Mando Tourney Final Stage: Dax versus Dalyn

[Leandros Solus]

The tournament had come to its final round.

Two champions have emerged amongst the mando’ade, their clear demonstrations of skill awe-inspiring to the other fighters of their people. From the trial of teams to the trial of skill, these fighters had successfully survived and beaten their opponents, and now it was down to the final two to fight. Dalyn Solus, the skald of Clan Solus, would fight Dax Vizsla, a man who had served with great distinction in the uprising. Both were skilled combatants and able to adapt quickly to the situation, but could one best the other in a pure contest of arms?

The Mand’alor would soon find out.

The battle circle is an ancient and honored tradition of skill between fighters. These final two warriors will be tested on their skill in combat in adherence with the Old Ways. Warriors would be given a generic suit of beskar’gam of their choosing (light/medium/heavy) with no functions as well as a single beskad. The battle circle was drawn in the dirt of their precious Mandalore, the only place fitting enough for the finale to this tournament. It had a diameter of ten meters and was surrounded on all sides by Mandalorians watching with great interest.

The rules of the Battle Circle were few and simple. First, no deathblows were permitted. Second, neither combatant was allowed to leave the Battle Circle.

That was it.

The two combatants would start opposite one another in their armor of choice and beskad. When both fighters were prepared, the Mand’alor himself would declare the beginning of the fight. Leandros panned his gaze between the two fighters, his face impassive beneath the ancient mythosaur bone mask he wore. The Mandalorians around the circle cheered and jeered at both fighters, each clan and friend placing bets on who would emerge victorious. After a moment, Leandros raised a hand to quiet them down, and a hush fell over the crowd.

The sound of metal against metal sang out as he drew his beskad and pointed it at the heavens, looking between each fighter. Each man knew what was at stake, and they knew that their people were watching. It was time to see who would become the champion of the Mand’alor. He swiftly brought it down, slicing through the air and signaling the start of the final duel.

”Fight!”

@Wit @Rom

 

[Dalyn Solus]

Kneeling in the dirt of their butchered world with his head bowed and eyes closed beneath the cover of his helmet, prayers of strength and remembrances for the fallen on his tongue, Dalyn slowly rose to his feet as the cheering and catcalls in his mother tongue gave way to a deafening silence. He wore medium beskar'gam, unadorned by color or Clan marking and wielded a freshly forged beskad; bereft of any sign or sigil that could identify him as anything beyond Mandalorian. He did not fight today seeking glory for himself or to raise the standing of his clan, but for all the Mando'ade.

The Battle Circle was sacred, and though part of him wished he was in the crowd surrounding it preparing to write a song about the bravery and skill of the warriors, he ruthlessly quashed that thinking. All his life he had stood as a witness; witness to the husk of Mediraas, witness to the rise of Mand'alor the Chosen, witness to the return of the Jetii, witness to the atrocities of the Sith on countless worlds during the Uprising, and witness to the burning of Mandalore.

He would be a witness no longer.

Drawing his beskad, Dalyn uttered a wordless cry and raised the blade to the sky in salute as Mand'alor the Crusader gave the call. The fight was on. Falling into a defensive stance Dalyn slowly stepped to the left, moving clockwise from his position about a meter from the edge of the Circle and the ring of warriors behind him, his eyes never leaving the armored form of his opponent.

@Wit

 

[Dax Vizsla]

Dax, similarly adorned in medium armor, watched as his opponent kneeled and said his prayers. He wasn't a particularly religious man himself, but he respected others for their beliefs, so he waited patiently as Dalyn said his prayers. This was sacred ground after all. He nodded towards the man once he rose, and waited for the Mand'alor to call it.

When the call finally came he raised his blade in salute to the Mand'alor and then Dalyn. "Good fight brother!" He shouted across the arena before letting the blade drop to the side and beginning to similarly circle around he arena, staying diagonally opposite from Daryl. But while his opponent moved across the edge, Dax slowly started moving inwards, cautiously cutting down the distance between them.

@Rom

 

[Dalyn Solus]

Grinning behind his helmet, Dalyn called back to Daz, "Oya, brother! Let's give them a show!" and stepped forward to meet the other Mandalorians approach. Body tensed and eyes focused on Daz, Dalyn broke the circular stalemate without a sound, dashing forward toward Dax with his beskad held at the ready in his right hand.

Moving forward first to the right, then pushing off with his foot and moving to the left, Dalyn feinted another push to the right before lunging forward and left again, swinging his beskad across his body in a wide slash at his opponents side and pivoting to turn his body with the swing, keeping himself facing Dax as he brought his beskad back around to his front in a defensive posture.

@Wit

 

[Dax Vizsla]

Dax let Dalyn get in close, his beskad held in front of him in a defensive stance, not falling for his bait as he was still not close enough to strike. As Dalyn was finally within range with his final lunge to the left, and Dax's right, Dax pivoted on his left foot, turning his body by ninety degrees so that he was now facing Dalyn from the side and taking a step back out of the way of the swinging blade.

As Dalyn would be swinging, Dax would kick him from the side, hoping to land a hit in the side of his toros, near his stomach. Having stepped to the side he would have avoided the swing and timing the kick to the side while the swing was in motion would let him take advantage of Dalyn being locked into a situation where defense wasn't very viable.

He would them jump back to open up distance between them once more and begin circling around him just outside rage of either of their blades.

@Rom