The days it took to finally be free from his newest prison felt like they took too long. Bril was sincere saying it was possible to make things right again. But he simply couldn’t see how it was possible being idle. Push-ups and pull-ups were entertaining for only so long. His tether to the Force had waned and perhaps for good reason. The dread of loneliness and idleness finally subsided when Bril gave him the okay that he was in the clear to leave.
With the young Doctor’s assistance, he was able to find an honest job as a droid mechanic and a studio apartment in Estle’s lower wards. His profile was still low and he worked to better himself daily.
If there were any remnants of the Gilded Hand, they were no longer in force and Aurelius… the man seemed to have fallen off the face of the galaxy. No one could track him down. Which, for most was a relief. But for Sebastian, it struck fear into his heart. If he was ever going to stand a chance against the powerful user, he was going to have to get back in touch with the Force. The first person that came to his mind was Bril.
The younger of the two had proven to be wise beyond his years and more reliable than anyone in Seb’s life. So, he did the sensible thing and reached out to Arga, seeing if they could meet up at a local gym. While waiting, he took a meditative stance and did his best to reach out to the Force, accessing his ability to conceal.
As Sebastian focused on reaching into the wellspring of the Force, Bril Teg Erinos did the same. The flickering flames of living souls present in the gym typically would have resembled smoldering embers compared to Sebastian - a proper Force user – but this time, it took him a bit longer to feel his protege’s heat radiating throughout the void.
Stepping into the room where he was sitting, Bril remained quiet, folding his arms across his chest while waiting for him to finish.
The human’s focus waned as he felt his grip on the power escape. A frustrated sigh left his chest as his concealment failed, eyes opening to see the veteran Force user standing in the gym.
“Hey, man,” he greeted politely, rising to his feet. “Thanks for comin’… sorry that I’m botherin’ you with this. I just… feel weak.”
Bril shook his head. “Helping friends is never a bother., Sebastian,” he stated reassuringly, “But what has you feeling like this? Based on what I just witnessed, you’re already proficient in the Art of the Small – especially for someone lacking formal training in the ways of the Force.”
Of course, he was relieved to hear that it wasn’t a bother. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he owed Bril.
“I… dunno. It’s just… I feel weak. And…” Sebastian shook his head, dark brows furrowing, hand turning into a fist. “He’s still out there, man. Pretty sure he did somethin’ but I can feel ‘im. Sure he can feel me too.”
Bril crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded. “Yeah, I understand,” he concurred, “You want to make sure he can’t hurt you and yours. Good. You can use that to keep you motivated.”
Stepping over to the lockers to their right, Bril placed some of his belongings in it. Then, he removed his chestnut waist belt bearing the insignia of Clan Arcona, followed by the maroon tunic, and the black tunic beneath it. This revealed that the tattoos beginning on his face ran down across his upper arms and chest, but the lower half of his torso and all of his back was bare. Also of note was the long scar that stretched horizontally across his lower stomach.
“Training with me isn’t exactly easy, nor should it be if you really want to keep yourself alive should Aurelius come looking for you.”
The young man was silent as he studied Bril’s form, one that was much more defined and chiseled than his own. By the luck of genetics, Sebastian was lean, but slender. With months of inactivity and a poor appetite in prison, he didn’t fill out his form as much as he could have.
Though he bore scars of his own, none looked quite as serious as the one that adorned Bril’s lower abdomen. Whoever or whatever had done that to him was something he had no desire to encounter himself.
Sebastian nodded sagely at Bril’s admonishment. “I understand. How do we start?”
“The first thing I want you to do is hit me,” Bril said while stepping forward. “It doesn’t matter where, so long as you do it as hard as you can. Use the Force if you have to.”
Sebastian wasn’t known for his strength but thankfully, Aurelius’ technique in the Force taught him how to propel his hits.
Creating some distance between them, he nodded once at Bril before he squared off into a fighter’s position, assuming the stance of someone not well-trained. The human inhaled deeply, channeled the Force before charging at the Zabrak with a force-charged kick to the chest.
Bril watched quietly as Sebastian prepared himself. The Force always flowed through every living thing, but just a moment’s concentration caused it to transform – at least in that instance – from a gentle breeze to powerful gust. And all that new energy flowed down into Sebastian’s foot before exploding outward into a kick that surely would have floored most people. But Bril stood his ground, though, not without sliding back a few inches from the force of the blow. Despite this, though, he didn’t react. Had he felt any pain at all?
Nodding his head, Bril took a slight step backward to put some distance between them. “Good. Now, I want you to try to do that again.”
Sebastian nodded in compliance with his friend and mentor. As Bril had said, it wasn’t going to be easy. Once more, he put distance between the two of them to ensure that he could hit the Zabrak hard and fast enough.
Closing his eyes he tapped into the Force again, the energy washing over him like a gust of wind. Opening his eyes, he advanced swiftly towards Bril, using his momentum to knee him in his abdomen, followed by a few punches, aimed at the same area in quick succession.
As Sebastian advanced, Bril fell into his fighting stance. Each punch Sebastian threw was met with a block from the taller man, his movements flowing seamlessly from blocks to parries as his footwork led them in a half circle away from Sebastian’s power hand. An unwavering calm radiated from the man known as the Virtuous Blade in waves as he weathered the storm of his companion’s attack.
“Not bad, but your attacks are still choppy. It makes it easier to intercept them,” said Bril.
After witnessing each of his hits being blocked by Bril so effortlessly, Sebastian was discouraged. Logically, he knew there was no reason to be—after all, Bril was far more skilled and experienced than he was—but he couldn’t shake the weight of how far he had to climb before he was a somewhat successful fighter.
A few moments drifted by while he gathered himself and caught his breath. “It’s not gonna work,” he whispered under his breath, closing his eyes. Aurelius was too strong. It would take Seb a decade to even get close to the criminal.
Bril’s lips pulled into a frown, and he placed one hand on his hip while listening to Sebastian speak. He recognized those feelings all too well – the doubt, the discouragement, the frustration. He’d felt no small sum of it last year,, and still felt plenty of it from time-to-time.
“It won’t if you give up,” he replied, his voice stern but empathetic, “It takes work, and you can’t expect to get to where you want to be in one training session, Sebastian.”
“I….” His chest heaved as he nodded. “I know.”
His worries weren’t fully assuaged but he felt a little more confident that his persistence was going to pay off.
“Again?”
Bril’s lips pulled into a smile. Sebastian just needed to grow his confidence. Once he had that, he had no doubt that he’d accomplish his goals. “Good. Let’s continue.”
Bril didn’t hesitate to move forward with all the practiced grace of a master martial artist. It seemed as if he was gliding across the floor instead of stepping, reaching out with his lead hand to lock his hand behind Sebastian’s neck, using that grip and the weight of his forearm into the man’s shoulder to force him to bend forward. Pulling with that same arm to initiate a quarter spin in that direction, he dropped his center of gravity with a quick squat, forcing Sebastian lower before exploding upward and across like a serpent striking; he simultaneously reached to block Seb’s far knee with his hand to send him crashing onto the floor.
The breath between the Erinos’ reply and his next move nearly caught Sebastian off guard. The novice knew the expert had something in store for him and soon he realized that when his world was tilted in a single move. Sebastian used his instinct and will to push out of the next move, driving his knee up to Bril’s gut. Not only was counter was blocked, Bril had prepared a final blow that sent him onto the mats.
The young Force user hit the floor with a grunt, air forcing through his lips. For a moment he stared up at the fluorescent-lit ceiling, a single light flickering as if to mock him. Brow furrowed, his discouragement had turned into determination. Tensing every muscle in his body and with the help of the Force, he threw himself onto his feet.
“Show me that again,” he muttered, gilded eyes trained on his trainer. “I need ta see what I missed.”
“Of course,” Bril nodded while stepping back and entering his stance again, “It’s called a knee tap. You block the opponent’s rear leg while driving them backward to knock them off balance. Blocking their rear leg keeps them from stepping backward to keep their balance in tact.”
Bril demonstrated it for him, though much slower than how he’d executed it earlier.
Sebastian took mental note at every step along the way, knowing he wouldn’t get it on the first or fifth try, but he would get it eventually.
After he got more comfortable with the basic movements, he felt more comfortable giving it a full try.
“Don’t hold back this time.”
For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and latched onto the Force to aid his movements.
He launched forth and reached for the back of Bril’s neck—the movement was sloppy and much less trained. Although he was able to get the mentor to bend forward, Sebastian was too sluggish by comparison, giving Bril enough of an in to spin out of the move and jut a forceful palm into Sebastian’s chest. The action pushed Sebastian about a meter away, causing him to stumble, but still left him standing.
Organizing his stance, he returned to his opponent with a flurry of blows and attacks, his determination and eagerness making many of those hits sloppy and easy for Bril to counter or block.
“Take your time when attacking,” Bril explained in the midst of dodging everything Sebastian through at him; sometimes it was slipping just outside a punch’s reach, blocking a kick, or using his long arms to frame against the man’s face or shoulders to keep him at distance. “Pick your shots. Rushing is only going to expose you to more damage.”
As if on cue, Bril threw a flicking jab with an open hand to bounce the heel of his hand off Sebastian’s forehead hard enough to briefly stun him; then, that same hand grasped the back of his neck with a reverse grip, pulling his head down and across to initiate a spin while also sweeping his feet from under him with his lead leg, sending Sebastian crashing to the ground.