered just loud enough for the other boy to hear him. "You are a poor excuse for an Initiate, and if I were allowed too I would end your miserable life now, to put you out of my misery." he sneered at the other boy his golden eyes were searing with hatred.

He stood there arms crossed as he waited for the next challenger, and he looked at Aurelius with an expecting glance.

{Permission given for Rodfail ~Rugs}

[Dutch]

"Pathetic... You are a poor excuse for an Initiate, and if I were allowed too I would end your miserable life now, to put you out of my misery."

The clap started out slow. It rang out in the silence that followed Rod's stumbling. Standing slightly above the training grounds on a shattered pyramid fragment, Jessoin loomed. His smile spread wide when attention turned towards him. He stepped forward to fall off the ruin, a gust of the Force aiding in him landing lightly on his feet.

His clapping continued as he began to approach. Bare from the waist up, his arms and torso would show fresh scars. Even a few wounds that were still patched in kolto wraps. Jessoin's pale skin would be even more tinted in green as the chlorophyll in his veins drank up the Korriban sun. The normally bright green eyes of Jess' people would near glow green from the sun as well, shining sinister in the light. His legs were shrouded by the lower half of black robes. The toes of his boots would flash out as he approached.

"Well then, I like this one Onin!" Jess gestured with a pointed finger towards the Zeltron. "Still has a lot to learn, but his spirit is intoxicating."

A soft laugh was given as the Zelosian walked past a group of the initiates to approach the one who still stood in the ring. Jess looked down at the Zeltron, a hot wave of hatred boiling higher into his mind. Despite it, he smiled wickedly. She had been one of the pink skinned monsters. The man wondered if the boy before him was as adept at altering the mind as she was. Without turning away, Jessoin's gaze would slide towards Nieraan.

"So tell me then, brother, why haven't you just let one of our eager little initiates slay the fat idiot yet? Tesa and I have a bet on whether he'll die before the next battle. My credits were on him not making it off Korriban..."

[Rugs]

Rod, drawn into a frenzy by Zexva's unseen assault, was dispatched. Little surprise there, Nieraan thought, shaking his head as the rotund Initiate came down with a thud on the stone near him. Dust, shaken up by the force of his weight propelled by Zexva's attack, curled up around Rod's fallen form. All done without touching him. Impressive.

To a degree. Rod himself wasn't the test. He was a measure to ensure this Zeltron boy was worth the test.

For the moment, Zexva crowing his victory over a groaning Rod, declared his worth.

Don't get too cocky, kid, Nieraan thought, showing the tip of a fang with a lopsided smile. Next step's night and day from this.

As if summoned, loud claps rang out over the courtyard. Nieraan knew the presence near as well as his own, so he didn't need to look up before a slow smile spread across his face. "Welcome, Jess," he said, as his comrade jumped down from his perching point. "So nice of you to join us."

"Well then, I like this one Onin! Still has a lot to learn, but his spirit is intoxicating."

"Indeed," Nieraan agreed, too amused to speak much. He knew the look in Jess' eye, knew the play of his voice as it rang out against the courtyard stones. The Zelosian craved action. Perhaps Zexva's test would be more different than even Nieraan expected.

"So tell me then, brother, why haven't you just let one of our eager little initiates slay the fat idiot yet?"

Nieraan looked up from his crouch, eyes falling on Zexva for a moment, then Jess. "Why?" he asked simply, arching a brow.

At the same time, Rod, stirred to life by the new arrival, slowly picked himself up off the ground. His cheeks were red, as were his eyes. Nieraan sincerely hoped he hadn't been crying.

"MASTER ZARANDER!" Rod exclaimed, bellies flapping in delight at the sight of his idol. He rushed to the Zelosian, his humiliation at Zexva's hands seemingly forgotten. "I have longed for so long to meet you!

"Please," he said, getting down on a knee. "Please, I want you to take me as your apprentice. And.." Now Rod stood again, stomach pressing against Jess as he leaned in to speak, voice lowered. "I... I want you to teach me to get women like you."

Nieraan just laughed. "Every court needs a fool..."

[Deleted]

Zexva watched Rod's display of inappropriate affection at the newcomer's arrival, and wondered exactly who the newcomer was. He thought about using Force Fear on him again, but didn't want to waste the effort. Simply tucking his lightsaber away in his sash he crossed his arms golden eyes, glaring at the fat boy whom he had just soundly defeated. Shaking his head at the humiliation that this guy was willing to go through just to become an apprentice he scoffed.

"You just got soundly defeated by me, you aren't even close to becoming an apprentice, and even further away from getting a girlfriend." he stated flatly with absolutely no emotion in his voice or eyes.

As for the praise that he was receiving from the newcomer he honestly didn't know how to handle it so he just simply ignored it, and hoped that would be the last of it. Now he was waiting for a worthy opponent, someone that would actually be able to test him in a way that he deserved. Looking at Aurelius for instruction he simply just waited not doing anything.

[Dutch]

Jessoin's skin crawled the second her heard his name blubbered by the fat idiot. His eyes darted as Rod waddled as fast as he could over to Zexva and himself. He stepped back from the Zeltron boy as the fat one arrived, and arched an eyebrow to Nieraan as Rod knelt. Jess had heard many a joke among the initiates about the fool, and the descriptions he had heard did not do the magnificent bulk any justice. The Zelosian could hardly stand the smell that wafted from the initiate, the physical exertion clearly the cause.

"Please, I want you to take me as your apprentice. And.. I... I want you to teach me to get women like you."

"Every court needs a fool..."

Nieraan's final word was immediately followed by the loud clap of Jessoin's backhand on Rod's face. The boy's 'beard' was wet and scraggly, and Jess felt his stomach roll in disgust at the feel of it. Back down in the dust, Jessoin put a boot onto Rod's chest and loomed over him. His cobbled together lightsaber flipped from its loop at his waist into an awaiting hand. It ignited and Jess let the blade lower until it sat next to one of Rod's chins. The red light of the weapon shone in the beads of sweat over the fat idiot.

"You are not worthy enough. I am chosen by Darth Renata herself, the hand that executes her will." Jessoin spat in the dirt next to Rod. "From what I've heard, you're more inclined to get the pretty Zeltron here than any woman." Jess laughed and let his boot off Rod's chest. He turned back to the Zeltron boy and grinned wickedly at him.

"After all, your people are the hedonistic type, no? The type where gender doesn't matter?"

Jessoin shot a wink to Nieraan before flourishing his lightsaber in a roll of his wrist. He turned his head left, then right to crack it. The loud pops were followed by him beginning to pace slightly.

"Surely these are not the best of your trainees Onin. A fat idiot and a pink twink? I am hardly impressed." Jess sighed and spread his arms wide in a challenging way. "Please, show me I'm wrong Onin."

[Rugs]

[Now that I'm unborked... Long >.> Had to introduce Torrance]

Torrance leaned down, hand extended to help a Wroonian youth pick herself off the ground. She'd wandered over to take him on as an opponent when Aurelius had them break into pairs for practice.

This was the sixth time since that Torrance was helping her back to her feet.

He supposed it wasn't fair, truly. She was barely fifteen; he would be twenty in a few weeks. He'd been a Jedi once, before the hand of fate pushed him to this place. She'd only had a bit of crude self-teaching.

No, Torrance decided, as he nodded at her, glancing at the bruising his elbow had left around her eye, it wasn't fair. But they were training for war, and as Aurelius told them, fair didn't mean a thing when guns and blades were drawn with life on the line.

More troubling to the Kiffar was that the fight hadn't been particularly challenging, but some of the stronger students in the group had opted to spar among themselves, rather than face him again. He didn't blame them — he usually beat them, and it hurt their ego.

Why face another humiliation when you can play with the rats? he wondered quietly, bitterly.

He glanced to where he knew Aurelius was, but other students were in the way, obstructing his view. His lips pressed then, feeling another bout of frustration. He was clearly the best of the group. He knew it. Aurelius knew it. His peers knew it.

But Aurelius refused to let him advance, always responding with some snarky joke whenever Torrance broached the subject.

So he continued to wait and train and push himself, but he could only grow so much when everyone around him was rabble...

“Can you believe that kid?” an initiate said, sneering.

“Yeah, fat wanker's always comin' up with new ways to embaraas himself ain't he?” another answered.

Torrance paused, a breeze catching the long white feather in his long black hair so that it kissed the side of his face. He'd seen Rod about in between one of his bouts with the Wroonian. Rod and some Zeltron, if he recalled right. Torrance didn't remember the group having a Zeltron, though. A newcomer, then? Had he been stuck with Rod.

Again he looked to see, but his height forbade it. Torrance was somewhat shorter than average, and with the slender frame of a gymnast, he wasn't very imposing. He was quietly respectful, and had a way of keeping to himself; something his peers often mistook for being shy or easy to intimidate. But he was sharp of mind and strong of body, and more importantly, Aurelius said he had deep potential in the Force.

He'd already silenced the idiot classmates that thought they could bully him.

He shouldered his way through the press of Initiates in time to see that Rod was indeed being Rod, crawling up to Jessoin and doing... something. That was about all he could see before the older Sith slapped Rod and sent him stumbling down to the ground.

Torrance almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

"Surely these are not the best of your trainees Onin. A fat idiot and a pink twink? I am hardly impressed."

Torrance looked at Jessoin, then Aurelius, wondering what was going on. Then he looked at the Zeltron.

He surmised that he'd been correct in assuming the Zeltron was a newcomer. He was attractive, certainly; the type that Torrance might pursue if such ventures weren't so dangerous in the Temple.

“Ah, Torrance,” he heard Aurelius say, and he left his quiet observations of the handsome newcomer to look at their instructor. “Just the Initiate I wanted to see.”

Torrance folded his arms across his chest, the loose sleeves of his cream-colored shirt falling over each other. His tattooed face remained impassive as the Firrerreo grinned.

“You always want a chance to prove yourself, kid,” Aurelius continued. “Well here it is.” He lifted a finger and pointed at Torrance, and a second to the Zeltron. “You and Vuluha here will get to entertain our visitor. I'd had something different in mind, but well...” Torrance wasn't certain if he liked the grin Aurelius gave Jessoin. “Sometimes you have to think on your feet. Do try not to embarrass yourselves.”

Torrance's lips pressed then again, distorting the flowing tattoos that circled up around his cheeks from his throat. He looked at the Zeltron, Vuluha, who stood near a hand taller than he. So we are sparring together? As partners?

His eyes lingered on the Zeltron's face for a moment, before he turned away with a resigned sigh. “I am Torrance,” he said, simply, pulling his long-hilted lightsaber from his waist.

[Deleted]

Zexva watched as the newcomer made quick work of the fat idiot who he had just defeated. With an already bruised ego, and after being shut down like that it was a wonder how the boy didn't picture killing himself. Shaking his head he looked as the newcomer turned his attention to him. Saying something about how gender didn't matter to his people, and he supposed it was true, but he didn't particularly like how this man just made assumptions like that. It really got his blood boiling, and he was going to shut this guy up, before someone younger entered the fray beside him. Some kid about his age named Torrance.

Tattoo's framed his face almost like a picture, and to other people he might have appeared attractive, but he was certainly not Zexva's type. Turning his golden eyes back to the man who had insulted his people a sneer crossed his face.

"You better watch what you say, pasty, I am no twink, and don't take kindly to those who insult my kind. You better head back in before your skin burns as much as your ego is about to." he snarked back with a cruelly curved grin.

Then Aurelius threw them both of a curveball, apparently they were to spar against this person. His new sparring opponent was easily older than both him, and Torrance, and probably more experienced as well. That was going to pose a problem for the two of them, and already he could feel his anger swelling in him from how this man had insulted him. Taking his lightsaber out he allowed the plasma blade to unsheath itself, and unveil it's gold coloring. A very exotic color, but one that fit him perfectly.

Without warning he opened his palms, and shot a blast of lightning at the older man, while not one of his more powerful techniques the object was to simply catch him off guard, and create an opening that would allow him to go in, and finish this quickly. Of course with the sith nothing was every quick, or easy.

[Dutch]

"You better watch what you say, pasty, I am no twink, and don't take kindly to those who insult my kind. You better head back in before your skin burns as much as your ego is about to."

Jess barked a laugh. He shot a look towards Nieraan, eyebrows raised and eyes glinting. The pink pup did like to bark, didn't he?

“You and Vuluha here will get to entertain our visitor. I'd had something different in mind, but well...Sometimes you have to think on your feet. Do try not to embarrass yourselves.”

The grin Nieraan turned towards Jessoin was met with a similar one. Except toothier, and paired with a gleeful couple nods. Jess flourished his blade and stepped backwards as the Zeltron ignited his weapon. A moment later he felt the Force shift, the static in the air suddenly rising. Was the boy really approaching the fight like that? In a greater shift in the Force Jessoin held out his own hand, seconds before Zexva did his. The lightning smacked harmlessly into the barrier Jessoin had tossed up. Still he laughed as his rapid steps lead him spinning to a safe distance from the pair.

"My my! Didn't want to see if your pretty lover there wanted to go first? Tsk tsk."

Jessoin pulled the Force into him once more, the Dark-side of Korriban bending and pouring into the Zelosian at his will. Purple arcs of lightning danced up and down his free hand, eyes shifting to a golden color as the energies pooled within his presence.

"Allow me to instruct you as well as test you... only the mightiest of Sith can channel the energies of the Dark-side correctly. Your display- though not your best, still tasted of weakness."

Thunder cracked as Jess released the pent up energy, blasting apart the stone around the initiates' feet. A purposeful miss, but enough for them to taste the ozone burned by it. The Zelosian grinned and held up his free hand to admire it.

"That, children, was without even trying. Were I allowed, I would have killed several here to cull the new blood of weakness. I still wonder... will Onin's favorite couple be among the cultivated? Or the culled?"

His eyes moved to gaze at Torrance and Zexva, eyebrows raised in question and gilded eyes appearing almost bored. Jessoin crooked his finger towards them in an obvious taunt, and awaited their move.

[Rugs]

{Nothing great, but moving things along}

Torrance eyed the Zeltron as he turned to face Zarander proper. Rather than introduce himself in turn, Vuluha ignited his blade, obviously ready for the fight.

Torrance though, wasn't so eager.

The Kiffar could be many things – aggressive, dominating when he willed it, and he certainly wasn't stupid. Jessoin was apprenticed to one of the Dark Lords; he was far stronger than either of the Initiates were, perhaps moreso than the two of them together.

Aurelius seems to think so, he mulled, eying the instructor from the corner of his eye. It would not be wise to blindly at-

Only the stir of the Force warned him that Vuluha was acting. In the time it took him to feel it and shift his eye to the Zeltron's position blue bolts of lighting already lanced through the dry air toward Zarander. Or not.

Of course, Vuluha's sneak attack, well-intentioned though it was, proved futile. The Force thickened visibly before Zarander. The lightning slammed against it, picking up bits of dust, and nothing more.

“A wasted opening,” Torrance quietly chided his unexpected comrade. “That way will not work.”

"My my! Didn't want to see if your pretty lover there wanted to go first? Tsk tsk."

Torrance's cheeks reddened slightly. “He is not my lover,” he muttered. He resisted the urge to glance at Vuluha. Tempting, but they were in a fight, and that was a distraction.

Distraction was death.

Zarander taunted them—Vuluha specifically—before unleashing a torrent of electricty at their feet. Torrance skipped back a step, feather in his hair fluttering by his face as he crinkled his nose at the smell of burning ozone.

"That, children, was without even trying. Were I allowed, I would have killed several here to cull the new blood of weakness. I still wonder... will Onin's favorite couple be among the cultivated? Or the culled?" 

Torrance sighed and pulled deeper into his own presence to shrug off the older Sith's taunts. He wanted time to think about the situation, but that was a luxury they could not afford. So he settled on the facts he did know: he was fighting a foe he likely could not beat with an ally he likely could not trust.

Trust to watch my back or to hold up his own end? He glanced and Vuluah again as he the long, slender hilt of his blade in his fingers. A pretty face did not make a sound mind, and dispatching Rod was hardly an achievement worth of song.

Too many variables. Too many potential traps to fall into. With a sigh, he ignited his saber. A lavender blade leapt forward at his command, illuminating his side. He breathed in deeply and opened up to the Force. It drew into him as if to fill his lungs, sweet as a lover's kiss and searing as molten iron. Muscle strengthened and hardened as he set himself and began to give over to the coming fight.

Then he moved.

With the Force to give him speed, he lunged at Zarander, blade held low in one hand. The other opened wide, fingers sprawling toward the dusty ground, and he pushed a blast of the Force from it to kick the dirt up. It was a novice's trick, and far to easy to overcome, but he and the Zeltron boy would need everything they could muster, and Torrance knew it.

The dust rose, and Torrance shifted in it, moving to the side and leaping so that he'd emerge from his cover with his blade arcing right at Zarander's chest.

He hated to rely on another, but he hoped Vuluha would do something to buy them a little hope.