Kresal Malis
Member
Kresal awoke in the strange, cold dormitory of the Korriban Academy, the smell of sweat and people permeated his nose, causing him to gag just slightly as he turned in his own uncomfortable bed. There was a part of the giant pureblood that was almost excited at the prospect of staying in these rat like accommodations.
As he sat there, a thin blanket the only thing between him and the unforgiving air that exuded from this dark academy... he still couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to catch even an instance of anything proper. And he could tell that the others were feeling the same... a young Rodian was pretending to sleep, not even five feet away.
--KLANG!!!!--
As he was caught up in his own thoughts, he was ripped back to reality as an alarm blared its way through his head and he heard the dormitory rooms shoot open. In an instant, he was on his feet. Three armoured individuals entered. Kresal had recognised their armor. Imperial Troopers dedicated to protecting these ancient halls. And while he had met Imperial Service members before... he had realised very quickly that you needed to be of a certain mentality to serve here.
When the lights shut on, a harsh red glow bared its way through the room. He could only stare ahead at the young boy in front of him. He could only have been about sixteen. He barely had hairs on his chin. Something about looking at the fear in his eyes seemed to have taken him over... but the way that he was looking at Kresal. He knew that look... it was one that he had given to his father during their training... pure, unfettered determination.
Their overseer stepped past the guards, Kresal could not hide his annoyance as that nasal, high pitched voice echoed throughout the room.
"Ten of you have entered the academy today. Five of you will leave this room and receive your first... well. I won't call them blades. But they will serve as your best weapon against what comes next."
Kresal could feel it in the air, even as an untrained Acolyte. The air had shifted and whatever possible friendship was gone.
"Well...? Get to it."
The lights turned from a dark red to a harsh white almost instantly, and Kresal watched in surprise as the Acolytes jumped at eachother, in the corner of his eyes, he watched as three of the humans jumped the young Rodian, tearing him to pieces almost instantly. It was shocking enough to knock him off guard as the young boy he had been watching earlier jumped at him. He was nowhere near Kresals size, and when he felt his fist swing for his chin.
He did not step backwards, and instead stepped forwards into the strike, allowing his fist to -SMASH- into his cheek, but he did not rock backwards, he did not falter. Instead, he drank in the pain... he absorbed the feeling of hatred this small person had attempted to make him submit to... but it just wasn't enough.
And he could see it in his eyes. The fear that he expected, a moment of hesitation that betrayed everything and helped Kresal realise something...
Sometimes, willpower alone wasn't enough.
The boy tried to back away, he did. He jumped backwards, and some desperate echo of the force rippled through the air as Kresal stumbled every so slightly. But it wasn't enough as the lumbering pureblood lunged forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, yanking him by the shoulder, turning him around before wrapping his hands around his neck...
he was so small... so fragile... Kresal could feel it. His fingers digging into the sides of his own shoulders. The look of pure... unadulterated panic in his eyes... He could feel the other acolyte looking for anything... a way out. His feet kicking uselessly against his torso. He could feel himself drowning in what came next... He could feel the force in those moments... purer than he had ever felt before. Almost egging him onwards down this path he could never return from...
His grip loosened... if only slightly as he felt the force surge through him... and then... he pressed down, the force pushing his strength far beyond anything he had experienced before. That's when he felt it, amidst the desperation. A sound that he felt like he would remember for the rest of his life.
*Crack*
He felt the kicks slow... the resistance falter and instead was left with the corpse of the young human who had tried to strike him... There was no sense of triumph, just the empty feeling of the force roiling through him. He tossed the body down to the ground and stared at the Overseer, he rumbled over before taking a knee amongst the other four survivors... he was ready for the next task.
As he sat there, a thin blanket the only thing between him and the unforgiving air that exuded from this dark academy... he still couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to catch even an instance of anything proper. And he could tell that the others were feeling the same... a young Rodian was pretending to sleep, not even five feet away.
--KLANG!!!!--
As he was caught up in his own thoughts, he was ripped back to reality as an alarm blared its way through his head and he heard the dormitory rooms shoot open. In an instant, he was on his feet. Three armoured individuals entered. Kresal had recognised their armor. Imperial Troopers dedicated to protecting these ancient halls. And while he had met Imperial Service members before... he had realised very quickly that you needed to be of a certain mentality to serve here.
When the lights shut on, a harsh red glow bared its way through the room. He could only stare ahead at the young boy in front of him. He could only have been about sixteen. He barely had hairs on his chin. Something about looking at the fear in his eyes seemed to have taken him over... but the way that he was looking at Kresal. He knew that look... it was one that he had given to his father during their training... pure, unfettered determination.
Their overseer stepped past the guards, Kresal could not hide his annoyance as that nasal, high pitched voice echoed throughout the room.
"Ten of you have entered the academy today. Five of you will leave this room and receive your first... well. I won't call them blades. But they will serve as your best weapon against what comes next."
Kresal could feel it in the air, even as an untrained Acolyte. The air had shifted and whatever possible friendship was gone.
"Well...? Get to it."
The lights turned from a dark red to a harsh white almost instantly, and Kresal watched in surprise as the Acolytes jumped at eachother, in the corner of his eyes, he watched as three of the humans jumped the young Rodian, tearing him to pieces almost instantly. It was shocking enough to knock him off guard as the young boy he had been watching earlier jumped at him. He was nowhere near Kresals size, and when he felt his fist swing for his chin.
He did not step backwards, and instead stepped forwards into the strike, allowing his fist to -SMASH- into his cheek, but he did not rock backwards, he did not falter. Instead, he drank in the pain... he absorbed the feeling of hatred this small person had attempted to make him submit to... but it just wasn't enough.
And he could see it in his eyes. The fear that he expected, a moment of hesitation that betrayed everything and helped Kresal realise something...
Sometimes, willpower alone wasn't enough.
The boy tried to back away, he did. He jumped backwards, and some desperate echo of the force rippled through the air as Kresal stumbled every so slightly. But it wasn't enough as the lumbering pureblood lunged forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, yanking him by the shoulder, turning him around before wrapping his hands around his neck...
he was so small... so fragile... Kresal could feel it. His fingers digging into the sides of his own shoulders. The look of pure... unadulterated panic in his eyes... He could feel the other acolyte looking for anything... a way out. His feet kicking uselessly against his torso. He could feel himself drowning in what came next... He could feel the force in those moments... purer than he had ever felt before. Almost egging him onwards down this path he could never return from...
His grip loosened... if only slightly as he felt the force surge through him... and then... he pressed down, the force pushing his strength far beyond anything he had experienced before. That's when he felt it, amidst the desperation. A sound that he felt like he would remember for the rest of his life.
*Crack*
He felt the kicks slow... the resistance falter and instead was left with the corpse of the young human who had tried to strike him... There was no sense of triumph, just the empty feeling of the force roiling through him. He tossed the body down to the ground and stared at the Overseer, he rumbled over before taking a knee amongst the other four survivors... he was ready for the next task.