Keep Pace. This Will Hurt. (Sparrow)

[Meira]

The sound of her heartbeat filled her ears as Renata calmed her mind. Each pulse brought her life, energy... power. She could hear Zarene speak her question, but the words were muffled to the Dark Lady as she concentrated on the energy within and around herself, within Zarene as well. She could hear Zarene's heartbeat now as well, supported as it was by the implant. The rush of blood within their two bodies was like a downpour and Renata had to consciously quiet the sound to her mind.

And none too soon. With eyes closed, Renata had not seen Zarene reach for the hair pin. Her senses called out the warning as the pin was pushed through the air between them at a deadly speed. As her jaw set, Renata twisted her torso to the side, leaning -almost- just in time. The pin glanced off the skin where her neck connected to her shoulders. A thin red line appeared, a single drop of blood forming near her collar bone. Renata opened her eyes then, a thin finger dabbing at the spot. She exhaled, eyes moving to connect with Zarene's.

She inhaled, quick and sharp, her arm reaching out then pulling back with a snap as she willed the Force to concentrate around her apprentice's legs and pulled. The sting at her collar bone was a good start, but she would need more from her apprentice to truly fuel the rage. Already, Renata could feel those fires sparking in her core. Now she needed tinder, and the best tinder for Rage was pain.

[sparrow]

Zarene could feel Renata focusing her power into a whip that wrapped around her leg, but not quickly enough to react before it pulled her off her feet. Her right hand frantically grabbed the edge of the table as the rest of her body slid underneath. Her left hand sliced downwards toward her leg, cutting through the invisible bonds that held them, stopping her slide.

With control over her legs once again, Zarene managed to stop her slide. Now positioned directly underneath the table, she slammed both palms into the bottom of the table. The table flipped upwards towards Renata. Hopefully it would distract her master long enough for her to get back on her feet.

[Meira]

She could feel Zarene's weight when she pulled through the force, but when that sensation was suddenly severed, it caused Renata's arm to snap back at the sudden loss of resistance. Her body had swung with the arm's momentum and, for a moment, she was turned away from her apprentice. When she pivoted back to face her, Renata's field of vision was completely overwhelmed by the table that Zarene had sent flying.

Renata hardly had time to bring her arms up to shield her face before the table slammed into her. She leaned back, and pushed the table upward as best as she could. She'd still been hit hard, but managed to allow the table to bounce over her and land behind her. The table, being of a sturdy metal had sent pangs up her arm where it hit, and their echo remained as her eyes turned back to seek Zarene.

That pain joined the pulse that fed her rage, stoking the fire to burn brighter. Her jaw tightened and her breathing turned to quick pants as she felt it all was through her. Her skin rose with a chill as inside she burned. But she still needed more.

The table had hardly touched the floor before Renata was dashing forward where Zarene was now on her feet, and no doubt ready. With her rage fueling her movements, Renata lashed out, her strike aimed for Zarene's throat.


((Sorry it took me so long to get this post out. Had a hard time getting myself back into the mindset.))

[sparrow]

Zarene was fast, but Renata was faster. As Zarene spun to the side to avoid Renata's strike, the edge of Renata's hand grazed the side of Zarene's neck, piercing the skin. A thin trickle of blood flowed from the cut.

She stopped her spin to face Renata, making a series of quick arm gestures. The various pieces of metal cutlery that had scattered across the ground leaped into the air, orbiting around her hands, makeshift projectiles ready to be launched at a moment's notice.

Zarene was well-trained in hand-to-hand combat, but Renata was better. If she attempted to fight her master at close range, there was only one possible result. But at a distance, she had a chance. She had said that telekinesis was a strength of hers, and she had not been lying.

With a quick flicking motion of her fingers, a metal fork was launched directly towards Renata's chest. But it was not alone. At the same time, a knife arced upwards, flying through the air in a half-circle, with Renata at the end of its trajectory, a second fork swung around to the left, and a second knife to the right. Four individual flows being controlled. Four individual projectiles, converging on one point.

[Meira]

When her strike only grazed Zarene, Renata snapped out her other arm, but the apprentice had moved away, and she was once again out of reach. She would have dashed forward again, but there was a change in the force around them both. Renata began to sense what Zarene was doing.

Her eyes darted around to confirm what she'd thought, Zarene was preparing to attack with her own strengths. As the apprentice had said, she was gifted with telekinesis. Renata's lips curled in the slightest of smiles as she watched the fork rise into the air. She knew if she moved, it would be sent straight for her. She also knew that staying still wouldn't save her from the attack for long.

With a hiss, Renata drew in a deep breath and began to compact her rage as she'd practiced. She was vaguely aware of cutlery hovering at her sides as well as she continued to compress her energy at her core. More and more, she could feel it drawing the life from her body, as if it were forcing her blood to flow backwards and hold in her heart. Her vision blurred, but she willed herself to focus.

Already, the forks and knives were flying toward her. Renata needed only a moment more. The edges of her vision were turning black as she leaned back to avoid the projectiles that came from her sides and tilted her head to avoid the fork. What she had not noticed, however, was the knife at her back. That knife found its mark, digging into her flesh at the center of her back. The pain sent a fire through her nerves and Renata let out a cry, almost losing control of the energy she'd been holding in.

Panting now, she fell to her knees. That was it, any more and she'd kill herself. Her eyes looked up to her apprentice, looking as if the tiny vessels were about to burst. Her jaw was tight shut with effort and so she could give no warning, but surely her apprentice would see and prepare for the impact.

And then she released it, this time, focusing all her will in channeling the pulse forward rather than in all directions around her. Her arms were held out at her sides palms facing toward Zarene. The contained the pulse, but only for a moment. The force of it was too great and her arms flew backward as the pulse shot out of control in all directions. Once again, furniture within the room was blasted back to the walls, slamming hard and then falling to the floor in heaps.

Renata fell forward, pulling her hands in to her chest and doubled over her legs. Eyes shut tight, she labored to close off the pulse and deny a second wave from escaping. It was as if every inch of her skin burned and could not contain the fire, but she called on the force with all the strength she had left to envelop her and calm the rage. She shook and rocked, tears escaping her tightly closed eyes as she battled to hold on to consciousness. The emptiness that the pulse had left behind was almost maddening. With the fire subdued, all that was left was a hollow shell of ash and Renata felt as if she would crumble at the slightest touch.

"Zarene!" she managed to choke out the name, but her throat felt raspy and raw. She coughed, which triggered more coughs, to the point that she felt as if she'd retch her stomach onto the floor. Clamping her mouth shut and steadying herself with her palms flat on the floor, she breathed desperately through her nose until her body was stable. When she tried to sit up, she let out a gasp of pain at the knife still embedded in her back. She tried to reach for it, but any move she made sent shocks of pain up and down her spine.

"Zarene!" she called again, hoping that her apprentice had fared better in her defenses this time.

[sparrow]

As Renata fell on one knee, Zarene felt something shift. It was coming, that pulsing field of deadly energy. It expanded outwards, covering the entire room. There was no way to evade it. She braced herself for impact.

Thrusting her arms forward, she let out a blast of telekinetic energy, hoping to slow the onslaught. But the wave barely slowed as it swallowed up Zarene's blast. It was futile, like trying to break a rock by hitting it with an egg. Around her, the furniture was being thrown against the thick stone walls. The sound of bending and snapping metal filled the room.

She felt like a leaf being swept up in a tornado as she was picked up and slammed against the door, but that wasn't the end of it. She could feel cracks forming in the red sandstone. Crack... crack... crack... And then it all shattered.

When she came to, she was lying at the end of the the hallway, the lower half of her body covered with bits of broken rocks and rubble. She slowly opened her eyes. The whole world seemed to wobble back and forth. The doorway was a good twenty feet in front of her, and the door... gone, just a pile of shattered stones. Groaning, she tried to pull herself back up. A fiery pain shot through her legs, but they refused to move.