Rite of Passage (Jared)

[Gav Mortis]

It wasn't often that Gav ventured into the wilds of Onderon by choice, there was nowhere outside of Iziz that was to be considered safe and it was essential that all who found themselves at the twenty-four hour mercy of the beasts and creatures were unrelentingly vigilant. The days were as perilous as the nights and only those who were sure of their abilities (not only survival skills but in their ability to fight off the most ravenous and diabolical carnivores this of the galaxies), should dare brave these untamed lands. It was in the Wilds that Jared Mriad would face his first challenge on his new home and prove his worth to his new master.

"We'll be landing momentarily, Jared." He spoke into his ship's internal comm-channel. "Get your things and wait for me in the cargo hold."

[Jared Mriad]

"Yes, Master."

Jared looked upon his things, not much to have as one's possessions should've been. All of his personal items were safe somewhere afar, but his weapons remained with him. He adjusted the lightsaber belt clips on both sides of his waist and slid the warbrand sword into it's sheath upon his belt positioned at his back.

Where was Mortis taking him, rather, where would they land. Could this be another test like that of Hilare's posioned dagger, the very dagger that inflicted him with a curse wholly dominated now? Or could this be beneficial.

He damned hoped so, progress was excellent.

He wandered through the ship's belly until reaching the cargo hold, many minutes ahead.

[Gav Mortis]

The landing was pretty difficult, finding a place to land in the jungle was like looking for a needle in a haystack for there was nothing but an endless sea of thick, green tree canopies and below, thick and colourful underbrush. His ship, also known as "Mundabe's Comet", wasn't large but was certainly unique. It was an almost perfect sphere, save for where four drive engines protruded from the rear.

A break in the jungle canopy caught Gav's attention and the ship veered towards it, slowing down and descending, some twenty kilometers from the great city. Landing struts emerged from the ship's underside and jets of exhaust disturbed the surrounding shrubbery until all plantlife below it was either burned or crushed. It was a smooth landing and content, Gav collected his things and joined his apprentice.

"First things first, Jared. I bet you're wondering where you have been taken; we are on a jungle moon in the Outer Rim known as Suntra VI. It is sparcely populated by primitive culture and a variety of exotic wildlife but it's fairly safe."

They moved through the cargo hold and lowered the boarding ramp, located below the engines, where they stepped out and were greeted by the overwhelming heat and jungle humidity. Gav sighed cheefully.

"This is where your training begins, apprentice." He pointed to a spot of dry grass and threw Jared a hefty rucksack. "Start setting up camp here and tell me what you have learned from your previous masters."

[Jared Mriad]

He began to do as told, dumping out the contents and carefully constructing the camp peice by peice.

"Basic manipulation from Snack; push, pull, speed. Minor combat from Hilare, the rest I developed myself." [I]He responded, half-way through with the construction of the first shelter.

[Gav Mortis]

"Show me a trick." Said Gav, taking the equiptment from Jared's hands.

"I want to see you do what you would consider the most impressive thing you have learned."

[Jared Mriad]

He just stood there, not moving or motioning. Not conjuring up spectacular displays of the Force.

"Combat, as you have seen, is what I consider to be the most impressive talent I have. I have exercised it to the point of second nature, neglecting most of my Force studies because of it," he smirked softly at this, like an errant teen, "I did not care to advance quickly in the manipulation of Force, not until I witnessed the power of Lightning in firsthand experience. But, I have not begun to even dare to manifest it."

[Gav Mortis]

"And neither should you." Gav added quickly onto the end of Jared's words and he joined him in setting up the tents while they talked. He was eager to know the ins and outs of his new apprentice before throwing in the deep end. This one has had experience in the field, unlike Salvestro, who Gav thought may benefit from this experience.

"I want to know more, apprentice. All I know of you is you've had a history in the Empire, that you've had two previous masters and are skilled in combat and little else in the ways of the Force."

He caught Jared's eye and pointed to a large boulder, gesturing for him to sit, it was not a request. Gradually, Gav altered his mannerisms in preparation of what was to come. He stared at his apprentice.

"What do you hope to learn from me?"

[Jared Mriad]

He did as demanded, sitting on the rock and examinging the camp for no apparent reason while his hands fished out another cigarette from a white box that appeared and disappeared into his pockets. Lighting up, he murred in thought, coming up with the answer.

"Anything I can survive," Came the answer, "Anything your willing to pass on..."

He shrugged softly, "As for me, I can not remember anything up to enrolling under Snack. Several years under there, the Empire started to fall - I was away at the time, on Corusant, battling Xazor Leo Dawnstrider and recovering. After word that TSE was no longer, I enrolled within the smaller Sith Order, under Hilare. There I was trained, then posioned. Posioned with a type of blood most sentinet beings die from, some old dragon's blood if I remember.

It gave me this strange taint, on full eclipses of the moon or whatevers... I just lose it all. Don't know what happens, but Hilare's seen it - she won't tell me. Dunno what she's hiding..."

He took a long drag,

"... from there, I just went on myself. Learning from mistakes."

[Gav Mortis]

Gav was now crouched down by Jared, again he stared, his hand moved up to his apprentice's cheek and touched it softly, bringing it slowly down the side of his face. Gav enjoyed watching the discomfort evident in Jared's face until he got bored and siezed his face in a fierce grip, squeezing his cheeks so that his lips pursed comically and the cigarette fell out of his mouth. Still holding his apprentice's face, Gav turned his head and whispered into his ear.

"The next time you meet the Jedi, Xazor, it wont be a battle; there will be a massacre. And the next time you come across your old master - you will kill her. Do you understand, apprentice?" He couldn't hold back his smile as he spoke. This was the part of being mentor to someone that he enjoyed most. This was what he called the smelting process, first you have to remove all impurities and then you make them strong. "Now, apprentice, let's break the mould."

Bitterly, he pushed Jared's head aside and stood. Then tossing his apprentice a large knife, he turned and headed into the forest.

[Jared Mriad]

A snarl creeps upon Jared's face, holding the blade end of the knife, the tempting urge to bury it into the Darksider's back nearly irresistable. Instead, he stooped down and retreived his cigarette, brushing off dead foliage that clinged to it.

He flipped the knife until the handle smacked into his palm, then slid it into his belt. Sure, he had a debt with Dawnstrider, then a desire for repentance directed to Hilare - the cursed blood boiling his skin every waking moment. Snack, no - he wouldn't attack HIM, Snack had earned too much respect.

Snack was equal.

Mortis was getting there.

Mriad slid off the rock and followed Mortis.

Yeah, lets break this mold.

[Gav Mortis]

Things between Jared and Gav had suddenly changed drastically and this was the way things had to be between master and apprentice. There had to be a boundary and it had been laid down. Gav had also discovered more about Jared which would help in his training and as he trudged through tall grass he called back.

"Be vigilant, apprentice, this place is swarming with venomous plants and the like. You're going to have to be alert now, supple and fast." And with that, he took to the air, a simple push off the ground had sent him up into the highest branches of a tree above. He held onto the tree trunk and stood on a strong branch, gesturing for Jared to join him.

[Jared Mriad]

Jared bent his knees only slightly, lauching himself to a adjacent tree - landing on a branch within similar height to Mortis's own. He checked the latch on warbrand - just in case.

[Gav Mortis]

Gav was half expecting Jared not to jump so high, he was full of suprises thus far. Gav whispered across to his apprentice but his eyes were ever watchful of their surroundings; he hadn't expected it to be so quiet for so long.

"There is a tomb two kilometers south from here and I want you to get there as fast as possible. I'll meet you there but before you go, it is important that you understand that this jungle is riddled with some of the most ferocious and deadly beasts in the sector."

Taking out a blaster pistol he fired twice at the branch upon which Jared stood and it fell away from under him. Gav took off through the trees ahead of him then shouted back.

"Run apprentice!"

Then with that breaking of the silence came the growling and screeching of unseen beasts both far and near that will now be closing in on their location.

[Jared Mriad]

"OH SH-"

THUD

"-it.."

That bastard! Damn that hurt! The roar's reached his attention shortly after, and he spun his head in the direction they came from. Indeed, far off, the foliage was being shattered about followed by savage roars.

Mriad jumped to his feet and took off in a break-neck speed to the south. God be his witness, if he was eaten today - He'd haunt Mortis. Damn right!

[Gav Mortis]

As he leapt into a few trees ahead, Gav swung around the trunk and holding on with one hand leaned and let loose several shots straight at Jared. Just before he leapt to another tree, he stamped down on a large branch and sent it falling either straight into his apprentice's path or onto Jared himself, it all depended on timing.

"Apprentice, you're falling behind. Keep up!" He shouted, from overhead. Then darted off once again, up ahead he could see something moving in the tree canopies and replacing the blaster with his lightsaber, he readied himself.

[Jared Mriad]

His right hand snapped down and up, the screaming shreik of his black saber peircing through the air deflecting the bolts with ease. It was one of the first things he had made sure to extensively work upon. He noticed the falling tree-branch almost all too late, taking a rolling dive and coming back up running, and cleared it's crash course.

By the sounds of it, whatever was chasing him was getting closer by the second. Kicking it into overdrive, or just pushing himself harder with the Force, Jared lept over a rotten tree log and continued on.

Unaware that an large talon had exploded from the rotten tree...

[Gav Mortis]

That was when the attack came, but they did not attack alone, they attacked in threes. Two sharp claws batted at him from above, which forced him to drop down onto the branch below and before pulling himself up he looked above to see his attacker.

It was a great, hulking beast covered in thick black fur except for it's face, hands, chest and feet, here it's skin looked like tough leather. It's feet were as dextrous as it's hands and it would hang from branches with it's feet and claw at passers-by with it's enormous clawed hands. Another joined it on the branch above and it turned to look down at Gav as he climbed up onto his branch below. It let out an unearthly roar, the type of war cry you would expect from something much greater it's size.

"Be careful, apprentice, there's one behind you!" Gav called out and sliced at the branch above with his lightsaber. Both beasts fell except one caught onto the branch on which Gav stood. It creaked worryingly so Gav took the opportunity to stamp on the beasts hand before it pulled itself up. It howled in pain but held on with it's free hand so Gav leapt across to a neighbouring tree.

"Oh and there's another in front of you now!" Gav called, amused that one of the two beasts near him had fallen into Jared's path.

[Jared Mriad]

The active sabers' howl was joined by the second. As the beast tried to stand up, or crawl up, Jared separated it's shoulders from the rest of it's body in one swoop, not stopping nor slowing. That THING behind him was closer now, and it damned near sounded like a Rancor... only smaller.

Seconds later, Jared felt the rush of wind from a swipe across his shoulders. He spun on his right foot, lashing out a coup de' ta'. The closest one fell quickly, it's head and half a shoulder flying as it's body tumbled. Jared was off running again.

[Gav Mortis]

There was the sound of beeping, a quiet beeping. Then there was a small red light and an explosion right in front of Jared, flames danced on plots of shrubbery all around and from above Gav through another grenade down towards his apprentice.

"Move faster if you don't want to be in pieces before you reach the tomb." Gav cried, then impaled through the chest, the beast which had been chasing him in the trees. It's moans were gargled with blood in it's throat but the Sith wasn't spared anbother moment before he had to crouch and avoid a pair of razor-sharp talons.

"Here comes more, hurry!" Shouted Gav, urging Jared onward but not before he managed to drop another grenade in his path. Gav wondered if his apprentice was enjoying this as much as he was.

The great, winged creature swooped low between the trees and let out an ear-piercing screech while it was hot in pursuit of Jared.

[Jared Mriad]

Jared could've dodged the first grenade explosion... had he knew of it. Shrapnel and dirt splashed onto the warrior, cutting his arms and chest open, yet did not deter him. With a fury well known, the Warrior fueled every bit of his motion with the Force.

-...his shirt was charred on the shoulder...-

-...an explosion behind...-

-He was flying, as if his feet never touched the ground.-

The winged beast swooped in close, slowing Jared's run down as he extened one hand out and channelled a heavy Force push: shredding one of the creature's wings. As it plummeted to a potentionally deadly crash, Jared focused again on the path ahead.

He had some choice words for Mortis.