Second Sith-Imperial Tournament - Darth Sibilus vs. Kahlil Zambrano

[Darth Carnifex]

The Shâsot Skyhook Arena
Lorrd

High above the world of Lorrd, and tethered by many reinforced cables and repulsorlifts, was a magnificent skyhook of glittering metal and sparkling reflective glasteel. Recently constructed at the behest of the Imperial Directorate, the Skyhook was made for one purpose and one purpose only.

To prove a warrior’s strength.

Inside was a massive arena, nearly a hundred meters across and almost twice that in length. Around it was high walls, taller than any beast or sentient creature, with an electrified energy field projecting all the way up to the ceiling. The field bowed in towards the middle, curving as it traveled up to form a sort of tapered point when it reached the secondary generator built into the skyhook’s ceiling.

Outside of the energy field was a miniature community, endless rows of seating, private boxes, concession bazaars, gambling hubs, and residential living. Everything was arrayed perfectly to ensure that those who came to witness the looming battles had every convenience at their fingertips. Nothing was more magnificent than the high-rising tower reserved for the Emperor and his entourage, which afforded them the best view of the entire arena and was equipped with multiple commodities not found elsewhere in the skyhook.

As the days counted down towards the grand start of the Second Sith-Imperial Tournament, tens of thousands of wealthy Imperial citizens flocked to Lorrd to partake in the spectacle. Members of the Empire’s military aristocracy were among the first to arrive, themselves afforded a special privilege in acquiring the private boxes closest to the arena floor. Imperial bureaucrats, lesser military, and others followed shortly after to fill in the remaining ranks. For those either too far from Lorrd or unable to travel for any means, the tournament was to be broadcasted live to every member world of the Sith Empire.

The day of the tournament arrived, and the arena was packed beyond capacity.

Anticipating hung in the air like a deathly pall, and a hush fell over the crowd as the massive floodlights dimmed until only one remained to highlight the announcer’s podium. And upon that podium was a sight to behold. A figure, clad in purples, surely a pinnacle of fashion somewhere, the remnants of a laugh as he stepped up to his post. His arms spread wide as if to welcome each and every audience member.

“Welcome, welcome, one and all. It is with my deepest pleasure that I welcome you to this test of ability.” Clasping his hands together, a few of the intricate tattoos that took up much of his arms began to glow. With it, images of the combatants cycled through, the details of each image a bit too exact to be holograms.

“We have quite the treat for you all this day, but enough from me. Why don’t we meet some of our contestants? In fact, why don’t we just cut to the chase? What say you, contestants? Ready for some sweet, sweet, bloodshed? A rush of adrenaline?”

“Let the games...begin!”

Contestants: [member="Darth Sibilus"] | [member="Kahlil Zambrano"]
Terrain: Hills
Variables: N/A

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Sûdas."

Kahlil stepped out into the arena dressed in the most casual outfit he could find. A simple tee, some slacks. Part of the Tournaments rules prevented him from wearing any of his usual armor, and kept him from having any of his artifacts. As a sorcerer, this was an extreme disadvantage for him, but one he welcomed. If he used his items as a crutch, was he truly worthy of being considered a Sith?

In his hand was a smooth cylinder of a lightsaber, a basic one he had to borrow from an Apprentice on his way to the ring. He had never bothered to carry one as he needed his hands free for his spells, but today was going to prove vastly different.

An open arena with only him and [member="Darth Sibilus"] to clash. The young Sith had done his research on his opponent. A well versed Lord of the Sith who favored the blade but was still overwhelmingly powerful in the Force. The only advantage Kahlil might have was his spells, which from what little he could learn Sibilus had yet to truly grasp. But he couldn't put all his pieces on that.

Swiftly after the announcer started the fight he ran towards one of the larger hills, aiming to gain himself the high ground early on. There was an advantage to the large arena, where he was sure his foe came through on the other side. He'd have some time to prepare at least.

"Ț̺̲̠̫a͏̦̪̟d̤t͙̦̺í̯̩̩̫̦͎̯'̡̮̠̝͔̲̦̻,̶̘͍̦̻̖͍ͅ ̹R̵i̞̣͈̫͙͉͈͡r̷̬͓̹̪t̙̟̰̘͔̬̙s͈̮̩̘̦̤a̟̱̤̼̜̪ ̥̟̺ḭ̩̝͇͠w̯̼̝͍̩ N̸͚a̧͍̭k̥t͎͕͇͉͇i̙s̴̫.͏̤̜̙̤̣ ̖͖͈͓̱S̥̜͙͎̭á̲̳r̻̺a͕͖̳̪͇͢so͏s̖̦͓͖̜̺̠û̡̥͉t͏͉i̪ ̸͉̫̝͈k͏̦͓̱͚͚i̵͔͙̬̪̹̲͍ ̺͈͉̯͎͔ḏ͇̗r҉̼̗͉͇̘̲a҉̟͍̤̞͖̱̞s̵̖͇̤̗̣o̩̻̭̯̣̖͓s͘û͔̖͈̣̲̺̤t͡â̮̩͔̥o͉̦͎͎̕n̟͕̘͔̹̮͞a̷ ̦͉͢n̦a҉͙̞͍̙̼ ͏̙̮͕t͙̺̟̪̣̩u̫̺̫ͅ'͔̫̣̲̙i̻̩̹̝͔̦͉y̧͙i̢̦̭̹ͅͅa͍̤̦ ̷̲̝̲̻ͅj͖̻̩i̡̩͓̞͙̦͓̼n̸̖a̸̠̥̰̩'̟̭̤͓̲̫t̴̖i̳̬͙s̱̹̩͍̲̀."

Around him the Force shifted, the dark bending to his will as he worked his spell. Above him it condensed, invisible to the naked eye. He was prepared as he was going to be for the Sith Lord.

 

[Darth Sibilus]

LORRD​

Lord Sibilus had been away for too long, and so what would be a better reintroduction to the Sith Empire than the Sith Imperial tournament? Clad in traditional Sith robes of black, the Sith Lord palmed his lightsaber with muted apprehension. The pressure was on the Sith Lord, for he was of superior rank and as such the damage to his reputation would linger much longer than any physical wounds the other Epicanthix could inflict on Darth Sibilus.

From what he could gather, the Sith Lord held the advantage in almost every way, save his inexperience in Sith Magic. The Knight was also a good foot taller than Sibilus, but size matters not and his superior swordsmanship would hopefully compensate for that misgiving.

The announcer signalled the beginning of their bout, and like his contemporary he took immediately to scaling one of the hills in this vast arena to properly take in the environment and his opponent. The Dark Side augmented him, his anger and wrath amalgamating into something more. Something dangerous.

The Force sent his voice bellowing out into the arena, his forked tongue spitting poison into the air as he attempted to provoke the Knight with Dun Moch. Sibilus doubted it would be terribly effective against such a foe but nevertheless he would try.

"My liege! What a pity it shall be to maim you so publicly." Malice dripped from his lips as his voice rattled around the arena, a sinister smile etching across cold lips. His blade remained extinguished.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil raised his head as [member="Darth Sibilus"] called out to him, forcing a frown to take over the dark skinned Epicanthix. His foe didn't really think insults would provoke the young Knight, did he? Words were Kahlil's power. None the less, it presented a unique opportunity. Their distance was still vast, and being able to hear and feel the far more powerful Lord through the Force could give him the edge he needed.

"J͜i̸̬n̵'̥̹͔̼̪̭ ̩ts̪̟͚ų̗͍̂r̩̭̜̭̖͜j͕͖i̸̞̳̮̰."

He raised his free hand, aiming it in the general direction of his foe. The battle was to three solid hits. If he could get a couple before the Lord closed in, he might stand a chance. The invisible spear he had made suddenly flew forward. Even from this distance he could use the Force to aim it. Closing his eyes he felt around through the very energy that gave both Sith their power, guiding it like a snipers bullet for the chest of the Darth.

Of course, it wouldn't be lethal. Just enough to knock him on his rear if it connected. They were both under strict rules not to kill one another after all.

 

[Darth Sibilus]

The Force guided Sibilus to safety, his feet moving with uncanny swiftness as his body evaded the Force energy rocketing towards him. His face a picture of stark determination, the Sith Lord was not one to be outdone or underestimated. His adversary must have thought that such an attack would knock the seasoned warrior off balance but now his folly would be demonstrated with Sibilus' hasty retort.

The Epicanthix centred himself, allowing the Dark Side to flow uninhibited through his veins until a spear of midnight black manifested from the energy from the Force. He weighed it for a split moment, before hurling the Darkshear through the air at speeds augmented by the Force directly for [member="Kahlil Zambrano"]. His own spear was aimed to strike him on the shoulder, and the velocity with which it travelled was tremendous.

A slight smirk writhed onto the Sith Lord's face as he himself advanced after his dark projectile, intent on closing in some distance on the dangerous wizard before him before he ran out of tricks to silence his foe with.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil blinked in surprise as he felt a similar darkness suddenly spring from [member="Darth Sibilus"] 's direction. Panic set in the Knights heart. He does know sorcery. Hastily the Zambrano brought up his hand, a shimmering field of red solidifying around him just as the invisible spear struck. In a moment the barrier was shattered, the spear carving through. It had been knocked off course.

But as blood dripped down Kahlil's arm from a new gash across his bicep he knew this fight would be far more difficult then he expected.

He grinned through the pain of his new wound, forcing the arm up again. He still had to knock Sibilus down before he closed in less he'd loose, and now that he knew his foe could strike back at the distance he'd have to change his strategy.

"S̘̱̰̖͍̦u̳̜͖t̵̻͕͎͖͖̬ta̶͙̲͖̩ ̠̞̗͇̻̤͎C̶͎͖̺̜͇̹h̞ͅw̙̣̗͚i͕͕͉t̨u̮͚̮̲͞s̙̫̠̖̼͇̝͝k҉̝̣̠̲a̡̝̫̠͚̥̺̹k̛̘̠."

Before his extended hand several spheres of dark formed. Kahlil was expending a lot of his energy, but if he didn't there'd be little chance for him to win. With a quick wave of his hand he sent the motes of darkness for the now visible form of his foe, aiming to intercept him mid run. As the motes got close they'd detonate, expanding rapidly with an intense heat, carving out chunks of the hilly landscape they were fighting on.

Even if he lost, he'd make Darth Sibilus pay for it in blood and pain.

 

[Darth Sibilus]

Sibilus' glory was short-lived as the dark spheres descended upon him, and he quickly thrust his palms out to abate most of the damage by pushing the orbs out of his way before they frankly maimed him. The blast flung him a few metres sideways before the Sith managed to right himself with the Force. An abrasion had formed on his cheek, and crimson blood trickled down his cheek. A moment was taken to press his fingertip to the wound and inspect the damage; the examination reported some damage but the stakes had been risen. The Sith Knight had won himself a chance, and the Epicanthix silently cursed himself for the humiliation it had caused.

One a piece; it was time to move in for the kill.

Utilising Force Speed to move in on his foe quickly, the Sith Lord wasted not a moment to regain his energy as he aimed a short lunge with his blade pointed towards the chest of the other Epicanthix, hoping to provoke him into igniting his lightsaber to engage him in melee combat. This manoeuvre was but a feint however, and in a split-second his blade had returned to its master and was redirected towards [member="Kahlil Zambrano"]'s midriff, with the intention to strike just above his hip. All the while, Drios prepared himself to quickly move his blade away to counter whatever retort the Sith Knight could muster to his assault.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil knew he was not the only Zambrano child in the Tournament. Two of his sisters were in their own matches, probably winning without any issue. Kahlil was always the weakest of the bunch. Yet he wanted to win. Wanted to beat his sisters down and become the champion of this tournament. It wasn't pride that edged him on, but a determination to be the best of his family name.

Once [member="Darth Sibilus"] would close in the Sith knew it would be near impossible to win. Without that distance the martial Lord would overpower the weak knight, and with only a single blow on his foe Kahlil knew that he had already lost. He had a determination to bring Sibilus as far down with him as he could, but it was still more than that. The desire to win never left him. Was that what it was to be Sith?

"Ti̬̤̙͖t̘̺̯͇̞̮i̠̼̱̯a̩̩̕i̴̻͖̖ ͚͓k̘͕̯͉͇i̝̮̝͚͞ ̝͓̦͓̭͚̜j̥̤͖̙̻͡í͚͔̤͕͔̳̠n̫̼͇͈̗j̷̙̪͖a̦̼͕͚̳̠,͍̫̝̩̦̟ ̨͙̦̙j͎͚͎̥͢ina'͙̬͎̬̬̖t̪̟̤̤ͅi͟s͇̣͚̲̜.͎ ̩̻Ṣ̜̠ǫ̜s͓̫͇̳̯͞ͅû͓̮̪͔̰̞ṱ̤̞̻̯u̴͇ͅs̲͇a̛̺̣̰̮̮m̸s̫i̹̤̲̝̱ ̸̼͚͓̰k̤̱̖̦̼͝i͓̬̯̳ ̡̣̼̪̺̻i͚̳͔̭͖͙s̱͇̟ ̺̗̲̥̰̭̼͝t̬͍̬̘͈͟s̵io̠͇̙̹͘â̗̩̹̼͙ ͓̱̻̰̗̩͠ͅd̪̗̘͈̖̰i̫͔̞͍u̕ w̝͇̟̞̜͍ar̹̪̼i͓͇̫̫̺à̤̫̮̺̩̲ ̯z͍̲̤̟̞̙͙i̡̖͇̩j̷͓ͅi͕͙͡ ̩̪̖̘͓ḳ̬̘̣͓̹̤͜i̬͢ ̥t̩͙̖̖̪͝s̷̱û̘̜d͚͉u̼͡m͚̞̫a̯͚̲̖̗.̣̞ ̝K̨͎a͖͎̺̙̱͈̝͟y̪̝͢ͅt̜̻̙̬̖̳̲i͙͙͇̤̘̦ͅ ̩̦̖͈̝ki̲̟̦̻̭͘ ̯͙̼̮̝͉͝i͏̱͕̤r̶̭̜̠̻ ̣͕̝͇̠̩̟t̗͎́ú̬̺̩̙͚̝͎'̧̺̦i̙͔͎̟̣y̱̮i͇̙̖a͙͕̳̭̯̦ ̷͖͉̖̳̪r͡a̡̤̭w͉̯̥͍͍̥̤͢a͉͖͎̟̦̳s̡̮a̺̱̕s̜͔͈os̨̪̖û̻̳͠t͏̖adn͔͕͜i̞͜ ͙̭̪͙̫͘m͍̜̺̰͢i̹̫̭̥͞d̴͎͔̤̰̦̘w̻͙̲͕͡a̮n̘̻̹̪."


After his spheres detonated he already prepared his next spell, his free hand carving dark runes in the air. Except by the end of his spell Sibilus had already closed the distance. Dammit. Fast. Kahlil gritted his teeth as another shimmer of red solidified around him as his spell came into existence. An incredibly powerful version compared to the hastily made one earlier, yet the first strike nearly ripped right through it.

The shield wasn't going to last. Not under the strength of his foe. But it wasn't the end. Getting close gave the Lord an edge, but it also made it harder for him to evade. A grin flashed on the Knight's face.

"S̘̱̰̖͍̦u̳̜͖t̵̻͕͎͖͖̬ta̶͙̲͖̩ ̠̞̗͇̻̤͎C̶͎͖̺̜͇̹h̞ͅw̙̣̗͚i͕͕͉t̨u̮͚̮̲͞s̙̫̠̖̼͇̝͝k҉̝̣̠̲a̡̝̫̠͚̥̺̹k̛̘̠."

Between them another black orb detonated. Harming yourself didn't count against the three strike limit, did it? It was worth a bit of self sacrifice to catch his foe off guard.

 

[Darth Sibilus]

The orb detonated, sending Sibilus fleeing backwards in a mess of tangled robes. White filled his vision for a moment, and the Force did nothing to soften his fall in his daze. His lightsaber had somehow managed to stay in his hand, but the blade did not glow any longer for Sibilus realised his folly in trying to take him when he was still so calm. His only ally was, for the time being, the Dark Side.

Two - one.

"Spells and deceptions, boy! Can you not fight like a real Sith?" his voice did not betray his uncertainty in his situation. "Come now, show me what you're really made of, Zambrano." his words were spat at the Knight, hoping to, as he had unsuccessfully tried to do before, provoke him into taking his lightsaber and trying to duel him.

Not waiting for a response, Sibilus raised his palm towards Kahlil, allowing the Force to flow freely through his veins. His anger and wrath amalgamated into an unorthodox power, Force Slow. He aimed to grind the thoughts his foe down enough allowing the Sith Lord some breathing space by preventing the Sith Magic being hurled at him to even take shape in the Sith Knight's mind, never mind be materialised into a final blow.

For far too long had Sibilus stood in the shadow of the Zambrano family - their house ruled his planet, ruled the Sith and now he was being humiliated by another one of their stock. An inbred mutt at that. [member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

If it wasn't for the barrier Kahlil most likely would have taken himself out of the fight. On that subject however, [member="Darth Sibilus"] 's strike had weakened it drastically. The Young Sith was thrown down the hill, his robes smoldering from the heat that had leaked through his fractured shield. He caught himself at the base, coughing as he pushed himself up to his knees. Glancing up, he saw his little trick worked.

For once he let himself smile.

"Am I out thinking you, Lord? Perhaps I can dumb it down." It was the Knights turn to bring out Dun Moch, grinning up to the Sith Lord with a smug expression. In reality Kahlil was nervous as all Nether. He would easily be overpowered soon as his spells drained his energy drastically, meaning he had to play it smart. He was no swordsman, so his spells were all he had.

As Sibilus raised his hand to try and slow the mind of the Epicanthix however, the Knight saw the end of the battle. His body made him immune to such effects naturally, but he'd play along. He slowed his actions, his smug expression turning to that of fear. His hands moved through the air, his lightsaber thrown from his grasp by the earlier blast as he attempted to weave a spell.

An act of course.

It was his last ditch effort to win. If he could lure the Lord into charging down under the assumption Kahlil was slowed, the Knight would pull the discarded saber up and activate it to catch the Lord by surprise. One more strike, no matter how underhanded, and he'd win.

 

[Darth Sibilus]

Oh feth. the curse slipped into his mind as the Sith Lord noticed his fault, a childish and pathetic error on part to his fatigue and desperation to finish the contest. However, the Lord would not abate his exertion as he saw the other Epicanthix put up a clever facade. Sibilus advanced, siphoning the power from his misjudged use of Force Slow into something more sinister. I'll make you pay, you sly little dog. he mused to himself, allowing a smile to break out on his face to reinforce the fact that he was appearing oblivious to his mistake.

As he approached closer, appearing to be readying himself to strike with his lightsaber until all of a sudden the Dark Side erupted from his fingertips, bolts of lightning shrieking with glee as they arced towards Vahlil. "You really thought I was that stupid, did you boy?" Sibilus mocked, more than happy to write off his mistake as a simple deception. "I thought you were something more. Something special." the Lord grinned for a moment, his onslaught unrelenting.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil did his best to hide his grin as [member="Darth Sibilus"] closed in, assuming that his trick had worked as the Lord smiled. Only through this sort of trickery could the Knight undoubtedly win, but the Force told him of his folly. True fear filled Kahlil's eyes as he threw aside his act, both hands coming forward to erect another of his barriers to defend himself from the unknown.

The Force sent it's warnings far too late however, and as the torrent of lightning unleashed from the Lord his barrier was shattered and the impact sent him flying. Kahlil screamed in pain as his body writhed under the destructive power of Sibilus. It certainly looked like it was over for the Knight, but there was no give in the Knight. His Father was surely watching from somewhere, and he would not be the one to fail.

"J̷̜̱͕i̢n̥̰' ̭̱͡ts̫͉̖û̜̦r̲̝̮͇͈̱͙j̱̹͚̤i͔̦̗!"

He screamed his last spell, letting loose a barrage of the invisible spears he had opened the fight with. It was all he had left, and if it wasn't enough to catch the last blow Kahlil needed to win he'd loose, and likely at the mercy of the Lord's wrath.

 

[Darth Sibilus]

Sibilus' lightning fizzled away as his foe set up his final stand, and he felt the Force alert and then guide him away from danger with the nimbleness of a fleet-footed fathier.

"You should have done that earlier." Darth Sibilus hissed, a somewhat softer tone lining his voice as Vahlil's attack ended. By his calculation, they had both been hit two times, and now it was time for the Sith Lord to end this, once and for all. He would use no fanciness, and would reach out with telekinesis towards Vahlil. He had the intent of lifting the writhing, smouldering Sith Knight by the throat; applying proper pressure to his trachea to imply that the Lord was perfectly in control of the situation. Only then would he hurl him as if he were a skipping stone away from him in the last fell swoop of the contest.

The Zambrano had earned his respect, as the Sith Lord had genuinely underestimated his opponent. Naturally, that was a trait too often shared by cocksure Sith who think their title is proof of their invincibility, and today was no exception. The whole tournament was a means of bolstering the Sith Lord's own ego - he had nobody to impress except himself.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil could only choke out a laugh as [member="Darth Sibilus"] 's grip found it's way around his throat. He had exhausted all of his reserves in his earlier barrage, but he'd at least loose with grace. He gave the Lord a polite smile before his body was flung much like a ragdoll, skipping across the ground until he eventually stopped in a heap of himself. His body burned from the earlier lightning, and the throw only made that worse.

He'd just remain on the ground, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to push past the pain.