A change of style

[Ash]

Everything, especially out here in the burn zone where the Archeri struck hard. Honestly, Ash didn't think he would be back here again, after he was freed from the influence of the blasted alien bastards that stuck their fingers into his skull. At this thought, he touched his brow, right above his eyes. Or he tried to at least, his fingers bumping into the helmet he wore to cover the upper part of his face. He put his hand down and took a small breath, steadying himself as best he could. When that didn't work, he just simply took a swig of the bottle of whiskey he had with him.

For the past week, Ash had been on Nar Shaddaa: The Blind Eye, to be exact. Fighting in the Battletower for money and ending up with a little bit of fame. A fair amount, it turns out, rising up quickly as he ended up wiping the floor with senior, famous combatants. To those who knew Ash, it would be of no surprise. Even if most the time he had some alcohol in his system.

Today was no different, as his vision was swimming with the amount of whiskey he had. He didn't care if he won or lost against this match, some sort of tournament held today and he was at the end. Some special occasion held for someone important. He was barely paying attention as he was just trying to get his prize money and get off this broken, shattered moon.

Or just find more bottles to climb into.

Ahead in the tunnel he was in, the large doors began to slide open, showing more light. Closing his eyes for a moment, he took one more long, long draw from his bottle, working to forget where he was and what he fell to after the Jedi. After Teth. After everything went wrong.

In a spike of anger, Ash threw the mostly empty bottle against a wall, it shattering. Taking a moment to compose himself once more, Ash started walking down the hallway grabbing a loaner sword from a wall as he did so. He had his large sword, as always, and his lightsaber hidden away, but he had no reason to use either. Especially the lightsaber. Or any force powers at all. These were untrained brats he had been fighting this entire time. This would be no different, and he can collect his money and leave.

AAAAND NOOOOWWWWW! THE MATCH YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FORRRR!! THE NEW MAN ON THE BLOCK IS HERE TO CHALLENGE YOUR CHAMPIIIIIIIIOOOOONN. Feast your eyes on him... THE!! BLADED! WANDERERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ash walked through the wide open doorway, his heavy armor seemingly sucking in light and relfecting it at the same time. He only made it partway through before he stopped, crossing his arms and wavering ever slightly. The rush of alcohol finally hitting him. He felt better now, memories fading away and letting him just... exist in this drunken moment.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!! THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN THE VENUE!! THIS WANDERER WILL NOT BE FIGHTING YOUR CHAMPION, BUT IN FACT, A GREATER SURPRISE IS IN STORE FOR HIM!!![/COLOR]

[loganomics]

drip...drip...drip...

A hypnotic sound echoed in the giant's mind, reverberating off the inside of his skull with a rhythmic steadiness. Sobek had never fought in such a grandiose stadium before now. The Barabel had seen the likes of Geonosis and other, less impressive arenas throughout the Outer Rim but this place was wholly alien to him in spite of his intimacy with the planet it was stationed on.

drip...drip...drip...

The sound seemed to get louder. Sobek could see his old dungeon home in the depths of his Hutt master's palace. The disgusting stench and dismal view seemed real as the pitter-patter of liquid filth echoed in his memories. Such a conflicting sound. On one side, a constant reminder of that which he sought to leave behind. On the other, hope-redeeming sounds of his most recent success.

drip...drip...drip...

The darkness of the hallway was less conflicting to the towering reptile. Darkness was comforting. Few could see him and those that could learned to fear him. Those with a strong sense of survival at least. Perhaps that was his strongest trait. An unwillingness to die or suffer. An instinctual drive to outlive his enemies... at any cost. Perhaps that's why he stood there as he did, wrapped in the darkness he had known since hatching.

drip...drip...drip...

Beautiful. Delicious... Maddening. Despite the roar of the crowds and the booming voice of the commentator only meters from where Sobek stood he could hear nothing but that lovely sound. It was as though all was quiet and still. Nothing but that noise in the dark. Nothing but that taste of victory. Nothing but red eyes peering from the deep...

"HAILING FROM YOUR VERY OWN NAR
SHADDAA AND GRACIOUSLY RECOVERED BY HIS DEAREST GAMOREAN HANDLER, TUREGG,
COMES A NAME MANY OF YOU SHOULD KNOW!!! AN INSATIABLE BEAST WITH A TASTE
FOR BLOOD AND FLESH!! TUREGG, BRING HIM ON OUT AND SHOW HIM OFF YOURSELF!!! THE
DEEPLU-"

Drip.....Drip.......Drip.................................... SPLAT.

The crowd was too enthralled with the introduction to quiet themselves but it was clear what caused the abrupt end to the announcer's hyped up intro. The decapitated head of a male, ear and nose pierced gamorrian sat meters from one of the dark entrance hallways into the arena, a trail of blood showing where it had rolled from. Then, from the darkness of that entrance strode a towering creature. It stood in a tattered, hooded robe bathed in similarly colored blood, some of which dripped onto the ground from the reptilian hand that was shown beneath.

This is where Sobek's seething fury could be shown. No rules to follow nor masters to please. Just him and the savages. Predatory instinct overtook Sobek as he peered across the field at whom he would face. A shame his captor couldn't view this in life, but at least in death he had the best seat in the house.

[Karl the Unfettered]

Earlier that evening...

The fight promoters were counting their credits, chuckling and smoking and acting like the fat, sleazy, self-aggrandizing assholes they were. At least until the door slammed open and the lights came on. "RISE 'N SHINE, BOZOS!" an overly cheery voice demanded loudly, punctuated by a heavy metallic thud as a tall woman in clownface sauntered into the room. She was dragging a long, heavy-looking hammer, which she'd just slammed into the floor to create the thudding noise.

All the man had scrambled to their feet and fumbled for blasters, and the blasters didn't go away once they realized who it was. It wasn't smart to let one's guard down around Vivi the Hammer. "Dammit Viv, whaddaya want?" one of them demanded angrily. "We got a tournament to organize!"

"Sure ya do, pal, sure ya do." She dragged an empty chair back, flipped it backwards and sat down. "Ya gots a pretty hefty contender lately, don'cha? This... Bladed Wanderer 'r whatever th' shit he's callin' 'imself?"

"So? He's making a lot of money, beating up on the clowns we've got standing around," another one muttered. "We need to shake things up..."

"Damn right ya do! So here's how yer gonna do it! We got this big ol' lizard fucker, yeah? Something-something Deep-Dweller? Send HIM out fer th' big headline match! An' when they're both all softened up, send ME out! I'll show this Wanderer punk what fer!"

The promoters looked glum, but didn't argue with the manic underboss. Not when she had her hammer in reach.

Now...

"You bettah come through fer me, scales-fer-brains," Vivi was muttering, warming up in the back against some training dummies. Her hammer was resting against the wall, and she clutched a weighted training oar of some kind. It was pretty heavy, but she used the weight in her favor to pull off punishing blows. That was the trick when it came to heavier weapons like this, was to fight with the weight instead of against it. Her favored hammer was a lot lighter than it looked, of course, but the style and concept was the same!

And as the roar of the crowd at the introduction of the new face came through, she dropped the oar and went for some water, wiping the sweat off her face at the same time. The Wanderer really was good, she reflected, but so was she! This was gonna be one hell of a fight!

[Ash]

Ash wasn't paying too much attention to the announcer as he stuck his sword into the ground, the blade sinking deep into it due to its innate weight, and he leaned on it. He didn't tune in until the announcer suddenly stopped talking. Before him stood a massive creature, clothed in a tattered outfit. He was clearly sentient, as Ash could feel that much before withdrawing from the force.

But he felt.... savage. Nothing but a beast in a humanoid form. Why would they send someone like this in this fight? Ash fought his fair share of beasts. Maybe it was a ploy? Screw it. Did it really matter? It was just another opponent for the former Jedi.

Leaving his massive sword in the ground, Ash drew out the much more normal sized sword and held the scabbard in his off hand and began walking towards the savage creature. A handful of blows and this would be over: The reptilian would fall.

Lets get this over with... He spoke to himself as he slowly sped up his pace.

[Rugs]

The box muted the droning crowd noise but didn’t drown it out completely. Io’an stood at the front end of the luxurious space, leaning forward with both hands on a short counter in front of the wide transparisteel viewing panel. The Compeer’s box sat in the center of a ring of premium box seats, perched atop the cascading stadium seating that rose up from all sides around the arena floor. It was slightly larger than the rest, and personalized to Lidah Faine’s taste — with a hefty touch of green, of course.

“Packed house tonight,” he muttered, more to himself than to Ms. Faine, as his gaze swept over the arena. The night’s event was the capstone of a major tournament — the first hosted in the newly renovated, newly flying, Blind Eye since the end of the Archeri’s onslaught on Nar Shaddaa. People stuffed the cheap seats, and the moderately-expensive pseudo boxes that separated the proper expensive seats from the rabble. Every premium box was full, some with their transparisteel viewing panels swung open to let the full noise of it all rush in.

The Compeer’s box’s blaster-proof transparisteel panels could swing open as well, but were closed for now. Better for privacy and conversation among its occupants, that way.

From within this raucous place, it was almost hard to imagine that huge stretches of Nar Shaddaa still lay in ruins, or that the husk of one of the Archeri’s Singing Spires rose like a mountain of crystal out of the Cerbozz pit, a stone’s throw away from Blind Eye itself. In here, with the crowd screaming and the announcer — who’d been worth his pay and more — hamming it up, it felt like the before times. Like normal.

But even that mirage wasn’t whole, as Io’an studied the sword-wielding man standing in the arena’s center.

His sea-green eyes, ringed in violet, narrowed slightly. Ash Valeros — or The Bladed Wanderer — was a Force user, yes. Io’an had felt that much before even coming to see the man for the first time tonight. But up close, there was something more, an echo like the Force, but not the Force. In Ylva and Vivi and Ms. Faine — in all of the Plague survivors he interacted with regularly — he’d gotten used to the feeling, but here it presented a momentary surprise.

“He’s a plague survivor,” he remarked, glancing over his shoulder to Ms. Faine. What was the story behind that, he wondered? Considering the territory the Chorus held before their final defeat, he supposed it wasn’t surprising that a man wandering Hutt Space had found himself infected.

This was all something of an extended job application for Valeros, as Io’an understood it. Any decisions would, of course, fall to Ms. Faine; Io’an was simply there to watch and to sate his own curiosity. “How do you think he’ll do-”

A head, apparently freshly separated from its body, rolled into the arena through the gate opposite Valeros. Io’an grimaced, his stomach clenching, as the big creature responsible for the display strode out onto the arena floor.

“Needless savagery,” he muttered, displeasure clear in his tone. For a moment, he worried that he might vomit, but managed to keep his meal down.

As the combatants approached each other, the crowd, hungry for blood, roared on.

[Neology]

”Mmm.” Lidah agreed absentmindedly, glancing up from her datapad to view the crowd. Thankfully the armored enclosure muffled the sound, else she wouldn’t have been able to hear Io’an over the roar. If they saw turnout like this every night, then maybe this place would someday pay for itself.

”Really?” She knew Io’an’s senses were particularly well attuned – and she did not envy him the headache of examining one man in a packed arena. ”Wonder what he was up to for the duration.” Sick and hidden away. Sick and fighting. Or … Something else. Something worse.

The last would go some way toward explaining his presence here, with all the apathy and attitude of a sloppy drunk. The perfectly attuned woke from the Archeri nightmare with their health intact – but often with terrible emotional burdens to bear. At least, that had been the case for Ylva and her Janitors.

”Don't know. Probably better if he cleaned up.” Lidah shrugged. She wasn’t deeply invested in the tournament’s actual results. Better for her, in fact, if Valeros didn’t win the prize purse. Then he might actually need the work on offer.

Io’an’s hesitation prompted her to look back down, catching sight of some sort of roundish bloody giblet sailing into the ring. A droid mounted camera zoomed in for a better look, a severed porcine head filling the view screens before someone quickly swapped to a preset advertisement. Lidah sneered and toggled her wrist comm.

”Pull that one out after his bout; he won't fight here again. And get a cleaning crew ready for whatever he’s left in the pits.” Shaking her head, she dropped the line as soon as Hertz shot back a bass-tone affirmative. Deathmatches were rare, requiring heaps of paperwork, but they did happen occasionally even here. The exclusive territory of the foolhardy or extraordinarily desperate. Murder in the establishment was a different matter entirely.

Without a swoop in this race, the house needed to protect itself first and foremost.

[Karl the Unfettered]

Bored of practice, Vivi took her water and wandered down to check on things. She had missed the details of Sobek's bloody introduction, but she didn't miss the miserable crew stuck cleaning up after him. "What th' fuck 'appened here?" she asked, blinking at the carnage.

"The new guy murdered one of his handlers, as far as we can tell," was the grim-faced reply. "We've got orders to throw him out after the match too, and he's NOT allowed back in, either."

"That's nasty," Vivi replied automatically, although inside she was panicking slightly. What the hell had he been THINKING?! Killing people on casino grounds was so against the rules! If it got out that Vivi had had a hand in putting him into the ring tonight...

Her first thought was to run, but that would just make her look guilty. Her second thought was to silence the promoters somehow, but that wouldn't work either! If she bribed them they'd just take more money and spill their guts anyway, if she killed them it'd still look bad, and if she waited until they were away from the casino there was no guarantee they wouldn't have talked by then! Could she intimidate them...? No, Miss Lidah was scarier than her by a lot, she'd have them all talking no matter what she did.

Best to hope they just stuck to expelling the giant lizard and left it at that. The lizard probably had no idea who pulled strings to get him in, but there was no way she could let go how he'd potentially fucked with her life with his bloodthirsty stupidity. There was nothing else for it.

After the fight, after he was kicked out, she'd have to track him down and kill him. Nar Shaddaa was a wasteland these days, people killed each other out there all the time over nothing; nobody would notice one more dumb fight that ended in blood.

All this went through her head in a moment, while she stood staring at the remnants of the handler."Keep up th' good work, fellas!" she said cheerily, waving and walking off to watch the fight and get ready for her own entrance. How to make it dramatic, she pondered...

[loganomics]

Sobek's mind was far from sober. He was drunk off of his own blood lust as pent up anger and frustration filled his mind. Despite that, though, for a brief moment, he could feel something in his head. A subtle presence that disappeared as soon as he noticed it. Paranoia was not something Sobek was keen to admit to having but he always held a deep distrust of anything out of the ordinary. This particular adversary was notably out of the ordinary with his multitude of swords, unperturbed demeanor at the bloodshed, and his confident stride towards Sobek's impressive frame. No, this man was something more than pit vermin. Just what he was, Sobek wasn't sure. He had never fought someone who exuded this kind of aura before and yet, rather than feel fear or concern, Sobek's blood-washed brain could only become more exhilarated at the thought of fighting him. Such bravado, so little concern in his eyes. They were ripe for surprise. The Barabel had always relished the sight of his opponents right before he caught them off guard. The moment before disaster was like a delicious meal to his instinctual thoughts.

As the human began to speed up his pace, wielding a smaller sword than the one he had brandished upon his entrance, along with the blade's scabbard, Sobek darted forward toward the decapitated crown that sat messily between himself and the human. Using his immense strength and the momentum from his sprint, Sobek kicked the head as hard as he could, creating a chunky, nauseating spray of gore that, if his attempt was good, would make for an excellent distraction for the approaching human. As his foot crunched into the pig head, Sobek took his next moment to crouch and prepare to close the distance between him and his approaching prey in an explosive fashion. A moment later, the reptilian alien seemingly shot out of a cannon, showing far greater acceleration and explosiveness than most would expect of a humanoid his size. With claws and teeth bared, Sobek planned on tackling the smaller human in hopes of disarming him and pinning him to the ground. The next few seconds would decide Sobek's success.

[Ash]

Ash stopped gaining speed when he was at a easy jog, his body loosening up as he crossed the arena. The large alien before him seemed half out of it, blood seeping down his face and claws. Ash's vision blurred slightly and stepped on something, it throwing off his balance and he nearly toppled over. That was lucky as the alien kicked the head he was chewing on and it would have hit Ash if he didn't stumble.

Taking a moment, Ash let a trickle of the force into him, helping metabolize the alcohol in his system as he recovered and stood back up, halting his forward progress. The Barabel exploded towards Ash at this time, taking the head as his own opening move.

The blurry vision Ash had was clearing up but not fast enough. Enough for him to get through. Not quite enough to avoid this first interaction. Ash tossed the scabbard of his sword towards the Barabel, specifically at his legs to cause a trip hazard and he skipped off towards his left and slightly back, getting a minute amount of space and spinning his sword around in a defensive position. Sobek's arm came close but Ash smacked it with the flat of his blade as he backed away to get more room, almost stumbling in his buzzed state but still keeping on his feet. He made sure to keep his sword between him an the large alien.

[loganomics]

Sobek's impressive form still towered over the human despite his crouched stance as the reptile continued his assault. The Deeplurker had faced a number of impressive humans and other species in his gladiatorial career but none had shown agility and foresight like this human. Despite the clear disadvantage of impaired sight and size, this human was still narrowly able to backstep and avoid Sobek's grapple, all while launching his scabbard to trip his larger opponent. Fortunately, Sobek's tough hide and high pain tolerance made it easy to tank through the scabbard hitting his legs and continue his assault with minor setbacks.

With razor sharp teeth and claws bared, he once again tried to close the distance between himself and the human. The swordsman had clearly changed his stance for a more defensive approach. Sobek, not wanting to fall into a counter due to his own hubris opted instead for a feint. As he approached the human, Sobek raised his right arm high in the air in presentation of a powerful downward claw swipe that would hopefully force the human to attempt to counter. What the Barabel's true intentions were was focused on his tail. The momentum of the downward swing would put enough force into a spin that Sobek could then attempt a very powerful leg sweep with his long, muscular tail. In truth, Sobek had no intention of hitting the human with his downward swing. All that mattered was disrupting the swordsman's foundation and preventing him from getting any comfort in the fight.

[Karl the Unfettered]

While Ash and Sobek had been fighting it out, Vivi had not been idle. Frantic scurrying about to ensure her big entrance was all set; cages, chains, the whole bit. Even more frantic scurrying to ascertain exactly who knew what about the dumb lizard and where he'd come from, who had ordered his placement in the match tonight.

To her slight relief, the answer seemed to be, not much. People weren't in the habit of questioning orders in the lower ranks of the Exchange, thankfully, and that just left the promoters. There was no way short of Force manipulation that she could think of to make good and certain they didn't talk. Shit! What had she been thinking?!

Maybe she hadn't been? That happened to the best of people these days.

Whatever. Now she was lurking outside the edge of the ring again, watching the match, waiting for her sense of the dramatic to tell her it was the right time to step in. The lizard and human were holding their own against each other for now, and she figured a good time would be when one of them had a clear advantage over the other. Tip the scales sort of thing, right?

That was assuming her impatience wouldn't get the better of her, of course. Vivi the Hammer wasn't a very patient person! "Hurry up a'ready," she growled under her breath, tapping her foot on the floor and fidgeting restlessly with her weapon. "I wanna break heads too!"

[Ash]

Apparently, this overgrown lizard didn't care much about a tripping hazard that his scabbard presented. He just decided to walk through it and luckily it didn't tangle up his legs. Still, it gave Ash some breathing room once again as he sobered himself a little more with the force, the energy flowing through him.

Riding that, his bright blue eyes cleared up a little more, and Ash let the force leak out of him every so slightly, more than just sobering up. He watched the Barabel charge him again, raising an arm, but there was a tingle in Ash's head. His body language didn't show that would be an effect attack. His base was all wrong for a powerful delivery. Eyes darted to his legs and waste, showing the stance and how his foe could move. Ash let his breath out, his heart beat slowing down in an instant.

With the force guiding him and his actions, a now somewhat noticeable twang, Ash rushed in, rotating his own body around to the inside of the tail swipe. If one could see under his helmet they would notice Ash's eyes were half lidded as the force flowed through him. His closest foot ran right up to the side of his larger foe, along with his shoulder. His sword was held very low, between his legs and body and the tail, and his far hand slammed into the side of the Barabel as well.

"Don't divide yourself. Commit to one attack or the other."

His teaching side kicked in as he rushed, the words coming out as he still wasn't fully sober yet. Probably why he used much of the force. Maybe a little too much. He send a burst into his foe upon impact, throwing his foe far. Also using the force, he called his main sword to his hand, and he caught the massive blade in his outstretched right hand. The giant crystal seemed to glow and pulse as Ash fed the force into it. The force was radiating from Ash now, more than just gently this time.

[loganomics]

Sobek's mind was abuzz with the stimulation of close quarters fighting. For as much as he thrived on physicality and aggression there was nothing that could match his heated passion for combat. Ducking, dodging, back-stepping, and perhaps taking the odd brunt of pain was enough to make him smile in any fight. Such actions were proof of a challenge. Proof that he was still alive and still able to fight. As the flurry of movement commenced between the two fighters Sobek was irked once more by that same odd sensation he felt when the fight first commenced. This time it was stronger and more forceful but it wasn't aimed at Sobek as he had felt previously, rather he felt the sensation emanating from his newly distanced foe. In the moments leading up to the Barabel's feint and follow-up tail swipe the human opponent suddenly moved with a precision and grace that Sobek had never seen before. It seemed almost predictive to the now awe-struck reptile. He could only gaze in wonder as the human evaded his tail, stepped to the inside of him, and.... spoke?

No. Whatever words the human had were lost as the monumental weight of the reptilian was forced through the air in a fashion that could only be called comically explosive. For a moment that felt like eons, Sobek was weightless, his eyes widened in shock as he soared across the arena in what felt like slow-motion. This was no ordinary gladiator. He was much more dangerous than Sobek had perceived. Then again, whatever power this human had was far too strong to expect from a simple gladiator. Crash! The Barabel's hulking form finally landed just beyond the entrance tunnel. The crowd ooo'd and ahhh'd at the sudden rag-dolling of the Deeplurker despite their inability to see him now. Fortunately for the Deeplurker himself he didn't feel especially hurt by this new power. Taking a moment to shake his head in the shadows of the entrance tunnel, Sobek withdrew a bit from his bloodlust, or perhaps some of it had been knocked out of him from the blast. Regardless, the warrior could only stand once more, his eyes glowing ominously from the dark tunnel, and glare back out at the masked human. This would be a fight he wouldn't forget. His only goal now was to make sure his foe didn't forget it either.

[Karl the Unfettered]

Back and forth, back and forth. One of them had to be holding back, and Vivi's money was on the human. Was he just not taking it seriously? If it was her up against that ugly lizard she'd take it seriously, even while trying to make it seem like she wasn't.

Oh, wait. That was gonna be her in just a few minutes! Against both these beefy boys! Wow, if she was actually into guys while sober it might even be a turn-on.

Finally the scales seemed to tip, with the human punching the lizard and launching him clear across the arena. "Whoo! Punch 'em out!" she cheered, before skipping off to do her thing at last. The announcer already knew what to do...

And on cue, the lights came down on both the fighters. "Whoa, what kind of sucker punch was THAT?!" the announcer exclaimed. "This arena's for clean fights only, Mister Bladed Wanderer!" The crowd booed, and some of them threw stuff. "Alright folks! You know what we do with cheaters, right?! Weeeee EVEN THE ODDS!"

The lights swung up, where a third figure could be seen high above the ring. "You know her! You love her! You love to hate her! One of our very own regulars! Give it up! Fooooor VIVI! THE! HAMMERRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

And the chain lowered while the crowd went wild, bringing Vivi down to the ring. She waved lazily at them and blew a few kisses, then when the chain was still twenty feet from the ground let go and dropped the rest of the way. "What's good, boys?" she drawled, holding her hand down and away from herself; the Force brought her hammer off her back and she unfolded it with a flourish, throwing sparks everywhere.

The bulky-looking electrohammer glowed purple as it sparked ominously, almost two meters long. Despite its size she hefted it easily onto her shoulder, standing across from Ash while waiting for Sobek to get back into the shit. "Yer both goin' down!"

[Ash]

As soon as he threw his opponent away, the loud speakers decided to kick back on. He half ignored it, not carting int the least. Even with the name. Vivi the Hammer? His was bad cuz someone else gave it to him. With how she looks this 'Vivi' chick probably gave herself that name.

Aaaaand down she came, being let down by a chain as she waved to the crowd. Yup... this wasn't worth his time anymore. He released his force pressure, feeling his sword grow heavier and he attached it to his back, holding only the significantly smaller one now.

"I'm not getting enough money for this. If you want me to fight you better call someone and get me more credits."

More credits meant more alcohol. More times to live without living. He put his hands behind his back, the sword vanishing from sight behind his dominant black armor.

Ash knew he was stuck with this but he wasn't going to make the first strike. He would let this hussie get all wound up, along with that Barabel.

[loganomics]

Fool. Idiot. Fier'fek.

It wasn't often that Sobek spoke or thought of words in the disgusting Hutt tongue. His knowledge of the language and its native speakers brought him no end of suffering and pain in his life. Yet, the words were still more fitting than any other curse or insult in the tongues he knew. Vivi the Hammer had made quite an entrance at the end of Sobek's "exit". It was an entrance wrought with splendor, showmanship, and an annoying amount of self-confidence bordering arrogance. While the dark still shrouded Sobek, he could no longer hear the silence of the crowd, his own labored breathing, and the pounding beat in his mind that he had grown to love in combat. Instead he heard cheers, yelling, and laughter. Instead, he felt that odd pressure from the human rapidly disappearing. It was maddening.

He had been having so much fun. This unprecedented human had brought him a challenge he never expected to face on this void-forsaken planet. It was too much to let it end like that. Too much to let the fire in his chest fade without a last surge of effort. As Sobek knelt in the darkness of the entrance tunnel, something clicked in his head. Some sort of furious tranquility rushed through his mind, weaving webs of invigorating strength throughout him. His eyes focused with unusual intensity at the human, watching with seething fury as he hoisted his sword dismissively over his shoulder. The Barabel could tell that his opponent now lacked interest. He was there seeking something other than glory. Perhaps vengeance? Perhaps purpose? Whatever it was, there was no doubt that Sobek was going to make him fight until a winner stood amongst them.

Upon standing, the odd sensation in Sobek's head returned, more intense than ever before as it seemed to emanate from within himself. The question of what this sensation was didn't occur to the focused and infuriated reptile, though. In fact, nothing beyond his prey could seemingly be felt by Sobek. It was as though his predatory instincts had been amplified without his knowledge. He felt no soreness or pain in his body. He felt no resistance as he moved towards the arena. He felt nothing but unbridled, unchecked rage. He breathed in heavily, his form seeming to grow within his dim surroundings before he stepped into the light, a bone-chilling scream escaping his throat, directed towards the human...

In the depths of the Hutt palaces on Nar Shaddaa there crept innumerable numbers of scum, villainy, and monstrosities. Yet they all chattered in nervousness and fear of something that lay deeper still than they themselves. Something they could hear echo through the musky, filth covered halls. Something that was said to feast on the flesh of living sentients. Something... that lurked in the nightmares of all who happened upon it. The Deeplurker. Some nightmares stay bound to the deep dark places they are born from. The truly terrifying ones though... they find a way to escape, to step into the light where their true horror can be fully witnessed.

[Karl the Unfettered]

Well. This got boring fast. Tall dark and ugly over there was sulking, taller darker and uglier was just standing in the doorway screeching at tall dark and ugly. Were they sexists? Did they think women were weak and not worth fighting? She rather thought they were, yes. Men like that got on her nerves!

Fortunately she knew how to handle morons like them! "Teach you to underestimate a girl," she muttered under her breath, ignoring the lizard to focus on Ash. She reached out through the Force and tried yanking his swords away. She wasn't about to just run up to a guy like that! Better to make him act first, she reckoned.

Idly she spun the oversized hammer in her other hand, causing a shower of purple sparks to fly through the air. Anything to keep the crowd's attention in a fight that had suddenly gone stale. The crowd was everything; if they didn't like the action before them, the people behind the scenes were allowed to do whatever it took to make things exciting again. Whatever it took!