The Blood Games - Gherron Dragonsflame vs. Escanor Ragnos

[Eternal Discourse]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Petranaki Arena, Genosis[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=10.5pt][member="Gherron Dragonsflame"] vs. [member="Escanor Ragnos"][/SIZE]​

[SIZE=10.5pt]The galaxy had seen its fair share of blood spilled in recent months. From the war-torn capital of Eshan, to the explosion that rocked the parliamentary buildings on Kuat, to what remained of the Jen’ari Empire, scattered to the solar winds. The Confederacy had contributed a large amount of that blood - and it would seem that their appetite had turned inward for a change.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Recognizing an opportunity to reforge bonds with their allies, the CIS put out an open invitation to anyone who would consider themselves friends. Those who had been brave enough to put their names forward were invited to join with a horde of spectators at the Petranaki Arena on Geonosis.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The morning was bright, the skies clear. The stands were filled to the brim with roaring spectators, all having gathered to watch what promised to be a brilliant bit of sport. Nestled high above the sandy floor of the arena below, and overlooking the festivities, a platform stood sentinel. A cluster of massive stone chairs sat perched at the edge of the platform, with an unobstructed view of the arena and stands spread around them. Seated there were several members of the Confederate Viceroyalty, and others invited guests from their allied factions.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]It didn’t take long for every single seat in the arena to be filled to complete capacity, with the unlucky patrons that were unable to secure a seat forced to either hover above the stadium or find somewhere to be able to stand and see the spectacle that was about to occur. The sounds and roars of the crowd only got louder and louder as the time neared to introduce the fighters that would be clashing for the crowd’s entertainment. That roar reached a fever pitch as the guardian of the arena, an aging Geonosian, hobbled his way to the front of the observation platform, his cane doing all it could to support him. Beside him, a silver protocol droid, a translator, took up the microphone and awaiting the first words from the crowd’s esteemed host.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]After allowing the crowd to quiet down momentarily, the old alien made his voice known through a series of clicks and buzzes, the Geonosian language. The Geonosians were apparently quite pleased with whatever he had to say, though everyone else that spoke basic was left quiet for a moment. The translator droid was quick to fix that, speaking aloud into the microphone for all to hear. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]The Great Guardian welcomes you all to this event of bloodshed! He hopes you will be pleased with the fighters, the fights, and the results![/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The elder allowed the droid to finish, before continuing the speech in his native language, then motioning toward the gates at the far end of the arena. The droid, quicker to translate this time, made the same motion while speaking in its robotic voice. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]Open the gates! And let the fighters make their way forth, so that we may see these fighters in all their glory![/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]With that, the gates would be opened, and the competitors would be lead into the arena. The very sight of these fighters had the crowd reaching a fever pitch once again, the open air gladiatorial arena shaped in such a way that the sound would be loudest in the bowl itself. All of the fighters, coming from different backgrounds, different walks of life, were embraced by the crowd wholeheartedly as they were lead to the center of the fighting arena, where all could get a good look at those that had been chosen to fight for their entertainment.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The fighters, [member="Gherron Dragonsflame"] and [member="Escanor Ragnos"], had the look of those that could win the entire tournament, and as the crowd began looking over the competitors, credits could be seen being exchanged as the patrons began placing bets on the individual fighters. The arena guardian allowed this to go on for a few moments, before clicking his cane against the rock observation platform, bringing the crowd noise back down to a slight murmur. Looking to the protocol droid, he gave a short nod. Once seen, the droid began the final words to the fighters. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]The Great Guardian is pleased with the form you all are in. He, as well as all those here in the arena, are very eager to see what you all can do. You all have your first matchups for the first round. Now, let us begin, and let the blood flow![/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rules:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]

Spoiler

[/SIZE]

1. 
   [SIZE=10.5pt]Rounds of combat are called when all but one of the combatants concedes, is killed, or the 1 week time limit has been reached.[/SIZE]
   
2. 
   [SIZE=10.5pt]Disallowed items: Poison, Alchemized Weapons, Force Powers (there will be force user sentinels present to observe all matches), and Heavy Explosives.[/SIZE]
   
3. 
   [SIZE=10.5pt]If your combat wraps up before the end of the 1 week time limit, please reach out to [member="Adron Malvern"], [member="Xobos Yakieer"], or [member="Shakti Sweet"] to submit the thread for judgment.[/SIZE]
   

[SIZE=10.5pt]

[/SIZE]

 

[Soundwave]

Escanor Ragnos

---

---

The familiar sight of the ring, while not the exact one that Escanor had spent over half his life fighting in, was still a hit of nostalgia nonetheless. As the gilded warrior stepped out into the light, he would raise his arms up in the air to the uproarious applause of the audience, the light making him shine like the golden warrior he was. His armored boots stepped through the sands of Geonosis' colosseum, an atmosphere of pride around the veteran gladiator as he was led out to the center along with the other participants. As the participants were divided into their respective matches Escanor would step off to the designated portion of the ring where he would face his opponent, [member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]. He would reach over his shoulder as he grabbed the shaft of his spear before bringing it to his side, doing a quick showboat as he twirled his spear in both hands before turning his body to the side as he pointed his spear at the man, his deep voice speaking out as he spoke to his opponent

" May the better warrior prevail. "

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

While the arena may have been like a second home to his opponent, Gherron had never before found himself in such a place. He’d signed up when he caught wind of some fighting tournament between allies, but even that appeared to have been an interesting lapse of judgement. Here he was though, looking around in silent wonder at the throngs of people of all shapes, colors and sizes that had already began throwing their bets at the two soon to be combatants. As out of his element as he was though, he kept his bearing. It was a crucial skill he had honed over years of fighting and being in tense situations overall; it helped show those under him that he was someone they could look up to, and it prevented his enemies from knowing what he was to do next. As he laid eyes on his opponent though, there was a brief lapse in that bearing. The golden warrior commanded attention and walked with a presence of authority and victory. The way he addressed the crowds... this was definitely his element. Watching silently as the man twirled his spear in a quick display, Gherron smirked to himself. He knew the spear well. It would be something to look out for once he made his way closer... but that was going to take time. In response to his opponent’s challenge, he simply reached around to his back, pulling his rifle in front of him, sending a curt nod.

”May the better warrior prevail”, he agreed.

Seconds passed then, and the translator droid called the match into session. Gherron quickly leapt backward to create some distance, dropping half a magazine into Escanor. With armor like that, it was anyone’s guess what weaknesses it had, if any, but putting rounds into it would be a good starting point in finding out. He flashed a quick smile at his opponent. This was gonna be a good fight.

[member="Escanor Ragnos"]

 

[Soundwave]

Escanor Ragnos

---

As the announcer called the beginning of the match, Escanor would grip his spear in both hands as he immediately took to an aggressive stance. As Gherron took the time to leap backwards, Escanor's shield would activate, detaching from his back as it began to hover behind him. He raised an arm to protect himself from being pelted by the shots fired at him as they glanced off his armor. It wouldn't be long before his shield had activated as it began to super heat the air around him as he was soon surrounded by a blinding cocoon of light that vaporized the rounds as they came within range. Escanor's visor would dim as it began to feed him data of the surrounding area. While he might not have been able to physically see Gherron through the blazing shield of light, his suit's sensors definitely could. Since Gherron had shown his hand to be taking to ranged combat, Escanor would have to level out the playing field by forcing him to fight in close quarters. The large armored Thyrsian would begin to sprint towards Gherron as fast as his body would allow. Gherron would now be facing a blazing fireball hurtling towards him as Escanor readied to thrust his spear forward once he got in range.

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]​

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

"Well that's not good."

It certainly didn't take Gherron long to realize his mistake when the gladiator activated his shield, and the bullets didn't ricochet, but instead vaporized completely against the energy. Once the massive ball of blinding energy was active, his opponent began a full sprint at him. Granted, it wasn't as fast as Gherron himself would be at the moment, considering his armor in comparison, but one tended to think about their next action very carefully when faced with a giant golden man with the power of the sun running straight at you. As Escanor hurtled closer and closer, Gherron could feel the heat of the shield radiating against him. He needed more distance. Turning tail, he took off in a run himself, doing what he could to avoid the heat as long as possible. That shield couldn't last forever, with as much energy as it had to be using. Keeping an eye on the man, he turned every few feet to dump more rounds into the shield, watching them vaporize just like those prior in disdain. That's when the lightbulb turned on.

'It may not be as good as an actual EMP, but...'

Reaching in one of his many pouches, Gherron drew out several cartridges. He had a few ion charges for his rifle... And quite a few of his own shock rounds for one of the pistols that hung on his side. Once they were both loaded, he finally came to a halt and turned around fully. The smirk returning to his face momentarily, he propped up his rifle and let loose all three of his ion charges, then dropped one hand to his pistol and brought it back up, letting loose a small barrage of shock rounds. Go all or go home is what they say... If this didn't work, he was probably out of luck.

[member="Escanor Ragnos"]

 

[Soundwave]

Escanor Ragnos

---

---

Escanor could hear the rounds fired at him fizzling as they vaporized once they came into range of him, his eyes locked on the electronic silhouette of Gherron as it appeared in his helmet. Not very sporting to be turning tail and running from one's opponent, but in the face of Escanor, he guessed it couldn't be helped. When the rounds stopped being fired at Escanor, he imagined it was because Gherron had understood how ineffective slugs would be against him. Escanor would continue to pursue after Gherron as the man attempted to retreat further away, before making a playful taunt, " I didn't realize this was a running contest! If I knew that I would have left my armor behind! " Escanor would heft his spear in both hands as he took aim, the head of the spear shifting as it split into two prongs, getting into its ranged configuration of a solar ionization beam weapon. If the man continued to pursue this game of cat and mouse, maybe Escanor slagging his weapon would force something out of him apart from running, though the fact that it was now a two pronged weapon meant he could also try and wrench the weapon out of their hands.

Escanor would expectantly raise a brow as Gherron stopped running and turned to face him, standing their ground as they opened fire on him. Escanor was about to shake his head, expecting the shield to eat the man's rounds again. Yet that didn't happen as Gherron launched a trio of ion charged rounds at him. His shields would react but then immediately overload as the halo that projected the shield around Escanor flopped to the ground. His weapon also powered down as it was hit by the ion charge, rendering his ability to fire a solar ionized beam useless for a time being. Escanor's armor however was not affected significantly by the ion effects, and it only took a half second for him to go from being taken slightly by surprise into continuing his charge as he began to swing his spear, swatting some of the shock rounds to the side while others impacted his armor. Had they been fired at a normal person, they might have succeeded in electrocuting them, but Escanor's armor was far too well constructed to allow for him to be directly electrocuted.

Escanor would grunt as the rounds that got past his guard struck his armor. They amounted to little more than slugs as the shock payload they carried were absorbed by the layers of armor he wore. His mobility would start beginning to suffer though as the hydrostatic gel that padded Escanor from his armor began to harden in response to the kinetic damage, which would be a problem if Escanor hadn't continued running at Gherron after the shield went down. However, Escanor had covered much ground, powering through the pelting of rounds on his armor and would bring his spear back before making a sweep for Gherron's legs in an attempt to knock him to the ground.

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron’s smirk would grow wider as he watched the shield generator sputter and fall to the ground, as well as the spear losing its own power as a bonus. It wasn’t time to celebrate yet though. Once he had gotten over his surprise, the other warrior resumed the charge, swatting away the shock rounds like they were nothing. Yet... While it was small, Gherron noticed the decrease in speed during the second charge, and then it clicked. He’d heard of hydrostatic gel before; never used it. This must be the downside. The force master didn’t have very long to finish his thought process though as suddenly the spear was at his legs in an attempt to knock them from under him. He let the rod buckle his legs then, not fighting the momentum as he tumbled to the ground. As he fell though, his pistol as already out, with his free hand loading a new type of ammunition: Compact flares. As soon as he hit the ground,he shot a flare into the man’s face and rolled to the right to use whatever amount of time his attack brought him. Once back on his feet, he holstered one pistol and brought out the other, as well as one of the blades from his lower back.

His second pistol wasn’t anything like the other. He’d named it Absolution, and that title said a lot about it. Twenty-four slug rounds loaded at once, and a hair trigger to fire each of them off as fast as Gherron could squeeze it. As he skirted to his right, he would unload as much as he could from his pistol in the time it took for him to jump on the gilded man’s back, bringing his phrik blade around his throat. He wouldn’t slice through, even if he could though. He wasn’t here to kill- Only to fight, and to learn.

[member="Escanor Ragnos"]

 

[Soundwave]

Escanor Ragnos

---

---

Escanor would watch his opponent's movements, trying to gauge how he would act and react to. Gherron had made the mistake of not continuing to move when he had the chance to run and gun to keep Escanor out of range, but it did please the Thyrsian to know that he was able to at least hold his ground instead of turning tail to run away once more. As Escanor sweeped Gherron's leg out from underneath him, he would twirl and raise his spear up to try and pin Gherron to the ground by using his now two pronged spear to dig into the sand on either side of the man's neck. Escanor would be about to bring his weapon down, a flare would fire from Gherron's weapon, striking his faceplate as his head snapped back a bit, the flare blinding his vision as he was briefly flashed by the sudden light. His visor would dim as they polarized as Escanor was being pelted by the heavier slugs. His armor would take them as the impact gel underneath continued to harden and inhibit his movements. When Gherron jumped onto his back, Escanor instinctively raised his hand to the blade at his neck. He didn't cower in fear or attempt to submit, he did not fear death after staring it in the face countless times in the ring before. His armor was strong enough to handle a slice since it was hermetically sealed, though a direct stab would have done the job of penetrating and causing harm.

Escanor's armored hand would clamp down on Gherron's knife wielding hand. Had this been a fight to the death, Escanor could have severely burned if not melted the flesh and crushed his bones with his high energy solar powered crushgaunts. He did however exercise a grip that would not allow Gherron to move, hunching forward in an attempt to throw Gherron off his back and down into the sand in front of him. Escanor had the man in slugging range now, and was ready to whale on him if he didn't escape Escanor's golden fists.


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron's vision went into slow motion then, as he saw the hand reaching up to grab his wrist but knew he wouldn't be fast enough to escape it. He tried his best to wrap his legs around the man's torso for support, but found no grip and instead soon found himself flying forward and hurtling to the ground. He curled his body instinctively, landing with a quick roll and hopping back to his feet, sheathing his blade once more as he put a few feet between himself and his opponent. Gherron's intuition had been right; this guy was good, and definitely knew his way around a close quarters fight. The force master was himself pretty skilled in that area, but this man had lived the gladiator life. Setting his jaw, the force master pulled the rifle from its home on his back once more, and loaded five special darts into it. They were essentially compact, fast burning lightsabers, and they weren't cheap. He'd have to get some more soon... Figuring the golden man to try charging again with his shield down, Gherron began backpedaling slowly, planning to pick up speed if needed, as he aimed in and shot two darts in rapid succession, one at each leg. He'd seen the level of skill Escanor had with that spear, and didn't plan to underestimate it again. He was purely on the offensive now.

[member="Escanor Ragnos"]

 

[Soundwave]

Escanor Ragnos

---

---

His opponent was quick on their feet and just as nimble minded, both admirable to Escanor as a fighter, but also a bit of a nuisance in battle. After Escanor had hurled Gherron off his back in an attempt to throw him to the ground and beat him into the sand, the man was able to instead able to take the momentum of the throw to get some distance between the two of them. Escanor had some time to get his bearings as he stood up with his spear in one hand. He readied himself as Gherron got his rifle out and loaded it. In truth Escanor probably had the time to throw his spear and skewer the man as he was busy playing with his rifle, but where would be the sportsmanship in that? Escanor watched as Gherron took aim at his legs, watching the man's trigger finger to gauge when he was about to fire.

When Gherron shot his lightsaber darts at Escanor, he'd purge his knee mounted dart launchers before leaping back. Had he made any action a split second too soon or too late, those darts would have found their way digging through his legs; through all the layers of armor, right through the gel layer, and right through flesh and bone. Instead the purged knee dart launchers would take the hits as they stopped the momentum and speed of the initially fired darts. Escanor would twirl his spear in hand as he deliberated how this would go. Escanor turned his body to present a smaller target as he hefted his spear at him, his fingers wrapping around the shaft as he dug his heels into the sand.


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Speed and misdirection. That was how Gherron was going to win this. As soon as he had fired off his darts, his legs were already in action, propelling him forward as fast as he could without using the force as an aid as he was so used to doing. His eyes widened slightly as the spear soared toward him, and he slid backwards in order to avoid it. That was good though; Escanor’s main weapon was now out of reach. That little smirk found itself trailing on Gherron’s lips once more as he used the momentum from his slide to make it a few more feet to the right of his opponent before jumping back up. Grabbing his black pistol, he dumped the rest of its reserves into wherever part of the man’s armor they would land, taking advantage of the gel protecting him. It was commonly said that the same trick never worked twice, but he was willing to bet luck was on his side in this case. Besides, it wouldn’t be exactly like before...

Tossing his pistol to the side once it was empty, his hand went to the other at his belt, firing off one more flare to buy him a few more seconds. Immobilized, and now blinded. Pulling out both blades from their home on his back now, he ran up behind the man and placed both points against either side of the ribcage. If this were a fight to the death, all he would have to do was put some pressure on, and the blades would more than likely sink into and through the lungs, and failing that, still leave a couple of serious cuts.

”Submit.”

[member="Escanor Ragnos"]

 

[Soundwave]

Escanor Ragnos

---

---

This fight was not as entertaining as Escanor had hoped it to be, and it was drawing itself out longer than he would have liked. Had this been a battle of hand to hand, Escanor had little reason to doubt that it would have been over in mere moments. But practicing restraint in not killing his opponents did make it harder to enjoy. It didn't give him much satisfaction at all, especially against one who insisted on running and gunning. As Escanor waited for the next move, he pondered his options and how this would end. It came quickly as Gherron instead rushed him, firing off his weapon as Escanor stepped off to the side, deflecting the darts while sidestepping the first as he watched Gherron run at him. Interesting choice and change of pace, Escanor would respond in kind and entertain the action as he swung his spear in a wide arc at Gherron. As expected, the man would slide to doge his spear, though it would only have taken Escanor moving his leg to send a followup kick to completely interrupt any further action and put him in a bad spot. But he didn't and instead let his swing go wild as Gherron passed by, allowing him to empty his weapons as they pinged off his golden armor. Escanor would grunt as he could feel the hydrostatic gel underneath harden in response to the impacts.

Escanor would turn his head as a flare was fired at him. His visor would automatically dim as his internal scanners took over, tracking the incoming man with his blades drawn. Amusing, and welcome, but at the same time, Escanor had lost too much interest for it to make a difference. He would let the man come under the guise that he was blinded as Gherron pressed the tips of his blades against his ribs, just under the plating. Gherron had more or less demanded his submission, to which Escanor had just bellowed with laughter. A Thyrsian submit? Not likely. While Gerron was out of reach from any of the hidden weapons implemented in his armor, there still was one that Gherron could not possibly anticipate. Escanor would turn his head before seeming to hunch over and curl his arms in. A mere second later and his armor would discharge a concussive blast, kicking up sand and with enough force to send Gherron flying a few meters away. Escanor would turn as he twirled his spear in hand before hitting the end of his spear into the sand as his voice boomed.

" I came expecting an enjoyable fight. I must say I was more or less disappointed with what I found. Nonetheless, I do not expect the rest of this tournament to go much better. I'll withdraw myself with my dignity intact. "

Escanor would lift his spear out of the sand as he rested the shaft on his shoulder before looking to Gherron, giving him a brief nod. Though his few words might have seemed insulting, he did applaud the craftiness and quick thinking of the man. He'd pause before rolling his shoulder a bit, waiting for the underlying hydrostatic gel to restore itself to an aqueous state so that he could vacate the arena.


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]