Jedi Insurgency 287

AN: Double release today~~~

It had been eight months since the purge of Order 66. Eight months since the Empire had declared hegemony, and Corvus donned the mask of Revan. 

Never in his wildest dreams did he ever suspect that he would emerge as a Jedi Master in that time period, much less become the Order Master. From his first clash with a squad of clones, to the fight against the Inquisitors, it was a miracle that he had escaped Anakin, and survived the bank heist against the ancient Anzat. From that first day, Tython had been his goal. He had desperately wished to hole up, and slowly gather strength across years or decades. 

And yet, fate had other ideas in store for him. When he had finally acquired the coordinates to Tython on Illum, he determined that hiding would be antithetical to his cause. That if he wanted to rally the Republic sympathizers, then he must prove that there was someone, something worth following. 

Destroying Kamino's clone labs, freeing Malastare, removing the rot from Eriadu, and rebirthing Tatooine had shown the galaxy his sincerity…and yet for all his accomplishments, for all his allied Jedi General's maneuvers, it was not enough. So circumstances forced him to forge unlikely bonds. A ruthless shipping magnate, the future One True Sith, a pirate who one day is the most competent bastard in the galaxy the next, a floundering fop, and the Mandalorian boy who hated Jedi with every fiber of his being. Lucking into a super commando squad, Revanite worshippers, and fanatical assassin droids, a true faction-one divorced from Republic ideals & Jedi control-had slowly formed around him. Their allegiance was not to a group or organization, their allegiance was to Revan. 

It was not until last month, when Corvus had gone on his insane Windu rescue operation, that the fence sitters of the Republic finally initiated the Rebel Alliance into active combat. Although it pained him to say it, Corvus wished his friend-Bail Organa-had been more decisive with his support. He understood that the man was discreetly bringing his mothballed ships up to par, and training his troops, he understood that. However, as cheesy as it might sound, in a hostile galaxy, a Jedi was most powerful when he had the support of friends & allies. 

Now that those fence sitters had finally taken to the field, Corvus felt it was his responsibility to likewise join the fight against the Empire once more. 

However, there were a few complications to this idea. Namely:

Jedi Shadowmaster:

1) Cleanse 100 Shadow Hearts from Force Adepts, cleanse 10 Master/Darth Shadow Hearts at once. 100/100, 0/10

2) Combine a pair of Force powers: 1/1

3) Gather five followers in the Path of the Shadow: 5/5

4) Influence five Masters/Darths without them discovering your involvement: 5/5

5) Travel to the highest peak, lowest valley, and flattest point on a planet, meditate during Dusk & Dawn all within the same day relying upon oneself for transportation: 0/1

The reward, of course, was the next prestige class, and the ability to advance to the next tier. 

Jedi Shadow Master: 

You live life between the extremes of two worlds. People find you suspicious, yet like the bad boy at school, or the silent badass, women & men cannot help but look up to you. Women want to love you, men are jealous they aren't you. However, you don't care about any of that, and are content to live life alone. You can read the future in someone's shadow, breathe the essence of shadows into your own abilities, alter them with new effects, and unlock new combinations of existing skills. Such as [Shadow Heal], [Shadow Force Lightning] or a combo such as [Shadow Force Lightning Shield], etc, with endless permutations.

Grants the one time unlockable: [Well Balanced] 

+24 free attributes

+25% speed 

+3 additional feat's 

+1 Mastery token (grants mastery in one saber form of combat) 

Completing this prestige class not only would boost his stats & abilities by a ridiculous margin, but also enhanced his lightsaber mastery. 

All that being said, Corvus had been incredibly busy this month. It could be said he worked more now, than at any other point since his transmigration. During the war, all he had to do was craft armor using the system, give some speeches, train the boys, and assassinate those who needed to die. It was a thrilling, terrifying, exhilarating experience, but with effective commanders like Pots & Clip, not overly busy. 

Now, as head of the Order, he had to hold countless meetings, mend relations, and consider the harmony of a few hundred Space Wizards who could fall to the Darkside & go school shooter at literally any moment. During this time, he had taught many joint classes as well. Stealth, healing, Form VII, shielding, these were a few of the simpler skills he had passed on. Then he had to get his own training in, practically living inside holocrons & the trial ground. His combat experience against Sith & Jedi had become increasingly enriched, and he had even begun to pick up Soresu from Obi-Wan, putting it to practice during these mock battles. 

On top of all that, he had to find time to organize his Jedi Shadows. Convince Windu's student, Echuu Shen-Jon not to hold a grudge against Evil Blueberry for killing his Padawan, and grab Kota's lowkey student, Falon Grey whilst he was at it. 

Between sparring with the boys, answering the call for unlimited sparring with Keira, and getting glazed by Shaak Ti for his healing prowess, the only relaxing time he had were the jam sessions with Windu…which in its own way were a form of training! Consequently, a new orchestra had been formed, and it actually helped incredibly well in cementing group cohesion. With so many different powerful people in the Force working in harmony, Corvus felt like they were close to grasping something mystical: [Battle Meditation]. 

Although he hadn't learned it yet, he was definitely on the cusp. Actually, Windu was probably closer than he was. With the help of [Shatterpoint], the white-dreaded badass could learn things at an accelerated rate. He simply had to follow the path that didn't lead to a dead-end. Corvus was 100% not jealous. And totally didn't wish he chose Battlemaster for his prestige class and get [Shatterpoint] as an ability. Who knew it was so OP that it could be used as a tool for learning?! 

…that aside, his [Shadow Reading] had improved leaps and bounds, and he could now see the intent, and brief future of others in their shadows much clearer than before. Of course, it was still hazy and difficult to see the likes of Windu, and even someone like Obi-Wan-who was progressing rapidly in power-was a challenge to read. 

During this time, he had also opened up a mandatory counseling service. Officially, it was to help mental health, and prevent a fall to the Darkside. He had inserted himself into the process, but nominally speaking, Shaak Ti was placed in charge of this new institution. As for why he was involved? Well…he had to cleanse those Shadow Hearts from so many Force Adepts, and he figured he might as well steal the name of ‘mental health’ to improve his image. 

Yeah, it turned out cleansing someone of their accumulated darkness did wonders for the psyche. He even had Jax & Yon invisibly witness this process nearby so that they could get a grasp of this ability. Interestingly, the process of cleansing was the exact same thing as what he had done for his previous quest. Back then, to cure his corruption from the [Shadow Wrath State], he had to fight a mirrored shadowy version of himself. The ability was something inherent to the System, and he could fight himself at any point. Now, however, with the advent of the Shadow Master quest, he could cleanse the darkness from others. 

This was kind of interesting! Perhaps in the future, he could come across figures like Beldorion-those who felt guilt-and bring them back to the Light! 

All that being said, he gained a lot of praise from the Padawans & Knights who he had helped purify. With their baggage & burdens gone, their learning became twice as effective. As for the Masters…Corvus was holding out to do that last. He hoped to gather the weakest Jedi Masters-like Jocasta Nu-and even possibly promote some of the Knights who were close in skill to Jedi Master (low). Then, once he had ten of these, he'd drag their Shadow Hearts into that mirror dimension, and give them a one-sided beatdown. Because no way in hell did he want to do battle against the entire council at once! 

During this month on Tython, he wasn't the only one training. And whilst he was confident in a 1v1 against 80% of the High Council, Obi-Wan, Windu, and Tapal still had a slight edge over him. Meanwhile, Keira, Krayt and Kota were slowly catching up, their potential was definitely Order Master tier or greater. Surprisingly, especially Kota was advancing by leaps & bounds. The death of Kota's personal Master, Yoda, seemed to have lit a fire under his ass, and the guy was training like a madman. 

All this was occurring over the course of a single month. During this time, Corvus relied upon his System body, rarely eating, and only sleeping an hour or two here and there. He spent weeks worth of time within Pause during meditation, harnessing that special feeling of Tython. He even traveled to both of the sacred moons Ashla & Bogan for just an hour of real time, only to spend a month on each meditating in Pause. The Light & Dark suffused those moons like none other, granting him even further insights. This all served as building a foundation for his abilities to come. 

Once he advanced his prestige class, things such as [Shadow Heal], [Shadow Force Lightning] or a combo such as [Shadow Force Lightning Shield], etc, would become as natural as breathing thanks to the work he was putting in now. 

In general, that was what he had been up to this month. He had accomplished a great deal, yet there were just a few minor things he had yet to accomplish before he could rejoin the fight. 

Taking a deep breath, he awoke from his meditation to watch the sun ever so slowly rise across the horizon. One of his quest missions was to traverse one side of Tython to the other, from sunrise to sunset. Tasking the boys to find the most optimal route, Corvus had casually run it twice to familiarize himself with the terrain, and even learnt how to walk on liquid surfaces like that one room Krayt had been practicing in on their first day on Tython. 

At several points, he had tested his maximum speed, and found that this journey was plausible…all he had to do was travel at a speed faster than mach 1 the entire time without any breaks. Traversing valleys, mountains, lakes, and oceans. Easy, right? 

In the cool morning fog within a damp forest, Corvus-full of buffs-began his sprint. 

He crossed the forest floor like an arrow. Branches broke upon contact, and snagging, tripping roots were deftly avoided. His robes snapped in the dawn wind, and the Force gathered around him as a living current.

The world opened before him, presenting all of Tython’s beauty. 

He raced through forests where luminous insects scattered like fallen stars. Herds of horned beasts lifted their heads as he passed, sensing something moving across the earth, unable to see it with their own eyes. Rivers came roaring down from the mountains, but he never broke stride. He struck the water once, twice, and then ran upon its surface, each footfall sending silver rings across the current.

By midday, he had reached a series of highlands.

There, the air grew thin and bitter. Snow spun around him in blinding spirals. Peaks rose like the broken teeth of sleeping gods, yet Corvus climbed without slowing. He sprang across chasms whose depths had never known sunlight. Avalanches thundered behind him, unable to catch his figure racing along the spine of the world.

As the sun moved westward, so did he.

Afternoon found him upon the great plains, where the wind bent the golden grass in vast, shimmering waves. Corvus ran among them, and for a time it seemed that Tython itself ran beside him. Ashla sang in the warmth upon his face, whilst Bogan murmured beneath every lengthening shadow. Between them, in the narrow and sacred instant of his passing, there was balance.

He felt the heartbeat of the planet. Every creature, river, and stone seemed to pulse like blood in his veins. Pushing himself harder, he saw the mountainsides in his periphery begin to darken, dusk was swiftly approaching. He was running out of time. 

Spamming [Shadow Hop], he pushed his body to the limit. 

The Force blazed through his limbs until his every stride carried him across valleys. Thunder rolled from a cloudless sky, such was his dedication towards speed. 

At last, he reached the western cliffs where a large lake waited. The sun was already sinking into the sea, more than half of its burning crown beneath the horizon.

Leaping forward as shadows nipped at his heels, he engaged the [Shadow Wrath State], instantly doubling all his stats. At the end of which, his body would feel weak, his FP bar drained…this was an all or nothing gambit! 

For one breathtaking moment, he hung above the ocean with nothing beneath him but waves of crimson and gold. His silhouette crossed the face of the setting sun like the shadow of some wandering god.

Then his boots struck the western shore, and behind him, darkness swept across Tython. Before him, one final sliver of sunlight remained.

Corvus turned toward it, breathless but standing, the hem of his robes stirring in the salt wind. As he reached his destination, and sat down to meditate, the last ray touched his mask. He had done it. He had crossed the world between dawn and dusk.

Travel to the highest peak, lowest valley, and flattest point on a planet, meditate during Dusk & Dawn all within the same day relying upon oneself for transportation: 1/1