A Small Confrontation (Loco)

[Insanity]

((Zis shall be non-canon and in no way will carry over to site canon. That said, ze duel shall be made))

In the lower levels of Nar Shaddaa, Anima waited in a simple arena, long since defunct and unused. The why for this was because he had been asked, though by whom he was unsure. His curiosity had brought him here to answer the call, so here he was, wearing Menk's Sith-steel armor. He was motionless, his head the only thing moving as he surveyed the old battle-scars and collapsed edges, debris piles blocking some parts of the arena. Cables, metal, and stone at jagged angles, all as if intent on threatening any adventurous or curious soul. He noted all of it and ignored it at the same time, his senses in the Force going beyond himself as he closed his eyes. Nar Shaddaa seemed as if it was screaming, full of life and death on such massive scale. He withdrew back to himself fully, shuddering from that sensation.

A sound behind him alerted him to another presence and he turned, facing the one who'd sent the call.

 

[Loco]

Kalri O'dal stalked the shadows at the edge of the arena. A part of his concentration was given to hiding his presence- the force signature that was so detectable to Jedi and Sith. The other part was occupied sizing up his soon to be opponent. One of Kalris sources had indicated that the young acolyte Anima may be in possession of a holocron- one that Kalri had a special interest in. He would get it, or at least find out where it was, and leave a young, but potentially dangerous rival dead in the process. This setting also gave him a unique opportunity to use his skills away from the glowering, oppressive atmosphere that permeated the walls of the Korriban acadamy. He was satisfied that his quarry was alone. Good.

Kalri dropped the masking aura, letting his presence be known. He gave a light kick to a small pebble, sending it skittering and bouncing across the ground to land at Anima's feet.

 

[Insanity]

Anima faced Kalri, expression impassive as he kicked the pebble away to hit a corrugated sheet of metal. He didn't speak, instead bringing the hilt of his lightsaber to his grasp. Then he moved, taking two steps back and to the side, before speaking. "Another acolyte... I see, so this is a challenge rather than a simple calling-out. To whom do I owe this occurence?" He let the Force flow through him as his words ended, strengthening him as well as increasing his reflexes. But he also prepared other uses, readying himself for the fight he knew was going to occur. The lightsaber remained inactive, despite the other preparations.

 

[Loco]

"Acolyte Kalri O'dal."

There was no show of emotion in Kalris voice. He was not taunting, or gloating, or basking in his cleverness. It was a simple statement of fact. Any emotion that he was experiencing was being channeled into his reserve of power. Kalri could feel his target preparing himself. He knew there would be a fight. Kalri began to take similar measures. His stance widened ever so slightly. Kalri slowly unstoppered his hold on the force, allowing it to seep into his muscles and sinews- granting him use of the power that was constantly roiling within him. There was the familiar hiss of superheated air as the Acolyte ignited his lightsaber, the dull red glow casting sinister shadows about the jagged edges of the arena. No sense in delaying things...

Kalri prepared to take up the ready position of his chosen form- attack. Kalri launched himself at his opponent, closing the distance between them with frightening speed to strike the first blow. Let's see what this child can do...

 

[Insanity]

The name was given and Anima tucked it away into his mind, something to remember if he lived. If he died... then he died. He felt it as the other acolyte prepared themselves, the Force empowering them as it did him. Yet... their source differed, where his mastery was without emotion, the other's stemmed from controlling emotions. he stilled didn't ingite his own weapon, even as the other did so. No, he watched and he moved a few steps as he took up a stance without any true roots or purpose. That's how it would seem, even to someone trained and versed in lightsaber combat or swordsplay....

Then the other struck, launching himself at Anima and striking, quickly. That strike was met by the sudden ignition of his own weapon, the viridian blade's glow mixing with the red. The air around both grew warmer because of it, superheating further. But Anima was already going, planning a step ahead as they made contact. He unleashed a powerful Force-charged burst at the other acolyte, his stance changing as he de-activated his blade and rolled to the side, the Force granting speed. But his intent wasn't to run... No, he had the blade activated again as he prepared for a suspected strike, unleashing another burst at his opponent, wherever they might be after his own movement.

 

[Loco]

Quick one.

The snap-crack of saber on saber contact echoed off the jagged rockrete surrounding them. Kalri had expected his first attack to be blocked- at this point they were both acolytes were gauging each other, analyzing the others moves. Kalri nimbly vaulted the first force blast, sensing, rather than seeing, his opponent roll away and unleash a second blast. Kalri hit the ground and rolled underneath the second blast before coming to his feet again. This one was definitely quick, and would obviously rely heavily on the force. Kalri could now expect this guard, blast, and roll to be repeated, likely with a variety of powers.

The answer, for now, would remain simple. Test him... Kalri sprang forward again, unleashing more force energy into his body, and launched a staccato of rapid blows circling his opponents defenses. Left-right-left-right-high-low-high-low-leg sweep!

 

[Insanity]

Both blasts had missed, he noted, as he took up a defensive pose. He kept it loose, leaving openings intentionally. He knew how to shift his position, to take on a pose from a form and then shift into another. It would be his strength, that ability to give mis-direction. The other acolyte came at him again, attacks swift, yes, but held back, not nearly an indication of his opponent's actual skill. He knew it, because it's how all acolytes are taught - test, find weakness, exploit it without seeming to. And Anima had plenty of obvious weaknesses. It'd be a game to see which ones were real and which were faked.

Alternating strikes met alternating defenses, Anima standing his ground and concentrating not on the attacks but rather on expanding his senses. He was watching nuances, small things that would give him an edge or an insight. His body moved by rote, countering. First left, then right, repeat. High, practically an overhand strike, then low, countering and turning the other blade away. Break, repeat. Nuances changed, he stepped back and then jumped, kinetic force aimed at his opponent as the leg-sweep started. Whether that blast hit his opponent or not wasn't the intention - the intention was to propel himself further back and add some distance, as he landed again. But he didn't wait, not this time. Instead, he rushed at his opponent, taking the initiative as he aimed a low strike, then altered the angle to strike at Kalri's right side.

 

[Loco]

Proper duels were like a game of chess. One must make sacrifices to open his opponents guard.

The opposing acolyte blocked his blows swiftly, but not too swiftly. Kalri noted the sloppiness, the seeming formlessness. He saw how obvious the opening were even as he took advantage of them. This Anima was mimicking him- testing Kalris offense just as Kalri was testing his defenses. It didn't mean that he was skilled, only that he was trained. If there were to be any progress here, one of them would have to step up the pace. They could go rounds for hours poking, prodding, and analyzing, and never hit each other. Kalri was interested in his enemies form, purposefully erratic, seeming lazy to the most- but it was an act, clearly. Kalri could feel the Force blast being prepared for him even as he dropped into his leg sweep. His body stooped low to the ground, his left leg lashing out in a wide arc even as his saber took up a defensive posture over his head. His enemy leaped into the air and unleashed his blast- it was powerful, but poorly aimed. It would glance him...

Kalri spun his saber in an effort to dissipate the blast. Even with most of its power misdirected and dissipated, the push still sent Kalri sprawling away from his opponent. His face remained distant, but Kalri could feel the emotions rising inside him, feeding him energy. Anger at suffering the first blow, blind bloodlust filling his heart with black rage and his muscles with new power. Joy- joy that he was actually being presented with a challenge. Kalri gathered his feet beneath him and leaped backwards further, giving himself a few additional milliseconds to guard against his enemies new onslaught. The initial motion was a feint, and Kalri brought his saber up, his grip quickly inverting, just in time to block the blow, the clashing saber meeting just above their hilts. Kalri twisted inward to his enemy, his left foot lashing out towards his opponent knee, the rest of his body weight coiling over his right leg- a coil that he used to spring away from the younger acolyte, opening up the distance between them.

 

[Insanity]

More changes and more difficulties. Anima viewed it all distantly, in his impassive way, as he de-activated his weapon again and moved, going into a leg-sweep of his own, narrowly avoiding the kick. He also missed when his opponent jumped away, putting distance between them again. A small burst had him back into a standing position again, lightsaber ignited as he paused for a moment, considering his opponent. So far, both were evenly matched, compensating for each other's attacks and preventing the other from getting a proper attack in. So, time to test further, it seemed. And there was plenty to work with.

Anima started by bringing some of the arena's debris to himself as he moved, his steps erratic as he seemed to shift from one form's pose to another's. His first strike at Kalri this time was a low one, aimed at his legs. And then part of the debris would come in, flying for Kalri's head as Anima unleashed another telekinetic burst from his left hand.

 

[Loco]

He deactivated his lightsaber again...

It was a flaw in his form, Kalri believed, that this acolyte was so quick to deactivate his saber when moving. It would be difficult to take advantage of however. This next set of defenses took concentration. Kalri nimbly leaped the low strike aimed for his legs, and in a show of athleticism twisted away from the force blast, dodging both it and the piece of debris hurtling towards his face. Too close... Kalri took several long steps toward the wall of the arena.

He could feel his body raging at having to retreat backward from his opponent. He was even more angry that he could sense no emotion from his opponent- nothing to feed off of. The rage was boiling up, overpowering the joy now. His face remained impassive. Kalri used this anger to gather several scattered pieces of debris of his own, and send them hurtling at his opponents pieces. Rockrete and steel rebar collided, splintered, and shattered with reverberating echoes.

 

[Insanity]

Again, his opponent deftly avoided the blow and the burst, as well as the debris. He stood, eyeing Kalri up as he considered the emotions boiling in the Force around him - anger, unrestrained rage, diminishing joy. No fear, because fear was a demeaning emotion, wasn't it? All of it was controlled, monitored in the way that only those who innately understood how to truly use the darker aspects of the Force could do. And Anima, who had no need for emotions, who went off logic and instinct in a hybridized mental outlook. This fight, he knew, was a challenge - one he welcomed as a test for himself, a way to see how he would need to improve if he survived. If he died... then it was simply the end of his story.

However, death wasn't something he would just let happen. He moved again, as the other acolyte sent his own debris-projectiles. Anima unleashed his hold on the pieces he'd been planning to use, letting them fall or be smashed by the other. He was moving before the debris even collided, viridian blade coming from Kalri's left as Anima put his weight towards his right side. Another feint, admittedly, as his weight switched to the left and the green blade vanished only to appear again on Kalri's right side, which was Anima's left. But the attack wasn't meant to connect, to do anything. Instead, he reached out a hand toward Kalri's blade, Sith-steel gauntlet closing on it as he made use of Tutaminis, dissipating the blade's energy where the seeming field of energy surrounded the gauntlet. Whether Kalri backed off or not, Anima brought the blade in his right hand in for a low strike, aiming for his opponent's waist.

 

[Loco]

Kalri was prepared for another attack, but this one was a bit unorthodox. Kalri began reacting to the feint, bring his saber up into a horizontal sweep- then his opponents saber disappeared. Kalri saw what was happening even as the steely gauntlet reached out for his blade. There was an emerald green flash as his opponent reversed his direction of attack, but there would be no flash of ruby to meet it. The automatic fail safes in Kalris lightsaber activated as the blades energy was absorbed, retracting the blade to prevent a fatal feedback loop. Time slowed to a crawl as a new well of emotion opened up within him. It was an emotion that most Sith were unfamiliar with- Fear. Fear of losing, fear of being shorn and half by one his junior. But it was an emotion, and like all emotion, was only a fuel for those who knew how to control it...

Kalri dropped the hilt of his saber, letting the gold and blackened steel clatter to the floor and sent his right hand plummeting down to take a clawed grip on his opponents attacking wrist. He twisted inward, bringing his left hand in to grip the boys elbow, meaning to slip past the saber and throw his opponent in one swift movement. It was a bold move, to engage a lightsaber armed opponent with your bare hands- but then, the Sith Empire was built on bold moves. It would either work, or it wouldn't.

 

[Insanity]

That distant appraisal of Anima's as everything happened, the crimson blade not there to block his own attack. Seemingly, it had vanished of its own accord, as soon as he'd interrupted the energy flow. But then there was a jab of fear in his opponent's mix of emotions, controlled like everything else yet a sign that the gravity of the situation was quite clear. Then everything happened fast, as his right wrist was grabbed, again both combatants too close for Anima to retaliate properly, his elbow seized. He felt himself lifted, noted the advantages and disadvantages of his situation. He felt Kalri let go, but he didn't react in a way one might expect. He didn't try to compensate, or prevent it. His lightsaber was off, his body twisting as he gathered kinetic energy in both hands, bringing them together and thrusting them out at his opponent. The repercussion as he unleashed it knocked him back, forcing him back to the ground as he landed on his side and rolled. It took a moment before he was up again, tapping once more into the Force.

The kinetic burst he'd used in that moment of weakness and strength had, hopefully served two purposes. One was to force his opponent back, to allow him to recover. And the other... to separate opponent from armament. He used the Force to grip the discarded lightsaber, pulling it to him. But he didn't grab it, to wield it. He didn't even glance at it as he brought that viridian blade up in an undercut, to slice the metal object in half. That was his intent, but whether his intention succeeded or not..

 

[Loco]

Kalris ruse had served it purpose- he was still in one piece. He felt as Anima thrust his hands toward him even as he was taken off balance. Judging from the rest of the battle, Kalri knew what to expect, and focused his roiling energies into bracing and shielding himself for the coming hit. It came. The force blast hit him square in the chest, the wave of energy breaking upon the rocks of his defense. The shock wave forced him back, knocking the breath from his lungs, but he retained his balance as the two duelists were separated... And Kalri was separated from his weapon.

He had a brief moment of advantage over his opponent while Anima rolled. Make it count... Kalri let go of any lingering physical attachment to his weapon. The lightsaber was a tool of the Sith, nothing more, and the inevitable loss of this one only served to fuel righteous fury. Kalri used his brief moment free of distraction to gather as much energy as he could. Fury, rage, anger, hate. Fear that his plan might fail. Joy at the prospect of victory. Love of the thrill these emotions combined. Kalri watched as his opponent came to his feet. He watched as his own saber shot across the floor, seemingly of its own accord. He watched as the sparkling green blade arced upward. He watched as his own saber hilt was neatly bisected... as the blade reached the height of its sweep- when Anima was most open- Kalris arms thrust forth and unleashed the gathered energy of raging emotions.

A vicious display of lightning filled the air between them. The spitting and spattering arcs of dark electricity cast sinister, malevolently dancing shadows across the arena, casting both Sith in a frightening visage...

My card is played...

 

[Insanity]

.. His intention succeeded, but there was a cost. As always, a consequence. He realized his own mistake as soon as he felt that gathered energy, turning to face Kalri as he tried to bring his weapon's blade to bear.... It didn't get there in time, but he managed, barely, to hold out. He used Tutaminis again, with his left hand, trying to use it as if it was a conductor for that Force-energized electricity. Just doing that seemed to keep most of his attention. But not all, because he knew that focusing solely on that would end him. And he refused defeat, here and now.

The air seemed to crackle, heating as the electicity was in the air. He brought his lightsaber into the thick of it, letting it act as a conductor for it, strengthening it yet making it harder to hold. He managed, his breathing heavier than it had for some time. His knees started to bend, fatigue seeming to set in. He gathered his concentration, his senses and the Force. Then he projected it out, assaulting Kalri's mind with meaningless gibberish. Images of anything, everything, formulas of obscure chemical mixes and others of alchemical value, numbers, memories of people that Anima had ripped from them at some point. Then one, a memory of sheer pain, utterly obliterating every other sense that the memory could've held.

All of it was there, pressing and grating at Kalri's mind, clinging to the holes in the walls Sith and Jedi usually erected to prevent such things - but they were always flawed, because emotions were always present in some way. And Kalri was full of emotion, wasn't he, had left himself open to this form of assault. A desperate yet powerful onslaught.

 

[Loco]

Kalri could feel his opponent bending under the onslaught as he poured more raw emotion into it. The crackling lances of energy filled the arena, stray sparks dancing across the rockrete. His opponent was strong, and resisting well, absorbing and dissipating much of the scathing heat directed at him- but not all, and it could only last so long. Kalri focused more rage into the storm, driving it forward, driving the acolyte down. Emotion filled him, a whirling dervish of power, waiting to be focused through the force.

The proper chemical mixture of starship fuel.

The image flashed across his mind.

1,000,243,120,937cr- the cost of running a Coruscant traffic post for 1 standard year.

"I don't know Scott, have you seen it before?"

Memories that were not his, nor his opponents. The images came more rapidly. Kalris mind fileld with pictures, equations, memories- a young couples date in a park, the first day of a new job, a brutal murder- snatches and pieces of a scattered and aimless variety. Kalri opened up his reserves, grunting in effort, even as his mind grappled with the overload.

"Bitch I'll kill you!!!" - "The proper solution to that one is-" - "Where are my-"

Numbers. Biological doctorate thesis. Economic models. Veterinary diagrams. Human dissections. Herbology....

This Anima upstart was assaulting his mind with redirected energy, turning Kalris emotions against him. Theoretical disposition on the Force. Architectural drawings. But memories held emotion, even small bits. Emotions that could be used...Kalri opened himself to everything, the images, feeligns, meaningless jumbles flooding his mind, extracting the emotions that would fuel him. Passionate lovers. Hateful inmates. Fearful slaves. He tore the emotions from the memories desperately clinging to his concentration as he did so. He poured the excess energy out as fast as he could, dumping it into his lightning...

PAIN

Kalri dropped to his knees in agony as the pain filled his mind. Not physical pain, but mental anguish- the memory of pain. It filled his mind, his emotions running wild- FEARANGERLOVEHATEJOYDEPRESSIONPAINLOSSTHRILLHAPPYRAGEFURY- , the dangerous force energies raging against the mental holds he placed on them, threatening to break free and attack their physical binds. Subconsciously, he could feel the wetness dripping from his nose and ears, the coppery taste of blood filling his mouth as the lightning intensified, pacing the onslaught being leveled against his brain. The two acolytes were caught in a vicious, relentless loop- power feeding onslaught feeding emotions feeding power...

It was beautiful, in a dark sort of way...

 

[Insanity]

Everything Anima poured into that onslaught of memory and myriad excess added more to his fatigue. He felt his efforts turn against him, realized it and saw that the result was a double-edged sword. Numbers, words, memories, all being projected, washed away by something new moments later, faster. His head ached, felt like it was pounding against his skull. His hands felt like they were on fire, his muscles like they were burning away. He knew it was just fatigue, though, just physical constraint. Something he could overcome, maybe, possibly, yet wasn't so sure. His physical constraints were the issue, not his mental ones. He felt one of his knees give way, bringing him down into a kneeling position. But he held it there, fighting against the fatigue. His vision blurred momentarily, his gaze focusing as he looked past the electricity, flashes nearly blinding him with their intensity. He couldn't see Kalri properly, but he felt the growing weakness and strength, the opposite reactions colliding and forced to co-exist because of the other's control.

Anima knew that they were trapped like this, stuck in a cycle of attrition. Yet his head ached just keeping it together, keeping up a defense. He couldn't let go of his weapon, the blade over-energized by the lightning. How much longer it lasted, he couldn't know. And he couldn't keep up the onslaught if he kept on. So he didn't, he let it go, stopped projecting that madness against his enemy... and dared to let one hand go of the lightsaber hilt, plunging it into the lightning as his body seemed to absorb it, feeling it course into his hand and arm, but no further. He held it there, fought against it. The muscles in his arm felt like they really were burning now, the smell of burning flesh coming from beneath the blackening armor. The pain from it, he used to feed his control. His only concession, his only use for it all. Then he unleashed it back at Kalri, amidst the rest of the lightning that crackled in the air. But that cost him, forced his defense to falter... and he was flung back, lightning licking at him as he collided into a pile of debris, thankfully without anything sharp to end him unexpectedly. But he was tired and couldn't move, not quite dead. Just... tired, immobile, his weapon flung to the side, the blade gone and the hilt blackened as if burned as well.

 

[Loco]

The pain subsided. Kalri could feel his opponent start to back off. The memories mercifully began to slow their intensity, then faded all together. One end of the loop closed. Kalri was delirious from the overwhelming attack on his mind. The only thing left, conscious or unconscious, was his attack, his fingers still held stiff and splayed before him. As the onslaught ended, so did the source of excess power- there were no more emotions left to draw from. But victory was close- there was an emotion. Kalri could feel the thrill of victory swelling within him, faintly, and drew from it, putting his last bit of effort into the lightning curling from his fingertips. It flared brightly as it made contact with his enemy's saber, the energy on energy contact reacting violently. One last surge---

The blast made full contact, sending Kalri sprawling across the rocky floor. The last traces of lightning skipped and danced across the pair of Sith, enveloping and stinging them both in its apparent anger. Kalri lay still, crumpled against the deteriorated remainders of an ancient wall. His eyes were open, but for the moment all that could be seen were streaks and tears of light, etched and burned into his retina. A fog filled his mind, and wispy tendrils of smoke twisted and curled upwards from his hands. He ached in an inhumane way, as though the powers of the force flowing through him had stretched an torn every muscle they'd contacted. There was no emotion, for a brief moment. None at all. No thrill, no anger, no joy, no hate. Nothing but blissful silence, as his mind calmed the remnants of of the storm, like the aftermath of a hurricane. There was a faint plop of water dripping from an old pipe, sizzling as it hit the superheated spot of ground where Kalri had been standing.

Kalri slowly began to roll onto his side- it was painful. He sniffed, his nostrils clogging with blood. He slowly lifted a hand to wipe it away as his eyes settled on focus points of the environment around him. His enemy lay on the opposite side of the room, his blurred outline just visible, splayed across a pile of debris.

Alive? Or dead?

 

[Insanity]

This duel is decidely a draw between Anima and Kalri. Was fun, hope for another match at another time.
:CSly
That said, I declare this thread....

CLOSED​