Round 2: It looks nothing like the Temple of Exar Kun… (Tmoxin v Warok v Jareth)

[Darth Timoris]

It was a small and dedicated Academy that was designed by Melori primarily a training facility for duelling for members of the One Sith. It is also a ‘secret’ base of operations for the Covenant of the Black Rose when on Tython. But probably less of a secret now.

The forest it rests in has been turned into a perfectly manicured circle – albeit two kilometres in diameter. And at the centre of the circle was a space some two-hundred and fifty metres across, again perfectly circular.

Around the temple was a lake. Access to the Academy was via stones– embedded slightly below the surface of the water. The need for secure footing forces visitors to bow slightly to see their way. And even from close by, it looks as though visitors are literally walking on the water.

The massive structure itself is based on the Temple of Exar Kun (OK, now you come to mention it, there are some similarities). The outside is predominantly black obsidian, studded with corusca gems. The gems were limited to the exterior (due to cost) – apart from a few rooms inside. Their extensive use was cost-prohibitive but the way the light played on them – making it look as if a furnace was inside kept the imagery of burning alive. This site wasn’t just about the Sith’s presence – it was about an absence of the Jedi – they had been burned from this land – physically and metaphorically.

From the entrance there is a main hall with a small obsidian monument decorated with the faces of the greatest of the Sith’s duellists. At the centre of the hall is a dual stair-case leading to the upper levels.

The top floor has the height of three.– its height reflecting a sense of majesty. Stone floors, pillars and the ubiquitous statues. It is a glorious place for Sith to learn how to duel – affording space as well as an environment to be used where necessary.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] would find herself on a mezzanine, overlooking the main floor. At each end of that main floor were [member="Warok the Defiler"] and [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]. Their goal was simple; defeat the other two.

It should be mentioned that each was in a very cramped cell, especially imported for the occasion. No discomfort was spared. And, as expected, the doors of their portable cells were locked.

A claxon sounded and Melori smiled. She always envisaged a duel to open the facilities and she finally got her wish. Oh happy days…

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

As in the previous Sith Tournament, Tmoxin was also in a cage, but this particular enclosure was much smaller. The metal bars pressed around her body, causing a distinct claustrophobia, so much that the Hapan Dark Jedi had to meditate to not focus on how she could not turn or move. Instead with eyes closed, she tried to use her other senses to help predict the environment in which she would be fighting. She could hear nothing but the faint hum of the temple and a knock and then a clank from one of her other opponents in their respective cages. But she smelled something loamy, not like a sea marsh, but a lake bed. Ah yes, the lake that surrounded the temple. That could come in handy, thought Tmoxin. Water would render an enemy’s lightsaber useless. If her adversaries were even going to fight with their blades.

Like the last time, the Hapan didn’t wear Sith robes but something of her own design, tailored in a Fountain Palace boutique.

Spoiler

As the klaxon sounded, she pulled her crimson saber from her belt and sliced upon the metal of the cage in a long diagonal sweep. Once she was free, she quickly scanned the mezzanine for Force signatures but there were none. Her opponents were down below. Smirking, she decided to stay above them for now, using her unique position as an advantage. Tmoxin had an idea of where they were, but the Hapan Dark Jedi lacked the training in Force Sight to really pinpoint her opponent’s locations. So for now, she would wait until one of them were in her sights to attack.

[member="Warok the Defiler"] [member="Darth Timoris"] [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*As Jareth always did as he entered a battlefield, he immediately hid his presence in the force. The locked box was cramped, but not so much that he could not twitch around a bit. His box hit the ground, and he could feel the disturbance of the wind around two similar moving objects he assumed to be his opponents cages. He wanted to remain as hidden as possible, so instead of using his lightsaber to cut the lock, he used force combustion on a smaller scale to blow the inner workings as he heard a lightsaber ignite on the upper levels, this would mask the slight popping noise as his cages lock opened for him to move out of the cage. Upon exiting the cage, Jareth immediately found a place to hide nearby to his cage behind one of the massive pillars so that he could get his bearings. The room was open, and there was someone on the upper level moving and disturbing the air currents, someone could possibly be on the lower level with him; however, he could not tell exactly as there had not yet been any extra movement. This fight was a 3 person fight, but hopefully Jareth hiding his force presence and remaining hidden physically would allow him to cause his opponents to assume they were one against one.*

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Isar]

With a shriek like a dying krayt dragon, the hinges of the metal cage rent apart before unyielding paw. The deformed door swung open with a sullen creak and an ewok emerged from his temporary prison. He wore naught but a simple head covering and a gauntlet upon each arm, made from some foreign alloy.

Umber fur stood still in the windless temple. Nothing else stirred. An indistinct presence waited above and to the left, and as Warok narrowed his eyes he could make out an empty cage at the far end of the nave. Large statues lined the hall, casting shadows in the slight light afforded by the few windows.

The ewok listened, remembering the way the munyip could glide from tree to tree in the night, guided only by its hearing. He heard his own breath, now loud in his ears. He listened harder and caught the hum of a lightsaber. Shutting his eyes tight, he bore down with all his focus and expanded his awareness until he could hear hearts hammering like drums. Three of them.

Marking their positions, Warok let the heightened hearing fall away. He bashed his gauntlets together, fist to fist. The air rang with the sound of metal-on-metal.

"Warriors, come out to play-ay."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] | [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

There was no time to marvel at the temple’s interior design, nor the obsidian monuments that stood tall, heads bowed in testament to Sith who had come before. The Hapan was on a mission to find her first opponent. She heard a pop and then a shriek as the metal of other cages was being pulled apart or broken to allow their occupants their freedom. Her eyes widened as she heard a taunting, high-pitched voice beckoning her to “come out to play.”

Was this a child?

No, the accent proved that Basic was not his first language, the tone of his voice more humanoid.

While she could jump to the lower level, using the Force to buffer her fall, she decided to preserve her strength and walked calmly down the stairs instead. Her crimson blade lighting her way through the dim light, she finally saw him.

An ewok.

Tmoxin didn’t have a lot of experience with the primitive creatures, but was a seasoned enough officer and combatant to know that you shouldn’t underestimate your foe. No matter what shape or size.

On the other side of the hall, she also spied the empty cage. Ah their other opponent decided to slink away and hide like a rat roach. That can be easily fixed, thought Tmoxin.

With a powerful Force push and a sharp, feminine groan, her black-gloved hand shot out, and the Hapan blasted the ewok with a telekinetic wave, thrusting him toward the other cage, hoping to draw out the unseen duelist and keep the fuzzy creature away from her for a little longer. With any luck the mystery Sith would attack the ewok, and then Tmoxin would have them both in her sights to pick off one by one.

[member="Warok the Defiler"] [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Jareth crouched behind the pillar a short ways from the cage he had escaped and then shut. He heard the sound of metal rending as something ripped it free, and felt the slow walk of the upstairs enemy disturbing the air currents in the room. As he peered from his hidden location he could see a blast of telekinetic energy soaring through the air at what seemed to be... An Ewok? A very dangerous looking Ewok. He would remain in his position seeing how the Ewok would react to the blast.*

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Isar]

A fallen angel came from above, ash brown hair flowing out behind her and a brand of crimson clutched in one hand. She loosed imprisoned winds in a shockwave with an open-palmed gesture before her feet touched the ground. The blast buffeted Warok, picking him up and sending him tumbling head-over-heels down the central causeway.

He skidded across the smooth, obsidian floor before coming to a stop, flat on his back. The faces of long-dead lords stared down at him with judgement. He sneered back at their furless faces and rose carefully, conscious of the new aching in his flesh. Eyes the pallor of tar pits found the seraphic foe.

"Stop," Warok held up a gauntleted hand, "We fight while the other hides. Weakness has no place among we boar-wolves. Let the true prey feel fear before we turn upon each other."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] | [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

If Tmoxin had known that the ewok thought she was a celestial being, that may have put a crack in her icy, porcelain veneer. However, most of the galaxy thought the Hapan was quite the opposite: a red-haired, untrustworthy succubus.

But the idea she had next would prove that she was more devil than angel. Tmoxin needed to flush out this other opponent, no matter what the cost.

"The ewok may be short in stature, but his fearlessness makes him a giant," she shouted, her words echoing through the Academy.

A five second pause.

"Pity, I cannot say the same about you."

The Hapan's specialty was Force coercion. She had years of experience in mind control, even before her training in the Force. As a military commander for both the Sith and the Hapan Queen, she applied the most potent interrogation drugs the Imperial med bay had to offer. The Force was not much different than a IX-serum if she really thought about it. When a subject is vulnerable, you can plant the right word, and like an invasive weed takes over a lush and fruitful garden, causing it rot and decay, you can chip away at someone's fragile defenses. And they will do your bidding.

The Force, propelled by Tmoxin, grabbed at Warok's brain and then burrowed like an unwanted parasite. Using a Mind Trick she said, "Little warrior. I want you to hunt down and find the coward who lies hiding among us. Go now and seek him out."

She waved her hand, subtly washing this suggestion over the ewok's psyche, and then watched to see if he could locate the other Sith Knight, who she hadn't been able to detect through sound or the Force.

[member="Warok the Defiler"] [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*While the woman spoke, he could feel a tinge of need, need to hold up to his pride. This was some kind of force persuasion? It felt very similar to his own ability to influence emotion. Had she seen him? No, it wasn't that. She was grasping at straws, but he almost had to do something, or so he thought until she began speaking to the Ewok. It seemed innocent at first, and then he felt the deceit and force flowing from her words. This was a mind trick, and he would use it to his advantage if he could. As she spoke he used her noise to slip, under cover of the massive pillar, into one of the rooms of the massive temple. From there he found an access panel in the roof which he climbed into, slipping through and into another room, closing the panel behind him. He hoped that her attempt at deceit would be discovered by the Ewok, and that he would become angry.*

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Isar]

Blood pounded in Warok's ears. Urges whipped through his being. To hunt, to kill, to eat. How long had it been since he last tasted flesh? An appetite that these 'civilized' beings could not begin to understand. Absorbing another being's power. Devouring their life force and setting free their spirit, to drift or to fade. He could feel the presence of souls like so many flies buzzing in his ears even now. Whispering to him.

The shaman blinked slowly.

"Yes. We will hunt. Come."

With a muttered incantation, Warok drew upon the primal senses, heightening them after the beasts of prey.

​My eyes are the temptor's, shadows are no refuge. From the temple's deepest alcoves, darkness seemed to drain.

My ears are the munyip's, your whispered breaths draw me. The rush of air from three sets of lungs brushed Warok's ears. He focused on the faintest.

My senses are the boar-wolf's, and I can smell you. A human scent. Putrid with the pheromones of youth.

He became a brown blur, a swallow above the trees. A surge of power coursed through his limbs. He leaped. I am the rakazzak beast, distance is no boundary. His feet touched down outside a room, he moved inside like a breath of wind until he stood before a panel. My fists have matched the Gorax. One gauntleted arm lashed out and struck the panel. A clap of thunder filled the room. The panel shattered.

We are all part of the Mighty Pine, but I am the seed that awakens. The Great Spirits told of my coming. My tribes did not listen.

Warok climbed inside, heard the panting of his quarry, and smiled the cold, reptilian grin of a condor dragon.

So I have scraped and scrabbled for power with my bare paws among an alien people. They do not understand. They do not listen.

He advanced on [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"], senses alight, not a shade of remorse in his eyes. Four, furry feet of vindictive power.

And that is why they will fall. Buried beneath the roots of my new mountain.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Jareth heard the sound of metal ripping and furry paws scrambling through the access panel tunnel. He smiled in spite of himself, he hadn't expected the Ewok to have such a weak mind. That did not change his course though, the thing about giant newly constructed buildings and tunnels filled with wires was that they were filled with electricity. Static electricity, which though harmless in small amounts proved deadly in larger quantities, and the circuited electricity contained within the wires. As Jareth stood on the other side of the service tunnel, in the other room right in front of the panel, he felt the electricity contained in both wires and the static electricity biding its time in the structure. The force which penetrated these things was then affected, all of the static electricity would discharge in an instant, with the various electronics and wires overloading and joining the electric light show in a massive discharge that lit through the tunnel.*

[member="Warok the Defiler"] [member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Isar]

Hair stood on end. Warok felt the coming storm, the silence before the lightning. Charged energy begging to be released surrounded him. So he moved like the wind.

One moment he stood across the tunnel from his quarry, the next he was again that brown blur; the running boar-wolf and the diving condor dragon. Static electricity crackled around him, flaring to life as overloaded resistors gave way. Twin half-domes of energy snapped up around him. The echani-shields installed into his gauntlets, well capable of weathering a Sith's lightning easily withstood the sudden electrical discharge.

Un-singed, unhindered, Warok barreled forward with speed enhanced by the Fanged God's power. The cramped tunnel would make it difficult for the over six foot human teen to retreat. Even more so to swing any sort of weapon. The same did not hold true for Warok's much smaller frame.

On mineral rich planets, miners made use of power hammers. These power hammers were capable of shattering boulders through their shockwave generators. Incidentally, Warok's gauntlets had these same generators installed.

He closed the distance with incredible alacrity and launched a punch capable of shattering ribs and sending a grown man flying straight for the human's midriff.

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Hot. Burning like the fire of one thousand white suns, one of the overloaded panels felt its temperature rising. Particles moving, agitated, combusting, and then with the depth of his concentration: exploding. A shrapnel rain right as the ewok was passing the panel, and right as Jareth made a duck and roll movement to the right, popping up with Voice of the Fallen ignited and ready to fight.*

[member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Isar]

The hot shards bounced off the green half-domes of energy surrounding the ursine warlock even as he exploded from the tunnel and swept a punch toward his foe. The human rolled away and came up, lightsaber ignited. Warok frowned at the blade's white coloration and the subtextual meaning of a Sith with an argent blade.

The warlock gestured with his left paw, uttering an incantation beneath his breath. The black stone beneath Jareth's feet opened up like some otherworldly maw, attempting to latch onto his right leg and thus fix him in place. Warok launched himself forward, aiming a bone shattering punch for the boy's right kneecap.

[member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"]

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Jareth faced two major problems right now. One was the nature of the combat shield afforded the Ewok which made it difficult to attack him without putting oneself at too much risk. If Jareth had any knowledge of such shields the explosion and massive ESD from his earlier attacks would be wearing pretty heavily on the battery of the gloves; however, he needed something more substantial than this in order to bring the fight to an even level. This would be very difficult in the present area without putting his corporeal form at great risk. It was as these thoughts raced through his head that the ground beneath his right leg seemed to open up, attempting to swallow it whole. Jareth reacted as quickly as he could to the ground opening up, but this threw him off balance which was an issue with the approaching fist of Warok. Normally he would simply have launched the Ewok downward with his own attack but the lack of balance made this wholly impossible so instead of taking advantage of the punch he was forced to make an awkward role to the left out of the way of the punch. With the rushed and poorly balanced maneuver he was able to avoid the destructive force of the punch; however, upon rolling back up Jareth found that he had used the wrong foot to plant while rolling resulting in a harder than normal plant onto a solid stone floor. It didn't cause any permanent damage, though Jareth would now have a very noticeable pain in his left foot that presented a problem due to his stance leaning primarily on his left foot. This slightly weakened stance could be taken advantage of with proper action, but this was not the time to dwell on such things. As Jareth regained his footing at the end of the roll he focused on the wall behind Warok which he knew led to the outside due to the wind currents behind it. The wall heated to incredible temperatures as the molecules with in accelerated their motion eventually creating an explosion just large enough for a man to duck under. The side effect was raining particles of stone which pelted Jareth at a range creating a few superficial cuts along his hands and arms.*

[member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Isar]

While [member="Jareth Johnathon Holst"] was rolling backward and then heating up the opposite wall to the point of explosion, Warok was pressing the attack. Not for one heartbeat did he let up on a relentless barrage of bone breaking punches, always managing to keep close to the human with his own use of enhanced speed. Warok felt giddy. He could almost hear the sickly-sweet stomach churning snap of bones. So close. Shivers of excitement thrilled through him. Nothing could compare to the feel of an enemy's body bending, bowing, giving way beneath his paw. Such exquisite pain, encapsulated only in his mind... I must make it real.

The ewok ran forward as the foe rolled backward. His punches flew, one, two three. All aimed for the legs, all with frightening power. Warok managed to avoid the searing obliteration of the rear wall by keeping close proximity with the human. He too received a scattering of blasted rubble. One particularly large chunk of stone slammed into his shields and drained the last of the life from them. The green half-domes flickered out of existence, leaving him to be showered by hot rock shards. Warok gnashed his teeth at the pain.

I will not be bested by some gangly human man-child.

With a gesture, he called upon the wind spirits, their forms now free to move thanks to the shattered wall. A gust of air rushed in and wrapped invisible fingers around the human, attempting to thrust him against the wall directly behind him and pin him there.