Jake Daniels
Archduke of Dantella IV
Jake heeled over as a punch landed into the gut of the exhausted man. Tired, wobbly knees barely kept him standing; albeit with the aid of unseen braces that added support to the worn down joints. He could have been on his ancestral home of Dantooine, living a quiet and secluded life. Letting life simply pass him by, as it had centuries prior, forgotten and alone.
The Knight raised both of his forearms to block a punch from his right. Unfortunately that left his other side exposed. A weaker than expected kick hit him dead center between his shoulder and hip. A huff of agony escape his lips and the man felt his insides shake. Still he stood. He could have been back on Honoghr, the resting place of a family that had long since passed. He could eat feasts with the Noghri, tell war stories, and live a Warriors life among their tribes forever remembered as the Apprentice of their Mal'ary'ush.
Yet here he was; surrounded by drunken farmers and merchants whom liked to put together little fighting pits and wager bets on the poor, foolish suckers dumb enough to throw themselves within. Just as his opponent went to lay in another attack, Jake let experience continue to guide him. His opponent was half his age and just as fit, if not more so. Faster and more agile, he had a pretty boy gaze about him, or he would had it not been for his own brushing and the dirt that caked his complexion.
Jake wouldn't win a foot raise with this lad, nor would he win a punching contest. The plan had been what his plans always were. Wait for his opponent to make a mistake. As the man brought his left fist in, Jake ducked, grabbed the mans other wrist and twisted both of their bodies around. As Jake continued his spin, he landed a surprisingly fast punch of his own across the jaw of his young prideful opponent.
Felucia.
The rainbow colored planet was where Jake found himself. In a villages public square, putting on a spectacle for money. There was more to this for Jake though. More reason for why he was fighting. Each hit, each cut, and each bruise that he received was an attempt at atonement for a life full of sin, for a life full of letting those closest to him down. He had a dark passenger residing in him, a dark passenger that even now wanted to emerge. It wanted to strangle this young whipper snapper with the force then snap his neck.
That's what he would have done in times past.
Now? Not so much. The urge was there. To deny that much would have been a lie. The passion gone. That in itself was the truth. In recent weeks the Knight had bounced world to world, following a trail on the force that seemed to have been set out to him. For the first time in a very long time, Jake listened to the force.
And the force spoke. It guided him here. To this planet. To this village. Into this fighting pit, and right to this exact moment. The force, in its own way, was acting as a light guiding a ship astray from it's course. But why Felucia? Why now?
Daniels snapped out of thought as he was hit again. With the way the fight was going, Jake knew it would end in one of two ways. Either this young brawler would win all of the prize money, or both would go down swinging. Jake knew that without cheating, without using the force itself, he wouldn't outright win. This new hit though, for the briefest of moments, caused the barrier within Jake to crack. For the faintest of seconds, so few for a standard Felucian or Human to truly comprehend what they just saw, Jake's eyes went from their standard brown, to a flash of brilliant yellow. The dark side itself seeped out.
With all the he could muster Jake bit down, buried his dark passenger deep within, and with nothing but a blink allowed his eyes to return to their standard coloring. With everything he had, Jake unloaded a single punch that connected again to the chin of his opponent. The momentum carried both men to the ground.
Even if Jake wanted too, he could get up. His knees screamed at him. His head pounded. With a lick of his lower lip, Jake noted a massive cut that allowed a decent amount of blood to seep out. That was the trigger for his dark passenger. Jake needed to be more careful. He wanted atonement. He wanted a life.
He wanted to truly live.
The Knight raised both of his forearms to block a punch from his right. Unfortunately that left his other side exposed. A weaker than expected kick hit him dead center between his shoulder and hip. A huff of agony escape his lips and the man felt his insides shake. Still he stood. He could have been back on Honoghr, the resting place of a family that had long since passed. He could eat feasts with the Noghri, tell war stories, and live a Warriors life among their tribes forever remembered as the Apprentice of their Mal'ary'ush.
Yet here he was; surrounded by drunken farmers and merchants whom liked to put together little fighting pits and wager bets on the poor, foolish suckers dumb enough to throw themselves within. Just as his opponent went to lay in another attack, Jake let experience continue to guide him. His opponent was half his age and just as fit, if not more so. Faster and more agile, he had a pretty boy gaze about him, or he would had it not been for his own brushing and the dirt that caked his complexion.
Jake wouldn't win a foot raise with this lad, nor would he win a punching contest. The plan had been what his plans always were. Wait for his opponent to make a mistake. As the man brought his left fist in, Jake ducked, grabbed the mans other wrist and twisted both of their bodies around. As Jake continued his spin, he landed a surprisingly fast punch of his own across the jaw of his young prideful opponent.
Felucia.
The rainbow colored planet was where Jake found himself. In a villages public square, putting on a spectacle for money. There was more to this for Jake though. More reason for why he was fighting. Each hit, each cut, and each bruise that he received was an attempt at atonement for a life full of sin, for a life full of letting those closest to him down. He had a dark passenger residing in him, a dark passenger that even now wanted to emerge. It wanted to strangle this young whipper snapper with the force then snap his neck.
That's what he would have done in times past.
Now? Not so much. The urge was there. To deny that much would have been a lie. The passion gone. That in itself was the truth. In recent weeks the Knight had bounced world to world, following a trail on the force that seemed to have been set out to him. For the first time in a very long time, Jake listened to the force.
And the force spoke. It guided him here. To this planet. To this village. Into this fighting pit, and right to this exact moment. The force, in its own way, was acting as a light guiding a ship astray from it's course. But why Felucia? Why now?
Daniels snapped out of thought as he was hit again. With the way the fight was going, Jake knew it would end in one of two ways. Either this young brawler would win all of the prize money, or both would go down swinging. Jake knew that without cheating, without using the force itself, he wouldn't outright win. This new hit though, for the briefest of moments, caused the barrier within Jake to crack. For the faintest of seconds, so few for a standard Felucian or Human to truly comprehend what they just saw, Jake's eyes went from their standard brown, to a flash of brilliant yellow. The dark side itself seeped out.
With all the he could muster Jake bit down, buried his dark passenger deep within, and with nothing but a blink allowed his eyes to return to their standard coloring. With everything he had, Jake unloaded a single punch that connected again to the chin of his opponent. The momentum carried both men to the ground.
Even if Jake wanted too, he could get up. His knees screamed at him. His head pounded. With a lick of his lower lip, Jake noted a massive cut that allowed a decent amount of blood to seep out. That was the trigger for his dark passenger. Jake needed to be more careful. He wanted atonement. He wanted a life.
He wanted to truly live.
He wanted to truly laugh.
He wanted to truly love.
Or however that damn motto went...
'Alright you pain in the arse. I've followed you this far. Why the hell was I guided to a place that looks like a Unicorn pissed a rainbow over the landscape?' Those were the only thoughts Jake had for the force as he lay on his back, his hazy eyes fixated on the white puffy clouds above.[member="Valae Kitra"]