Star Wars: The Great Awakening (Book I)

Chapter 10 - Trial of Pain

"Breathe."

Taking smooth and calm inhalations and exhalations, Jolis slowly raised his head and opened his eyes to see the Master standing before him.

"The flow of air through your body is directly connected to how you flow from movement to movement. It will allow you to remain calm and centered in any storm."

The words were fitting given the deluge of rain which fell from the dark sky and soaked the ground and the tall grass around them both.

Despite this, Jolis' sole focus was on the Master. He watched, waiting with anticipation.

The Master, donned with a dark inner robe and outer cloak along with various pieces of armor on his shoulders, forearms, knees and shins, extended the vibrosword in his hand and pointed it at Jolis.

"On guard."

Jolis held his own vibrosword in front of him and came to a ready position.

As quickly as the water fell from the sky, the Master was on the attack.

Moving his feet, Jolis backpedaled but maintained his defensive posture.

A series of overhead strikes from the Master nearly knocked Jolis off balance but after the extensive training Jolis had now been through, he was able to parry the final strike and slip away.

"Good," replied the Master. "Again."

This time it was Jolis who went on the attack. Lunging forward, he extended his vibrosword in a quick thrust motion but the move was quickly batted away.

"You're still telegraphing your movements," said the Master, performing a flourish with his weapon.

Before the Master was settled, however, Jolis attacked again. This time with an overhead strike followed by a kick to the mid-section.

The Master blocked the overhead strike and spun to the left before Jolis' foot could make contact.

"Very good. Strike before your opponent is ready. There's no such thing as a fair fight. You are learning."

"Did you doubt me, Master?"

Before the final word could exit his lips, Jolis sprang upon the Master once again.

Slicing from the ground upwards, Jolis hoped to catch the Master off balanced as he followed his intial strike with a spinning attack to the Master's right side. Before Jolis could follow through with another, however, a single blow from the Master's left hand struck Jolis on the side of his head knocking him off balance.

Seizing the opportunity to strike, the Master followed through with a single hit to Jolis right arm using the flat end of the sword.

The vibrosword crackled with electrical current as it made contact with Jolis' bare skin. Screaming out in agony, Jolis collapsed to the ground in defeat.

Pacing before his fallen learner, the Master fixed his eyes on Jolis.

"I do not doubt your abilities, young Jolis, for they have grown considerably during your training. But you must not let arrogance find a foothold within you."

"I...I'm sorry, Master," Jolis said between gritted teeth.

Taking a few steps back, the Master extended his weapon towards Jolis once again.

"On guard."

Struggling to even stand, Jolis held up his hand in defeat.

"I c...I can't. I need a moment."

The Master's eyes—which normally had a white glow to them—suddenly began to burn with a furious intensity.

"Your opponent does not wait for you to be ready!"