Acolyte Duel

[Asharad Graush]

Rarely did the Sith Hybrid venture into any of the Sith Academies or Temples. Much of his time was spent within his own estate on Prakith, testing himself alone with his only companion being the yellow-white lightsabre that was clipped on his belt. Even now, it bounced lightly on his thigh as he strode through the halls of the Academy.

Heading towards the training rooms, he expected to find no one. Most things in his life fell into place as he wanted them to, he imagined finding an empty training room would be the same. If only for the sake that these training rooms were larger than his own home's were, and would have more equipment for him to choose from.

Not for him to use personally.

But for him to beat on.

Training droids really.

After many years of his training with a lightsabre, his family's reserves were finally growing thin.

A part of him however was interested in sparring with another Acolyte of the One Sith.

To compare himself to those greater than him, he had to measure himself to those 'equal' as well.

A'sharad's long strides brought the Sith hybrid into the training room without pause.

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss was enjoying the silence of the trainings room, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, an old book documenting different movesets of lightsaber combat resting in his hand. Other than most, he preferred to gain his skills from words before practicing them. Normally he kept his studies to the solitude of his room in the academy, but today the force pulled him towards the empty room.

His feeling in thw force already that something would happen at the place of his study, so he was only mildly surprised when the other man stepped into the room. Abyss didn't raised his head from to book, his focus was still at the words, reading them closely to categorising the information in his head for further use.

@A'sharad Graush

 

[Darth Abyss]

Double post

 

[Asharad Graush]

The hybrid strode into the room without pause.

Even when he had spotted the person sitting upon the floor in the room, he registered him and continued, at least for a few more steps before he finally stopped.

"You." He stated a few seconds after his stopped movements in the room. He had been walking the length of the room with the intent of remembering the measurements of his own training chambers in his home. It certainly was bigger, much bigger. These training rooms were meant to hold hundreds of people at once. His for mere dozens.

Oh well.

Straight to the point no need in wasting time.

He spotted the book, but he ignored it. If [member="Abyss"] was there to only read, there was a Library somewhere for him to do so. Figuring that he was in the training room for a better reason than reading. That being, combat, it appeared that they both came to the right place.

"Duel me."

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss patiently finished reading the page before closing the book. He slowly ascended from the ground, storing the book on the side of the room. He had taken of his mask to make it easier to read, but with a duel coming he decided to put it on once one more. His face now hidden behind the piece of wood, he spoke to the other man.

"As you wish."

The acolyte slowly moved away from the other sith, giving both the room for the fight that was about to come. His right hand moved to his belt, resting his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Your move ... brother."

The last word was more of an insult than a representation of his actual feelings towards the other acolytes. A true sith had no friends, and calling him brother was his way to show him his disrespect.

 

[Asharad Graush]

Golden hued eyes watched the other Acolyte as he got up to place his book down on the side of the fighting circle, square, what have you. A'sharad doubted he'd be suddenly attacked, but regardless, he watched nonetheless. He had no need for equipment to conceal his face. No. Instead, he sparred and duelled in his regular clothing. Nothing of consequence, his family had the wealth to purchase him new outfits if they were ruined.

They all tended to look the same however.

Brother.

Most definitely a joke.

Within, his rage was building, and it simmered, just enough that he was able to control his actions.

Reaching down with his left hand, crossing it across his lower abdomen to grasp the silver and black hilt on his waist, his thumb fingered the ignition button gently as he appraised the other being. Long steps took him across that short distance. Snap-Hiss went his yellow lightsabre, the colour matching his golden orbs as he came in close enough to lunge into the chest of Abyss. Not too much so as he didn't overextend himself, but enough that the tip would dig into his chest if it wasn't stopped.

A simple flick of the wrist.

Easy to execute and easy to avoid.

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss watched and waited, the hilt of his weapon now in the tight grib of his right hand. The acolyte made no attempt to activate his own crimson red blade, while he observed the other mans yellow lightsaber. His mask did hide his slighty disgust. Yellow. Abyss was a scholar and therefore open to both the past and the presence. Yet he was a tradionalist, someone who viewed the ancient sith as near gods. The red blade of the sith was more than just cosmetics, like the title darth it was a symbol for the power of the dark side.

Instead of activating his lightsaber, Abyss took a step to the side to evade the hit. The movement was intentionally sloopy and inelegant, and he allowed his opponent to slighty burn his robe. His enemy was already close to Abyss so, standing slighty besides his opponents blade, he made a push forward, while swinging the hilt of his weapon towards the face of the other sith to hit him with the cold metal. It was a simple yet effective move, using the element of surprise rather than raw strength.

 

[Asharad Graush]

A'sharad had gotten him in the chest.

But nothing actually detrimental to his person, just a cut through the robes. Not that that was going to sate his bloodlust.

The other Acolyte had stepped to the side to avoid being cut further.

He aimed to punch him in the face with his weapon. Perhaps it would've worked, if A'sharad didn't duck his head to the side so that it went past and over his shoulder, and when his muscular shoulder did lift up again, he had stepped into the open guard of the Acolyte, and shoulder checked him back and away from his person. Not too detrimental to his health, but it unbalanced him, potentially opening him up to another attack as the Sith hybrid took a long step towards Abyss.

His left hand came down from a high slash. Aiming to split [member="Abyss"] in half from his right shoulder to left hipbone, if he didn't catch himself had he been unbalanced, or if he didn't ignite his lightsabre.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss stumbled back while making pained grunts, pretending that he had almost completely lost his blance.The hit did hurt, but it was far from the point were it could influence his ability to focus on his act. He made a step to his right while keeping his body low, looking more like he was falling and trying to catch himself, making the impression that he avoided the hit only by chance. With a contrived expression of panic the acolyte hastily ignites his weapon, holding it in a way that vaguely resembled a defensive stance of from two if the wielder had no knowledge of the angle needed to actually block a sword.

With sudden move Abyss swings the crimson read blade of his weapon from the right at the chest of his opponent, aimed the cut deep into the flesh of the other sith.

 

[Asharad Graush]

A'sharad wasn't the sort to be tricked in combat in such a way. He was a warrior, through and through, but he was an honourable conbatant. He didn't act injured to lure his opponent into some false trap.

Unless he thought them stronger than him.

But to the Sith hybrid, there was no Acolyte close to being his equal, let alone being stronger than him.

The man had moved to his right, which meant he moved further to his left. The same side as his lightsabre. Being left handed and all.

It was a quick flick of the wrist that snapped the lightsabre up, batting the lightsabre strike away from him, as he again lunged into the guard of [member="Abyss"].

This time with the yellow plasma beam having knocked the crimson blade away from him, and his quick, controlled lunge into his guard again, he slashed at the upper thighs of the Acolyte. Both of them. A low horizontal slash across both thighs to burn an inch or two swath if uninhibited.

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss never had to fight a left handed opponent and was only now making the adjustment needed to plan his attacks right now. Luckily he had not put to much of his body in his swing, so he was still able the take step back to avoid the slash his enemy just aimed at him. He could feel the heat close to his legs, as the yellow glowing blade came awfully close to his body. To his surprise the acolyte did not fall for his act of weakness, but Abyss had more tricks he could fall back to. Other than his counterpart he had no interest in honor or fairness. It was the way of the sith to gain victory trough power, but power could be more than just raw strength. Being smarter and more ruthless than his enemy was certainly a from of power, one that the acolyte was more that skilled in.

Like he once did in a fight with his master, Abyss grabbed his lightsaber with both hands, swinging the weapon at the left of the other sith with as much force as his body could produce. A splitsecond before the weapon came close enough the be dangerous for his opponent, Abyss switches of the red glowing blade of energy, instead using the momentum of the swing in from of a kick, aimed at the mans left knee.

 

[Asharad Graush]

The hybrid wasn't as honourable as that. Of course, trickery and cunning was necessary to be in the arsenal of a Sith. Many Sith in the past had fallen because they were so powerful.

Powerful enough to beat and kill any challenger, but not clever enough to realuze who would betray them, who was only using them.

A'sharad would not make that mistake. He couldn't. And with that resolve in mind, he continued into his missed slash, just as Abyss, deactivated his lightsabre. A mistake, even as he kicked the hybrid.

The yellow lightsabre had leapt upwards to meet the crimson blade when it had still been active, but when its length started to shorten, he realized it for what it was.

A feint.

A dangerous and foolhardy one.

His lightsabre's hilt was reversed in his hand, from what had been a regular hold with the lightsabre pointing away from his body and leaping to his left, it was now reversed. Driving downwards, the kick did hit him, but not in the knee.

Instead it connected with his lowering thigh as he brought his knee down and drove his yellow plasma beam into the thigh of @Abyss.

Or, that was the plan anyway not to cut off the leg, that is, if the Acolyte didn't make any drastic movements, but rather to just stab through it entirely so the yellow tip would protrude from the other side of his thigh.

The problem was that he had layered two attacks on the same side. A feint was successful if it was distracting a person from one region of their body to another. This wasn't the case. All he suffered was a bruising thigh and the likelihood of ending the duel early.

 

[Darth Abyss]

The lightsaber pierced Abyss leg, the smell of burned was disgusting. The pain on the other side had both a positive and negative aspect. Without even thinking about it the pain turned into anger and the anger into hate, the fuel of the dark side. While this made Abyss powers stronger it also took a toll on his focus, as he could feel himself being consumed by the darkness inside him, what would make it harder to keep his fighting style that based on tricks and feints up. Driven by anger the acolyte drops his weapon, hearing the sound of the metal as it hit the ground. Both hands tense from the fire inside him as he moves them to his opponent throat, in an attempt to strangle him. The fact that the other man was with one knee on the ground would make it hard for him to evade the sudden attack without throwing himself in another compromising position. Abyss hoped that he was arrogant enough to believe that one hit would end the duel instantly.

 

[Asharad Graush]

Hatred.

Pure unadulterated hatred.

That's what he felt from the other Acolyte when the yellow lightsabre had piereced his thigh. Were he a lesser man, he would've collapsed, stumbled away so that the hybrid could draw out the lightsabre.

Alas, he was not.

A'sharad frowned, surprised to find someone's hands on him. Simmering rage boiled, pushing him over the edge as his right hand arose. Four fingers were on his right hand, four fingers grasped the side of [member="Abyss"]'s head, attempting to throw him off.

One would expect two hands, but his left hand had another task. Drawing the lightsabre out of his thigh, dragging it across his flesh to increase the painful stimulation before he surged up upwards, even as his throat was clenched.

With not only a stab wound through the thigh, but also a vertical furrow through the flesh, his left hand criss crossed between them. The result, opening him up horizontally and spilling his guts if the Acolyte didn't stop him in his bloodlust, or hold his insides to him to preserve his own life.

In A'sharad's face there was pure rage, but his actions occured within a heartbeat of each other, and in battle, the adrenaline you felt runnning through you increased that beating heart rate.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss cried in pain as the saber cut further trough the flesh of his leg, the pain reaching level were he barley could stay conscience. Yet the darkness inside him continued to grow, he could feel the power pumping trough his body like electricity, building up until the point were he couldn't keep it inside his body. Without even thinking about it the power was released in a telekinetic blast aimed at the other sith. He couldn't see if his opponent was pushed back by the attack, but he felt himself being pushed back by it himself. The burned wound on his leg did hurt like hell, but he still forced him to slowly rise from the ground, limping and stumbling but still standing. He wouldn't give him the victory, even if it meant breaking every body in his own body. Pointing his hand at the hilt of his weapon on the ground he used the force to pull the lightsaber back in his hand. The second it touched his hand, he ignites the weapon, placing himself in a defensive stance.

 

[Asharad Graush]

Thrown backwards by the explosion of the Force, A'sharad kept low and slid across the floor on his back, until he rolled onto his feet.

Climbing back up to his feet, his lightsabre had been extinguished by a subtle movement of his thumb.

Igniting his lightsabre again as he got to his feet, A'sharad strode across the room to Abyss. "You're weak. Call for the medical droid." He wouldn't, the hybrid knew that. He counted on it. Besides, he wouldn't get another chance.

His defensive stance translated to him that he couldn't movem. The wound may have cauterized, but there were certainly burnt tendons and arteries.

His lightsabre lifted. A'sharad was certain he'd kill Abyss if he tried to fight again.

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

From behind the mask came a dark, inhuman, almost demonic laugh. The other sith was good with a lightsaber, his technique showed dedication and training, yet he knew that other than Abyss, he had no experience in a real fight. He never stood on a battlefield bathed in blood, with broken bones and cuts all over his body. He never walked behind enemy lines, killing dozens of alliance soldiers like Abyss did.

"You think you are powerful? You are nothing. A real sith can do more than just swing a lightsaber."

Again he summoned the dark side inside him, this time less powerful but focused, sending another telekinetic blast at him, aimed mainly at his feet. Now he would show him what it meant to be the apprentice of a member of the dark council.

 

[Asharad Graush]

The Force weaved itself around A'sharad immediately. There was a red timt to the bubble of protection that circled around him, the telekinetic blast came into contact with the barrier and was dispersed easily.

The barrier came down.

A'sharad took a single step, and then he was dashing across the room, already closing the distance with a speed that had yet to be showvased by him in their duel.

"Then die." Was the only word that came from his lips as his left hand came down in a powerful overhand slash, threatening to split him in half.

It was true that the hybrid had not killed dozens of soldiers alone. Had not waded through the death and mayhem that he himself created, but was that not the beauty of it?

A'sharad was winning, but he had yet to set foot on a battlefield...

Other than when Prakith was attacked by the Galactic Republic.

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Finally there were the character trait Abyss had waited for. Arrogant. Inside the mans head he had already won, and Abyss would make sure that this would be his downfall. He pushes his lightsaber up in the air, swinging to the right, were it meets the falling weapon of his enemy, in an attempt to misdirect to so the only thing it would be the ground besides him. With his other hand he once again pushes forward, trying to grab the mans throat once again. Only once he had attempted to create a lighting with the power of the darkside, back then the only thing he could produce was a spark, not even strong enough send the pure energy of the dark side further than a meter. But this time that would not matter, he was right in front of him so even if he couldn't grab him, he still he to evade the small spark that flashed from his left hand.

 

[Asharad Graush]

The slash was redirected to his side, but A'sharad merely had to swing his right leg out to [member="Abyss"]'s own left. Should it strike, he imagined it'd knock him down, forcing him to only stand on his severely weakened leg, and force him to collapse.

Regardless of whether he fell or not, the uellow lightsabre disappeared into its sheathe in the event that he'd be unbalanced. A'sharad's physical training prevented that.

But even as he reached out to the hybrid's throat, he leaned backwards, away from the man's hand as the sparks shot forth, catching his face and upper torso for only a second before the yellow lightsabre leapt out again, catching whatever else of the would be scathing lightning with the lightsabre.

Had it been from a longer range, the lightning would've been more wild, dangerously flickering over the edge of the blade to burn and scar him. In such close quarters, it was controlled, and much of the danger negated.

[member="Abyss"]