Duel Galactic Kaggath Round 2: Kyric vs Phaelissia

[Razmir Tezhyn]

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Kyric vs Phaelissia​

Molten rock covered the arena floor, churning under the pressure of its own heat. The dying corpse of the Wroyshr tree lit up with flame, descending steadily as its base burned away. Great branches broke away and were quickly consumed by the lava. As it devoured the last remnants of the first round’s environment, the second round’s stage took shape.

Platforms were scattered throughout the arena. They ranged from small ones which could barely hold one person to larger ones that evoked small dueling rings. Dozens of them floated at various heights, their machinery shielded against the heat from below.

Together, they formed the battleground for this round: a precarious battle above all-consuming lava with limited space to stand on.

Those who fell would be incinerated by the lava and forgotten in a tomb of molten rock.

The announcer’s voice cut through the excited chatter of the crowds as the combatants were ferried into the arena on small, floating platforms: “In remembrance of the Battle of Mustafar, fought by the First Order and the Galactic Alliance many decades ago, we present to you the second battlefield of the Kaggath!”

“Welcoooooome to ROUND TWO of the FIRST GALACTIC KAGGATH!”

“STANDING BEFORE YOU ONCE MORE, HERE TO PROVE HIMSELF AS WORTHY OF HIS LEGACY: KYRIIIC KARIIIIIS!”

“AND THE ONE WHO STANDS TO TEAR HIM DOWN: THE TECHNOLOGICAL CYBER-ANNIHILATRIX, PHAAAEEEELIIISIAAAA!”

“CHALLENGERS! BEGIN!”

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

SOME TIME SHORTLY BEFORE ROUND 2
DUELIST LOCKER ROOMS

While Kyric was preparing for the next round, a scruffy looking Chiss woman approached him. She was decked out in various technological gadgets and accessories, and held a small datapad out to Kyric.

"A mysterious benefactor wanted you to have this. It has all available footage of Phaelissia from round one. I added a few little dashboards for analysis," the Chiss said with a quick wink.

"Make sure to make it count. Enjoy," and as quickly as the Chiss had arrived, she disappeared again.

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Arena, Valley of the Jedi - Ruusan
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Kyric

Fire surged from below. A searing promise of immolation, combustion, and fiery oblation for any who might be found wanting. Phaelissia’s eyes flicked downwards, her synthetic gaze tracing the molten rivers with something between awe and reverence. Although the Aetharian was not an Ember of Vahl, she whispered a brief prayer to the Goddess. She knew to respect a manifestation of the Goddess’ power when it appeared, if only so that she might earn a measure of Her favor once the cleansing flames arose to purge the unworthy.

Thus, prayer offered, Phaelissia turned towards her opponent.

Kyric Karis. The son of the former Sword of the Jedi. Hatred, ingrained and inherited, rose in her veins. Beneath her mask, the Aetharian’s features twitched, then tightened. Still, Phaelissia held onto her cognizance, even as memories that were not her own—of Bastion burning, of a temple sacked, and of heretics shouting profane curses of grotesque incandescence—flooded her awareness.

This was merely another Jedi, albeit one that was product of a bloodline, not wholly dissimilar to the Jedi she had defeated in the round previous. After all, it was an era of bloodlines and Force-sensitive dynasties, producing heirs that measured up to their forebears, eclipsed them, or simply faded into the stars.

Even with such long, prominent dynasties, the only currency it seemed, was strength—both active and manifested.

Phaelissia locked eyes with the Jedi—though whether that term was appropriate for Kyric, she could not begin to guess. Nevertheless, the Aetharian’s assessment was swift. She took in any potential weapons and equipment on his person that seemed outwardly visible. Then, she took note of the space. The two combatants were situated across from each on the same large, circular platform, which Phaelissia deduced as having a diameter of just over thirty-five meters, with twenty separating them for the moment. There was room enough to maneuver, but given the sheer drop towards the molten river below, the opportunity remained for weakness to be punished.

With the call to initiate the bout, Phaelissia dropped into a crouch, synthetic eyes lighting up like twin stars. Frozen fury, promised and perhaps soon (but not now), made manifest!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Gymkhana Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates
• Cybernetics and Augmentations

 

[Kyric]

LET'S LIGHT THIS FETHIN' PLACE ON FIRE
​

Before the fight...

The Chiss' appearance captured Kyric's attention through his meditation. He peered up at the woman with unmasked curiosity, his brow furrowed and eyes alight with untampered excitement. The closer they drew to the battle the hotter the fire burned within the Jedi Knight's chest. This was his opportunity to not only face the weight of his family's legacy, but an opportunity to face the fears rooted deeply in his heart following his brush with death on Coruscant years prior.

Every opponent he faced, win or lose, served to make him stronger. Their tactics would be the kiffar's to devour, their knowledge added to his ever-expanding repertoire.

Footage delivered direct would only make such things easier.

Kyric nodded at the Chiss and took the tiny datapad. He watched her depart, then tapped the little play button with a smile. "This'll come in handy, huh girl?"

The vornskr curled up in the shadow of the doorway flicked its ears in Kyric's direction and promptly went back to sleep.

Now...

Thirty minutes had changed quite a bit about the Kaggath. Between the ongoing bounties placed on it and its hosts and the backroom deals in preparation to collect said bounties, Kyric felt the tension like a swiftly approaching storm. As if literal death matches weren't enough, the thought of the added danger set the boy's hands a trembling.

"Damn," the Jedi muttered and clenched them into fists. The pre-fight jitters hit him heavier than even the first bout, but he shifted his focus from stressors beyond his control. He took several deep breaths, his gaze locked on his opponent across the way standing amid the remnants of the Wroyshr tree.

A cursory glance revealed little more than a smaller-than-average woman armed with her fair share of weaponry and gear.

The contents of the holorecording Kyric viewed earlier cut through the illusion.

Phaelissia's body was so decked out with cybernetics and realty defying gear that the Jedi struggled to make sense of most of it at first. By the end of his study session, he suspected the cyborg boasted neurological enhancement to outpace the likes of Lily's Force-based empowerment. The way Phaelissia's chakram shifted trajectory early on suggested a form of remote control, likely connected to those very same neuro-enhancers, or perhaps a guiding mechanism constructed into her eyes. Her ability to ignore gravity and inertia to dodge uninhibited didn't bode well, either.

"What would you do here, pops?" Kyric asked aloud while his opponent knelt down in prayer.

In answer, Razmir's voice sounded over the arena.

“Welcoooooome to ROUND TWO of the FIRST GALACTIC KAGGATH!”

“STANDING BEFORE YOU ONCE MORE, HERE TO PROVE HIMSELF AS WORTHY OF HIS LEGACY: KYRIIIC KARIIIIIS!”

“AND THE ONE WHO STANDS TO TEAR HIM DOWN: THE TECHNOLOGICAL CYBER-ANNIHILATRIX, PHAAAEEEELIIISIAAAA!”

“CHALLENGERS! BEGIN!”

Kyric vanished.

He did not move so incredibly fast as to appear like he vanished, nor did he turn invisible.

Empowered by the Force Nexus beneath his feet, Kyric flickered from his starting place on the arena to some three hundred meters above the battlefield. He lifted his hand to the sky above with little fanfare. Green lightning sparked with a greater intensity than his first match, crackling with unchecked power in anticipation to smite the Kainite; the Jedi's earlier hesitation to kill entirely vanished in the face of the heathen-worshipper of such fell powers.

Kyric knew exactly what Ryv Karis would do when faced with such a malignant parasite.

Lets see if you're faster than lightning.

A storm erupted from Kyric's outstretched hand with such force it stopped his descent entirely. The arching mass of emerald lightning spread out like a web before it coiled together into the form of a mighty dragon, forged in the likeness of his Master Inosuke Ashina's presence within the great empyrean. The dragon grew larger in size as the kiffar fed it with the Nexus's power until its snarling maw dwarfed the platform beneath Phaelissia's feet.

The storm descended to the beat of a great thunderclap.

---

Tags: Phaelissia
Force Bonds: Bernard | Capris Halcyon | Lord Creuat
Honorable Mentions: Inosuke Ashina
Equipment: "Aspis" Pattern Combat Shield | Resolute | Replica Jacket | Ion Pistol | Standard Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | CryoBan Grenade x2 | Thermal Detonators x2 | Electromagnetic Pulse Grenades x1 | Incendiary Grenade x2

 

[Mauve]

"WHAT IS THAT!"

A series of droids hauling the FORCE NULL CAGE came into view, hovering in the air over the platform where Kyric was hanging over, calling down lightning. They abruptly dropped the cage and it came crashing down, aimed to slam upon the platform and surround both Kyric and Phaelissia .

"Wow! Someone must have paid A LOT for that."

This was followed by a succession of hovering probe droids - no less than 10 - that swarmed around Kyric and Phaelissia's platforms, each one holding an yslamiri in a nutrient pod, creating moving - interweaving bubbles of no Force. Then those droids abruptly activated their cloaking devices and disappeared from view.

"OH MY FORCE - well, not anymore ha ha ha - that is ooooone hell of a gift, unbelievable. Kyric looks like he is in trouble now!"

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Arena, Valley of the Jedi - Ruusan
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Kyric

In a haze of distorted light, the Jedi vanished from sight and sound, leaving only a roaring current in his wake as the air rushed to fill the void he had occupied only moments prior. Phaelissia’s ears twitched then, before her eyes shifted skyward, synthetic gaze catching sight of a dragon taking shape amidst a surging storm of emerald lightning.

A dragon, yet seemingly cast in the likeness of a man.

For a moment, Phaelissia thought that it was something else. She wasn’t under any impression that this particular Jedi was one for camera play or showmanship, nor had she expected a hologram show to take place during the bout. However, it was the rising scent of ozone in the air that dispelled her of the notion, her eyes widening with realization as the storm came alight with raw, galvanic fury.

At that point, her hair stood on end, the rising ionization in the air cuing her into reality.

A sharp breath. Phaelissia dropped into a crouch and slammed her left palm onto the platform, immediately grounding herself. The Aetharian made herself ready, a prayer sharp on her lips as her bodysuit came alight, integrated energy shields coming online a split-second before the lightning blast struck. The Terentatek hide in her bodysuit repelled the worst of its metaphysical wrath. However, lightning was still lightning. It sought a path.

And Phaelissia had given it one.

Viridescent fire wrapped around her form, hissing as her bodysuit’s ion shielding flared blue, wrestling the discharge away from her flesh. The Ostrine coating drank the heat greedily, but the sheer kinetic force of the lightning’s impact forced her down onto a knee, her teeth rattling. Still, even with the mitigation provided by her bodysuit, Phaelissia felt some of the heat and energy lick at her flesh, searing it an angry crimson. She knew that the burns were minor and would heal within hours if given the opportunity—not within seconds or minutes as the manufacturer of her regenerator implant advertised.

All the while, her vision flickered in and out, warnings howling within her awareness as the electrical energy assailed her cybernetics. The damage report flashed before her eyes, reporting that all four of her FlameShock and ElectroShock projectors had shorted out.

She felt the platform below her begin to heat up, then—

Relief.

Phaelissia opened her eyes, a sharp, high-pitched gasp rising from her lips. Her bodysuit glowed faintly where the lightning had kissed it, but the damage was superficial. After assessing the damage, the Aetharian’s gaze widened as she took in her new surroundings, which was no longer an open platform, but a cage.

And she, one of its prisoners.

Phaelissia rose to her feet, smoke curling from her fingertips. Her FlameShock and ElectroShock projectors initiated the rebooting process with a harsh whine, but she knew that it would take time for them to restore functionality.

Across the platform—now cage—her gaze shifted towards the Jedi, illuminating in a renewed promise of lethality.

And now, a promise fulfilled.

Phaelissia’s synthetic eyes snapped open, beams of ionized CryoBan surging from her gaze like twin lances with the aim of striking Jedi in his eyes. Precision meeting raw power in an expression of calculated fury, set alight by innate, ancestral vengeance!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Gymkhana Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates
• Cybernetics and Augmentations

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

Among the chaos of droids and platforms, one small worker droid, unrelated to the massive effort to create a localized Null-Force zone, suddenly veered off course. Its movement remained stable, purposeful, as though an unknown benefactor had issued it an updated task it was to accomplish.

It dropped the cargo it was carrying--a crate of nuna-nuggets that would make some audience member very happy--and bee-lined it up. The task it had been issued, as it turned out, brought the droid on a direct path towards Kyric while he was still airborne, course correcting for any drop in altitude that might occur.

Kyric Phaelissia

 

[Kyric]

Break Chit​

The appearance of an actual, full-sized, force nullification cage from overtop the arena edge caught Kyric entirely off guard. He felt gravity take over the instant his ridiculous display of power vanished beneath the cage and ring of lizards. It dropped overhead, slowly gaining on the Jedi Knight. Wind whipped passed his body in an endless roar that swallowed him whole. The arena floor grew closer and closer with each passing second and all the Jedi could really do was watch his death happen in real time, a look caught between fatalistic acceptance and total disbelief etched into his scarred visage.

Until the rogue probe droid veered off course, that is.

Thank ye, thank ye, thank ye, Kyric thought as the droid swept beneath him at such an angle as to allow the Jedi to land astride it without breaking every bone in his chest. The droid lurched to the side with the added weight and arched toward the sides of the descending cage some sixty meters in the air.

Kyric wrapped his legs around the thing and hung upside down. One hand fell to grasp the sheath and squeezed the trigger, while the other snatched the hilt of the blade as it shot from the sheath. The weapon swept out in a horizontal strike that sheared through one of the broad beams connecting the chainlink-like walls. Metal blew aside and the little probe droid narrowly inched out from the cage a hairsbreadth away from the entire thing splatting Kyric against the floor via the force of literal gravity.

With a faint click, he returned his blade to its sheath.

His escape did nothing to deal with the now-cloaked lizards spiraling around him.

Before Kyric could properly make use of the droid to fly off to another platform, he spotted Phaelissia's gaze shine with a killer's intent. He hadn't been sure during his viewing of last round's footage whether it was a tell to exploit or a product of her programming, but he snatched the topmost ring around the cage and torqued his hips upward. The probe droid, still locked between his legs, caught the cryo-beam full-force as Kyric vaulted up and over the rim, landing atop the nullification cage.

What do I even do about that?

Kyric dashed across the top of the cage and drew his blaster pistol in his offhand. He pointed the effectively useless weapon at Phaelissia and opened fire with the precision of a well-practiced shot. His other hand moved beneath his jacket where he clicked a thermal detonator in an effort to cook it where she couldn't see. After his fifth shot, the kiffar ripped his arm back and threw the grenade with enough time for it to fly the distance between them and burst within range of the cyborg.

Assuming it cleared the distance at all.

---

Tags: Phaelissia | Razmir Tezhyn | Mauve
Equipment: "Aspis" Pattern Combat Shield | Resolute | Replica Jacket | Ion Pistol | Standard Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | CryoBan Grenade x2 | Thermal Detonators x1 | Electromagnetic Pulse Grenades x1 | Incendiary Grenade x2