Tournament of Sullust First Match - Rook vs Zephyrus Cloud

[Aran Finn]

​

Sullust
Biodrome Arena

The stage was set, and the hundred thousand fans inside Biodrome Arena were ready to see some carnage. Within the press box, famous broadcasting duo Arex Adama and Mori Otani Kane watched their prompters as the voice-over man listed the tournament's various corporate sponsors. As soon as that was done, the broadcast would begin.

"Welcome, one and all, to the beautiful, sold out Biodrome Arena on Sullust for this high octane Quarter Final match up! I'm Arex Adama and I'm joined as always by my broadcast partner, five-time Intergalactic Fight League Champion Mori, Otani, Kane. Interesting first match-up, Mori."

"That's right, Arex. Two mystery men going head to head for our entertainment." As Kane spoke, highlight/promo packages played on the screen for both competitors. "Rook is a non-Force User in the tournament, so I'd expect a resource-heavy display from him. Lots of weaponry, lots of things that go boom, lots of excitement. Zephyrus Cloud, though, he's a real unknown. I don't think any of us have seen him fight, but we do know that he uses the Dark Side. On a world like Sullust, that's as rare as a chaste Zeltron. All in all, Arex, we've got a fight on our hands."

"That's right, Mori. Now we begin our coverage live from the ring, with our host, Alen Na'Varro."

The coverage cut to the arena, which was a large circle that was about eighty metres in diameter. The audience were protected by large bubble shields, which would hopefully keep out most of the flying projectiles. In the centre stood Na'Varro, giving the audience his best smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, LIVE, from the Biodrome Arena on Sullust, it's ... TIME! For the first tournament match, fighting out of Sullust and representing the Galactic Alliance, Rook!" Cheers for Rook. As a non-Force user, he embodied more closely the native Sullustans and their audience, and was (perhaps unfairly) considered an underdog ... therefore, crowd favourite. "Opposing him, from parts unknown, Zephyrus Cloud!" For the true unknown, there was a mixed reaction. No one knew the man, therefore, they were a little suspicious of his dark leanings.

Two men enter, one man leaves victorious.

"Begin!"

OOC:
[member="Rook"]
[member="Zephyrus Cloud"]

Match continues for one week or until a decisive outcome is reached. Good luck!

 

[Xephirus Cloud]

Zephyrus was a little disgusted by the spectacle. All these bloodthirsty fiends waiting for someone to get their dome split. He didn't like the fact that he was fighting for their amusement, made him feel like a whore for the highest bidder... but they were bidding pretty high.

Zephyrus was alone in this galaxy and he needed the creds. He couldn't go through life robbing his next meal. He needed something to sustain himself so he could continue to discover who he was, and maybe even do it in comfort.

When he heard his name he entered the arena wearing simple dark clothes. He walked straight to the platform, seemingly bored and listless. He stretched out his neck and arms, which was sort of new to him. Stretching before a fight seemed silly to him, so he maybe looked a bit awkward doing it. He didn't care though, he didn't care about what any of the unwashed masses thought. He was just there for the creds at the end of the rainbow.

He looked over at his opponent. Tough looking son of a hutt... He fought tougher looking. You could never judge a book by its cover, he knew that much.... He, himself, was never the biggest dog in the fight but what he lacked in sheer mass he more than made up for it with his thick-headedness and refusal to lose. The rules said nothing about killing so he was ready to end a fight if need be. That wasn't going to be a problem for him.

He pulled out a solitary long hilt, adorned in black stilactites. He pushed a button and a sickly green blade burst to life from the hilt. He looked across the ring at his opponent, announced as Rook. He showed no mercy and awaited the announcement to commence.

"Begin." The words ripped through the arena and through Zephyrus' body, but he remained unmoved. A slight breeze ran through his hair like fingers and he watched, cold and calculating, trying to grasp some sort of tactics the man in front of him had for Zephyr.

 

[Placeholder 0133]

Normally, in a fair trial by combat, Rook would have considered his loadout unfair. Things weren't exactly fair when you were encased in some of the galaxy's best armor, while your opponent was clad in a leather jacket. Fortunately for the soldier, he was pitted up against a force sensitive -- his specialty. He had no need for reservations.

As he'd walked into the arena he had felt a cold anxiety in the pit of his stomach. There were so many people here to watch, and he was to represent the Galactic Alliance against this stranger. It was a tall order if there ever was one. However, when the lightsaber ignited, so too did his heart. His reservations went out the window. This was an honorable duel, and one he would not lose without a fight.

The fact that there were no rules about death had urged him to go all out. Rook was clad in his old armor, lightsaber resistant, and highly functional. Of the weapon he carried were the Retaliator, a scattergun designed to send lightsaber wielders onto their shebs, and the Harbinger, to keep the pressure on.

"Been awhile since I dealt with someone from the bathrobe brigade. Good to meet ya." He tilted his head back, observing the man through his visor. He'd give these folks a show. "I'll be winning now."

The Harbinger slid into his hands. He held his position away from the user, and opened up with short bursts. In a flat, featureless area like this, with the distance, it was better to aim than to drown your opponent in blaster fire.

[member="Zephyrus Cloud"]

 

[Xephirus Cloud]

Zephyr smiled at the lad's words but said nothing in return. The guy could talk all the spit he wanted, Zephyrus would force-feed it back to him soon enough.

[member="Rook"] initiated with a burst of blaster fire. Zephyrus' enhanced his movement with Force Speed and straifed around the battle platform closing the distance between them. As he approached Rook he pulled downward on the gun with the invisible hand of the Force. Zeph leapt up slightly as if he was delivering a 'superman punch' however this punch would be slightly more deadly. The blaster fire scattered beneath his feet and his blade aimed for the neck area between the helm and the clavical, a notorious weak spot in most suits of armor.

 

[Placeholder 0133]

It became evident this would not be a ranged contest. Rather than hold onto his rifle, he let it clatter to the ground. The blaster pack automatically ejected, as it was designed to do, to keep the weapon from misfiring. Then his opponent was high up in the air. It was a common move when dealing with force users who had a tendency for swordplay over mysticism. Had he been a regular man, Rook would have been skewered, but that was not the case. The Jedi had the ability to do just about anything, but few could ever match the reflexes of a Dreadguard. Rook took a sharp dive to the right, narrowly avoiding a very quick end to their bout.

"Don't jump. All of you folk jump, and it only gets you killed." He quipped that wasn't entirely wrong either. A hand whipped behind his back, and the scattergun whirred as it came to life. He fired the weapon once; concussive bolts spraying outward where the force user had last been. If he failed to pin the man in such a way, Rook would stand up to his feet, and draw the shattergun close. Even with the force, it was difficult to move a weapon tucked under a mess of durasteel and muscle. His HUD lit up as it moved to track his opponent, marking him to better find the man during future acrobatics.

A quick check of his mobility shield gave Rook some relief. It wouldn't stop a lightsaber, but if this bloke was the lightning throwing type, it'd provide ample protection.

[member="Zephyrus Cloud"]

 

[Xephirus Cloud]

The lad was rather quick for someone not infused with the force, Zephyrus was truly surprised the man wasn't wriggling on the floor gasping for breath on the end of Zeph's blade.

"Amazing." He whispered. There were very few in the Galaxy that trained as hard as Zephyrus had on his speed.

Zephyrus hit the ground and the tiles that made the floor of the platform rose up as a wall between Zephyr and the gunman. Bolts collided with stone and the stone pushed back defying gravity. The stones pursued [member="Rook"] like villainous smart missiles. Zephyrus remained crouched amidst the pebbles and dust hidden in the middle of chaos. It was easy to get lost in chaos.

 

[Placeholder 0133]

Shab.

A wall of tiles stood where the warrior had once been. The concussive bolts from his scattergun had shattered it to pieces, but his opponent was likely uninjured. That wouldn't be the case for Rook. The tiles crashed into him, the first two falling deftly to the ground as his shield did its job. The other three hit their mark. You weren't going to pierce four inches of Durasteel, Phrik, and a heavy gel layer with blunt floor tiles, but you could make the man within stumble.

Rook was sent teetering back; just barely managing to right himself. The crowd roared. It was a show indeed.

He managed to right himself, and stood rigid. His scattergun was at the ready. He didn't see his target anywhere, and his HUD had lost track, so Rook came to a final decision. He spun about, firing six shots toward every direction around him. Amid the dust, his blaster bolts would be hard to see, and their concussive force would likely destroy whatever tile shield his opponent might have erected. It was hard to dodge a spread of fire when it was being shot in ever direction.



[member="Zephyrus Cloud"]

 

[Xephirus Cloud]

Blaster fire and confusion rained down on the arena. It was shaping up to be a beautiful fight and Zephyrus enjoyed every second. It appeared as if he tried straifing through the blaster fire again and it seemed as though he went to the well one too many times.

A hush of shock followed by awe as the smoke cleared and the image no one would be able to get out of their minds stood in the middle of the arena, it was Zephyrus with a foot hole in diameter in Zeph's gut. The man with the hole in his stomach looked shocked, trying to piece himself back together with his hands, in a bloody scene bad enough to give the whole arena PTSD.

Was this really the end for Zephyrus Cloud?

Seconds slowly passed and the man with the hole in his stomach, looked up at his murderer and whispered with blood streaming down his chin, "Boom."

And a crack filled the arena, as the real Zephyrus emerged from low, behind the rubble with [member="Rook"] 's discarded weapon. Firing it directly at Rook he hoped it would be the start of the end. The force projection bit was meant to serve as a distraction, and it was fun to show off. Zephyrus needed a can opener to pierce through the armor, and luckily one was available.

 

[Placeholder 0133]

Bastard won't stop squirming.

If there was one thing Rook hated, it was the illusion types. The Force users that fancied themselves magicians: captains of the mind. They always lost, and they always prolonged their death. Sometimes it took a few minutes. Other times hours. With the rare target? Days.

Luckily, Mister Zephyrus fell for his trap. Sure, Rook was distracted by the illusion, convinced he'd won without having to use his trump card. Unfortunately that was not the case. Blaster bolts from his own weapon smacked into his side, reflecting off his Phrik breastplate, and steadily melting the durasteel. If the stream of fire continued, it would surely melt through and kill him.

But why would he dare to leave one of his only weapons unattended against an opponent he needed to keep at range? Simple, he wanted the force user to pick the thing up.

And he had.

Toodles.

The rifle cost him a few thousand credits, but with the winnings he would have more than he could possibly hope to use. It was likely to assure him a quick victory anyway.

Rook flicked on his depleted shield to avoid being murdered by the laser fire. It bought him a second or so.

The rifle in Zephyrus's hands would continue to fire without issue, the weapon would quickly overheat. A completely normal thing, one you wouldn't notice until it went click. The two power cells within though? They reached critical mass when the weapon should have stopped firing. There was no sound, no indication of anything wrong, and then the weapon went boom.

The twin power cells detonated, creating an explosive concoction of plasma that would have given a thermal detonator a run for its money. Rook dove behind a mass of the upturned tiles, and slid a new gas canister into his gas canister. Force sensitive or not, there wasn't much you could do when the bomb went off in your hands.

[member="Zephyrus Cloud"]

 

[Xephirus Cloud]

The initial pain set forth, severing his index finger from his hand. His body reacted in kind, jumping into self preservation mode. Zephyr's skin turned to stone and absorbed the majority of the blasts save some cracks.

Zephyrus closed his eyes and shielded his face, and all was mostly fine. He looked down at his stone hands in confusion, unaware his body could do that. He wondered if he was even human, in that moment.

He returned his focus to the man in the tin can that had been now severely compromised. Zephyrus' face contorted with anger; his brow furrowed, his eyes glowed.

Zephyrus charged the man, reinvigorated by the power of the Dark Side and the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He called on the force to pull the man to close the distance, he ignited his blade and attacked with a flurry of jabs.

 

[Placeholder 0133]

The force had no hold over Rook. While most would have been jerked forward by its invisible hand, Rook remained still as stone. Still, the would-be-Sith was charging. His armor might block a single stroke of the blade, but multiple? He wasn't going to take that chance.

Rook opened up with the shattergun as his opponent made his charge. He didn't understand what the hell happened with the rifle -- it should have turned the guy to space dust. He fired multiple times, until the weapon went click. The lightsaber dashed along his right arm, searing the phrik. Then it came by again, cutting through durasteel and burning the flesh beneath. It hurt like a schutta, but Rook wasn't surrendering yet.

He'd shot at a charging man at point blank range with a scattergun who's bolts exploded with concussive force multiple times. He was confident his opponent was going to go down before that third strike could come to take off his head. That was the hope, anyway.

[member="Zephyrus Cloud"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Zephyrus Cloud"] [member="Rook"]

[Two days left!]