Match #4: Duel on Columus (Perla Pirjo vs Simon Kellar)

[Khan Ra]

Match Four

[member="Perla Pirjo"] Versus Simon Keller ([member="Alric Kuhn"])

​

Judge: [member="Darth Ferus"]
Location: Bog on Columus


A dense humid mist made it slightly hard to breathe through the muddy bog that would be today's arena. A mile area of bog and swamp had been marked off, readied for two Acolytes to prove themselves in a duel. Small orb-shaped droids hovered above the mist, recording the two for the duel's judge and anyone else to see. The gravity on this planet was abnormally low- making even the simplest actions of walking and fighting difficult. Not to mention the bog that covered the entire fighting area- the only land being bars of mud and strangled trees here and there.

The Acolytes were dropped off on oppisite sides of the swamp, told to find one another once the sirens blared. That in and of itself would be a feat in conditions like these... And the pack of canid predators that had been prowling the area since the One Sith had arrived to set up the dueling grounds wouldn't much help the Acolytes, either. If nothing else, it would be an entertaining show.

Soon after the Acolytes had been dropped off the bog was filled with the sound of sirens; the signal to begin.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

Simon stood in the middle of what could only be described as a large swamp.

His boots were stuck in thick mud nearly up to his knees, his skin was sticking to the bodysuit of his armor, and the facemask on his head felt heavier than usual. He let out a loud sigh of exasperation as he finally managed to pull himself up and out of the mud by grabbing onto a large tree branch that hung over him.

He stepped onto a root, grinning slightly as he gained advantage over the vast swamp.

“Freaking Sith. Freaking Alric.” Simon said to himself. “Oh lets have a tournament. It'll be great. Why don't we put Simon into it, it'll be fun to see him compete against the Sith.”

Simon spoke mockingly, not aware of the camera drone following him. From his back he drew his Titan Tomahawk, the slender axe like weapon fitting into his grip perfectly. He hammered the pointed end of it into the tree-trunk, using it as a climbing axe to scale the tree.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Perla calmly stroked her mount in preparation for the tournament. She had brought with her a specially-trained gnarled rancor
for this event and had created a good bond with the creature over the last few weeks. She made sure the rancor - a male juvenile - had not been fed for a couple of hours. This would heighten its predatory need and keep its senses sharp.

Presently she whispered to it and gave it words of encouragement both through voice and through her Force connection. As soon
as she felt the beast was mentally ready for battle, she hooked her leg into the saddle stirrup and jumped astride, unsheathing
her virbrosword and holding the reigns with her other hand.

Both rider and mount startled when the sirens sounded, but Perla soothed the rancor with a few noises made with the back
of her throat.

She was to meet her adversary in a swamp - terrain not too unfamiliar to this Dathormir-raised witch. Being from
The Great Mountain Clan, Perla would have preferred a warmer and drier climate but she could manage through a little bit
of mud. The acolyte witch chose to wear the simple tribal linens of her sisters and did not wear any protective armor. This was a choice she agonized over but when she strode forward on her rancor and felt the low gravity of Columus, she hoped having less to weigh her down
would be an advantage.

She slowly approached on her mount and tried using the Force to sense her opponent. Her rancor snorted and snarled, displeased
with the depths of the mud and the pull of gravity as it waded through the swamp looking for prey.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

Simon simply kept on climbing the tree.

In theory he could have used the jump back, but there were so may branches and vines in the way here that he would likely just end up hurting himself. Rather than doing that, it was easier to just climb, despite the moist hot hair that slowly drenched him in his own sweat. He kept grumbling to himself, the Axe digging deep into the tree over and over again as he pulled himself up.

“Never again.” He grumbled. “Kiran can do it. Or Krin. Krin would probably enjoy this shit, the masochist.”

Slowly Simon managed to reach the top branch, pulling his Tomahawk free and hooking it around the wood so he could pull himself up. He tested the branch first, nodding when he found it could hold his weight. He climbed atop it, then began to scan the horizon.

“Now where...” Suddenly he noticed the felling of trees and the rustling of branches in the distance. The skull mask that adorned his face scanned, then found movement.

“Ahhh...There you are, but how are you...” His opponent entered a clearing, and suddenly Simon saw them for the first time. “SON OF A-!”

The shout was loud enough to echo.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The witch's rancor whipped its head around quickly at the sound of their opponent's voice, a male. "You hear that, Hugo?" Perla said. "That is your dinner."

She rubbed the creatures knotted head and it responded as a cat would by trying to smear its scent on her hands. The acolyte witch let the rancor nuzzle her and she whispered words of encouragement to it. Now where is that rancor bait hiding, she thought to herself?

The mist was thick and rolling in from the swamp which made it difficult to see. As if on cue, a lone canoid howled. Hugo bounded over suddenly to the right and out of the fog, it pulled the noisy canoid up from the bog and swung it around in its jaws, crunching on its bones before it flung it into the mist. The rancor made a move to go towards the other canoids, but Perla pulled back on its reigns. She didn't want to spoil Hugo's appetite.

Perla tapped into her Force sense to try and feel where her opponent was. She then listened with her keen sense of hearing from years of hunting in the wild. No sign of him yet except the one lone shout a few moments ago. However the cry had echoed and that gave her an idea that her adversary may not be on the ground at all but up in the sky.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

Simon grumbled to himself.

“If I had known Rancors were okay I would have at least asked for a Blaster. Maybe an auto-cannon.” Slowly he managed to climb over towards another Tree, using the large thick branches as a jumping off point.

The young man was oddly lithe, having one hand free and the other one occupied by his Titan Tomahawk to use as a climbing axe. It worked out rather well, allowing him to move through the thick muddy jungle without ever having to touch the awful floor. Quickly he moved towards his target, until once again he found himself watching the Rancor from above.

He was only ten or so meters away now.

His breath filtered through his helmet, the blue skull mask shifting slightly in anticipation. He managed to hide himself remarkably well, and as he fingered his axe he waited for the Rancor to come closer.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The rancor stopped and sniffed the air. "You smell him?" Perla asked the rancor. "Good boy, lead the way," she whispered and urged the rancor on through her Force-bond to ferret out her opponent. The rancor stopped in front of a clump of thick trees and clawed at the slime-covered bark with its razor sharp claws. Hugo let out a loud long bellow and kicked its back legs into the ground, causing mud to fly around and splatter all over the rancor's hide and on Perla's clothing and face.

According to a quick scan of Hugo's mind, her adversary was close by, possibly in one of the trees. However in the mist, Perla couldn't actually see that well. As her rancor began to work itself up into a frenzy smelling fresh, living meat, the witch acolyte concentrated on the Force to try and pinpoint his location. Her powers were unpredictable at best and non-existent at worst and she could not find his whereabouts.

She guided her rancor away from the grove of trees, suddenly afraid her opponent would drop onto her back and break her neck. Perla shouted, "Come out from your hiding place! I don't have all day. Hugo may look small for a rancor, but by the eternal core, he can take down one of those trees as if it were a brittle twig!"

"Show yourself coward!" she added with a snarl.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

Simon didn't really feel like revealing himself.

He had absolutely no intent on fighting fair, that would be stupid. Not only was he at a disadvantage, but he also had inferior...firepower so to speak. This woman likely had a lightsaber, the force, and also a Rancor. He knew that he was outmatched, and a straight up fight would be idiotic.

So he would be sneaky instead.

Simon was now situated behind the woman and her beast, a few meters only, but within the clearing they had stamped forward. Slowly, gripping his Tomahawk with only one hand he let himself drop down onto the floor. To his surprise he found himself on solid ground, hidden within the mists. A silent nod, and the deactivation of his facemask saw him move silently and hidden through the mist.

Slowly he dashed through the fog, moving towards the Rancor.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Perla's rancor sniffed the ground like a bloodhound and crouched down low, slinking forward in the mist like a panther. "Is he close, Hugo?" asked Perla and she clucked at him as she would a family pet. Suddenly she saw the shape of her opponent in front of her - although Hugo could only smell him. His daylight vision was not that good. Night would be a different story.

Perla kicked her heels deep into the rancor's flanks and urged him into a gallop toward the dark human-sized shape. She pulled up on the reigns so Hugo would attack the silhouette in the fog with both claws outstretched and teeth bared. Her rancor was the size of a small horse, but even getting hit with the full weight of her mount would be enough to knock her adversary off of his feet. Her sword was in her hand but since she couldn't completely see the target she held the sword in a defensive angle.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

He moved as fast as he could.

The beast was big, not that big, but still big enough to move sluggishly. Luckily for him it reached towards him with a massive swipe of its claws. Simon simply jumped forward, bounding below the massive swipe and moving towards the creature.

From the small of his back Simon pulled his vibro-blade. The small dagger like weapon began to vibrate, it shifted on and the loud vibrations began to shrill out.

The sound grated against his ears, but the blade came up down with a singe swipe towards the Rancors Achilles tendon.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

First she heard the noise of an energy blade but quickly that sound was drowned out by an anguished howl from her rancor. Hugo stumbled over and pitched Perla right off of its back. She let go of the reigns so she wouldn't get tangled in them. She tucked into a roll so as to soften the blow of the fall. Slightly limping now the rancor went into a rage. Fueled by pain and anger, it pounced on the enemy, striking him with its claws and opening its large maw to take a bite out of the man's shoulder.

Perla quickly jumped up and saw the two shapes squaring off in the mist. With the Force she tried to steady Hugo and focus his energy because she could tell by his gait that he was wounded. She ran full force at her adversary, her vibro-sword raised high and poised to strike him in the back.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

Simon felt the swipe of the claws on his shoulder, scratching through his armor and throwing him slightly against the ground.

The Son of Titan recovered quickly however, rolling to his feet in time to see the woman rushing at him. He let out a growl, the holo-graphic mask on his face springing to life. Within the mist she would see a skull suddenly appearing, floating within the air, watching and waiting for her. She rushed at him swiping towards him with her vibroblade.

His tomahawk raised, striking the weapon hard. The vibrations clattered against the phrik, but the powerful metal held.

He grinned beneath his helmet, then swiped forward with his leg, kicking towards her and sending his own vibrodagger out towards the girls stomach, hoping to slash open her abdomen with only the slightest nick of his blade.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

As Perla rushed forward she noticed the skull and it momentarily startled her. She wasn't sure what type of trickery was up her opponent's sleeve. But being a fledgling occultist a floating skull was enough to make her flinch but not enough to stop her forward momentum. The man's axe clashed with Perla's sword, causing a tremendous clang. Both weapons were fused together for a moment by their owners, the metal singing against energy. But the witch acolyte lost her balance when her adversary swiped her with his leg. And as she toppled over to the side, the dagger did not pierce the front of her abdomen as expected but hit the side of her hip, enough to bleed but not to bleed out.

Hugo reared up and defensively knocked the man down again with its girth. The rancor was willing to take any and all blows from the axe or dagger to protect its master. This allowed Perla to jump to her feet. One hand held her sword and with the other, she felt down where her adversary had wounded her. The blood stained one side of her linen top. The Dathomir exile then took her wet fingers and smeared her own blood on her face like a primitive clan witch. This was done slowly and lasciviously. She wrinkled her nose and licked her fingers when she was done. A psychological mind trick at best, a minor distraction at worst.

Her rancor now stood between the man and Perla. She muttered to her rancor in Paecian and it roared back at her opponent. The howl echoed through the swamp and her opponent would feel the rancor's hot breath hit him, the stink of tooth decay and the digestive juices of the beast's last eaten meal that morning. Hugo limped forward and rushed again at the man, like the war-behemoth it was trained to be. The rancor's jaws were wide open and it attempted to take another bite of the man's head.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

(If you would like me to edit this post tell me and i'll do something else )

He was glad his armor had a filtration system.

The beasts breath would likely have knocked him unconscious if not for the filtered air. A scowl crossed his lips either way however as the massive Rancor began to trundle toward him. The vibro-blade in his hand sang and the Titan Tomahawk in his fingers began to twirl and spin, once, then twice until it became steady in his palm.

Simon took half a step back.

Then the Rancor rushed towards him. The slice he had placed in its legs was enough to slow it down, it's maw opened and Simon moved.

His blade flashed, the vibro-dagger moving as he extended his arm and pushed it directly into the Rancors mouth. He stabbed upward in a single swift motions, jabbing his blade through the soft pallet that lay at the top of the beasts mouth and into its brain. As his vibro-dagger bit into the monsters gray matter the creature seized, biting down and severing Simon's arm just above his elbow.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Perla watched from across the swamp as her rancor crunched down on her opponent's arm. She didn't rush in yet as the wound on her hip was beginning to cause more acute pain. But she gave a small cry of surprise when Hugo toppled over, the human's limb dangling out of its mouth. Simultaneously the witch felt the Force symbiosis between rider and mount breaking off. This caused such a sudden grief in her that she nearly buckled at the knees. Canoids took advantage of the situation and swept over the area around the rancor, tearing at the unmoving beast and the human's limb like jackals. They growled and snarled at the human but didn't approach him.

With her rancor dead, Perla had a problem. She didn't want to get too entangled with the human in battle - even with his missing arm - because she had no armor to protect her from a wayward blow. But there was really no other choice but to face the human up close. The witch acolyte was a warrior at heart and a bit foolhardy in her young age. Perla Pirjo gathered up her strength and siphoned in the rage and sorrow she was feeling, allowing them through the Force to heighten her senses and quicken her gait. She rushed forward at her adversary and swung at him with her sword, hoping that between his own pain and missing arm, his resolve was wavering.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

Well, this was unfortunate.

He had hoped that by killing the Rancor he would have had the time to pull his arm free of the creatures maw. Unfortunately it seemed that instead of that small amount of luck his arm had been devoured by the creature. He frowned as creatures began to nip and bite at the corpse. Simon cursed, but thankfully his arm was trapped within the creatures mouth.

This mattered because Simon was an Icarii, meaning that dismemberment was not as big as a deal as it might have been for other species.

Unfortunately, his distraction with his arms well being gave the woman time. She rushed at him, moving like a blue. His eyes widened as her blade shot towards him. A loud curse escape his lips, and he kicked himself backward.

As he fell the blade bit into his chest, slicing through armorweave and cutting into armorplast, breaking the skin and tearing a gash in his chest.

With a rough thud Simon hit the dirt. He cursed, but immediately assaulted the woman. His legs kicked out, sweeping towards the womans own while his Tomahawk came up and tried to catch her vibrosword, hopefully pulling it from her grasp.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The sword blow connecting with her opponent's chest was exactly what the witch needed to assuage the lingering despair she still felt over losing her war mount. Perla was still on both feet above the human, although he was trying his best to knock her off balance with his strong legs. With keen eyes she saw the Tomahawk flash out towards her and parried with her sword, both blades now steady against each other and vibrating with energy. "You cannot kill me with your legs," she growled, taunting him. If he would only stop his infernal kicking, she could climb on top of him and somehow remove his weapon!

With their blades still connected, Perla used a Force Push to try and trap his legs as if they were caught in a net. She had him off balance but he was physically stronger so she knew without using the Force she couldn't keep him down on the ground for long.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

One leg became trapped, the other still freed.

He cursed as his tomahawk sliced against the vibrosword. His free leg swept upwards again, moving between the womans own and hooking into place. He tried again, pulling and hopefully throwing the woman to the ground, to add to this Simon clicked his teeth.

Something clicked on the back of his armor, and suddenly a stream of thin jet exhaust pushed outward.

The jump pack located on his armor sprang into life and thrust forward for half a second, pushing Simon on the ground a few inches and adding additional momentum to his pull on the womans leg.

 

[Armand Temi]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The human had hooked his leg around one of Perla's and then the propulsion of his jet pack caused so much unexpected movement between the two of them that it knocked the witch off balance. Their weapons disengaged. She fell backwards and but immediately swung her sword, chopping at her opponent's legs with the humming weapon mostly to entangle his muscular leg from hers. Mud splashed up around them as they thrashed around on the ground like gladiators in an arena. Perla knew that with his weapon now free of hers, she was vulnerable at such close range. She began screaming like a banshee, hoping her shrieks would distract him.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Perla Pirjo"]

The blade bit into his leg, but it didn't quite sever the limb.

Instead it dug deep into the meat of his thigh, vibrating and tearing apart ligaments, muscle, and perhaps even a bit of bone. He scowled slightly, pain lancing through him. In the back of his head he thanked his ancestry.

That leg would likely be more difficult to re-attach though.

Her scream came next, and were it not for her helmet he likely would have been completely startled by it. Instead however he simply blinked, then forming his hand into a fist around the Titan Tomahawk he jabbed forward, aiming a single powerful knockout punch towards the center of her face.