Duel A City's Fear

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

L I G H T- H A N -C I T Y
W I N D​

THEME​

The streets of Light Han City were a desolate place after midnight. All inhabitants of the poor district knew what came out at night, and only a brave few dared to venture far from the safety of their homes.

Such as the two figures who's hurried footsteps echoed through the alley. The old, neon-lit emblems cast their long shadows on the cracked sidewalk. The shadow of a young girl, leading a cloaked figure by the hand.

"They're here." She whispered to the figure. "Coming to take Alu's parents away!" The green eyes of the fourteen year-old displayed fear as she glanced back. And yet, there was also a spark of determination. Of hope. "You can't let that happen. You must help them!" She pleaded, guiding the silent figure past a pawn shop with a barricaded door. "I saw them, saw him when they took my parents." The girl continued, quickening her pace. "I heard the whispers on the street, but dad said they were just that. Whispers"

"Whispers of what?

"The monster that abducts people at night" They turned a corner and slid into a small, dark alley. It was a dead end. "Nobody knows where he takes them. Those who try to confront him disappear. Or worse." She slowed down, and finally came to a halt.

"What is its name?"

The girl faced to turn the cloaked figure. "They call him the Beskar Lord." The figure raised both hands to the side of her hood, and pushed it back just a little. Enough to show her lavender complexion, and the first strands of silver-white hair. "And you are certain that he will be here?" The girl nodded, and pointed to a window on the third floor of the building at the alley's far back. "Up there. The light's on. He must already be inside."

"Time to find out." Sakadi responded. She gave her hood one final push with two fingers, and the fabric came slithering down to rest at her neck. "Run home. I'll find you when this is over." Her lilac eyes were locked on the window, as the power of the Living Force began to build inside her.

She took three steps back. Reached for her lightsaber, and allowed the Force to surge through her veins. If anything, she would at least have the element of surprise.

The Jedi Master broke into a short sprint, gathered her power, and launched herself upward with a Force-enhanced leap. She came at the window with just enough momentum, glass shattering as the Sephi threw herself through it. Ready to face the great unknown on the other side...

Darth Levos

 

[Darth Levos]

A CITY'S FEAR

Equipment: In Bio
Tag: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala
Time passed slowly for the Darth, and his patience whittled away as he did so. He hated being asked to wait, especially by underlings. His arrival on the world was nothing but a reminder of how much time he was wasting. The people of this world were weak. Weakeness could be driven from ones form of course, but that took time. And that resource was in short supply. Currently, he had forced himself into the current accommodations; though it was by no means appropriate for a Darth. The building had operated as some manner of casino, and his headquarters was but a simple penthouse converted into his safehouse. He disliked this environment, for it was far too decorative, not practical enough. He sat in his chair, the slow hissing of his suit filling the room, with his two troopers being the only thing from the ship he had brought with him. This new strategy had it's merits, though he desired an apprentice to his bidding, and it was for that reason he was here, searching for such a thing. Lilanna had been such a valuable tool, why in the force did she have to slip away from him so? It didn't matter though, he would merely create another, once he finished molding the current captives he held.

His eyes shifted to his current underling, and sized the man up. This was the owner of the building he currently claimed, and it had been from the mans information that he had began rounding up his candidates. Bow it seemed he had grown a conscience, as if being allowed to live was no longer enough for him. Levos has ways to mend that of course. It was of no concern.

He had learned the owner, and his current pawn, was nothing more than a crook trying to keep himself alive. The balding middle aged man stood before him, a hint of defiance to his posture, which caused the two of Levos' escorts to raise their weapons; as if they thought this fool was a threat to him. The man began to speak, and Levos watched with a gaze of boredom. His eyes moved about the room, looking for something that he could use to kill the man if need be. He had a pair of plotted plants, thst could work, but it would risk getting dirt on himself. He couldn't allow that. He realized the man was speaking, ans humored him by actually listening, wanting to see what manner of punishment needed to be handed down.

"And further more, I wish you to depart at once."
Now this was a pleasant, surprise. Tilting his head to the side, Levos shifted his weight forward, taking in a long breath, and letting his respiratory hiss. His voice came forth, the deceptive words coming forth.

"And how will you accomplish this?"

It was a simple question, but the yellow gaze of the Sith was enough to make water freeze. On a simple human, it often caused them to lose composure. Immediately, Levos watched the defiance of the man begin to spill from his being, and fear shifted to replace it.
"We can go to the governor, he'll-"

"And this gives you power over me?"

A weezing breath filled the room, and all within it went stiff. Levos rose his hand towards the man, and watched as he wilted under the focus of the Sith. He tensed the muscles in his hand slightly, and began to squeeze the man's neck; ust enough to cause pain.

"There was a time, that when a Darth spoke, that you lot bowed your head and gave thanks we so much as acknowledged your kinds existence."

He made another motion, raising his hand upwards and downwards in quick sucession. The man's body was flung into the ceiling, then smacked back into the ground. Levos continued, his escorts watching with an increasing level of discomfort.

"Now, you show me such disrespect, such distain. It angers me."

The raspy voice had hints of anger bubbling through if now, and the hand of Levos began to tighten; his victim now began to choke.

"I can not allow this, but you know that."

There was a pause, his hand released the man, letting his struggle for breath as he hit the floor. Levos watched the man pant, sucking in air like each breath was to be his last. Suddenly, Levos grasped him by the throat once more, and clasped it into a tight fist.

"You knew that, and yet you spoke out of turn."

The man began to gurgle, the sound of breaking came from his form, yet he would not die. Unfortunately, Levos needed him. Several moments ticked by, the man being throttled to the verge of death, but Levos released him. Like it or not, the man had gotten results, and Levos felt that the fear now instilled within him would ensure loyalty until it was time to depart. Then he would deal with the man.

"I will spare you this once, child, but no more. Displease me again, and I will tear you limb from limb."

He rasped, pausing to take in a long breath off his rebreather, and watched as the man slowly lifted himself off the floor. It reminded him of a beaten Kath hound. He made a hand motion, and his troopers moved jn, seizing the man and dragging him out of the room. Levos let out a sigh, his armor hissing in response. His time here was drawing to a close, and yet he had accomplished so little-. His thoughts came to a halt, and he became aware of something curious.

There was a tremor in the force that forced his attention away. It started as a ripple, but was expanding rapidly towards him. Like a pebble hinting to an ensuring landslide, something was moving towards him and swiftly. He straightened his posture, senses reaching outward to find the danger, and felt the glass nearest him erupt.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

L I G H T- H A N -C I T Y
W I N D​

She was no longer the Knight on field duty, or the Master who led strike teams. That, Sakadi knew. Countless days had gone by, spent solely on directing the other Jedi from Silver Rest's spiralling towers. Either that, or diplomatic ventures to the estates of planetary rulers. It had required not only a shift in mindset, but also technique. Instead of combat applications, she now relied more heavily on the mercurial precognitive abilities most Force Sensitives were born with. Hers a shade more polished after extensive practice. Through the Force, she could tell the immediate future. It was like watching herself walk down a street in third person, the many narrow alleyways and branching streets representing different possibilities, with varying outcomes. It was a mighty tool in the right hands, knowing the path ahead of you.

But Sakadi could not perceive everything. She was far from omniscient. That too, she knew.

The path ahead of her, with it's many avenues and alleys, was deceptive. It was marked by hills she saw herself disappear behind, despite obscuring her vision of the future. Even with her precognition, decisions and actions were riddled with uncertainties. Gaps in the future, made simply because she could not tell what was behind the hills.

And as the window's glass shattered, Sakadi realized she stood in front of one such hill.

The Jedi caught herself with a fluid shoulder roll. Shards of glass crunched under her weight, tearing her cloak open as she rolled. With a brief glance, she confirmed the hulking Beskar Lord's existence. He was Sith. And powerful at that.

There were less than two metres between them. Too close for comfort, yet necessary to seize her advantage - the element of surprise.

Sakadi stayed in motion. Her roll flowed seamlessly into a crouch low to the ground, one leg extended to the side to stop her roll. Immediately, she propelled herself forward and shot up. Her right hand found the ignition switch of her lightsaber, the brilliant white blade coming to life in an upward thrust meant to pierce the dark figure's chest.

The second strike came from another source. Sakadi balled her empty hand into a fist as her arm moved to her chest. The Force answered her call, and a cloud of glass shards shot past her left, heading for the Lord's head at devastating speed. If her thrust would prove ineffective, she would use the glass shards as a distraction to back away immediately.

Darth Levos

 

[Darth Levos]

A City's Fear
​

Equipment: In Bio
The realization of what was coming for him sparked at the back of his mind, and the Sith lord felt a new sensation course through his mind. Ah, a jedi. This one held the filth of the light within it, and unlike the two padawans he had nearly slaughtered on Felucia, this one was power pure and focused. A master of all things, and coming to him now less. Oh, how the universe was treating him this day.

Such thoughts were interrupted, as the glass shattered, and the jedi was now in the room with him. The Beskar hilt found his palm, and his crimson blade flashed, as he brought his blade against the moment of danger that raced towards him. The jedi was fast, and her strikes came quickly. Crimson met white as Levos smashed against the tip of the blade, his weapon still in the midst of igniting, his body still moving to stand, and succeeded in deflecting the initial thrust into the beskar pauldron of his left shoulder. The blow shifted his mass to the left, but he swiftly threw his weight into his deflection, aiming to push the jedi back, just as glass began to slam and shatter against his visor. Rage bubbled at the surface, as he thrust his left hand outward, and launched several pieces of furniture against the far wall in the process. He doubted the master would be knocked aside so easily, but if he could garner enough distance to regain his footing, then he could negate her initial surprise attack.

Taking his blade in hand, Levos raised it in his right hand, blade held horizontally across his chest, fury slowly pumping through his body like a furnace. "Jedi, I thank you for seeking me out yourself. Saves me the time of dragging you out of hiding like the scheming rats you are." The hiss of cycled air sounded as his suit took notice of his elevated heart rate, and the oxygen within his suit was upped to adjust for this. It had been too long since he had a decent battle, hopefully, this would be more than his little skirmish on Felucia had been.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

L I G H T- H A N -C I T Y
W I N D​

Her blade missed it's mark, yet struck against the impervious shoulder pauldron of the giant. The barrage of glass found it's way to his visor, yet shattered with ease. It was true then. He was a man in a beskar shell.

She had overextended on purpose, believing her flank to be covered by the shards of glass. That did not prove to be enough however, as a single swipe from the giant sent her and the furniture flying. She could not react quick enough to guard herself against the wave of kinetic energy. But she wouldn't let that blow harm her.

Sakadi's lilac eyes shot to the couch positioned against the wall. She clawed with her hand through the air, summoning the Force to lift the couch in her trajectory. She slammed against it instead of the wall, the entire thing dropping back to the floor with a thump after catching her. Definitely the better outcome, considering the wall could've cause serious head injury.

Immediately, Sakadi was back on her feet. She re-ignited her lightsaber and assumed a sideguard, the blade held angled to face the floor. He held the advantages in reach, weight, and strength. To match his sheer strength, she would be limited to flat, sweeping strokes. But that alone wouldn’t be enough. She had to exhaust him, or pry him out of that beskar shell. Those were the only paths to victory.

All she had to do was find the path of least resistance first.

Without waiting for the Sith to finish, Sakadi bolted forward. She gestured with her hand to summon the Force. The coffee table in the Lord's vicinity spun on one of it's front legs, shifting to slam into his back. Another attack meant to attract his attention.

The real strike came once she was within range. Another jump, but no stroke of the blade. Instead, a crushing Force push sent downward. One to make him budge, and give her a new opening.

Darth Levos

 

[Darth Levos]

A City's Fear
​

Equipment: In Bio
His fury was a furnace, and from the heat it gave, his strength to endure continued on. His body tensed, his armor hissing as the oxygen recycler replenished the spent air, as the Beskar Lord huffed. His breaths were even, breathing exercises to keep his rage bubbling, paced, even. It was far too east to lose ones self to anger. It made sane men mad, and mad men belligerent. In that, was danger, as all skill and thinking one could muster was little more than a child flailing. He had witnessed it within a Jedi he had killed before, a fury of righteousness, of being unable to process that the force had delivered this fate upon him.

A jedi master however, would not be so weak, so easily bent out of shape. He tensed, Levos watched as his attack was negated, snarling as he tried to squeeze the space around her, perhaps breaking her ribs, snapping a limb, just put pressure around her skull and-

Movement struck in his back a half second after the force warned him, tension had built, and he whirled back, left hand snapping as another warning was already broadcasting through his mind. The table shattered against his strike, his right arm moving to parry as his body reacted to the warning, but found no saber.

Levos' had sensed it, but only for a split second did he see it, as Sakadi's hand extended towards him. He gritted his teeth as he felt what followed, and the impact slammed into him hard. He was indeed wrapped in steel, Beskar, as well as Durasteel. His suit was as resilient as a star fighter's hull. But that made it heavy as one as well.

Clever.

The floor buckled, as did the room they inhabited. Levos' broke through the floor, Sakadi's push slamming him downward, his suit assisting all the way, as he impacted the floor below, and continued. He caught movement, felt the building flying past him. His saber struck something hard, flying out of his hand in the process.

A cloud of debris followed in his wake, blinding to most, but the force was no slave to such minor things. Levos felt the floor approaching, and knew it would not be gentle. Taking the rage that had churned within him, he drew it out, and let it explode from his core. The Force responded in kind, as the downward burst caught him, the sudden lurch jostled him, crunching the room about him like a hydrolic press. He got his feet under him in the split second of the explosion, the trail of dust that followed behind him dissipated, and was converted into a cloud that hung in the air. Already, he was reaching for one of the three remaining sabers he had to his belt, and found he only had two now. A ruptured seal at his neck hissed, his suit breached as the scent of the mayhem began to fill the confines of his suit.

Witch.

A violet saber erupted from the new drawn blade, as Levos began the motion, aiming up at the hole he had made, and to the jedi master he anticipated that would follow.