// Deep Core // Tython System // Tythos Ridge //
// Temple Flight Deck //
Engaging: Aelys
Equipment: See Signature.
Objective(s): Raid the Stores; Sack the Temple; Slay all that Stand in the Way.
It was almost poetic, in a sense. The Jedi and Mandalorians were ancient rivals. With the former rising in power and prowess across the stars, it was only a matter of time before the latter followed their path. Rynn could feel something of the sort with every step he took towards the approaching Jedi. The weight of history kept his footing grounded, and the uncertainties of the future drove him forward. He wasn’t aware of how many times that the sorcerous Jedi Order and the Warriors of Mandalore clashed over the millennia, nor did he really care at that moment. All that mattered was that he was now faced with one of the most deadly combatants he would ever encounter in his lifetime.
Sure, the horde of Blackwing-infected Graug on Mandalore and coterie of nigh-immortal Sithspawn on Dantooine were dangerous in their own right. Still, they lacked the higher brain functions of the trained warrior-monk arrayed before him. Unlike those Sithspawn, the Jedi could rationalize his tactics and adapt where it was necessary. Rynn couldn’t bait the Jedi as easily as those Sithspawn, goading them into attacking him with reckless abandon. Instead, the man not only had to match this peerless warrior’s skills but outthink someone who could theoretically read his mind. If the Rally Master was a lesser man, it was likely that he would’ve thought that the deck was stacked against him.
Thankfully, through the trials and errors of his forefathers, the Mandalorian was partially prepared to tackle a Jedi warrior head-on. The sorcerer would undoubtedly want to keep the armoured figure within arm’s reach so that their plasmatic blades could carve the armoured invader apart with relative ease. As Rynn’s form wasn’t plated in Beskar, it was likely that he’d be cloven in two if that Sabrestaff struck him at just the right angle. The young Vizsla couldn’t allow that to happen. There was too much at stake for him to simply lay down his life and slump over in defeat. So, he kept the pressure on as the two figures advanced. One after another, a successive barrage of particle bolts struck the magnetic barrier of the Sabrestaff, bathing the Sorcerer’s surroundings in superheated plasma.
Undaunted, the warrior pressed onwards, determined to close the gap with the Rally Master.
As Rynn pulled the triggers of his pistols thrice more, his eyes watched with glittering interest as the Jedi threw himself forward - weaving his corporeal figure through the blistering hail of particle bolts. It was like something out of a holofilm, where the protagonist defied all notions of reality to avoid the villain’s blows. Had he not seen what the Jedi were capable of, let alone weaned on stories of their sorcerous ways, Rynn would’ve been mystified. Had the Rally Master not been trained in the metaphysical potentialities that the Jedi brought to the table. It would’ve surely led towards his early demise. He would have been struck down without a second thought, and his legacy would’ve ended up as nothing more than a cautionary tale.
Never become so ambitious, they would say, as Rynn Vizsla. For he was a man who desired the galaxy but never prepared himself to do battle with those that resided in it. No, sadly, such a fate wouldn’t be given life this day. Not when there was so much at stake, and the Crusade was still in its infancy. Instead of becoming mystified, the Rally Master’s eyes narrowed. There was only one path that the Jedi could take as the spiral neared completion. The Jedi would strike the ground and likely spring back into action - undoubtedly igniting their weapon on the down-swing. This warrior-monk seemed to care little for the Order’s ancient practices of never striking to kill, which meant that Rynn had little time to concoct a suitable defence.
The Rally Master’s momentum would doubtlessly carry him into the sweeping blow, and there was nothing he could’ve done to stop it. His jetpack would’ve taken too long to ignite and throw him forwards, and his pistols were clearly doing little but acting as an annoyance to the advancing Warrior-monk. Perhaps something else would be in order? It was then that his mind snapped towards his shield generator, mounted within his vambrace. As the Jedi sprung upwards, Rynn’s momentum was stolen, and the gauntlet-mounted device flared to life - bathing a portion of his left arm in a magnetically-sealed plasmatic barrier.
When the Sabrestaff descended, seeking to cleave Rynn in two - the sapphire-hewn blade struck the projected shield. The Mandalorian’s visor was bathed in a cascading shower of plasmatic sparks, partially scorching the ground beneath their feet. With the Sabrestaff being a twin-bladed weapon, the Rally Master recognized the threat the Sorcerer posed. All the Jedi had to do was twist their wrists and send the secondary blade beneath his newly-erected guard and strike home. Rynn couldn’t allow that to happen. So, as the sword and shield connected, the Mandalorian’s right fist shot forward and twisted - bringing a gauntlet-mounted flamethrower to bear.
:: Burn in Hell, Jedi. ::
The ignitor tripped within the span of a heartbeat, and a stream of highly flammable gas was shot forward. The sudden gout of caustic flames wouldn’t likely come as a surprise to the Jedi, as they undoubtedly expected Mandalorians to bring as many gadgets and weapons as they could into battle. However, Rynn hoped that the Jedi valued their livelihood more-so than following through with the potential kill. A sudden burst from a flamethrower towards a partially exposed mid-section with little armour to disperse the thermal lethality? That was enough to make even the most battle-hardened warrior think twice and react accordingly.
Thus, in the slices of time that transpired after the flamethrower’s ignition, the Rally Master watched his newly engaged opponent and wished for a more desirable outcome than dying by a Jedi’s hands.
