Insway (Spaceolas) VS. Kvothe (Spacendalf)

[Twysper]

Yes, I do expect you both to jump between the two heads in an extremely dramatic fashion. Points will be docked otherwise.

Hem. Sooooo anywaaaaaays....



I do not claim to own either of these images. =3


A fast moving river reaves under the bridge of this long forgotten outpost, and faster decaying shadows are cast onto the ground by the crumbling ruins and rising sun. This was once the location of a courageous stand against a superior foe, a place of decisions and actions with aftershocks and repercussions that rocked no less then the entire planet. Older relics are still to be found hidden in niches among the maze of architecture; these are what the structure now serves to guard.

But evidently, rather then playing arena to warring nations, it has fallen into such a state of entropy that it now has to put up with whatever two scrappers wander into the territory and decide to duke it out.

Try to do it justice, for I shall be grading critically. xD

Insway Nal VS. Kvothe Algaterra ~ six rounds~ to be graded by myself!

Insway/Slip gets right of way, and/or first post. x)

For our viewers currently observing this fight from Middle Earth on our special Crystal Ball Broadcasting On Demand (CBBOD) HD program, they are known respectively as SPACEOLAS and SPACENDALF.

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE MIDDLE-EARTH CHARACTER IN SWU! GOGOGO! xD

[SlipLihte]

'And I too will go with him,' said Legolas. 'It would be faith~~~ Wait, no, wrong place for this. Ahem...



IC:


It took only the lightest tap, imbued with a precise amount of Force energy, to send clouds of century-old dust spiraling away from what had seemed to be little more than a blank wall face moments ago. Yet, with the light breeze that came with the morning sun carrying the dust away quickly, the surface was soon revealed to hold a somewhat archaic map of the structure around it. It carried the motifs of a hastily painted piece, imprecise work declaring it as the product of something living and breathing, rather than a machine's heartless perfection.

"Interesting..."[/B]

Not for the first time on this trip, Insway Nal considered that he should perhaps change his official standing among the Order as that of an archeologist. After all, this was now his third trip to some ancient site this quarter, and he was undeniably actually becoming quite proficient at inspecting old ruins. Yet, despite the mounting experience, he knew quite well there would soon be more important tasks for him to attend to in the galaxy at large.

Dressed in customary attire in varying shades of tan(at least, as much as tan could be said to vary), most casual observers would easily mark him as a member of the Jedi Order. Though his white skin did much to make him look sickly, his golden mane was quick to refute this, neatly falling around his shoulders in straight lines. All in all, Insway looked very orderly, considering that he was surrounded by all forms of dirt, dust and grime imaginable. Even so, the Jedi managed to not look entirely out of place, showing a good deal of his trademark comfort with his surroundings.

"Such a shame."[/B] the Morganian mused aloud, though among the dead ruins there would be only walls to reflect upon his words. To be fair, though, it wasn't a shame, no more than the single map he had discovered was actually interesting. Though he had the patience of a rock, he was starting to become disenchanted with ancient, dead ruins. What had started out as a search for knowledge was slowly becoming a dull, extended tour of the universe, with no more to be learned than how to remove several different types of primordial dirt from Jedi robes.

Idly, the Jedi Master cast his eyes to the rising sun, wondering absent mindedly how many hours more he would have to wait for his scheduled pick up(Insway was a firm believer that Jedi need not own anything, and thus had no chrono to check). Suspecting the answer came closer to 'many' than 'few', Insway allowed his feet to carry him through the architecture he had explored so far, back to the river he had found when he had arrived the previous morning. A steel blue serpent, carrying a rapid current that would be more than enough to deter most from encroaching any further than a few feet, the river was the only part of the outpost that still had any life to it. Considering that the waters were too chilly for any but the hardiest of fish, the state was more than enough to declare the outpost a graveyard.

'A graveyard?'[/I] the Morganian thought, wondering how he had come upon such an idea. Putting the subject from his mind, he dropped the few pieces of expedition equipment he had brought with him, and settled himself into a meditative posture by the bank of the river.

[Rugs]

The Stone stands!

Wait... That's not even from the Lord of the Rings! >.<

Twysper, am sorry v.v

SRS BSNS Mode:

The slow, steady clink of pieces of ancient pottery snapping together echoed throughout the dark old chamber, which, save the presence of one man, was empty. He was perhaps just a bit taller than average, with rusty reddish-brown hair that fell down around his head in a way that was too disorganized to be called orderly, yet neat enough to not be wild. His stance had an easy grace to it, as if the old dusty ruins were his own home. He was wearing tan robes, with simple leather boots and gloves that cut off at his fingers. A green sash, which was nearly the same dark green as the tattoos that decorated his face, was wrapped about his waist, and an armband of red and gold metal sat over the loose sleeve of his left arm, near the elbow. An ornate sword hung behind him through that sash, and a staff with multiple blades fixed to it leaned against one of the rough walls not too far from him.

One of Kvothe's hands was held aloft in front of him, emitting a dim light that seemed to take the form of a small ball that hovered in front of it. The ball no real substance to it, really, and was just the manifestation of the Force--or the Mythos, as those in his order called it--that came with the use of flare, a simple power that created illumination for when it was needed. That light was certainly needed for what he was doing now. His other hand was lower, and his fingers moved rhythmically as he held an old vase in the air front of him and pieced broken fragments back together, piece by piece. It was slow, delicate work, and he'd occasionally stop to scribble something down onto a flimsiplast in his lap, but he enjoyed it; but then again, most from the order of the Stellar Mythics, being members of an order that was situated around the search for knowledge, would enjoy such a task.

The last piece fell into place, ringing lightly as it tapped against the other pieces that were held together by nothing more than Kvothe's telekinetic bonds, and Kvothe scrawled a few final notes down onto his sheet. He'd stumbled across these ruins in his wandering, and the opportunity to study them had been too much to pass up. So, for the last few days, he'd taken his time wandering around them, looking into anything of interest that he could find. From what he'd gathered, these were left over from the Second Battle of... the Second Battle of... Well that wasn't important. There'd been battles here before, and the one worth remembering was the second. Magnus is going to kill me if he finds out I don't know this, Kvothe thought as he let the pieces of pottery drift gently to the ground. Of course, the old Rishii librarian back on Aiaru would just have to be thankful that Kvothe'd taken the time to look into the old ruins. Hmph, and he claims that Swords don't take interest in such things!

With that, he stood and knocked some of the dust off of his robes. The flimsiplast went into a small satchel that hung from his shoulder. A tug of Mythos brought his staff to him, and he began to make his way back outside.

He emerged into the morning sunlight a few minutes later and his hazel eyes swept over the area around him. It was the same as it had been earlier, when he went down into the old catacombs. The remains of buildings, lots of dust, the river, that man in the strange robes... Wait, what? Kvothe's eyes snapped back to the man, who was sitting near the bank of the river opposite the one Kvothe was near.

Kvothe reached out with his senses, and could feel something emanating from the other man, but he did not prod; he could tell enough to know that this man was a Force sensitive, though. Kvothe's eyes narrowed and took on a faint orange tint as he took a few wary steps closer to the river.

"Ho! You there," he called. His youthful voice carried strongly across the river, as did the wariness within it. "Who are you? And what is your business here? Speak quickly! Do not waste my time!"

[Twysper]

ROUND ONE.

Insway Nal - SlipLihte
Effort: 3/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 2/5
Bonus: +1

Comments: For extensive detail and the OoC line, I applaud thee. Coolness was mreh, but that's archaeology for you. Unless you happen to be named Indiana Jones.


Kvothe Algaterra - Rugs
Effort: 2/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 3/5
Coolness: 3/5
Bonus: +1

Comments: For referencing the Stellar Mythics, and more importantly, Magnus, in a relevant way. In other words, for understanding your character's own likkle faction. =3 Watch typos and run-ons.

Total:

SlipLihte: 15

Rugs: 14

Overall comments: First round is always a slow one... Shall they fight now? Or at least verbally duel?

[SlipLihte]

Seated as he was, there was little to indicate that any kind of change had come over the Jedi at the words of the stranger. His eyelids peeled back slowly, revealing a pair of yellow-green eyes that belied no expression other than that of slight intrigue. For a few idle seconds, the Morganian did not move further, instead studying the stranger on the opposite embankment, using his eyes to measure the man in silence. Of course, there was little that eyes could tell that the Force had not already, little that was important anyway. He was, after all, predominantly trained to sense first, and it had been a long time since Insway had last looked upon a fellow Force adept with his eyes without having first felt his approach. It was of little import, though. Despite harsh words, obvious weapons and a bearing that indicated that he was no stranger to combat, Insway felt no sense of immediate danger.

He could feel the Force stir, though...

The stranger seemed to be of some form of near-human lineage, at least as far as could be told from opposite sides of the river. His appearance was what Insway called 'busy', with dark green markings on his face that Insway could not recognize as belonging to any set race, clan or group, and a scar crossing the bridge of his nose. Auburn hair dominated much of his head in what could only be politely described as an eventful way, going well with the tan coloring of his robes. The man also wore a ring about his left arm, though the lavishness of the piece seemed restrained when compared with the sword he carried with him.

With a pace fully indicating that the Jedi still had his full reserve of patience, and was indeed in no hurry to provide an answer, Insway got to his feet. For a moment, he wondered whether he would be able to sell himself as a frail old man to the strange man, yet he doubted the possibility. Slow as he might have been at getting up, Insway knew he had been sitting with the perfectly straight back, something that one would not easily find on the feeble. Instead, he decided to play another tactic he was not so well known for.

Calling upon the Force, primarily his fairly limited strength in Telekinesis, Insway let his focus dive into the water ahead of him. For what he had in mind, skill and precision would be the precursor to success, which suited him quite well. He had always been found lacking in sheer power, yet he had a hand as deft as any when it came to manipulating with precision. Slowly at first, he started manipulating small elements of the water current. Not enough to disturb the river as a whole, but instead in a very localized fashion. Forcing some of the current to turn on itself, he created two distinct, albeit relatively small pockets of water moving against the current. With a bit more effort, he slowly started turning the pockets in on themselves, creating what could best be described an inverse whirlpool, one that was self sustaining.

As he worked, the Jedi took a step forward, and then another. His third step was onto the water, directly onto one of his whirlpools. Had he been 20 lbs heavier, he suspected his weight would have disrupted the flow enough to cause him to sink, but being a skinny Morganian, and one with excellent balance at that, standing erect on his little 'trick' was not too difficult. Rather than creating more of the whirlpools ahead, a task that would likely have exhausted him before he reached the opposite bank, he simply manipulated the current to carry him forward and across the river. To a degree, he was fully aware at what a waste all this effort would seem to most, especially compared to the highly efficient Insway Nal that everyone knew, yet he was very much acting with a plan.

He disembarked on the far bank with as much grace as a man stepping off an only slightly stable water pool could, especially one who'd managed to get most of his leggings wet, and took a few steps toward the oddly dressed humanoid. He made sure to keep some distance between them, though. He knew he was pretty quick for a 53 year old, yet he would not risk it based on an arrogant assumption that he could react faster than the stranger could attack.

Then again, there had been no indication that the stranger would attack him so far.

"I'm sorry young man, do you have somewhere you urgently need to go? Someone to see?"[/B] the Jedi Master intoned, sarcasm thick in his voice as he beckoned to their dead surroundings. Another thought came to the Morganian at present, though. "You aren't one of those Etherium users, are you? There aren't a lot of Force cults around these parts, and only a few that use staves."[/B] he said, pointing to the triple-bladed weapon the man was carrying. "And very few of travel much..."[/B] he finished, wondering how wise it had been to reveal his thoughts.

It was a risky strategy, as he could already feel irritation about the man at his presence, yet being the bigger bully could often be a cure for being bullied. If his plan backfired, though, it would likely do so in a spectacular fashion. 'A graveyard...' the Jedi thought, as he felt the chaos in the Force slowly filter in around him. As if it too felt the Force stir, the gracious breeze that had dominated the morning so far grew stronger, into a gale of sorts, causing the river flow to grow violent a few feet behind him.

[Rugs]

For a few heartbeats, absolutely nothing happened. The man that was seated on the river's other bank stared at Kvothe--weighing him, no doubt--and Kvothe stared back. He could not make out much of the man, seated as he was, though at the moment, he wasn't concerned about such things. His ire grew at the stranger's apparent refusal to at least give any sort of sign that his questions would be answered, and he was on the edge of calling out again when the man started to move.

The other man rose slowly to his feet, and still did not make any move to answer Kvothe's questions. Instead, he took it upon himself to waste Kvothe's time. The stranger came across the river. That much, in and of itself, wasn't too terribly surprising, as Kvothe'd had a feeling that one of them would end up on the other bank at some point. But the way he went about it was something that Kvothe had not at all been expecting. The Rilan shifted his weight from his right leg to his left as he watched the display that the man put on. It was interesting, to be sure, but if he was trying to impress Kvothe, his attempt was failing. Instead, Kvothe's irritation only grew as he decided that this man had to trying to wow him. There could be no other explanation for his actions when there was a bridge not fifty feet away from them. That or he had an issue with hubris that would need to be worked out. Of course, that would put him very near to Vorian in Kvothe's mind, and that was not at all a good place to be.

The stranger stopped a few feet away from Kvothe when he reached the other side of the river, and Kvothe took a chance to look him over, now that he was closer. The robes indicated that he belonged to some organization of Force sensitives, and given that they were various shades of tan, Kvothe was inclined to believe the man a Jedi. Or perhaps he just had a thing for brown robes. Still, Kvothe wouldn't make assumptions until he heard something from the man's mouth. Physically, the other man looked to be near Kvothe's age, or perhaps a few years older, and looked to be about the same height as Kvothe. His skin was pale, to the point where it might have been considered a sickly pallor on some other species. But, if those pointed ears that poked out in front of his long flaxen hair were anything to go by, this man was a Morganian. Kvothe had only ever seen one back in the Tower. Or was she a Sephi? Same pointed ears, but I can't remember if she was so pale...

Whatever she actually was, Kvothe decided that she had, in fact, been a Morganian.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the other man's voice, and for a moment, his hopes that he'd finally have his questions answered soared. But no, he received sarcasm, of all things, instead. Kvothe's irises grew more and more orange as his irritation deepened, and they reached the point where the orange was as vivid as it would get before red started to creep in to it.

The situation was almost rectified when the stranger indicated that he at least knew of the Mythics, but that, too, was ruined when he called them a cult. A cult! As if they were some petty group of crazies who got together in a shack and did whatever ritual they'd decided to come up with for the day! That rankled. The Mythics were an order that was over six hundred years old, with a membership that numbered in the hundreds, if not low thousands. They had a proud history, dominated the politics on Aiaru as well as the Etherium trade, and this man would go so far as to relegate them to the status of merely being some petty cult?

Kvothe might have been willing to let even that go, but for the fact that the man still did not answer his questions. Instead, he'd put on that silly show, made some sarcastic little quip, and insulted (whether intentionally or not made no difference in the young Rilan's mind) Kvothe's order.

Kvothe just started at the man for a few moments, as the wind suddenly picked up, blowing the end of his sash about his feet and ruffling his auburn hair about his head. The muscles of his jaw stood out a bit as he clenched his teeth, and red started to become visible around the edges of orange irises as he began to think of what to do with this stranger.

"I asked you questions," Kvothe said darkly, with a quiet heat to his voice, "and you refuse to answer them. Not only that, but you put on that ridiculous display and then insult my order and ask questions of your own!" He spat on the ground in the stranger's direction as took a hold of the Mythos. "You are either very arrogant or very foolish. Whatever you are, I've tired of dealing with you."

Kvothe started to work as he spoke. He was of middling or worse ability when it came to using most areas of the Force. He was better than some at Protection, but there were those that were better than he. Telekinesis, on the other hand, was something that he was very, very talented with. When it came to using the Mythos in battle, Telekinesis was his proverbial bread and butter. And it was that discipline of Mythos use that he used to start preparing his attack on the other man.

It was a simple thing that he was doing, really. He focused in on the area just in front of him, compressing the air with telekinetic energy to build up pressure. He drew in more and more, forcing it into a sort of sphere. As he drew in more, the pressure grew, until it reached the point he where he was satisfied. Of course all of this was done quickly, over the span of a few seconds.

"You remind me a great deal of my brother," he mused aloud. Kvothe didn't care if the insult would be lost on the other man. The point remained that Kvothe loathed his brother, and to imply that someone reminded him of Vorian was just about one of the worst insults he could make. "I'm sure you two would get along well, with your taste for showboating."

He lashed out the moment he finished speaking. He let the bonds that held the invisible energy in on the side that faced the robed man go, and all of the energy within was released in a sort of explosion that was all funneled toward that one target. Should the blast be effective, it would throw the man back, hopefully into the river, where he would be whisked away and Kvothe could go about his business in peace. But Kvothe wasn't so willing to bet that this stranger could be dealt with so easily. Time would tell.

[Twysper]

ROUND ONE TWO.

Insway Nal - SlipLihte
Effort: 3/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: +1

Comments: Slip, glad you're not compromising Insway's more passive, patient character. Staying true to who you made is important. *nod, nod* /Disney moment

Average effort score is, however, for waiting for Kvothe to initiate conflict. xD

There could have been some reason to initiate fighting a little earlier, though you did set Rugs up nicely to move along. This has been taken into account, and btw, is a stellar trait to have for RPing. x)

Kvothe Algaterra - Rugs
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 5/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: +1

Comments: Very good post, taking us through Kvothe's thought process in depth and logically, and using it to start the fighting. Nothing feels missing, nothing feels overdone.

First combative action/taking initiative = bonus.



Total:

SlipLihte: 33

Rugs: 34

Overall comments: Good job both of you, let's keep it rolling here. ^^

And

Here

We

Go...

[SlipLihte]

OOC: Sorry it's a little lengthy, hard to judge post length in notepad >.<


Evidently, his efforts had been a mistake, prompting Insway to wonder for a moment whether he had grown arrogant with his recent promotion. He had not appreciated the way he had been shouted to from the opposite bank of the river, yet even a middling Padawan would have been above allowing such things to influence himself. Even so, he now had the responsibility of dealing with a being who was growing increasingly annoyed with him. By the way he was gathering Force energy, Insway more than suspected that the signs of an attack that had been absent just a few moments prior would soon come.

It prompted a sigh from the Morganian. He was indeed not very tactful.

By the man's reaction, he was indeed a member of the Mythics, though obviously one of the warrior caste if he were to be judged by the presence of both a sword and a staff. Insway's knowledge of the Stellar Mythics wasn't extensive, but did extend further than that of most Jedi. He had studied with many groups of Force users not affiliated with the Jedi in the past, the most prominent of which had been his studies with the Baran Do Sages. As such, he had always looked into news of Force user groups, and so had come across the information that had been gathered about the Stellar Mythics.

What he did know extended to a small handful of facts. Firstly, he knew the sought knowledge above all else. Second, he knew they supported themselves with a drug trade. These two facts alone were enough to gain Insway's aversion, and were probably the main reason he had never sought them out before. Well, that, and the fact that they apparently considered the Jedi a group of sacrilegious fools, and were only welcoming to Jedi willing to adopt their belief system. To be fair, Insway was not against the pursuit of knowledge, but he was strongly against pursuing knowledge above wisdom. For a moment, he considered what a fascinating conversation he might have had with this stranger, had he not instead managed to irritate him with his very presence.

The moment was growing close now, the Morganian could feel. Even if he couldn't feel the growing turmoil in the Force around him, the band of crimson now surrounding the stranger's eyes made it quite obvious that matters were turning from bad to worse. As he spoke, there was a restrained undertone of wrath in his voice, and the Morganian was yet to learn of a culture where spitting at one another's feet was a sign of peace.

"You remind me a great deal of my brother,"

That was an interesting comment, though judging by the attack that Insway felt the man forming his brother didn't exactly bring about thoughts of sibling love. It seemed it was meant as an insult, and though Insway had no idea of the history between the stranger and his family, the abhorrence that washed off the man was enough to tell the Jedi just what the man thought of him. Yet, there was little time to deal with that now, as Insway could feel his opponent's readiness to attack at any second. A master of Sense, the nature of the attack was obvious to the Morganian, though that didn't make it that easy to deal with.

Granted, he was far more than skilled with the protective arts, but it was obvious that his opponent was no newcomer to telekinetic practices. Simply trying to block the attack might have been an answer to some, but it wouldn't work for Insway, not at all. He knew he could try to dodge as well, but he would have to move before the man released his attack. Insway was fast, but he still had to overcome his own inertia, and compressed air was far too quick at that range. Ultimately, though, he was well aware that neither of these solutions was befitting his nature of doing the unexpected. He let the Force fill him more completely, readying himself.

"I'm sure you two would get along well, with your taste for showboating."

And the blast came.

In a feat that required both focus and energy to a degree that the Morganian would describe as nothing short of intense, Insway formed a protective energy in front of him. Yet, rather than blocking the attack full on, he instead created a cutting wedge directly in the middle of the oncoming blast, just wide enough to divert most of the energy around him. The wind was still turbulent behind the wedge, though, forcing the Jedi to fasten himself to the ground in the Force. In the few milliseconds it took for the brunt of the attack to pass, Insway gathered his lightsaber from his belt, and started stepping forward.

The first step was a slow one, relatively speaking that is, but he quickly picked up speed. As the force coming from his opponent's attack diminished, he let his wedge weaken and instead allowed the Force to flow into his body, speeding him up. Though not as capable in enhancing himself physically as he was with other techniques in the Force, the talent he had combined with his body's natural speed was more than enough to make him a blurred image to most.

As the blast of compressed air was not almost completely done, though barely a second had passed, Insway began to launch his counter-attack. With a burst that was far less subtle than one would usually expect for such a technique, he reached out to his opponent's mind. Though the attack was obvious, the effect would not be, as all Insway needed to do was interrupt the man's ability to focus for a moment. If it worked, his opponent would see Insway coming, yet the concept of a Jedi Master rushing toward him would be a slippery one to his opponent's mind. He would see Insway, but not notice him.

Yet, this was only the precursor to the counter-attack. With his attempted mental attack in place, Insway sped forward, allowing the wedge to dissolve in front of him as turbulent air struggled to fill the low-pressure void that had been left. The attack had kicked up a lot of dust, though not enough to hide either combatant from the other's view completely.

Insway closed the gap between him and his opponent, keeping his lightsaber in hand but deactivated until the last moment. It was a strange thing for him, though, running in to attack his opponent. Soresu was certainly not made for this kind of maneuver, and it had been a long time since Insway had used Shii-Cho in an actual duel. That left only Niman, a balanced form, not fast but not slow either. In his hands, it was fast, though.

Allowing just a trickle of Force energy cross from him into his lightsaber, he activated the hidden trigger inside, causing a green blade to emerge in a sudden snap-hiss. Despite the momentary awkwardness of having to stop from going at full tilt in a millisecond, he managed to bring about a clean horizontal slash, though he took care not to expose himself as he attacked. He was, classically speaking, a defensive fighter, and a lot of that still came through even when he was attacking.

[Rugs]

For a moment, a part of Kvothe's mind wondered if he'd been too hasty in attacking the man. Hastiness was fault of his, and he knew it. It'd nearly gotten him killed several times, and had gotten him captured and held prisoner for a year when he was younger. Couple that with the fact that Kvothe knew next to nothing about the stranger's abilities, other than that he was Force sensitive, and Kvothe realized that, if this first attack didn't work, he might be in for a rather difficult fight. But maybe, just maybe, the blast would hit, and things would end quickly and smoothly.

Of course, things never went so simply in these types of situations. In a perfect world, Kvothe's blast would've slammed into the stranger full force, pushing him away and leaving Kvothe to carry on with his day. But alas, Kvothe had expected it would not be so easy.

The blast of compressed air raced toward his opponent, leaving a drifting trail of dust in its wake. Everything happened very quickly, but Kvothe saw the dust split sharply in front of the man as the air was forced off to either side by some sort of protective barrier. At the same time, the stranger prepared to go on the offensive, and started to move toward Kvothe. Quickly. Very quickly. The man's barrier held even has he pushed through the remnants of Kvothe's blast, and the distance between the two men started to shrink quite rapidly. Kvothe cursed within his mind and started to take steps to prepare a defense.

Or, he would have, had it not been for what happened next. Something slammed into the barriers that protected his mind, and Kvothe's attention was diverted from the onrushing man to whatever mental attack was being thrown at him. He'd experienced a great deal of torture by telepathy--done by his brother, no less--during his captivity, and anyone reaching out to his mind without invitation made him very skittish. A very pale yellow ran through the orange of his eyes as the red faded and a spike of fear shot through him. All of his attention went to keeping the protection around his mind strong, and whatever the stranger was trying to do didn't get through.

But then again, maybe that was just because the man wasn't trying to get into Kvothe's mind. His sense screamed a warning at him, and Kvothe's attention snapped back to his foe. He was almost too late. Kvothe's breath came out short in a gasp of surprise and his eyes went wide in shock to see the verdant blade closing in on his side. Instincts kicked in as his mind reeled, and he caught the blade of burning plasma on his staff in a well-practiced motion before it made contact with him. Even then, it was a close thing. The lightsaber pushed against his staff (which, like his sword, had been imbued with the Force upon its creation, making it extremely resilient) not more than a few inches away from Kvothe's flesh, and he knew that, had he been just a little later, he might not have been able to save himself.

The realization that he'd been tricked dawned on Kvothe as he stared at the Morganian's face. The young Rilan scowled as he pushed the man's lightsaber away before striking at him with one of the blades on the head of his staff. That strike would doubtless be blocked, but it was just something to do to keep his opponent from attacking as Kvothe decided to fall back and regroup.

Kvothe took a few short hops back to put him out of the Morganian's reach. Wheels started to turn within his mind, now that he had a moment to think. A lightsaber added evidence to his thought that this man was a Jedi. That didn't do much to raise Kvothe's opinion of the man, were it true. As far as Kvothe was concerned, the Jedi were a group of fools. Oh, he wouldn't mind the chance to talk to one, to learn things about them, but what he knew of them did not impress him at all. They concerned themselves with fighting the so-called Dark Side, which was something the Mythics cared very little about. They also seemed to have a way of sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

Perhaps the thing that Kvothe liked least about the Jedi was the way they claimed to be the protectors of the people of the Republic, yet without fail, they always became involved in massive, galaxy-spanning wars with their Sith counterparts that led to untold amounts of damage, both to life and property. And, what's worse, sometimes, they'd sit on the sides of a conflict--much like the war that was starting to pick up now--rather than becoming involved in the early stages, and in doing so, only allowed it to worsen. Of course, they'd always jump in at a later date, when it was too late to put a swift end to whatever the conflict was. Kvothe could admit that he didn't know their reasoning for waiting, but the thought that the so-called protectors would allow those that they were sworn to protect perish, much like they were doing now, so they could have a debate or some such, sickened him.

"So you're a Jedi then," he asked. The disdain he felt for the Jedi, and for this man in particular, was unrestrained, and came through quite clearly in his tone. "Don't you have a war to be attending to, rather than being here and bothering me?" A smirk started to grow on his face, in spite of his obvious irritation with the man. "Or has your Council decided to roll over and let the encroachers take your territory and the lives of those you claim to protect, as they did in the Mandalorian Wars?"

Kvothe tsked and shook his head as he reached out to the Mythos once more. "Honestly, you'd think there'd be more important things for you to be doing than digging around here." He held his free hand out in front of him and clenched it, as if he was grabbing onto something. As he did this, he took control of the air to the Jedi's left, using his telekinetic prowess to prepare to move it. "But, perhaps you just enjoy wasting time." He struck an instant later. His hand came down and to the side, like he was pulling on an invisible string, and the air he'd exerted influence over violently followed, blasting out angrily toward the Jedi.

At the same time, he went on the offensive and started to run towards his opponent. Kvothe was not as fast as the Morganian seemed to be, but he was fast enough. Pietas, his staff, came up in his hand as he closed in on the Jedi, and he made as if he was going to strike head on. But, at the last moment, he stopped and spun to the Jedi's right. The staff spun around his torso with a practiced grace as he tried to gather momentum for his strike. The head of the staff lashed out, blades aimed for the Jedi's shoulder. It was his hope that, should the blow be blocked, the extra weight from the wood in the head of the staff would at least catch the other man off guard. If not, he'd just have to keep trying until he forced his way through the man's defense.

[Twysper]

ROUND ONE TWO THREE.

Insway Nal - SlipLihte
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 4/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 3/5
Bonus:

Comments: Insway feels very much quiet and contemplative, perhaps to the point of being overly so, and thus the transition to sudden action tends to read a bit awkwardly. Although it's probably just the new character phase. You've already made it apparent that Insway can be slightly sarcastic, and you've got a few opportunities for him to quip back to Kvothe's dialogue, and liven up Insway's character. Currently, there seems to be a focus on general actions as opposed to slight facial movements and emotions, the things that make a character more realistic. I'll leave you to what you think is best though, bear with me as I try to get my thoughts together and proffer advice like I know something. xD


Kvothe Algaterra - Rugs
Effort: 4/5
Fairness: 4/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus:

Comments: Not all that much I can say here, you seem to have found a nice bit of Kvothe's personality to focus on in the last post, and you're still running with it.



Total:

SlipLihte: 49

Rugs: 50

Overall comments: In total, I'm still liking how this duel is progressing writing-wise. ^^

Rugs is poking ahead by a small margin point-wise though...

Moving on! x)

[SlipLihte]

OOC: Thanks Twysper, I appreciate the advice. You're right, it is very much the new character phase. Because I finished writing him in January and am only playing with him now, I've been a bit wobbly in terms of figuring out who exactly he is again. So, sorry Rugs for not being the best opponent here, but I'd rather figure out his character in a practice duel than have him meander around in actual IC posts for a while. Oh, and thanks for the notes on general actions vs. the smaller stuff, totally haven't been doing enough in detail writing. Ironically enough though, it is quite interesting his sudden transition to action as awkward...I actually do mention something similar in his personality profile...



IC:


Somewhat unexpectedly, Insway felt a sudden change to his opponent, one he had not been expecting. The mental attack had been meant to distract the man, to trick him into lowering his defense. When it worked, it commonly caused confusion among combatants, ot at least that had been the Jedi Master's observations so far. The sudden fear that had washed over him, reverberated by a sudden change in the coloring of the Mythic's eyes, was not what the Jedi had been expecting at all. He was certain his technique had been executed correctly, and by the strength of the barrier around the man's mind, Insway doubted anything he had done had caused the brunt of the reaction.

The mental attack had been so successful, albeit not in the way he had intended, that Insway was shocked to see that his lightsaber slash might find flesh. He prepared himself to pull the blow, not wanting to kill the man, yet it proved to be for naught as a moment after his eyes went wide, the Mythic deftly blocked the lightsaber blade. Though Insway had suspected it from the off, the stranger's staff proved to be capable of blocking a lightsaber blow without suffering much damage, though the Jedi Master could not even hazard a guess as to how this was possible. The Mythic was starting to become quite an interesting opponent.

There seemed to be a moment's lull in the combat as realization dawned on the tattooed face staring across at Insway, though it failed to last even a breath's length. Insway felt the man push his blade away, and allowed the strength of the shove to help him pivot out of his opponent's riposte in a graceful spin. It was a close matter, though, especially considering that his opponent could achieve more range with his staff than Insway could with his lightsaber. He managed it though, and he maintained his ground as the Mythic darted back a few steps. Despite how intense the initial exchanges had been, they had only just barely felt each other out, and Insway wasn't exactly the type to try a second head on attack on an opponent who was obviously no slouch, and felt very much as physically dominating as he looked.

His gray-green blade winked out of existence as he let his touch on the trigger inside the weapon's hilt disappear, though he kept himself ready to face a possible surprise attack. Instead, though, the Mythic decided to mouth off some more. There was still a lot of irritation in his voice, yet there was a new emotion being conveyed in his voice now. Contempt. Though he couldn't be certain, the Jedi Master guessed this was either a response to his mental attack, or there had been some truth about what the Mythics thought of the Jedi Order. The sentences that followed made it clear that it was the latter, though.

Though he supposed it was too late for it now, Insway refused to let what the Mythic said of the Jedi bother him. Yet, there would be some advantage to be gained from the continued verbal exchanges. Where it didn't seem to influence Insway much, it was quickly becoming clear that the Mythic seemed to involve a lot of emotion in his fight. He had already attacked once out of provocation, and though Insway doubted he was the type of fighter to be utterly enslaved to his emotions, there was enough for a plan to begin to formulate. He knew exactly what he needed, and his opponent was already providing him with a great deal of it.

He kept his features neutral to the man's comments, and himself silent. His dull eyes remained on his foe, uncaring as words of the Council and his purpose their came forth, simply waiting for another sign of attack. As his opponent extended a hand, he could feel the man reach out in the Force, reach out to a pocket of air beside him. It seemed that the man preferred these telekinetic air attacks, and Insway could imagine why. He was proving quite adept, and very powerful with them, enough so that he was making the Morganian's day far more difficult than he preferred.

'Just my luck to find the one Force sensitive individual on this damned rock, and then he had to be a master telekinetisist as well.'[/I]

Even had he been willing to render a verbal retort, his opponent did not give him the chance to do so. As soon as he quieted, the two-pronged attack came, one in the wave of air and another in the form of the Mythic himself. With few other options open to him, Insway sprang forward as well, using Force-enhanced speed to clear most of the air blast as he prepared to meet his opponent. As the man was only moving this air, and had not compressed it like before, he had little trouble with darting out of the way, though he was caught in some of the dust that was kicked up into the vacuum behind the wall of air.

It came as if called for, and Insway was quick to change his strategy. His opponent was already close, but his spin off to Insway's side provided the Morganian with the moment he needed. Though his own telekinetic ability was far less powerful than most, he was still skilled enough to cause a sandstorm of his own. Instead of moving to block, he instead spun himself in the opposite direction of where his opponent had gone, though he did bring his unlit lightsaber up should the Mythic manage to find enough range with his staff to follow through with the attack. As he did so, he quickly lashed out with a telekinetic strike of his own, though not one aimed at his opponent. Instead, he rushed several packets of air on the ground surrounding their battle upwards, causing more vacuums, more dust to be kicked up into the air.

It was a shoulder height attack, but with the distance Insway had opened up it came past several inches short of catching the robes of the Master. For a moment, Insway wondered whether the momentum of the heavy staff would pull his opponent off balance, perhaps just long enough to leave him open to counter attack, yet he decided to stick to his other strategy instead rather than to wait and see. Quick as a dart, he took several steps backward and to the side, to where his opponent's Force attack had caused a cloud of dust just moments before. In the morning sun, the cloud formed a barrier to the eyes, hiding everything inside from view.

As he moved into the dust cloud, the Jedi pulled his presence in the Force in on itself, shrinking it until he knew he would be virtually undetectable unless his opponent was akin to himself in sensing through the Force. He'd been forced to close his eyes and hold his breath inside the cloud, yet neither of these things bothered him. He knew he wouldn't be able to last that long without air, but he doubted the dust cloud would remain that long anyway. Instead, he readied his grip on his lightsaber and let his feelings guide him, allowing his opponent to make the next move.

[Rugs]

{Slip, no need at all to apologize. I completely understand what it's like to be in the new character phase, so it's no biggie. Like I said in the challenge thread, I'm here to be your practice dummy. Even then, you've still been keeping me on my toes. God help me when you get used to playing Insway xD}

Kvothe was not surprised to see the Jedi, who seemed to be very quick on his feet, dart out of the way of the blast of air. But, in doing so, he ended up dashing toward Kvothe, which, to the Rilan's mind, would only make things simpler. The attack was made, and the Jedi spun out of the way at the same time that Kvothe spun to the side. The bladed head of his staff found nothing but air, and he scowled as the Jedi gracefully danced back and out of the way. Kvothe allowed the momentum to keep carrying his strike onward, and raised his arm up, deftly spinning the staff 'round in his fingers to bring it to a halt.

As the Jedi evaded the strike, he reached out to the ground with his own telekinetic abilities and kicked more dust up into the air, adding to the cloud that'd been created by Kvothe's blast. The morning light started to fade as the cloud grew, and before long, the Jedi vanished into the veil. Pietas came up in front of Kvothe as he settled into a defensive stance, and his eyes warily darted back and forth before the cloud, which was being moved by the wind, swallowed him.

The air within was thick with dust, and Kvothe was forced to stop breathing and shut his eyes, lest he draw the dirt into his lungs or get some in his eyes. That didn't worry him though, since he had the Mythos with him. As long as he could reach out and sense the Jedi, he'd be alright.

Well, except for the fact that he couldn't sense the Jedi. Kvothe wasn't sure what was going on, but his opponent's signature in the Force was gone, as if he'd simply died, even though Kvothe knew that was not the case. So, Kvothe was blind, couldn't breathe, and did not know where the Jedi was. That did not at all sit well with him, nor did the thought of waiting around for the Jedi to be the one to take the initiative and attack.

His steps were slow and careful as he backed out of the dust. There were a few moments when he started to think he might be moving in the same direction that the wind was pushing the cloud, but the sudden returned warmth of the rising sun on his skin told him that he'd made it back out into the clear air. And not a moment too soon, either. He hadn't gotten a good final breath of air before the cloud was on him, and he'd been very near the point of being forced to take another. Sweet, clean air flowed into his lungs in deep gulps, and he opened his eyes as he readied to make his next move.

When the Jedi saw Kvothe next, he might notice that the shade of the Rilan's eyes had, once again, changed. Oh, the orange was definitely still there, but it was a secondary color now, mostly replaced by the deep, vibrant gold of determination. While Kvothe had no intention to kill the Jedi, he refused to be bested by him. The Jedi had proven a tricky foe so far, if nothing else, so he'd have to stay alert, but he if e was careful, he might come out on top. Then again, he still didn't know if he'd seen everything this man was capable of, but if Kvothe would just have to adjust if he pulled more tricks from his sleeve.

For the time being, the problem was finding the Jedi. The dust was thinning, but it had not yet dispersed enough to reveal everything that was within its depths. And, with the Jedi hiding his presence as he was, Kvothe found that he didn't have a clue where the other man could be. For all he knew, the Morganian could've left the cloud entirely and be sneaking up on him, but he didn't see him out in the open, he assumed the Jedi was still hiding.

"Why are you hiding, Jedi?" Kvothe began to prepare another attack as he spoke. He couldn't see through the dust, but the same would be true for the Jedi, were he still within the cloud. It was a bit of a disadvantage, but it was one that worked for both of them, so Kvothe decided against his initial urge to blow the dust away with telekinesis in favor of something else. "Are you just going to hide within your Temple on Coruscant as the invaders push into the Galaxy?! Are you going to let them kill your people and take your lands?!"

Telekinetic bonds went out to his left as he called out his taunts, and wrapped around an old column that had been knocked over by the forces of erosion. It was of a decent length, and heavy. It would suit Kvothe's needs well. If he couldn't see where the Jedi was, Kvothe would just forego finesse and strike out at the area he'd last seen the man in. "You can't always just run away to meditate, Jedi! At some point, you're going to have to grow a damned spine and fight back!"

He waited a few more moments before moving on to start his attack, both to give the Jedi a chance to respond if he wished to do so, and to finish his preparations. The attack would consist of two phases, and would take a fair deal of focus and energy. When he was ready, he pulled on the bonds he'd placed around the column, setting the old stonework into motion. It was a bit heavier than he'd expected, and he struggled to dislodge it from the rut it'd settled into. It broke free and slid along the ground for a few feet before Kvothe got it airborne and flung it sideways into the dust cloud.

He struck out again a few seconds after the fallen pillar was free, launching a powerful telekinetic blast from his raised hand toward the cloud. The main purpose of that as to push the lingering dust away, but, if it somehow managed to do something to the Jedi, Kvothe would not at all complain. Almost immediately, the effects of drawing so intensely on the Mythos was on him, and he noted that a thin coat of sweat was forming on his brow and that his breathing was more labored than it had been before. He didn't let that bother him, though, and held his staff up to take a defensive stance. Kvothe still didn't know where the Jedi was, and he'd need to be ready, should the man decide to attack again.

[Twysper]

ROUND ONE TWO THREE FOUR.

Insway Nal - SlipLihte
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: --

Comments: Glad to say I see improvement! ^^


Kvothe Algaterra - Rugs
Effort: 4/5
Fairness: 4/5
Detail: 5/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: --

Comments: Going for Spaceolas baseball with a stone bat are we? xD



Total:

SlipLihte: 67

Rugs: 67

Overall comments: The fight's picking up some steam here. xD

I'll leave you both to it while I kick back, enjoy the show, and generally stay out of the way. x)

P.S. At the least, you both are epically prompt posters. This duel is zipping right along. ^^ Bravo.

[SlipLihte]

OOC: Yay for uber posting pace!!!

Edit: Oh bother...I seem to have written a mini-novel...

IC:


His lightsaber still in his hand, the Morganian lowered himself until he had his left knee resting on the ground. Even during his early days as a Jedi Youngling, he had been a patient being, and that patience had grown a hundredfold in the many years since he had begun his training. Now, he waited patiently, allowing his old, yet still fit body to regain the little energy that had been spent so far. In all fairness, the struggle had been a stop-start affair, with neither combatant committing to an attack that he'd actually expected to break through and end his opponent. All in all, it felt more like an exercise session to the Jedi Master than a duel with a combatant that was truly trying to best him.

He had hoped that his opponent, who had so far displayed propensity for attacks that involved air, would not waste time and simply try to clear the area with a gush of wind, hopefully drawing his attention long enough to leave him vulnerable to attack. After all, even though Insway couldn't risk reaching out with his senses without revealing his position, he would have easily been able to pick up on anyone manipulating the Force near him. Yet, the wave of air didn't come, and Insway was left wondering what the man planned next. He doubted the Mythic would be stumbling around in the dust cloud blindly, but inaction seemed even more unlikely.

"Why are you hiding, Jedi?"

The voice was further than the Jedi had expected, but not so much so that the man was difficult to hear. It did tell Insway something crucial, though. If his opponent could speak without sputtering and coughing from inhaling dust, that meant that the man was no longer in the cloud. This knowledge quickly combined with a growing feeling of imminent danger as well as a distant feeling of the Force being manipulated, and Insway was quick to realize he had both a problem and an attacking prospect in front of him.

He lifted himself off of his knee and started sweeping through the dust cloud, making his way to where he had heard his opponent's voice. With the sun in front of him, he was confident he would be able to tell when he was nearing the edge of the cloud by the sparser dust letting more beams through onto his features. Of course, it might still be too late, and though he knew his extremely well-honed danger sense would warn him should his opponent attack him, he realized he was still taking a risk. If any of his friends or fellow Council Members, especially those who had never seen is particular dueling style, were to bear witness to this, they would certainly wonder whether this was the same Insway Nal that had such 'wait and see' opinions concerning most other matters. Yet, through many years as a Jedi Shadow, the Jedi had learnt that duels rarely played by the same rules as other matters in life.

"Are you just going to hide within your Temple on Coruscant as the invaders push into the Galaxy?! Are you going to let them kill your people and take your lands?!"

The words came from much closer this time, though the Jedi estimated his opponent was still a good 20 feet or so away. He stopped, and let himself rest on his left knee again, though his position was far less defensive this time. Instead, he made sure he had a good grip on his lightsaber, and waited calmly for the man to finish his latest tirade. If he followed the same form he had so far, he would again wait to launch his attack until the very moment he had finished speaking, and it was for this moment that Insway waited. Of course, the Jedi wasn't foolish enough to believe that the man would continue acting in the way he had so far consistently, but he was willing to give it a try.

As the words passed over him, the Jedi reflected on how much calmer he was now than he had been just a few short minutes earlier. To a degree, he suspected it had been practicing his preferred form of lightsaber combat, albeit only for a few seconds, that had returned Insway to his ever relaxed state. Niman was known for helping Jedi fall into meditative trances, though this wasn't exactly true of Insway's current state. Even though he had never been a true fan of dueling, this process of pitting his wits against another being engaged him far more than staring at stones. It didn't engross him as much as teaching, but it did come close.

'So I'll just let go of thoughts of becoming an archeologist then, unless every dig site comes with its own mystical Force user..."[/I]

"You can't always just run away to meditate, Jedi! At some point, you're going to have to grow a damned spine and fight back!"

The words passed, and Insway bounced on his heel, ready to move. Yet the attack didn't come. This was an interesting change, and it almost seemed to the Jedi that his opponent was giving him the chance to respond to his accusations. He considered that the Mythic could be trying to use his harsh words to get the Jedi to respond and reveal his position, yet Insway had been in far too many similar situations to be fooled. A much younger Insway had once made such a fool of himself by believing it was up to him to defend the Jedi Order from the words and beliefs of others, yet that could have been another lifetime judging by how different he was now.

Insway knew that his time was growing short now. He had been holding his breath for a long while now, and he had not been willing to use the Force to sustain his body, which would have meant revealing his position. And so, the Jedi knew his opponent would have to move soon, or he would have to. Either way, the momentary lapse, the few moments that had seen the violence abated, was at an end.

It was the Mythic who moved first.

Insway felt the attack coming, yet without using his Force abilities, had no way to tell exactly what it was that was coming. Yet, by the way he felt danger rushing upon him, he realized quite suddenly he was in trouble. He had only two options. The first would be to drop his disguise and use his skills with the Force to get him out of trouble. The second meant he would have to trust in the guidance of the Force, to wait for it to tell him instinctively what to do. It was a road he'd been down far too many times to even consider the first option. He was limited, in talent, skill and intellect. No, he would trust the Force, as he always had.

For agonizing moments no feelings came, except that of impending danger. Doubt gnawed at him, as it always did, yet the Jedi ignored it, freeing his mind and waiting for the feeling. When it came, his reaction was instantaneous. The Jedi, already down on a knee, dropped down onto his side before rolling onto his back. As he rolled, he felt an immense wave of dispersed air pass over him, indicating that he'd just narrowly avoided being pulverized by something quite massive. Yet his roll didn't stop midway, and he was quickly onto his other side and onto his feet.

He gave several quick strides backward before opening his eyes, and was relieved to find himself staring into a trail of relatively clear air that the object had pulled into the cloud behind it. Rather than gulping, he let his breathing start up again at a normal pace, using well-trained stomach muscles to pull oxygen in rather than taking shallow breaths with chest muscles. There were a few spots in his vision, and he could tell as he stepped forward that he had been affected by the lack of breathable air far more than he had anticipated. With his concentration taken up by his momentary dizziness, as light as it was, he was warned only just in time of his opponent's follow up attack.

It came as the telekinetic wave of air that he had been expecting the first time around, and it was quite powerful. He had no choice in the matter anymore, and quickly called on the Force to cement his feet into position where he stood. Again he formed a protective barrier in the Force, angling the attack away from himself as best he could. It had meant giving up most of his advantage, yet he was fairly hopeful that his opponent would not be expecting him to be as close as he was.

As soon as enough of the wave had passed, Insway allowed his protective barrier to fall, and with a stoic expression of determination on his face, sped forward again. As the dust cleared away in the wave, he emerged into clear vision several spans still away from the Mythic, though he was already moving at full speed toward the man, the Force empowering his body. Realizing that his opponent had come painfully close to using his bodily fluids to create a new painting among the ruins, his resolve hardened. He would not be playing around much longer.

His opponent seemed to be waiting for him in a defensive posture, something the Consular considered to be a mistake on his part. Unless he had been holding back, the Mythic was the slower combatant of the pair. Insway could also not match his strength, not without calling on the Force at least. Most important of all, the man's weapon had superior range to Insway's, or at least seemed to. The subject of melee weapons wasn't one that the Morganian was an expert on. The weapon did leave Insway with the theory, though, that if he could get in close to his opponent the staff would be less effective, especially confronted by Insway's superior speed.

It was with this though on his mind that he allowed the Force to flow into his weapon as he came close, the dull green blade erupting into life as the Morganian stepped off to his left. As he stepped, he brought his right hand over and down, before following with the beginnings of a quick diagonal slash, making the motion into an eloquent circle. As the blade started its diagonal path up and towards the right, though, the Jedi Master let the blade wink out of existence. He quickly brought his elbows in, ready to block, before swiveling himself around on his right foot. It was a quick movement, aimed at moving him into a whole new position to attack from.

With his elbows in, he was in a classic Soresu stance, though he did something quite unusual by taking a quick step toward his opponent, aiming to get in close enough to make the man sweat. His blade was alight again in an instant, ready to fend off any counter attack that might come. He would not block, though, not against the big, lumbering weapon. Instead, he would stick to his Soresu training, parrying or dodging attacks.

[Rugs]

The stone bounded off into the cloud of dust, and Kvothe heard nothing to indicate that it had collided with the Jedi; no muffled yell, no cracking of bones... no wet splatter that might have come if the man happened to be unfortunate enough to have it fall on him or something of the sort. Instead, Kvothe heard the dull thud of the stone bouncing roughly along the dirt, followed by a rather loud splash as it plummeted off into the river. So, now Kvothe knew the Jedi more than likely was not stuck on the end of the column like the insects that got splattered onto the front end of speeders in the warm climate of some worlds, but that didn't do much to solve the problem of finding out where the Jedi was. For all Kvothe knew, the man could still be within the dust, and might have simply dodged the attack (which, Kvothe could admit would be very impressive). Or perhaps Kvothe's aim had been wildly off, and the he'd sent the column bounding off through the wrong section of the drifting dust. Then again, there was always the chance that the Jedi had somehow sneaked out and was coming from some unexpected direction. Kvothe sincerely hoped the last wasn't what was actually going on.

His blast of telekinetic energy flew forward and ripped into the cloud, and Kvothe got his answer. The dust boiled away, turning in on itself where the telekinetic energy slammed into it before it started to blossom out to the back like some strange flower. But, as it moved back, it suddenly parted, and there, standing in the part, was the Jedi. He's standing where the column went, Kvothe thought. His rusty red eyebrows rose a bit at the sight of the man. He's no slouch then. I can't afford to not take him seriously. Before the entirety of the wave had moved past him, the Jedi was in motion. Kvothe adjusted the position of his feet a bit to better steady himself and drew on the Force to ease his breathing as the man rushed toward him. The Jedi was fast. Faster than Kvothe was, certainly. But Kvothe'd had experience dealing with fast people back in the Tower. His own brother was very agile, and Kvothe had fought him more times than he could count.

"And not once did you best me," Vorian's voice whispered into Kvothe's mind. The Rilan pushed that away. If he started letting doubt plague him, he'd end up doing the Jedi's work for him. Still, the Jedi's speed was certainly something that Kvothe would have to respect, lest he end up with a lightsaber burning into his flesh.

In spite of the fact that he'd been pissed off at the man only a few moments earlier, an eager grin started to form on Kvothe's face as the Jedi came at him and adrenaline started to flood into his system. He was starting to enjoy the chance to test himself against a new foe, as was often the case when he faced off against anyone that wasn't one of the heretics that were fighting back against the Tower on Aiaru or his brother. This would be the first Jedi he'd ever done combat with, and he found himself idly wondering what rank in their hierarchy the man might hold, but now wasn't the time.

Another heartbeat passed and the Jedi was on him. That verdant blade came to life again, and Kvothe prepared to defend himself as his opponent's attack started. At the same time, the man deftly danced to his left, Kvothe's right, and the young Rilan swore softly. He could tell from afar that the Jedi was quick, yes, but up close, it was different, and Kvothe found himself wondering if giving the Jedi the chance to take the offense had been a wise move. Kvothe was barely able to keep up with him, though, spinning sharply on his heel to bring his staff to bear.

The Jedi's strike was a quick diagonal slash that went up and to Kvothe's left. Kvothe's stance was such that he held the bottom of the staff forward, with the weightier head to the back as a counterweight of sorts. As the lightsaber moved toward him, Kvothe answered, moving the bladed end of the staff to intercept the strike. But it didn't connect with anything. The lightsaber winked out of existence, and Kvothe's eyes widened in shock again as the momentum of his movement carried his staff on farther than he'd intended for it to go. What?! He faltered for a moment as the Jedi quickly spun away before he realized he was leaving himself completely open and turned to follow the Jedi.

The Jedi was apparently done playing around now, though, as he was much closer to Kvothe than Kvothe had expected or would like him to be. He paused in surprise again, for just a moment before he growled and tried to think of something to do.

"You're slipping, Ishar," his brother's voice crooned. Again, Kvothe forced the voice of his doubts away, as he could not afford to let his focus be split. Not now. Now he had to take the offensive and make some space between himself and the Jedi.

That was when another issue reared its head.

Kvothe's staff was long. Longer than he was tall. Its reach could be a tremendous asset, and one his teachers had pounded into him back into the Tower, sometimes literally. They'd taught him that, in a fight, it was very important to try to control the distancing between oneself and one's opponent. After all, if Kvothe could hit his foe when they couldn't reach him, then all the better for him. Yet, here he was, allowing the Morganian to set the distance, and in doing so, robbing himself of one of his biggest advantages. His combat instructors would, no doubt, be red in the face if they were there to see him make that mistake. Of course, he'd been trained to fight in a range of possible predictable circumstances, and a good deal of emphasis had been placed on fighting at a less than ideal range, but even so, it was going to be harder now, unless he could move back from the Jedi.

A plan formed in Kvothe's mind, and he acted on it, knowing he could not let the Jedi push him again. He shifted his staff so that he held it towards the center, and struck out, letting loose a quick set of simple strikes that alternated from end to end. They were short, staccato things, rather than the smooth sweeping strokes he preferred, but he didn't have room for those. He very much doubted any of them were going to break through the Jedi's defense, but that wasn't the point. For the moment, he only wanted to make the Jedi defend, and get into the habit of blocking attacks that came from his staff.

A few short heartbeats later, Kvothe spun back in an attempt to put a bit more distance between the Morganian and himself. As he came around he did two things. First he let his grip loosen on the staff so that it would slide out a bit further from the momentum of the strike, which would look to be a one-handed sweep with his left hand that would send the head of the staff out toward the Jedi's side. At the same time, he quickly called upon the Mythos, compressing air in front of his right hand in a similar fashion to the way he'd compressed the air in front of him when he started the fight.

The staff struck out as he completed his turn, but it was a feint, and he stopped the strike before it could have a chance to hit. Instead, he threw his right hand up and let the compressed air explode out at the Jedi. The blast's area was much more focused than the area of his attack earlier, and the attack itself was a good deal weaker than its predecessor. Kvothe's hope was that, even if it wasn't strong enough to knock the Jedi completely to his feet, what strength it had, along with what he hoped would be some surprise, would be enough to knock the Jedi off balance, if only for a moment, and give Kvothe a chance to back away. It was a bit of a desperate move, yes, but Kvothe had to try something.

[Twysper]

ROUND ONE TWO THREE FOUR [glow=LimeGreen,2,300]FIVE[/glow]

Insway Nal - SlipLihte
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 4/5
Detail: 5/5
Coolness: 4/5
Bonus: +1

Comments: Bonus point for utilizing a facet of Trakata. ^^ <3 that form.


Kvothe Algaterra - Rugs
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 4/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 5/5
Bonus: +1

Comments: I'm still enjoying the subtle, psychotic taunting by his ebil brother.



Total:

SlipLihte: 86

Rugs: 86

Overall comments: Both of you guys are doing a pretty good job of not controlling the other's character while fighting. ^^

Early heads-up, if there is still a tie by the time we reach the final round, grading will be based solely on who's post was deemed better. It will also be worth 99999997 points. Someone's going to win by a lot. xD

[SlipLihte]

Despite now having a very agile opponent at very short range, the man's composure didn't falter. Rather than starting to make more mistakes after realizing that he had let himself slip into a dangerous situation, he reacted quickly with a new strategy and started working at getting himself into a more advantageous position. Even if Insway still had some doubts about the man's skill and manners, at least his focus and resolve was admirable. It was that focus and resolve that Insway knew he had to break to end the battle quickly.

His opponent's attacking style was different at this range, though that was only fitting considering that longer, sweeping strikes would have put him at a severe disadvantage after every blow passed. Instead, his attacks were quicker now, coming through as end-to-end blows with the staff in an unrelenting hail. Insway would not be goaded into blocking these many blows, though, and instead used his speed to his advantage in managing the many attacks that came at him. His emphasis fell on parrying the blows, even though his personal preference had always been to dodge. Simply put, he had not gone through all that effort in getting this close just to give it up by dodging into open space.

Instead, the Jedi kept his saber alight, bringing the sage blade quickly from side to side as he engaged and redirected the attacks that came. He still refused to try and block any attacks coming from his opponent, knowing full-well that the man's superior strength would more than likely tire him out. He especially could not afford it now, as he could still feel the effect that holding his breath for so long had had on him. Though he had recovered well from the slight dizziness, starving his body of oxygen for so long had served to exhaust his muscles, and he could feel quite clearly now that he would not last as long in this battle as he was usually able to.

The man was unrelenting, until he pivoted backward quite suddenly, no doubt in order to gain some space in which he could launch the more powerful attacks that his weapon was meant for. Yet, there was something more to the attack, and Insway could tell quite quickly that pursuing in step would be a mistake. As the man came spinning round, the bladed staff head came out ahead of him, an attack that could easily find the Morganian's ribs at the distance now opened between them. Yet even as the blades came, the Morganian already knew not to focus his attention on the blow.

Instead, he could feel quite clearly another of those compressed air blasts coming, and this one far quicker than the others. Though it was a crude way to describe it, the Jedi could almost "see" the Force bending between them as his opponent readied yet another telekinetic attack. It was not seeing though, but rather feeling, only practiced to such a degree that the Morganian was aware of even the smallest nuances. It was what made him a master of Sense, his greatest skill, and even as he was only beginning to develop the skill during his years as a Jedi Shadow, it had served him well.

Trusting the Force and allowing the staff to go unchecked, Insway focused on what to do about his opponent's latest telekinetic attack. He had enough warning to prepare a protective shield, yet that would only serve to maintain the status quo. With his energy levels slowly starting to dip and his opponent having opened up the space between them again, he could not be blamed for wanting to make a change to the way matters were progressing. The moment had finally come in which he would put together what he had learned of his opponent, and see just what kind of mettle the man had.

Before his opponent released his primary attack, Insway stepped forward and to the left, enough so that he would bring his right side fully into the firing line, though careful not to step into the blade of the Mythic's weapon. As the blow was being released, Insway let his left foot slide another distance forward and to the side, and used a small amount of Force energy to fix the sole of his left foot to the ground.

Only his left foot.

The blow came, and Insway forcefully expunged all the air from his lungs as he contracted all the muscles about his torso. In doing so, he would prevent himself from being winded by the blow. He kicked himself backward with his right leg just as the blow hit. The blast of telekinetic energy was not as powerful as it had been when the battle between the two had started, but it was still more than enough to cause a set of sharp pains to erupt from between the ribs where it had landed. Yet, even in taking the shot, his plan was realized, as the compressed air was more than powerful enough to spin the Jedi around.

With his left foot fastened to the ground in such away that he could pivot about it but not leave the ground, Insway was quickly spun around, and stopped himself by grounding his other foot with the Force only after he had been fully spun about his off-center vertical axis. He could take the blow, and was already setting about using his less than mediocre skills to blunt the pain, but it had given him a significant advantage in putting him closer to his opponent.

The little distance his opponent had opened up on him was gone again, and Insway was already launching his counter-attack. Using the Force and his comparatively limited strength in Telekinesis, Insway formed a grip on his opponent's left hand, which still held his staff. Though he doubted he could actually hold the man's hand in place, he only needed to delay any attempts at a block. It would be his next technique that would do the most damage, though.

Insway again stretched out toward his opponent's mind, yet he would not be so subtle again. In an attack that was far more brute force than the Jedi was known for, Insway let his presence envelop his opponent's mind, attacking it from all sides. His thoughts were sharp blades bearing down on the Mythics mind, not necessarily to break down his mental barriers, but to make sure his opponent felt that that was what he wanted to do.

As the mental attack pressed, Insway slid several inches forward, bringing his opponent into lightsaber range, before stepping over onto his now freed left leg, taking him even closer. His attack was delicate this time, an elegant circle motion aimed at taking his opponent's side in the ribs.

[Rugs]

{I think I got a bit carried away >.>}

Now that he thought on it, Kvothe was starting to think that attacking this Jedi so quickly hadn't been the best idea. Many of those within the Mythics that knew Kvothe would say that his tendency to be hasty was perhaps his greatest weakness. The young Rilan had a way of jumping into things, sometimes without thinking them through, and it'd cost him, in blood or, in some cases, nearly his life, a great many times. One would think that the years of pain that'd come from Kvothe's poor decisions in the past would've taught him better, but apparently they had not. So now, as he faced off against his Morganian foe-- who was continuing to prove that he was not at all a slouch in the combat department, despite his reservations earlier in the battle--doubt started to creep into Kvothe's mind, and he found himself wondering if, once again, he'd bitten off more than he could chew.

The tendency to doubt himself was, of course, a remnant from the long, hard rivalry-turned-enmity he'd held with his brother over the years. Vorian had always been better than Kvothe at nearly everything, and, as one can imagine, constantly living in that shadow no matter how hard he tried to escape it was not at all good for Kvothe's confidence. Of course, that same thing was what fueled Kvothe to push himself to improve as hard as he did, but every now and then, the doubts reared their unwanted heads. As Vorian's voice--the voice that Kvothe's mind gave to those doubts--started to whisper into his mind, Kvothe knew that this fight would be one of those times.

And if there was one thing he did not need right now, it was doubt.

The blast went forth, and Kvothe hoped against hope that it would be enough to gain him a bit of breathing room. However, this Jedi's experience was proving to be quite the thorn in Kvothe's side. Oh, the blast hit, and, for a moment, Kvothe's hopes soared. They came crashing down a moment later, though. The Jedi pivoted on his left foot, letting the blast swing him about so that when he when he stopped, he was closer to Kvothe than he'd been only a moment before. A quick tinge of worry ran through Kvothe as the thought that the Jedi might be out of his league started to form in his mind.

"You have a way of doing that, don't you, Ishar?" There was obvious amusement in Vorian's words. "You just love picking fights with those that are better than you. It's a wonder you aren't de-" Kvothe silenced his brother's taunting. He couldn't afford to let himself get distracted with that, of all things, now.

The next few things, though they couldn't have taken up more than a few seconds (if that), seemed to happen very, very slowly.

Kvothe felt something take hold of his hand, though the strength of whatever it was was fairly weak. The thought struck that the Jedi was up to something, and Kvothe started to move to do something about it. But he never got the chance to.

The Jedi attacked Kvothe's mind next. Kvothe's attention on everything else in the world around him was forgotten for a moment, as he scrambled to keep the Jedi away from his mind. However, this attack, was not the gentle probing that the Jedi had done earlier as an attempt to distract Kvothe. It was hard. The gold and orange vanished from Kvothe's eyes, and were replaced by a very pale yellow with streaks of grey running through it, signifying the pure, animal terror that was coursing through him.

See, there were few things that Kvothe truly feared. Oh, some things made him nervous, yes, and it could be said that he held a sort of fearful respect for his brother's strength in combat, but nothing brought terror to his heart like the thought of someone breaking into his mind. The seeds of that lay nearly ten years in the past, when he'd been tortured by his brother through means that were, of course, telepathic. He's made it through that year without breaking, but the experience touched him in a number of ways, the least of which being the creation of what was almost a phobic reaction when someone reached to his mind without his permission.

And, to make matters worse, this Jedi, whoever he was, was not a slouch in the telepathy department, at all, from what Kvothe could feel. The other man's presence enveloped his mind, pushing, probing for some way in. Kvothe didn't know if the Jedi was pressing with all that he had, but it was enough to cause the Mythic a great deal of concern.

Kvothe possessed an affinity for telepathy as a Rilan, but, much like his affinity for healing others, it was different than the conventional methods. He didn't know how, though his mother, who'd been a powerful telepath could explain. He just knew that because it worked differently, he had to train specifically to keep the barriers around his mind strong from those that did not use the same techniques that Rilan employed. Now, Kvothe's defenses were not weak, per se, but he knew that any strong telepath could cause him a great deal of trouble.

How fortunate for him that the Jedi seemed to be a strong telepath.

As the Jedi's mental attack pressed onto Kvothe's mind, the Mythic could feel his mental barriers start to bend, for lack of a better word. If Kvothe thought he'd been as terrified as he could be before, that proved him wrong. His horror deepened at the feeling of his defenses starting to give, and he didn't know what to do.

"Be careful, Ishar. He's gonna capture you again." The amusement in Vorian's voice had only grown, but it was lost on Kvothe for the time being.

For a moment, he was back in that dank, dirty outpost deep in Aiaru's Culsu swamp, tied down to a table with his brother standing over him. The image was gone as quickly as it appeared, and was replaced an instant later of the memory of pain enveloping his entire being as his brother wreaked havoc on him without laying a finger on him.

Again, that image faded, and Kvothe looked out just in time to see a lightsaber coming toward him. He reacted on instinct again, moving his staff to stop the strike...

Except that his hand was caught in whatever infernal trap the Jedi set. NO! He could move it, yes, but it was slowed, and he wouldn't be able to get it to a good position in time to stop the blow effectively. Kvothe did the only thing he could think to do, gripped by fear as he was, and started trying to dodge the attack. But he was too late, and his opponent was too fast.

That's when all the wheels started to fall off.

To Kvothe's credit, he was able to get out of the way enough so that he did not take the full force of the strike. The tip of the green blade burned through Kvothe's robes and across the flesh of his side, and a fiery pain exploded to life in its wake. Perhaps if the Jedi was wielding a normal blade, that might not have been so bad. But the Morganian had a lightsaber. Kvothe was not a stranger to pain. He'd been cut by swords or other blades more times than he cared to count, had experienced the pain of broken bones, and had been stabbed in the side. But a lightsaber burn was not something he had any experience with. It hurt. A great deal.

Kvothe screamed. He didn't care what the Jedi thought of that, nor did he care, or even really notice, that he dropped his staff. All of that was forgotten while his cry was still young in his throat. That's because, as his attention was suddenly pulled away from keeping the Jedi's press out of his mind, he faltered, and he felt the Jedi break through. At that moment, Kvothe shattered, and the only noise within his mind was that of Vorian's laughter.

He stumbled back as his composure failed, and the desire for nothing more than to get away from the Jedi took control of him. He didn't care about his pride, he didn't care about beating the Jedi. He just wanted to get away.

"GET OUT," he screamed at the Jedi, in a voice that was more animal than human. He fell backwards as he tried to back away, but that didn't stop him, and he just scrambled backwards in the dust. His sword came free from his sash as he scrambled along on the ground, but he didn't pay any mind to it.

"LEAVE ME ALONE," he continued, though he'd suddenly reverted to speaking the Rilan language; a change he didn't notice. "YOU WON'T TAKE ME AGAIN! I WON'T BE YOUR CAPTIVE! GET OUT!" The visions of his imprisonment flooded through his mind again, and with them the pain, the fear, everything that'd he'd experienced during his time there. He would not be taken. Not again.

Without fully realizing what he was doing, Kvothe reached out to the Mythos. He lashed out the Jedi with telekinetic attacks, hoping something would get the blasted Jedi to leave him alone. They were reckless, they were wild, and they lacked any form of the word 'finesse', but Kvothe did not care. For now, self-preservation was the only thing that was on his mind.

[Twysper]

ROUND ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX


Insway Nal - SlipLihte
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 4/5
Detail: 5/5
Coolness: 3/5
Bonus:

Comments: Lessee... Post was lacking a measure of tone and mood; Insway felt a bit... Mrrrrrr... I think the word's robotic. You got his actions through really clearly Slip, but his emotions and feelings for/during the fight, (Yes, I do realize he's a Jedi HCM, and is somewhat limited in that department. xD) aren't really there. If it would be more his style, Insway could've tried stopping the fight via diplomacy/talking. But I'm just musing here, Do what you want!

Kvothe Algaterra - Rugs
Effort: 5/5
Fairness: 5/5
Detail: 4/5
Coolness: 2/5
Bonus: +2

Comments: For basically having Kvothe be wasted/going nuts and inserting tone and mood into the scene. Stellar.

Kvothe; this fight probably seemed like a good idea at the time eh?



Total:

SlipLihte: 86+17= 103

Rugs: 86+18= 104 + 99999997 = A really big number. /lazy.

Overall comments: The only thing I'm sorta miffed about is that the scenery was hardly given any mention after the first post and the part in the middle where there was a pillar thrown. Honestly, you people. xD

However, both of you write literately and well, so keep at it. ^^

SPACENDALF WINS!

P.S. If both of you want to continue this, poke me. Otherwise it shall rest comfortably in the finished duels section. ^^

[Twysper]

The end credits have rolled, the inspirational music has ended; yet we have no closure! OOOOOO:

Will Spacendalf recover from the anguish inflicted by his older brother and turn into the white wizard? Will Spaceolas ride down old crumbly steps on a rusted shield while shooting arrows of pure light?! WHAT WILL FARAMIR DO WITH THE ONE RING?!



Since I'm sure you're all wondering, why yes, this is a marketing ploy to get you to buy the ending! ;D Read any further then this post and you're agreeing to pay 99999997.33333333 dollars to the account of one Twysper Demon Raccoon. Exact change only plox.

I was taught by the best of the best at this stuff, George Lucas. =3

Ahem.

DUELING COMBATANTS, youmaycontinuenao, kk? x)