ToC: Vulpesen VS Antares Windu

[Evelynn]

The sounds of buzzing words and rousing conversation could be heard in a low rumble in the gladiatorial arena known as The Cauldron.

Thousands of people lined balconies, stadium seating, and individual boxes granted to those of privilege. The audience lined a large ring in the centre of the stadium, sheer solid walls surrounding it and confining anyone who would be trapped inside. Six gates lined the inner-walls of the Cauldron, each a heavy durasteel that dropped down from above, each carved with intricate pictures of gladiators and beasts alike. The arena itself was nothing but sand, rock, and and small clumps of recently coagulated blood. It was a harsh unforgiving arena, the perfect place for the first round of a tournament.

The seventh match of the Tournament of the Cauldron was perhaps more anticipated than many others. Rattatak had never before seen as many Jedi as there were here today, and out of pure luck two of them had been chosen at random to fight against one another. This alone caused a stir within ranks of the crowd and a few accusations of match fixing, but when the two men took the field they seemed entirely abuzz with excitement. @[member="Vulpesen"], Jedi Knight of some renown, apprentice to Daella Apparine, the most famous Jedi in the Republic. @[member="Antares Windu"], a fast and up and coming star within the Order on his way to great heights.

This time the Silent Sister stood to announce, though not through her own words given her mute state. A man stood beside her, his face contorting slightly as he spoke. “Two Jedi! Two brothers fight against one another. Who will win!”

The Crowd seemed in awe as they watched their more mysterious Queen, though their attention quickly returned to the ring. The announcer looked to Evelynn who simply replied with a curt nod.

“Begin!”

 

[Antares]

Antares walked into the arena with his Republic Ballistic Shield upon his right arm. He was going to have to move fast here, he barely knew the Jedi Knight he would be fighting. All he knew was that they had combated together to bring down Darth Vulcanus, but he had fled into the mountains of his planet and so they were incapable of completing the arrest of the Sith Graug. Antares had trained himself quite a bit to find that Graug, and then bring him Republic Justice. And fighting opponents in this Cauldron would be considered as objectives that he would need to overcome before he was truly ready to bring down the Graug. He wouldn't be surrendering today. The Sith wouldn't accept a surrender from him.

He took his position and shouldered the shield better. And then when the announcer roared 'begin' he started a light jog to his comrade Jedi Knight, his lightsaber was in his hand, and he made sure the Force weaved itself around him as he came in fifteen meters of the other Jedi Knight. Surrender. The words in his mind echoed, though they weren't directed to Antares. They were thoughts that floated around his room about @[member="Vulpesen"]. And then he stopped short, five meters away from his opponent and brought his shield in front of him and waited.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen growled as he walked into the ring. As much as a jedi was allowed, he hated the being pushed into something like this. He had been on one of his normal shadow missions, when he happened upon the whereabouts of the sisters that haad tortured him, and now he was stuck in their petty little games. "Sometimes, I hate my job." His statement gained even more truth when he learned who he was fighting. He had fought at @[member="Antares Windu"]'s side several times and it pained him to think that now the two would be enemies on the battlefield.

Taking his stand, Vulpesen watched the other jedi begin his jog. Perhaps there would be no time to talk. A single snap-hiss was heard by his hand, A single saber rose from his saber staff and he was now ready. It was a great offense against a great defense and there was a part of him which was anxious to see who won. Still, he was a jedi and was therefore relieved when his fellow knight ceased his advance. "Good to see that we still have our morals in even these circumstances. Might I suggest a far less lethal means of combat? I can easily replace my crystals with non-lethal ones if you have the means to do the same. If you don't, I can supply one if you drop the shield. Of course, I'll drop my other saber as well. Or, if you're up to it, we can have a competition of pure force usage. All in all, cooking a comrade is not something I would look forward to." As he spoke, Vulpesen walked a slow circle around the other jedi, keeping himself in a low Makashi guard. It was true that he had a darker side hidden from most other jedi, but he was aware of such evils and that was what made him loyal to the cause. He would fight like the devil if needed, but he was praying that such a lethal conflict was necessary. Even if it starved the crowd of their desired bloodshed.

 

[Antares]

Antares didn't have a darker side, but he craved the battle. Not because he loved to kill, he only killed those who came directly into his path. "Surrender here, and we will have n scorching wounds in the future.' He said simply. His voice was listless, his eyes, were listless. The other Jedi Knight could see that he wouldn't get any ground here in convincing Antares and then his eyes seemed sad when his hood fell off his head. "Everything I do is for the Republic." He said, speaking softly. He didn't have to explain anymore after that. "If I win, I will be going after Darth Vulcanus and bring him in. I will put the winnings forward to the Operation with the G.I.A" He said, explaining himself further, despite his own thoughts. Sometimes he was backwards.

His shield came back around in front of his body to shield the majority of his midsection when he moved low to go into a crouch. He was prepared for combat, his words had been said, and now he would fight. Azure beam thrusted forwards quick and precisely with a practiced hand in the Shii-Cho Form I, his hand was straight, if it were parried he would have been able to bring it back around easily enough to protect his unguarded left flank.

@[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen sighed and brought his blade infront of himself, making a quick makashi salute as the other jedi moved forward.Somewhere in the process the shadow managed to fluidly separate the two halves of the hilt, activating the second side as he leaped over @[member="Antares Windu"]. For any other opponent, he'd have taken a quick shot to the back that would likely be fall to such a foolhardy charge, but this was a jedi and he had no intention of hurting the boy. This being so, Vulpesen simply dashed forward upon hitting the ground. As he moved, his sabers deactivated and his hands danced across the hilts, quickly changing the power of the blades. The new beams would be far weaker, but still too strong to be simple practice weapons. No, instead they would serve for large burns and a painful admonishment from the more experienced knight.

"We all have our reasons, our courses, and our methods. I prefer not to kill a friend for something so simple as credits." His own voice was cold and when he turned around, the crowd would see a hard pair of eyes. The glare was piercing and dark, capable of sending even hardened criminals into a state of fear. To the crowd, it would be a look of seriousness, but Windu would be able to see behind the mask. The sadness that Vulpesen felt about hurting this other jedi was there, but he was prepared to do what he wished. He would not have death or dismemberment. Still, he would win. That was his nature. Never give up, and never back down.

 

[Antares]

Antares walked forwards when his opponent simply leaped over him. Not a problem, he thought, and then he occupied the spot that his opponent had been in previously and turned around to face him. "You are here for a reason as well, do not be sad." He said listlessly, almost as if he was trying to berate the other Jedi Knight and then he performed a sideways flip at @[member="Vulpesen"], his shield close to his body, and an azure beam lashing out at Vulpesen's midsection.

He made sure his legs were nowhere near the range of Vulpesen's lightsaber reach, and if they were, they were close enough to move out of the way and whether or not his strike had connected or not, Antares would have simply landed, and then proceeded to roll back up to his feet, awaiting for a counter-attack.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's blades clashed with those of the other jedi. "But I am not willing to maim a friend for those reasons." His words were harsh as he turned back to face @[member="Antares Windu"]. "I applaud your endeavors and mine are quite similar, albeit with one extra party that doesn't include myself. In any case, if you fight for the jedi, you do it wrong by being so willing to maim a brother in the force." As he spoke the last sentance, Vulpesen darted towards Windu. Knowing he would be unable to get past the shield, he simply leaped over the other jedi a moment before they could clash using the force to send a line of daggers towards the other knight's calves.

 

[Antares]

"I remember a Jedi Knight burning a forest." He said in retort. He wouldn't be insulted about his own ways of upholding Republic service, besides, he was speaking of one of the Dominions. The Tund Mission, when there had been too many sorcerors for the Jedi Team and then the forest was in flames. He had been a Padawan at the time, but he still felt the life of the creatures dying from the fires.

And then the Jedi Knight was flipping over him again, and Antares was already turning around before the Knight had even gotten over his head, and he coruched low, the shield moving down low when he saw the Knight's arms move. He seeks to cripple me. Antares thought to himself, and he redirected the last dagger around to the side, and moved forwards to the Jedi Knight.

He released a force wave to the Jedi Knight and was moving behind it to go after him.

@[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen flipped back with the wave, quickly watching his foot as he prepared for @[member="Antares Windu"]'s advance. "In the heat of battle other options run low. I regret not what I did, only the small lives lost by the decision. You o.n the other hand, make your decision before the battle even starts" He had long ago come to terms with the battle on that day. He had made a decision and it had worked. They were outnumbered and he had managed to change the odds and shorten the length of what could have been a long battle. As for the current battle, @[member="Antares Windu"] was about to see what made a successful shadow. Using one of his favorite tricks, Vulpesen had been careful to give himself some room between Windu's charge and his position, just enough room for him to put away his sabers and call upon the force and yank the daggers from the ground behind his opponent. Using one hand to pull the five blades once again to the back of Windu's body, Vulpesen simultaneously used his other hand to fling ten for towards the front in hopes that the frontal assault and his words would be the focus and a proper distraction from the rear blades. If the crowd enjoyed trickery and clever thinking, they were in for a trick as Vulpesen survived and thrived off his little tricks and gambits.

 

[Antares]

"Your reasoning is weak." Were the only words that came out of his mouth as he threw his hand out to the daggers in front of him, and the Force released from his hand with a wave powerful enough to just redirect and deflect the daggers. He wasted no time in staying in his position as he leapt upwards, the Force augmenting his leap and carried him over the head of @[member="Vulpesen"] to go behind him and release another force push. No hesitating.

He slung his shield over his back and he fell into the Makashi form. Now he was ready to truly duel, no more tricks. At least, on his part. As if he would resort to such things.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen growled and leaped over his daggers and allowed them to fall to rest in the dirt as he rolled back to his feet, regaining the balance from the sudden push. "Yours are wrong." Turning around, he caught sight of Windu's new tactic. Deactivating one of his sabers, Vulpesen placed the hilt on his side then preformed a makashi salute. Starting a slow walk forward, Vulpesen started to slowly circle around @[member="Antares Windu"]. These people called for blood shed and he had refused. The people were silent as they watched with interest. No doubt they would explode on the first clash, but for now, the were silent. It sickened him to be placed in a position such as this, but he would do his job. He had to remain. He had a job to do, and he was not going to let his mission go incomplete.

 

[Antares]

Antares shook his head. He wasn't going to be arguing here all day, he had come here to do something, and he wouldn't leave until he was defeated or gotten what he had come for. "As you said, we all have our reasons." He said, and he clenched his teeth, not letting @[member="Vulpesen"] circle around him, but rather just counteracting his movements so that they were always across from each other. The other Jedi Knight was a hypocrite if anything, and his destroying of the wildlife upon Tund had been done without hesitation, and he had gall the speak of his reasoning's to be wrong.

"You do not even fight like a Jedi." He said with a shake of his head, his free hand gathered miniature pebbles from the side of his opponent, and he sent them at him in a random sprawl, and then he waited a few moments before swinging the lightsaber around to the Jedi Knight's side, bending his wrist and moving his hand, so that it changed from the arcing strike to a overhanded cut to the shoulder.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen gathered the force and leaped above the stones. @[member="Antares Windu"] had passed the point of annoying him. He knew he had his flaws and his vices. Tund had been done to stop a battle. What was his reason? "Says the one who's saber severs and maims." Using the leap to avoid the slash as well as the stones, Vulpesen landed beside @[member="Antares Windu"] and reached out his hand, calling the force to hurl his own flurry of dust and other projectiles. Being a jedi far longer than the younger one nad having practiced almost completely in the usage of telekinesis, the attack would be far more potent with many more stones to throw accross a greater area. He could throw all twenty daggers and once and use the force to keep them swarming more or less in the air for quite some time. Something like this was nothing for him. "As for Tund, there was a battle. Wildlife would have left the area and the bombardment was strategicly placed to keep the damaged area to a minimum. Besides, I did come back to clean up!" If Antares wanted to bring up Tund time and time again, he was not without his own ammo in this fight.

"Honestly, at least I was killing enemies and no friends while I did it." On that last sentence, the force assault ended and Vulpesen's blades flicked on in his hands. He upped the power enough to cause severe burns then attacked with a ferocious grace. Each movement flowed into another in true Makashi form as his blades lashed out to strike the knight. One blade would always be close enough to defend the body, but just as its counterpart moved back, Vulpesen would strike out with the other to Windu's opposite side. As for where the first strike would come from, the result was fairly random, sometimes slashing at the head, and other times it would go for the leg a moment later. He was beyond annoyed. He was tired of this boys methods, and his idiotic ideals. If he wanted to duel Vulpesen, he was fine with that. He was not fine with him being willing to kill him!

 

[Antares]

"I was under the impression lightsabers were meant for maiming and severing limbs." Antares simply allowed another force wave to be released from his hand with a tight spin, counteracting the guiding force power that was sending the rocks and dust at him. Antares was amidst a storm of emotions, and dust, and he continued to step backwards, when @[member="Vulpesen"] screamed about coming back to clean up. He hadn't been on the ground to witness the destruction first-hand, and so Antares could only shake his head almost sadly. "Enjoy killing enemies do you?" He questioned, and there was a skip to his step as he backward lunges turned into short leaps to widen the distance between him and the other Jedi Knight.

"We are not friends. Only two members of the same Order." Antares's own lightsaber flashed up and down, looking almost comical while he blocked the lightsabers as far away from his body as he could. He wasn't going to be overwhelmed, and when he threw his empty hand at the ground and released a force push to kick up a veil of dust and rocks, his shield was sliding onto his arm, and it slid safely into the straps.

It was evident however, that the other Jedi Knight had taken offense when Antares had accused him of not fighting like a Jedi and killing the wildlife upon Tund, this was no smiling matter. His lightsaber was plunged into the ground and he drew it across the rocks, the black scorching marks leaving a story of his lightsaber's visiting there. "Come." Were his only words. A challenge within itself, based upon their current situation.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's assault ended when @[member="Antares Windu"] suggested his blood lust. "I do what I must." Bringing his saber up, he slapped the blade across a rock. Normally, such a stone would be cut clean through, but if such a weapon could only burn skin and not burn through it, there was no way in hell that it could cleave through such a surface and Windu's weapon had. "I do not need to kill you. If you believe that is a saber's purpose then you are a poor jedi indeed and perhaps that is why I will concede that you are finally right." He lifted his blades into a balances "A" frame, glaring at Windu. "You fight so hard, and yet you understand so little. There is no ignorance; there is Knowledge. That is why we are not friends."

He was unaware of Windu's thoughts, but he had been in that battle. Ace had flown that ship, he had been the one who led the charge to back the sorcerers into a corner. He was in the middle of the blasts when they slammed into the trees around him. He had made sure that he was one of the last men out. This time, he may just be the only one out. And instead of a ring of fire, he was now surrounded by a ring of cheers. Dashing forward, Vulpesen's stronger blade aimed a powerful stab at the edge of the shield, using the momentum to tilted away from Antares while the jedi carefully but quickly brought in his other weapon for a stab at Windu's chest. The offending blade was kept tilted to create a haphazard block should the shadow need it, but he doubted such would be necessary.

 

[Antares]

"Your quoting of the mantra is quite unnecessary, it is not needed here." He said with a shake of his head. He thought as if that would explain they were not friends. "I do not fight so hard, I suggest you calm yourself down, you are quite a storm of emotions." He said calmly, and then the other Jedi Knight had decided to step up the attack. A mistake, through and through.

Antares only stepped back again, rose his shield up slightly higher to block the lightsaber blade well enough, before his own lightsaber was remaining close to his body, and when the stab at his chest came, it moved upon the inside of the thrust, and batted it to the side, so that he could thrust into the shoulder that bore the lightsaber that stabbed at his chest. Quick and easy, and whether it worked or not, Antares was already rolling to the side of the other Jedi Knight to avoid any more 'ferocious' attacks. He was just a calm sea, amidst the raging storm, and he didn't mind. He was trained for such things.

@[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen growled and twisted his body, deactivating his right saber to get it out of the way as he twirled around to palce his back against the shield. @[member="Antares Windu"]'s riposte was not completely useless as it managed to put a burning cut across the edge of Vulpesen's shoulder. It was painful to be sure, but he could move on. "What? Afraid I'll kill you?" While he spoke, his right blade activated again, moving into a defensive position as his left blade moved in a wrap around Windu's back. The shield now worked both ways, defending Vulpesen from Windu's attacks at his torso while his blade poised itself to defend his appendages. If the attack hit, it wold cause a burn just as severe as the one on his shoulder, but that was perfect with his goals. As he said, he did not wish to kill the padawan, he only wanted to disable and defeat him. If he was lucky, those words and actions would carry through alerting Antares to his unreasonable use of a fatal blade.

 

[Antares]

"No." Antares aid when he noted that he had scored a hit upon @[member="Vulpesen"]'s shoulder. When the other Jedi Knight put his back upon the shield, Antares could only wonder as to what he was doing. What is he doing? He questioned himself. He had never seen an advance like that, and it took him a back for a moment before his mind closed off any secondary thoughts to the battle at hand. No distractions. He thought and he only steeled himself even more. He wouldn't lose.

However, it occurred to Antares that his fellow Jedi Knight hadn't taken into thought that if he put his back to the shield, there would be nothing stopping Antares from moving his shield with less than a moment's notice and thrusting at his opponent's spine and disabling him permanently. But he wouldn't, and then the Jedi Knight's lightsaber was curving around Antares's left side, his own main-hand, and he was already holding his shield up against the back of his opponent to continue propping him up, while he himself lowered his head, and lightsaber to try and strike at the back of his opponent's calves.

If it struck the pain would no doubt be enough to just disable Vulpesen, and if he wasn't disabled, the pain itself from separating ligaments would no doubt be excruciating. Though it came at a cost to perform such an attack, along the back of his left shoulder, he felt a burning sensation, but it didn't halt his movements, if anything it only sped up his slash at the legs.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen smiled as his saber met flesh. Of course it would only burn, the blade was set on a much lower setting than his opponents, now as for @[member="Antares Windu"]'s blade, Vulpesen was happy to see he had predicted correctly with there he would attack. So there was a jedi in that head after all. On one side, it got the boy some brownie points with the shadow(not that he was likely to car must), but on the downside, saber's hummed. Hearing the change in pitch, Vulpesen quickly met Windu's blade with his free one. "Thanks for that, but once again, it'd be easier for both of us if your blade could you know... Stop being fatal!" His voice was part joking, part serious, part angry, but he was starting to enjoy the competition, so long as he didn't get maimed or killed. Away form his duel with words, Vulpesen stepped away from the two low sabers and swirled behind Antares, attempting to use his attacking saber to press its advantage and creating a burning ring around the other knight. Of course, such an attack wouldn't kill. It would hurt like hell, but Vulpesen's aim was to stop Antares and further himself in his mission. Not to destroy those who got in his way.