Testing the Sand [Fen vs Marcus]

[Fen Vel]

The sun was high enough that those below cast almost no shadow. The shade cast from the wooden walls of the dueling arena could be measured in mere millimetres. Not a cloud in the deep blue sky, it was warm, uncomfortably so. It beat down onto a soft powdery sand that covered the floor of the hexagonal enclosure, slightly over forty meters across with no interruption or obstacle beyond the perfectly placed sand. The framing walls rose up four meters with only the small entrance archway breaking the thick wooden panels.

The first to enter was a girl, red skinned and purple haired who seemed more than a little apprehensive at the ordeal in front of her. She was dressed in a close fitting teal sleeveless salwar, brown cotton trousers and darker brown ankle boots, barely cutting in at 5'6" and showing no outward display of strength, she was out of place. On top of that she was still neither used to sand or to the heat that was much drier than the world she had grown up on. The sun not having to pierce through layers of heavy cloud made it hard for her to look up. She would need to keep that in mind, not to get distracted.

Her understanding of fighting was limited. It was a dance of strength, agility and lies and only the final one did she have any real advantage. In her time training she had put on weight and muscle at a surprising speed but was only almost equal to her average non-Jedi peers. Against anyone who had been training longer than her it would be meaningless. Similarly she had been improving her speed and accuracy but that had such a low start point it was now just as unimpressive. A big part like a great many things was acting though, or so she read and that was something she could do. What she had to count on was that she could unsettle her opponent enough that she had the slightest chance. Winning wasn't important, her life was not on the line nor did she have much to prove. To be able to hold her own for a moment would be enough, to learn what a real fight might be like.

Taking her place ten meters from the center point on the opposite side from the archway, Fen took her stance. Training lightsaber at her side, hands flat down in front of herself and a deep breath. Legs apart and the weight on her feet tilted ever so slightly forwards. So many fights she had seen both sides had their weapons already drawn, that wouldn't help her. First she had to make the measure of the person she was against.

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Ze Rules
1. Can not damage the arena,
2. Training Weapons only,
3. No Time limit,

That's all I think,

@Marcus

 

[Marcus]

It had been a while since Marcus had dueled. In fact, he has been on more investigatory missions with his master lately than anything combat related. He still kept himself fit and his skills honed, but this was a chance to really test himself yet again.

The Jedi walked into the arena that was setup here on this desert place. The sun and sand did not bother him, although he had left his outer robe and utility belt back outside the arena. His tunic and other clothing were made just well enough to breath properly in combat and in travel and so his sweat would whisk away, to a degree. That did not mean he was not hot or didn't have to squint in the bright sun. But he was mostly comfortable.

He looked across at his opponent - the younger and inexperienced Fen. He had met her a few times, especially when they heard about this training. And while she was young and newer to the Jedi path, she was a strong adept and warrior for sure. This would be far from an easy feat for Marcus - he would probably have to be at the top of his game.

Marcus stepped up to his spot in the middle and ignited his training sabers. Since his style was dual shotos, he had training versions of these on hand and in use this day. He put them up in an X shape and then brought them back down to his sides, facing her as he stood straight and relaxed. Marcus nodded to Fen, and the signal from the arena went off to begin the test.

 

[Fen Vel]

Her heart always skipped a beat when someone drew a weapon against her, gone were the days when who her master was protected her. Now she had to fight her own battles, or at least run away from them. Holding a deep breath for moment longer she bowed her own head as he displayed with his lightsabers, her own remaining at her side. She had seen this before, she knew what it meant. He sacrificed range for, gave up leverage for mobility, if she was strong enough to overpower him that might mean something. As it was it was the hardest thing for her to deal with, strength she might be able to evade, more so if they were slow and sweeping. This required something different, her first goal should be removing one of his weapons from play. The sooner this was done the less pressure was put upon her. It was much harder to keep track of two different blades than just one.

To this end her first action was just to stand still, looking right into her opponent before her eyes softened. Her voice tinted of somewhere exotic outside of the Core worlds, "Do you truly believe that you need two weapons when dealing with an open handed opponent?" It would be a lie to say she was unarmed with her weapon obvious at her side, however she had still not drawn. She had seen Marcus before, older than her by quite some way but that was it. She didn't know how well she could manipulate him, how much he could read from her real and her fake emotions. What sense of honour he had, if any when it came to his ego. Keeping the distance between the two of them the same Fen backed away as she waited for his answer.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus chortled at her comment - not in a derogatory way but in the realization that he had drawn before her, which may have been presumptive. "I hope I do not need two, but I've heard you can be more than meets the eye." He did in fact realize she was armed and she would probably use that, but perhaps with her words and stance not at the start.

The Jedi stepped back with his right foot, balancing his weight, and bringing the two sabers up in sort of a side-ways T formation in a defensive guard stance. He didn't close his eyes, but he definitely reached out with his senses, trying to gauge what she was all about. Again, he had only heard whispers, so perhaps the Force could tell him a think or two. Would she leap onto him, would she draw, would she disarm him, would she slam him with power, would she send a quake? What she even capable of these things?

His battle meditations beforehand would only go so far, but his senses, as always, would be on high alert - he could sense almost just as good as more powerful warriors could enhance their agility. He was not a prophet, but he had the edge he needed to compensate for raw martial talent. "The Force is our ally, moreso than these blades." Marcus was not so subtle in hinting at his prowess in the Force.

(OOC: Misread and thought you were waiting their with the training saber drawn. My mistake, but I cleared it up in my post. :). )

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen did her best to seem uncaring of the situation, mixed with a little fear at least a little on purpose. Speaking softly she let her body loosen a little, "Yet you do not have enough faith in it not to draw your weapon?" If he was confident enough to boast why be so tense, why probe and poke at the possibilities? Could Fen leap into the air and drop upon him, maybe. Blow a hole into the ground, steal his blades or throw him, no she could not. No the game that Fen played was different, time. Every moment he spent preparing for her attack he wore himself out. Every tense thought assayed by training was another tiny sap of strength. Either he would break and come at her, or they would stand until she found him tired enough to attack. Would it not become humiliating for him if she was able to force him into not fighting? She hoped not but there were all sorts of Jedi, she didn't know what kind he was yet.

In truth Fen has little actual talent with the Force, her one achievement being able to tell when someone was lying, something she had barely touched on when it came to fighting. For now she felt he was telling the truth, or so he thought. Without that, without blade mastery, there were only so many options she felt open. So the act went on, her hands came together to form a sphere and breathed deeply. Offering only a confident smile as she stood quite still on the balls of her feet, waiting for a twitch.

 

[Marcus]

This is a duel, Marcus thought. Then again, duels would not always require the blade. Marcus stood there as Fen did as well. They looked each other over from those 10 meters away and there was very little in the way of conversation or measuring up. Her resolve to not act, though, was strong. And Marcus did for an instant want to leap at her. That said, it was not his way either. He stood there, sabers still ignited but down at his sides. ((my sig picture sans the robe is what I'd look like))

But then Marcus thought of what she was doing - the meditative stance of her hands and the way she was performing no-action. He began to call on some skills with which he had some training, albeit not as much as his sensing and farsight, or trancing. Marcus closed his eyes, still fully aware of what Fen was doing, and began to look at her through the waves and wofts of the Force. He looked all around her body and her mind, touching at the surface with his own mind, trying to find a way in. And, if his skill was good enough at this point in time, he would attempt to instruct her to stop the meditative-ball stance. And if that worked, he would embed in her the want for action.

This was not a simple mind trick for the weak-willed - this was a massaging, using his own will and mental connection with the Force to try to get into that young mind of hers.

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen's mind reacted as it always did when someone picked at it, violently. The first time it had taken a huge toll on her, it had also awakened what was latent inside her. She was a little better at dealing with it now, still it hurt. It was as disconcerting as the violation that it was, he was trying to attack her in a far more personal more, terrible way in her eyes. The way a Sith did things, trying to manipulate someone directly. Painful as it was, she pushed back. Not as hard, nor as directed but like a prickly coating of armour she did her best to deflect him but he also got what he wanted. Dropping from the fake me dative form she moved to a real one, then another.

Gentle and fluid, as if deflecting a wave she rose onto one leg, sweeping the back of her left hand across her body while her right assumed a high guard. With each movement she was able to feel more clarity, more control. That was new, then she also wasn't used to being mentally assaulted. It seemed her training seemed to be having more of an effect than she expected, that gave her some confidence. She had so far succeeded in what she was attempting, to draw him out. Even though she hasn't accounted for him being so, unpleasant. It might seem that her guard seemed lowered and it wasn't untrue, her mind was now having to focus on many things at once. The blades, the man, the Force, her own movements, her mind. There was still the distance between them though, that was the best shield she had. There was no time for more acting now, she was just trying to maintain the façade.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus felt the prickly block Fen put up. It was unsettling. It was unnerving. It was cold to his sensory touch. And that was something that he not encountered before. General Brax had once told him: Beware your senses, Marcus - going too deep is a path not easily recovered. And for the first time ever, he understood what that meant. Marcus was a powerful empath and seer, but if he pressed his will too much he could do real harm to his opponent or himself.

And the real danger - a slight feeling he got from the pain or fear from Fen - was the influence this deep mental pushing had from the dark side.

Marcus hid the realization and his surprise well - not many would recognize the internal conflict he had discovered in his pushing. It seemed to be the only answer at the time, but now he knew it was too risky. The girl was good at one thing, that was for sure - distraction.

The Jedi opened his eyes and grinned as he eased out of the mental link. He picked up two nearby stones or petrified objects - whatever solid was nearest him - and moved them at Fen. They wouldn't do any real harm to her, even if she didn't block them. But they would hopefully distract her just as she was doing to him. At the same time, he jumped and landed near her, slashing his left training saber down and to the left, using his right saber at the same angle in a defensive position.

 

[Fen Vel]

Even with the Force it took time to close the distance. The distractions did what they were meant but only for a moment, enough for Fen to reaffirm her focus and gauge her reply. A jump meant a downward slash, it also tended to mean that the landing was already set. On feeling rather than thought she reacted fluidly. Her upright leg snapped up to her body causing her to drop towards the ground herself before Marcus came too close. The first of the clods of sand flew past her, the second caught into the cup of her falling right hand. From that high guard it was smooth to catch the object as her torso twisted closer to the ground. All that energy coiled in one place as Macus fell towards the ground, with a snap it unleashed.

Fixed at her shoulder her right hand came all the way around her from right to left to throw the clod of dry sand back at her attacker, at the same time her left hand flew up from the ground pulling up as many grains as sand as it could fit and throwing them into air and towards his face as the blades came down. Her thighs and knees snapped up, throwing the girl into a somewhat less than elegant twirl through the air. Throwing herself beyond arms reach as the blade cut inches from her body before she landed on her back, then head over heels back onto her feet. Finally with a hop and sand coating her clothes she placed her left hand in front of herself and her right reached out far behind her, stance dropping on her knees slightly. Her stomach had been left behind in her jump somewhere, but she was relived not to have been hit yet at least. Some of her shield of distance had also survived, however far less than she would have liked.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus cocked his head, marveling at how she thwarted his attacks. I mean, he didn't toss a mountain at her or slash her neck in close quarters, but she did well nonetheless. His blade slash missed and his blocking posture was for naught. Marcus summoned one of the basic pushes of the Force, again to throw her off balance if possible, or to distract. Heck if she fell completely prey, unlikely given her last defense, she would fall to her back.

At that he made a dash towards her, trying to close the gap. He was not the most physical of beings, but he was spry and agile and fast - a trained warrior, nonetheless. He would close that gap quickly under normal circumstances. This time though he had to think of something else - he got to her as quickly as possible and instead of trying to slash or jab with his sabers, or form a cross-strike with both, he brought both sabers to her sides. As Marcus did so, he would try to twist his wrists slightly, altering the angle of the two blades, forcing her in the direction they were pointing - to his left, her right. It would make her concentrate on the blades instead of her savvy distanced defense.

((OOC: So I'm going to have to add something to my repertoire aside from Sense/Trance - always been a fan of Quake, so he'll probably specialize in Force Slams. That said, I won't be adding that to this RP, but his combat is suffering a bit in general. That will change in his final draft. ;) ))

 

[Fen Vel]

His push did distract, it forced Fen to take a step back and give time to his charge. It was hot and she was starting to sweat, while she was yet to be hit the pressure of being in an actual fight was starting to get to her. She wanted more time before he attacked again, it might be time for her to draw her weapon. To her it was a last resort, not only because she wasn't very good at using it, because it was a weapon. Something that should only be drawn when you mean to actually harm someone, if not kill them. That was not the type of person she wanted to be, one swinging a weapon because she disagreed with their point of view. On he came and she was able to read a little of what he was doing. She assumed that the way he brought is blades up separately was to slash across her, yet he was also charging. Fen felt something, it wasn't right, he was moving his wrists too late to cut across her. What he was doing she didn't know but what she saw was an opening. With his blades elsewhere, she could get close. The last thing she wanted but if she was inside his reach there was only so much he could do.

That right hand that had been held out behind her, brushed against metal, now was the time. Her knees dropped and she waited for the attack that, didn't come. The blades, his hands they went past the possible movements, the opening was in front of her. Fen launching forwards between the blue lightsabers, at the body of a man bigger and twice her age. Her left hand reached out, seeking Marcus's right wrist to pull it further past her, to deny him movement. From her right a flash of pale blue light as her own saber ignited, braced against her thigh and angled against his left hand blade, to deny it a strike against her torso. It would leave her right leg a little exposed if it did not rise up at that moment. Summoning up all her remaining might, the force of her thrust forwards and the force of Marcus charging at her, Fen kicked him in the balls.

Spoiler: Note

The above should read Fen attempted to kick him in the balls. However that has far less comedic impact. To make sure this isn't confusing you still have control over whether this attack hits or not. Also to save on spoilers did the sand she threw at his face have any effect?

Fen made no attempt to stop or slow either, her shoulder sure to hit him in the chest if he did not move faster than she could imagine. It would leave her exposed but far less so than if he only had one weapon. Unless he dropped one he would have to swing towards himself and if he did that a miss might hit him. If she couldn't remain ten meters away, this was the safest place to be. Even more so if her attack hit home and he was off balance.