Tournament of the Blade Round One: Drapeam Nyx vs Aaralyn Rekali

[Ashin Varanin]

Rules: No armor. No Force (you're on Myrkr). No tech. No lightsabers, vibroblades, extra weapons -- nothing but a sword or two of good metal, in whatever reasonable shape and size you prefer.

Participants are strongly encouraged to read this, this and this.

The Setting: An empty room, circular, made of stone, with a high ceiling and an open skylight. The room is ten metres across, and the floor slopes gently downward to the centre, where rainwater has collected to form a shallow meditation pool. It's an early spring night, and the stone room is cold.

[member="Drapeam Nyx"]
[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn had to admit to herself…she was at a disadvantage here.

Numerous sensations were hitting her like a sack of permacrete and not on the level she expected. She was actually able to feel nothing yet everything at once. The sensation of the cool night air as it passed over her skin, causing the skin to rise in the form of goosebumps and send a chill down her spine. She was able to feel the anxiety building in her chest from not having done something like this before and being without what made her special – the Force. She wore a simple white tank top and black pants with a pair of black boots to match, nothing fancy and nothing cumbersome – considering she was without armor anyways. Her hands were protected by simple leather gloves, more so for the purpose of absorbing the kinetic impact of metal against metal when swords collided.


She could feel the dew in the air from the pool of water in the center of the slanted room, it sort’ve caked her and just added to the frosty feeling that began to sank deeper into her body, down to her bones. Before her lay her sword –Noctem Erinys- or otherwise known as the Night Fury. It was really all she had beyond her physical attributes and hand to hand prowess. Aaralyn knew nothing of this, maybe Ember did and she just didn’t pay enough attention.

Celestials, how she wished she paid attention now…

Aaralyn remained motionless on the northern end of the ten meter room, the pale moonlight barely basking the room with enough light to illuminate it. It would make for an interesting setting and an interesting fight. The anxiety continued to swell within her chest, was she to introduce herself to her opponent? What if they just popped out of the shadows and started slicing away?

These things were a bit more complicated than she thought they would be…

[member="Shule Windspeaker"] | [member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"] (Or Alt)

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

There were two things of importance that stood in the shadows around Aaralyn. A blade and a former Blackblade. Let's talk about the first: It was a simple weapon, one designed for fights like this. Nothing fancy about it. From afar one could tell even from a distance that it held a slight curve. Those who knew about swords could tell it was modeled after a Katana. Anyone who knew the one who wielded it would realize that it was the same as her 'famed' vibro-blades, just without the 'vibro'. Just a durasteel edge sharpened to a fine point. Prior to this battle it had been tested to see just what it's cutting power was. She who held it in her hands had gently ran her thumb across the side... bits of blood had dripped onto the weapon, filling the engravements found along the flat part above the hilt. That had been washed away, of course, to prevent rusting. Having a dulled blade would make this fight harder. Avoiding that situation was exactly what the other blade had been trying to do. Who was this former warrior of the Empire? Explaining that was far more difficult than describing her weapon. Unsurprisingly. People are always more complex then the tools they use. Even the simplest of people are made up of a thousand different layers and pieces, every one as complicated as the most advanced computer system in existence. Sentient beings beautiful things. Looking into their minds or watching their actions could show you so much about them, and you still wouldn't know of all their wonders. Even if you went through all of their memories, walked in their shoes for a million miles, you wouldn't be able to understand them. Drapeam Nyx is no different.

You take one glance at her. Just a second of staring before looking away. What do you notice? Let's pretend you spot her in broad daylight, while she's wearing one of her typical outfits. There are quite a few things you could focus on. Even in just a few moments. What did you look at? Out of all her features... which was the one you value most? Her body structure: Once upon a time she was scrawny. You don't realize that. Instead your eyes look over her- noting her height. And while you can't guess her exact size you probably get close. Roughly six feet tall. That's about right. What else? Ah, yes. Muscles are a good size. When it comes to her limbs... not twigs, not quite branches. Reasonable thickness for each. Perhaps your gaze lingers briefly on her chest. That would be understandable. Nyx has decent sized 'assets' after all. But maybe you note the way her right leg seems to take more of her weight than her left. Could this be because of a past injury? Or just a habit of hers? You decide it's a bit of both. Though... maybe you looked at something else. Her appearance: You start by looking at her face. Short, choppy red hair is brushed to the left, reaching at most a length of four inches. Maybe you see her left eye first. It looks normal. Just a little bright, almost... glowing. Something tells you to assume it's because of her species. That's correct. Then you look at her right. Depending on your personality, your jaw may or may not have dropped. This one was black and white. The white part seemed to shine just as much as the left, while the darker portions seem to leak shadows. You don't know it... but this is because of Sith poison. Several vials of the stuff had been injected into her. One into her eye. One into her neck. One into the base of her spine. Anger fills her. Now you keep looking. Part of you may be raising an eyebrow at her tattoos. They're plentiful. On either side of her neck are tribal designs. These are the most noticeable.

What? Were you focusing on something else? Her stance: Someone's posture is one way to tell a lot about them. Or so says the science of the mind. There's a chance that you know how to interpret these subconscious signals. More likely you've simply chosen to try and see how she carries herself. So let's pretend you watch her while she's taking a few steps forward. Her right foot moves first. When her foot lands, it comes down heel first. The left seems to follow smoothly behind it. All the while her back seems to stay fairly straight. However her shoulders almost seem to be placed a little farther out than usual. This isn't a biological anomaly, you note, it's the way she's positioned them. If she were hunched over a computer desk the position would look very natural. Here it's a tad bit odd. Now we move on. Both eyes glance around as she moves. They seem very wary of the area around her- but the right is slow. It practically lags. As if the signals going to it get slowed down. Quite possible, considering the poison running through her veins. And while her spine stays straight, her head is tipped down slightly, chin pointed towards the ground. Next your eyes glance at her hands. Both are twitchy. Fingers curl and uncurl repeatedly, knuckles almost seem white, you notice her nails are long, hardened into claws, the edges are rough, scratched. Maybe she bites them sometimes, forgetting their sharpness. Now that you take a closer look... her movements are calculated. The points never go near her palm. It seems like she's trying to avoid cutting up the skin.Were you to grab her arms and yank them closer, investigating her hands, you'd note the many scars. Yes. Nyx is indeed attempting to avoid harming herself. Her caution is noted. But we've taken to much time to watch her already. Let's shift the focus, moving on, going to the present day...

Entering reality in 3
2
1.
Drapeam Nyx had been standing in the darkest spot she could find. Such was her nature. Hide amongst the shadows, become one, wait for the right moment to strike. She kept her eyes closed. Their glow would give her away within seconds unless she stayed behind her soon-to-be opponent. That was not to happen any time soon. Quietly she took a deep breath. The shudder of air rushing into her lungs made the slightest of sounds. Perhaps the noise would be noted. Or maybe it would be excused as the wind finding it's way through the skylight, somehow. But the lack of movement in the water could prove that notion wrong. One simply had to look for the explanation. [member="Aaralyn Rekali"] knew that someone else was in the room. She had to know. That was why she was here, was it not? To enter this area with a blade of her own choice, to meet another in combat?... Drapeam Nyx was to be her attacker. The one she was to cross blades with. This was what she thought about as she stood there. What did she know about this woman?... Virtually nothing. Someone had told her that this Rekali was a Jedi. Which meant Myrkr was affecting her. Somehow. Removing her from the thing that she had always been tied to. And though Nyx didn't realize it, she too was being torn from the force. Perhaps that didn't mean anything. All of her life she hadn't known of her connection. Living in a metaphorical shadow, unaware of her potential. Being here did not weaken her. For she had no reliance on mystical powers. Her ability to stay hidden did not require her to mask herself in powers beyond her understanding. Maybe she thought that this woman was beneath her. That Rekali was going to be powerless without her 'magic'.

But no, that wasn't the kind of person she was.

"Hey. I'm Nyx. Let's do this." Her voice was stern. It broke the silence with prepared ease. As she spoke she stepped towards the center slowly. Umbra, her sword, was clutched tight in her right hand. Simple gloves covered her arms from the wrist down. Several panels were cut away to allow for a better grip. All of her claws were exposed- though she had promised not to use them. This fight was to be with her blade and her opponent's. Simple as that. Or at least she hoped. Drapeam Nyx gave a little bow before taking a stance. It was time to start, right?...

 

[The End Narrator]

The woman wasted no time, a simple introduction to which Aaralyn inclined her head slightly. “Aaralyn…” She said reluctantly. It wasn’t that Aaralyn lacked confidence or focus, it was the sensations were new to her and she never competed in such an arena before. She watched the woman advanced to a position in the center of the room, obviously desiring her to move to a similar location herself. Of course, like an honorable combatant – Aaralyn would comply. Methodical footsteps brought her closer to the other woman, her focus never shifting from the center of the other being.

Aaralyn gripped the hilt of Noctem in her right hand and it’s sheath in her left as she slowly moved down the slope and into the murky waters. The frigid sensation of the meditation pool could be felt through the material of her boots, despite their ability to actually protect her from getting saturated by water itself. She slowly inched the sheath of Noctem, centering herself directly infront of the other woman. It was about four inches exposed before she stopped, the ripples in the water slowly subsiding. As she did so, the sloshing sound she made in the water would subside and be replaced with an ear-piercing ringing, a noise that was only defined as a deafening silence.

There was no purpose to ask why one was here, this woman had other reasons that Aaralyn…

Aaralyn was here to merely train and understand the ways of combat without the Force, win or lose. It didn’t matter. Defeating the Sword without the Force isn’t actually defeating the being, it’s showing that there is mortality behind Jedi. For Aaralyn, this was all a challenge and one she gladly accepted.


Indeed, it was time to start…just not the way one would expect Aaralyn to begin it…

Without the Force, things were different, far different. Aaralyn’s left hand would suddenly jerk forward in a flurry of natural motion that was aided by years of training with droids and other materials that enhanced reflexes on a natural level. With it, came the sheath that concealed the blade of Noctem, the intention was to launch the sheath in the direction of [member="Drapeam Nyx"] in an attempt to distract, cause her to flinch or even deflect the hardened wood. As the distraction would come, Aaralyn pulled her right hand forward with the blade in tow, upwards in an arc at a forty-five degree angle. The purpose of the strike was to bring the blade across the upper chest or even strike the chin of the woman before her. A test of natural reflexes – perhaps…

[member="Drapeam Nyx"]

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

And so it began. They both stood, for a moment, still in the center. Water around their feet came to a stop. It almost seemed like nothing in the room moved in that moment. But Nyx w was not so foolish as to think that. Air moved about the, flowing through the room, invisible, filling all the space that hey could not. Then there was breath. A golden eye glanced over Aaralyn- it noted the soft movements of her chest. She was breathing. Together they drew in oxygen to feed their lungs. Both women took in their breaths at the same time. They shared a second of intimacy. Just a brief bit where they weren't enemies. No, for a little while they were just two individuals sharing space. But water started to find it's way into her boots, somehow, making her feet even colder. Perhaps she should have frowned at the sensation. Instead she dipped her head again. In acknowledgement. It hid the hate filling her heart. Force users were something she despised. Most Jedi were... not as bad as Sith, but she disliked them all the same. With every moment she spent in this woman's presence she found it harder to keep a straight face. 'Focus,' she thought. There was nothing more she could after that. For what had begun started to speed up. Their fight was becoming just that. Actual combat.

Wood flung towards the Zorren in the form of a sheathe. Instincts kicked in immediately, chemicals previously summoned by age rushing forward again, filling her brain. Such was what happened to one of her species after their 'trial'. Their reflexes, their strength, their reaction time all increased once they did so. That was a good thing for Nyx- without the aid of her genetics she would have been smacked by the projectile. It would have hurt. Mentally she cursed. 'I should have seen that coming,' she thought. How did she get past the strike though? Good question. Quickly she had spun on her left foot, bringing the right side of her body to face away from Aaralyn. The sheathe sailed in front of her before smacking into the ground with a loud thud. All the while she hissed through clenched teeth. Why had she turned that way? Her left arm, the one without a blade in it, was now facing her opponent. As fast as she could she swung her right arm in a small arc, leading it in front of her chest. Umbra's edge ended up in front of her left shoulder just as Noctem was about to land a hit. The two weapons clashed. Momentum forced Nyx's katana back into her arm. If she had been using a duel-edged... she pushed the thought away. For now she pulled her left side back. Once again her feet were a bit past shoulder-width apart. What to do now? She quietly adopted a two-hand grip.

She would wait.

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]​

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn jerked back swiftly and slide backwards causing water to splash up erratically as she did, luck have it she didn’t drop her sword and have to pull off some roll in this cold water to retrieve it – one hand grip just to throw a sheath in order to distract the opponent. It worked but she didn’t land a blow. ‘Oh well.’ She thought to herself as the sound of swishing water settled. This fight had to pick up pace, or they’d both freeze to death from hypothermia, regardless of genetics or physical attributes.

Aaralyn shivered as water beaded down her back and brought her left hand to grip underneath her right. There was a reason they put the two of them in this cold, wet arena. They wanted fatigue to settle in and it would become more than a fight of blades, it would end up becoming fists and much more. It was painfully obvious with the water, the time of night – considering it gets coolest in between transition of day to night and night to day and the small size of the room itself.


Her thumb came over her middle finger on both hands as she secured her grip, she stood before [member="Drapeam Nyx"], her left foot before her right – approximately shoulder width apart. She allowed her blade to immerse itself into the water, tilting her wrists just enough to bring the four inch flat edge facing Drapeam. As she did this, she would shift the balance from her left foot to her right, and she would quarter turn in a quick twist or spin. During which, her wrists would angle back as soon as the blade exited the water. The caveat wasn't just a hidden sweeping strike behind a splash of water, but to douse her in the cold liquid that would have effects over time. Granted, the strike might actually make some contact and cut the woman, thus causing further injury but the water would eventually wear down.

Another distraction, but with a deeper purpose.

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

By the Gods, it was starting to get chilly. Water was sloshing around, having fully soaked Nyx's shoes at this point, and the wind drifting through the skylight wasn't helping. Still the Zorren did her best to stand still. Both eyes watched her opponent carefully. The right seemed to be staring off to her side a little. If it hadn't been already, it would then become obvious that her sight on that end was weak. Any strikes from that direction would have to be tracked by her left eye or simply her ears. Listening for the water moving could prove useful... hmm. An involuntary shudder ran down her back."Now's the time to move," she thought. Little noises would be heard as she readjusted her feet. Her right moved backwards, turning a bit to face away from her, ending up several inches past the left. Most of her weigh shifted there as well. Before she could change anything else she saw the glint of light hitting a moving blade. Milliseconds later she heard the weapon cut through water. All sorts of sounds seem to ram into her ears as she tried to leap backwards. But she couldn't avoid all the liquid splashing towards her. Hissing again she muttered a few curses. Now both her grey tank top and black trousers were pretty wet. Not quite soaked... yet still uncomfortably moist. Some people would probably use this moment to make a joke about how it almost looked like she had pissed herself. Had anyone said that to Nyx's face, they'd find themselves with a fist in theirs.

She wondered if [member="Aaralyn Rekali"] would soon meet that fate.

With a snarl she slid back right-foot first. Her technique was similar to the way she had seen an old Sith move around in combat. Just... flipped. When he moved, the man had shifted onto the balls of his feet, though he kept the heels close to the ground, and practically glided across whatever surface he was on. If he went forward, his right foot would go first, if he went back, his left would be the first to change position. There was a proper term for this sort of thing... it just wasn't something that she knew about. Let's move on: Nyx shuffled back as fast as she could, going back two or three meters. Then her foot bumped into the previously discarded sheathe- nearly making her fall over. At first she was going to cuss it out. After a split second of thought she realized that doing so wouldn't be proactive. Using it against her fellow combatant, however, would be. Now if she could just reach it before being attacked again... As quickly as she could (which was a reasonably pleasing speed) she swung Umbra's tip back, catching it in the first portion of the scabbard, before twisting it back, horizontally slashing at the air (or Rekali if she had moved). The movement was an attempt to fling the object at the other woman. However, the application had been a bit... sloppy. Maybe even a little poorly timed. At the least it could prove to be a distraction.

 

[The End Narrator]

That was the last thing she expected and of course the worst thing that could happen! Aaralyn’s momentum and movement sloshing around in the water would prevent her from twisting her body properly to dodge the incoming sheath and the slash that followed shortly after. The sound of hardened wood impacting her center frame following but the disgruntled cry of the metal nicking her flesh just enough to annoy her echoed through the chambers and Aaralyn would stumble back, barely holding her balance.

As she regained control of herself and grimaced through the pain, she’d take advantage of the fallen [member="Drapeam Nyx"] and rush forward through the water and jump as best as she could despite the additional weight of the water, the inability of real muscle movement considering the increasingly cold sensation that pulsated through her muscles and the way body felt overall.

The jump, was realistically, ineffective in its purpose beyond getting her forward and closer to her target. Her arm would bring the blade into a basic swing where it was facing out horizontally behind her and is levered by her left hand and bring it down in a 45 degree arc towards the form of Drapeam. Regardless of contact, she would follow through and attempt to catch her backside should she decide to roll or jump up and maneuver.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

The first round of the tournament ended one hour ago, at 6PM EST. Judges [member="Matsu Xiangu"] and [member="Reverance"] are requested to ignore any posts after 6PM EST, unless for purposes of evaluating sportsmanship. Round One is now complete.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[member="Drapeam Nyx"] | [member="Aaralyn Rekali"] | [member="Shule Windspeaker"]​

​

[member="Reverance"] and I reviewed the duel and the winner is...​

​

AARALYN REKALI​

Congratulations to BOTH of you - this was a well-done fight, and it was very close. Both of you had creative attacks, defended well, and had great spelling & mechanics. It came down to the fact that Rekali's posts were easier to follow and very, very clear on what was happening at all times. We often had to go back and re-read some of Nyx's posts if only because it was sometimes unclear as to what was happening, and we got lost in all the detail at points. (Not that detail isn't a good thing, but it could get overwhelming in this format.) Great duel, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from both of you in the future!