Right to Rule [Vilox Pazela vs. Darth Vaildra]

[Darth Vazela]

| [member="Darth Vaildra"] |

Belkadan sat on the fringes of the known Galaxy, insignificant and petty in comparison to the worlds that surrounded it. A prime example of this was Bastion, jewel of the Imperial Remnant and lastly of the Primeval invaders, who were sent packing to their lost homeworld of Gulamendis by the Mandalorian Clans they had sought to invade.

Yet, the stirring of change was set to occur on the fringe world. The Sith Empire, defeated by the Jedi and Mandalorians in 837 ABY, was set to make it's return to the Galaxy. As the attention was diverted to the Deep Core, where the One Sith had ruled in the intervening years since the Empire's collapse, two Sith Lords had gathered on Belkadan to begin again.

But only the strong were powerful and the only the powerful could rule. Pazela would never bow the knee to no man, unless he was made too. So, it came to this. Pazela vs. Vaildra, to determine who would claim the right to rule over the Empire that they were set to create.

The setting was one of Belkadan's rain forests. Entering the area, Pazela lifted his hooded gaze to Vaildra. "I have come to begin anew. Whether it is with your compliance or not is inconsequential, unless you defeat me or I defeat you. Such is the dichotomy of the Sith."

 

[Darth Vaildra]

This was a hell of a world, not worthy to hold such a duel, but in reality Vaildra was not too concerned with this. He admired his fellow Lord's desire to never bow a knee unless it was to someone more powerful and so Vaildra accepted the opportunity to bend someone's knee. He admitted he knew very little about his opponent, but he knew when it came to experience Vaildra had the upperhand, but this wasn't necessarily an advantage. Pazela held an advantage as Vaildra knew nothing about his ability. It wasn't a big advantage as Vaildra had fought many different types and was fluent in many styles so he was always prepared to change tactics on a moment's notice.

As Vaildra's ship landed he began to disrobe down to only his pants. He would not allow armor to be a factor here, this was a duel, a test of strength and whoever won here should win by their own abilities and not by technology. So leaving his beskar armour behind he put his long hair, now at shoulder length into a bun and grabbed his two lightsabers. Exiting his ship he made his way through the woods keeping his senses open for any traps. Just because this was a duel did not mean his opponent was above manipulation and deception and wouldn't try to kill Vaildra on the way.

He entered the clearing to find his robed opponent waiting. He opened with words stating his reasoning, a reasoning Vaildra already understood. He merely nodded once in response and lifted one single lightsaber off his belt and ignited its red blade. He brought up the blade to his face holding it vertically in a Makashi salute and then brought it down with one handed grip for a middle guard. Here he would wait to see if his opponent would fight the same way Vaildra did or make their first move.

[member="Vilox Pazela"]

 

[Darth Vazela]

| [member="Darth Vaildra"] |

Opening himself to the power of the dark side, Pazela entered the more ethereal realm of the Force, tapping into his arcane knowledge amassed over centuries that were yet to come. Trapped within an enigma, Pazela swallowed the dark side and subsequently made himself it's Master, with an ability in the Force so rare, that only few in recorded history had managed to ever exert their will over such a power.

Exerting himself over the dark side took Pazela time, however. It would take a few, short moments to open himself up to the power of Force Travel, gifting his opponent rare time to attack. But whether Pazela was making a mistake in allowing Vaildra an opening or if it was bait for a trap remained to be seen. With the dark side incarnate around Pazela, his Force Power built in preparation and anticipation of his first attack.

 

[Darth Vaildra]

Vaildra could feel the power in the area building, but for what was unclear. Had he known Vilox was about to use Force Travel he would have stopped to watch. It was a very rare ability indeed and took many years to learn to travel short distances let alone great ones. Vaildra could not recall ever seeing it used so this would be a treat if he got to. The problem was Vaildra did not want to be here all day playing around. He decided quickly that he would bring the Sith down hard and fast and knew the very ability he would use.

While Vaildra could not Force Tracel, a concept he had yet to even look into, he was known as a speed demon and as such he had his own mode of movement. He would let himself prepare for an incoming attack as his body stood still and at the same time blurred as he shifted back and forth in small movements to create an after image even though he was there. He did, however, call on a power he created called shadow shaping which turned darkness into a physical, tangible weapon. Harnessing the power of the dark side a tenical shot out of the shadows behind Vilox creating a spike that was lurching forward at Vilix to impail him. Vaildra had to be cautious and not over excerpt himself before he could prepare his final move. He knew better than to sit in the dark and so he openned his senses and awareness to the Force around him. It had never been proven if Vaildra was the fastest Sith, once Ferus proved to be possibly as fast as Vaildra, but it ended before an answer was given. The thing that truly made Vaildra fast was his senses. He was Echani full blooded and so his natural gift to 'perdict' moves along side his acute senses in the Force made him a deadly threat, but one day if he let that get the best of him it may be his down fall.
[member="Vilox Pazela"]

 

[Darth Vazela]

| [member="Darth Vaildra"] |

Pazela allowed his eyes to averted from Vaildra momentarily. His yellow, predatory eyes fell upon the incoming spike with impunity. Such a power will never defeat me, he thought to himself. Time seemed to slow in the intervening seconds between Vaildra and his attack, whilst Pazela exerted his will over the dark side itself. Pain pinged the Sith Lord for the briefest of moments, as the spike begun to impale him. A testimony to Vaildra and his speed, that he managed the minuscule stab before Pazela finished casting his ability.

As Vaildra blinked, eyes gazed upon his opponent, his will exerted over the shadows to stab and impale the would be usurper, Pazela was gone within a blink of the eye. Force Travel, the ability to transport a Sith Lord from one planet to another. A power that made the lightyears insignificant, minuscule, inconsequential to such a being and his powers of the dark side. Was it then overkill that such a power was used for a moment such as this?

For Pazela hadn't translocated himself from Belkadan to another world, but to a single spot on the world itself and that position- that very spot that Pazela had transported himself- was directly behind Vaildra. Already, the events were in motion. Seemingly disappearing from the spot, surely dead to the spikes impalement, Vaildra found his opponent now directly behind him and already, Pazela was moving, so precise and meticulous in his scheme to make Vaildra bow to his power.

Hand withdrawing his lightsaber from inside his robe, Pazela swung his arm down, spinning his body to turn to Vaildra as he appeared behind him. Out of the Force Travel and back into Belkadan, Pazela pressed down on the ignition button, to ignite the weapon that would break Vaildra.

Snap-hiss came the crimson light, ready to cleave Vaildra where he stood; and that was precisely that Pazela was trying to do. Bringing his lightsaber up from his robes, igniting the weapon as he did so, to bring the lightsaber back down in a cutting motion to Vaildra's body, after moving behind his back with Force Travel.

 

[Darth Vaildra]

This fight was going to prove to be a testament to Vaildra's rule, but unlike Emperors before him power would not blind his judgement or drop his guard. He was training the greatest Sith this Galaxy would ever see and so it meant he must be greater and always growing. He did not expect his ability to kill or finish off him so quickly, but he was wrong that this ability would not be the downfall of him. If that move did not connect then Vaildra could have been a grave man. Truth be told, he really did not have any experience with Force Travel, but he did understand it. He thought it comparable to plain walking as it meant going into the Force to appear somewhere else with the Force. This was an incredibility draining ability, but also effective. What happens though, when someone draws not only themselves through the Force, but bits of someone else's signature?

This answer would be what defined this battle. If Vaildra could calculate all things and also sense his own signature then the battle would be decided, but if he was wrong his upper hand would be lost. His shadow attack connected and left bits of itself in Vilox which made him slightly easier to track. Then he disappeared and Vaildra had to act. His ace was ready, but he was not sure where Vilox would attack, but he did narrow it down. A front attack would make the Travel a wasted use of powers. Both sides would be a good attack, but Vaildra's guard made them also unlikely which left a back sided attack.

Battle after battle had taught the Emperor that people favoured attacks to the back as they were the most movement needed to guard and so most likely to happen. Once Vaildra blinked, he did not blink in the Force so when he disappeared Vaildra rolled forward and turned hoping he was right. While the Force Travel was instant, the attack itself was not. The act of drawing, igniting and then slashing the weapon -- in Vaildra's option -- wasted the effort of using such a powerful ability. It gave someone with Vaildra's reaction time too much time to react. With the training of an Echani like Vaildra, Vilox could become even more deadly, but today he would learn power. He gathered the Force in his free hand and summoned the Dark Side to create a spear known as Darkshear that he launched behind where he was hoping to make connection and end this. Darkshear was an ability of making the Force visible, something that took him a decade to learn and master. It was dodgeable, but at this range and speed it would be epic if he could dodge it. Force Travel would take even more power to use to dodge it which would leave Vilox week and open to defeat.

Though unlike most Sith, Vaildra did not deal in absolutes and was prepared to act if this did not end things.

The only problem was Vaildra always claimed to move in an instant, but Vilox proved he had never been a person who could move at such speed, but Vilox could. Vaildra moved with perfect reflex, but the instant move provided Vaildra with a slash across his back, but the attack would not be enough to bring the Dark Lord down. The slash did however burn at Vaildra's back, the pain he would use to fuel his rage. Darkshear was a gamble and if it didn't work then this battle would go for a lot longer than needed, but if it connected it would end things by it's nature. The move would not kill even though it was famous for that, but Vaildra took Vilox's height into consideration so he aims for the stomach, a spot that would end, but not kill quickly.

[member="Vilox Pazela"]