Tournament Round 2: Velok vs Beltran 'Tasty Morsel' Rarr

[Velok the Younger]

(source)​

MYRKR
NO FORCE AT ALL
[member="Beltran Rarr"]

A comfortably cool wind whistled through the natural arena. It fluffed Velok's fur pleasantly. With no armor, not even his leathers, and a far more temperate climate than the sandy arena on Iridonia...well, the warthog from arctic Toola was feeling good. He'd eaten well, too, and heatstroke wouldn't be a problem this time around. He could almost forget that when he stretched out, he couldn't feel the Force.

As he waited for his opponent, tiny camera drones flitting overhead, Velok leaned against the natural wall. He scratched his back furiously against the rough stone. Most satisfying.

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Beltran Rarr, Lorrdian assassin and current Specialist with the Antarian Rangers, entered the picturesque clearing that was the chosen place for his next round of combat in this tournament. Like he had on Phu, the Lorrdian wore only a pair of navy blue fatigue pants, and a pair of combat boots. His torso and arms, he’d kept uncovered in order to provide him with the maximum amount of speed and range of motion.

As he approached his latest opponent, the Lorrdian knew that his speed would likely prove to be his only advantage against the much larger creature. Like it had been in the previous round, he knew next to nothing about his opponent except that the being’s name was [member="Velok the Younger"].

“If you’re the younger version,” He called out sardonically when he was sure he was within earshot. “I’m glad I’m not facing Velok the Elder.”

He stood in front of the large Whiphid, approximately a dozen meters away from where it stood. He adopted a ready position, with his legs spread and his hand up in front of his face with his palms open-daring the creature, with his presence, to make the first move.

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Beltran Rarr"]

Velok knotted two-knuckle fists the size of Rarr's head, and considerably hairier. He straightened up from leaning against the rough stone.

"Yes, you are. My father didn't fight for sport. To him you'd have been nothing more than hors d'oeuvres, and he liked his meat rare."

Uncomfortable memories swam to the fore. Velok the Elder had not been well loved among his family - or the Republic, or the Jedi, or the Mandalorians, or...

Velok lumbered forward in a controlled way, not looking to build momentum or burn himself out. The human looked to be early middle age, just a pup with a pup's agility. Sooner or later he'd need to move in.

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Beltran stopped moving as the being flexed his massive fists. He met Velok’s gaze, his dark eyes impassive as he listened to the response.

“You know,” He said as the being began to lumber toward him. “You’re not the first monster to come for me.” He informed [member="Velok the Younger"]. As he continued to speak, the Lorrdian made use of a skill he realized utilized: his ability to “throw” his voice. He continued to speak but as he did so, his voice would seem to come from behind the Whiphid. And then to his left, and then his right, changing direction with each statement he made. “And you won’t be the last. Soon I will be done with you and on my way to the next challenge. And you, well you may very well end up being the hors d’oeuvres.”

The Lorrdian, as a rule, wasn’t prone to making threats. And he certainly didn’t expect a being like Velok to be the least bit intimidated by them. Instead, the words were intended to give Beltran a chance to size up his opponent. He watched the way the Whiphid moved, and it told him more than a conversation ever would. There was the obvious: he was big, and a little on the slow side. But Beltran knew not to trust that, that was simply the appearance Velok wanted to give him.

He was waiting, biding his time, preparing for the moment when the Lorrdian would make a move.

The rules stated that they had to fight unarmed, which put the Lorrdian at quite the disadvantage. Luckily, Beltran had made a career at turning disadvantages to advantages. No sooner had the his last words reached Velok’s ears was Beltran moving. He charged forward, moving fast over the flat ground, closing the distance between them. Then at the last moment, when it appeared that he would charge headlong into the Whiphid’s chest, the Lorrdian stepped to the side and struck out with his foot.

His target? The side of the Whiphid’s right knee. It didn’t matter how big a creature was, if you could land a powerful kick to what was the arguably weakest joint on any bipedal species, you could cause some serious damage and put your enemy into a world of pain.

 

[Velok the Younger]

Since neither the Force nor technology could be involved under the contest's rules, Velok estimated that the surrounding voice didn't pose a threat. He remained facing his enemy.

[member="Beltran Rarr"]'s choice of target was natural, logical, and one that humanoids often selected. Velok's right knee still ached after the last round's repairs. This time, he crouched just slightly to take the kick against the side of his thigh. As he did so, he slammed his right fist down in a block-slash-strike at the back of Beltran's raised leg. It wouldn't do much more than bruise, maybe throw him off balance while his weight rested entirely on the other leg, and that was just fine. Velok ascribed to attrition, not the one-shot kill. Meat tenderized better that way.

 

[Beltran Rarr]

[member="Velok the Younger"]’s blow struck the back of Beltran’s leg, even as his shin connected with the higher park of the Whiphid’s leg. As predicted, the blow caused little in the way of damage but it did through the Lorrdian somewhat off balance. Velok was very solid, and it seemed that he was far too capable to be distracted by his meager voice tricks.

The Lorrdian’s first instinct was to back off a few paces and look for another opening, but as he took in the older being’s demeanor, and read his body language, he knew that was exactly the wrong tactic to use.

It was clear in his body language that the Whiphid expected to outlast him and if Beltran tried to play the long game, he had no doubt that his opponent would do just that. He needed to hurt Velok, or at the very least, make him angry enough to make a mistake.

Using his quickness to his advantage, Beltran would duck around the massive being’s arm as he completed its blocking motion and step behind Velok. He would then jump up, wrapping one arm around the beast’s neck, in an admittedly feeble headlock and served nothing more than to hold the Lorrdian in place, as he lashed out with his other hand- attempting to brutally dig his fingers in one of Velok’s eyes.