Ultimate Battle of Ultimate Destiny (D8 LM)

[Arali Zian]

Arali meditates in the dojo, awaiting her opponent. Her master. She lets her nervousness, her anger, her frustration slip away. They will not serve her here.

Her comm chirps, marking time. He should be here soon.

[Dapper Dog]

Both Satele and Resmi are on hand for this, Resmi is seated on bent while Satele is pensive and focused.

[Nekoinu]

"And that is why I am disappointed in you, Master Mersl."

"I understand, Master Lorne." The Miraluka dipped her head and offered forth a training saber and exchanged it for his two ordinary, and quite deadly, lightsabers.

His non-cybernetic hand adjusted the limiters on his other limbs. "I will not be utilizing these limbs to their full capacity." He then signaled for his troops to start removing his armored plates. It left him with little more than a simple tunic, though he kept his helmet on.

The hulking master then ignited his practice blade and rotated it about his mechanical hand. "How shall we begin, Arali? Shall I begin with Ataru or have you progressed past that?" With his stature, it was quite clear that Form IV was the least suited for him.

[Alysele Cortess]

Alysele sat near Masters Shan and Thul. This oughta be interesting. "What do you expect to happen, Masters?"

[Durasay Mixo]

There was another spectator in the crowd. The Pantoran stood by at one of the sidelines. He was focused on the twi'lek, before the entrance of the other warrioe. He watched, as the warrior spoke, feeling a slight pang of disgust in his demeanor.

What was this all about?

[Ashla Vyliis]

Ashla and Jeebu were there with Ashla trying to explain the various styles of lightsaber dueling to Jeebu.

[Zanebry Varliss]

Z felt more then a little out of place in the jedi enclave. Lush gardens and serenity, if was not what he was used to, still Arali had asked he be here, so here he was. He picked a place near the back of the crowd, carefully watching those that had gathered to see the match.

[Satele Shan]

Satele says aloud, “This is not spectacle, Master Lorne. Be done with this, and quickly.”

She frowns visibly and adds, “I dislike this on principle alone.”

[Arali Zian]

Arali rises as her master arrives, wearing her heavy working clothes, the half cloak she favors of late her sole nod to the usual Jedi brown robes, but even that gets set aside and neatly folded.

From her back, she draws an oversized and elaborate lightsaber, its marble handle overplayed with a metal lattice that interlocks specifically with her gloves. The top and bottom of her weapon are lined with a ring of clear crystals.

She holds the weapon before her in both hands and ignites the blue blade. "I will not require a training saber; my lightsaber already has the equivalent." She actuates the secondary emitter, tightening the blade to a thin line, blending blue with the second crystal's green to make aqua. A rippling field of invisible force manifests around her blade, as a momentary power imbalance fills the room with a gentle outward puff of wind. Given Shan's spectacle comment, maybe she should have fixed that, but it doesn't harm anything.

"I will hold nothing back, Master, and ask that you regard me as a genuine opponent. I would face your Djem So, to submission." Much bolder terms than the usual touch sparring.

She lowers her stance and raises her weapon over her body, drawing it back, ready to defend herself with its length or launch into a thrust. One of the classic combat stances for Form II pike combat. Except, this is not a pike, and her off hand at the fore of the blade hovers open, a mere inch from the blade, not providing the necessary support required to make the stance work in offense or defense.

Feigned weakness.

((Cool: 1eP+3eA 4 successes, 3 advantage
))

[Nekoinu]

"You are right, Master Shan. This is a test of her abilities." He looked upon his former padawan's blade, any opinion hidden by his mask.

Still, he shook his head. "You will face my Djem So. But I will not be utilizing all of my strength. To overwhelm you from the beginning would not show me your progress."

He too took his stance, his saber raised above his head, ready to strike...

---

D8 LMU Cool for Initiative: 2eP+2eA 2 successes, 3 advantage


Nerfed Lorne is Adversary 2 (upgrades combat checks twice against him) and has Defense 0.

[Satele Shan]

Satele rubs her temple and wonders if the headache forming is from stress or just the absurdity of the moment.

[Zanebry Varliss]

Z's first impulse was to ease up behind the attractive older woman, and try to ease her annoyance. That would likely not help matters though, so he let his eyes drift from Satele to the ring.

Perhaps Arali would do well, perhaps not. Time would tell.

[Alysele Cortess]

Alysele was pensieve.... Arali certainly had the confidence. The question was the skill, of course.

If Arali did win.... well. Alysele was still struggling against a different opponent. Perhaps Makashi was not her path.

But that is for later. For now, time to watch. "You do not think sparring is worthwhile Master Shan?" Her tone of voice was curious, rather than challenging, for a change.

[Arali Zian]

Arali comes in low, her apparently weak stance inviting an easy stroke from above, and she's ready for it. The twi'lek breaks the first rule of lightsaber combat. She grabs the end of her blade.

The cortosis weave in her glove allows her to gain leverage, turning an easy counterattack into her way in and leveraging her way into Lorne's guard, where she shifts to an archaic half-blade stance, seldom seen except from historians of pre-lightsaber Jedi swordsmanship. Her followup attack misses its mark, but puts her in position to shadow Lorne's movements and deny him a clean blow.

((Lightsaber: 2eP+2eA+2eB+2eC 1 failure, 3 advantage, 1 Triumph

Action to attack. Maneuver for guarded stance.
I add one advantage, for four total. Three advantages to trigger feint 1, upgrading difficulty by one, and spending triumph to do... whatever that can do for my defense pool. I'm AFB. Melee defense 1 from guarded stance.

[Nekoinu]

Master Lorne kept his stance relaxed; it was clear from anyone watching him that he was still holding back his skill as well. He stepped backward during her feint, clearly surprised by it, though he soon regained his footing and brought his saber down with blinding speed and force.

As he pulled back his blade, he wrangled her saber to the ground. "Again," he commanded, though for once it did not appear to be arrogance. Instead, he was aiming to test her further.

---

Triumph can be spent for +1 to Melee Defense until next round (did so for you) Could have disarmed him for the lulz though he'd just pick it back up.

Maneuver: Nothing
Action: Attack

D8 LM Round 1 Lightsaber (Check), Upgrade 1, Setback from Defense: 3eP+2eA+1eD+1eC+2eS 3 successes, 2 advantage, 1 Triumph

Base 6 -> 9 Strain before Soak. 2 Advantage to give Arali's next attack a Setback Die. 1 Triumph to Disarm Arali.

[Zanebry Varliss]

Well that was something, though he really wanted to bop Arali for grabbing a light saber with her hand. At least the Master Lorne fellow hadn't cut her in half.

[Arali Zian]

As Lorne eases up on her lightsaber, Arali withdraws to a greater distance and adopts a more traditional two-handed stance, the intensity in her eyes unrelenting. Despite her smaller size, her weapon gives her the advantage of reach, if only slightly. A deliberate design choice.

This time, she harries from afar, a sequence of sharp thrusts and short slashes that, nonetheless, take their toll; the intense vibration of the blade's impact wears at an opponent's arms.

For a time, Arali vies for position, testing her former master's defenses to find a way in. Or make one. With a rising sequence of strikes, she draws her master into a high guard, her own stance mirroring Lorne's own finishing move, a technique she couldn't possibly emulate...

...without help. With a crack, the drive cores on either end of her saber light off, lending her falling slash speed. Cell A depleted, she rotates power source to cell B, keeping up the press, then cell C, then finally depleting the base cell of her drive array in a roaring clash, waves of percussive force hammering down on every muscle and joint with the crushing weight of a mountain, the impact blowing outward with a rush of wind.

((Forgot about disarm from triumph! That would have been a good one!
I parry. It doesn't actually change the amount of damage I take, but I do it anyways.
I ignore one setback. So, two setback from Lorne and guarded stance becomes one setback.
Maneuver to pick my lightsaber back up. Action to attack.
Lightsaber: 2eP+2eA+3eB+2eC+1eS 1 success, 7 advantage, 1 Despair (and I add 1 more advantage on top, for 8 total)

Mein gott.
Welp. Go big or go home. I use my overcharged power cells to convert all eight of those advantages into damage. 9+1+8=18 strain damage coming Lorne's way.
Currently at 7/12 strain, and I have absolutely nothing going for me defensively.))

[Nekoinu]

Master Lorne appeared to have been lax with his stance. He had allowed Arali's saber to come straight into his torso, certain that he could withstand it. But as it pumped energy through his body, even he let out a roar of pain.

He let the blow stay long enough on him to allow a misstep in his pupil''s footing. He suddenly retracted and brought his training saber down on her again.

---

Despair spent for Lorne to amp up his game.

http://orokos.com/roll/530643

Will post actual dice when not on phone.

[Arali Zian]

((That's 11 damage, -2 makes 9, putting me over on strain.))

He's just... taking it?

Arali's eyes go wide as the reckless move leaves her wide open to the counterattack, a blow that sends her through the air, smashing into a wall below a painting. A landscape, like a number of Arali's paintings scattered around the enclave. A stark, barren image, peaceful in its own way, of sharp shadows over stone cliffs. A place Lorne has been before. A place Lorne has fought before.

For a moment, Arali's world goes red, then black. She's not quite sure how long it's been when she comes to. Probably only a couple seconds, but long enough that clearly, she has lost. She picks up her lightsaber, and stands before her master without a word. This is a time for deeds, not words.

She kneels, ignoring the searing pain in her side, and offers it to her master, as he had commanded the day before, hoping both she and it will be found worthy.

"Her name is Verdant," is all she says. The rest is on her master's judgment.

[Zanebry Varliss]

Well that just happened. Z had moved to help Arali, but seeing as no one else waa attempting such a thing he hesitated. Waant this time for bandaids or something

He frowned softly as he saw her moving, but knowing she was alright helped ease his wariness a little.

[Nekoinu]

Master Lorne quickly attached the practice blade and hurried over to his sparring opponent. He assessed her and recognized that she was not completely unconscious. He stepped backwards, allowing her to rise on her own fruition.

"Verdant," he repeated. He took the saber in his hand and inspected it closely in silence. The grip was awkward in his grasp. In the time that he held it, it never appeared that he had a comfortable hold. He turned it about, made note of the damping emitter, the power cell structure that had been installed and had given it such power.

"An excellent lightsaber. It has incredible capabilities, though perhaps unreliable." He let out a hearty chuckle. "Perhaps it suits you too well, Arali." He extended it back to her. "Rise, proud and tall. You have earned this."

[Durasay Mixo]

Again, Durasay was impressed by the clash of lightsabers. Folding his arms across his chest, he narrowed his eyes at the behemoth of a Jedi.

He had noted the vague sense of arrogance at announcing he wouldn't be fighting at full strength. There had been a curl of his lips as the man had been caught off guard.

And then came the dramatic end. The way he both complimented and chastised his student.

What kind of teacher was this?

[Satele Shan]

Satele frowns and says, "I hope something of value was learned here, for both of you."

[Arali Zian]

No. Stop. This is the worst possible time to cry.

Arali doesn't even mind the thoroughly backhanded nature of her master's words. That's just how he talks. She rises and takes back her blade with a bow, "Thank you, Master."

Shan, however, draws her attention to the rest of the crowd, and she nods her thanks to Zane for letting her handle this on her own, then looks to the clearly displeased master. "Yes, Master Shan," her face and voice are kept carefully neutral. "My apologies for the theatrics."

[Nekoinu]

"Certainly, Master Shan. I learned that I underestimated my own student." Master Lorne stepped backward and readjusted his cybernetic calibrations. "For quite some time, it would seem."

He glanced about at the others present. "There is merit in others witnessing your success. For instance, your friends can congratulate you."