ToTG:Ekul Selah VS Eldoc Quasat

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Kinooine.​

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It was the face of the second of the rounds of the Tournament of the Gods. It was a planet that didn't hold much air about it, small, filled with rocks, canyons, and and not much else. It was a world that many would consider absolutely barren, a world that many would consider worthless. Lumyia had once made her home here, though she was now long gone. To the Crusade it was nothing but a small outpost, but to the Tournament of the Gods, it would be the second round.​

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The fights would be staged miles apart from one another, each one taking place simultaneously but at such a distance that one fight would not interfere with another. Why? For the enhanced effect of course.​

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In the skies above Kinooine sat dozens if not hundreds of starships, filled with watchers, party goers, and tractor beam operators. These ships were tasked with creating an enhancement of the fight, they would induce an artificial meteor shower. Pre-planned and pre-arranged the ships would sling a variable endless amount of rocks onto the surface of Kinooine, dashing the nearly empty worlds with pelting cosmic stones.​

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The rocks would range in size, though all would be big enough to cause an impact somehow.​

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It was all to the add to the field of battle.​

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The First of the stones began to fall just as the matches began.​

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[member="The Dark Man"] VS [member="[COLOR=rgb(100,100,100)]Eldoc Quasat[/COLOR]"]​

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

Nothing had hit close to them yet, but somehow that didn't reassure him much as he felt the earth grumble beneath the raining rocks. "Damn, seems they want to kills us before we can even fight." She chuckled and pulled out his saber and alchemical sword. It was a interesting combination, one easily seen, through its very nature, a green saber. The other a dark, and not as noticeable yet still deadly Alchemical sword. He smirked at the man, waiting to see what he would do, not making a move other than moving into a guard position. Eldoc cracked his neck and waited for his opponent.

[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

For every dead yesterday there waits a new dawn,
With no promise of tomorrow.


Ekul Selah found himself in a cavern, and looking around he couldn't recall where he was, or how he had come to be here. He tried to remember, but all he could recall was the sight of Nei fall as he had choked her into unconsciousness. He looked around, dazed and confused until he saw the sight of his former master, a Duinuogwuin Jedi Master. A soft golden light began to form around the creature. A faint humming could be heard, as if the walls of the cavern reverberated with fey music. The sound increased as the light grew brighter and began to pulse with energy. Ekul watched as the discoloured patches faded on the Duinuogwuinsscales. His hide shone with a violet sparkle, and the film started to lift from his eyes. He slowly raised his head, his crest stood erect, and his wings lifted, showing the rich silver sheen underneath. The yellowed teeth became brilliant white, and his faded black claws shone like polished ebony as he stood upright, lifting his head high. Ekul Selah knew this was a dream, he had lived this very moment, but why was he here, it was a question that was jumping through his mind.

Slowly the light grew in intensity as the Duinuogwuin returned to the image of his youthful power. He pulled himself to his full, impressive height, his crest dancing with silver lights. The creature threw back his head, a youthful vigorous motion, and with a shout of joy sent a powerful blast of cosmic energies up to the high vaulted ceiling. With a roar like a hundred trumpets he shouted, “Thy friend, beware, danger is coming for you.” Then the strangely harmonic thrumming changed in tone, becoming more insistent, louder. Ekul tried to shout, asking through the pulsing tones, a deep, hollow echo saying, “What danger. Where?” The creatures great amethyst wings unfolded, as if he were about to launch himself into flight. The shimmering light became so bright, Ekul could barely stand to look, though he could not pull his eyes from the spectacle. The sound in the room grew to a pitch so loud, dust fell from the ceiling upon his head, and he could feel the floor shake. The Duinuogwuin launched himself upward, wings extended, then vanished in a blinding flash of cold white light.

The Dark Man awoke, sprawled on a patch of dried grass. His eyes gently fluttered open, and he found his dark, oval spectacles beside him. He fixed them onto his wide nose, and propped himself up. He looked around, only to find his lightsaber gently leaning against a small outcropping of stone. Memories began to flood him as realisation dawned, who ever had kidnapped him still had him in the tournament, for that is now what he supposed it to be. He looked up, finding distant camera drones, and now high above him, rather than clouds, dark, looming vessels, titans of the sky. He could see the asteroid shower slowly descending with increasing velocity, and looking around, it was raining and pouring all over the landscape, for as far as the eye could see. The stakes had been raised, and he had a feeling that if he won, and he were still kidnapped and forced to fight, the environments would only become more deadly.

He checked for burns or injury where he had been harmed in his previous fight, but no existing wounds were present. He was fine. Strange that someone would heal a gladiator, in a manner of speaking. He stood up and brushed his dark robes off from the clay dust, slowly he drifted towards his lightsaber and retrieved it, firmly gripping it in his hand, and placing it within the deepest folds of his robes. Brown eyes surveyed the landscape, assessing natural advantages and disadvantages, he saw in the distance a canyon from which a waterfall cascaded down heavily, and no doubt a river would thinly snake its way from the bottom. He might need some water, and thought it best to begin there. Though he was full and did not yet feel thirst. Just as he was about to begin his trek, he felt a sensation along his spine that forced him to shiver, and the hairs on his arm stood on end. He looked about until he saw Eldoc.

"So, they've captured you too," The Dark Man said, bringing his cloak around him tighter as if he were cold, but it was merely the cancerous aura of darkness that permeated from this Dark Jedi that made him feel such a way. A perversion of the Force. "Do as you please, but I will be going to find myself some water. Old men have thirsty tongues." He stood there for a moment, assessing Eldoc, analysing the likely hood that he was going to attack. He had an acute sense of danger, it was something he always seemed to posses innately. Eldoc cracked his neck, and was in a defensive position, but Jedi Selah knew well, even without the Force metaphorically screaming at him something bad was about to happen, that a fight was going to break out no matter what he had to say. "If you're going to kill me, be quick with it boy."


[member="Eldoc Quasat"]

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

"Captured me? No, my friend this is a tournament,and one I intend to win, so come on lets have a fight, to entertain the masses, and to test our mettle. " He sighed he really didn't want to start the attack, he wanted to find out more about the jedi before him. " But I have an idea, though if you are captured, then well if you simply surrender, and not fight me, then I am sure you will be freed." He said as there was no lie, an defeated man would not be forced into another fight. "Unless something more than the tournament holds you, if that is the case I promise to free you, I wish no man to be a slave to another. But if all you truely want is water, and to not fight, surrender and we can leave this abysmal place before a meteor strikes us both. "

After all it was no fun to force a fight on a unwilling opponent, it wasn't the same. No Eldoc lived to test his self against others, to do jobs most thought were insane but well he didn't want to kill or injure a man who didn't even seem to be here of his own accord It was then that eldoc jumped as an shockwave shook the ground below him, the force warning him as he dived behind a rock. the shockwave rippling over him towards his foe Eldoc tried to reach for the force to pull the man to a safe place at the same time. " Watch out!" He managed to get out as he used the force to move the man behind the rock with him. "Now, what do you say, do we fight or shall you surrender?"


[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

"My suspicions have been proven correct," The Dark Man stated, with the open palm of his right hand draping over his deactivated lightsaber that hung loosely from his belt. "I noted the camera drones," he said, raising his index finger to the sky and pointed out various ones that hovered around them, "And those ships, I don't think they're warships, and if they're not, well, what are they watching?" It was clear that even during his duel in the former round, he had been thinking upon the situation heavily. It was his duty as a Watchman, he supposed, to constantly evaluate ones surroundings. "They're watching us," he concluded, but it was already obvious as his opponent had given him the answer, "But thank you for telling me. I was only guessing at the shadows, in a manner of speaking."

"Unfortunately," The Dark Man said, approaching Eldoc in a calm, peaceful manner. If Eldoc detected any vicious intent in the Force, there would be none to be found. "I cannot surrender. They must have captured me for a reason, and I need to know what they want with us, why they're hosting this tournament." He looked around, as if the environment around them would host his questions, "I have a feeling each round will hold a new environment." His eyes swept back to regard Eldoc, "I'm glad you're not like the woman I fought, no questions with that lady. She opened fire the moment she saw me. Alas, my new friend, I cannot surrender, but nor will I kill you either. I am forced to ask you to surrender. I need to investigate this tournament, so please understand, and there needs to be no bloodshed."

"I'll continue my journey to find myself some refreshment, and you may come too. Perhaps I can sway you to my cause," a thickly smirk curled his lips, a jest. "I am not serious in saying that, mind you, I know many people find it irritating for Jedi to try and talk religion and peace into others. I personally think the best route a Jedi can take is the mediator, rather than the peacekeeper. Both accomplish goals, but one will accomplish a goal for longer." Ekul looked his opponent up and down, weighing his capabilities if they were forced to fight, and he had a feeling it would come to it. Ekul Selah was a Jedi, but there were larger and more sinister things at hand. His own hand would be forced, and if this man did not surrender, neither would Jedi Selah, and so he knew something would come to pass. He only hoped that if it were so, his investigations proved fruitful. He would dread the thought of duelling someone only to discover it was for naught. A heavy conscious would weigh upon his soul for that.

The ground trembled beneath him, the earth rumbled as stone buckled under the pressure of the falling asteroids. Dust began to rise in a small cloud, and before he knew it, he was being hurled out of the way of danger, and behind the rock Eldoc took cover. He landed with a heavy thud and skidding on his feet, boots sliding against the smooth ground. He quickly steadied himself, and brushing himself off, he said, "Thanks for that, I appreciate it." Ekul would have stopped the force pull, but his mind had detected no danger or harmful intent in the man. The Dark Man looked to regard where he had been standing, and in its place a asteroid now carved its own hole in the ground. Steam rose from the sheer impact, and flames licked the bowl of the crater. "But my answer remains the same, one thing is for certain, I am not going to surrender," The Dark Man said, and with that, he began to walk towards the distant waterfalls, turning his back on Eldoc.​

{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

"Surely you can surrender, It would just take you to to admit defeat and all will be just fine. I don't want to fight a man who doesn't want to fight, but I won't lose especially to a jedi.. not after the hipocracy of your order." He sighed hating the jedi. " I was a jedi once... I worshiped them, wanted nothing more than to be one. " He sighed and wondered why he was telling him this. " I love to fight, but not against those who want to fight, so let us talk for now and figure out what to make of all of this."

Eldoc followed the man towards the water, there was naught else to do. " You know your unlike most I meet, they see the fact I use the dark side and deem me their enemy. Yet I can call the light side, though it gets harder the longer I go without doing it. I was a jedi after all. " He sighed. "Yet for all the talk of peace, of good, of well wishes. They are often the first to war."

[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

The Dark Man raised a brow at Eldoc, craning his neck to look at him as they walked towards the falls. He spoke with a soothing voice, "You had failed before you had even begun." The trek was refreshing, but it seemed the people on the ships were noticing, and the asteroids were landing closer to them, but not close enough to warrant immediate distress. "You do not worship the Order, for that is failure in of itself. It is the very nature of the Sith Order to worship, the Jedi hold an understanding, but they do not worship." He looked ahead, "And for a Jedi to love fighting is likewise another defeat, not in the physical form of course, but spiritually you're surrendering yourself to negative emotions. To love fighting is an emotion of itself, and while love is a powerful emotion, it can be both negative and positive in respective fields. To love fighting is a deeply negative emotion."

As they approached the water, atop the canyon nearest to the falls, The Dark Man fell to a knee, cupping his hands in the water and bringing the fresh liquid to his lips, wetting them before sipping gently. "I am afraid to say, not everyone is born to be a Jedi, you're among one of those many. There is no shame in not being suited for a job, just like many are not suited to become a butcher, or some dislike delivering cargo, but there are those few that like it, and some that even love it, in a positive way." He stood, refreshed and the minor headache he had suffered from waking up began to subside. The powerful toxins that induced him into an unconscious state had caused the migraine, but he felt well and truly rested now. He looked upon Eldoc, "I am glad I am not one that instantly deems you the enemy. Though I must admit; the Dark Side is something I do not approve of."

He crossed his hands behind his back and clasped them, strolling towards the edge of the falls, "You see, I believe the Force is innately good natured. There is no darkness to it, but it is the perversion of an individual that corrupt the cosmic energies. A perversion of negative emotions, but like anything to do with the mind, it is best to settle these problems with discussion, rather then combat. The Jedi of our era are foolish, and to continue their ways will mean the end of mine." His brow quivered for a moment, and for a split second, there was an aura of true and deep sorrow that permeated from him on a spiritual level. "I must explain. You see, the One Sith will never stop, and if the Jedi continue in their ways, they will lose every time. And when the Order falls, there is no where for me to live, no where for me to study, and not only will the fools lose their Order at their own expense, but so will I."

He turned, perhaps five meters from the edge of the falls, energy surged through him, swelling him with power that resonated outwards. It was pure, and for all the dark robes, and even his name, there was no doubting he was one that followed the Light. "I am afraid, to keep my Order alive, I must win this tournament, and find out the meaning behind it." The river beside him began to surge backwards, away from the falls and upstream. It collided with the rushing water that flowed against it, creating a great wave that accumulated in size as he continued to speak. "I have been searching for years to discover a way to win this war that will last an infinitude, I grow desperate as my years begin to wane, and perhaps, perhaps this tournament in the end will hold the key." With that, his hands unclasped, whipping out and manipulating the cosmic energies, it was only a matter of microseconds, but he had his plan prepared, and he hoped he would go down without a fight. He didn't want to kill him.

The wave shoot out for Eldoc in a geyser, with the full force of a speeding locomotive, in an attempt to not only hit him full blast, but knock him off the canyon, and down into the falls. It had been The Dark Man's plan this entire time, from the moment he witnessed the falls, delicately choosing his words and orchestrating the events. The spear of water spanned some ten meters in both width and height, and its length was unable to be measured as its very source was the river. As the water dared to strike him off the plateau, a tug of the Force whipped The Dark Man's hilt into his hand, igniting with a golden blade and an electronic roar of a great Duinuogwuin.

{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

[member="The Dark Man"]

Eldoc felt everything go black as he came too, his entire body aching as he felt himself sprawled on rocks and the rough hard ground, the falls above him now. Damn he though as he felt the pain rock his body as he tried to move. He had been played, but eldoc was not an ordinary man, no. Eldoc gathered his hate, the pain, the emotion towards the jedi who had had fooled him, who had tricked him again.

Eldoc stood up, the pain skyrocketing through his body as nothing but his will held him to move. His body refusing but he demanded it. He forced his body to stand and then Eldoc gave the most powerful force scream he had mustered to date. He poured all the pain and hate and malice towards the trickster into the scream, his raw self assaulting the man who had dared trick him. Eldoc was no amused. He had flown under the radar so long, but now it was time to use what Velok taught him so long ago now. His scream attacked both The man's physical ears, overwhelming them with unearthly decibel's and then through the force, assaulting his mind, the scream even heard in there as if Eldoc was in his mind.

Eldoc drew on the force like he hadn't in ages, welcoming the pain and hate that came with it. he dropped the bloody cloak and took his saber and sword in his hands. Eldoc's scream then ended abruptly as a force bellow shot out up the cliff towards the man, smashing everything in its way as eldoc poured the force into it, staring daggers into the man.

Eldoc wasn't going to fall for it again. No, the man would pay in full.

 

[The Dark Man]

[Theme]​

In a rush of water, Eldoc was gone. The Dark Man lowered his blade and moved towards the ledge, and looking down he expected to see a gnarled body upon the jagged rocks, or perhaps flailing in the water where The Dark Man would save him from drowning - and force a surrender. Neither were true. With wide-eyed shock, his mouth slightly opened in surprise, he looked upon a sight most interesting. Eldoc had indeed hit the rocks, but he had hit the flats, and lay sprawled on the stone. The Dark Man shouted over the raging falls, "This is nothing personal. I hope you know and understand this. I have a duty to my Order, to my people, and I cannot let anything get in my way. You look for victory only for fame, to glorify yourself before the galaxy, mine is a righteous cause. I need the key to end a war that has slaughtered trillions in the span of countless millennium. You need to calm your emotions, and understand my destiny must be upheld."

It was known among scholars of the Force, that those who followed the Unifying Force believed in a destiny, and lived in such a way that they gazed into the future, hoping to orchestrate events to lead into a future they want. This contrasts the followers of the Living Force, who make up most and nearly all Jedi, they're taught to live in the moment, and handle only events they are currently in. Some considered in foolish to look to the future and attempt to control it, but it seems through a persuasive and friendly tongue, and body language, The Dark Man had managed to fool Eldoc into thinking he would be unwilling to fight, and that they may talk. Talk they may, indeed, but a fight was inevitable. Eldoc would not surrender, and neither would The Dark Man. His attack was far from personal, but one he believed that would lead into the eventual betterment of the future. Once more, ever he looked towards a goal all the while he ignored the present.

Eldoc struggled to move, and from here The Dark Man could feel ripples gingerly shiver through the Force, he could see his pain, and his soul bled for him. He did not wish him pain, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to take, as even now Eldoc was not finished. In earnest, he tried to convince him to surrender, "You cannot hope to win. Please, I beg of you to surrender and blood will not be shed this day." The Dark Man could feel Eldoc's anger boil and fester within him, like a kettle left on for too long, and he was starting to channel the energy. The hairs on his nape stood on end, and he instinctively began to take a cautionary step away from the ledge, "Remember your training in the Order!" The Dark Man shouted in plea, "Sokan, a principle of lightsaber combat!" though even as he shouted now, he could feel it was only a matter of seconds until he would release that energy into a destructive blast. "The high ground is mine, don't force my hand."

It was too late. Fey music began to reverberate across the ground, and dust became unsettled once more. The Dark Man felt a cold presence in the Force, and a shiver shot down his spine. With a roar like a hundred trumpets, a voice echoed throughout time, “Thy friend, beware, danger is coming for you.” The Dark Man was quick to act, this must have been what his Master was trying to tell him. His blade deactivated, and he dove for the waters, knowing well that he would be swept by the current. Just as he splashed into the water, a concussive blast emanated outwards from Eldoc. The canyon began to shake as stone buckled, large great outcroppings of stone cracked and gave way, tumbling down from the great plateau and crashing onto the valley floor. Even underwater, the power of the noise was enough to sting his ears.

As the screech vanished from the physical realm, Eldoc was clearly not yet done, and he attempted to assault the mind of The Dark Man with a mirroring bellow. For a moment, his guard had not yet been prepared for the mental assault, and the pain was enough to make him tumble through the water, where before he had been swimming against the pull. He relinquished himself into the Force, and imagined himself beneath a deep ocean, and where the scream had once caused pain, he was now soothed by the Force, and all he could hear was an eerie silence that accompanied his thoughts, once again. Somewhere in the rush of the waters, his spectacles came off his wide nose, and thought he reached out desperately to clutch them, he failed, and quickly they were washed away.

The Force told him he was about to be forced down the waterfalls, a whisper in his ear that he was in danger. He corrected himself under the water, allowing the Force to carry him, letting it shift his weight and torque his muscles, spinning him so that when he burst out from the waterfall, near its zenith, he was upright. The Force washed through him, an invisible cascade that carried him out of the falls safely, and in a long arc towards the basin floor. His technique was flawless, he lit, perfectly balanced, on the stoney ground, lightsaber at the ready, his thumb ignited the golden blade once more. His robes were drenched, and his cloak soaked. He reached for the pin that held his cloak upon his shoulders and pulled it undone. The dark fabric fell in a bundle at his feet.

"When the long dark closes around us, I will be the last light," he warned Eldoc. The One Sith was closing in, and soon the Order would be extinguished from this galaxy. It was a clear sign, a threat to any who dare oppose him; The Dark Man will not fail in his quest. While elderly, the Jedi was still quite robust. He moved forward with haste, bringing his blade in low. He dived away from Eldoc, launching himself against a boulder adjacent to his opponent and stringing from the rock, now sailing in the air towards him, the Force propelling him into a furious spin as he twirled, body becoming erect, as though a straight spear directed towards Eldoc, and as he passed for him, he broke rank, unravelling his spin in an attempt to swing his blade for his right arm, and landing on the other side of him, he came back onto his two feet, launching a series of complex attacks that showed both his surprising agility and finesse with a blade.

{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

Eldoc was impressed and sighed it would have to be a fight after all. Eldoc however was not interested in a blade fight yet, he pushed the force into his legs, jumping back and then used his grasp to nudge the nearest falling meteor towards his foe. "Take this!" He said running away as he used the force to speed up the rock and keep it on a path towards the jedi. He then erupted another force bellow, a blast of air and sound making its way tearing towards the jedi at the same time as the now impending rock that didn't need any guidance.

Eldoc was not here for personal glory, no, not at all. He could care less if he won or lost, his ego would not be shrunken. No Eldoc was here to have a good time. He could care less for the man's goal. "The order abandoned me, they left me on korriban, all by myself, my master left me, I pity you not for the order deserves to die for their crimes." He spit on the ground. His mind seeing the dark figures, he pushed them back. "Out of my head foul beasts, I bested you once and I will again." he growled forcing his hate for them out into his strength. Eldoc had forever been haunted by the spirits of korriban, the horrors of the planet that he had survived.

Eldoc was a haunted man, he didn't drink to relax or anything like many thought, he drank to forget, to drive away the memories and the horrors of his past. The dark spirits of the darkside forever haunted him. He had long fought them, always feeling pain, but recently it had been a minor thing, something largely away but now his body hurt again. He breathed deep. wanting to take in this moment, he was alive and in his prime fighting. "Quit why your ahead old man!"

[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

Eldoc had moved out of harms way from the bladework of The Dark Man, and a subtle nudge in the force by Eldoc, redirected one of the falling asteroids, now spinning uncontrollably towards Jedi Selah. He quickly released himself entirely into the Force, counting upon his many decades of spiritual meditation and enlightenment. The air around The Dark Man seemed to shimmer, and when the Force Bellow came out, causing the ground around them both to crack, The Dark Man remained unharmed, and the dome of shimmering light surrounding him, including that which encompassed the ground, was unharmed. Then the asteroid struck the ground, right where The Dark Man was standing. Everything became silent, and all he could see was darkness. He reached out vaporous tendrils with the Force, speaking to Eldoc, "This fight is only another algorithm."

Submerging from the asteroid itself, the rock shimmered and The Dark Man appeared atop the asteroid. Anyone would call it impossible, but for those who had gone into the unknown, who had achieved enlightenment by the Killiks, they knew well how to manipulate the energies not only around himself, but within. He had utilised the Force to phase his very matter through the stone, until he reappeared on top of it; unharmed. The Dark Man loomed on his high podium, the golden plasmatic blade snapped and hissed frantically as spires of luminescent light streaked up and down the energy barrier that contained the plasma. He spoke, not in the loud booms that Eldoc were flinging towards him in a cruel attempt to burst his ear drums, but a gentle whisper on the breeze. "Simplify it."

He did not waste his energy, he needed to maintain a calmness, and as the Force soothed him, his breathing remained steady, conversing himself. Slid down the side until he fell and landed with a thud in the crater, dictating the impact zone. Eldoc was injured, he could see it when he lay sprawled on the rocks, and he was wasting his energy in force screams, bellows, mental assaults, and now launching a meteorite at him. Eldoc was prepared to end this fight quickly, throwing everything he had at him, and The Dark Man could see it. He could see strain forming now, a thousand strings of the force, each one capable of being manipulated, and those around Eldoc was taut. For some, people experienced the Force like a wind that can carry them, changing the currents as they please, for others it is a mist of which they delicately orchestrate to fill the void, but of The Dark Man, it was like a lagoon, for which he slowly found himself drifting towards his fate. He could see Eldoc through the Force, in this river of his, and the ripples that emanated outwards from him. "Solve it," The Dark Man called, rising out from this crater.

On equal ground, The Dark Man began a vicious set of attacks, each one more erratic, random and dangerous than the previous. He moved forward once again, with a tired body, his defence would be weakened, and with a tired mind, his ability to harness the Force was lazed. These were mere calculations of the battle, assumptions of Eldoc, for even The Dark Man would be fighting against strain after such a series of blows and attacks. As he charged, he imagined a man drowning, gasping for air, and the Force complied. The Dark Man was attempting to choke Eldoc with the Force, as he moved forward, and once within arms-length, he would release the hold - if he had been successful. He swung low, attempting to swipe at Eldoc's thighs with the golden plasma of his blade. He would then bringing his blade up vertically, a twist of the wrist, the blade reversed attempting to dismember Eldoc's left hand. The Dark Man drew back hit blade, high overhead and back down for a swipe at his right, attempting to cleave the mans other hand. "And set it in its place," he hissed through clenched teeth.

{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

Eldoc felt the force wrap around his throat. He held his weapons though, fighting through it with his will, if he was going to die like this he would die with his blades in his hand. He knew he had to end this, but he had one perk, his body was trained to fight saber to saber, it was pure muscle memory to move his sword and saber. He managed to move his arm to block the blade lucky to manage it as he felt the gash in his side from the poorly deflected attack towards his hand. . "Damn you!" He growled as he took the close range to let the man hit him, the deflected hand was now thrust inside him as he embraced the wound, moving to stab both his saber and alchemical sword into the man's chest, feeling his own body buckle from the saber through it. He had saved his hands but his torso was full of blades, like he hoped happened to his foe. The blades moving towards the dark man, plunging towards his chest. Eldoc embraced the pain using it to push the blades into the dark man's chest.

[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

They clashed violently. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He swiped once, and the attack to cleave his legs was faulted, and then brought the blade around. Eldoc quickly deflected through sheer instinct alone, but it was clear that the fight was taking a toll on him. The Dark Man's blade met flesh, and burned through muscle and skin, cauterising the wounds instantaneously from the heat of the contained plasma. Something prickled The Dark Man, as what felt like ice cold water shot through his veins. Danger. The Force was shrieking as the metaphorical lagoon splashed violently in protest, attempting to alert the swimmer. The Dark Man was highly attuned to the utilisation of the Force to augment his bodies physical capabilities; being able to perform impressive acrobatics, leap huge heights and distances and run with incredible agility. His sense of danger was among his few great talents, as he demonstrated this ability time and time again when he survived in the Coruscant Underworld for seven months, constantly evading Sith and their patrols alike.

He did not have time to think, to see what was going to happen, he only had time to act. Already the blades were converging on him, and he felt as if time was coming to a standstill, everything seemed to slow down. His life was about to be extinguished from the Force, he could feel it coming. Survival crept up his spine, his stomach knotted and the water he drank churned in fright. Fight or flight. No matter how spiritually trained you may be, there was always the instinctual desire, a cognitive response to situations. Though the Force may have told him it was coming, it was up to him to prevent his own death. He raised his hand, the blade coming down. It was all so terribly slow, and he watched in horror as Eldoc's blade sliced through the fingers on his left hand. Like a hot knife through warm butter. Simultaneously, the Force reacted. He pictured himself, blasted away, and the cosmic energies between them imploded. The Dark Man was flung, head over heels like a rag doll, narrowly avoiding death from the blades, but his own lightsaber shot out of his grasp and was thrown onto the embankment, threatened by the water that could wash it downstream.

He tumbled, rolled and slid to a gradual halt on the ground. His dark robes were torn, and some of his cheek held lacerations that quickly began to bleed. Sweat drooled down his forehead and dripped from his chin, but yet, he still rose. Defiant, even when pain erupted through his left hand. He didn't even realise he was screaming. Fire raged, and even as the waters of the Force tried to soothe his pain, he still felt it. Like a thousand fire ants and hornets had nipped at where his fingers were supposed to be. His right hand clutched his left, as though it would help but it did nothing. The fingers were gone, all except the thumb and index, with his middle finger being nothing more than a cauterised stub. He howled in pain, submerging himself into the Force in a futile attempt to calm his pain receptors. He couldn't stop now, he knew he would die if he consoled himself. He had to push on. "Till even the stars heed my calling," he whispered, biting his lips to subdue the intense pain.

He focused on the cosmic energies, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to drift through his raw power that bound the stars and planets together. He recalled upon his teaching to heed his demands, a life accumulated into spiritual enlightenment that granted him unique insights into the Force. On Mytuss VII, at age sixteen, he displayed the ability to use telekinesis to a high degree as he was able to levitate himself during meditation for three days in a crystal cave, as he performed the creation of his first lightsaber. His perception of the Force has allowed him unique insight into the manipulation of the cosmic energies, rather than seeing a list of abilities one can use with the Force, a category from which to select and choose, he sees it only on the manipulation level. He sees there are no abilities, and what people perceive as abilities are merely various forms of manipulation of the energies that comprise the Force.

And so he began to choreograph his assault. Reaching out with his mind he envisioned a giant hand squeezing the joints of his opponents kneecaps, attempting to dislocate them, or worse; shatter them. The Force complied, and began an attempt to strangle the bones to the point of destruction. Yet, he was not done. He began to alter the air currents around Eldoc, turning it into a maelstrom. This swirling force would attempt to lift Eldoc into the air, spinning him around and leaving him incapable of moving out of it if successful. The aged Jedi, completed these tasks one by one, and as the Force threatened to break his knees and the maelstrom raged, tugging at him, The Dark Man attempted to subtly nudge another falling meteorite into the fray, an attempt to strike him out. He had done a sucker-punch, and The Dark Man was now going for the uppercut. He put all his mental strain into this. Sweat dripped rapidly, his breathing became a wheezing noise from which was filled with strain and thought. He put all his experience into this, all his time, and all his knowledge. It was time to end this.

{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

Eldoc screamed, a raw scream the force billowing into the air, the moment the pain started shooting through his body, He let it all out driving every inch of pain and every drop of hate to push the force into his scream. It attacked @The Dark Man's very mind and ears, forcing him to surely lose grasp on the force. "Never!" He screamed letting the raw essence of himself flood the air. He put all of him into it, He would not die like this. No he would not. He poured himself and the force into the scream attacking The Dark Man. He had never had so much pain as he felt his legs crush and buckle he put it all into the scream. He would not let the man win or destroy him. He would fight back with every fiber of his being. If the man let up, he would stop the scream and focus on healing himself with the force that was coming to him.

[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

The forceful scream was enough to make him take a step back to prevent himself from toppling over. The pain was intense, but yet it was not equal to the burning brightness of his left hand, where he had lost his fingers. The attack on his ears followed through with a significant pop, one that only he could hear, that was, until he couldn't hear anything at all. Through no action of his own did he stop hearing, but the pain of the scream was replaced by that of a ruptured ear drum. All he could hear now as he continued his kinetic siege on Eldoc was a deep buzzing. The sharp pain of his ear soon followed with a crimson substance. Blood oozed out from either of his ears. He felt his face go numb, and his eyes began to grow hazed. He couldn't focus, with them, and so he closed his eyes.

Though now he could see through the Force with better vision than any set of eyes could provide. Everything appeared as energy to him, even that which was inanimate flowed with energy, and each one a different bright colour. The maelstrom was a kaleidoscope of these colours, sucking in everything around it that it could pull, and the meteor continued to speed towards it. He allowed the Force to tell his mind what his shocked vision couldn’t. The pattern of ripples his scream made in the Force told him he was still going, and he was genuinely surprised. A scream was a rare and powerful ability, often involuntarily, and yet Eldoc was capable of utilising it as an attack, time and time again. He could detect in the Force that he desired to heal himself, but he knew even the healing powers of the Force could not easily heal wounds such as grievous as they both held. They would both need to spend a few days in a bacta tank, and the soothing powers of the Force, to recover from this fight. The Dark Man persisted, he was trying to capitalise on Eldoc's weakened body.

The maelstrom raged, and boulders and trees began to uproot under its sheer power, and even he himself felt the tug of the forceful winds, knowing it was getting out of control. He had poured too much into it, and now he was fighting to keep himself anchored to the ground, with the meteorite only a few seconds away now. It blanketed them in darkness, shadowing them from the sun. The Dark Man had orchestrated for Eldoc to be in the centre of this maelstrom, and if he was busy producing force screams, he would not be available to resist the tug of it. With the maelstrom in full-rage as it were, The Dark Man returned to his previous and primary goal, applying pressure on the kneecaps, imagining the hand in his mind tightening his squeeze, the picturing the juices slowly seep out as it was squashed in the titans grasp. He still attempted to shatter his knees, to bring this fight to an end, all the while his own body was wracked by the scream, his robes billowing in the wind, the lacerations on his face opened up further, forcing longer tears across his face, and the blood from his ears swung wildly towards the whirlwind.

{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

Eldoc needed to survive this fight to do that he needed out of this damn maelstrom, He diverted the force, with no time to spare Eldoc used the force to move himself, flying out of the storm but he had used too much, damn he thought as he felt himself sailing to something hard. He clamped his will on his body to try to slow down managing it just before he hit the cliff. He wasn't going to be moving again, though, he knew if he let up his hate, he would die or he hoped that wasn't truely the case.. He was cut up and broke to hell and back. Eldoc did one last move, while the man dealt with the maelstrom Eldoc sent The Dark Man's own discarded lightsaber flying towards him. It would impale him, he held it as long as he could only stopping when it hit or when he faded consciousness whichever happened first.

Eldoc was going to be a mess to fix up, if he could be. HIs bones were broken and his body a mess. He was out cold now, and had come back from worse. He would bide his time and find a way to come back, He just hoped the man he fought remembered him as he fell into the abyss of his own making. Eldoc wasn't so sure if he would wake up again. That was how bad his injuries were. Sweet silence at last though, no dreams in this heavy of a sleep.

[member="The Dark Man"]

 

[The Dark Man]

Eldoc was down, and he saw him wave in and out of consciousness, then a ripple in the force, his own lightsaber, deactivated but now activated, flung towards him. He bent his back, and swung his body underneath it as soared above him harmlessly. He fell to his knees, and at last the fight was done. It had been perhaps the single most intense fight of his life, and he had a feeling it would only get worse during the next 'round' of this hellish tournament. He pulled himself towards Eldoc, but not without grabbing his own severed fingers from the dirt. He knelt over the unconscious body, and knew him to be near death. He did not know much about the Force in relation to healing, but he knew how to soothe his own pain and muscles, and through this, he hoped he could keep this man alive. And so there The Dark Man knelt, hands on Eldoc's chest as what little energy he had left, he used to soothe Eldoc whilst he slept.

The day had been won, but not without its cost.



For every dead yesterday there waits a new dawn, 

With no promise of tomorrow.
..


{ [member="Eldoc Quasat"] }