Duel Galactic Kaggath Quarterfinals: Antar vs Fenn Stag

[Mauve du Vain]

x

The boiling lava forming the surface of the arena began to hiss and steam.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN THE THIRD ROUND?”

The hissing grew louder, the steam now rising in voluminous clouds, concealing the entire surface of the arena behind a condensation layer so thick it appeared like a sauna.

A sudden geyser of water burst from the midst of the arena and the sound of rushing water became overpowering. As the steam dissipated, it revealed that the lava had cooled and hardened, but was swiftly disappearing beneath a lake of water.

“What you are seeing is four MILLION gallons of salt water pumped into the arena. And those cages being lowered in… Yyes those are in fact mutated firaxan sharks!”

The beasts thrashed wildly before they were let loose from cages and splashed into the water.

Hoverfreighters lowered huge platforms onto the surface of the water, which floated placidly.

“BEHOLD! THE GREAT PLANET OF MANAAN AND ITS FLOATING CITIES!”

The not-Marka Ragnos announcer zoomed around on a hover pod, holding something aloft in his hands.

“AND ITS SEAS….” He snapped the vial and tossed it down into the water far below. A thick, pungent green ichor spilled out from the vial and began to pollute the surface of the arena lake. “POISONED!”

“YES, THAT’S RIGHT, THIS ROUND REPRESENTS THE BATTLE OF MANAAN AND ALL THOSE WHO FOUGHT AND DIED THERE SO LONG AGO!”

Smaller buoys bobbed in the midst of the lake, strange bundles attached to them.

“EVEN A SMALL DIP IN THE LAKE MEANS CERTAIN DEATH… BUT THERE ARE SOME ANTIDOTES, CONVENIENTLY BUOYED ACROSS THE ARENA! USE RESPONSIBLY, THERE’S ONLY FOUR!.”

Of course, the contestants could also use abilities to purge the toxins from their system too, but where was the fun in announcing that to the audience?

"FACING OFF ACROSS THE PLATFORMS, YOUR BLACK SUN CHAMPION AND STIIIIIIIILL YET TO TECHNICALLY WIN A ROUND - AAAAAAANTAAAAAR. AND HIS OPPONENT, THE MANDO SO OYA HE IS OUT OF HIS MIND, FENN. STAAAAAAAAG!"

“LET THE QUARTER FINALS OF THE GALACTIC KAGGATH, BEGIN!”

Antar | Fenn Stag

 

[Antar]

The Black Sun's reaper arrives in the arena upon a small propelled craft. It carries him across the water to one of the larger stationary platforms and he steps onto it to face his opponent down. As he was in the second round, Antar is once again clad head-to-toe in all black.

He sizes Fenn up, assessing the danger posed by a wounded predator.

Hands on his hips, Antar looks at one of the broadcast screens in the arena and wryly smiles as he is introduced.

He turns his attention back to Fenn. Calls out to him.

"That was a good fight last round, man. Really good."

He summons his lightsaber to his hand and ignites its golden blade.

"Let's have fun."

 

[Fenn Stag]

UNBROKEN.
​

Fenn rolled his shoulders forward, as he stepped onto the platform facing Antar . His helmet was cracked in the visor, hateful green eyes staring down his opponent. He tapped the spear on the ground. His armor was scorched, bloodied, and his face was still cut. A large gash in his flightsuit had been recently repaired on his stomach, and there was a tell-tale blue splash where bacta stained his skin and clothing. He didn't breathe raggedly.

He was still in the fight fight fight


@Opponent: all knees & knives.
☼☼☼

"!!!V I C T O R Y!!!"
//WAR=god playing dice with bones//
He twitched
…grin.
?breathing or laughing?

—"Hit me! I'm the old ways!"—
[right fist = worship of the old Gods]
[left fist = fire]​

SKREEEEEEEEE——>
blood = ink = glory

"☠Fight-fight-fight☠"
echoed the worms in his ears
++ no sword, no plan, just ++​

~☼~ ↘ time folded like paper
↖ he stepped into the crease.


His head turned to the side. For a moment, in the force, there were more than just the two of them in the arena. Perhaps three. Perhaps four. Perhaps many more. He breathed heavily, laying the spear across his body. Spear, knife, beskad, armor, crushgaunts, he was the weapon not his weapons he was in control what was control I am control who is control there is no death there is no life there is only war there is only death there is only war-

He breathed deeply, his eyes shutting.

No, the insanity, the creeping, looming thoughts.

His crushgaunts tightened around the beskar spear.

It had once belonged to Hakon Fett.

Fenn took it off his corpse.

"I am war."

He reached to his helmet, sealing it more firmly into place. It clicked, hissed, air escaping the gash in the visor.

"I am the old ways."

He dragged the spear on the ground as he approached the Black Sun Enforcer.

"I am Ori'Ramikad."

Voice was louder. His voice. Their voice. The voice.

"And you are in my way."​

 

[Antar]

One. Ten. Ten thousand.

There was no number of men that would keep Antar's left foot from stepping forward. Nor his right. He marches to meet Fenn at the middle of their platform. He stops only when they are face-to-face and much too close for either to swing their weapons. Antar tightly grips his lightsaber at his side, and he looks up to meet a single baleful eye peering back down at him.

"I am nothing. And nobody. Move me aside if you can."

With his free hand, he knocks on Fenn's chestplate with his knuckle.

"You're a big guy. Should be easy, right?"

Then Antar plants his hand on Fenn's chest, and rather than pushing the Mandalorian away, Antar pushes himself back to make space to swing his lightsaber at him.

 

[Fenn Stag]

I WILL MOVE YOU
​

The spear came up to block the lightsaber, blade meeting Beskar. He looked towards the confrontation of blade and spear for a moment. Sparks flew. His bloodied, broken visor turned back to face his opponents. He stared at him. Right into his eyes.

Predator, indeed. Killer, trained. Violent. Capable. His left hand was on the spear. Mechanically augmented beskar-weave prosthetics.

His right went to grab the outstretched arm holding the lightsaber. And-

He went to flip Antar over his shoulder with a hip-toss.


"As you wish."

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

Je'ames the Duro hit the button which lowered the freighter's cargo ramp right as the dingy, beat-up freighter approached the Kaggath arena. He watched his two underlings carefully move their packages into position.

"Je'ames, this is a waste of good product," one of the underlings complained.

"We receive the decs, we take care of business. Just toss it, capisce?" Je'ames replied.

With some grumbling protests the underlings moved the large stack of packages right onto the edge of the loading ramp. Then they waited until the freighter made a low-pass above the arena battlegrounds. The freighter flew a slow circle. The underlings began to toss the cargo in large chunks. Dozens of neatly wrapped packages fell free, then burst mid-air to scatter glitterstim over the dueling grounds.

Glitterstim was a potent variety of the drug family "spice" that was mined on Kessel. It gave the user a brief, yet pleasurable, telepathic boost and heightened mental state.

Once they were done, the freighter left the air space again. In its wake, a translucent blue cloud that sparked with harmless blue electricity covered the 'Seas of Manaan'. The cloud rolled over the waters, potentially engulfing everyone. Not even the first few rows of onlookers were spared the telepathic hallucinogenic's effects.

Fenn Stag Antar

 

[Antar]

"Oooh," Antar is impressed with Fenn's quick reaction as plasma clashes with beskar.

"Oooh!" A second exclamation as Antar's legs make an arc through the air. He lands on his side with his head up and free hand planted. As he is thrown, he deactivates his sword. Antar breaks the fall with relative ease and immediately turns his body using his planted hand as a pivot. Antar traps Fenn's legs between his own with the intention of bringing the Mandalorian onto the ground with him.

Above them, a shimmering cloud descends upon them. Antar, too immersed in trying to bring Fenn down, doesn't notice the narcotics even as it gets closer to the platform.

 

[Fenn Stag]

Antar
​

His brief victory and follow through was short-lived, and unfulfilled. He felt his legs go out from under him, and his heavy weight was slammed to the floor. Raining above them, stimulants rained down. His body was sealed in the flight suit and helmet- but the cuts, the visor, it eventually found it's way in.

They hadn't taken effect quite yet-

But they would. Fenn's immediate notice was the color palette shifting in a few moments. In the meantime however-

On the ground, a mechanical fist raised back- and with frightening and hateful force- came crashing towards the stomach of his opponent.

 

[Antar]

Fenn Stag
​

After bringing Fenn down to an even level, Antar is quick to spring into action. He pushes himself off the floor with the same hand he used to pivot himself into the leg sweep to catch Fenn's attempt at a hammer fist.

Antar slides a hook in under Fenn's upraised arm and locks his hands behind the Mandalorian's back. He holds him there, trying with all of his might to keep the larger man in place. Their bodies, both which are mountains of muscles honed by discipline, struggle for dominance.

In spotting a brief window, Antar makes the attempt to release the hold to transition to Fenn's back.

Then it hits. Euphoria.

Glitterstim flows through the bloodstream.

Antar's synapses fire on all cylinders and he rushes into his attempt to gain a position on Fenn's back, potentially leaving him open for a reversal, but Antar doesn't weigh the risk. He moves with trained technique, speed, and power without any restraints like fear and hesitation holding him back.