Chapter 5: Equipment
It had been a week since our night-long training. Classes were always the same. They always seemed to be cramming more and more stuff down our mouths. For reasons beyond me, Rolg completely enjoyed every second of it. The only reason I survived so far was because of the training Master Annon put us through was somewhat fun. I also did a lot of my own training too. I would usually wake up at 5:30 to go out and exercise to build and maintain my physique.
5:30AM-6:00: Running/jogging
6:00AM-6:30: Classical Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, all the -ups you could think of.
6:30AM-7:00: Get ready for class
I would always keep Buried Force activated. I had become quite skilled with controlling how much pressure I let out. I usually let just enough pressure to look like a slightly above-average force wielder. Unfortunately, for some reason, my Buried Force skill gained mastery extremely slowly. From constantly having it on since a week ago, it only moved up 10%... Rolg was having a similar problem with it too. But maybe that’s just how it was supposed to be though.
Training with Master Annon consisted mostly on a lot of fighting stances or forms, footwork, and a lot of wrist training.
---a few days ago---
One of Master’s teachings, “There are seven forms of lightsaber combat. You don’t have to learn all of them, but you be aware of each of their advantages and disadvantages. Of the seven forms, you will have to learn forms 1,3, and 4.”
“Form 1:Shii-Cho, is the basic of basics. This is the form that led to the creation of the rest of the 6 forms. Shii-Cho is best described as the most simplistic and raw. There isn’t much to say about it besides that it is a form that excels in engaging multiple opponents. It is random and unpredictable, yet simple and deliberate. The easiest to learn but one of the hardest to master.”
“Form 3: Soresu, is a purely a defensive form. This form came about to combat against blasters but is still effective against lightsabers too. Soresu makes use of constant minimal movement to provide the most amount of coverage to your body. Against lightsaber attacks, this form’s purpose is to wait for an opening or to outlast your opponent. They say true masters of this form are near invincible but lack offensive capabilities. Either way, it’s my favorite and best form.”
“Form 4: Ataru, has been called the aggression form. Ataru makes use of superior agility and dexterity to swiftly strike your opponent from multiple directions. This is a powerful form as it incorporates a lot more force assisted combat. Unfortunately, this form is one of the most physically taxing of all the forms. Use it wisely”
---end of flashback---
The past few days we were only doing physical workouts. We could have started practicing the three forms, but Master Annon said that it would be easier when we got our training sabers. Our master had told us that the shipment of training sabers were still on their way to the academy, but the good news was that they would be coming in today.
“Hmm...I think I want a blue one...wait…green is a nice color too”, Rolg was thinking about the color he wanted his lightsaber to be.
“Do they only have blue and green?”, I asked.
“I think so. It’s so stupid though. All the older padawans get to make their own lightsabers. I think blue and green are the most common, but if you can get your hands on a different color it’s all yours.”
“Well, you do have to respect upperclassmen. They have been here longer than the first years.”
We continued to chat about lightsabers and other jedi equipment when Master Annon finally came.
“Good news. I have your training sabers. He picked 2 out kid size lightsabers from the bag he was carrying. Now when I give this to you, walk ten steps away from me and each other. I don’t want you to poke someone’s eyes out. Also make sure you’re holding it upright… Pups I was talking to you.”
I looked at my saber. “Oh”, I said
“Pwahahaha! Stupid!” Rolg was on the ground crying his eyes out in laughter.
I lifted him up a foot of the ground and dropped him.
“You little --”, Rolg was cut off.
“Be quiet! And Pups, didn’t I tell you not to use the force?”, yelled Annon
“Sorry”, I replied, secretly smiling.
“Ok now you can turn it on.”
We both turned our new lightsabers on to find that they were yellow.
“Yellow? eww.” Rolg said
I nodded in agreement as well. I personally wanted blue.
“All trainees get yellow lightsabers. You will be able to create your own lightsaber when you are 12.” Annon said.
“That’s another 3 years!”
“Don’t worry time will fly by. But, as compensation I got you guys a gift!”
I wonder what it is, I thought
He took out two robes that looked like his except for the color.
“Trainee robes!”
The robes were the same color as the lightsabers and included a hood at the back. Rogl and I were excited because we didn’t get a lot of clothes while we lived at our village.
“Cool!” We said
“That’s not the only thing though.”He said, as he brought out a couple of bracelet-looking things. “Put these on your neck, wrists, and ankles.
We did as he asked and all of a sudden fell flat to the ground.
He smiled as he said, “These are gravity bands, they will increase the amount of gravity by 10% for now and more later on. I noticed that you two seemed to be taking thing too easy. This will make you seem even more average when compared to the other students, but will train you physically as well.”
“How is this fair?!” I said
“Yea. this isn’t right!”, Rolg added
“Oh the bands don’t feel right? I should have known 10% might have been too weak. Come here you two. I’ll make it feel better.”
“NO!” We immediately backed away
“On second thought, it’s completely fine”
“You sure? I don’t want it to be too easy”, Annon was smiling mischievously now.
“Yea we’re sure. Right Rolg?”
Rolg Nodded frantically, “Yep, no problem here”, he said
But it was a problem. 10% gravity might not be too bad, but we both had 5. It added up to an increase of 50% of gravity. It felt like standing was impossible.
“Ok then. Let me tell you about you training sabers.” He return to a serious manner. “Listen well. Your training sabers are modified to be less dangerous than traditional lightsabers. Everything will be the same except for the fact that the actual blade possesses a energy containment field that will give bruises and minor burns instead of incapacitate or cause death. You can adjust the length of the saber according to your needs with the knob thats near where the blade comes out of. The red button by your thumb will activate the blade and automatically keep it in active state until you press the button again. There is also a button by your index finger you can press to activate the blade if you want to control the blade manually.”
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After he taught us how to use a lightsaber properly, We started our exercises.
“Today we will start with 200 vertical strikes to build your strength and get used to your saber. Wielding a light saber can be disorienting for some. It isn’t like a stick or iron sword where you have weight from the weapon to assist in the fight. The blade of a lightsaber is pure energy and is therefore, weightless. Strike together and alternate the count. You may begin”
On his cue we started our training. At first it was I had to get used to moving the lightsaber. It felt to light in my hands that I would habitually move my hand closer and closer to the actual blade. Fortunately, Master Annon noticed and fixed it. I made sure to pay attention to where my hands were now. Other than that, I got used to swinging the lightsaber fairly quickly. Another problem was the gravity bands though. Once the count got to 100 I could feel my whole body trembling. I could also see Rolg’s body straining too.
“Hu! 198”, I counted
“Ha! 199”, Rolg said
“200!”, We said it together
“Mmhm.” Master Annon nodded in approval. “Take a break. We will move onto the next part in 15 minutes. I will be right back.” He headed towards the storage room.
I sat next to Rolg. “I think I’m going to die. Everything hurts.”, I said
“Don’t talk to me, Pups. I need to conserve my energy for part 2.”, Rolg said as he lied on the ground.
“Ha, okok”
For the next 15 minutes, I closed my eyes and started to meditate. during the week I had found out that meditation really helped when I was trying to get some rest. I sensed that Master Annon was coming back so I poked Rolg and stood up. Apparently he was asleep, because when I poked him all he did was snore.
Master Annon spoke, “Let him rest a bit. This next part is easier to teach when done separately. Put this on.” He handed me a blindfold and held up a small mechanical droid. “For this next part, you will have to deflect weak blaster shots from this droid. It will be hovering around you so you will never know where the next shot will come from. Take your stance.”
I put on the blindfold and held my saber in both of my hands. I was waiting for the shot when I felt a pressure towards my left. I quickly swung my guard in that direction only to have the blaster hit me on the right side.
“Huh?”, I was confused. I’m sure I felt something. Then I heard someone laugh hysterically.
“Rolg stop!”, Master Annon said. Well, Rolg woke up. He had deactivated his pressure for a split second to confuse me and it worked. I had sensed him instead of the blaster shot.
“Start again. Rolg if you do that again, I’ll raise the gravity bracelets another 10%.” Master Annon threatened.
The shot came right away. Although I knew the general area it was coming from, it was hard to pinpoint the location and I got hit.
“Good you are getting there. Instead of focusing on defending yourself, focus on your surroundings. You do not have to do it purely on instinct. Let the Force guide you.” Annon explained.
“Focus on my surroundings, let the force guide me”, I whispered to myself. After a few misses I had managed to deflect the blaster shots more often than not. Another 10 minutes I was hitting the shots with 100% accuracy.
“Well done, Pups! It took me a week to get to the point you're at right now, and I was at the top of my class.”
Rolg had a similar experience when it was his turn. When he was done, Master Annon dismissed us to our beds. There was still some time left until light’s were shut off. Rolg dove straight into bed. He started to snore instantly.
“Well I’m not gonna get any sleep with that noise.” I said. So I decided to work on my Force Abilities. I didn’t have much time to work on anything these days, since I was restricted from using the force. I was hesitant to use lightning because I saw the damage it could do, but I just had to learn to control it.
So I started to my personal training. I activated the skill onto my right hand. This time I was going to try and study it to try and understand it more. As I looked closer I could see sparks of energy repeating certain paths. It seemed as though the lightning was following trails of sweat that were on my hand. Finding this interesting, I quickly lined up some water to go across the table. When I applied Force Lightning, the energy stayed within the liquid only occasionally branching out in random directions.
“I mean that’s great, but it’s not like I will have a bucket of water with me everywhere I go.”, I said to myself. “What else can I do instead.”
After pondering a bit, I got an idea. I knew that there are particles of water in the air. Maybe I could manipulate them to create a path. I focused on the atmosphere. I concentrated as much vapor as I could, making an almost invisible pathway. I sent a bolt through the trail to find out that it worked surprisingly well. The next 30 minutes, I experimented to see how much vapor would be the most efficient, but I soon started to become tired. I climbed into bed with my acquired knowledge and closed my eyes.
Force Lightning beginner 6 (33%)
You can create a bolt of lightning that can seriously burn targets. Stun chance 5%
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*I’ll try to get more action scenes in here. But I kinda just want to focus on the training for now, because I know there will be plenty of time for fighting later on.
*Hope you don’t mind the short time lapse D:
*Got some comments on the level of OPness of the MC. I kinda like the competition/struggle, but any thoughts?
*Thanks for reading!