Vulpesen vs. Flint Dexen [Apprentice Tournament]

[Soeht]

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[ THE RULES: ]​

Both duelers are still Padawans during the duel.​

No foul play. Daella is the ref and will call fouls if needed.​

The Force is permitted. Both fighters get one training saber. They can't use their opponent's if he/she drops it.​

Three training saber strikes to the body equal elimination.​

A fighter can also be eliminated by being knocked out of the ring, or going unconscious.​

Both fighters have until December 22 to finish the fight. I will decide on the winner if no one was eliminated.​

Have fun!​

In the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Grand Apprentice Tournament had begun. The top Jedi Padawans have been selected. It was now the third round of the tournament. Both participants managed to best their previous opponents and were now just one win away from the free-for-all finale.

The fight would be in the Jedi Temple's Sparring Arena. Daella stood to the side of the circular ring. @[member="Vulpesen"] and @[member="Flint Dexen"] were asked to take their places on the opposite sides of the arena. Spectators also filled the room and stood several meters from the arena. These spectators included prospecting Jedi Knights and Masters looking for a Padawan, as well as the other participating in the tournament yet not fighting at the moment.

Once both fighters were ready, Daella gave the signal to begin the fight.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned as the duel began. Already he could feel the monster within, pushing its way up to the surface, but he pushed it back down. This was not the time to go feral. Instead, Vulpesen centered himself in the force and lifted his hands. Unlike other jedi, he had had more out of temple training when it came to the force, and one of his longest stays on his two year sojourn had been with the Baran-Do. He connected with the force and unleashed a whirlwind upon @[member="Flint Dexen"]. Was it large or strong? No. Would it suffice to push him back? Yes.
If nothing were done, the attack would push Flint back across the line of the circle, an easy thing to do considering both of their positions on the edge. Vulpesen had kept this in mind and was thus taking slow steps forward incase of a counter attack.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

Flint was clothed in his normal Jedi padawan tunic, his lightsaber hilt strapped to his belt. He nodded when he was asked to take his place in the arena. After giving his opponent a respectful nod, Flint ignited his cyan lightsaber and the duel began.

Finally, he was being given a chance to put all that temple training into use. Flint's opponent made the first move, sending a Force Whirlwind towards him. It certainly wasn't very powerful, and Flint held his ground and slid backwards only a bit as the whirlwind hit. Flint then lept from his current position and came crashing down on his opponent, his cyan blade coming down on a downward strike aimed at the opponent's shoulders. He put his entire falling momentum on the attack, and then once his blade made contact with whatever it hit, Flint did a flip and landed in a ready Shii-Cho stance.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen watched his opponent leap. Credit was due, he was more stable that the child of Amar had realized. Vulpesen let the force flow through him and control his actions, rolling to the side and reaching out with his left hand to push his opponent with the force. If nothing else, the intangible assault would at least give Vulps some time to organize himself. While his left hand attacked, his right hand pulled out his training saber. He was ready for another attack, but he was determine not to ignite the blade until he needed it. Instead, he watched @[member="Flint Dexen"]'s strike and worked to learn his opponents fighting style.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

Flint noticed that his opponent seemed to be looking at him and studying his fighting style. That being the case, Flint decided that he would need to utilize a variety of different attacks so that he didn't create a pattern in his attacks.

It also occured to him that his opponent seemed to be more Force-oriented, and this proved to be accurate when a Force Push was sent Flint's way following his counter strike. The Force Push made him stumble backwards slightly, giving the other apprentice time to reorganize and attack. Flint steadied himself and advanced at his opponent, his lightsabers swinging from side to side as unpredictably as possible, looking for an opening.

As he neared his opponent, Flint went in for a horizontal slash before his opponent could blast him away again. He put as much energy into each blow as possible, and made a vertical slash directly following the first, aimed at the other apprentice's upper torso.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen smiled as he watched Flint's advance. Each move had power. He kept that in mind as he backpedaled around the circle. It was time for things to get interesting. Vulpesen ignited his lightsaber before bringing it up to his face and creating the x-slash that created the makashi salute. Powerful swings with an aggressive nature. Precision would be key as he e continued to backpedal, watching his opponent as he prepared his counter attack.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

His opponent's defense utilizing the Makashi Salute was admirable, their blades clashing as Flint drove forward and his opponent continued to slowly backpedal. He knew that his opponent would launch a counter offensive shortly, and he decided to not allot such an opportunity. Flint initiated a three-part combination assault, his first slanted strike aimed at his opponent's mid-torso, the second attack was a horizontal slash aimed at the knees, to be followed by a last upward arc slash aimed once more at his opponent's shoulders.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned as his opponent finally made his move. Vulpesen was light on his feet and he used this to his advantage as he moved just out of reach for the first two strikes, however on the upward slash, Vulpesen kept his distance the same, sidestepping the blade and letting it glide agasint his own which he then angled upwards and lunged towards the very middle of his opponent's torso. His constant advance would have made a step back difficult, and Vulpesen had done little to stop the momentum of the upward slash, instead he decided to let it continue into the air as he stabbed at @[member="Flint Dexen"]. The counter attack would have left few options, and though Vulpesen was always sure that there was the possibility of escape, he had little optimism for Dexen's chances. A makashi user was reserved, precise, and patient. Vulpesen had used these three qualities to his best.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

Flint had forgotten for the moment that his opponent was a Makashi duelist. His opponent kept frustratingly out of reach, and Flint's two strikes sliced through the air as he drove his opponent backwards. Flint was keeping up a steady forward momentum, which proved to be an obstacle for the counter-attack that occured following his 3rd upward strike. His opponent expertly dodged even his third strike, then came unexpectantly forward with an upward strike with his own lightsaber aimed at his torso, while Flint's lightsaber was still too far to come in and block the attack. Flint, following the momentum of his upward strike, sprang up from his spot, dodging his opponent's advantageous strike by an inch or two. He landed a few feet away with a grunt, and his lightsaber deactivated and fell out of his reach. Shaking the dizziness off, Flint stood up and whirled around to see what his opponent was doing. Flint's priority at the moment would be to retrieve his lightsaber.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen turned around with a grin. He'd heard the clink of the lightsaber as well as its deactivation. @[member="Flint Dexen"] had preferred his blade over the force which likely meant that he would be weaker than the well practiced Vulpesen. Knowing he wasn't allowed to pick up the saber, Vulpesen instead used the force to hurl it out of the arena, causing it to land behind Dexen. Dexen had proven himself to prefer the lightsaber, but that didn't mean he wasn't skilled in the use of the force. Keeping this in mind, Vulpesen used a great deal of power when he threw out the blade, hoping that it would overcome any attempts for Dexen to retrieve his blade.
After disposing of the opponent's weapon, Vulpesen reached out and centered himself in the force, locking his eyes on Dexen. "Do you yield?" Vulpesen had the advantage now, and he slowly advanced on Dexen. He would prefer to let his fellow apprentice tap out unharmed, but he had no quarrel with striking him with his lightsaber if need be.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

"Do you yield?" Flint smirked slightly at the question.

"What do you mean? We were just getting started." he pointed out. It was true that while the lightsaber gave his opponent an upper advantage, that didn't mean Flint was without any weapon. The Force was his ally as much as it was to his opponent, and Flint was prepared to utilize it. Now, Flint was ready to make sure that his opponent lost the advantage of having a lightsaber as well so that they could level the playing field. Flint closed his eyes for one second, and then unexpectantly let out a yell as he expelled forth a Force Push at his opponent, its aims that of knocking out his opponent's weapon.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen sensed the force's trembles and focused on Flint. His opponent wasn't stupid enough to hold his assault directly at Vulpesen, and that left only one target to be of interest. Vulpesen quckly deactivated the blade and threw it to the side and away from Flint's influence. The move was casual and required so little focus that Vulpesen was easily able to focus on his true attack. Flint had busied himself with his assault on Vulpesen's lightsaber and whether or not Vulpesen's weapon went out of reach was no longer relavent. It was time for this to end. Vulpesen summoned the force and unleashed the largest force push he could muster, aiming it directly at Flint who was already focused on the lightsaber.
Vulpesen had chosen this particular moment for several reasons. One, Flint would be forced break his concentration in a split second which would be extremely difficult for a padawan. Two, being focused on something else would leave Flint mentally unprepared for the blunt assault from a seemingly elusive opponent. And three, Vulpesen had kept them away from the center of the circle, which would make it so much easier to hurl his opponent out. Throwing a large rock was nothing for a force user, such feats had been first learned when Vulpesen had been raised on Amar. A human was nothing compared to the weight any padawan could throw after building up such focus.

 

[Flint Dexen]

IC:

Quite suprisingly, Flint watched in curiosity as his opponent also threw out his lightsaber. Knowing that they were now playing at a level playing field, Flint increased his concentration on his Force Push at Vulpesen. His opponent also expelled forth a Force Push of his own, and Flint watched as their Force Push collided in mid-air, pushing them both backwards.

Flint skidded slowly backwards, but steadied himself as he approached the perimeter of the duel circle. The collision would've had a similar affect on his opponent. He then sped towards his opponent again, and aimed a kick at the other opponent's upper torso.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen laughed as the force pushes collided. Despite what it would seem at first, the sound had no malicious intent. Vulpesen was enjoying the challenge that @[member="Flint Dexen"] was providing. Still, he didn't intend to lose. Upon seeing Flint's charge, Vulpesen brought up his left arm and braced his stance. While his left limb caught kick, he used his right to call his lightsaber back from outside the ring. As the cold durasteel smacked his palm, Vulpesen flicked on the blade and used a quick flick of the wrist to wrap the blade behind Flint and strike against his back. A battlefield no matter how empty always held surprises, and though Vulpesen's lightsaber may have left the ring, it only mattered if he himself exited physically. The force was another matter entirely.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

Flint gave a good natured smile at his opponent's laugh. This certainly was an interesting duel. His kick caught the other apprentice' left side, and Flint gazed in suprise as his opponent utilized the Force to regain his thrown-away lightsaber hilt. Knowing that for the sake of winning his opponent would give him almost no time to react to lightsaber attacks, Flint lept away once more, feeling his opponent's lightsaber blade almost make contact with his back as he jumped away from the attack. He did a front flip before landing once more, a good yard from where his opponent stood. Flint searched using the Force for where his lightsaber was, and after a few seconds, a similar smack against the palm of his hand announced that Flint too had retrieved his hilt.

"Well, it appears as though that we're back to square one..." he remarked, igniting his lightsaber, the cyan blade humming with energy once more.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned and turned to face his opponent. "If you'd just move where I want ya!" Vulpesen quickly closed the distance and created an X slash on @[member="Flint Dexen"], slashing first at his upper right shoulder, then moved the hilt to slash at his left shoulder. The moves where kept conserved and small, utilizing his wrist more than his arm so that he could defend himself if need be. Upon completing his X, Vulpesen would end his attack with a shallow thrust at Flint's torso.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

Flint smirked at his opponent's remark. He watched as the other apprentice quickly moved forward and attacked with diagonal slashes aimed at his shoulders. He moved quickly to his left to dodge the slash at his right shoulder, then used his lightsaber to clash with the second slash that followed. The fact that his opponent was using his wrist was pretty smart, Flint admit, but it did reduce the power behind the attacks.

His opponent moved forward in one final thrust, and Flint used this opportunity to perform another jump to dodge the thrust and land behind his opponent. If he had stayed at his previous spot, it would've been too easy for his opponent to simply drive him backwards and out of the circle. Flint let out a Force Push from behind the opponent, his right hand still gripping his ignited saber.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen growled as @[member="Flint Dexen"] leaped over his head. The flip would cut the time too short for a counter attack, which force Vulpesen to cut his thrust short. He'd been lucky to keep it shallow, and thus manageable when he retracted his blade and moved it into a backwards slash which turned him to his opponent. The push had already sent him forward, and realizing it was too late for a counter push, Vulpesen tried a different tactic. He reached his hand back behind him and force pushed against the ground behind him, using the force as more of a ship's repulser than a cannon. The maneuver kept him in one place, albeit awkwardly trapped as he focused on keeping the balance that kept him from shooting off to the side while being. The tactic had worked, but not without side effects. Though he was being pushed away from the ground, he was also being pressed into Flint's attack which made him feel something like the inside of a sandwich.

 

[Flint Dexen]

@[member="Vulpesen"]

Despite the fact that the other apprentice was his opponent, Flint couldn't help but admire his opponent's tactic in keeping himself inside the perimeters of the circle. At that moment, Flint made a critical decision. He would try to win the duel not by attempting to force his opponent merely out of the set duel circle. Instead, he decided that he would try and win by actually fighting his duelist. Flint nodded as his opponent managed to stand his ground by another Force move. Deciding against further draining his energy by using another Force Push, Flint moved forward instead, his blade swinging around at his right side. He suddenly would lunge forward, putting power behind each stroke as he made two quick slices aimed at his opponent's mid-torso before a quick kick aimed at the apprentice's chest.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen sighed in relief as he dropped back to the ground but as Flint moved forward, Vulpesen lifted his blade to a sturdy defense, unwilling to step back even once, lest he endanger his position any more. The first slash was stopped by a quick parry which carried the momentum to the other side where it would meet the next slice. Seeing and remembering his opponents power, Vulpesen placed a hand on the lower side of his hilt for each block, and once the boot came forward, Vulpesen used his left hand to pull the back of the hilt, which would in turn quickly lift the blade up, into Flints leg. Such a kick would generally require precarious balance which would in turn force @[member="Flint Dexen"] into the choice between his balance or the match, assuming he could find a way to avoid Vulpesen's parry.
Even should his attack fail to connect, Vulpesen had learned not to invest all of his chances into one move, and thus he quickly brought his right foot across his left before spinning out of the way, following his blade's motion. Even if Flint managed to keep himself from retrieving a mark, Vulpesen would have at least put himself away from the edge of the ring and once again on even footing with his opponent.