Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 330 (Patreon)

Hello everyone! So, quick note, if you haven't seen it, I've posted a new Snippet this past weekend. In case you've missed it or forgotten, these are a monthly snippet releases that serve as a testing ground for new story ideas. These snippets will be around four chapters long and as they are potential future stories, your comments and likes really help me figure out which stories make it! So please, take a look and tell me what you think! Now enjoy the chapter!

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Also, I will be taking the 19th and 22nd off. Thank you for your patience!

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As it turns out, using Battle Fury was not nearly as simple as I thought, which was unfortunate, especially considering that at no point did I think it was simple.

Each word I used added about thirty seconds to the shout's effects, meaning that, at most, the shout would last for around a hundred and twenty seconds. That wasn't necessarily bad, considering most fights were decided in about a minute and a half. 

The effects of the not-quite exhaustion that hit my ally after the shout faded were a nuisance, but Ahsoka and I found that, after some practice and sparring, she could shrug it off pretty easily. It could still catch her off guard if she wasn't paying attention, but that was just something we would have to take into account. 

Unfortunately, perhaps the most shocking realization was that I couldn't just use it on anyone I considered an ally. Using the shout required I have a real connection with the person, one I could focus on and use as the base for the buff. Ahsoka was easy enough, as was anyone from my original crew. 

It wasn't until Mara wanted to try it out to spar with Ahsoka that I realized it was more than just a cursory consideration of working together. I had to actually see them as a steadfast ally, anything else made including them very difficult. Thankfully, I was able to explain the failure to her as seeing her as an apprentice and someone under my responsibility, which made it difficult for me to wrap my head around it like I needed to.

It also helped that I could include her on the second try, just having to focus a bit more and recontextualize how I saw her in my head.

Still, I could see that it hurt her feelings. Thankfully, she understood that the Thu'um was fickle. That, combined with the fact that I was being honest, that seeing her as an apprentice likely was the reason I had to focus more to include her in the effects of the shout.

Thankfully, practice made it easier to include more people in the effects, but even after a day or two of training, I couldn't cast it on random people. I needed to know them, have fought alongside them, and see them in a specific way, or at least be able to wrap my head around the concept in a specific way. For example, I could cast the spell on Corvak pretty easily, but any of his men required me to pause and focus. That pause was just a few seconds long, and while I could take that time in a lot of circumstances, there were also plenty of circumstances where I wouldn't have been able to. I would never have been able to pull it off while fighting Vader, for example, he was putting far too much consistent pressure on Ahsoka and I for me to pull back, take a knee, and adjust my worldview.

Dismay, on the other hand, was considerably easier to use, though as I had guessed, the results of the spell were not nearly as predictable as I would have liked. 

I gathered a few volunteers to help me train the shout, though I had to bribe them with the promise of lunch. 

I spent around an hour meditating and shouting, trying to parse out the meaning between the words. Thankfully, it did not seem to require me to think evil, cruel thoughts. I would have still used it if it had, it's not the Force, after all, thinking mean stuff isn't going to permanently corrupt me, I just wouldn't have liked it. 

Instead, the shout was more of a sympathetic act, where I considered my own fear and terror before projecting it in a concentrated wave. 

It took a moment for me to figure out what fear I needed to use, before eventually realizing that I didn't need a specific moment. Conjuring a hypotherical event, or something even more vague, like an existential fear, would work just as well.

It took me a while to find the perfect fuel for the shout, bouncing around between terrible concepts and horrifying ideas. Unfortunately, I realized that my practical nature was working against me. While I didn't enjoy the concept, I knew my life was dangerous, and almost everyone I cared about was in that danger with me. Losing Ahsoka, or any of my crew, on the job or not, would likely break me in a way I would never recover from, but I wasn't scared of it in the same way I needed to fuel the shout.

Then a concept occurred to me. A nightmare idea that had occurred to me in the early days of my adventure in this galaxy. The idea that all of this was a dream, that none of it was real, that what we had done meant nothing. That I would wake up to find myself doomed to return to my old life. A part of me did not like what it said about myself, that the concept of returning to mediocrity and voluntary servitude sent such a shiver of fear up my spine, but I pushed through it, using the fear as fuel.

“FAAS RU MAAR!”

A wave of crimson red flowed from me, my voice reverberating, almost cutting into the world. As the wave washed over my test subjects, they dropped what they were doing, some shouting, others gasping, but all of them ran.

Two made a beeline for the edge of the gravel pit, trying to scramble up a hill to escape. Another made a beeline for the temporary structure set up for people to practice magic inside, slamming the door shut behind them, screaming all the way. The last two tore off towards the nearest speeder, climbing in and almost ruining the power core as they slammed the repulsors on and started to fly away.

Thankfully, the effects of shout only lasted around a minute, so the speeder recovered and returned pretty quickly. By then, I had already healed the pair who had attempted to scramble up the hill, as they had hurt their hands in their desperate attempts to escape. 

All of them described the experience as a completely disconnected, seemingly sourceless spike of fear and terror. For just around a minute, they were absolutely sure that staying around me was a death sentence, even if they weren't afraid of me directly. 

Unsurprisingly, none of them were all that interested in sticking around for a second attempt, so it appeared the practice for Dismay would have to happen organically, out in the field. 

I honestly didn't see myself using the shout that often, mostly because of its chaotic nature, just as I had predicted. The fact that none of the test subjects had reached for their sidearms was a good thing and made the spell more useful, but it was still a bit unpredictable for my tastes.

After a few days of working on my shouts, the Jedi called me for a meeting. It had been three full days since we arrived, so I assumed that the most recently rescued Jedi wished to discuss their future among the Skyforged and on Nirn. However, I quickly realized that there was more going on than that.

The meeting was set in one of the larger parks, where Amescoll, Sevarril Arraln, Cere Junda, Cal Kestis, as well as several other masters and knights. It was a surprising number of people, and it immediately made me think something was up.

As I arrived, Jedi Master Arraln stood and gave me a slight bow, before reaching out and shaking my hand. 

"Admiral Deacon, it's good to see you again," She said with a smile.

"Master Arraln, I'm glad to see you're doing well," I said with a nod, picking up with her formal approach. "Master Amescoll said there was something we needed to discuss."

"Yes, I wanted to meet with you and discuss my group joining the Skyforged and living permanently on Nirn," she said, as I claimed one of the many benches around the meeting area. 

"Of course, we would be happy to have you," I said with a nod.

Honestly, I had more or less expected this. While Master Arraln was clearly recovering well, as were the many Jedi she had under her care, she was also in no shape to be leading. You could see it in the way she held herself, a propped-up confidence that seemed to almost visibly shake when challenged. On the Hope, as we were quarantined and traveling back home, she was barely holding her group together. She was doing better now with the support of her peers… but they had all been through a lot, it wasn't surprising that her confidence in leading was broken.

"Before we agree, I do have some questions," she said, glancing at her fellow masters. "The others assured me you are fair and kind, but… I need to ask myself, to hear your responses myself."

"Of course," I said with a nod. "I'm an open book."

For the next twenty minutes, Master Arraln asked various questions about my policies, the duties her people would have, how we would treat anyone who wanted to leave, and so on. I assured her, among many other topics, that no one was forced to fight, that any Jedi who wished to join the Skyforged could, but those who didn't could earn their keep however they wanted, be it as a farmer, an engineer, or by opening a restaurant. 

"Quite a few of the Jedi have started working as mediators and peacekeepers around town," I explained. "A job I am more than happy to pay them for. Knowing that we have people here in the city, helping to settle issues fairly and amicably, is an amazing relief. In fact, we should really do something about making that rule official."

I admitted, glancing over at Amescoll, who nodded in agreement.

Eventually, when I assured her that variations in belief, like the Green Jedi versus the more standard Jedi Order, would not be treated differently. When the older woman was satisfied, she bowed slightly, with an air of relief.

"Thank you, Admiral Deacon, my people will gladly join the Skyforged Vanguard."

After a moment, she sat back down, taking a seat at a separate bench. Seeing that none of the other Jedi, Masters, or Knights moved, I looked around the group with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, guys, no need to be coy, what's up?" 

"With our numbers reaching over a hundred… we wish to finally begin discussing what the future of the Jedi is," Master Junda explained. "While our group has not been here nearly as long as Amescoll and his padawans, we have still noticed a certain… listlessness."

"And you think better defining what your group is would help with that," I finished, nodding and leaning forward a bit. "Okay, I can see that. But I should warn you, Nirn is itself in flux. Not only do I refuse to limit us by defining ourselves too heavily in one way or another, but defeating the Empire will also cause considerable upheaval. The current system might be shifting." 

"In what way?" Amescoll asked. 

"Well… the leaders of the Rebellion are determined to re-institute the Senate in a way almost identical to the Old Republic," I pointed out. "If they refuse to change… Nirn may not be joining the Republic if that happens."

"If the Rebellion cannot see the harm in that, bringing back the Republic as it was before and during the Clone Wars, we do not wish to be part of the proceedings either," Master K'kruhk stated clearly.

"Whatever form this order takes, it will be separated from the government," Master Junda said. 

"And what about the Skyforged Vanguard?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "There are currently quite a few of your people working with us. Will they be leaving?" 

"Force willing, no," Amescoll said. "It's possible, but we have a solution that we hope will make that not necessary."

"By all means," I responded, gesturing for him to speak.

"We are suggesting we create the Skyforged Consortium," Amescoll continued. "The idea is to form a faction within the current structure, similar to how you have divided groups such as the builders, navy crews, pilots, and more. This group would consist of Force users, magic users, and anyone else who would like to join."

I leaned back, caught off guard by the inclusion of normal people in their list. Magic users were surprising, since we had mentioned the two groups working together, but civilians definitely caught me off guard.

"The group would be defined by a code, similar to the Jedi code, but broader, less restrictive," Master Junda explained. "The code itself hasn't been decided, but the message would be clear. Do good." 

"A broad concept," I pointed out. "And not always the same for everyone."

"Yes, which is why we would have to police our members," Master K'kruhk agreed. "But between your truth magic and Force empathy, we can do so effectively." 

"And how would the Consortium work?" I asked, leaning back in my seat.

"It would function much like how a guild does," Amescoll explained. "We would be a hub for people looking to help, and people looking to help. We will provide training, supplies, help organize contracts, and more to our members, and various services to the public." 

"Services imply money."

"At this point, I fear your way of thinking has thoroughly spread to our people," Amescoll said with a smirk. "I have no doubt we will be able to fund quite a bit of our services through the acquisition of criminal assets and more."

"That's a tight line to walk," I pointed out.

"It is, but we believe that creating a healthier place to grow for our people, and trusting them, rather than restricting them, will give them the strength to walk it." 

"You guys really have been learning," I said with a smile. "So… You want to form an official guild inside the Skyforged Vanguard, focused on doing good. Anyone can join, and you will help train and aid these people. I assume you will be bringing in more Force users?" 

"Part of our mission would be to… spread the concepts of the Jedi," Amescoll explained. "Simple training, things like meditations, feeling the Force, centering oneself, learning to understand your emotions, and letting pass through you without harm. Those will be something we provide to anyone who shows talent in the Force. But advanced training like Force abilities and lightsaber training will require joining."

"Age requirement?" 

"Anyone looking to combat evil directly will have to be over a certain age, and younglings strong in the Force will require parental consent," Master Junda explained. "We have learned our lesson on separating our younglings from their families."

I looked around the room, studying the various faces sitting around me. Their idea was... interesting, and from what I could see, fit what they needed. It wasn't perfect, but that was fine, as long as they didn't become too stubborn to shift when they realized what their problems were. I clapped my hands and nodded.

"Alright. I like this idea, I think it has promise," I agreed with a nod. "Let's get some more people involved and start hashing out the details."