A Facade's Deception (For Emerald_Phoenix)

[Archangel99]

They all wait, watching the passage. Almost an hour passes, everyone getting a little more nervous with each passing minute. Then, finally, to everyone's relief, the last human male stumbles out, falling to his knees. A yellow crystal rolls out from his fingers as he passes out on the floor, his face smacking into the floor. He hears Zar'roc mutter an "Ouch." behind him, before Master Kalidor runs to help the Padawan up. He easily tosses the young man over his shoulders before picking up the yellow crystal. "Come on, kids. Follow me." He says, walking back out and heading to the dropship. Once they're in the warm, climate controlled confines of the ship, he hands the human male off to a med droid before turning to face the others. "We shall wait for him to recover. Till that time, why don't you get yourselves acquainted?" He says, rubbing his forehead before following the med droid.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Tyroc was greatly relieved that the other was okay. He sits down on one of the seats, looking at the indigo crystal in his hand, trying not to dwell too much on his trial. He wondered what the colour meant, but didn't think about it too long. He slips it into a pocket, before looking up at the other two, drinking in their appearance before offering his hand for either of them to shake "Tyroc Juso. A pleasure to meet the both of you."

 

[Archangel99]

The zabrak is the first one to take his hand, almost crushing it in a strong grip. "The name's Zar'roc Thorne. You can just call me Roc. Even I think my own name is too bloody long." He says, grinning.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Tyroc chuckles, mirth dancing in his eyes before he lets go, offering the same hand to the female human "And you, miss?"

 

[Archangel99]

"Brenna Wilde." She says, smiling and shaking his hand.

"Soooo... What did you guys see?" Zar'roc asks.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

"I had to traverse a layer of thin ice. I did not see what was down below... but as it turns out-" He holds up the crystal, "-this was the source of the problem." He explains, detailing how he tried to go about solving the problem.

 

[Archangel99]

"I... Had to face my worst fear..." Brenna says, gulping.
"Which is...?" Zar'roc asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Crawling through a dark, narrow tunnel that steadily got smaller and smaller until I could barely breathe..." Brenna murmurs.
Hmm... That explained her state when she stumbled into the room... Zar'roc thinks.
"Well... I had to fight Malgus..." He mutters.
Brenna's head shoots up. "Malgus? THE Darth Malgus?" She asks, eyes wide.
"The one and only..." Roc mutters.
"How are you even-?"
"Alive? I have no idea... But he offered me power. Enough power to do whatever I wanted."
"Oh... Is that why your nose is bleeding?"
"Huh? My nose is-? Aw what the hell... I didn't even notice! Oh great... Now I got a frozen Blood moustache. This is so weird..." Roc mutters, and Brenna laughs, punching him in the side, which makes him yell in pain and twist away.
"Wait. Don't tell me your ribs are fractured too?" Brenna asks incredulously. "Apparently!" He groans, gingerly pressing the sore area. "Ah whatever... I'll just go to that rust bucket and ask him to patch me up..." He murmurs.
"That "Rust Bucket" you're talking about is a top-of-the-line med droid." Brenna says, a wry grin twisting at her mouth.
"Whatever. All droids are rust buckets!" He says, sticking his tongue out at her, which makes her roll her eyes.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Tyroc placed his palm over his face, sighing "Please, just please, do not make me the mediating parent in this situation. I would rather not be a babysitter anytime soon." He states, but he's grinning, clearly poking fun at the both of them. He leans back in his seat, looking at the both of them before standing "If you would like, I am willing to walk you there. Just as a precaution."

 

[Archangel99]

"You guys just sit your pretty butts down. I'll go and take care of it!" Roc says, grinning, before he walks out of the room.
Brenna sighs and sits next to Tyroc. "I swear. That guy's absolutely bat crap crazy..." She says, chuckling.

The moment he's out of the room, Roc's grin fades. Something... Something felt... Wrong... Inside him. Since he had come out of that cave, he had felt like there was something crucial he was missing... Something important... He looks down at the crystal in his hand. What was this strange feeling...? He had been taught not to ignore feelings like this. That they were premonitions of the Force trying to guide him. This was one of them, he supposed... He reaches the medical room and stops, taking a deep breath and relaxing himself before stepping inside.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Tyroc frowned when he left as well. Facing a Sith lord... it must have been an illusion, at least. But even then, that itself was terrifying. Did he have relations to the Sith? Was he tormented by them in the past?

He shakes his head, banishing those thoughts out of his mind, before facing Brenna and getting to know her, just idly chatting about various things to pass the time.

 

[Archangel99]

"So Tyroc. How did they find you?" Brenna asks, leaning back a bit to settle into the seat more comfortably.

Roc walks into the med room. The place is spic and span, hardly a speck of dust on the sterile surfaces. The room is a sanitary white that almost hurt his eyes, complete with two bacta tanks, and a row of beds, one upon which was lying the form of the human male. What was his name? Porridge? Porun? Ah! Pouran. What a strange name.... The medical droid is bending over him, taking his temperature, blood samples, and generally just doing things a medical droid did. Master Kalidor, seated next to Pouran, looks up at Roc as he enters. "Finally noticed your injuries, eh?" He says, chuckling.
"Yeah..." Roc mutters, moving to the medical droid. "2-1B, I require medical assistance. A bleeding nose, and fractured ribs." He says. "Please take a seat, sir. I shall be with you shortly." The droid says, motioning to one of the beds. Roc nods and sits on the bed.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

"I found the potential for the Force by myself. Back home, there was this clearing in the forest I went to at least 4 times a week. I loved it there, it was so beautiful and peaceful. One day, a wild animal was there, and it was nearly about to be crushed by a rotten tree. I ran towards it, hoping against hope that I could save it... and when I opened my eyes, my arm was out and I was holding the animal in the air. I was so shocked, but so relieved at the same time. I started going even more, trying to test my limits and see how I could use this new power. Then... instead of bending it to my will... I let myself flow in its stream." His eyes lit up, as if there were stars in them "It was so beautiful... everything felt so alive, so connected and free. I felt like I had found my own paradise. But I pulled myself back, because I knew if I enjoyed it for too long, I would grow bored. But... I couldn't do it again. No matter how many times I tried."

 

[Archangel99]

Brenna listens with rapt attention. "Yeah... It's only after the Jedis come along, we kinda lose that feeling we have... But on the other hand, we get to save the galaxy!" She says, holding her thumbs up and grinning.

After a while, the medical droid moves over to Roc, before slowly pulling his shirt off to expose his skin. His yellow skin is stained a dark purple where his ribs are fractured. The droid just hums and takes a kolto pack, carefully placing it on the bruised area before sealing it there with adhesive medical tape. Roc winces as he feels the cold stuff on his bare skin, hissing with a bit of pain as the droid tapes it there. He rolls his neck and lies back on the bed before the droid reappears, gently swabbing away the blood below his nose with a wet boll of cotton. "Get some rest, sir. Your wound will be healed in a few days." The droid says.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

The Cathar nods, but he doesn't look as excited. Yes, he was the kind of person to help if they needed it, but one thing he wouldn't like was all the faith and trust placed in them. He shivers slightly, rubbing his arm. He was humble, and while a few compliments on his skills and performance were nice, having an entire crowd cheer and applaud made him... uncomfortable.

 

[Archangel99]

"So... Tell me a bit more about yourself." Brenna says.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

"Well, I like to think of myself as a studious individual, always willing to test and experiment. Though I am humble, and well uh... rather easily flustered." He admits, blushing slightly before shaking his head "But regardless, I try to be a good friend, and a good listener."

 

[Archangel99]

"Aw that's nice! I, as my master says, am a curious little bugger. Always snooping around. In a way, it's good too. I like being outgoing, meeting new people and stuff, and generally just being nice to everyone. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside." She says, smiling.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

"Well, you do present yourself as a welcome ray of sunshine." Tyroc comments, chuckling softly. Normally, he would only be giving short answers, but... he felt comfortable around these people. Like he could trust them somewhat. And he relished that feeling. It, too, gave him a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

[Archangel99]

"Mm... Alright. I'm going to go to my room to get some rest. Come by and wake me up in... Whenever the other two get back." She says, shrugging and walking out, leaving him alone.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Tyroc nods, then just calmly sits and looks at his crystal. After a moment, he moves onto the floor, crossing his legs with the crystal in front of him. He breathes in deeply, then exhales, before tuning in with the strands of the Force. He makes the crystal levitate, gently probing it mentally, trying to piece together why he was drawn to it, and how it might affect him. He couldn't get glimpses of the future, but he could come up with a multitude of scenarios on how things could go based on information.

 

[Archangel99]

As with all lightsaber crystals, this, in a way, was somewhat of a reflection of his own personality. For some reason, it reminded him of his past, his memories as a child, a teen, and now an adult. However, his future... Was unclear, to say the least.

Zar'roc jerks awake, unaware that he had fallen asleep. Then, he sits up slowly and turns to look around the room. He sees Master Kalidor and Pouran conversing, with Pouran nodding and replying. When Kalidor sees Roc wake, he nods to him. "Fell asleep right there. I guess you were exhausted, huh?" He says. "Yeah. Yeah I was..." Roc mutters, stretching and standing up. His ribs already felt less painful, and he could move more easily.
"Come now. We must move on to the next trial. A trial of purely the mind. Don't worry, though. It shall be conducted in this very ship!" Kalidor says, getting up and walking to the room where Tyroc and Brenna were. He walks in and sees Tyroc in the floor, with Brenna missing. "Tyroc. Where is Brenna?" He asks, walking into the room.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Tyroc opens an eye, looking at them as the crystal floats into his hand, before he stands and walks over to the door, knocking on it "Brenna, they're awake and here!" He calls, before looking back at them "She will be out in a minute. She wanted to rest."

 

[Archangel99]

Kalidor nods, and within a few minutes, Brenna is out, her hair ruffled from sleep.
"Very well. Now that you are all here, it's time to tell you about the next test. You will be given a weapon called an Evoker. Each Evoker is the same, but not every person gets the ability to summon the same creature." From his coat, Kalidor pulls out four large boxes, and lays each in front of them. "Go ahead. Open it." He says.

[You're gonna have to take care of this. ]

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

[[You got it.]]

Tyroc opens the box, slowly drawing out a pistol. He frowns, examining it slightly "How do we summon it?"
"Ah, that is the tricky part. Now, for this, you do not HAVE to accept this. But... in order to accomplish this test, you must aim the Evoker at your temple and pull the trigger." Master Kalidor explains, making the students's eyes widen in shock.
"WHAT!?"
"That's crazy!"
Pouran immediately shies away from the box, shaking his head in fear. Tyroc however, was still holding his Evoker. He was looking at it, not probing it with the Force, just looking at it.

 

[Archangel99]

"I suppose this is another test of our faith?" Roc asks, looking calmly at Kalidor, who nods.
"Very well then. Nothing to do about it." He says, pressing the gun to his temple. He mutters a soft "Boom." Before he pulls the trigger.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

A loud gunshot, followed by the sound of glass shattering echoed out, as a great power surged through Roc's body, before a powerful voice booms out.
"I am thou..."
Blue energy began swarming and circling up, something's feet appearing above the student's head.
"Thou art me..."
The form was covered in blue skin, as tribal clothing appeared on its humanoid form, along with four arms holding a spear, sword, and bracelet extending out.
"I am Shiva the Destroyer... and you shall decide whether your existence is worth your purpose."
Green eyes glare down at Roc, as Shiva hovers there, before he disappears. It's impossible not to collapse from such a feeling, and in the next moment, the Jedi finds himself on his knees.

 

[Archangel99]

[I'm going to sleep. I'm like... This close to passing out. [|] ]

His eyes fly open. The first words out of his mouth are: "Who the hell is Shiva?"

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

"A god of destruction from an ancient religion." Tyroc assumes, as Master Kalidor narrows his eyes slightly.
"Yes... anyway, who is next?"
Tyroc doesn't answer. Instead, he calmly aims his Evoker at his own head, pulling the trigger. The same sound echoes, but a different figure appears.
"I am thou..."
Fair skinned legs form, golden anklets attached.
"Thou art me..."
A colourful suit with gold trimmings formed, the kilt segmented, with a belt adorned with red jewels around its waist.
"Hear the word of Hanuman, son of Vayu, shapeshifter and leader of armies!"
The summoned being was like that of a monkey, male, with a long white tail. His eyes were a lime green colour, glowing with power, a helmet upon his head, scimitar in hand. He fades away, Tyroc gasping for breath as he holds himself steady.

 

[Archangel99]

"Well? Who did you get?" Roc asks, looking at him, still panting.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

"Hanuman... a shapeshifting god." Tyroc replies, walking over to Roc and helping him stand.
Their master nods, appearing to smile at the development, before looking at Brenna, who was hesitating, but still looking at the box.
"Again, you do not have to take the test."