Tournament of the Blade Round Two: Aaralyn Rekali vs Naimes Ahn-Dross

[Ashin Varanin]

You know the rules.

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MYRKR

The swamp is a swamp: knotted roots, sloshy compressible ground, vines, water, nests of inopportune insects. It's early morning, and thick mist still impedes vision. This patch of swamp is circular, about ten metres across, and walled off from the outside world by a harmful ray shield.

[member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"] [member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

 

[Naimes Ahn-Dross]

...Naimes disliked swamps, mostly due to the insects, but here he was. There was little time to prepare between the time he was informed of who his next opponent would be and his delivery to the swamp making him wish he had decided on a different attire. No matter though. Like the last time Naimes came into the fight with a woolen shirt that would help to insulate him from the elements though unlike his previous duel this one was in a warmer locale meaning he would sweat a little. He still wore his open fingered leather gloves too. Other than that it was leggings and heavy boots that he'd dressed himself in ensuring that he appeared much the common man with no special trappings of any sort to call his own then and there...

...carrying his sword, the same hand and a half sword he'd used the last time, that totalled fifty-one inches in length with the blade comprising forty-three inches of the weapon and the remainder stretching out to the hilt Naimes appeared at ease as he sloshed out into the swamp. Unlike the last time the sword was sheathed, a wooden scabbard covered in tan leather, he held the sword across his midsection with his right hand gripping the hilt and his left hand clasping lower over the scabbard...

...the mist in this swamp impeded his vision, the sloshing his boots made through ankle deep water would be audible until he stopped and the insects annoyed him as expected. He actually took his left hand off the scabbard of the sword to slap his neck once when one of those pesky bugs landed on him. Damn things. Knotted roots extended up out of the water, the ground felt squishy beneath his feet and vines dangled from the vegetation in the area growing up it and falling down it. Trudging onwards Naimes would stop in roughly the center of the swamp and so would any sound of his movements when they ceased...

...[member="Aaralyn Rekali"] was the name of his opponent or so he'd heard. He'd heard that name before but didn't know much about her. A Jedi it was rumored. Naimes had heard that many of the Jedi were skilled duelists. Apparently he would now discover if that was true or not...

...nothing to do but wait and wonder. Damn bugs. Naimes scrunched the left side of his face a bit when another one came close...​

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn could have sworn she said she’d never enter a swamp again – especially after what happened the last time. She frowned heavily as she trudged through the thick swamp towards what she believed to be the center. It was best to get the show started and get it done with – the cold from the previous round hadn’t even wore out of her system before she was shoved into the next round. Hell, she felt as if she hadn’t had a proper bite to eat in what felt like days and without the ability to use the Force – damn it all to hell if that didn’t cap off her problems.


Luckily, she was able to have changed her clothing. She wore a simple pair of combat boots that would begin to build up with muck from the swamp as she pressed forward. Her darkened combat pants would bare the stains of the Myrkr terrain up to her knees as she scanned the surroundings with violet eyes of curiosity and anxiety. This time though, she was able to secure her black jacket, a fleece like jacket to secure her body heat and keep the mists from giving her a hellish chill. It was zipped up to her neck, concealing most of her exposed skin and keeping the bugs away from the precious flesh they so sought. Her leather gloves had dried up and even shrunk tighter to fit her hands after being exposed to the waters of the previous arena, thus completing her simple outfit.


She kept Noctem around for this second round, as it seemed to work well on the first round. She’d assume that the Makashi stance would work, perhaps an Ataru stance – but one wouldn’t be able to tell until her opponent made their moves and god forbid if he was a duel bladesman and considering the ground they worked with…speed wasn’t going to be an ally to either of them.
Unlike before, this might actually end up going from blades to melee combat – real quick. Aaralyn spotted something a few feet infront of her, a darkened silhouette of some sort. Her eyes narrowed briefly as she knelt down slowly to pick up a rock between her index and middle finger and as slow as she dipped down – she would rise.


She quickly tossed the small rock with a simple intention – peg [member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"] and draw him closer to her for positive identification.

 

[Naimes Ahn-Dross]

...the bugs distracted Naimes for a short time until he also saw the silhouette of a figure through the mist of the swamp. He saw the figure kneel down, retrieve something and then rise back up to its feet. Moments later a rock was tossed towards Naimes. He might have flinched and tried to defend himself but the act of throwing a knife was fundamentally different than tossing a small rock in both form and design. Instead of trying to evade the stone Naimes would actually let it hit him and it did right in the chest causing him to narrow his eyes in response. Well there was no mistaking who that was now...

...standing in the ankle deep water of the swamp with the stain of moisture going further on his leggings Naimes would have moved towards the silhouette he saw ahead of him. In the process he tucked his sword into his left side so that blade extended diagonally behind him, aimed towards the ground, while the hilt poked out ahead of him with his right hand still wrapped tightly around it. Walking forward Naimes imagined that his forwards momentum was easily seen though it may have been a tad more difficult to see what he was doing with his sword...

...the sloshing of swamp water came easy as he moved through it, his strides were careful and Naimes ignored the insects that buzzed around him. Once his opponent was singled out his focus shifted to her silhouette knowing that if he allowed distraction to get the better of him he would have already lost. Nonetheless he needed to be mindful of the terrain which is why his movements came slowly. He didn't want to trip on an errant root that had worked its way up from the ground or lay concealed just below the surface of murky water...

...Naimes posture was essentially square with Aaralyn's as far as he could tell. He approached her head on...

..."[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]."...he said as he came within what he thought was roughly four feet of her, his left foot planting just ahead of his left when his voice rang out. Then the sound of his sword being ripped from its sheath as his left hand remained tight around the scabbard. Naimes drew drew his sword out and up in a basic draw cut that would start at his left hip and extend up over his right shoulder as it finished with the intent of having it reach out and cut Aarlyn starting at her right hip, extending across her chest and finishing over her left shoulder. If he was lucky perhaps he'd be able to power through her own sword should it be positioned to block the stroke...​

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn blinked a few times as she stared at [member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"] before her, a ping of sadness echoing through her mind and heart. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have hit him with that pebble…' She thought to herself. “Eh, look I wasn’t sure about who might be out there so…you’ll for-“ Nope, he apparently wasn’t having it. Before she could finish, he struck.

There goes the pleasantries and formalities. Who was this guy?

Her physical prowess, combined with the fact that she was rooted into the muck and mud from standing there too long – allowed her to dodge most of the strike. She hissed in pain as the felt it cut through her jacket and slice flesh and tissue on her right hip. Her right hand coming up to swat the blade away before he could follow through and in turn she sacrificed her footing and fell backwards with a loud “SPLAT”.

Aaralyn rolled roughly to the right and brought her blade around with a swift slice aimed at his left knee. As she swung, she would pull the blade in an attempt to cut or sever his hamstring – in doing so, she would not only bring him down to a lower level but limit his ability to maneuver and navigate such a tough terrain.

 

[Naimes Ahn-Dross]

...Naimes wasn't angry that she'd thrown the small rock at him but he wasn't much for formalities or the pleasantries of small talk either which Aaralyn had no doubt discovered as he swung his sword at her. Truth be told he viewed this match between the two of them as a matter of duty; he needed to beat her to advance so that is exactly what he planned to do. Later on they could exchange pleasantries if that's what she wanted but for the moment Naimes was focused on what they were both here to do and it didn't hurt that he was facing a Jedi of some skill...

...the distance between them had initially been set at four feet however that could have arguably grown wider as Aaralyn fell backwards in the mud. All the while Naimes allowed his sword to complete its motion and carry itself up over his right shoulder. With his left leg still holding the lead Naimes would realize that it was in danger when Aaralyn began rolling to her right and with a hard wrench of his leg he'd attempt to pick it up out of the mud. Funny thing about the mud though, it stuck. Naimes did manage to rip his leg out of the mud but not quite in time...

...as his left leg drew up and back Naimes would feel the stinging sensation that often accompanied being cut, like burning or itching but also different, when Aaralyn's blade made contact. He hadn't been struck on the knee nor would his hamstring be torn apart however he was dealt a good blow across the shin just beneath his knee that bled freely and weakened his leg ensuring he wouldn't move quite as quickly on it. This was not good however Naimes had left himself open to an extent and he hadn't properly considered the terrain which all lead to him being struck however mitigated the blow may have been. A mistake he would not make again...

...when his left leg came back to plant in the mud again it ensured that his right leg now lead and also supported the majority of his weight. It may have also opened the distance between the both of them that much more. How far apart were they now? Five feet? Maybe six? Likely thereabouts which would meant getting a solid blow off would be difficult. Naimes would toss the scabbard his sword been in aside and bring his left hand up to clamp onto the bottom half of his swords hilt...

...then, his left hand gripping the hilt of his sword beneath the right, he would whip the sword around from its raised position over his right shoulder so that it passed to his left back behind his head before dropping it down from left to right in a diagonal sweep. Aaralyn had been rolling so Naimes targeted what was most obvious and as short a stretch between them; he'd swung his blade down hoping to hack it into the outside of her right leg, middle of the shin, and maybe even carry it across to her left while she was down in the mud...​

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[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn saw the strike coming from a mile out – well not really a mile out but with the distance between them and his recent injury, one could speculate his true speed. She quickly rolled to the left, further caking herself in the muck and mush from the swamp, allowing herself to be consumed in what might be considered a natural camouflage for down the road – should it get that far. With the sound of his strike impacting nothing but mud, Aaralyn would quickly scramble to her feet.

One would really question quick in this case, quick was a matter of speculation given the fact they were both deep in mud, but she would do her damnedest to get upright and close the distance between the two of them swiftly. As she stepped forward, her right foot was the lead and positioned at his exposed right side while her left foot remained pointed outwards - shoulder width apart and at a forty-five degree angle. With this, she would twist to the left and come back around hard and fast. Hilt gripped tightly in her right hand, thumb pressed up against the top of the hilt where the blade met the hilt itself.

Her horizontal slash was simple yet would send a message should it connect. Her facial expression showed a woman with fierce determination, gritted teeth and violet eyes flaring a desire to be more than what she was. It was aimed at his backside and would attempt to go through to the hip and potentially further to his forearm – by atleast an inch and a half. She wasn’t in this game for the kills of making men bleed out or beg for their life – she was in it for the purpose of proving herself to be worthy. Aaralyn always felt she was never worth to be the daughter of Ember Rekali, a man who had a status in the Galaxy that she could never live up to.

[member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"]

Spoiler

OOC – Depending on how he maneuvers and given his downwards swing. This is a simple horiziontal slash from back to front. Twist for momentum more than anything else.

 

[Naimes Ahn-Dross]

...really Naimes last attack had been quite pronounced considering all the movement involved. He wasn't surprised that Aaarlyn had seen it coming and dodged accordingly however he didn't show many signs of slowing down. True the wound he'd taken when her sword had clipped him across the front of the left shin was painful and it bled freely beneath the leggings he wore, as well as down over them, but Naimes would surmise he was no less encumbered by it than the blow he'd dealt to her right hip. It wasn't the wound that would slow him down in any meaningful way, at least not yet, it was the mud...

...Aaralyn scrambled to her feet, she did her best to close the distance between them quickly. Naimes responded by using the time to reposition himself. It was a mixture of logistics, experience and uck that told him which way she'd be coming from. With his right side at an angled lead that put him at a disadvantage Naimes would shift his body and draw it backwards so that he could angle is left side into the lead at forty-five degrees instead allowing him to meet Aaralyn fairly evenly. When he moved the motion was a bit more rigid than usual as his body responded to the sting of his left leg and the distribution of weight...

...then it was the swordwork itself. Momentum from Naimes last blow had carried it down from his high left to his low right so that now the sword essentially ran the outside length of his right leg after completion. As Aaralyn's sword came across for its horizontal blow Naimes would jerk his left arm upwards so that his elbow was cocking high while his right hand, positioned above his left on the hilt of the sword, acted as a guide. Lifting his sword from his low right to his high left which was complimented by the new angle he had shifted to Naimes would bring his sword up underneath Aaralyn's to deflect it high, diagonally, rather than attempt to meet her momentum head on with his own...

...the clash of steel should have been enough to deflect her blade if Naimes had read the angle right. Regardless there was no follow up attack. Naimes would let the deflection carry his sword back high and to his left where he could transition it into a high guard directly over his head following its completion. While he did this he moved backwards, careful of his left leg, the mud caked to his leggings beneath the knees so that he could both create distance between the two of them and move onto soft earth that started to rise out of the ankle deep water and mud...

...Naimes face was all focus. This was a chess match to him. He only needed to wait until she made a critical error or she did...​

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[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

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(In a nutshell: He shifted his stance to lead with his left at forty-five degrees again while she got to her feet and moved to make distance, etc, which would mean her blow likely came across his front rather than his back. Since his sword would be low and to his right following his previous blow he used it to come up underneath her own and ride/deflect it high. Also, I don't know how to do the Hide/Show box like you did. Damn you html.)​

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn grunted harshly as the blade of [member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"] came up to knock Noctem away. She stumbled slightly to the right but quickly regained her balance to conduct a sweeping uppercut like strike. Her right hand would grasp underneath the left on the hilt as she brought it up to hit his blade up further and expose his mid-section. In turn, she would take advantage of the balance of Naimes being thrown off balance for starters and his injury and bring her body inwards and shoulder him in the chest if possible.

It wasn’t meant to be devastating but meant to knock him completely off his feet and follow through with some melee strikes. Time was dwindling and she knew it.

 

[Naimes Ahn-Dross]

...Naimes had been in the process of lifting his sword into a high guard so Aaralyn's tactic was well timed. When she came in to force his blade higher Naimes would receive her by planting his back right foot so that he could steady himself as she ensured his blade was forced higher while maintaining his balance. Whether or not that was a good thing was debatable considering Aaralyn had followed by turning her shoulder into his chest. Not the hardest blow but it did force him backwards...

...as Naimes stumbled back a pace it wasn't the force of Aarlyn's shoulder that sent falling onto his back but the ground beneath his feet. Moving backwards to regain his footing he'd caught his right heel on a root that had been protruding from the ground and down he went like a sack of potatoes. Landing on his back with a grunt Naimes felt the soft earth beneath him, it had cushioned his fall to some extent, alongside the wetness of the swamp which would seep through the thick fabric of the woolen shirt he wore. Uncomfortable was a word that came to mind...

...he'd fallen onto his back, down onto the uneven earth of the swamp, meaning his sword had come back and freed itself from Aaralyn's own as well. Unless he'd stumbled further than he expected they should still be relatively close. Bringing his sword around, which would still have been over his head when he'd fallen backwards, Naimes would arc it to his left while sitting up out of the swamp. As he'd started to sit up out of the swamp, bringing his sword around in the process, Naimes would have attempted to take advantage of the perceived opening he saw which was Aaralyn's sword had been high, driving his own higher in the process, causing Naimes to swing his sword so that it came slashing across at her stomach from her right to left...​

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[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn’s mind panicked as she felt the blade slice cleanly through her flesh. She could almost hear it tear through the fabric of her jacket and then penetrate the softness of her skin. She cried out in pain and brought her blade down in a wild-slash to bat away the sword of [member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"]. She would twist to the right and pull back to prevent the sword from spilling her insides out for all to see or causing enough damage to her internal organs to put her out of the fight.


She stumbled a bit and would fall to her knee, stabbing the ground in frustration as the muscles around her stomach tensed and relaxed in defiance of her movements. The pain shot through her body and begged her to give in. There was no Force here, therefore there was no way to numb the pain. With each breath, more pain as the stomach muscles moved with her chest.

Spoiler

OOC – Given there is no time left and my opponent left for work, this is my final post this round.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Round 2 is over
[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Reverance"]

 

[Reverance]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"] | [member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"] | [member="Shule Windspeaker"]​

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[member="Matsu Xiangu"] and I have read over the fight and have concluded that the winner of this fight is...​

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NO ONE​

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...cause...wetlands. Seriously...what was up with these wetlands gais? Were you all on a beach, or in a pond, or in a swamp, or what? 4realz.​

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In all seriousness, the win goes to​

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Naimes​

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You all were basically even throughout the duel. Really good description, great use of spatial and temporal awareness, and your techniques were sound throughout. The changes in the physical nature of the swamp was a little bit concerning, but that's just because that's like my jam. But besides that, it was a thoroughly talent filled duel. HOWEVER, what set the difference and tipped the scale to Naimes was Post # 8. That description of the deflection was artful and we were thoroughly impressed with the clear and concise nature of it. This critique is very short as there wasn't a lot we could see in this duel that wasn't executed properly...that's a compliment.

Congratulations Naimes and good job to you both. We look forward to seeing more writing from both of you.

 

[The End Narrator]

[member="Naimes Ahn-Dross"]

Congrats!

Good luck going forward!

Thanks to [member="Shule Windspeaker"] for organizing this. [member="Matsu Xiangu"] and [member="Reverance"] for taking the time to judge!

Had alot of fun, was a challenge and totally new for me.