The sound of a powerful shockwave echoed in the sparring chamber. Revanite students, young knights and apprentices had gathered to see the three-on-one that's been buzzing around. Among the students that had gathered to watch the fight, was none other than Kayla, who was bouncing with excitement.
"So, this is what it's like to see Daralec fight at his strongest," she thought, "this is amazing."
"You're going to have to try harder than that, Kusrom," said Daralec.
"I'm gonna make you eat those words, Dara," growled the Zabrak, "Caidale, Chadios, let's get him!"
The other knights rushed Daralec again, their lightsabers became a mix of yellow, purple, and silver as the boys continued their bout. Daralec buckled down and tanked up, weathering the relentless assault from the other knights, using Form V to its fullest potential as he blocked, parried, slashed, and countered with brisk, fluid movements, and little movement.
"Incredible," murmured Kayla.
Chadios, a young Miraluka, appeared to be the only one who seemed to be standing toe-to-toe with Daralec the longest, alongside Kusrom, a young Zabrak. Daralec locked blades with the two boys and brought them down before breaking away and spinning through the air as he jumped over his opponents. Daralec tripped up Kusrom with a leg sweep and sent Chadios flying back with Force Push.
"You're open!" roared Caidale.
Daralec turned and blocked, then he and Caidale began trading one-handed swings with each other. Caidale and Daralec locked blades and spun away as they broke off, then Caidale followed it up with a kinetic burst that knocked Daralec back.
"This is the end!" barked the knight.
He rushed the down Revanite. Daralec smirked and placed his free hand on the ground, then he released a subtle kinetic shockwave that tripped up Caidale, allowing Daralec to jump to his feet and knock him down with a roundhouse kick to his face.
"BOO-YAH!" he barked, raising his lightsaber.
The audience cheered.
"Ah… You got us," groaned Caidale, "ehe, guess this is what we get for sparring with the apprentice of the Ersanan Slayer."
"Should've known better," said Daralec.
The knights went their separate ways.
"…Ersanan Slayer?" asked Kayla.
Daralec looked at her.
"Yep," said Daralec, "see before you came along, my master said he used to be called Drukrum. He said that during his tutelage, he would get stronger by actively hunting Ersanan."
"What are Ersanan?" asked Kayla.
"Bear-like-creature, approximately six to seven feet tall, with quill-like-spikes from the head, going down to the back, shoulders, and upper arms. The creature had piercing golden eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and to top it off… A pair of retractable Kaiser claws. Native to this planet," said Daralec.
Kayla's eyes went wide.
"…You met one of those before, haven't you?" he asked with a smirk.
"No," said Kayla.
Daralec raised an eyebrow.
"…Maybe," said Kayla.
"That's what I thought," said Daralec, "come on, let's take a walk."
Daralec and Kayla started walking through the temple.
"So… How have things been going for you?" he asked.
"Well… I think it's safe to say I've grown accustomed to this life," she said, "being able to show off who I really am without having the urge to be drive my lightsaber into someone's gut for looking at me wrong feels… Nice."
"…I meant your training," said Daralec.
Kayla blushed.
"Oh… Well, that's a bit rough," said Kayla, "Master Ersanan said I still have one foot too deep in the dark side, he's been trying to get me to break my habit of relying purely on my anger. He's also been helping me hybridize my Form III and Form IV style, I told him I wasn't too good with Form V like all of you, so that's why I chose those two forms and attempted to combine them."
"Mm… It sounds like you're trying to make a form that's not as physically demanding as Form V but requires you to be light on your feet while keeping a barrier around yourself," he said with a grin, "if you can't overpower them, stonewall, wait for the right time to deflect or dodge, then unleash a burst of attacks…"
"Maybe I am," said Kayla.
"And have we made much progress?" asked Daralec.
"Actually, she has," said a voice.
Daralec and Kayla stopped and looked to see Ersanan approaching.
"Master," said Daralec.
The apprentice and newly knighted Revanite bowed.
"She started making progress after about seven years," said Ersanan, "the poor girl got roughed up by some of the other apprentice's… But it only took a little over thirty meditation sessions to get her to stop trying to cleave her opponent in two after being knocked down so many times."
"Hey, Marinik would've had it coming," Kayla pointed out.
"Marinik Longail?" asked Daralec.
"Yes!" exclaimed Kayla, "she keeps harassing me because I used to be a part of the empire."
"This isn't the Imperial Inquisition Kayla," said Daralec, "there are rules that must be followed, and one of those rules is not to openly kill your fellow knights."
Kayla raised a finger and opened her mouth to speak.
"That includes… Accidents," said Ersanan.
"Damn," muttered Kayla.
"But enough about your progress, tell me, where are you both off to?" asked Ersanan.
"Well, Kayla got finished watching me spar and now we're off to go grab a bite to eat," said Daralec.
"Ah, well you two enjoy yourselves," said Ersanan, "and remember Kayla, you have training tomorrow so try to get to bed at a reasonable hour."
"A reasonable hour? What am I, a child?" Kayla asked, sounding offended.
Ersanan wasn't having it, so he reached forward and grabbed Kayla by the nose.
"OW! OW! OW! OW! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Kayla cried out.
Ersanan let go and walked away.
"You know you had it coming," said Daralec.
"Shut up," Kayla whimpered as she rubbed her nose.
/\/\/\/\/\
The following day, Kayla went to the training room as instructed, but what she found was not what she expected.
"Master?" she asked, "where are the training droids?"
"There's no training droids today," said Ersanan, "today, you'll face a true duelist."
Ersanan drew and ignited his lightsaber. Kayla felt a chill go up her spine.
"Uh-oh," she murmured.
"Now my apprentice, show me what you've learned," he said, "and be warned, that I am not a droid… Do not expect me to go easy on you."
Kayla swallowed and drew her main hand lightsaber, ignited it in the process. Both master and apprentice assumed a ready stance and stared each other down.
"Let's see… Zabrak Revanite Master. Proficient in Form V. Lost his arm and now has a prosthetic replacement," thought Kayla, "this is not going to be a piece of cake at all…"
Kayla rushed Ersanan; but instead of jumping and delivering a thrust for his chest, she delivered three quick swings and locked blades with her master.
"Very good," he said.
Kayla was shoved back and Ersanan went for a swift blow to her neck, which Kayla parried.
"I see that's one nasty habit you managed to break," he said with amusement.
And with that brief exchange, the two of them began to trade blows with each other; Kayla buckled down and tanked up as best as she could as Ersanan came down on her with one heavy swing after another.
"Damn, he's strong," thought Kayla, "and what is it with Form V users fighting with one hand!?"
Ersanan went for a sweeping slash, followed by a second sweeping slash and a downward angle slash, forcing Kayla to side-step and evade via backflip and begin blocking his hits again, then they locked blades. Kayla gritted her teeth as she struggled.
"Screw it," she thought.
Thinking fast, she pulled her offhand lightsaber into her other hand and swung upward, breaking the lock, and knocking Ersanan off balance a bit as she delivered a twin strike to swat his lightsaber away. The Revanite Master smirked and stepped back as Kayla's lightsabers became a blur as she flourished them around herself, taking one step at a time as she approached her master.
"Displays of intimidation are powerful agents to the uninitiated," said Ersanan, "but I am initiated, child."
Ersanan went for a thrust and Kayla caught him in a blade lock to her left. Kayla and Ersanan began trading swings with each other again, a combination of precise power blows and swift flurries went flying back and forth as Kayla tried to keep up with the powerful Revanite. However, being a master, Ersanan was more than prepared for Kayla's dual-blade tactics.
Kayla performed a blade barricade to catch and parry Ersanan's overhead chop, then she lashed out with a burst of attacks, her blue blades battered against his silver blade as she attempted to break through his defenses again. With a powerful upward swing and a spinning twin strike, Ersanan's guard was broken.
"Your mine," thought Kayla.
She went for his neck, but something unbelievable happened; something that made Kayla's body go cold.
"H-H-H-He caught my blade!?" she thought.
Ersanan grinned. Kayla swung with her other lightsaber, but it was deflected, and Kayla took a kick to the chest.
"You got antsy," he said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," groaned Kayla.
Ersanan let out a battlecry as he unleashed another flurry of one-handed attacks with his lightsaber to put Kayla on the backfoot.
"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" she thought as she buckled down and tried to tank up again.
Another blade barricade, then a kick to send him stumbling back; Kayla jumped at Ersanan and attempted to impale him, but he performed a deflection parry and brought his leg up, connecting it with her gut and causing Kayla to double over and drop her lightsabers.
"Okay… That hurt," she groaned.
Kayla gasped and threw her hands up, seeing Master Ersanan's blade at her throat.
"Yield," he said.
Kayla swallowed.
"Okay… I yield," she said.
Ersanan made a face and bopped Kayla on the head.
"Ahh! Hey!" she sputtered.
"Revanites never yield to the enemy, child," he said firmly, "remember what I taught you, surrender is a fate far worse than death. If you can't keep up the fight, escape. If you can't escape, then go down fighting."
Kayla lowered her arms and lowered her head.
"Remember my apprentice, you are neither Jedi nor Sith," said Ersanan, "we know more things than either of them do. If you were to get captured, they would put you through all kinds of heinous, nightmarish forms of torture to extract every piece of information from you."
Kayla froze as she remembered what happened with Vaukel. If that's what the enemy would do to someone who fought alongside the Revanites, she didn't want to know what would happen if the roles were switched. Kayla pulled her lightsabers into her hands.
"…So, I'm guessing?" Kayla started to ask.
"I'm afraid you are not ready for the final trial, Kayla," said Ersanan.
He pat her head.
"That's enough for today," he said as he walked off.
Kayla watched her master leave. She let out a sigh and slowly left a minute after he did.