Tython Clash - Round 1 - Fight 1

[Oreus]

One hundred years after the fall of the Sith Empire, the Jedi Knights became aware of the growing unrest in the northern Republic territories. The northern worlds had discovered that the Sith were once again growing in number, now under the banner of the Sith Brotherhood. The Galactic Senate was unwilling to get involved in a new war, so the northern worlds banded together and formed the Border Alliance. The Jedi Knights, acting on their own accord without a formal relationship with the Border Alliance, rallied under the banner of an army led by the Jedi Lord.

Hardened by war and the cautionary tales of their mentors, the new generation of Jedi Knights produced a cultural shift in the Jedi Order and sought a proactive approach to dealing with the Sith Brotherhood. The Jedi Council was not willing to commit the full Jedi Order to war, but they tacitly allowed the Jedi Lord to lead the army of Jedi Knights eager to destroy the Sith once and for all.

Now, for the first time in history, the Jedi Order is based on a foundation of strength, active intervention, and martial might, becoming a bold, eager, and willing organization on the march to war with the Sith Brotherhood.

These brave knights have come together on Tython by the call of ex-councilman Bau Zo, the Jedi Lord. A challenge has been presented for the Knights to determine who has what it takes to fight our ancient enemy. The clash is a tournament set up to take some of the best Jedi available and show the rest what it takes to be part of the crusade. In the dojo within the Tython Temple the first few rounds would begin without much audience. Two Jedi Knights entered to begin their match.

​

@Brayden Kore @StormWolf

 

[StormWolf]

Kneeling at the far end of the proving grounds, Rhonan fought for the Flame in the Void – his avatar of focus as his heart thundered in his chest. Fear, doubt, and apprehension fed the Flame, leaving only the emptiness of the Void behind... at least, that was the theory. Opening his opalescent eyes and to leer across the battlefield, Rhonan's fists gripped the hilt of his lightsaber tightly, breath catching in apprehension. He knew of who he faced, but only in hearsay. Absently, a hand rubbed the bolt of green fabric wrapped around his bicep – a favor bestowed by his dearest friend. Looking to find her in the crowd, a smile touched the Cathar's lips, but it faded when his Master was nowhere to be seen.

No matter, Rhonan glowered to himself, popping up to his feet in a singular motion. Entering the center of the dojo's square, Rhonan dipped at the waist and saluted his opponent. "May the Force be with you..." Rhonan rumbled, then settled into a low guard, his lightsaber still inactive. He waited, blood thundering in his veins, his stance befitting a cat ready to pounce, his weight resting on the balls of his feet.

The gong sounded, and Rhonan lunged forward at an angle to the Knight's left. Igniting the sapphire-blue blade of his lightsaber on the up-swing, the tip of the blade bit into the mat of the dojo's floor, splashing a wave of sparks and acrid smoke in Knight Kore's direction, angled up at his head. Following through with his strike, Rhonan angled the blade into a lunging stab towards Kore's center of mass.

 

[Brayden Kore]

Jedi Knight Brayden Kore, was surprised to be of the first named announced for the bouts but that didn't bother him much, it just meant that the following fights would have to work harder to garner as much attention as his fight would bring. At least that was until he saw whom his opponent was to be. A Padawan. This surprised Brayden even more then the fact he was fighting first, he'd even shook his head with disappointment at whoever decided on this order for the fights, of all people to face off against him right off the bat too. The annoyance had gone so far as to cause him to forget when his fight was, causing him to be a little bit behind his opponent who had already arrived and was kneeling, waiting, in anticipation. As Knight Kore made his way into the proving grounds opposite of the Cathar boy he'd be facing he saw him rise up and glance into the ground his eyes darting in two different directions, the first brought a smile to his face only to be followed by disappointment on the second gaze.

'Must be looking for someone who he wanted to watch him battle.' Thinking to himself, he followed this thought with a bit of a snide remark to himself, 'Must have saw who he was facing and avoided the disappointment' He was brought out of these musings by the quick turn of Rhonan he thought he remembered reading, and returned the bow and replied sternly, "And may the force by with you, Padawan" He tried, he really did he tried not to sound condescending but for those unfamiliar with Brayden he likely sounded very condescending indeed. He watched him walk back to his spot hands tracing the outline of his saber's hilt, from this Brayden relieved himself of his cloak tossing it to the side, and stood somewhat aloof looking but concentrating on the movements of his opponent.

The boy's size was misleading, he may have appeared to have the same body size and muscle mass as most adults especially when compared to humans, but in his eyes he saw the inexperience and insecurity that all Padawan felt, at least that's what he felt he saw in his eyes, his aptitude for sensing the feelings of others were always a little off on occasion. Again this thought process was ended by the loud sound of a gong echoing through the room as the boy took off for him, and Brayden waited to see what he would do, impressed Kore stood his ground until the last moment before the debris headed for him arrived he took a jabbing side step to his right, and using a quick force pull while moving his arm upwards, pulled his left saber up off his belt and ignited the brilliant blue light that emitted from it's metal hilt attempting to redirect the stab with some basic Shii-Cho defense. Brayden finally let out a sly smile. "This might be pretty fun after all."

 

[StormWolf]

As Kore channeled and directed the Force to disperse the smoke and sparks, Rhonan's hair stood on end up along his spine, bristling the hackles on the back of his neck and causing the pale crescent scar on the back of his head to throb. With that familiar electric crash, Kore's azure blade swept aside Rhonan's stab for the center mass. Rather than fight the force of the impact, the Padawan flowed with the current of battle. Pirouetting away from the Knight's block with a fanning guard at his flanks, Rhonan put several paced between him and his opponent. Settling into a crooked horse stance, Rhonan raised his lightsaber in the forward facing high guard staple of Djem So – the Krayt Horn Guard. Holding his hilt level with his nose, blade parallel to the floor, Rhonan's dark lips pulled away from the pointed teeth of a predator.

"It is as Master says, "If you enjoy the fight for the fight's sake, it is a good sign to stop," Rhonan snarled. From back in Rhonan's throat, a basso growl rumbled, coupling with a feline hiss. Fangs flashed in the light of the Padawan's cobalt-colored saber, eyes hardened and electric with a hunter's focus and intensity. Springing on his back leg, Rhonan lunged again in an aggressive advance. Extending his arms in another stab targeted to Kore's head, Rhonan remained poised for a block or riposte. Should Knight Kore take the defensive option and move to block, Rhonan feigns the stab and rotates his stroke into a downward angled cut to Kore's shoulder. Despite his age, Rhonan was strong, even for a Cathar. Bathed in the pale light of the clashing lightsabers, Rhonan's sinuous limbs swelled and coiled beneath his skin and fur, his pupils narrowed in an instinctual and violent focus – abyssal slits among cold and raging thunderheads. Steely cables pulled tight in the Padawan's neck as he pressed forward with a bestial snarl, whirling a third strike to Kore's opposite shoulder, then a fourth in a downward stroke to his head.

 

[Brayden Kore]

Kore smirked at the regurgitation of his master's words, "That is good advice for a man of peace." He paused not continuing his thought yet as the saw the Cathar back peddle away and coil his body for yet another fury of attacks this time he estimated there would be more attacks and ferocity behind the next series. He was not wrong either, for as soon as the Cathar landed from his initial backwards momentum he sprung off his legs like a spring board, not even using the force, simply his own natural strength and speed. Again this impressed Brayden, but not quite enough to make him take the Padawan seriously and instead he chose to take advantage of the exact amount of disparity between their skill levels. Once he readied himself for the impending stab he used the force to flutter his second lightsaber in a feint that he was going to activate and grab it to take advantage of Rhonan's forward momentum coupled with the fact that while he poised himself for a block he hadn't done so for a secondary attack which was what the feint alluded to. It was a bit of a cruel trick to do on a Padawan as most were not trained for such a tactic, but it should serve to his purpose.

That purpose was to cause a momentary lapse in reaction, because Brayden's intent was to use the simple Shii-Cho defense again this time swinging his lightsaber vertically while still holding it horizontally so that he'd drive the stabbing attack straight up locking him into a brandishing of two sabers humming and hissing in retaliation, however this wasn't the full plan. No, after initiating the standoff he'd reach out with his right hand as quickly as he could attempting to grab his right wrist so that he could not immediately pull away on sheer power, as he'd find out, Brayden himself was an extremely physically powerful opponent. If he were able to connect and lock him in place long enough to speak he'd finish the thought he had begun once there initial parrying of each others sabers had started. "In this era we are not men of peace, we are men of action who create peace for others. What makes us so different from the Sith is that we can enjoy the challenge without having to murder our opponents." If he were still locked up with the Cathar he'd use a force enhanced push to shove him off with his blade pressing against his, "Take heed of that which I've told you this day!" Pointing his saber at him again he'd state tauntingly, "Now can we begin the real fight, or do I need to embarrass you?" A haughty laugh afterwards would likely serve to be all he'd need to add to reinvigorate the Cathar, famous for their short tempers. Something to which, Brayden could very easily relate.

 

[StormWolf]

Gritting his teeth with a sharp hiss, Rhonan instinctively recoiled from the solar flash of Kore secondary blade. Eyes wide and darting, Rhonan maintained a firm grip on his saber as his lunge was pulled into a crackling lock. Flickering flares of crackling energy sparked from the locking blades, casting temperamental shadows on the stone-carved face of the Cathar, deep with lines of cold fury. With the sabers engaged and locked by the Knight's grip on his wrist, Rhonan met the man's smug words with a baleful glare and a ragged growl that tore from somewhere deep and loathsome. Before the disengage, Rhonan pressed into Kore's lock, getting as close as he could before driving knee of his back leg at Kore's floating ribs. Sinew swelled against fabric as Rhonan's knee pistoned towards its target with over two-hundred pounds of force behind it. Whether the pugilistic tactic connected or was somehow evaded, it would put distance between Rhonan and his opponent.

"Vigilance over violence, Master Kore," Rhonan nearly spat the words as he lowered into a Krayt's Claw middle-guard, "Being the thorn to the rose of peace does not a pacifist make..." Rhonan's chest rose and fell in deep and steady breaths, the corners of his lips flickering in a snarl that wanted so badly to surface itself, "But let this lowly learner impart you with some Catharese wisdom; "If you underestimate your enemy, you won't likely see another one"," Rhonan growled the aged proverb through grit teeth, then the Padawan opened himself to the flow of the Force. Filling his burning lungs with the cool air of the dojo, Rhonan made himself receptive to the tense knot of cosmic energies that wove around him. Every nerve burst like a newborn star, everything sharpened to a surreal level of focus. Tightness clenched Rhonan's throat and set his blood roaring and pounding in the Cathar's head. Rhonan felt ready to burst when he finally parted his lips, fanged maw yawning wide as a deafening roar tore through the dojo, a column of concussive, sonic energy rushed towards Kore at the speed of sound. Leaving his lungs emptied and his limbs feeling heavier than he remembered, Rhonan smirked around his panting breath,

"Now we can begin..." said Rhonan around sneer.

 

[Brayden Kore]

A cold fury began to enter into the body of Brayden as he took the brunt of the kick but continued with his push off separating the two of them, but quite obviously the Cathar took the victory of that skirmish, but he'd likely find him asking himself if it was worth it. "You don't want me to underestimate you then?" The way he spoke was barely above a whisper and he tried to contain himself mentally reminding himself that this was simply a friendly engagement little more then practice sparring in the form of a tournament. These little mental reminders were doing bugger all though as he only found himself more infuriated by the fact that this child, this Padawan he spat in his mind, felt as though he could defeat him could teach him something? During these thoughts he felt a subtle build up of energies coming from where the Cathar was standing and growled to himself, if he wanted to test their powers of the force he'd be happy to.

"The gloves are coming off then." This was spoken at an audible level, though with his opponent being a Cathar he surmised that he'd heard his previous comments anyway, keeping just the one lightsaber active at the time he'd began to concentrate a considerable amount himself pulling his right hand back gathering his thoughts. 'Should I do just enough to cancel out his attack or blow it away all together.' The thought process was quickly ended, 'I want to show him the difference in our skill so I'll over power it but only just enough to reach him, so that I can at least give a show with our sabers.' Launching his arm forward he'd attempt to overpower the scream using his own ability with the force, though it wasn't an exact science since he could not tell exactly how much Rhonan put into the attack, so he had to guess by putting a considerable amount into his own. Whether the attack simply cancelled out or overpowered the Cathar's would be shown in moments either way, he finally reached out with his dominate hand and summoned his right sided saber, which ignited with an intense silvery shine. It's core featured that of a Durindfire crystal one of the rarest, found on the sparsely populated Tatooine. With both sabers now activated Brayden entered his dual Ataru stance, which he modified or the use of two sabers. he was slightly crouched, with one saber his left high up and right side down to his knee both horizontal as he was now ready for the next stage of their battle.

 

[StormWolf]

In a shimmering wave of raw kinetic energy and sound, Rhonan's Force-imbued roar slammed into Kore's contested will through that cosmic mantle that connected them. As the two motes of energy met, a basso warbling ripped at the air and tore at the floor mats. While the concussive wave was halted halfway, the ripples of shearing sound continued to whirl around the battlefield in a furious and unseen maelstrom. Rhonan could feel it in his own bones, and he was merely the conduit. On the receiving end of his roar, it was something else entirely. Despite the desired knock-back being whittled away to something little more than a stiff breeze to tug at Kore's tabards, those whips of raw sound assaulted the Knight unimpeded. Something that could be heard over four miles away when not amplified or concentrated by the Force was maintained within the ring to the best of Rhonan's ability. Unless the Knight had some way stop sound itself, from striking him, he would feel a muffled pop somewhere behind the hinge of his jaws, followed by the oppressive and silvery ringing of bells in his ears.

Rhonan would have spat back a retort to Kore – something about fighting versus talking, but he doubted the man would even hear it. Instead, the Cathar studied the Knight as if he were a rival hunter standing over the same kill. Kore, now with both blades brandished, changed his stance. Rhonan knew the stance, though he did not practice the form much himself. Deep in Rhonan's subconscious, a plan blossomed from within the Flame in the Void. It was all he needed.

Powerful strides carried Rhonan across the mat at a startling pace, swifter and harder than he had let himself display before. Entering striking range at the end of a half Falling Leaf, the leaping pirouette brought the strength of Rhonan's initial swing down on Kore's right guard, knowing exactly where his knee met the Knight's ribs. Following through with his strike, Rhonan twirled his humble saber hilt into a reverse, attempting a snapping back-handed strike at the same flank. Keeping light on his feet, Rhonan attempted to press an advance with each strike in hopes to push the Knight into a corner.

 

[Brayden Kore]

Having equalized the force of the scream was a simple task in and of itself however what had not occurred to Brayden was the sound itself, as he'd not encountered that kind of attack in many years, so his ears were the unfortunate conduits for the immense sound that rang through, causing a momentary sickly feeling, and a continuous ringing. Brayden for at least the moment was deafened by the attack, internally he chastised himself for allowing such a simple attack to catch him in that manner. It was a foolish thing to do and he was not happy about it, however, other than the deafness he was completely unharmed, annoyed, but unharmed, but worst of all he was angry. He watched the Cathar stride to him, with his steps, steps which he could feel and figured he'd probably be able to hear had he been able.

Now, it was Brayden's turn to initiate an attack instead of blocking, he had allowed the Padawan too much leeway as it was, and now he needed to show dominance and end the fight before he allowed his own foolishness to cost him any more. He watched the Cathar leap into the air and saw his opportunity, he'd pushed off right foot dashing to the side where he kicked off again to come at Rhonan from the side. He'd made sure to completely invalidate the boy's initial strategy and instead change it to one where he'd need to keep up with the speed and ferocity of continuous assaults from the dual wielding knight. Dodging the initial strike was easy considering he had to lumbar his way, albeit quickly towards Brayden, but his choice of a long slow attack to open with left Brayden with the opportunity to counter.

Brayden was unsure how the Padawan would react to a quick barrage of dual wielded attacks, but it would give him the inkling he'd need to chose a strategy to end the fight as quick as possible, he was impressed with the boy but not impressed enough to pointless drag out the battle. His only crutch at the moment was the slight pain he'd felt in the ribs on the side of which he was kicked not a few moments ago, though it was little more than an annoyance at the moment, prolonged battle would cause it to ache him, which would do little to impair his actual battle strength, but he'd certainly be annoyed at it that night when trying to rest.

 

[StormWolf]

Much to Rhonan's chagrin, his initial downward strike hummed harmlessly through empty air as Knight Kore sidestepped away. Still, Rhonan's snarl had the touch of a smile to it as he settled into a defensive stance, assisted by his reverse grip. Twisting his torso and shuffling his feet to match the positioning of his shoulders, Rhonan kept close to Kore's center. In his reverse grip, Rhonan's blocks were quick and sweeping, keeping the distance between them narrow in an attempt to strip away the strengths of Ataru. Clashing blades assaulted Rhonan's senses and he snapped up his blocks in tight flurries and figure-eights, making a ward of his forward guard and flanks.

At present, the Padawan had lost his offensive momentum with his lightsaber, but kept himself close to Knight Kore. Perfect for a Cathar. Rhonan's left hand, which had been waiting poised ever since his change in grip, flexed his fingers with a series of dry pops. Dark nails extended to two-inch claws, honed over millennia of evolution for a very particular purpose. While Rhonan kept up his defense against Kore's onslaught with his saber, his counter-strokes came as snapping swipes with his hand, targeted as opportunistically and economically as possible – ligaments and torso as the presented themselves in the Knight's fury.

 

[Brayden Kore]

Despite his two handed assault, Rhonan had for the most part been relatively able to keep up with his strikes some how, despite the gap of experience. This did not deter Brayden however, even after the Padawan had extended his claws, since his hand to hand skills seemed to be rudimentary at best, he was able to avoid most of the pointed strikes, using his superior speed. His initial concern was getting past his guard, which instead of going for a more finesse filled approach he had decided to just exhaust the boy. After all, Brayden had the stamina to expend, so he figured it was the most simple and efficient strategy, since he had managed to do well enough in keeping away from the pointed daggers which Rhonan called nails, he felt pretty good about ending the fight quickly.

Brayden was still pretty deaf at the moment as well, though the ringing in his ears had subsided for the most part he could hear little more than a muffle of sounds, the humming of lightsabers in fact, was really only distinguished by the vibrations felt from each swing, and he decided that for his wear down strategy to work he'd need to change tactics. So still using his Ataru form, he'd attempt to push away his lightsaber with his left hand so as to freely flip over top the Cathar with an impressive acrobatic assault by swing both sabers with the same momentum he used for his front flip over Rhonan. it was a complex move to perform in the Dojo they were occupying, but would prove to be an overall effective tactic, especially when factoring in his speed and strength. However the Cathar Rhonan appeared to have a penchant for improvising his way out of the past few situations so it would be interesting to see if he were able to get out of this mess as well or would his luck finally run dry with the continued attacks. If it had not already been done by this point, Brayden himself was sure, the Cathar had garnered the attention of the very small audience who were engaged in watching their performance.

 

[StormWolf]

Though none of Rhonan's clawing counter-strokes made any purchase, it gave the Cathar some breathing room as it forced Kore to work around those vicious black talons. Now, the boy's heart was pumping with the rush of battle, the thrill of the hunt than sang in his veins in an attempt to contest with the rumbling of the Force through his mind. With his saber knocked aside by Kroe's left-handed blade, Rhonan switched his grip back to the forward position. Twisting with the momentum of Kore's strike, Rhonan brought his blade up into another Krayt Horn guard, sweeping the blade overhead as he pivoted on the ball of one foot, effectively making an umbrella against the Knight's raining blow overhead. Though the impacts jarred him, Rhonan weathered the storm.

Planting his feet once Kore passed over the zenith of his leap, Rhonan swept his blade in a sweeping, savage crescent at Kore's center of mass before the Knight's feet had the chance to touch the ground again. Stepping forward into the Knight's landing area should his first sweep be unsuccessful, Rhonan mirrored his strike from the left, striking at hip level and following through to the shoulder. Rhonan preferred to keep grounded in melees for this particular reason, only pouncing into a fight or leaping away to disengage. When a combatant leaps in such tight quarters, they are committed to the path of their maneuver unless they have some way of altering their path, like wings or rockets. Insofar as Rhonan could tell, Knight Kore had neither.

 

[Brayden Kore]

Brayden knew of the chance that his front flip induced dual slash was unlikely to make contact due to it's obvious nature of attack, but it was meant more to set up for a countered blow, one he would be unable to continue thanks to the quick reflexes of Rhonan who after his umbrella like block of the attacks started his counter. The first attack which came at his center mass from Brayden's left he was able to repel thanks to his blades having already been in position. The second strike however came much closer and thanks to Rhonan having moved into his landing position would have made a counter near impossible, though as a master of the Ataru form Brayden had come up with a way to counter one of the few glaring weaknesses of the form. Though it was a short flight for Brayden given the size of the Dojo they were in, he was able to quickly use a light force push from the opposite hand facing away from Rhonan, in order to boost his descent.

The purpose of the boosted descent was to make it so, despite the fact his opponent was waiting in position he was waiting for a determinate speed, so to sudden burst into a much higher speed would strain his impressive reflexes. Brayden knowing this, as it was this very situation that brought about the creation of this counter, brought his mirrored arm to the attack of Rhonan up side ways in order to disrupt his upward slash, which even with the speed Brayden was coming down, would causing him to be pushed off to the side if for nothing else, but because Rhonan had good strength, enough such to push his falling body weight to the side with an upward slash. However, one of the advantages of dual wielding in the Ataru stance meant you could use one saber to parry and still be able to attack even from a position of vulnerability.

Coupled with his speedy descent as well as the dedicated strike pattern Rhonan used on this particular attack, it was likely the first saber caused contact would finally occur. Using his offhand in this situation knowing that the sabers were tuned to be more like stun batons as opposed to plasma weapons which slice through skin like paper, he swung the blade to the side of Rhonan as he came down but knowing he was being sent off to the side, meant his attack would be glancing if anything, so he pushed the blade with some minor concentration allowing it to leave his hand and fly directly towards the side of Rhonan. With his body slashing upwards, would create a large opening to the right side of his torso, so if the saber connected, would smash into his side anywhere depending on his movements from the upper rib down to just above his hip. This is again assuming, that Rhonan does not find a way to both get by the initial guard of the more experienced Brayden as well as finding a way to move from his spot in time to dodge the close combat use of the throwing saber technique. Regardless of the next few moments, Brayden could say he was pleased with the challenge and would be sure to give his compliments to both Rhonan and his master after the sparring round concluded.

 

[StormWolf]

Focus unwavering, Rhonan hounded the Knight upon his descent, even as he altered it with a clever manipulation of the Force. This impressed Rhonan, truly, for the first time in the flight. It was something he had not concretely considered. Even so, the Cathar pursued his target, his prey, with the same vim and vigor that he had since the onset of their contest, though sweat had darkened his tunic under the armpits and matted his fur against his figure. Blades clashed yet again as Kore blocked Rhonan's first strike, and as Rhonan swept for the follow up, he saw the spinning blade of a thrown saber.

Kicking away from his engagement with the Knight, Rhonan twirled through the stuffy air of the dojo and landed on the mat with a dull thud. Ducking as the saber arched overhead, Rhonan twisted and snatched the silvery hilt in his hand, using the slightest effort of will through the Force to summon it to his hand rather than that of it's proper owner. Master Hlodovic had always been against such tactics, even as a last resort, and had hammered such discipline into the Padawan's thick skull. Now with a saber in each hand, Rhonan resumed an alternative Djem So guard, taking a moment to catch his breath before lunging in again, striking to the head with his saber, pressing it in for a lock, then making a counter-stroke at Kore's hip.

 

[Brayden Kore]

Having had enough of the Padawan's constant reversals of every single attack he delivered, as soon as he landed he didn't even give the inexperienced dual wielder a chance to counter swing because the moment he landed he threw his hand forward in an extremely violent and harsh force push designed to slam him into the wall towards the far end of the room. Considering his opponent now had a saber in both hands with almost no experience in the style it was unlikely he'd be able to adjust in time, but he'd been able to surprise Brayden before so just in case he found a way to avoid the considerable amount of push energy that was coming for him, Brayden sprinted to the side and kicked off the ground for an enhanced dashing maneuver. Having changed to his most skilled two handed Ataru style of combat, his level of danger had not been affected.

The attack that Knight Kore was attempting from Rhonan's left side, whether he found a way around the Force Blast or not, was a combination of a downward slash from right shoulder to left hip, followed by an immediate back flip upward slash meant to disrupt both sabers if, Rhonan attempted a cross block like so many who attempted to use two sabers did. Should this be successful he'd attempt to pull his saber back out of the hand of Rhonan, with the cross block having thrown both sabers loosely gripped into the air. Had this not worked however, or if his attack strategy never got that far to begin with, he'd simply maintain his light footed stance with his single saber high and up to the right shoulder, preparing for another counter assault. An update on his hearing situation shown that while the ringing had fully subsided, he was still only hearing muffled sounds, but no longer had to rely on simply the vibrating clashes of their blades to hear or feel the battle tangibly.

 

[StormWolf]

Once again, Rhonan's whole body reacted to the weaving of the Force around him. Hair stood on end as that familiar shiver ran down his spine. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough warning this time. An wall of invisible energy slammed into the Cathar like a runaway ridgecrawler, knocking him off his feet and across the room. The moment the Padawan felt his feet leave the ground, he thumbed the switches on each lightsaber hilt, retracting the glowing blades with a static hiss. After all the disingenuous mockery and pious dismissal at the hands of the Knight, Rhonan would be damned if he would lose because he fell on his own saber. Bouncing once off of the floor mat with a dull whump, Rhonan's instinct kicked in as he landed on his feet. Shaking the woolen feeling from his head, Rhonan regained his composure in just enough time to see the Knight flanking from the left. Studying the man's stance, style, and posture, Rhonan tensed in anticipation. This would be it.

Despite Kore attack from the left flank, he made a two-handed swing for Rhonan's right shoulder, which left the Knight's left flank wide open. Rising up to meet the Knight, Rhonan snapped up his left arm and activated the borrowed saber, forming an angled wing guard over his right flank. Feeling the ferocious impact through his joints, Rhonan grit his teeth, then flashed a grin as he held his right hand at waist height, the emitter of his saber aimed right at Kore's middle. The moment Kore's attack met Rhonan's defense, the Padawan switched on his own saber and thrust his hand forward in a jab. The sapphire blade burst forth instantly in a flash and a crackling snap, filling the small space between the two warriors with a bloom of cold light. At such an intimate range, Rhonan's 36 inch saber blade would strike the Knight directly in the solar plexus with room to spare, leaving the Knight nowhere left to run.

If, by some impossibility of luck and precognition, Kore evaded the ignition of Rhonan's saber and followed with the back-flip slash, Rhonan would flick his right-handed saber in a defensive sweep to intercept the Knight's upward slash. Whirling his left hand in tandem while shifting his feet, Rhonan would sweep it down in a vicious vertical cut into the Knight as he flipped, striking Kore with his very own weapon.

 

[Brayden Kore]

The speed of which Brayden was pushing himself, was causing little clouds of dust to be left in the wake of where each step had previously been. Despite his incredible stamina both physically and mentally he was beginning to tire from his continuous uses of force style tactics, especially considering how he favored the acrobatic Ataru style. As he now closing the gap, he saw that Rhonan was recovered and back up to his feet, he grimaced internally had they been closer to that side of the room, he wouldn't have had as much time to recover and get back to his feet. Ridding himself of the thought he concentrated on what his adjustment was going to be. He was less then seconds away, and so was the end of the battle, he just needed one final counter to end it, but would he be able to was a big question, he knew there wasn't a time limit but he didn't want the battle to be decided by judges due to his foolish antics at the start of the fight.

The gap was nearly gone as he saw almost in slow motion as Rhonan prepared his own final maneuver apparently he too was going for a final strike, he probably meant to deflect him off with his blade and lead him into being hit by his own, or to deter him away in general due to it's length. Brayden however had another thought for the matter, an example of fortitude, one he wasn't looking forward to himself but if nothing else it would definitely catch him by surprise. Mentally steeling himself in case Rhonan sacrificed taking a hit in order to place one on himself, he rose his left elbow up while not taking away from his speed or power, turned his body just enough so that once the proximity between he and Rhonan closed the hit would not be a direct one. Charging in at near full speed was probably both his saving grace and what got him stuck in the situation, he was going far to fast to stop in time to avoid the attack all together, but he was going so fast, it would be impossible for Rhonan to adjust beyond his current movements.

So as the the gap was closed the saber in Rhonan's left hand which was angled towards guarding his right flank instead of his left which was were Brayden was headed, allowed him to be out of range of his defenses as he swung hard with a sweeping motion instead of shoulder to hip as he intended, now adjusted to be a more horizontal dual handed slash from the back quarter of Rhonan's left hip to the front of his torso. The reason why this is significant is because, Rhonan's angled guard has his arm and saber in the most difficult position to flip over and block the now horizontal slash, and as for his right hand, which is at his hip, would not be able to lunge forward and hit his left solar plexus due to the adjustment Brayden made in regards to Rhonan getting up faster then anticipated and attempting to strike as far away from his left handed guard as possible. The fortunate side effect would be he'd also be out of range from the right handed counter attack as well, unless Rhonan attempted to turn his entire body to follow through with the strike, which would make his side even more vulnerable to the attempted Horizontal swipe.

 

[StormWolf]

Impossible. Inconceivable! Somehow, Jedi Knight Brayden Kore had twirled his way around Rhonan's igniting lightsaber. The man was either stronger in the Force than he let on, or he was just extremely lucky. Either way, luck had run out. As Kore twirled to alternate his strike, Rhonan gave the blade in his right hand a tight flourish and righted the blade to block the incoming horizontal slash. Once again, the strength of Knight Kore's blow jarred through Rhonan's entire skeleton, reminding him just how sore he was. Still, in his rush to try and end the fight early, Kore had done exactly that. To the eyes of an evolved predator, the Knight's exposed neck and head all but glowed.

Rotating his back foot out in a crescent, therefore pressing himself almost against Kore's shoulder, Rhonan brought his elevated left hand down in an angled strike, the Knight's own silvery blade sweeping down into the crook of his neck. Roaring ferociously as the attack followed through, Rhonan kept his momentum going and slammed his whole body weight and momentum into the Knight as the attack landed.