Locke Nemsee vs Grawn Ianie {Unscored}

[Rugs]

{Alright, didn't feel the need to post this in the challenge thread, since we both know we're doing this, and I'm setting it up, so yeah. And aye, this too will be unscored, since I'm more interested in the fight and how things play out than the point contest.}

Yes, it stretched the page a bit. Sorry.

Locke Nemsee vs Grawn Ianie
Jedi vs Sith
Will run until it's done

Here I am again, though Locke Nemsee as he walked to place his hands on the railing before him and look out over the sprawling cityscape of Nar Shadaa. It's been a while. Nar Shadaa was the world he hailed from, and he still thought of it as his home, though he knew a great many Jedi considered Coruscant to be home. Of course, Locke wasn't at all like the image came to the minds of the masses when the Jedi were spoken of. Sure, he was just as devoted to fighting the Sith and defending the Republic as any other Jedi, but he was quite lax in his personality. Perhaps it was because of his work as an Investigator, which often required him to forego his appearance as a Jedi and blend in with the less savory types. Or maybe he would've been the way he was anyway. He shrugged as a breeze blew, in front his front, gently rustling the long brown and gray coat he wore. Whatever the reason, I am who I am. So perhaps, in a way, this strange, dystopian version of Coruscant that he stood on suited him. Locke certainly liked Coruscant well enough, but Nar Shadaa was grittier, and he liked that. It felt more real.

Enough of that, he thought with a sigh as he looked up at the dark night skies. He'd come to Nar Shadaa on rather serious business. Word had it that there was a Dark Jedi--or, if the whispers spoken quietly behind closed doors were true, a Sith--about, and he'd have to deal with the threat. It was really something he'd expect a Shadow to pulled for, rather than an Investigator, but times were hard and resources were stretched, what with the war and all that. He could handle himself, though; the recent fighting had given him plenty of opportunity to fight against the followers of the Dark Side, and we was obviously still alive, so he must have been doing something right.

Locke reached out in the Force, making no attempt to hide his presence as he searched for that of his quarry. It was hard to try to pinpoint a single person in the mass of souls that lived on the planet, but luckily for Locke, his target was close."He's very close," he muttered, and his hand instinctively brushed against the hilt of his lightsaber that hung within his coat. His pistol was hip as well, but he knew he wouldn't have much use for such a weapon in the coming battle. Still, it never hurt to have it. "I wonder if he can sense me as well."

He turned his head enough to glance at a group of passers-by with one of his pale grey eyes before returning to gaze off into the night. For the time being he would wait, and let the Dark Jedi come to him, rather than going on some hunt that could span half of the planet. And if he doesn't come, a voice within his mind asked. Well, then he'd have to think of something. But if there was one thing he'd learned in the recent weeks and months, it was that Sith and Dark Jedi alike loved killing Jedi. He doubted this one would be much different. If he was, Locke would eat his own boot.

"Your move then," he muttered to himself with a bit of a smirk. Only time would tell what was going to happen.

[Grawn]

So much trash in one place. It would be a splendid bonfire to watch. Their screams would be the most delicate music to his ears and a smile would be on his face unlike one had ever been. A mad glee ridden smile no one but Grawn Ianie could understand. Nar Shadaa was undoubtly as bad, if not far much worse, as the Coruscanti lower levels. Crimes of all sort could be found on this rock of a planet and the Sith dreamed of turbo lasers of indestructible warships raining justice down on these scum.

If only he was stronger. This was his goal. To become so powerful that even he could destroy a planet. To crush it, break it, smash it and kill the people as he laughed as they all fell away. Nar Shadaa would be the first on his list, however the Sith brought himself back to reality. The smell of the place assaulted his nose as he sat on the rooftop overlooking a major walkway intersection. The Force hid him from the onlookers who would have him reported to the police. Though he doubt they would, they would be far to busy selling spice or some other sort of nefarious purpose.

Standing up from his spot, he looked across the cityscape with a grimance. The fact that he was on this planet alone disgusted him. Grawn had heard rumors from a contact that told him a holocron was being sold in a antiques shop in the bowels of this place. Finding the place had been easy enough, only he found the holocron was a clever fake. The shopkeeper paid with his life for the deception and the Sith gathered someone would find his corpse hung from the lights in the backroom at one point or another.

The only good part of this trip was the departure. He'd be leaving soon to return to the Temple to resume his training and his contact would be a dead man the next time Grawn met him face to face. Before leaving, the Sith had wanted to scope out how corrupted the populace was and what he sensed through the Force was near sickening. At least two rapes were being commited and five muggings, this only being in his limited range of sense. Within all of these minds, he sensed a undercurrent of evil and they only reminded him further of the failings of the Republic.

They allowed such cancer in the galaxy. A cancer that will spread to consume everything else. Running his cybernetic right hand through his medium length black hair, Grawn drew from his cloak a mask and placed it on his face. Had it been undamaged, his entire face would be concealed, but this wasn't the case and thus where the right eye would be hidden, it was visible. A yellow eyeball that gave someone looking into them a hellish introduction to the madness that existed in Grawn Ianie.

The Force auras of the people walking about flaired in his left eye, the mask giving him the ability to see the currents of the Force through the only eye hidden by the mask. They all were a mix of gray and slight red. Blue was dotted from person to person, but Grawn never saw them. The evil he perceived on Nar Shadaa was to vast for minor flecks of good to be noticed. Giving one last snort of disapproval, the Sith began to jump from rooftop to rooftop towards the starport.

Then something changed. The Sith stopped on the rooftop where he was and turned his head to the west, a curious look on his hidden face. He sensed something. It was like a burning fire among small embers to his senses and Grawn tilted his as he concentrated. A growl was heard and his eyes detached from the west direction to see Sampson appear next to him, also facing the west. The black hound growled again, its glowing red eyes narrowed.

"I sense him too," Grawn muttered to the hallunication as he concentrated one last time to finally zone in on the anomaly. A wide grin appeared behind the mask and the visible yellow eye seemed to glow with a malevolent light. Sampson let loose a howl as both knew what it was.

"Jedi. How convenient to find a lie among the filth," the Sith said to his hound, dropping his hand down to pet the imaginary beast.

Grawn's hatred for the Order was a near obsession. There was no way he could let his pretender go untouched. Without a word, Grawn gathered the Force and jumped from the rooftop onto the walking path. The people around him looked around confused as they felt a presence they could not see be among them. They were of no concern to him as the Force increased his speed. Like a unrelenting tracking droid, the beacon he saw his guide, he made his way towards the Jedi.

He stopped at a railing to see that a robed man walked among several people down below on another platform. This was it. That was the light in the blackness of this place. A light HE would snuff out permanently. His presence hidden still, Grawn walked backwards a bit before racing towards the rail. Jumping up onto the rail, the Sith used a blast of the Force to catapault him across the black chasm and speeders that seperated them.

Grawn landed with the clank of his metal boots on the platform, not caring if his cover was blown. They weren't far from each other now and the Sith could practically hear his lightsabers begging to be ignited.

[Rugs]

Locke's smirk grew as he felt the dark presence approaching him. So I've drawn his attention then? Locke snorted derisively. They make this so easy. But he couldn't complain. His target would come, their business would be dealt with, and that would be the end of that. He shifted his weight onto his right leg as he sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, pushing it so that it fell down the back of his head, so that it would stay out of the way in the coming confrontation. And then, he waited.

The Force flowed into him, lighting him up like a beacon for the Dark Jedi to follow. It was so sweet, so pure, so clean. Locke entered into a light state of meditation to focus and prepare his mind for the inevitable battle that was coming. Perhaps whoever it was he was hunting could be redeemed, but it wasn't something Locke would rest his hopes on. Besides, he'd learned, both for himself and from the stories of his companions, that those who had fallen didn't tend to be receptive to olive branches until they'd had their brains beaten halfway out of their head; even then, some were too stubborn to hear whatever a Jedi might say. So whatever ended up happening, combat would be an inescapable element of the confrontation, and Locke intended to be as ready as possible for it.

A few moments passed, and Locke continued to focus as he felt the dark presence close in on him, and then the clank of metal boots on the ground announced the man's arrival. Locke didn't turn to look, not yet, nor did he make any outward indication that he'd noticed the Dark Jedi's arrival. Instead, he reached out towards the dark one with his senses in the Force to try to get a feel for what he'd be dealing with. He found anger. Hatred, burning with an intensity that was greater than any Locke had seen in a long while, if ever. Fun, fun, he thought with a slight shake of his head. He let the railing before him go and rolled his shoulders back, before rolling his neck and sighing in satisfaction when it popped before turning to face the one that stood behind him.

They were of roughly the same height, though the other man might have been a bit taller than Locke, and Locke was surprised to see that the Dark Jedi's face was covered by a mask. Well, mostly covered. Something had damaged part of it, and a lone eye, yellow and angry looked out to meet Locke's grey eyes. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to find me," he said casually. "We've some business to attend to, you and I, but first I need to take care of something."

Locke's hand went to his waist and to his pistol, and he held the weapon up above his head before firing three shots off into the sky in quick succession. Obviously, he wasn't trying to attack the Dark Jedi, but rather, he was doing it to frighten the civilians in the area away. It had the desired effect. They scattered off in every direction, some disappearing entirely, others only retreating far enough to watch the confrontation from a safe distance. Locke scowled a bit at the ones who didn't leave the area entirely, but there was nothing he could do about it. He returned his gun to its holster and moved his attention back to the man before him.

"Anyway, the name's Locke," he said as he started to slowly circle around the man. "And as I said, we have some issues that need to be taken care of. You are... uh..." Locke tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully as he strained to remember if the dossier he'd been given had a name for the man, but as far as he could remember, it didn't. He could improvise. "Right, I'll call you Chuckles, unless you decided to grace me with your real name." He suddenly barked a short laugh. "And I hope to the Force your parents didn't actually name you that, of all things. It might explain your current state if they did. But I digress."

The Investigator came to a stop and looked over at the Dark Jedi. "You are a Dark Jedi. Or a Sith, I don't know. Though the difference is only a membership in a club, as far as I'm concerned. I am a Jedi." Locke spread his hands in front of him and lifted his eyebrows. "You can see where the problem is, then, yes?" He reached into his coat and removed his lightsaber hilt before proceeding to idly study it as he talked, as if he cared not a whit that there was a Dark Jedi mere feet away from him. "So then, that leaves you with two options. You can repent and come to the light, and all will be forgiven," his overly-grand voice told how likely he thought that was, "or, you can refuse, and we will fight. From there, three things are possible. I'll kill you, I'll beat you to the point where you'll have enough sense to listen to me and come to the light, or--and I do hate listing this one--you'll kill me."

He let his words hang for a moment as he lowered the hilt to his side. His stance looked relaxed, and did not yet ignite his blade, but internally, he was wound tight, ready to jump into motion at a moment's notice. "So then. I do believe I know which one of those you will pick, but I'm going to be a good Jedi and ask you anyway. What will it be?"

[Grawn]

So the Jedi had knew he was coming.

"I was wondering how long it'd take you to find me. We've some business to attend to, you and I, but first I need to take care of something."

Grawn's eyebrows were cocked in interest as the Jedi pulled a blaster pistol from his belt and fired three shots into the air, the noise catching the attention of the bystanders. The smart ones decided to leave, hurriedly rushing away with their lives. However, there were a few that decided watching would be a wise choice.

"I must say. You're style is interesting," Grawn noticed the scowl given to the few people who refused to leave. "Allow me to assist you," a wicked grin spread on the Sith's face as he turned to see two rough looking people watching not to far away. Lifting his left hand, he called the Force to it, the energy beginning to gather in his palm. When it reached its apex, he sent a wave at the two men. Before they could react, the Force slammed them and sent them flying against a wall. The noise of their bodies smashing into the metal wall was amusing as they slid to the ground and fell face first.

"I think I may have overdone it," Grawn chuckled as he sensed life leaving their bodies, the laugh nearly sounding insane. The Sith felt the Jedi began to move so he turned to see the man started to circle him. How odd, the prey circling the predator, he thought, as the Jedi began to speak.

Chuckles..

Did the Jedi really just call him Chuckles? The Sith could feel his anger begin to boil as he let out a snort. This, Locke, was perhaps the most amusing specimen Grawn had come into contact with when dealing with Jedi thus far. How fitting. A joke that actually acts like a Jester.

Grawn continued to listen, watching as the man's face grew so cocky as he drew his lightsaber, telling him how he could be forgiven. This fool knew nothing of what he had done. He was the Butcher of Yaga Minor, innocent beings fell before his grasp and all done without pause, without concern and without care. Grawn didn't seek forgiveness or redemption, for that was a chance long lost. The Sith gave him life anew.

Now he had a new purpose. While he cared nothing for controlling the galaxy as the Sith did, he did however have one interest that the Sith so happened to let him partake in. Killing Jedi. His reason was in the past and it was the past that would now fuel him toward the end of the pathetic Jedi Order. He would see them all burn before he let himself be taken by death.

The dance of death would soon begin and Grawn had no intention of losing.

"The name would be Grawn Ianie, son of Erfies Ianie, a former Jedi Knight. I have battled many of your Order, Locke and they all fell. Just as you shall," his voice was filled with grim certainty.

Grawn filled his right arm, the clawed fingers of the cybernetic attachment pointing at Locke, as if to condemn him.

"To join the lie that is your Order would be a fate worse then death. I'm beyond brainwashing. I am no youngling, to be bedazzled and dumbfounded by your so called truths."

His hands opened and his lightsabers were pulled to them. Both in his grip and his eyes narrowed, his cybernetic hand still in a fist toward the Jedi as the lower was to his side. They both ignited and the blood red blades hummed in magnificent unison as Grawn spun them around and ended in a X in front of him.

"I'd eat my lightsaber before I bow to the Jedi, wretch. Ignite your blade and lets start what we both know was to happen".

Without further chat, Grawn reversed the grip on both his lightsabers, going into a Jar'Kai Shien hybrid. Next he bolted toward Locke, his lightsabers like dual twin red tails on a blood lusting beast.

[Rugs]

Locke's eyes narrowed dangerously when the other man killed two innocent bystanders, who'd done nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd feared that his actions might draw the man's attention to the people, and he'd hoped that all of them would've gotten the message and fled from the area. But he had been wrong, about that, apparently. A few more of them fled, and all moved further away, but still, some stubborn fools remained to see what would happen. Locke would just have to keep the man's attention away from them.

Locke finished his talk, and his dark counterpart responded in kind. So his name was Grawn, was it? Locke preferred Chuckles, honestly, and if Grawn didn't, well, he could just get over it. Grawn went on, and Locke almost rolled his eyes. Another darkie with the whole 'I'll never join the Jedi' spiel. I figured he'd say as much. " I don't think you know the meaning of 'a fate worse than death,' friend," Locke snorted. "Have you ever been on Nal Hutta when its that magical time when the Hutts take to handling the propogation of the species? I have." He grimaced and shook his head. "I won't bore you with the details, but it's not for the faint of heart. And if you eat your lightsaber, I'll eat my boot, you damn dirty liar," he finished with a laugh as he let his yellow-orange blade flare to life. He gave Grawn a quick salute with his lightsaber before once again lowering it to his side, and then the Sith charged.

Locke stood there, smirk still on his face and blade still at his side as Grawn drew nearer. He reached to the Force, watching, feeling for that moment when Grawn would be near enough... The threshold was crossed, and he sprang into motion, bringing his blade up as he ran the rest of the way to meet Grawn. The weapons clashed loudly, as Locke's hand darted back and forth to meet Grawn's attacks with his style that was a blend of Makashi and Soresu. The loud clashes went on for a moment more before Locke was able to bind Grawn's blades between his own and hold them in a lock between them.

"Tell me, Grawn, was it? I think I'll call you Chuckles anyway, if you don't mind. And if you do you can damn well get over it." He met Grawn's only visible eye calmly, though the strain of pushing against Grawn showed a bit in his voice; Locke was very fast, but physically, he wasn't the strongest person. "But tell me, do you make a habit of killing innocents, or do you just target those who you know can't fight back?" That angered Locke a great deal, but his outward appearance still held the same calm, cocky demeanor that he'd had so far. "Hmm? Does killing those you know can't put their foot up your ass make you feel powerful, Sith? Are you that pathetic?"

He broke the lock and jumped back to land before a short, fat metal shipping crate. "How about this, Chuckles: those people aren't your enemy. I am. You leave them alone, and maybe, after I beat you sensless, I won't shoot you out of an airlock into the void,hm?" Locke snorted before spitting onto the ground in disgust. "Honestly. Don't they teach you manners where you come from?"

Locke shook his head before reach to take a hold of the Force. His left hand shot out behind him, and he wrapped telekinetic bonds around the crate behind him and flung it forward at Grawn. At the same time, he jumped up, using the Force to propel him higher up as the crate banged angrily underneath him toward the Sith. His jump carried him backwards to land on a low awning the entrance to a shop, and he sat down, with one leg hanging lazily of the side and he other knee up, and the arm that held his lightsaber sighting on it. "So tell me, Chuckles, what is it that makes you hate me and my kind so much? Surely you've got more than the usual Sith angst going on, yes?" Locke laughed for a moment at that. "Or, I certainly hope you do. Hearing the same thing over and over again get to be a bit boring, y'know?"

Again, though he looked relaxed outwardly, he was anything but within. He was tensed, ready to move at any sign of trouble, and he held tightly to the Force, for if he needed to call upon it in response for whatever reason Grawn might take.

[Grawn]

The Jedi was proving to be at least competent in fighting. This was a relief, Grawn needed let off his pent up rage. Not that it was a exhaustible source of power, his anger. It had been building since childhood, no single mere fight with one enemy could diffuse it. The first charge had been to assess Locke's style and fighting potential. When the two saber locked, the Sith could sense the man was more built for speed then strength. Interestingly enough, so was Grawn.

Despite the feeling of mocking he could practically touch radiating from Locke, Grawn kept his anger in check, at least for now. This man wasn't run of the mill and as much as the Sith would like to let the beast inside him tear him asunder, it wasn't time yet. Further testing of Locke's limits were going to be needed. Grawn smiled when the Jedi mentioned his slaying of the two innocents that had decided it was smarter to stay in the area rather then run like sensible people would.

"Is that, anger, I sense? How un-Jedi like," the Sith muttered from behind his mask. If Locke heard him, he was sure the loud mouth would make a rebuttal. In a sense, this is what Grawn wanted. Fuel for the fire. That was all Locke's insults and words were to the Sith, fuel for the furnace of rage that was his heart. His anger and rage were his power and when spent correctly; it was a force to be reckoned with. The Jedi would soon see this for himself.

The crates he flung at Grawn were of little concern to the Sith after the break between the sabers. Twirling the lightsabers into the recognized Shien grip he lifted his left hand and grabbed them both with the Force a mere few feet from his face. His eyes bored into Lockes as he held the crates in the air and then flug them to the side. The result was quite a bit of structure damage to the building in the way but this was of no concern to the Sith as he walked toward his foe.

"Do we really want to go down this path," Grawn asked darkly as he continued to walk slowly, the dark side swirling around him like the signs of a tornado, "I suppose I should sate your curiousity; if but a little. I was raised to hate you. My beginnings were peaceful enough. But things change. Or sometimes, forced to change."
A slight wind came and swirled his cloak as his metal boots clanked against the flooring, his lightsabers in hand. Grawn smirked as he deactivated one of his blades and placed it on his belt, advancing now with only one blade. It dragged lightly across the floor, the tip burning a wavery line that followed him like the path a snake would make in the sands.

"Just as the galaxy must. Your Order and the Republic have grown stale and weak. The strong must take their rightful place and that is what the Sith shall do"

His lightsaber in his cybernetic clawed grip, his free left hand lifted towards a guard rail. The dark side latched onto the rail and tore it from its spot with little effort. With a roar, Grawn launched the rail like a javelin at where the Jedi sat. His mind raced as he used the Force to increase his speed; then conjuring Force Lightning in his palm. Calculating to the best of his abilities, he fired a bolt where he predicted the Jedi would dodge to. Running at full speed, Grawn closed the gap and went into a Djem So attack routine, falling back to Shien when Locke went on the offensive.

"A lesson in your Order is to never attach yourself to much to something correct?" the Sith mocked as his blade spat sparks everytime the red met Locke's yellowish orange, "Perhaps you should let go of the Republic. Surrender to the Sith and perhaps we will grant you the ability to run with your tail between your legs"

Using the Force to augment his strength to balance the speed of his strikes with moderate power behind the blows, he began to press on aggressively, not allowing Locke a moment to recooperate or begin an assault his own.

"These people care nothing for you. Only when you serve them in some fashion do they respect you. The Jedi, for all your failings deserve more respect than that. You protect these wretches and for what? To be spit back in your face when you don't do so, ONE time," Grawn continued as he battered at Locke. These words carried some merit; though their true purpose was to demoralize his foe. The Sith didn't fancy the thought of turning this one personally, however, if anything all of his words rang with truth.

Disengaging Locke out of seemingly no where, Grawn gathered the Force and sent it at Locke in a push. At near point blank, he would be impressed if he could dodge it.

[Rugs]

"Ha!" Locke barked at Grawn's taunting of his anger, "look, if I had a credit for every time someone told me I did something that was 'un-Jedi like,' I'd be a very wealthy man. You'll have to do better than that, Chuckles."

But he listened when Grawn spoke, and that smirk he wore never left his face has he sat there on his awning. He'd expected something along the lines of the response the other man gave, though he'd hoped for something a bit deeper. "Is that it, then," he asked as he stood to his feet when Grawn reached out to grab the railing. "You hate us because you were raised to? Because you were told to?"Locke snorted and spat down to the side to show what he thought of that. "Seems a bit blind, honestly, but I'm going to assume there's more you don't feel like telling me." A wry grin turned the corners of his mouth up and he chuckled lightly. "But I guess we have a fight to get back to, don't we?"

Grawn answered, hurling the railing up at Locke. The Investigator dodged easily, rolling down the awning to land in a steady crouch. The Force screamed a warning to him, and he looked up with barely enough time to see the lightning hurtling toward him. The position his lightsaber was in was probably the only thing that saved him from taking the hit; he'd held it out, with his free arm on the ground in between his legs to keep himself steady. As such, it only took a quick flick of his wrist to move it to block Grawn's blast, but even so, Locke could not deny the power that was behind the attack, as he had to put both hands on his hilt to hold it off. He's strong, Locke mused as he eyed Grawn. This won't be an easy battle.

A moment later, Grawn was on him, and their fight resumed, as their blades crashed loudly together, lighting up the area around them. Locke held back when Grawn attacked, using the small, simple motions of Soresu to transfer the power of Grawn's blows away from him, or take advantage of his natural agility to dodge some of the Sith's strikes outright.

"Oh, right," Locke said as he ducked down under a swipe aimed at his neck before countering, though Grawn knocked his blade out of the way, "that's the best idea I've ever heard, Sith." The two locked blades again for a moment, and Locke spoke to Grawn over the harsh cry of the two beams of plasma pressing together. "We support the Republic, and they support us, when we need it, and to abandon our Republic would be a heinous abdication of our duty." Locke sneered before jumping back to break the lock. "You know that. Don't be stupid."

Grawn pressed the attack, and Locke gave ground. The Sith's offensive was blistering, and Locke had to push himself to keep from faltering. Grawn's blows were falling harder now, and Locke knew he'd have to do something to halt the onslaught before it started to take a toll on him, but for the moment, he'd have to bide his time and wait for an opening. Their blades crashed together again and again as they wove a tapestry of orange and red in between the two combatants. The occasional strike nicked the ground, and a web of burned scratches was starting to spread out in the areas they'd fought through. Grawn spoke again, but before Locke could respond, he suddenly feinted, catching Locke off guard. Locke cursed mentally as his mind scrambled for something to do, but Grawn threw a powerful blast of the Force at him, and he couldn't do anything to defend himself.

The young Knight was thrown backward to slam into a wall next to a storefront window before sliding to the ground. A wave of pain washed over his back, and Locke almost cried out from it. He'd had worse done to him before, though, and he pushed himself to his feet and looked Grawn into his lone yellow eye. He was breathing a bit harder than he was before, but he stood steady, his will resolute and unwavering.

"Look, Grawn," he said, finally deciding to call the Sith by his real name, "I don't do what I do for recognition. I don't do it because I want the thanks of the people I work to protect, though it's welcome when I get it." His stone grey eyes grew a bit harder, and his voice firmer as he spoke to the Sith. "I do what's right because it's the right thing to do, not because I want something out of it." Locke tsked before shaking his head slightly, as if he'd just had to explain the simplest thing in the world to some small child before he looked up at Grawn again. His features were back to the way they'd been: calm, self-assured, and perhaps just a tad cocky. "But I guess you wouldn't know anything about such things, would you?"

This time Locke pressed the attack, but not for long; he had a plan in mind, and he needed Grawn to attack in order for it to work. The blades sang out to each other as they came together, and Locke purposely made and opening that gave Grawn a chance to attack. As the Sith took the offensive, Locke gave ground, slowly but surely, and much in the way he'd done only a few moments earlier. When his back was almost literally against the wall--the same wall he'd been thrown into a moment ago--he sprung his trap. Locke took up Grawn's blade in a locke, and pressed back only for a moment, so that, to the Sith, it would seem that he was struggling back as he would in any other lock. But he suddenly stopped pushing and took a very quick sidestep as he turned his blade to guide Grawn's into the wall that his back had just been against. Then he disengaged his blade from Grawn's completely as he turned to try to knee the Sith in the stomach with a good deal of force. But he wasn't done. To end, he launched out with a powerful push of his own--also launched from a very close range--that, if it connected, would send Grawn crashing through the window and into the store.

"Tell me, Grawn," he called when the exchange was over, "how did you lose that arm of yours? Did you get a bit careless when you were working on a speeder?"

[Grawn]

The blast had connected fully. Grawn had been unable to block it as it sent him through the store window. Glass shattered and he struck a counter, going head over heels to land on the floor with a loud thud. The shop keeper shouted and ran out as the Sith groaned from the pain in his stomach. Locke's voice taunting him as he slowly rose.

Grawn didn't ask for much. But if he had one wish at that very moment. That instant, if some being of unimaginable power could give him one thing. It would be for Locke to not have a mouth. The Jedi just wouldn't shut his damn mouth.

The Sith growled, the restraint he had put on himself earlier was slowly unraveling. The Force around him began to contort as Grawns anger began to taint it with the blackness of the dark side. He stood fully now, feeling the pain in his gut dissipate from existence and left Grawn with only the feeling of rage. The feeling spread until it consumed him wholly and his head tilted back as he called his lightsabers back to him from opposite corners of the room.

As was ritual when Grawn became furious, his sharp ended cybernetic hand came up and removed the mask from his face. Fresh air assaulted his face and the Sith's eyes opened, his eye color beginning to shift to include hints of red and orange with his normal yellow. The anger he was feeling seemed to come off him like a overheated speeder engine, if one could see in the Force, the very space around him would be distorted with the dark side.

The mask placed away, Grawn silently lifted his hand toward the Jedi. The dark side latched onto anything sharp in the room and made him levitate, slowly swirling around him.

"You're starting," the Sith rasped irritatedly, "to piss me off".

With that, the shards of glass and broken metal that hovered about him stopped. The pointed ends twirled to be directed at Locke and without a moments notice flew at him as Grawn unleashed a Force Push. The Sith followed his missiles, igniting both of his lightsabers as he shot from the shattered shop window.

The red lightsabers found themselves once again against Locke's as Grawn's fury driven strikes came with incredible speed. His eyes were filled with rage but his mouth remained neutral as he spun his blades around his body to parry, block and confuse. However he was done with mere sword play as this was made clear as the Sith used the Force in his attack routines.

A momentary lock happened, Grawn's blades in a X as they scissored Lockes, but the lock was short lived as the Sith used his advantage of two blades and guided Lockes away. But rather then attempt to strike with his blades, he kicked forward. It wasn't a normal kick, however, the Force surged from his metal boot into a powerful push.

Sending the Jedi backwards, the Sith spun his blades around in his hands. The sound of Locke hitting the wall did little to simmer the boiling rage that continued to grow stronger and infused his limbs with power. Then, out of no where, he began to giggle. The laugh wasn't normal by any means, no one would in such a serious and deadly situation; but it continued.

His face split into a menacing grin and his eyes wide, evidence of madness clear, Grawn ran toward Locke. The Sith focused on the Jedi, firing Force pushes in rapid succession, trying to weaken his foe long enough to get within saber range. His blades hummed as they cut through the air as he used the Force again to increase his speed and closed the gab quickly.

[Rugs]

A small wave of satisfaction came over Locke when he saw that his plan had been quite successful. His knee slammed into Grawn's stomach, and his blast of energy sent the Sith careening through the glass into the small store that the two were fighting outside of. Locke allowed the small smirk on his face to grow as the Sith rose to his feet. He could sense a few things within his opponent, but one thing stood out more than the rest: irritation. Or, if the Sith's next words were anything to go by, anger. Anger at Locke's incessant taunting. Good. Let him get mad. Locke was not a fool, though; he knew the fight was not over--far from it, surely--but there might be an advantage to be gained if the Sith was so easily annoyed, and the Jedi planned to press it.

"Temper, temper," Locke said smugly with a wag of his finger as the shattered glass started to rise around the Grawn. Even as he spoke, he reached out to the Force, readying to defend against what he knew to be an inevitable attack, and not a moment too soon, either. Before he could even finish properly constructing a defense, the tiny blades were in motion, racing toward him. Most of them were stopped by a barrier that came to life in the air in front of him. However, since he'd not been able to finish it in time, some broke through and found him.

He winced when three sharp lines of fire suddenly came to life on his face (two on his left cheek, one on the right). Another shard of glass nicked his side, and one more grazed the muscle of his shoulder. All of the cuts hurt, but, since having his back ripped open by a piece of burning metal during his late padawan years, he'd found that some things didn't hurt as much as he thought they would. And so, though he could feel the warmth of tiny trickles of blood starting to flow across his flesh, Locke put the pain out of his mind and focused on his incoming foe.

Jedi and Sith engaged in blade-to-blade combat a mere heartbeat later, and the sound of their blades crashing together filled the air. For a time, the balance shifted between them, sometimes moving into Locke's favor, sometimes to Grawn. Locke kept his smirk on as Grawn's two red blades danced around, trying to find a way to slip past his orange. But, even though he displayed some sense of cockiness outwardly, he was deadly serious within. Grawn was good, he had to admit that; if he didn't he'd probably find himself with his head laying ten feet away from the rest of his body. How good exactly in relation to his own skill, he couldn't say; perhaps Grawn was stronger than he, perhaps not. The fact remained that, though he might not show it, Locke could not afford to take this Sith lightly.

That particular fact was underscored when Grawn suddenly broke the routine, engaging Locke's blade in a saber lock. The Investigator pushed back against Grawn's sanguine weapons, but the lock, much like the one he'd initiated only a few moments earlier, was a ruse. Grawn's foot suddenly slammed into Locke's stomach, and the Knight cried out from the pain, in spite of himself. Then he found himself flying backwards, coming to a rather abrupt halt when he slammed--with a good deal of force--into the wall behind him. Pain washed over his body, but he couldn't afford to let it slow him. He forced himself to his feet, ready for the next attack...

...which didn't come. No, instead, he looked up to see that Grawn was giggling, of all things. Locke simply stood there, breathing hard, dumbstruck expression on his face. "You're a looney, you know that," he said, contempt clear in his voice when Grawn turned to face him with that crazed smile. Locke suddenly snorted a short laugh. "I mean, it really would've been easier for you to just say something if you wanted me to call you Chuckles. I thought you'd prefer Grawn, really." Locke openly sneered at Grawn. "But if you insist."

Grawn resumed his attack, launching a series of pushes at Locke as he started to rush at the Jedi. Locke personally didn't see the point in that, since he was already two inches away from the wall, but he answered, letting another, properly constructed barrier of the Force rise to shield him. It held. Barely. Grawn's strength with telekinesis seemed to be greater than Locke's ability with protection, and his shield collapsed with the last of the Sith's blasts.

Grawn was closing in fast, but Locke's mind was pulling a plan together as his foe drew nearer. The Force flowed in to him, and he moved it to strengthen the muscles in his legs for what he was going to try to do next. For once, Locke waited. Waited until the Force whispered that the moment was right, and sprang into motion. Locke leapt into the air as Grawn closed the final steps between them, using the Force to propel him into a graceful flip that took him over the Sith's head. He reached out with telekinetic bonds when he landed, attempting to wrap one around Grawn's right leg and another around his left arm. Then he pulled back hard, to try and send the Sith careening towards him, which would be a very sudden change from the way he'd been moving. Of course, right after that, he lashed out with his blade, seeking to find Grawn's flesh.