Looma Isana vs. Alindra Vordrinn

Her breath made more than a subtle cloud in the air. Never before had Alindra been so cold, cold enough that her blood thought it would freeze solid. In her struggle for greater endurance, Alindra strove to push herself. She would be unable to wander in the wilds of Dolomar since the air was barely habitable.

To turn on her lightsaber immediately would be to give herself away and she did not want that. The long handle of her weapon rested comfortably in her hand, something she attributed at least a little to Cadyren's guidance in finding parts for and ultimately assembling the weapon. She had come to rely on her lightsaber more as a viable weapon than a momentary gimmick she could use in the occasional battle. The first lightsaber she had, an old one taken from her teacher, would only work for a minute at most. Alindra's new lightsaber would work for as long as she required it to stay on.

Still, she did not fall on the weapon so much to be a crutch. It would be a bad habit to develop and her true weapon was the Force. It had been her ally when she needed it most, enslaved as a dancer and forced to provide pleasures. The Force kept her alive in the wilderness when she had little to eat. It was the Force she relied on to keep her in the fight for the galaxy.

A distance ahead of her, Alindra's prey waited. She didn't know what Looma was up to, but the time to strike was approaching. All Alindra would need was a single strike and that would end the battle. Perhaps it would be the first attack, perhaps not. Either way, Alindra had to be the one who delivered the final stroke.

The long white coat billowed out around Alindra as she moved into the valley. She would have to keep her wits about her if this was going to work. Pulling back the fur-lined hood of her coat, Alindra felt the bite of cold against her face as wind forced through her long blonde hair. She reached out with her hands, her fingers pointing down and back toward her. Her thoughts focused on several of the spikes sticking out on the far side of the valley. Alindra focused her hatred on the spikes cracking them into an array of icy blades.

As the fractal pieces of ice tore down toward Looma, Alindra lit her lightsaber, charging forward with a slight burst of speed. A grin crossed her chilled lips as she closed toward her prey. Once the distance was closed, Alindra led with a lateral slash toward Looma's body, which she followed with a fast turn to shift her momentum back before unleashing the true attack. A stern bubble of the Force flowed from Alindra's free hand, trying to shove Looma by the head and shoulders into the cloud of falling ice.

(((Ugh, Looma's last duel was an ice world, too.
At least she's dressed more appropriately this time...)))



Standing there in the icy arena Looma couldn't help but be reminded of a strangely real dream she had had months earlier while yet new to the prospect of being a Sith. There she had fought another Force user as well, and it had been cold, so cold. And she had been barely dressed in her rags from Bakura. It seemed like another lifetime ago. And yet it still rang fresh in her mind. Now, though, she was prepared. She knew what her master expected of her, and why she was here. The yellow Twi'lek was clad this time in her Sith attire complete with heavy hooked cloak keeping her sensitive lekku warm, lightsaber at her belt.

She saw Alindra at the other side of the frozen bowl watching her as she watched the young woman. Though they were relatively close in age, and Looma had had some training in the last several months under Shard, she also knew she would not normally be the betting favorite in this fight. But what she might lack in skill, she knew she made up for in confidence and tenacity. This human shouldn't underestimate her. But also by the same token, Looma would not underestimate Alindra.

While she waited for the other woman to make a move, having decided she would start from the defensive this time, knowing that running full-tilt into a duel without any forethought was dangerous, she used her eyes and the Force to look around her environment. It was still freezing and formidable, but with her clothing and the Force it was bearable for the Twi'lek. They were standing on ice, but she couldn't see any water moving beneath her feet, which was a good sign; the ice was thick and shouldn't bust up. All around them rose huge walls of frozen water, sharp stalagmites and stalactites protruding from them.

But most of all, she felt the darkness. And that pleased her. That would be her greatest ally in this duel of young Sith. She had great skills in telekinesis, sufficient in other areas of the Force, and despite a couple lessons, still rather rudimentary lightsaber skills. But whatever her skill level was, if she could draw on the darkness, increase her power through the rage she felt buried deep within the ice, Looma could be unstoppable. At least in her mind.

As the cold wind snapped around her, pulling on her cloak, she felt a change in the Force, and it was coming from where she sensed Alindra on the other side of the bowled valley. So she was making her move. Looma braced herself for whatever the other woman would throw at her. Her thought was that her opponent would strike first with lightsaber, thinking that would be her easiest in. But Alindra surprised her. She was using the Twi'lek's greatest weapon against her.

Anger at having been surprised like this, not thinking that Alindra wouldn't fight fire with fire (or ice with ice, as it may be), swelled through Looma, and she drew on its power. Anger from herself, from this location. She threw up her own hands, the force of the gesture ripping the hood from her head and exposing her yellow skin and lekku. Not bothering with any kind of attack or retaliation, Looma contented herself with just throwing the icy shards to the side and out of the way in order to better to prepare herself for the other's next move.

Her enemy was now running full speed towards her, lit lightsaber in hand. Reflexively she grabbed at her own weapon and lit it, the red blade reflecting orange against her yellow face, shining bright in her purple eyes. A momentarily flush of fear flashed through her as she was unsure at how to fend of this sudden attack, but she repressed it and drew further on the Force, the darkness of it surrounding this place. Still, though, all she could do was just leap backwards and unsteadily keep her feet on the ice to avoid the slash of Alindra's blade.

Those precious seconds took away her response time to avoid the Force push from the other woman. She dropped her weapon, which went out after leaving her hand, and lost her footing, sliding a couple meters across the ice. Thankfully she had neutralized the icy shards, and so her only danger now was giving her opponent the high ground.

Quickly she scrambled to her feet and used a telekinetic grab to pull her lightsaber back to her and immediately re-lit its blade. Already she was breathing heavy, and this duel had barely begun. Looma was starting to doubt herself. And her master's intentions. But she wouldn't let him down, so she had to persevere, use the Force to strengthen her and to gain some vision into how to better defend herself against Alindra's next move. Or better yet, go on the offensive.

She didn't want to shamelessly copy the other's move and go right to the icy peaks with telekinesis, at least not yet, so Looma decided to stay with the lightsaber. Hoping that she was proficient enough to keep herself alive for a minute or two before she came up with a better battle plan. Raising the blade high, she walked slowly back toward Alindra, using the Force to hide any of her fear and to inside portray an air of cold confidence. Halfway through a slash to her opponent's head, she feinted and brought the blade lower towards Alindra's midsection. It wasn't a difficult move to block or see coming, but Looma had no other choice but to keep the other busy until she came at her from another direction with another weapon.

Round 1

Nightender:
Effort: 3/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 3/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: /2
Comments: I'm starting on the lower end of things so as not to see a particularly amazing post, and not have anywhere to go. All in all, though, it was a very good post, and while Mara's might have had more detail, yours definitely made up for that in the way you handled it. Good job!

Mara:
Effort: 3/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 3/5
Bonus: /2
Comments: The above comment was really meant for both of you, and I wanted to make sure you guys knew that at this point I think you're both very evenly matched in what I can see. So, now its your time to take it up a notch, and show us all how awesome your characters can be! Anyway, good post!

Total:

Nightender - 15
Mara- 15

A pretty evenly matched set of posts, so try to better the other one, and we'll see who can pull their way to the front to take this match. Anyway, Nightender you're up!

Ice shards swirled in the air between Alindra and Looma, creating a helix of tiny reflecting lights, each deadlier than its neighbors. Cold wind kissed Alindra's cheeks, driving the chilled air deeper into her body.

Alindra wanted to lick her lips, to moisten them from their dried state. It would be in vain. The cold was much too hard to keep any moisture liquid for long. She was lucky to be able to breathe, especially with the clouds of frozen air recently pushed out of her and Looma's lungs.

Looking the short distance away, Alindra started to plot her next move. She wasn't sure exactly how to proceed. Looma was looking her way, sure to be on the defensive with any approach. There had to be another move, and Alindra kept looking for it. Should she go for the ice again, Looma might have a chance to retaliate, driving the sharp marks into her flesh and turning the battle back around. However, Looma had lost something to the last attack.

Seeing Looma's weapon skirting on the ice, Alindra had to make a quick decision. She could try to take the lightsaber, giving herself an extra weapon, leaving Looma with nothing. Another option would be to use it as bait, to guard it so Looma would have to approach in order to take it back. It wasn't enough, not for Alindra. She wanted something much more final. If she'd been given a moment to seal the duel, proving only she could be dominant, she had to do it.

Taking a downward strike, Alindra tried to impale Looma's lightsaber with the blade of her own. One stroke would destroy the weapon, giving Alindra dominance over the entire battle. But as the red beam came close to the lightsaber, Looma swept it into her own hand using the Force.

The move had been just enough of a shift where Alindra had lost her balance. If she'd been thrown back by the Force, it would have been much harder. Seeing that Looma had yet to take the opportunity, Alindra had a moment to regain control of herself, if not the entire battle. Pushing herself away, Alindra slid along the slick ground.

Recalling some of her old dance moves, Alindra, once she had stopped, turned on one knee as she started to stand once more. She saw Looma about to approach and sent out another wave of the Force. It proved futile, Looma was able to slip out of its path, not being struck for a second time in as many minutes. Alindra had expected Looma to charge toward her, but Looma moved slowly, with great patience.

The change in pace let Alindra get her bearings, though her left thigh felt a little sore from the slide and the fall before it. She had to keep it protected, but couldn't make too much of a show of it. It would be unwise to declare such a weakness, even if it was slight.

Cold came from Looma as well as the environment. Alindra could see it, feel the shift in the Force around her opponent. It was a dramatic change. Now that Looma had her defenses up, the real fight was ready to start. She held her weapon high, an action that Alindra felt was a note of defiance against her attack.

Looma swept her blade toward Alindra's head, but redirected toward Alindra's midsection. With an upward stroke, Alindra made the two lightsabers collide, sending their blades above their heads. Next, Alindra ducked low, slashing at Looma's legs. The Twi'lek was able to leap over the attack, being both nimble and a bit more experienced in actual combat.

They separated for a moment, both looking for new ways to attack. Alindra moved in, having her weapon pushed to the side. Gritting her teeth, Alindra shoved the two lightsabers in an arc between both of them. She released a growl and started swinging. Looma kept pressing back, occasionally meeting the weapons together as they pushed back and forth.

For a moment, Alindra felt warm. Her peripheral vision glanced to her left, where she noticed the hood of her coat. The fur lining, pristine and perfect moments earlier, had been singed. A slash had cut through many of the fibers, making the hood much less effective, though Alindra didn't have time to worry about it. Looma kept her busy with attacks, keeping them both locked in battle.

But something was coming. Alindra felt a disturbance meant for her. She searched for it, but wasn't able to see anything, especially with all the lightsaber fighting they were wrapped up in. Alindra decided Looma had something planned, but could think of nothing to defend herself until the time came, even though it might be too late then.

As the two lightsabers slammed together, Looma wasn't at all surprised. She had known that Alindra would be able to see through her fake attack and be able to block the real blow. For the moment she had no time to focus on thinking ahead; she had to defend herself from the current threat, something that left her scrambling for moves. It was all she could do to keep throwing up her blade to block the other woman's moves; the yellow Twi'lek had no time to try to even counter with her own offense. Everything was happening so fast.

For a moment she had lost her connection to this place, her dark connection to its raging power. The power that had strengthened her beyond what she was normally capable of. She could just set her jaw and keep swinging with her blade. Looma knew none of it was graceful or even remotely resembling any true lightsaber form, except a new form born out of a will to survive. Her master would be deeply displeased that she let herself get so out of control. But what else could she do? Alindra kept coming at her, and so she kept on blocking.

Looma forced herself to take a deep breath and breathe deep of the Force, the surrounding chilled air, the dark power within these icy walls. Her eyes closed for a brief second as she allowed herself this respite, the only thing keeping her alive and with all her limbs being the fact that her arms had gotten into a numb, awkward but defensive cycle. She was feeling much calmer now, but still no closer to any type of solution? How could she put some distance between her and Alindra to catch her breath, and her strategy?

Immediately she dismissed the idea of grabbing some large icicles and throwing them at her opponent with the Force. If she did so, she would lose focus in the current duel with her lightsaber. And then it wouldn't matter if she connected her Force-thrown weapon with Alindra; she wouldn't be around any longer to enjoy it. No, she had to do something else, something besides just wait here, blocking slashes, until she eventually tired and the other woman got through her meager defenses.

She knew she needed to reclaim the feeling she had felt when she had first arrived at this frozen amphitheater, calm, confident. The feeling she had lost when caught unawares by Alindra's Force push and fell to the ice and tried to go on the offensive, lightsaber to lightsaber. Then she had exuded false confidence and power, trying to throw off her opponent. And obviously it hadn't worked. The only small thing she could be thankful for was that she hadn't seriously injured herself in the fall and had been able to re-take her lightsaber.

Wait, that was it! Looma kept up her quick blocks and slashes, keeping Alindra from doing her serious injury. And then she made her move. The Twi'lek, though never a dancer in her life, was still fairly athletic and had gained some muscle working in the fields on Bakura and later with helping to build the Temple on Korriban. Making sure Alindra's blade was up high when she blocked it, she let herself fall to the icy ground, utilizing the Force to slide herself across the surface. Hopefully the pretend ankle sprain would give herself some time to recuperate until the other woman came back after her. And perhaps Looma would have a plan by then.

Sitting there a moment, she took the time to draw again on the dark powers surrounding this place, and this time not allowing it to escape her. If she were to survive this duel, she needed all the help she could get. And the dark side of the Force was a powerful ally indeed. Again she focused on her frustration and her anger and melded it with the energy that was emanating off the walls of this icy dueling ring.

Slowly, she stood, acting as if she were pulling on the Force to keep herself balanced on her 'wounded' ankle. Looma didn't have to fake a determined look on her face now; her violet eyes were showing her true feelings as they seemed to darken into a deep purple, set off by the bright yellow of her skin, and the dark brown of her cloak. Her lekku were silent, hanging down her back. She had her lit lightsaber in her right hand as she stood there, waiting. This time she would let Alindra come to her instead of foolishly trying to go on the attack.

With the dark energy of this place swelling in her, Looma almost felt invincible, but she hid away those thoughts. Such things would get herself killed, and she could almost hear her master saying the same thing. Confidence was one thing; invincibility was another. This was not going to be an easy fight. But if she kept herself positive and tuned into the dark power of this place, she had a fighting chance. She would need more than her lightsaber, though, and a couple of feints to keep Alindra at bay. The Twi'lek had to use all of her arsenal.

Still standing there on the ice, the wind whipping at her cloak the only movement on her body, Looma used her Force's eye to look more outwardly, focusing on the stalactites on the upper rim of the amphitheater. One by one she pulled on them, and they cracked at the spot where they fused onto the main icy shelf. With the Force, she balanced them there as if they hadn't broken at all. She kept going until she had about two dozen of these icy projectiles readied and waiting. This was an extremely delicate task, and she couldn't really keep her whole attention on what Alindra was doing; all she had was a blurry vision in the foreground of the woman's figure and whether it was moving or not.

She forced a look then at Alindra, refocusing her gaze to Alindra instead of her mind's eye. And then she unleased the frozen spears, four of them, at the other woman's back. Looma was breathing heavily now with the exertion of the Force, though she had rested earlier from her frenzied lightsaber duel. Even though she drew more energy from the Force, it still wouldn't calm her completely. She would just have to live with it for now and try not to let it show past her stony exterior.

The four icy weapons shot down from the top of the bowl, aimed for Alindra's back. When they were about halfway there, Looma loosened four others, this time sending two towards the woman's right side, two to her left. She knew this wouldn't completely neutralize her opponent, for she was formidable; she was just hoping that one would get through her defenses and wound her or at least surprise her. Any advantage she could gain now would be a boon.

However, though, Looma kept herself aware in the Force, while keeping ahold of the other stalactites she had let to unleash and also those she had in motion against her opponent. She had a small part of awareness left to keep on Alindra herself, for any counterattack she might bring in response to Looma's icy weapons. This time she wouldn't let herself be surprised.



(((Feeling strangely rusty, so hopefully this isn't too horrible. )))

Round 2

Nightender:
Effort: 4/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 3/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: /2
Comments: Still slightly lower, I saw improvement, though, which is awesome. I loved the post, and it really helped me feel through Alindra.

Mara:
Effort: 4/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: /2
Comments: Very good, a slight variation between you too, and you came out strong this round. Both were excellent posts, but yours seemed to have more detail. Good job!

Total:

Nightender - 31
Mara- 32

A good match so far, both are doing a great job! Sorry for my slow response, I kind of forgot I hadn't posted it D: Anyway, lets go!

The dark sky gave no relief overhead, not even as the air grew steady for the first time since the duel began. For a fraction of a second, everything was calm, far too cool, and beyond any real level of control. They had to only be patient for a moment. Both women were Sith, both trained and willing to kill, made into weapons by time, effort, and a desire to gain and grow in power.

Alindra took a few paces to her left, keeping her sea green eyes locked onto Looma. She couldn't afford to take any chances, not in such a hostile place with only her wits and her meager supplies to keep her alive. In such a horrible climate, Alindra might be forced to start a fire and cook the meat off Looma's bones, but only after drinking all the blood out of the Twi'lek's body.

It had been cold enough, Alindra could feel the lines in her lips drying out. The cracks in her skin were starting to run deeper, making her nerves bite harder into her thoughts. Subzero air pushed into Alindra's nose and lungs, burning them with frozen fire. She had started to hurt so badly, her fur-lined coat hardly doing anything to hold off the elements. Alindra's hair even started to move around her face, brushing and cutting at her cheeks with every movement of air.

There were cracks along the walls above Alindra. She didn't know exactly where they came from or exactly what they were, but through the Force she could feel a connection to them. Something about the sounds she was hearing was linked to her future, her immediate future. Alindra could sense waves of the Force, ripples of the Dark Side itself, leading back to a single source. It didn't even surprise her when she saw Looma standing at the center of the waves.

For a moment, Alindra smirked in amusement before shifting her poise just enough to take on her foe. Her lightsaber felt just a little warm in her hand, especially compared to the rest of the world around her.

Alindra's instincts made her leap forward. Charging at Looma seemed the best idea and the worst tactical plan. It was Looma's attack that motivated Alindra's motion, but Alindra still had to try. She shifted her weight, letting her steps push her just ahead of the broken stalactites. With each step, aided by the Force, Alindra took more and more to the air. Minor shards sprinkled onto Alindra, causing her to sweep her lightsaber to clear her path.

Another barrage of stalactites began crashing down behind Alindra. Even though she was closing in on Looma, she had no choice by to move herself up with a sudden burst of the Force, rolling a little out of control form the sudden move. As she approached the ground again, Alindra tried to use her inertia to fuel a downward slash, but she wasn't able to aim it right, thrashing a groove into the ground they had stood on.

To Alindra's right, another pair of stalactites crashed down, the first of which sliced the side of her right leg. She screamed. It felt terrible as the pain gripped her leg. She couldn't tense her leg quite right, but she had to keep moving. Alindra could feel more coming down onto her. Even though the cold brushed against her wound, threatening it with frostbite and cyberization. Alindra would have none of it.

Jumping up, using the Force as much as her left leg to rise, Alindra stared down Looma. Hate surged through Alindra's mind, focusing her ability just enough where she could lock on to the two stalactites about to fall on her. With her left hand held up, she caught the ice with the Force, only to slam them forward in the direction of Looma.

Hobbling forward, Alindra felt her smile fade away. Her blood started to frost, especially on her right leg. She was freezing, the injury had seen to that. There would be little time for her to keep the cold at bay. Her heart woudln't be able to go much longer without warmth, but she couldn't tend to her injuries while the battle still went on. It would be impossible.

"Looma." Alindra had whispered the name. She glanced up, feeling another barrage of stalactites coming toward her in the future. It would be impossible to stop them from coming, unless she could give Looma a good reason to not launch them.

Forward, Alindra went, bringing her lightsaber close to her enemy. There would be no dancing grace to call on, nor any perfect acrobatic escape. Alindra could only manage more direct attacks, attacks where her every movement was fueled by the power of the Dark Side. She kept her senses attuned, but Alindra had to keep fighting. The closer the could keep the lightsaber to her enemy, the more likely Alindra would be to survive. If she were to back away or be separated, she knew she could use the Force to toss the remaining stalactites around like large pegs.

Ready, Alindra planned to push through as much as she could. If the battle was to continue, she would have to do much more, but she knew she still had a chance. Alindra could make herself beat Looma, she had to.