Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 9, 2013 16:15:57 GMT -8
This massive amphitheater, near the Spaceport in Nystao, was built using the plans of ancient builders, found on holocrons uncovered in the Rakatan Temple. The Honoghr government wished to pay tribute to those that had come before them, and by using these designs, they built this structure, using modern construction techniques and materials. The elliptical building is immense, measuring 388m by 356m and reaching a height of more than 60 meters. The Colosseum can accommodate some 550,000 spectators who could enter the building through no less than 80 entrances. Above the ground are six stories.
Below the ground, under the actual arena floor, were rooms with mechanical devices and equipment, to provide for the most interesting combat, or sporting event, possible. The huge amphitheater was built on the site of a hot-spring-fed lake, which gave the ability to flood the lower levels of the actual amphitheater floor, should the games require it.
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 12, 2013 18:02:26 GMT -8
So. This is the arena.
Caoimhin Shan stood at one focus of the elliptical arena, looking around at the massive stadium. A sense of awe filled him; here had been where mighty battles had taken place in history, no doubt, surrounded by veritable thousands of spectators. He could feel their eyes on him now, as he waited for his opponent to enter. His right hand rested on the silver hilt of his weapon, gripping it lightly but firmly. He wore his standard dark robes, with his usual light cortosis armor underneath affording him a somewhat bulkier appearance than he actually had. Up the left sleeve of his robe was a special instrument he had crafted himself years ago: a spring-loaded device that, with a certain flick of the wrist, would launch the shoto literally hidden up his sleeve into his waiting off-hand. He had practiced the maneuver many times before entering the arena, making sure that he was out of sight before he did so, to test how well he could perform the flick with his new mechanical hand.
The Jedi's multicolored eyes -- the left one brown, the right one blue and graced by a scar that traveled from the middle of his cheek to up above his eyebrow -- closed as he reached into the Force, centering himself and finding both weapons within the energy field, focusing on them and attuning himself to their unique properties. He gripped hold of the coiled tendrils of his main weapon with his mind, standard procedure before every battle. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again and smiled.
Win or lose, this is going to be fun.
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 13, 2013 12:51:28 GMT -8
It imitated the sound of thunder, the roar and din of the crowd above. The home crowd was rowdy tonight....they were ready for a show, and newly appointed Jedi Master Adieumus Matango would be sure not to disappoint them.
Adi was standing on the other side of a set of double doors at the South end of the complex, his head resting against the cool durasteel. He was dressed simply, in a black t-shirt, a dark tan hooded vest, and cargo pants. His hood was pulled up, and his blonde, spiky hair was hidden from view. Indeed, the hood came out over his face more than a little bit, and his icy blue eyes were locked in shadow. He kicked the toe of one of his white Air Force One sneakers against the bottom of the door absentmindedly, and he pulled the woven phrik gloves tight down over his hands, and clipped them to the matching bracers. A single saber was fastened to the waist of his cargo pants with a hook and loop enclosure. Usually, he wouldn't need it, but there was always that chance...especially with an opponent known to be as skilled as the one he was going to be up against today.
The tunnel was dark, save for a few small lights running along the floor, and a signal light that had changed from red to yellow about a minute prior. That was the signal that his opponent was in the staging area, and about to enter the arena floor. The light switched to green, and Matango heard the distinct metallic 'thunk' as the locks were disengaged, and the doors began to swing open. An eerie hush fell over the crowd as Adi slowly exited the darkened hall.
A single note of a song played, a single step was taken, and that was all it took. The whole place went absolutely bat-shit crazy. Their champion was home, and they couldn't be prouder of him.
The announcer didn't even have to introduce him....he had filled the fight card many times here, and the crowd absolutely loved it. The last time, Adi had fought the Mandalorian buttweed named Corr Vhett. The buckethead had squeakededed out a narrow win against the Jedi, but there were rumors that Corr had bought off the judges with promises of Thiaar and Twi'lek escorts....all was unconfirmed, of course, but the Mando were known to be shady like that. Still, a loss is a loss, and he was determined -not- to let it happen again.
The holocams began to swirl around, floating close enough to get a good shot of the man that was entering. A few broke off and hovered around Cao, to make sure the viewers all over the Holonet could see every angle of the duel. Literally dozens of cams were up in the air, even some stationary holocameras in the stands. This fight was being highly touted as one of the better ones for the second round of the tourney, and there wouldn't be a moment missed by anyone.
Seeing his opponent about fifteen feet away, Adi walked over to him. They had met, albeit briefly, during the initial attack on the fourth moon of Yavin. Flipping back his hood, Adi inclined his head, smiled, and extended his hand in a gesture of good will."May the best man win, my friend. First round after the fight is on me at the Bubble and Squeak Cantina."
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 14, 2013 17:41:30 GMT -8
Cao couldn't have stopped the smile from spreading across his face even if he had tried. It had been a while since he had been received with any sort of fanfare, and he hadn't even had a proper sparring session, let alone a duel, in what felt like forever. The last few times, he had been fighting for his life. The once-proud Jedi Knight had fallen, and this was all part of his trip back up to redemption, back to his former prowess and beyond. But he could never let his pride get the better of him, not again..
He spared only a second to look at his opponent's hand, before reaching out and grasping it with his own, shaking it firmly.
"You've got yourself a deal. Good luck, burc'ya."
It was a Mando term, one that Cao was fond of using. Inappropriate, perhaps, considering the circumstances of their brief meeting, but it was part of his upbringing -- albeit a small part, but a significant one nonetheless -- and he never shied away from his heritage.
Giving his opponent another nod, he parted the handshake, and proceeded to walk back to where he had been standing. He had felt some initial wariness at the handshake, but only for a moment, an instinct that had come from the fact that he wasn't exactly the most trusted individual among the Jedi at the moment. Unfortunately, Adi would have no doubt been able to sense that, just as he would be able to sense the joyful confidence coming from the Fallen Knight right now: Cao had no way of shielding himself from the Force, a disadvantage he was well aware of, and, in the back of his mind, knew how to turn into a proper advantage.
The Jedi Order had been formed to keep the peace, to forsake emotion and attachments in favor of calm and detachedness. But times had changed, and Cao had never been a typical, calm Jedi: he loved a good fight, perhaps a little bit too much, and as such the anticipation and excitement was rolling off him in waves, no matter how hard he tried to keep it suppressed. There was apprehension, too; he knew that this was going to be a good fight, and good fights were both physical and psychological: knowing one's opponent was just as important as being in a better position than them.
When he had reached the spot where he had stood before, Cao reached down and unhooked the hilt of his weapon from his belt, the coiled tendrils falling free.. and suddenly stopping just two inches off the ground, held in place there by the Force. It took no effort for him, having practiced with this weapon for years, to be able to hold the whip in his mind's eye and know where it would be, every curve, every wind... This weapon had been his finest creation, crafted aboard his workshop on the Hawk during his extended time on Anobis, under the care of the Emerald Order. Its unique design was similar to that crafted by his fallen friend, And'ru Kierra-Solo, but still different. With a flick of a button, its single strand could be parted into a dozen, similar strands: half a dozen strands of lightsaber-resistant metal, and the other half dozen of standard lightwhip plasma. It was similar, in fact, to that wielded by the Dark Lady of the Sith, Lumiya, with some minor differences; Cao hadn't known that at the time of his weapon's creation, and so still considered it unique.
He smiled again at his opponent, his thumb brushing the activation stud, and a burst of searing violet light traveled down the length of the strand, arrayed out to his right side with the emitter end of the lightwhip facing forward, the whip itself oriented to allow for a large curve to be even with Cao's body, while the rest of it curled out behind him and to his right, perfect to snap up in a second to defend against frontal assaults, with a stinging counterattack just moments away. His left arm was extended in front of himself, fingers extended and palm outward, in a more relaxed version of the classic Soresu opening position.
"Shall we, then, friend?"
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 14, 2013 21:00:22 GMT -8
There was confidence in the eyes, and Mandalorian on his tongue. It was not, however, spoken with the clear fluidity of someone that spoke it on a regular basis...besides, Mando'a was not an uncommon tongue, but it still put a prickle up Adi's spine. He was currently in the middle of sending his people out to stop the Mandalorian menace, and just the spoken tongue of the bucketheads was enough to make Adi's stomach curdle immediately.
To hear a Jedi speak it...it was awkward to say the least. He would have to ask the man why he used the term at the B n S later on. Right now, Cao had bared his fangs, so to speak...a lightwhip. Cracking his neck, Adi watched as it sprang to life. Matango had faced several opponents who used it, including Altus Dux...his very own student...and Aalia Ra. Both had been victories...and Adieumus had learned valuable lessons in those victories.
"Yes. Let's."
Adieumus snapped into a ready stance....left-side forward, left arm extended out at a forty-five degree angle. His right arm hung loosely in front of his body, his knees bent, and shoulder width apart. His icy blue eyes were focused on the weapon that Cao had presented...waiting for motion...waiting for any sign that he was going to deploy that whip. His hands were open, ready to intercept the weapon if he could.
Ever so slightly, Adi's right hand twitched inward with a bit more purpose. The force flowed from within Adi, and he was trying to project it...drive the force into the lit-up end of the whip at the emitter and down through it.
It was true...Adi wasn't able to see all of the weapon...but the hilt was still visible to a point. It was these visible areas that Adi was attempting to attack. His right hand twitched open a second after he had twitched it closed. Again, his movements were minor...intended to look like they were just part of the fighting stance. The opening of his hand, however, was intended to force the innards of the lightsaber outward. It was something that a padawan was taught when they were creating their first lightsaber....only in reverse, and without the care needed to keep the weapon functional. The reason they did it so slowly when they were creating the weapons usually was because the circuitry, the things that made the lightweapon work, they needed a very soft touch.
Adi wasn't trying to make sure it worked after. In fact, he was quite determined to ensure that it -didn't-.
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 15, 2013 21:29:11 GMT -8
His eyes narrowed as he realized that Adi wasn't drawing his weapon.
So. An unarmed fighter.
He smiled slightly, before realizing that his opponent was knowingly choosing to fight at a disadvantage. Which meant that he was confident he could turn that very thought into an advantage. Which meant that he had experience against this weapon.
His heterochromatic eyes locked onto Adi's, and noticed that they weren't looking at him, but rather.. He turned his head, following his opponent's gaze, and realized immediately what was happening; the newly-appointed Jedi Master was trying to disrupt the inner workings of his opponent's weapon. A crafty tactic, one that should never have gotten past his guard in the first place. Without hesitation, he tightened his grip on the silver hilt, the gesture reflecting itself in the Force as he tightened his mental grasp on his favoured weapon, to try to force Adi's hand out of it, so to speak.
First move. My turn.
He smiled as his head came back up to a level gaze, already reaching into the Force and focusing it around his left hand, charging up to launch a powerful Force Push. If everything went according to plan, he would be able to unleash it in one second.
However, no plan ever survives contact with the enemy..
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 16, 2013 12:38:43 GMT -8
If Adi would have been stupid enough to speak, he would have said something along the lines of 'gotcha'. Cao had turned his head ever so slightly to look at the weapon, and as soon as he had, Adi dropped the telekinetic assault on the lightwhip. Indeed, unless it wasn't in the fighter's hand, the tactic was little more than a distraction.
...But, the distraction had worked.
There had been a reason Adi had used his right hand to enact the attack on the lightwhip. The Arkanian's eyes shifted, moving their focus to another portion of his opponent's form. From the forty-five degree angle that it currently held, the left hand snapped out, Adi stepping forward into it, and threw a projected jab...one that if it were to be a physical punch, it would be the equivalent of a short-range power punch...'six-inch' punch, if you will. This blow was thrown at Cao's left cheekbone through the force, and Adi hoped that the man turned directly into it.
...But it didn't stop there.
Should the left projected jab hit, a right to the body would follow, right at the bottom edge of the other Jedi's ribs. With that lightwhip still in play, Adi had to play it smart, and stay out of range. He had trained extensively in projected fighting, so he felt confident that he could keep the man at bay. If he got into range with that lightwhip, the tables would shift rapidly.
The holocams swirled angrily around the two fighters, each trying to get the best angle on the action. The crowd was standing, cheering for both men, egging them on...wanting to see who would break first. Matango would do his best to ensure that it wasn't him.
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 17, 2013 17:51:34 GMT -8
Adi's attack had the desired effect: the first projected punch struck him in the face, and as much of a shock as it was, through the sudden lance of pain, instinct and training took over. He started to move with the blow, his body starting a clockwise turn, when the second blow hit his side, eliciting a grunt of pain. Cao could hear his armor begin to crack on the left side, but he couldn't focus on that now: he was already working to focus through the sparks that were surrounding his vision from the assault on his face.
His right arm had pulled in closer to his body as he turned, his hand twisting so that the emitter end of the hilt was pointed towards his original right, though it stayed in the same relative position compared to the ground; his left arm, however, was coming around with the turn. The two met halfway, moments after the second blow, and in that instant he transferred the hilt of his lightwhip to his left hand. He was going off the assumption that Adi hadn't moved from where he had been standing, except possibly forward towards Cao himself; the moment his right hand had relinquished its grasp on the violet weapon, he whipped his right arm around, the motion adding momentum to his turn. He now had his back to the other Jedi, still in the middle of the clockwise turn, his head turned to look over his right shoulder and his right arm extended out behind himself, the full turning motion taking less than a second to complete. Before even a full second had passed from taking the first blow, he had launched his counterattack: a wild, unrestrained Force Shove in Adi's direction. It wasn't a refined move, nor was it focused on just Adi; it was a broader, less-powerful attack, but one that still served as a distraction. He needed to keep Adi focused on something else so that he could make his way closer to his opponent, and despite the fact that he had just taken a serious blow, he already had a flurry of ideas on how to do just that.
Hopefully, this would give him the time he needed to complete the turn and snap his lightwhip over to his left side, so that in the event of its usage, he didn't end up hitting himself in the back. Ideally, he would be able to take a step forward after that, to close the gap between the two combatants, and nullify Adi's advantage, but he doubted it would be as simple as that..
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 17, 2013 19:26:17 GMT -8
Matango had landed the first two blows. This was good. What could happen next, though....it could most certainly be considered a lesson to Cao...Never turn your back on a foe, regardless of the reason. Now, mind you, Adi wasn't one to hit someone in the back, especially another Jedi. However, there was a war on...Caoimhin was already caught up in it...and the ones on the warpath would -not- be so against the idea of putting a blaster shot or a slug in his back should the opportunity arise.
As the first two blows began to spin Cao around, Adi threw one more blow...a projected left jab to the back, hard enough to drive the man forward should it hit, maybe knock the wind out of him. It was timed to land at the most vulnerable moment, when Cao's back was most visible. He kept the twelve or so feet between them, just to ensure he was out of range of that accursed weapon. That whip was still very dangerous...fluid...and could easily still be deployed, even from behind the man's back....
But, just MAYBE, he could make Cao think about getting rid of it, and close the gap.
As he retracted the punch physically, he stomped outward with his left leg in what would be a raking blow to the left shin of Caoimhin, and projected that very blow through the force. While it might not land on Cao's shin if it hit, it was more directed at the left lower leg in general...whichever area was visible at the time, truthfully...
He could feel the intensity of the crowd building. The holocams, while seemingly unnoticed by the combatants, were most certainly noticing what was transpiring. Even in the opening moments of this fight, it was already getting exciting. The Arkanian was breaking out something he hadn't used in the tournament before with the projected fighting. He had been using it for a long time, but usually people had a lightsaber....and that was better defended from being inside the guard. This lightwhip had changed the game dramatically, and the Jedi Master finally had opportunity to try out the defense he had developed after fighting Aalia Ra and Altus Dux...both lightwhip users. He could keep this up for a little while longer, too...
Just keep him at bay until the whip is out of play...then the real game would begin....
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 17, 2013 22:06:03 GMT -8
He was mid-turn, his back to Adi, his right arm just swinging back around behind himself, when another blow hit his back. Adi hadn't taken the bait -- or rather, he had, just not in a foolhardy way like rushing Cao while his back was turned. His unrestrained attack went wildly off-course as he was pitched forward by the projected punch to his back; it was a shame, that counter would have been enough to give him the time he needed. As he fell, he felt another blow land on the back of his left leg, and winced as it forced his leg farther forward, pushing him just a little bit further away from his opponent.
During the fall, Cao realized something: every blow had come from Adi's direction. It sounded simple, but it was surprisingly helpful. Adi was attacking what he could see. And there was an easy way to counter that. Before he hit the ground, he started to twist his body counterclockwise, deactivating the lightwhip as he went to avoid hitting himself.
There was the ground, as he landed on his right arm, then fell awkwardly onto his back. His left arm fell onto his chest so that his left hand -- and the hilt of the now-inactive lightwhip -- was resting on his inner right elbow. Immediately, he lifted his legs up, bending them at the knee so that the only view Adi would have was a view of his feet and shins. It would hurt like hell if he started projecting punches there, but it was the only way that Caoimhin could do what he needed. His right arm came up, launching another wild Force Shove, hoping that this time he would force his opponent to move out of the way.
Assuming he didn't take any more blows after the Force Shove was launched, he would be able to kick-jump his way back onto his feet again and rush his opponent. He needed to close the gap..
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 18, 2013 20:21:33 GMT -8
The strategy was holding firm...and Cao went flying. This was going exceptionally well for Adi, and he was quite happy. He was not, however, someone to hit a man when he was on the ground...even in an event such as this. While someone else might...Adi was patient this time.
What the KRIFF?!?!?
The man whipped his right hand around, and Matango felt a sudden surge in the force around Cao. Instinctively, Adi threw his arms in front of him, crossed them, and pushed outward with the force, forming a V shape in front of him, as if someone half-opened a very large book. Basic rule of physics...energy takes the path of least resistance, and the force wave hit the hastily erected barrier, and was driven outward as if the 'wall' had driven a wedge in the wave. NOW it was starting to take its toll...this wasn't simple projected fighting. Immediately, beads of sweat began to form on Adi's forehead, and he gritted his teeth in concentration. The attack had driven the Jedi master back about five feet. While it appeared to be hastily put together, Cao's maneuver had some power.
This guy had fangs. If that was a halfhearted, unaimed attack, the ones that -were- aimed would be far more dangerous. Now, Adi -knew- he had to stay out of range of that whip...but he had to buy a little time. That 'wall' that had protected him from the brunt of the telekinetic shove away from him had taken more out of him than he would have liked. He needed to rest his mind...and the distance between them might buy that time. Adi dropped back into the left-side front stance, and smiled across the gap. He would allow Caoimihn the chance to get up...but he could not allow the gap to close any further than about ten to twelve feet until that lightwhip was out of the game...permanently.
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 19, 2013 19:38:50 GMT -8
Cao smiled as he felt the wall of Force power come up from Adi; finally, something according to plan. The moment he felt the surge from his opponent, he stretched out his senses, taking in everything his surroundings had to offer: himself, his opponent, the audience, the stadium, the holocams, his own weapons even.. Everything, centered in his mind, touched by his senses. He couldn't keep the Force out, but neither could he keep it in. He had always been strong in the Force, much stronger than his physical body, and perhaps his "disadvantage" was the reason why. The elation of the crowd; the sudden astonishment, resistance, and -- interestingly -- respect from his opponent; the static buzz of the holocams, incapable of their own thoughts; the silent hum of his inactive weapon, waiting to spring to life again, attuned to his mind.. All of it was in his head at that moment, and he couldn't help but smile as he centered himself around all of it. He had fallen thrice before and had always come back stronger from the experience. Surely, the physical metaphor would not be lost in this moment.
He brought his knees up to his chest and kicked upwards, using the Force to add momentum. As he did so, he realized that he had taken quite the hits in the short time that had passed already... His vision was still swimming somewhat, small sparks lighting up behind his eyes, as well as the fact that the left side of his chest was stinging and his back and left leg felt heavily bruised. He grimaced as the maneuver brought his upper body off the ground even as his legs curved back downwards, resulting in -- assuming there was no interference from his opponent -- a perfect kip-up that landed him on his feet. As soon as his upper body was at angle that allowed Adi to see his face, he put up a façade of mirth, a smile plastered on his face. It helped that he was truly enjoying the battle; the mirth and excitement in the smile was not faked at all, only the illusion of painlessness.
Upon landing, he planned to find his opponent visually and lock gazes, smirking..
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 20, 2013 17:19:55 GMT -8
Quite fortunate, really. Cao kipped up, and locked Adi's gaze. Adi was breathing a little faster, his heart beating a little more quickly, due to the exertion from the hastily-erected wall, but he was still in good shape. He hadn't been hit yet, and as long as he stayed out of range of that kriffin' lightwhip, he would more than likely remain so.
However, this for now was a welcome moment of quiet, at least in the duel itself.
The arena, though...that was a different story. The spectators were in a frenzy, the spotlights were dancing on the floor, and the action thus far was tremendous. The holocams were catching every single moment, the announcers broadcasting in their many languages...along with the translator droids spewing off basic as well. Secretly, Adi loved this...he had pretty much come up through the ranks in the spotlight, and he had grown used to it. This time, he was in front of his home crowd, and that made it all the better. He was trying not to show off, but it was difficult to do with them screaming his name in unison. Seriously, when thousands upon thousands of people are cheering you on, one doesn't ignore them. Just one time, Adi threw his right hand into the air, and grinned. Total pandemonium erupted. The massive crowd jumped to their feet as one, and screamed at the top of their lungs. At this rate, they probably heard the cheers in the core. Bringing his arm down, he gestured with his hands at his opponent, and the arena exploded again. They were showing the appreciation they felt for this duel, and how clean it was so far.
Nodding to Caoimihn, as if to say 'Round Two?', Adi dropped back down into his stance. His breathing had slowed, as well as his heart a bit. A moment's reprieve for both of them...so long as Cao didn't try to attack...was just what the doctor had ordered. It was now up to Adi's opponent as to how this would continue. It crossed Matango's mind to ask the man to put the whip down and fight in close quarters, but it would be pointless with this much noise....he wouldn't be heard anyway.
He would just have to do it the hard way, then.
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 21, 2013 16:26:01 GMT -8
Cao smiled during the brief break, the grin threatening to split his face at the nod from his opponent. Despite the pain, this had been fun so far, trying to outwit the other Jedi, outmatch him, at his own game. He wasn't going to attack Adi during the reprieve -- unsportsmanlike conduct did not become him -- but once the other man had nodded, the fight was back on.
Cao stood there, the hilt of his whip held in his left hand, the tendril trailing in front of his body and off behind him to his right side. He adopted a different stance this time, right arm up and bent so that his hand was held just six inches off to the side of his shoulder, palm outward but fingers curled like claws; his left arm was across the front of his body, holding the lightwhip hilt by the right side of his ribs, enabling it to gain more momentum from lashing out with his left.
He had reached out with the Force before, linking himself with everything around them, including the holocams. There were at least a dozen of them orbiting the two combatants, and that was what Cao had been counting on. His Forceful attack had pushed Adi back even farther, and he needed to close the gap. His eyes never left his opponent, but his mind did, and the gleeful grin changed to a smirk of confidence as he grasped two of the holocams that were currently behind Adi.. and pulled them down and towards him, at the same time as beginning a forward charge. The holocams had suddenly become bludgeons that were aimed at Adi's back, and while Cao knew that the blonde Jedi would no doubt sense the attack moments before it came, just from the Force exertion, he also knew that Adi would have to choose: focus on the holocams, or focus on his opponent's decreasing distance.
Caoimhin was drawing the Force into himself as well to bolster his speed, hoping to close the gap as quickly as possible..
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Post by Adi on Jul 21, 2013 17:25:25 GMT -8
There was a tickle, a pricking in his neck...something was happening, and it felt almost as if it were all around him at first, then behind him. While Adi didn't know what was going on, he had a pretty good guess. There wasn't much there that could be interacted with at that range, save one thing...
...The holocams.
The idea had crossed Adieumus' mind, to be sure. It was rather genius, and good use of the limited environment....but it wouldn't help. Cao wanted to close the distance, and Matango was damned sure not going to allow that to happen, unless it was on his own terms.
He waited for the perfect moment. He would have only a brief glimmer of time to act, and it was going to require some luck on the Jedi master's part as well. As the orbs neared him, Adi snapped the fingers of his left hand...and closed his eyes. Bursting forth from his fingertips, a bright white flash, something like a magnesium flare, or a flashbang, but without the noise. Force flash, one of Adi's favored techniques, had served him well on countless occasions, and this was no different. He was hoping to at least cause Cao to close his eyes for a moment at worst...maybe even catch him off guard and take away his vision for a few seconds.
Opening his eyes after the momentary flash dissipated, Adi immediately ducked, and reached both of his hands into the air. Looking up to ensure they landed in the palm of his hands, *thankfully protected by phrik...they had a little bit of velocity, and might've bruised his hands had they not been protected*, Adi didn't even wait to see if the flash had worked. He threw both holocams at Caoimihn, telekinetically propelling them toward the other Jedi. With him potentially still charging forward, this was going to be risky....
...He did not, however, intend for them to hit Cao. Instead, he wanted them to collide and explode about three to four feet away from the man, and have him propel himself right through the shrapnel cloud. If the flash worked fully, he would probably be further stymied by the exploding cams. If not, maybe he would use the whip to defend himself from them, and Adieumus could pounce. Regardless, Matango had to take the initiative again, and hold it. There was little choice if he wanted to meet the expectations of the frenzied crowd.
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 22, 2013 22:22:08 GMT -8
He hadn't expected it; it wasn't a threat, so of course his danger sense hadn't gone off. The Force flash caught him like a Solar Flare to the retinas, and he closed his eyes and raised his left arm across them instinctively. He could hear the collective yell of the crowd as almost all of them caught the flash as well. Cao staggered, to the point that he almost stopped moving entirely.
Almost.
But the fallen Jedi knew that that was no longer an option in this stage of the game. So he kept up his pace, trusting in his other senses to pinpoint his opponent's position, to alert him if there was anything he needed to worry about. And, less than a second after he had had the thought, he heard a crash directly in front of him and felt the tingle on his neck. Once again, his instincts took over, though this time it was the instincts of his mind and not his body. In an instant, he snapped up a Force bubble around himself, just like he had done when training with Rutil in the jungles of Yavin IV, months ago. It had become his go-to technique when navigating the dense foliage, or whenever he thought anything hazardous or even mildly annoying could be in his way. Physically battered as he was, though, it caused a few beads of sweat to form up on his forehead, rolling down rapidly as he continued his charge through the debris field, not even recognizing that it was there but for his previous response.
He could sense that he was closing the distance, and he fully expected Adi to try to keep him away, most likely by either sidestepping or backpedaling. As he was, though, there was no way of stopping him from doing either of those things; Cao just had to hope that he could move forward faster than his opponent could get out of the way.
He had to end this soon.
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 23, 2013 13:11:21 GMT -8
Cao had passed through the debris cloud, barely without a missed step...but either he was a good actor, or he was having trouble seeing. He had staggered a little bit, but it had not deterred him from charging in on Matango....and if he wasn't able to see, well...
Let's just say its inadvisable to charge a ready opponent when your vision is compromised.
Matango was patient, he had held his ground so far, and he could still move if he had to get out of whip range. He was sweating to be sure, but he wasn't near exhausted yet. He had enough left in the tank to continue on for a while...but perhaps he wouldn't have to. Extending his arms in front of him, *left arm above the right, left about head height, and right about stomach level*. Projecting it outward about ten feet from his body, he tried to make Cao literally run into his fists...albeit at a distance. Again, he had dipped into the vast well of the force, and used it to try and keep out of range of a deadly weapon. Even without vision, that lightwhip could prove a nasty way to go.
Now, as for the aim of the blows....
The left hand, about head height as previously stated, aimed to strike the already-damaged left cheek area...at least the left side of the man's face. There was far more concentration put into this one over the other, as it was the one that he wished to land most. The right wasn't aimed nearly as precisely, going instead for a lesser body blow aimed in the general area of Cao's lower torso. They weren't 'thrown' like a punch...it was more as if Adi was trying to cause his potentially blinded opponent to run into the projected fists. If successful, it would hopefully stop the man in his tracks, and do a little more damage to his injured face.
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on Jul 23, 2013 18:01:22 GMT -8
It was a stroke of good fortune that Cao had never lowered his left arm; it was still protectively across his face from the flash. He made it another foot forward before suddenly impacting two seemingly-solid objects. The Force Bubble took some of the impact, then broke, lessening the force with which his body was punished. A blow to the left side of his stomach, and another to his arm, was enough to make him stop and grunt in pain.
No time.
His momentum was gone, his charge halted, but he couldn't stop to breathe, he couldn't stop to contemplate an action. He had to strike, to the best of his abilities. So that was exactly what he did.
His left arm swung out, his mind grasping the tendril with the Force and lashing it out to the side so as not to hit himself on the swing, as his thumb brushed the activation stud. Brilliant violet energy once again traveled down the length of the whip as it flung forward, Cao stretching his arm out to its full length for that added bit of reach, the tendril snapping around towards his opponent.
He finally opened his eyes, blinking furiously to try to restore vision. Right now, everything was a blur, but this fight was coming to a head, and he needed to be able to see his opponent if he wanted to do any actual damage..
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Adi
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Post by Adi on Jul 23, 2013 18:42:22 GMT -8
Well, it worked somewhat...but now, the whip was coming into play. That could be dealt with easily enough. Throwing his gauntleted, phrik protected left hand into the path of the weapon's tendril, Adi tried to grab hold of the weapon, and arrest its motion. If it succeeded, He would then try to yank as hard as he could on the whip, planting his feet as hard as he could on the arena floor.
Maybe...just maybe...if he pulled hard enough, Cao would come into physical strike range, and the two of them could -really- get down to business. Projected fighting was good and all that, but Matango really didn't want to win on just that alone. Besides, he was far, far more effective up close and personal, and the sooner he could get inside the range of the whip, the better.
The crowd was simply exploding at this point. They had worked themselves into such a frenzy that they were screaming in one voice...one long, drawn out cheer for both combatants. They loved a good show, and this was turning out to be one of the best they had seen in a very long time.
Adi, however, was zoned in on the task at hand. He had tuned them out, and was focusing on one thing....keeping the upper hand.
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Deadniquitous
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I AM THE LAW!! Wait.....wrong movie. Sorry.
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Post by Deadniquitous on Jul 26, 2013 8:52:47 GMT -8
Alright guys, after that Trainwreck I read earlier, this was phenomenal. I REALLY enjoyed this. Eralam is in agreement with me. The backstory was fantastic, the writing superb. Cao, you took hits like a Baws as Corr is so fond of peppering the boards with. This is one of those fights where the hits are what makes the difference. Very well written.
Adi, before your ego swells to my proportions, The only thing I didn'd like was the pandering to the "home crowd" stuff. I just felt silly. It added to the story to be sure, but it was alsmot painful to read. But that's just me. You dominated the fight right from the start, and never let up. One of your best to date.
Cao, you wrote insanely well, took hits like you should, and even when you shouldn't have, and rolled with it. Good story telling. We especially like the fact that the Force Flash actually worked. Not many people write that. Kudos my friend.
This fight goes to Adi for sheer dominance. Well played gents. Well played, and I hope to read more of your fights Cao.
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