Virtual Insanity (Cryax Bane vs. Keira Ticon)

[Cryax Bane]

In the rare event that Cryax Bane challenged a foe to a one-on-one battle (which was literally never), the arena that was chosen was sure to be an unusual one. Therefore, when Bane’s former friend, Keira Ticon, confronted him in his new workplace in the Coruscant Undercity, refusing to leave without an explanation for the Chiss’ betrayal of the Red Ravens, the Chiss decided on the perfect place to settle their score. With none of his explanations being satisfactory enough, she dug in her heels so deeply that there was sure to be copious amounts of bloodshed. Before both of them did something they would regret, Cryax challenged her to a unique duel, and one that she surprisingly accepted: To fight him in his virtual metaverse, a place called Second Sphere.

Second Sphere, programmed by Cryax’s late Bane Innovation slicers on Nar Shaddaa, was a computer-simulated virtual world that could only be accessed through Bane Innovation’s software client, which needed to be installed on the user’s computer and registered through Bane Innovation. Once logged in, the user could wear the Bane Innovation wireless Second Reality Visor or the haptic bodysuit to view and interact with the virtual world, and feel the virtual world in a tactile way. The original suite came bundled with a few boiler-plate locations such as a neighborhood resembling a Red Light District of an underworld planet, with slicer bars, brothels, and cafes, but for Cryax and Keira’s fight, a custom location would be created.

Since Bane’s original team of slicers was dead, he hired new ones, the best and brightest hackers the Coruscant Underworld could offer. The new slicers took to the coding like Hutts to a hoversled, and in a few weeks, created a location exactly to their boss’ specifications. Immersive, hyper-realistic and lifelike, the fantasy environment in which the two opponents would fight, was a masterpiece of bleeding-edge technology. The two rivals would find themselves in a lush, green valley surrounded by mountains and floating rock formations. There were no gravitational restrictions in Second Sphere. Flying was allowed as well as high-jumping to dizzying heights, and floating. Cryax and Keira would get health bars, much like the ones in popular Holo games. Once your health bar was down to zero, it was game over.

The roster of avatars from which a user could pick to represent themselves in Second Sphere was almost limitless. Cryax himself would stay in his Chiss body, but chose the Darksided Jedi Avatar V1.1: (“all the Force powers, none of the training!”) which would put him in black jedi robes. Made for Non-Force users who longed to know what it was like to wield the cosmic energy, the avatar allowed use of any light weapons, as well as a countless number of Force powers. His handle in the metaverse for the entirety of the duel would be “Str0nkJedi.”

His opponent, Keira Ticon, would also be able to choose from a plethora of equally powerful avatars. She could be a street-fighting martial artist, a bat-winged demon, a shapeshifter, a dragon, or a tiny faerie. The sky was the limit.

In Second Sphere, you could even choose to be yourself, but why would you want to do that?

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Theme

​

If there was one thing Keira knew better than most, it was the feeling of being completely at the mercy of another being. Sentiments she and [member="Cryax Bane"] shared, morbid and life-threatening experiences the two had bonded over. And they both suffered equally from the effects such things had on the mind, skewing one's view of reality and the others about them, to say the least, not to mention the countless other psychological and emotional aftereffects that still lingered. Those same consequences could be at least partially to blame for the rift that had been torn between them with his betrayal. Well, that and the decision that had been premeditated by the Chiss beforehand. The rest of it had been the doing of two former friends fraught with emotions they couldn't or didn't want to understand.

It was for these reasons and more that they currently stood across from each other on this predetermined virtual battlefield, each preoccupied by their own thoughts and intentions for how this battle would progress. For her part she intended to emerge the victor, and didn't see any reason as to why that shouldn't be so. After all, unlike the man that stood meters away, she had an abundance of experience when it came to confrontations similar. This was nothing unusual, whether she was in combat out of choice or having been forced into the ordeal through this or that unfortunate event. Her place had been guarding those like Cryax once upon a time, before all of this had happened. Now he was going to learn just what those who took a stance opposite her had to face.

Of all the faces available one could take, it surprised her that he had chosen to remain the same, at least outwardly. Out of all people she'd expected him to be the most extravagant when faced with such a momentous choice as this. He seemed one that would do anything to win, at any cost, no matter the effect such a thing happened to have on those that surrounded him, friend or foe. At the very least she'd anticipated him to choose a different species, if not give himself a set of abilities that could be outmatched by none. Instead he'd simply made himself Force sensitive, rather unsurprisingly, and stuck himself with what appeared to be a basic skill set. A much more manageable opponent than she could have asked for, though it was only the surface she had skimmed.

Similarly she had chosen to remain the same in every respect, to prove something to herself just as much as him. She didn't need anything other than her own wit and ability to best someone like him, or anyone, for that matter. So she was dressed in much of the same outfit that she had come to Coruscant wearing, same lightsaber still at her waist, same stubborn expression on her face, her amber eyes harboring emotion that her countenance otherwise didn't reveal, one of them taking prominence: payback. Any former thought of reluctance when it came to injuring the Chiss was gone with the wind and the reality of the galaxy they lived in. This was a place for her to vent any frustrations without any real consequences, or so she supposed. Perhaps a bounty would be slapped on her afterwards, perhaps not. In the end she really couldn't care less.

Where he seemed to be treating this as some kind of joke she was taking it just as seriously as she would any other similar scenario, and unlike the handle that was meant to be entirely amusing, hers was the opposite: Morho. It wasn't of any consequence whether he could translate the Old Corellian or not. Nor did she really care if he chose to overestimate his newfound skill in the Force. From what she could sense the power he held within his core was raw, undefined, radiating an untamed darkness that she could find solace in, its volatility so similar to her own. That didn't mean she would be showing him any sort of respect beyond what was typically granted her adversaries. Which was to say, little to none at all, and likely the latter at that.

"Ladies first."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Str0nkJedi’s Health [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

“Heh. Very funny, Morho.” he smirked at her taunt, red alien eyes flashing with a nasty glint of malice. Keira, or now Morho, could have picked almost anything to represent herself in the virtual world, but had chosen an avatar that closely resembled herself for their battle. The Chiss couldn't fathom it, but whatever floated her boat. At least it meant that he wouldn’t have to deal with fire-breathing lizards or thermal detonating super soldiers.

“Your lack of imagination is disappointing,” he announced, and then quickly vaulted twenty feet in the air, gracefully landing on a floating bolder positioned right above his opponent.

“I shouldn't be surprised. Time and time again, you've proven yourself to be just another lowbrow Corellian.”

Str0nkJedi extended his hands out to the side and a lightsaber jumped into each one, its sizzling red blade igniting with a snap-hiss. He weighed the weapons in his hands, unaccustomed to the heaviness of the plasma blades. Dual-blade fighting was completely foreign to the Chiss, but here in Second Sphere, all of the avatar's weapons came with some generic moves that even the biggest noob could use without too much trouble. Against an opponent such as Morho, however, he knew that generic wouldn't exactly cut it.

A snarl crossed his face as Str0nkJedi dove in the air, tucking his head into a forward flip, lightsabers still in hand. He whirled hands over feet and came soaring down towards her. His arms rose above his head and swung down in an arc towards her upper body in a clumsy Twin Strike attack. If he landed his blow, it would take away three notches on her health bar.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Morho's Health: [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Just as soon as his weapon, or rather weapons, were called into existence Keira ignited her own orange blade, the reaction instinctual instead of a conscious effort. Using dual blades was a task not many undertook. Even the most experienced of all fighters rarely chose to employ the tactic. It was difficult to learn, let alone master, and required a finesse and precision that not many possessed, even with the added aid that the Force allowed them in terms of reflexes and maneuvers. But she wasn't really all that taken aback by his decision. This was Cryax, after all, and she knew from past experience that he had the same tendency to overestimate his own skill that she did. There was, however, such a thing as going too far. Lightsaber combat was one of those fields that required a careful tread.

His digs against her heritage were nothing new, but they didn't escape her notice despite her lack of a visible reaction. That was more due to her focus on the exact specifics of his attack and what the consequences would be if she chose to block rather than dodge, and vice versa. All of these calculations were made in the mere seconds it took for him to leap from the boulder and swing his crimson blades through the air. Despite his assumptions that she was less than up to par on the intellectual plane, she was in fact possessed of the same intelligence that he had been granted, though perhaps of a different skill set. While his focus was more academic, her knowledge lay in the art of combat. It was one of the reasons she was most at home in these deadly scenarios. This was what she knew.

The wisest decision would be to counter his strike in order to reverse the damage he would otherwise cause and turn it on himself, taking one step in the right direction of finishing this easily. On the other hand, chances were just as high that she would suffer for that choice as well. With his dual sabers he had considerably more surface area to work with, giving him the advantage in any sort of blade lock. That was a chance she didn't want to take, this time. Not with someone like this, at least. Theoretically it should have been easier, given his lack of experience. But there was this thing called beginner's luck, and she'd witnessed it plenty of times and exploited it countless others to know just the lasting effect it could and did have on some opponents, regardless of their higher skill in every aspect.

Sometimes the basics were the most powerful decision. Instead of bothering with any flashy displays so early she simply rolled to the side to avoid his attack, her lightsaber briefly disengaging and humming back into existence shortly afterwards. In the event that he was hopefully caught off balance by the lack of any solid area to cut into she would turn and send a burst of the Force at his abdomen, intended to knock him off his feet and leave him open for a far more devastating attack. Just as his strike would have, hers would level three notches on his health bar if successful. It wasn't an entirely underhanded move, but this was early in the fight. Later would come the unorthodox tactics and less than fair strategies, things she had picked up on over the years that were helpful in bringing down adversaries much stronger than this.

"Your lack of skill is just as disappointing, don't worry. Better watch your mouth. Matches like this are my playground." He should have known that just as well as anyone, especially given what he'd witnessed on Kashyyyk, when she was still fighting to keep him alive. How ironic that she would now be doing all in her power to secure his death for the same criminal syndicate he had once headed. Life had a funny way with things. "I've seen better from a Jedi, c'mon."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Str0nkJedi’s Health Bar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

As Str0nkJedi began his descent, he could see Keira rolling away, almost as if she were moving in slow motion. Then, he as flew backwards from the telekinetic pulse of the Force smashing into his belly, he realized just how out of depth he was. The robed Chiss was a pretender, who knew virtually nothing about the powers he had at his disposal. He knew little about the offensive strikes, and even less about how to defend from them. When he had watched his brother practice in the Sith temple, he made it look so easy. Kark it. He would just have to improvise. After all, the beauty of Second Sphere was the complete lack of consequences that a body would have to suffer in a lethal situation such as this. It was a pretender’s dream come true.

He landed on his back with an “oof,” his lightsaber clattering out of his hand. With a sizzle and hum, the red blade extinguished. The Chiss slicer scrambled to his feet, stumbling to the side as he he stepped on the bottom of his robe. Slightly embarrassed, he quickly straightened up with a look that said, “I meant to do that.” Why the hell did Jedi wear these fething drapes anyway? With his composure regained, the Chiss fell into a battle stance, bouncing on the balls of feet that were positioned shoulder-width apart.

Str0nkJedi extended his arms, calling the Force, or Second Sphere’s version of it anyway, into his body, which sent dark-sided energy to his hands. The folds of his black robe billowed up around him as blue fingertips began to spark with indigo currents. In a few moments, his hands became whirling dervishes of electricity, and he struck out at Keira with a very powerful Master level current of Force lighting streaming from each hand. If she did not deflect his attack, the lighting would subtract four notches from Morho's health bar.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Morho's Health: [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

It was a nearly satisfying thing, watching Cryax fly backwards, unable to do anything in his own power to stop or slow his speed. It was as if the energy that had been pent up inside of her was suddenly released a fraction, and she could breathe a bit easier. Just then Keira realized that a part of her had been longing for this, a chance to square up against him in an environment she was completely at home in. This was her time to communicate all that couldn't otherwise be spoken into actions. While her frustration and anger at him and what he'd done was still there, it seemed to have decreased to manageable levels where she could both see and act clearly without irrationality impeding her. All the better for her, not so much for him.

Unable to stifle a quiet laugh as he stumbled, she was reminded of just how uneven the playing field was. The two of them had seen their fair share of battles, certainly, but on different grounds altogether. Her idea of combat was much more physical and up front, while his was behind the scenes in the form of slicing and any activity similar. It was one of many divides that separated them, and had in the past. Before she had been willing to cover his weaknesses and offer support in those areas he couldn't or didn't wish to excel in. That was why they had once made such a formidable team. Now she was trying to tear him down on whatever plane possible. "That's why you take off the robes before you go trying to kill someone. Makes for a lot less tripping." Not that it would help his technique any.

But maybe it didn't need any helping. As the electricity crackled through the air towards her she raised her orange blade to absorb and deflect the attack. That was a strategy that often worked, but not one she exploited constantly. It could use some improving, there was no question, and that was part of the reason she was so unprepared for just what he had unleashed. The second aspect was how powerful the Force energy he threw across the empty space in the form of that strikingly indigo lightning was. There must not have been any parameters on exactly what level one could access in terms of skill. She knew a Master level attack when she saw one, and this was no exception. His ability in lightsaber combat did leave something to be desired, but she couldn't say the same for his supposed talent in the ethereal.

The instant the arcing electricity touched her body her nerves were alight as a tidal wave of pain washed over her. The blow was suffocating, and she found herself unable to do much more than collapse as her legs seemed to disintegrate from beneath her. In fact, her entire body felt numb and yet wracked with pain at the same time, a dizzying combination of sensations that left her breathless, face contorted in an expression of agony. Even as it subsided she still couldn't move herself to stand or shift position even a millimeter. Everything from her head to her toes hurt in an indescribable way. Nothing she had felt before, not even the tortures she'd endured those years ago, could match up to this.

When she did find it in herself to attempt to stand her movements were slow and jerky, as if she were a puppet on a string. She only made it as far as her knees before a sharp stab of pain cracked through her head, her vision briefly going black. Blinking, the world eventually swam back into focus, and she clenched her jaw stubbornly, raising her head to regard Cryax not with rage, but with an icy, unnatural calm. Her hand raised, trembling, as if reaching out to an unseen point. After a moment her lightsaber flew into her hand, the blade remaining unignited for the time being. Pain is power.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Str0nkJedi’s Health Bar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

A self-satisfied smile crossed Str0nkJedi’s face as Morho crumpled to the ground, writhing and twitching as painfully lightning coursed through her body so powerfully, her avatar's skeleton was visible through its skin. Darksided Jedi Avatar V1.1 came bundled with Master-level Force abilities. That had to hurt. Once his attack was depleted, she managed to climb to her feet. He didn’t enjoy seeing a friend wobbling around in pain like a newborn foal. After all, Morho's user had saved his life on more than one occasion: For example at the Dragon Palace Casino when she had disposed of a bounty hunter had slapped an explosive slave collar around his neck, and on the great Wroshyr tree branch on Kashyyk where she had defended him from Jedi attacks. But this was a virtual foe, and the woman who controlled her body, had royally pissed him off. Morho's physical body would feel shocks of pain where she sat clothed in the Second Sphere haptic bodysuit, but the currents she felt would not leave any permanent damage. The pain would be superficial at best. Unfortunately her mind’s pain receptors wouldn’t know the difference.

Her lightsaber flew into her hand, but she didn’t ignite it. Perhaps he had fried something in her brain as well? Since his Force lightning attack had been mightily successful, he should have hit her with a second round, but Str0nkJedi was curious about the avatar’s other skills. The robed Chiss extended an arm dramatically, just like a Sith Lord on the battlefield, and curled his blue fingers in towards themselves. If his opponent did not blocked or thwart his next attack, Morho would feel herself lifted off the ground by her slender neck. As she dangled off the ground, her windpipe would feel like it was slowly closing, her lungs devoid of precious air.

"I expected more of a challenge from you, Morho," he taunted through gritted teeth. "What a disappointment you're turning out to be."

If successful the attack would remove five notches from her health bar.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Morho's Health: [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

There were certain things one never said to Keira if they were interested in preserving life and limb for any healthy amount of time. Those certain things were even more of a fragile ground when she was already angered and therefore much more volatile than what was typical. What was typical when faced with an attack such as this was a simple Force Push by her to break the telekinetic connection and a swift counter. Now, however, both were wrapped up in one strike as her abilities in the Force capitalized on the adrenaline and emotions both coursing through her veins. If there was one thing that made her a dangerous opponent, it was her impulsivity, and this wasn't any different. It only took a prodding at her subconscious for her to get the idea, and from then on it was instinctual.

A swell of energy gathered in her core, and with little previous knowledge guiding her she thrust her palms out to opposite sides, the counteract manifesting itself in a burst of the Force flying outwards from her body in a spherical fashion, accompanied by a sharp, resounding crack. Just as his own attempt, hers would remove five notches from his health. But winning wasn't so central in her mind anymore. This was about making things even in the only way she knew how. "All you've done so far is throw fireworks and talk," Her voice didn't quite hold its former strength, but none of the former determination was depleted in the least, "If you really want to impress me, drop the act and pick up your weapons. It's going to take more than a few magic tricks. I want a challenge." I want you to try and hurt me.

Still her saber remained unignited, and she merely waited for his retort, both physical and verbal. This was unlike her, but she hadn't really been herself in years. Right now she was merely a placeholder, waiting for something to come by that would give her a higher focus and a goal to attain. The closest thing she had to that was her intention to take all of the pain that Cryax had caused her and the Ravens and turn it back on him tenfold. Perhaps a noble task to some, but to her it was just the way things worked. If someone hurt you it was only natural to return the favor, only far more devastating in nature. It was one of the crowning things her older brothers had taught her, and if there was one thing her opponent would walk away knowing, it was why one didn't trifle with just any Corellian they crossed paths with.

The last sparks of pain slowly dissipated from her nerve endings, but instead of pushing them away she let the final shocks strengthen her resolve. If pain was power, then she should have been nearly unstoppable by this point in time. "You seem to forget when I used to defend you from people just like what you've turned into. I know how minds like yours function. I have one of my own." Maybe she wasn't quite so obviously twisted, but it was safe to say her outlook on life was skewed. And for once, it would be her advantage rather than her downfall. When someone like him was given nearly unmatchable power, they didn't want to spend their time not using it. Which meant she would have to become adjusted to taking hits for the remainder of this match. Something that wasn't entirely new for her.

Her lightsaber flashed and hummed into existence, held loosely at her side. Contrary to her relaxed appearance, she was perfectly capable of utilizing it with a lethal efficiency honed by years spent on battlefields not dissimilar to this in a number of facets. "I want to feel something. Hit me. I dare you."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Str0nkJedi’s Health Bar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Although Str0nkJedi knew very little about the secrets of the Force, his analytic, computer of a brain learned things ridiculously fast. Given Morho’s “tell,” palms thrust outward, it was obvious an attack was coming, and the robed Chiss spread his palms in front of him with his arms outstretched. He quickly surrounded himself with a bubble of defensive Force energy, just like Darth Carach had done in the Coruscant Undercity to protect him from a mustard gas attack. As ear-splitting as thunder, a crack sounded through the realm as his foe’s energy pulse connected with the wall of his shield, but did not penetrate. The pulse shimmered around the sides of the energy field and then dissipated.

A malicious smile widened Str0nkJedi’s cheeks.

“Why use weapons, when I have all of these pretty fireworks?” he said with a chuckle, raising a hand to watch the indigo sparks of his Force lightning power dance along his fingers. His blood red eyes held an edge of awe as they followed the electric currents.

“You wanna feel something, Morho? Feel this!”

Str0nkJedi’s face became a mask of hatred, as his blue-skinned hands shot outwards. Crackling bolts flew from both palms, as Cryax assaulted Keira with another withering lightning strike, an attack that would take five bars off of her health if she absorbed all of the damage.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Morho's Health: [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Well, if he wasn't going to use the physical weapons granted him, Keira would take advantage of them instead. Stretching a hand out, all was silent before a quiet metal clatter sounded and one of the Chiss' discarded lightsabers flew into her hand, igniting instantly. The strategy hadn't worked the first time, but she was stubborn enough to try again. The crimson and orange blades crossed in front of her, absorbing the majority of what damage would have otherwise caused her to crumple to the ground once again in pain. Enough of it transcended her makeshift boundaries to deliver another wave of painful shocks, but she remained standing, unwavering although her nerve endings were alight. There wasn't any room for hesitation on her part.

Once she was certain the attack had dissipated, she didn't waste any time in a retort, letting the saber that belonged to him fly, throwing the other crimson blade with the same ethereal tendrils, one aimed for his head and the other for his abdomen. If all went well he would be hard-pressed to dodge both and not sustain some sort of damage. Depending on the severity of the damage, the consequences could range from anything as permanent as a virtual sort of death to merely a few notches off of his health. The results depended entirely on his own reflex and reaction, something she was counting on being a bit slower than the average sensitive due to his inexperience with his newfound abilities. If he wasn't as slow as anticipated, well...she'd just have to make something work.

"If you're trying to go the cliche Sith route, you're really doing great. It takes more than a bit of brooding and some sparks to scare me." It was amusing, in a sense, watching him grow into his skills with the maturity of a youngling. If all of his comrades were like this, it was a wonder they managed to accomplish anything in the way of galactic domination. Of course, they hadn't been making it very far in that facet either. Maybe he really was mostly talk, but after seeing all that he commanded she knew better than to underestimate him so early. Whether she liked to admit it or not, he had grown to be considerably powerful, at least in the way of the friends he kept. The last thing any of the Ravens needed were the Sith on their backs, and she probably wasn't helping that along by coming here.

Her muscles were still sore thanks to the thousands of volts of electricity that had coursed through them minutes before, and she knew that if this came to a more physical match that she would be at a loss if it drug out for too long. While it was fractionally annoying that he kept favoring use of the Force over anything she was better prepared to counter, she didn't have any desire to change many things when they were more or less at a stalemate in what could be done to ultimately one-up the other. "It's too bad this has to be a virtual match, but I guess you wouldn't stand much of a chance on a real battlefield. At this point, you'd already be dead."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Str0nkJedi’s Health Bar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Right before Str0nkJedi's Force electricity hit Morho, she managed to levitate his lightsaber into her hand, crossing her blades in front of her to absorb some of the damage. Her face was still twisted with pain as her body intercepted the rest of the volts, and a crooked grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched her health bar decline. Then Morho suddenly flung both blade towards him with the speed of a gale. Her aim was exquisite, and Str0nkJedi had to dive sideways to avoid being quadrisected. One of the blades came jaw-droppingly close to severing his foot, and when he landed, the robed Chiss was shocked to discover that he was still unscathed. Pity he wasn't born with Force sensitivity. He seemed to be a natural at wielding Force powers. Of course, his Second Sphere avatar's Force attacks were programmed to be precise, and like a computer, the powers only failed due to human error.

With his fingers still sparking from the indigo currents of Force energy, Str0nkJedi planted his fingers down on the virtual grass and hoisted himself back to his feet. His robe whipping around him, he faced Keira again. In a real world fight, Str0nkJedi would have been gasping for his breath, winded from the acrobatic maneuvers, but in Second Sphere, his avatar was as fresh as a daisy.

Str0nkJedi ignored her taunts for now. He wanted to finish things with Morho, so he could get back to his usual routine. There was work to be done. The Chiss needed to check on his invisible market trades, test out some new batches of spice, and there was also a certain CRC enforcer by the name of [member="Nergal"] he wanted to Holocall for an evening visit after his drag show. With a grunt, Str0nkJedi used the avatar's telekinetic power to wrest a boulder out of the sky and fling it towards Morho. The boulder was the size of a four-person land speeder, and would be difficult to dodge. If it hit Morho it would take ten notches off her health bar.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Morho's Health: [][][][][][][][][]

If Keira was going to do something that would allow her to avoid being crushed by the boulder that had been wrenched out of the sky, then her only option was to act quickly, and soon. Stifling a string of rather creative insults and curses she pulled one of the lightsabers from its predefined path and into her palm, the red and orange blades never once disengaging. Never had she attempted something of this scale, and all she could really do was hope it would be marginally successful. As the tons of rock hurtled towards her she remained unflinching, augmenting her strength with the Force in order to hopefully pull this off. Both weapons swung in tandem, cutting through the air and then through the projectile itself, allowing her to avoid the worst of what damage would have otherwise been inflicted.

In order to avoid the larger pieces of stone as they tumbled from the sky she rolled forward, stumbling slightly from sheer exhaustion as she found her feet once more, though she remained standing. Despite managing to avoid the brunt of his attack she had hardly escaped unscathed. Blood from a cut on the side of her head was beginning to trickle slowly down the side of her face, and she knew that she had broken a rib or two. The entirety of the fight might have been virtual, but for the moment the pain was real in every aspect. Taking care not to breathe too deeply lest another shot of pain course through her side she did her best to steady her breathing, wincing slightly in pain nonetheless. It was a wonder in her own eyes that she had managed to remain on her feet for this long, but she knew when her time was limited.

Walking into the fight she had been confident of an easy victory. After all, unlike her, he hadn't spent any amount of time honing his skills on the battlefield. That had been her duty, protecting him from those otherwise lethal threats. But it seemed as if the man, the coward, she had once known had turned into something decidedly more deadly. Already he had proven himself capable of wielding his newfound abilities with a dangerous efficiency, but this was only the illusionary plane. In realty she would have made short work of things, simply utilizing a few telekinetic tricks to knock him off his feet and otherwise subdue any nearby security. Such an event had been close to transpiring in the morgue on Coruscant, before the match had been called instead. A pity. She would have much rather witnessed him bleed for real.

Letting the blood-hued blade that belonged to him fall from her grasp she drew on those aforementioned telekinetic skills, releasing a burst of energy that would throw him backwards into a nearby literal wall of rock, five notches disappearing from his health should the attack succeed. Assuming it did she would hold him there, pinned by an invisible force on his chest, dangerously close to crushing his rib cage in on itself. No, that would have been far too easy, at this point. Instead she began to apply agonizingly slow pressure to his lungs, an attack that wouldn't cause a noticeable amount of damage right away, but would incrementally increase until there was no doubt that he was ever so gradually losing the air necessary for prolonged survival. Then the gravity of things would set in.

Slowly she walked towards him, pausing once she was meters away, leveling her gaze with his. "Do you feel powerful now?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Str0nkJedi’s Health Bar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

A wide grin stretched Str0nkJedi's face as Keira climbed to her feet, bloodied and pained. Not such a coward now am I, Keira? Bane was accustomed to running from Force users at the snap-hiss of a lightsaber, so it was just desserts to be able to take one down a peg. He had found most Jedi and Sith to be annoyingly smug and sanctimonious about their powers, even the dark-siders. Sure, they trained hard and learned to hone their abilities, but let's face it, they won their powers in the genetic lottery, much like being born rich or pretty. It gave an unfair advantage that they didn't have to earn or scrape for.

Lost in his reverie, Str0nkJedi was blindsided by her next attack, and felt himself thrown backwards into a rocky slab of granite. Before the bruises could blossom, his throat began to constrict, and fingers crawled up his chest to scratch at his neck in vain. He watched in horror as a few more green bars disappeared from his Avatar's health, but his next move stumped him. More Force lighting? Force wound? Another telekinetic burst?

As Str0nkJedi's user had been the lead programmer for Second Sphere's software, he was also privy to all of its cheat codes. Using a voice command that only he and Second Sphere's programmers knew, the Chiss called up an administrator's panel, a translucent blue screen projected in front of his avatar. Still choking and sputtering from the tightening of his throat, the robed Chiss speedily typed up a few commands. In a few seconds, ten more notches appeared on his health bar, replacing the ones that Morho's attack had previously diminished. Yes, Bane knew the leet hacks and he had no qualms about using them to win this fight.

Once that was done, Str0nkJedi clicked the exit command and the blue screen disappeared. He lifted his arm and twisted his palm up, curling his fingers towards himself. Morho would feel her fragile internal organs being crushed inside her belly as Str0nkJedi used the avatar's Force Wound power on her. If successful, the attack would take seven notches off of her health bar.

"I do feel powerful as a matter of fact," he answered in a croak, his arm trembling as he continued to push her innards together. "If you give up now, I won't tell anyone how badly I defeated you."

"It can be our little secret."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Morho's Health: [][]

A minute cry of pain escaped her, but Keira forced herself to maintain some kind of composure. It would be much easier, in the long run, to give in and submit to his will, letting the pain end. After all, she had suffered enough in her life to warrant that one moment of surrender. And that pain had been all too real, nothing escapable by simply flipping a switch, causing reality to dissolve before her eyes until she was wrenched back into the relative safety of her physical body. But no, she had come too far to simply give in at the end, no matter what her instincts were screaming at her. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant bringing him down, even temporarily and in a virtual realm. Besides, she was a Corellian, and with it came that all too familiar never-say-die attitude he would know too well.

Begrudgingly she let her own blade fall, snapping back into its hilt, its position at the ground by her feet just as useless as if it had never existed in the first place. Never would she be given a chance to recover the weapon. Her only chance now was managing to focus well enough to finish this via the Force, something that was becoming less and less likely the more her nerve endings became overstimulated with pain. It was a miracle she was still on her own two feet, let alone conscious and keeping up the same pressure on his throat. But it was instinctual, at this point, retaliating by inflicting a different kind of suffering on him. What goes around comes around, and never had such a philosophy been truer than in this moment. Karma was a dangerous thing, alright, and she was determined to deal it out.

With a jerky slowness brought on by wavering concentration her left hand raised as well, her focus entirely on manipulating the Force around those two appendages. The pressure about his throat would feel different, not loosening so much as shifting position, the grip still suffocating but in a manner reminiscent of two hands holding his throat instead of just one. Had he been better versed in the art of Force-driven combat, he would have had an idea of what was coming next. It was that ignorance she was relying on in order to heighten the probability of success. Sure, his avatar knew what to do, but that all came back to his own analytic brain, one that had only seen these talents put into practice, never experiencing them himself. Hopefully he was still as blind as he had been previously.

"You're right, it can be our little secret." Those words gritted out past a clenched jaw, but she managed a half-smile, intent on his death. Without warning her hands moved sharply in opposite directions, in an attempt to break his neck right where he was held up against the wall, assuming he wasn't able to telekinetically defend himself otherwise beforehand. If successful the strike would be just as devestating as it would have been in reality, which was to say resulting in near-instantaneous death. "I promise I won't tell too many people. Only the Ravens have to know." Regardless of whether her attack was effective or not her hands would fall to her sides as she finally allowed exhaustion to catch up with her, falling to her knees, breathing heavily. A grimace of pain flashed across her face thanks to her broken ribs, her gaze remaining steadily on the Chiss.

"I told you to be careful what you wished for."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

His eyes flickered back and forth as StronkJedi felt the touch of phantom hands around his throat again. While no expert in combat, the Chiss quickly analyzed the situation and surmised that her next attack was going to be a desperate hail mary, and therefore something powerful and lethal. Whatever it was, it needed to be prevented and fast.

The green bars of her health were so low, they had begun to flash. He could defeat her in one attack. Before her the invisible hands of the Force could twist his neck in two, Str0nkJedi let out a telekinetic burst so strong it not only would send her flying backwards, but also send rocks, and chunks of grassy earth flying in her direction. The power felt amazing, like he was about to rip out the fabric of cyberspace itself.

As he watched the earth bending to his command, he should have felt victorious. He was about to emerge from their fight as the winner, a distinction that was rare in the Chiss' life. He should have gloated and preened, twisting the knife in with a barb or an insult, rubbing her nose in it. Ironically, for reasons he didn't care to examine at the time, Cryax simply felt empty. Like if you cut a hole in his chest, and peeked inside, you would see that he was the hollowest man standing.

[member="Keira Ticon"]