Ask Kar'taylir Darasuum bal Akaan

[Zaia Krodas]

After three years of being away from her clan, Zaia was expecting to be able to relax and catch up when she finally returned with a droid and a ship of her own. Instead, she was immediately greeted with the offer of a mission, one that involved going to Mandallia with another Mandalorian to prove to the Mandallian giants that they were worthy of the title. The Challenge of Arms, they called it. All she and her companion would have to do was impress them in a duel, using locally forged weapons made out of their local beskar. If it went well, the Mandallians would once more join with the Mandalorians, earning them another powerful ally. Simple enough, or so she thought.

Now Zaia found herself standing at the entrance of the village, helmet at her side, about to meet her mystery companion as well as the blacksmith who would be making their weapons. Clad in her gray cloak and usual beskar-gam, she had everything she needed. As it would be considered dishonorable to use her own weaponry and armor functions in the duel, she hadn’t the mind to bring anything else with her.

And so she waited. Her companion would be here soon enough, and then she’d be able to do her usual pre-battle routine of quickly scanning them for possible strengths and weaknesses. Even if it really was only a show, there would be no harm in trying to win. If it was a good fight the Mandallians wanted, it was what they would get.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus'all was shocked when he was invited to help out his brothers and sisters from different mothers and misters with the Mandallian Giants. There was nothing more exciting for the Mando-Jedi than to have a reason to get away from the Jedi Temples on Yavin IV to join his Mandalorians elsewhere throughout the galaxy.

The greatest part about this invitation was the matter of what Ruus was to do when he arrived. There was a forging competition! This was exactly what Ruus'all was born to do! He already got excited about a glaive and a greatsword design he had been wanting to explore further- but these weapons were not to be made from dinky durasteel but by Beskar itself. It would be Ruus'all's honor to craft such an honorable weapon and then use it to face his companion in combat.

The rules were simple as well; no usage of other weapons besides the ones you create. Luckily, Ruus didn't have to worry about that as even without the Force, he was kickass warrior nonetheless.

Donned in his own beskar'gam, helmet on and everything, he turned a corner to face his companion and soon to be opponent-
"WOAH!" Ruus'all rushed Zaia and caught her in embrace that lifted her off the ground. "Oh, this is the best day ever..." He praised after setting her down.

"Heheh, whoever thought of this was an effing genius. You psyched or what?" Ruus'all asked the love of his life. She was just as beautiful as the day he met her and he made a note to give Arthos a little something for such a marvelous match up.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

No way.

When she saw a man wearing Ruus’all’s armor come out from behind the corner, Zaia’s helmet fell from her grip. Just in time too— he rushed right at her and lifted her into the air with his embrace, catching her by surprise. By the time her feet were on the ground again, her arms still loosely wrapped around his shoulders, she had a smile on her face that she couldn’t get rid of however hard she tried. It was the best day ever indeed.

She pulled back, tapping the center of Ruus’all’s chestplate as she looked into his t-visor. “Well well, if it isn’t my Jedi knight in shining beskar’gam,” she teased. At his next comment, she smirked and drew back her hand, placing it on her hip instead.

“Definitely psyched. You’re going down,” she said, balling her other hand into a fist. She glanced to her side. “Speaking of…” A Mandallian giant with a blacksmith’s apron around his waist was making his way towards the pair, looking quite amused. Zaia lowered her hand as he approached, quickly picking up her helmet from the ground.

“You two. Follow me,” he said as he came to a stop a couple feet away. He gestured to a nearby building with a tilt of his head. “That is where your weapons will be crafted.” Zaia exchanged a glance with Ruus’all, and when the giant started for the building, she trailed a little bit behind him so that she was walking beside the Mando-Jedi. Soon enough they were at the doorway, covered with nothing more than a piece of brown cloth. She could practically feel the heat from inside as the cloth was lifted. When the Mandallian stepped inside, Zaia stopped for a moment just before she entered and looked over at Ruus’all with a grin.

“You still planning on teaching me to forge someday?”

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

"I am shiny, aren't I?" The Mando mused while he walked beside her, making their way to the forge. "If I'm going to be honest, I'm really excited to see how you hold up against me." The art of Form V, or Djem So, was a style of combat that Ruus had nearly mastered. Even without without the usage of the Force, his insanely aggressive fencing style was hard to sit and block, even for masters of Soresu or Makashi.

The heat was comforting for the Force user, who sighed with relief when he knew he'd be somewhat at home today with someone he held dear to his heart. "Sure, I can teach you a little- but not everything. Don't have time for that." He rolled his shoulders upon entering the forge, undeterred by the blazing heat. This soon to be fight was not to prove who was stronger, but that both Ruus and Zaia were worthy of being called Mandalorians and the craftsmanship of these weapons about to be used out of pure Beskar needed to also look honorable to be considered someone's potential Besk'ad. Though, Ruus did want to end winning just because.

However, Ruus'all already had two weapons in mind; a longsword that would bare the Cannons of Honor on one side of the blade and the Resol'nare on the other, and a great-sword with the history of the Taung etched into pictures running up and down the blade. It was going to be quite the endeavor, but this was Ruus'all's comfort zone.

There wasn't much he couldn't do in this situation.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia had been wondering how she would do against Ruus as well, and it hadn’t been just for today. She’d been impressed by his combat skills from day one. Even if the first thing she’d seen of the Mando-Jedi was him being surrounded by a group of thugs, he’d more than proven his prowess afterwards on the train. So she didn’t respond when he brought it up, choosing instead to follow him into the forge. She’d have a better idea of how she would do once she had her weapon.

The Mandallian was already hammering away at a piece of beskar on the table in front of him, slowly making it into the shape of a spearhead. A long metal rod rested on the wall next to him, each end carved with a hexagonal pattern similar to traditional Mandalorian art. Soon enough, he grabbed it and put it on the stone table in front of him, attaching one end to a small indentation on the spearhead he’d just finished making. A quick weld later, and the weapon was complete. Now he only had to cool it. As he dipped it into a giant bucket, the sudden contact of water on hot beskar released a hiss that instantly reminded her of the Trandoshan that had tried to kill her that one night on Lothal. It would have been funny if not for the fact that he’d almost succeeded, but that was a thought for another time.

The Mandallian passed her the spear, and Zaia put on her helmet before taking it with both hands.

“Thank you,” she said with an appreciative nod. “I won’t let you down.” Glancing over at Ruus’all, she wondered what his weapon would be. For someone as polished as him in every possible way, it had to be good.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus'all patiently awaited the creation of his weapon, closing his eyes and sitting down in his meditation position. The Force was strong with the Mandalorian and he used it to weave around the flames and heat from the forge to create circlets of fire that dance around in a rythmatic pattern that paced the beating of his heart. Ruus was thinking about his two apprentices, Armen Westyll and Jendu Gash, and how proud he was of both of them. They reminded the Mando-Jedi a little bit of himself, and loved watching them grow stronger and stronger in their abilities both as a good beings of the galaxy as well as their strength in the Force.

When the clanging of the Mandallian black smith began, the circles of fire began taking shape of Ruus'all's thoughts, changing with each clang. They reflected his memores- from the moment Ruus helped Armen find his cute-ass puppy dog, to the gang fight he had with Jendu, to the even larger gang fight with Zaia. Then, the flames lept around and around until they all took the form of mini great-swords all being wielded by Kad Ha'rangir- the same sword being forged by the giant.

Finally, Ruus'all opened his eyes and the fiery visages disappeared. The giant was offering the greatsword for Ruus'all to grab. It was an elegant weapon of war- inscribed along the blade where depictions of Kad leading all of his followers on the greatest crusade the galaxy would ever see. Ruus gave the Mandallian a nod of respect before taking the hilt into his hands.

Looking over to Zaia, he smirked behind his T-visor. "You better not."

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

When Ruus sat down, Zaia was getting a feel of her weapon. She lifted it up a bit to test its weight, then passed it back and forth a couple times between her hands. It was perfect in its simplicity, and it felt natural wielding it. After a few moments, she set the end of the spear down on the ground and watched the Mandallian forge Ruus’all’s weapon. It was very different from hers, and as he handed it over to the Jedi, blade as sharp as could be, she wondered how she would do against it.

At Ruus’all’s comment, Zaia rolled her eyes from underneath her helmet before the Mandallian passed between them and went outside. She followed, spear in hand.

“The arena is that way,” said the giant, pointing a crooked finger toward the woods. In the waning afternoon light, Zaia could see the glow of torches within the trees at the end of the path. “I won’t be going with you.” She turned back to look at him, meeting his gaze from behind her visor. “Best of luck, both of you. It will not be easy to impress the others.” He smiled. Beneath his rough exterior, this Mandallian seemed kind. She just hoped she had what it took to earn his respect, and the respect of his people.

“Thank you again,” she said, giving him a nod. Once he left, Zaia looked back at Ruus as they started down the path, elbowing him lightly on his side. “You ready for this, fireball?”

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus shrugged after getting the friendly nudge. "I dunno! You ready to lose?" Ruus'all teased as they headed for the arena. The whole neighborhood was huge- probably because the species dwelling here were literal giants, but the architecture was still amazing. There were a couple stares from the bystander-giant folk who seemed more interested in the weapons the duo were holding rather than the duo themselves.

The craftsmanship was beautiful and the Mando-Jedi was thrilled to be able to wield such a weapon in a combat he knew all too well. Something Ruus'all did that he didn't really notice was that he only used his lightsaber on worthy foes. He never ignited the near-white blue blade if he didn't think it was worth it and usually resulted to using his fists or blasters. Martial Arts was another great skill the guy picked up on. Thanks to the Jedi, he was able to use all of his body as a weapon without the need for the Force, though there were some situations where he'd use it.

But the battle that was to begin was not one of them. Ruus'all was going to use the lightsaber form of Djem So- an aggressive fighting style used to end fights almost as soon as they start. Given that Ataru required acrobatics using the Force and that he hadn't mastered Vaapad yet. Form V would be his best shot- and it was also the lightsaber form Ruus was considered an expert in. This fight was against Zaia and Ruus'all hadn't fought her yet so he wasn't quite sure what to expect. If he knew his sterling companion, she probably had a few aces up her sleeve as well.

Man, I need some good music for this...

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

“You wish.”

Zaia looked around at the group of Mandallians around the arena. Some were standing, others sitting, and she even saw a few children in the crowd. That is a lot of people to impress. A couple were ogling her and Ruus’all’s weapons, but she paid them no mind as she took a deep breath and walked into the arena alongside the Mando-Jedi. Still, under the sharp-eyed gazes of the giants around them, she couldn’t help but feel a little more nervous than she would have been otherwise. I can do this.

When she reached the other side across from Ruus, she unbuttoned her cloak and tossed it toward the edge of the arena, stepping into the combat stance that was pretty much second nature to her by now. She tilted her spear, positioning the tip so that it was pointing slightly upwards in Ruus’all’s direction. Whatever he was going to try, she’d be prepared. Hopefully.

Ready when you are, she thought, fixing her gaze on her companion. Then, a Mandallian raised his hand and spoke.

“You may begin.”

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus'all didn't wait a second when the fight officially began, rushing forward with his greatsword to build up momentum for his first strike. Zaia made a big mistake of going on the defensive as Ruus specifically trained in finishing a fight off before it even began. The only defensive fighter that could best Ruus'all was his master, Russel Monti, who was an extremely experienced practitioner of Form III or Soresu which was literally all defensive tactics. Ruus'all doubted that Zaia had even taken a fencing class- let alone learn an entire form of lightsaber combat.

In one quick and fluid motion, Ruus'all brought the sword down diagnoally, aiming for Zaia's shoulder, using the momentum from that swing to arch it over to attack the other shoulder, creating an 'X' with his sword strikes that would be very difficult to block and even harder to dodge or avoid. However, Ruus'all forgot that his weapon wasn't a lightsaber and a fairly heavy Beskar-alloy sword and his third strike cutting horizontally bellow where Zaia's chest plates were and over stepped, the momentum ruining his footing and opening himself to a counter attack if Zaia was quick enough.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Letting Ruus’all make the first move was a mistake, and Zaia soon found it out when his sword was swinging straight for her shoulder. She lifted her spear horizontally in front of her to defend, only partially about to counter the attack. Part of the sword’s edge clanged against her pauldron, causing her to momentarily lose balance as she took a step back. Before she knew it the sword was coming for her other shoulder too, leaving behind a semi-deep gash along her upper right arm.

She didn’t notice it until after Ruus’all stepped forward to cut at her waist. A little too much. She flipped her spear downwards, blocking the blow before she turned it up again. She aimed the spearhead directly at Ruus’all’s stomach, stepping forward with her left leg so that she was facing his right side with the spear pointing right at him. However, the pain that suddenly flared up in her arm made her wince and pull back for a second, causing her to lose focus. Dank farrik.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus'all was taken aback by Zaia's quick reflexes, though her resourcefulness in combat was to be expected. Her counter attack left Ruus'all's stomach exposed which she went to attack directly. The Mando-Jedi saw it coming and tried to parry the blow, but only guided the attack into his side, a sharp pain shooting through his stomach that made him grit his teeth. With the weapons they both wielded, they were able to reach each other without getting too close, though Zaia's spear probably had a bit more reach than the greatsword Ruus held.

So, to make up for the slight disadvantage, Ruus decided to use more speed than strength for his blows, angling his sword down and then twisting his wrists to get the spear out of his face pointing away at his side and leaving Zaia open for a quick attack. Ruus swung diagnolly again, this time from the side of her thigh extending to her opposite shoulder and then back down again over her head. However, the throbbing sharp pain in his side refused to be ignored, and he knew that Zaia had gotten him good. If he wanted to win this fight, he needed to quick before Ruus passed out due to blood loss and internal bleeding.

 

[Zaia Krodas]

This time Zaia had been expecting Ruus’all’s swing, and she used one end of her spear to block the blow to her leg, then the other to deflect the blade coming down for her head. Absorbing some of the impact by bending her arms just a little, she pushed back by sidestepping and turning her spear upright, then attempted to jab him in the chest with the butt of her weapon.

It all happened so fast that she nearly forgot who she was fighting, but once she saw the wound underneath Ruus’all’s chestplate, she faltered just a bit as she stepped in for the attack. There was far less force than there should have been, and for a brief moment she looked at him in concern. What if I kill him? Her hesitation would give him the perfect chance to attack, and she tried to dismiss the thought. Ruus wouldn’t go down that easily, and they still had the Mandallians to impress.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

The butt of Zaia's spear managed to hit Ruus'all right in the same spot where she had stabbed him. Clever girl.... Was all Ruus'all could think as he felt strong ripples of pain shudder throughout his body. Zaia really got him good- and Ruus'all was never going to underestimate her every again. Among the Jedi Order, Ruus'all was known for is inept combat abilities with and without a lightsaber, being a master of martial arts, marksmanship, and fencing. The Mando-Jedi took great pride as probably one of the best warriors among the order- and this fight really was quite the eye opener.

Falling to his knee, gripping his side with one hand, he found himself staring wondrously back at Zaia, catching her doing the same thing. He could sense her growing stress- her fear. Ruus began to laugh a bit before coughing painfully, and stood up, steadying his blade.

"Don't worry. I won't let you win." Ruus'all teased, doing his utmost best to lower her anxiety. They needed to prove to these giants that they were worthy of claiming the title of Mandalorian. "You're letting your feelings get in the way, Zaia. We've got a job, remember? I'll b fine- I'll yield if I have to."

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

As Ruus fell to his knees and coughed, Zaia was tempted to put her spear aside, offer him a hand to help him up and end the duel right then and there. Tease him back once he got better, never let him forget it. It was on Mandallia a while ago where she’d confessed to Srucayr, and to herself that she’d allowed herself to become attached to him. It was too soon to let him go. But then he spoke and reminded her of the real reason they were here. She realized that what she wanted wasn’t even an option. By Kad, quit being dramatic.

All that in a matter of seconds. “If you say so.” Zaia briefly glanced at the watching Mandallians as Ruus’all got up to his feet. Many were stony-faced, and she had no idea what they were thinking at the moment. But Ruus had spoken true, and they did still have a job to do. Even though she was liking it less and less.

This time, somewhat reluctantly, she aimed her spear for his arm, twisting it so that she would hopefully be able to disarm him. Then, she pointed the sharp end of her weapon to his right shoulder, and without thinking, plunged it forward.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

As Ruus'all had hoped, Zaia was coming around to her senses again. It made him smile to know she cared about him the same way he did, but he worried that it could stop her from doing what was necessary. And right now, that meant pleasing the Mandallian Giants who made such beautiful weapons for the pair. Ruus liked to joke around and have fun, but when there was a job to be done, it was to be done right.

Zaia's speed was incredible, making it harder for Ruus'all to go onto the defensive- which he was his weakness. He relied on a strong and powerful offense as his defense, but with his companion's strike to his side, it made it harder to move his torso without a strong and terrible sharp pan shooting through him like a knife. So, his beskad flew out of his hands, stabbing into the dirt nearby, and felt another piercing pain in his shoulder.

Ruus winced and felt his pulse quicken. Every ounce of him was shouting to, 'Use the Force, Ruus!', but he knew it would not appease the giants watching. He had to fight without the most powerful ally in the galaxy, and it literally was costing him an arm and a leg- a lesson he would never forget. But, the fight still wasn't over, and Ruus put his hands up in a ready position to make his next attack.

 

[Zaia Krodas]

The spear went exactly where it was supposed to, and as she drew her weapon back to prepare for another strike, she wondered if managing to knock the beskad out of Ruus’ hands would be enough for the Mandallians. Though given how they didn’t say a thing, she assumed that it wasn’t. Perhaps they would be doing this until one of them backed down, and Zaia was determined for it not to be her.

With Ruus disarmed and injured, she reasoned that she had the advantage for now. In a move that perhaps wasn’t well thought out, Zaia opted to try and sweep her companion’s legs out from under him with her spear in an attempt to bring him to his knees instead of going for another straight up attack. Unfortunately for her, it also caused her to lose balance as she leaned forward a little too much, leaving her open for a quick attack on Ruus’all’s part.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

The attack Ruus saw coming was, again, too quick to react to with his injuries. But, he used the momentum from falling on his butt to sweep Zaia off the ground as well, using his legs which were in prime condition compared to the rest of his body. Ruus'all's side was too injured to try popping right back up to his feet so he steadily gathered his bearings and faced Zaia as he backed away towards his beskad, making sure she didn't try and literally stab him in the back.

On the flip side to his sustained wounds, Ruus'all was very impressed with Zaia's combat ability. Given that Ruus'all was so used to using the Force, he took this battle as a time to reflect on his abilities without the Force. The galaxy was changing fast and the Sith were growing in power. There might come a day when using the Force would be a last resort and Ruus needed to be prepared for it. So, he made a mental note to hang around his Mandalorian brothers and sisters more often without using his abilities in the Force. Maybe his Clan was actually trying to teach him something when they yelled at him for making chairs and blasters levitate.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Her overconfidence had come at a price, and Ruus’all was able to knock her to the ground along with him. Zaia’s spear flew out of her hand as she fell, landing just out of reach… right next to Ruus’all and his beskad. Wonderful. Even if he was injured, she still knew that he was capable of holding his own, and that if she wanted to get her spear back she’d have to go through him first.

In a regular fight against, say, a pirate, now would have been the time where she would use the flamethrower on her wrist. It would pretty much guarantee that her opponent be burned to a crisp without damaging her weapon. However, she couldn’t because one, Ruus’all was not a pirate, and two, she was honor-bound to not use any armor functions for this duel. Zaia was highly aware of the fact that the only reason she’d lasted this long and had appeared to be winning before was because Ruus’all couldn’t use the Force. But now that he had both of the weapons, she would have to find a way to get hers back.

Getting to her feet, she waited for Ruus to make the next move.

@Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Letting Ruus'all go first was a big mistake, given his entire fencing style based on ending fights as quick as they begin. Nevertheless, Zaia still lingered on the battlefield, which was good in terms of persuading the Mandallians of their fighting prowess but...also a little embarrassing for the Mando-Jedi who was bleeding out with a broken rib.

Ruus quickly grabbed his sword by the hilt and kicked the spear further away from himself and Zaia to give a bigger advantage. Then, he swung his aiming for her shoulders and throat, doing his best not to over swing and cause his wounds more pain than they were already in. Using the momentum from his swings, he'd use the weight of the sword to his advantage, arching it back and swinging hard downward as if he was going to split his companion into two.

@Sicadorito