A/N: Shout out to Wraith for PRing the chp! Once again please leave comments and reviews on what you think of the story! Well then without further ado enjoy the chapter!
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The spacecraft’s design was unique. From end to end the ship was one hundred yards long and four stories tall. The ship’s midsection was circular with the inside being empty. Inside the circle were four short ends that were evenly spaced out and pointed toward the center. The midsection then tapered forward, forming two long points that formed a path. On both sides were three guillotine shaped edges.
Toward the back of the midsection, the tear shaped pilot cockpit protruded out. On each other side of the cockpit, two sharp needle like points extended out on either side of the back of the cockpit and extended past it, forming an M pattern. As Jung looked at the ship as a whole, it reminded him of a needle.
“*whistles* That’s quite the unique design, Tas’Zul. Is there a reason it was built this way?”
’The Rifter was specifically built to travel through the Void.’
“Woah woah woah, the Void? You mean that dark mythical place that is supposed to be just on the other side of our dimension?”
Jung couldn’t believe that Tas’Zul actually said the Void. Back when he was a child, all the geeks used to talk about was this mysterious dimension with dark creatures and strange types of energy called the Void. Many researchers have attempted to discover whether the Void was real or not but so far no progress has been made. He had always assumed that the Void was something like a conspiracy theory. To hear Tas’Zul, an intelligent life form who has lived over three hundred years say it so nonchalantly was a shock.
’I see. So humans have yet to discover the Void? Well, I guess it isn’t too surprising as you all didn’t know about Psionic energy. Before that though, why don’t we go into the spacecraft and not stand here like prey for the Zvirek?’
“…Have I mentioned how I hate that sarcastic side of yours?”
As Jung moved forward, a hatch underneath the cockpit opened and lowered to become a ramp. Once he walked up the ramp and into the ship, the hatch closed itself. The inside of the cockpit was spacious. There was only one pilot chair in the front with a board of switches that were marked with an alien language that he couldn’t decipher. Behind the pilot chair, there were another four chairs, most likely for passengers. In the back, there was a bed along with some drawers and a chest like object.
“I’ve flown spacecraft before, but this is a whole new level. How do you fly this thing?”
’Don’t worry, when it’s time for us to depart, I will impart the knowledge to you.’
Jung reflexively rolled his eyes at Tas’Zul’s comment.
“How nice, I have a living manual in my head. Anyways, tell me about the Void.”
’The Void is just like one side of a double edged blade. If you say our dimension is day, then the Void is night. If our dimension is order, the Void is chaos. The Void is a dark dimension that is filled with a unique energy that we Templars call Void energy.
‘As you gain further mastery over Psionic energy, we will begin to delve into harnessing Void energy. Through its manipulation, we Templars are able to travel through the void a short distance. It is similar to what you humans would consider a teleport. The Xena’ga calls it ‘Blink’.
‘One can also travel a much greater distance through the void than you could during the same time period while in our dimension. The problem is that no navigation systems work in the Void so it’s best if one doesn’t travel too far in it. We have learned that switching between regular travel and Void travel for only a short amount of time is the best method. The Rifter was specifically built with Void travel in mind and actually has a system built-in to gather and fire off void energy as its armament.
‘Also, the void energy is able to be manipulated into the shape of an energy blade. The strength output is around four times that of a blade created from Psionic energy, but as you would expect, there are consequences. The energy consumption rate is five times more so it can only be used for short durations. I suggest that you don’t use it except in emergency situations.’
Jung’s facial muscles contracted at the difficult explanation.
“…That sounds complicated. Well I’ll worry about it when we begin that training. For now, let’s get that stuff you were talking about.”
’Stand in front of the chest. When you are there, I am going to have to send my Psionic energy to unlock it.’
“I was curious about this, but does every being have a different Psionic energy frequency or reading? You unlocked the ship the same way also.”
'You are correct. Every being’s Psionic energy has a specific reading to them. When we travel, we will switch all the security to identify your readings so you may have ownership as well.’
“Ho, so basically like a fingerprint eh…”
As they spoke, Jung reached the chest. While he stood in front of it, Tas’Zul sent Psionic energy toward the chest. After a few moments, Jung heard a click sound as the chest unlocked and the cover rose.
Inside the chest there were cloaks, cloth turtlenecks, and three identical gears that were oddly shaped. At the bottom, there were a dozen crystals that let off blue and black light.
“So these are the things we came for, right?”
’Indeed they are. Let us head back to the cave and I will explain.’
“Sounds good to me.”
Except for a brief pause after he got off the ship to conceal it once more, Jung didn’t stop as he ran back to the entrance while on guard. He carried his rifle at the low ready during the entire jog. Even though it seemed as if he was alone, a Zvirek or native animal could jump out at any time. In a little less than twenty minutes, they arrived back at the entrance and he finally relaxed a little.
Once they returned to their cave, Jung sat down and began laying all the equipment he had retrieved from the Rifter on the floor. He inspected the cloak and turtleneck first, but they didn’t seem like they were special, just matte black and loose so that they wouldn’t restrict movement.
The gears were more interesting. They were dull gray in color and built in the mold of a large bracelet. On one side, the metal protruded upward and had a tiny slit in the middle of it.
There were also six black crystals and six blue crystals. Each gave off a slight glow around their surrounding area. Jung couldn’t tell just from sight what their use was.
’Those clothes are the standard clothing for the Templars. Depending on how much Psionic energy you pour into them, they will become sturdier, even enough to deal with the claws of the Zvirek. Don’t put too much faith into them however, they are still capable of being torn.
‘The Qen’Su is where our blades come from.’ Tas’Zul said while sending an image of the strange gears. ‘You pour Psionic energy into them and it automatically shapes the energy into a blade. Put it on your dominant arm. I am going to release the Qen’Su from my readings so that you may bind with it.’[/i.]
Just as Tas’Zul instructed, Jung picked up the Qen’Su and put it around his right forearm. The gray gear was, contrary to it’s appearance, very light, but it was too large and didn’t fit well.
[i]’Don’t worry whether it fits you or not child. Just gather some of the Psionic energy and pour it into the Qen’Su.
Even though he was dubious, Jung did as he was told and gathered the surrounding Psionic energy and poured it into the Qen’Su. To his surprise, it contracted and formed around his arm. Once it was complete, the Qen’Su fit snugly on his right arm and was almost weightless.
’Good. The Qen’Su will now only react to your Psionic and void energy reading. Even if someone tried, no one would be able to use it except you. Now once more pour Psionic energy into it. Make sure to point your arm to an open area before you do so.’
“You Xena’ga sure do love your security huh? I have to admit it is convenient though.”
Jung had noticed it back on the Rifter, but it really did seem like the Xena’ga put much care into making sure that no one else could use their technology. The majority of their gear was all locked by Psionic energy reading which was convenient while also being very secure as no other being would be able to recreate it.
’Of course. We do not want other races studying and stealing our technology after all.’
Jung couldn’t say anything to that. Even humans were like that and guarded their technology very diligently. After he nodded his head, he aimed his right arm toward an empty space and poured Psionic energy into the Qen’Su.
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As the Psionic energy poured in, a light blue colored beam of light began to pour out of the slit and formed into a blade. The energy blade was around one foot in length and six inches in width. While he was inspecting the blade though, it suddenly withdrew and disappeared.
“Eh? Why did it disappear?”
’Here is another lesson child. You have to constantly supply Psionic energy to the Qen’Su. If the supply is disrupted, then the Psionic blade will disappear. You were so engrossed in examining it that you forgot to supply more Psionic energy to it, thus the Psionic blade disappeared.’
“Haha damn, I feel like an idiot now.”
’It’s to be expected for someone using it for the first time. We will now go over the stones. They are energy storage stones. These are for emergency situations when you cannot gather enough Psionic or Void energy. They are also used as emergency fuel if your spacecraft runs out of energy.’
“Ho… these are quite useful to have aren’t they?”
’Indeed they are. Well then, it is getting late. Let us switch over the ownership of the clothing to you. Starting tomorrow, we will begin your training.’
Jung nodded his head and completed the ownership transfer for the clothing. As he laid down to sleep, he went over the information he was taught. He had learned a lot today and had much to contemplate.
Right before he lost consciousness and went to sleep, he thought of his love Beth. He worried nightly over her mental state as everyone would assume that he was dead. He was thankful that she had chosen to become a Navy officer instead of an infantry officer like him. At least she would be safer in a battlecruiser. Well as safe as one could be during a time of war in the military.
Even though all he wanted to do was to go meet her and tell her he was alright, it would be pointless if he stayed as a grunt with no power at all. At least he would grow stronger as he trained. Once again, he swore to himself that he would become a Templar and then return to Beth’s side. He felt bad for Tas’Zul, but he would choose her over the Xena’ga every time. With those final thoughts, fatigue took over his mind, and he finally went to the world of dreams.
The next day, Jung stood in the middle of the cave while he waited for Tas’Zul’s instructions. He wore his old clothing instead of the gear they brought from the Rifter. There would be more than enough time to train with it later.
’Let us begin. Qam’Put is a martial art that relies on maneuverability and stealth. As I stated before, push, pull, blink, and stealth will be essential. Qam’Put relies on positioning as you aim for lethal strikes.
‘You must train your body so that you are in position to kill immediately after moving. You will also learn to immobilize your enemy. Even though the psionic blades are deadly, there will be times when you encounter a foe that it is ineffective against. Immobilizing your opponent will assist you in either attacking them or fleeing.
‘Starting from today, we will train Psionic manipulation during the morning and use the afternoon for combat training. First, we will focus on pull and push. Once you have grown accustomed to the movement, we will then move onto attacking. Begin by choosing a place on the cavern walls that protrudes out and attempt to pull it.’
Just as Tas’Zul instructed, Jung began to search for an area that protruded out the wall. Once he found one, he once again gathered the psionic energy within the area into the shape of a hand. After his ‘hand’ grabbed the stone, he pulled.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the feeling of flying forward surprised him. As he quickly drew closer to the wall, he panicked slightly and as he moved his limbs, he lost his body’s balance and tumbled onto the ground. After a few forward rolls, his body lost momentum and he laid on his back as he stared at the ground.
“Well then, that went well.”
’Do not worry over it. It’s a mistake everyone makes their first time.’
Tas’Zul’s words made Jung squnt his eyes in suspicion.
“…You didn’t tell me because you thought it’d be funny didn’t you?”
’No I didn’t say anything because I thought it would be boring. Well, I will admit I didn’t not find it amusing.’
“…I really hate that sarcasm of yours,”
’That’s enough rest. Continue to practice.’
With a sigh, Jung stood up. As he scrunched his face in determination, he once again looked for a new rock that protruded from a wall.
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It took him two months but Jung finally got used to quick bursts of movement with the use of push and pull. Determining how much force to use to pull or push hadn’t been that difficult, but it took weeks for him to get comfortable with controlling his balance and center of gravity.
Even though he couldn’t say he was skilled at it yet, he could say he was proficient at the very least. He could use push or pull three consecutive times to move between locations in a quick manner before he exhausted himself. It didn’t take him very long to get used to attacking as soon as he landed before once again moving away. He served in the military and learned army combatives, after all.
’Not bad, child. You have at least become able to use quick travel in training. Now let us go into the actual close combat training.’
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The combat training portion took a much longer time to complete. Jung had learned martial arts from a young age and had also done well in military combatives, but Qam’Put’s very nature was different. Instead of forcing the opponent onto the ground and restraining them, Qam’Put relied on using speed and accuracy as they aimed to hit specific locations with psionic energy that immobilized a body part.
He had heard that hundreds of years ago, there used to be some martial arts that attacked similarly, but it died out and most people didn’t know the specifics anymore. What was useful about psionic energy was that it could travel through armor and energy fields. Even though there wasn’t much actual damage, it was very effective.
It took Jung a year and a half to become proficient. There were hundreds of spots that were only centimeters wide on a Xena’Ga’s body alone. After Tas’Zul scanned through his body, he also found a hundred on the human body as well. Just the memorization took multiple months.
Even though it wasn’t difficult to form the psionic energy into needles, hitting a tiny, moving area with them was a different story. If he was off by the smallest margin, the attack would be ineffective. It took him a year and two months of training to be able to hit just twenty points in a Xena’Ga or human. After he had reached that point, Tas’Zul was satisfied.
’You’ve made remarkable progress, child. For you to reach this far in a little less than two years is truly praiseworthy. Best part, you don’t resemble a child anymore either.’
Jung’s looks had dramatically changed. His buzzed hair had grown and now reached down to the bottom of his chin. A black moustache and beard partly covered his face as well. The edges for both were uneven and rough though as Jung could only use his military issued knife to saw them off.
His body also went through a transformation. The sturdy thick muscles that Jung used to have were slimmed down and were now lean. Even though he felt a little regret to see the muscles he trained so hard become thin, he knew it was necessary. It was too difficult to move agilely with his original body type. It was much simpler with a lean body. It was easier to move at a moment’s notice and could reach the vital point on an enemy.
’Now that you’ve become proficient with all the basic techniques of psionic energy, I believe it is time to progress to the next phase.?’
“Haa… finally. I was getting tired of just doing physical training.”
The constant memorization and repetition during practice took a toll on him. Even though he still trained in psionic manipulation while also practicing push and pull, it started to become repetitive to him. He needed something new to do. When he heard what the next phase was, his eyes instantly brightened up as he was very curious about the topic.
’The next phase for the path of Ein’Zul is the study of the Void.’