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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 08-23-2002 03:40 AM:
*Riding the storm* (Closed challenge to Zena)
*Standing on the edge of the cliff, the Sith Lord stared out at the horizon, and the endless storm that was coming in from it.. The sky churned with black clouds, spewing bolts of electricity along with the constant rain down towards the restless ocean.. It was a beautiful night, and MnT could only hope his open challenge would be accepted..*
*As the wind blew his trenchcoat back and forth under the incredible weight of his sheathed broadsword, his hopes were answered... There was a force presence nearing him through the forest that bordered this little outcropping of rock that he had grown to love.. He did not recognize it, but that was well enough. Another chance to meet someone of the Empire that he hadn't met before..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 08-24-2002 09:36 AM:
Sniffing the air like a wolf would for its missing pack, Zena sensed the cogent presence of one of her male brethren of the Empire. She ambled through the dense thicket with cat-like ease, till she happened across the Sith Lord. A gust of wind parted her stygian cloak revealing her mandalorion iron sword sheathed in its scabbard, Serpent's Fang, and a double bladed light saber, Rancor's Claw, its long cylindrical hilt sequestered at her belt, swaying with the rhythmic movement of her hip. The panorama view off the cliff was mesmerizing, as the full moon danced in and out of the accumulated cloud coverage, casting its luminous glow in a path of rippling gold across the vast sea encompassing the perimeter of the cliff's edge.
"Greetings...I am Zena...I accept your challenge."
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 08-27-2002 02:34 AM:
... Ahh, Lady Zena I believe?
*He spoke the words after turning his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.. He had not met Master Lynch's apprentice personally, but like most other people of the Empire, he had at least heard of her, and knew whose face to put the name to..*
*Turning with a bow in greeting, MnT smiled and continued..*
... Tis a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lord Miryan no Trunks, and I've heard excellent things about your fighting skill.. How would you prefer to commence this spar? One sword, two, or none at all? I believe I should be able to give you a good match in whichever way you'd like..
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 08-28-2002 07:10 AM:
Reciprocating his chivalrous gesture, Zena smiled, following in suit.
"As I have heard impressive talk on your skills, Lord Trunks..thankyou..How about a good warm up without weapons? The pain shall indeed prime us later on when we utilize weapons,"..she spoke with a mischievious grin.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 08-31-2002 03:12 AM:
... An excellent idea, my lady..
*That said, he bowed down as was his tradition, to honor both his opponent, and the battle they would soon be participating in.. Standing straight again, he brought himself into a traditional defensive stance, and nodded as he spoke once more..*
... My honor denies me the first move, so please.. Have at me..
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 09-03-2002 05:21 PM:
With a nod, Zena sized up her opponent as she circled MnT, scanning him like a predator, seeking out any weaknesses and hidden strengths. As she halted her trek in front, a meter away, the newly promoted Sith Knight advanced on her competitor swinging her right foot, as her weight was supported on her left, activating into a roundhouse kick, making direct contact dead center on his chest.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-14-2002 02:43 PM:
*The kick was solid, and it connected hard. Stepping back with the leg that had been forwards to counteract the momentum from the blow, MnT stood his ground without losing his balance.. A moment later, he looked up and grinned..*
... Excellent, you have a Lot of strength, I can see this will be a great battle..
*Stepping forwards again, MnT spun off his right foot as it touched the ground, and whipped around with a left whirl-wind kick that would've hit Zena right in the face if she hadn't ducked. However, as his torso spun around away from her, he released a fairly powerful force push to her face with his lowered hand. The sudden attack left her off balance, and trying to stop from falling on her butt backwards, as MnT completed the spin, and backed off a few feet, waiting for her reaction..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 11-15-2002 08:03 AM:
Her past mercenary sergeant's demeanor got the best of her, as Zena muttered a string of curses while crashing to the ground like a toppled Hutt..
Unclasping her sword belt and weapon as it would only aid in an obstacle of her agility, she slid it out of the way brushing off her tunic, her pale blue eyes never wavering from her opponent while regaining her composure to an offensive stance. With a wink she nodded..
.."Wan't to play rough I see."..
Drawing in a breath of algid air, the Dark Force was beckoned with its obscure tendrils spiraling about the Sith Knight in custom fit energy. With a balled fist, a massive limb was dislodged off a tree with an audible snap of timber, following her gaze as it sped like a make-shift spear towards the Sith Lord's proximity. He dodged it with ease darting to the side only to meet Zena not far from behind. With a feigned upper right cross to the left side of his jaw, Zena gravitated to the ground attempting a dismounting sweep from the aft sector of his lower appendages.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-15-2002 05:57 PM:
*The branch had obviously been a feigned attack, a distraction.. No-one but a fool relied on so heavy and slow of an attack actually connecting so early in a battle.. As it was, Zena managed to use the moment it took to dodge, to get up close..*
*She launched a quick punch towards his face and, unsure if it was equally meant to distract, he threw his head and upper torso back and away. Fortunately, it Was a feign, and it left her true intentions fairly open.. As she ducked down to sweep his legs out from under him, MnT let the momentum of dodging carry back and, with a quick leap, into a backwards mid-air somersault away from her.. As he was landing though, he could sense that she was already on her feet and approaching again so, using his legs to absorb the energy of his landing like a spring board, he launched forwards again with a flying tackle to her midsection that she was too close to properly avoid..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 11-20-2002 11:00 AM:
Grunting from the sizeable jolt to her body as her back met the ground, compiled by the weight of MNT, Zena had to catch her breath as the wind was knocked clean out of her. With her free hands, she stole some time boxing his ears. As he pushed himself back from her, she slid her right knee up from under his left thigh, then seizing both shoulders, threw him off to aside, followed by an axe kick to his stomach with her left heel as she rolled away, waving him on with a grin while proceeding to stand.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-20-2002 08:00 PM:
*Emulating Zena's grunt with one of his own as her heel came down into his stomach, MnT smiled. She'd had the oppurtunity to do some real damage there, but as she'd been rolling away while trying to axe kick him, the attack hadn't been half as strong as it could've been.*
*Rolling back into a handstand before dropping his legs down, the rest of his body fell back with them, into a standing position. Keeping his eyes on Zena, the two circled around each other for just a moment, before MnT launched forwards again. Without aiding his body's natural speed, he still managed to surprise his fellow Sith, for his actions seemed just a blur, a shock considering the strength of the 6'3" man.. In an instant he was in front of her, his body turned to the left, launching a right press-kick towards her left knee. However, just as she brought her arm down to block, it was being relaunched towards her stomach. Another barely-missing feign, and another attack, this time towards her face. Her block was connected with this time, and she had to pull her face back to prevent her arm slamming into it. However, In that moment of distraction, she didn't notice that he had pushed off the ground, and as his right leg started to drop, his left heel was closing in on the side of her head with stunning speed..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 11-23-2002 09:13 AM:
Letting free some curses at her dismay at being surprised by the spin kick, Zena then collapsed to the ground, her vision distored by the blow as everything was a blur. She still needed to catch her breath from the severe kick to her midsection. MnT stood his ground awaiting a swift reprisal, as it was then answered.
Grabbing a handfull of dirt to cloud his vision, Zena tossed it into his eyes as she jumped up and charged him with a clothesline maneuver, her left arm extended horizontally as she sped on by him, following his tumbling body as she went for an elbow drop to his trachea with her left elbow, her body thrown at prone level to the rear of his left side by his head on a slight angle pointed outwards.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-24-2002 10:44 AM:
*However, MnT's extensive agility training - utterly important in the development of a martial artist - paid off. While Zena expected him to simply fall onto his back in perfect position for a continued attack, she found herself performing a rather painful elbow drop on top of one of the few sharp rocks that lay amidst the dirt and grass. As for the Sith Lord, he had rolled with the attack, doing a backflip into a hand-press jump that carried him up and away from his fallen comrade.. As he landed on his feet a good 7 feet away from her, he kept his senses on her with the force, watching her carefully as he closed his eyes and wiped out the dirt.. A dishonorable technique, but one that in the military, he could understand the use of.. He would let it slide, fortunately for her, but pity any Jedi who thought it a worthy addition to battle against him...*
*Quickly he relieved his eyes of the remnants of the attack, and brought himself into a proper defensive position, ready for anything she could throw at him..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-04-2002 12:46 PM:
Feeling MnT alter his position before doing so, Zena contorted in her fall upon the rocks receiving a nasty abrasion on her forearm, of what could have been pierced like a spear. With a capacious grin, the Sith Knight ingested the pain with a growing vigor, wiping off some of her blood with a finger while teasingly tracing her tongue over it.
"You drew first blood," she mused.
"Dishonorable most would think of that trick with the dirt. I must admit. But I am at the advantage of letting my past in the mercernaries be known. Am I not...MnT? We all know how they fought," the ex-sergeant smirked getting back up to her feet.
Unsheathing a dagger from within her bootsleeve, she past the hilt between both hands in a display of seasoned agility.
"Time to add to the stakes my friend," she challenged, her eyes shifting to a gray steel.
Lunging at the Sith Lord with the blade's handle grasped in her right hand, Zena went for an overhead strike to his left pec muscle, as she then grabbed his right shoulder with her left hand, the dagger navigated dangerously close to the heart area. Her adrenaline was surging as the Darkside was commanding Zena to try her contender to the limits.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-04-2002 03:20 PM:
.. Advantage or not is a matter of perspective.. If you can defeat a foe that uses any means neccesary, without dropping away from honor yourself, does that not make you all the stronger?
*As he said this, Zena retrieved a dagger from a boot-sheath, and lunged towards him, grabbing his right shoulder in the process.. While a useful tactic for the most case, lunging towards Anything typically left your balance in a precarious position if the target moved on you.. This proved itself true as MnT reacted..*
*Pivoting quickly back and around on his right foot with surprising speed, he twisted around, and put his left arm to Zena's upper back, forcing her to stumble forwards, right into, and over, his extended right leg..*
*As the Ex-mercenary fell forwards, MnT just managed to save himself from being pulled down with her, and backed away, bringing a hand to his chest to investigate the stinging he felt.. Feeling a wet substance, MnT looked down at the bloody tear in his shirt.. Apparantly she had indeed managed to cut him, though it was just through the surface, not very deep at all.. With a smile, he brought himself again into a defensive position, and spoke again..*
... Besides, that way, when you're required to go Full out in a battle, it leaves you at all the more of an advantage, as I have learned well in past battles with dishonorable Jedi..
*He had no knife himself, but that was fine with him.. It was not as if he wasn't well versed in how to deal with armed opponents.. If she chose to continue the fight with the blade as an advantage, so be it.*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-07-2002 12:43 PM:
While pushing off the ground and wiping the dirt of her tunic, a trace of blood trailing down her lower lip from the collision with his leg, Zena nodded to MnT.
"Good move...However, you do not know me when I jest, do you friend? I have honor...As I have fought over it a multitude of times."
While saying that she flipped the hilt over her hand and promptly resheathed it back in her concealed boot sleeve.
"Have at me? Allow me to play the defensive," she grinned, waving him on.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-08-2002 10:33 AM:
... That is good to hear, but I'm afraid you may have mistaken my attempt at discussion, for something derogatory.. Make no mistake, I do not doubt that you're honorable, I just wished to share what my own experience has taught me of the matter..
*As he finished speaking, he brought himself into an offensive stance from the defensive one he had been in.. Suddenly he leapt forwards, a near horizontal jump that carried him immediately into striking distance. He opened the melee with a lightning fast kick to the left side of her head, before even touching down. It was blocked by the Sith Knight's hand, as she stepped back to avoid being bowled over by MnT's leap. No sooner had his left leg touched the ground, than it was forced upwards again, a powerful snap-kick racing towards her face as his upper torso dropped back. Catching himself with his hands, excellent muscle control alone enabled him to bring back in his right leg towards her Own legs.. If the snap-kick was blocked, she would have to deal with the inevitable being tripped up. If she didn't block, well, she'd probably be on the ground anyways..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-09-2002 05:55 PM:
Bowing back to avoid the buffet to her face, her weight was too far shifted aft to employ an evasive flip, and met the ground in response to his attack on her legs. Rolling from him as she freed herself, Zena hopped up to carry on the offensive. The man was indeed finely cultivated in martial arts, but the Sith Knight was determined to find an open valve. Summoning the timber already separated from its hosting tree, it rolled towards MnT from the rear, as he jumped the obstacle Zena launched herself into a forward flip sailing over the Sith Lord, ending in a twist to face his back when he touched down. She then plowed her right fist into the base of his spine, expecting the shock may lower his station.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-10-2002 03:30 PM:
*It seemed Zena was underestimating him.. Without force aid, had she truly expected him not to notice her jumping over him? It was not like the tree branch rolling up from behind had warranted more of his attention than it took to jump backwards.. In any case, she landed behind him, and he could sense her fist coming rapidly towards the small of his back.. Quickly tensing his muscles, his back grew practically as hard as durasteel, and when the Sith Knight's fist connected, it was effected as such. The attack was powerful, and it Did hurt, but not nearly as much, he was sure, as Zena's fist hurt right now..*
*As she landed the blow, Zena let out a pained curse, and her attention was momentarily drawn to her hand. Distraction enough. MnT quickly whipped his torso around to the right, his legs following suit. As his right leg rapidly approached her right side, she braced for the impact, but instead found his leg wrapping around her torso at the knee. This left her confused just long enough for his attack to come into full effect..*
*Pushing off with his left leg, MnT launched it up towards her left side, catching her arm and torso with it as his spinning momentum ripped her off her feet. The attack was quick, and so was the fall that left her crashing down hard on her right shoulder. As he landed, his kept his arms down to help take the impact from his legs.. Quickly yanking them out from around Zena, he pulled away along the ground, and got back up to his feet, bouncing slightly from one foot to the other to help ease the pain they were in..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-23-2002 09:56 PM:
Bruised and battered, but hardly beaten in full, Zena felt MnT may have underestimated her as she growled at his over-confident bearing, feeding on the pain incurred by his blows for added power, as she ingested it like a pack of starving half-crazed romprats.
"You may have me bested in this fashion of warfare, but lest us not forget my specialty, friend. Arm yourself or do not...Your choice."
The buzzing hum of Rancor's Claw was clearly audible as the lava red lances danced in a splendor of unison out into plain view, the Sith Knight already planted solidly, spread on both feet as she had called upon her weapon via the Force, spinning the sister blades in multiple rotations as her hands were riveted on the saber resistant hilt when it came to rest before her with a snap of honed wrists.
Closing the distance between them in a measureable gait, Zena feigned a lunging thrust to his sternum with her right blade, then spun off to her left clipping his right hamstring muscle, bearing down with her left lance, just enough to induce a noticeable burn accompanied by that all too familar stench of burnt flesh and added grimace of her opponent.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-24-2002 11:53 AM:
*With an inaudible curse, MnT felt the saber's blade trail along his leg.. However, at the same moment, his own sabers came free of his belt, where they had strangely become caught.. Backing away with a hop, he twirled both of his weapons around, Life in his left hand, Death in his right, and ignit both of the blades with two simultaneous "snap-hisses"..*
... A Weapon is merely a tool.. How well you can use your own body determines your skill with anything else..
*With that he lunged forwards, Life held back in a defensive cross while Death arced out and down towards Zena's left shoulder. Naturally, her own blade raced up to deflect it, but she was not counting on meeting so little resistance. As it was, MnT allowed the saber hilt to turn in his hand, rotating from a standard grip to a military grip.. In the process, the dark grey blade slid along and past her own, carving into her chest as he began to turn to his right, step stepping out of her range quickly as the blade cleared her flesh.-*
ooc: will write more later. right now is mind-numbing tired. Too much late-night present wrappy combined with worky in morning make no happy >_<
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-26-2002 12:18 PM:
Recoiling in pain, her eyes drowning in acute torment by the shocking blow, Zena eyed the nasty scar across her chest that could have spelled doom if it were a duel to the death. She skirted back, allowing no time as she pressed on further, driven by both rage, vengeance, and an escalating fever engulfed in the throbbing woes of anguish.
Nodding to MnT for his wise counterstrike, she knew his trick to invert the saber was a crafty one at the least, giving hint he was indeed well skilled in this form of combat as well.. A saber was the extention of a Darksider's will, as martial arts was in its own unique venue, yet many placed too much emphasis on the latter to emphasize their adroitness in battle. A soldier of the dark arts must be honed in several aspects of warfare. The Sith Knight carried no doubts he was prepared for her in all the forms, and this concept purged her thoughts giving plight to serious quarry.
MnT knew he scored a massive hit on Zena, and the wound would slow her in agility and strength, yet the Sith Knight summoned forth Rancor's Claw, attacking his left flank..then his right, in blinding arcing assaults that were checked with ease by the Sith Lord, by first Life followed by Death. Her chest ached with an inferno of fire with each twist, as the accumulated muscle damage was wearing her down. The Darkside kept her going, sapping into her reserves to compete with this powerful opponent.
After his last block, MnT's left blade was steered towards his challenger's right breast, which Zena avoided in haste with a pivot on her left heel, rocking her body back and right, 90 degrees, to avoid the purple beam, her right leg descending well behind the other out of the danger zone. She then swung her blade under his extended left core, continuing to slide till she marked his armpit area by the ribs, ripping her blade a few inches through his skin, her left beam moving simultaneously in defense of his adjacent saber, as she was prepared for any surprises.
Breathing heavily, her eyes wide from adrenaline...Zena favored MnT with a grin.
.."You could have killed me with that inverted maneuver of your saber to my chest. Had this been a serious encounter amongst enemies, I doubt I would have survived to amputate your left arm at the shoulder," she winked, guiding her blade back before that damage would have been incurred."..
***
OOC: I was snowed in--no phone for three days..o_O..I'm taking it out on you lol.. Nice move by the way with your counter.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-26-2002 07:00 PM:
*Grimacing in pain as the blade sat there under his arm, both cutting and cauterizing at the same time, MnT was left with no wise choice but to listen to her.. Jumping back and away could give her ample oppurtunity to bring the blade in towards his body, severing his upper and lower torsos if she was so inclined, and of course, dropping away or moving to either side was not an option..*
... Perhaps, but avoiding or dampening the damage caused by my maneuver would have been much easier to do, then me trying to get out of this one..
*His words continued to pass through his mouth as it arced into a smile.. She had retracted the blade..*
... And besides, It's not as if simply severing my arm would be the most damage you could have caused from that position.. I do believe that had you pulled your saber across and through my chest, removing my head and shoulders from the rest of my body, It would have left me fairly dead as well..
*Turning off Life for a moment as he stretched and rotated his left arm, he was not surprised at how the pain seemed to sear right through him.. Fortunately, the muscles that were damaged were mostly involved in pulling his arm down, and in battle, the triceps could do almost the same job just as efficiently..*
... Do you wish to continue? Or would you rather have your chest wound looked at and treated?
*At that, Zena gave him a strange look, as if he'd just made some ridiculous proposal.. Thinking back upon his words for just a moment, his cheeks began to burn red, as he realized he indeed Had..*
.. At the medbay, that is..
OOC: Well, glad to see you back =D We had snow for about an hour here on the 24th ยก^_^ just long enough to tease us into thinking we'd have a white xmas. Yeah, lol, when we've had 7 in like... 80 or 90 years, the likelihood isn't that great >.< And thanks ^-^ It's one of the maneuvers I enjoy doing with MnT, makes for a really interesting mental image =)
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-27-2002 07:01 AM:
Lofting a brow, seemingly amused by his comment, Zena began to appear confounded as she swayed back and forth, still maintaining a conscious state by the Darkside. The wound was far more serious than both had ascertained. He had seared a piece of her heart valve, ample enough to cause her vision to suddenly dim, with blood pulsating in an ardent attempt to pour through the heart and reach her brain, yet its labor was severely compromised as the vital organ was stressed beyond its own means of capacity.
Hoisting her right blade up, the Sith Knight bravely decided to motion for another attack, but as she rotated left, Zena clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground onto her back with a groan, her own saber slicing through part of her right thigh, the elongated hilt opting for leverage to thwart a total dissection as it layed across her left leg.
She looked up at MnT as her eyes appeared clouded and without form. It was as if she was in a dream state, travelling back in time on the battlefield at her mercenary camp, when another Sith Lord had mortally wounded her, yet decided to heal the courageous sergeant and take her as his apprentice, sending his student to the TSE to further her training.
Zena then spoke the same words as she had at that time that had altered her life for an eternity..."Finish me..Let me die with honor with my comrades," her words trailed off into oblivian as her heart suddenly arrested and her head slumped to a side.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-27-2002 03:40 PM:
... If and when you die, it will Not be by the hands of one of your own..
*Using the force to deignite her blade while he stooped to pick her up, he lifted the fallen Knight into his arms, careful to in no way cause her wounds any aggravation.. Lifting her saber, he placed it in his pocket before taking off out of the training grounds with as much force-aided speed as his body could muster.. Which was in fact quite a lot. Quickly launching his way up to the branches at the very tops of the trees, MnT passed his way over top of the forest like a jet, clearing 30, 40 feet with each jump, losing no speed whatsoever with each branch he landed on and, in the same instant, pushed off from. Within the same minute, he had exited the forest and was barely moments away from the medbay, even through all the corridors..*
*Stopping instantly outside the bay doors, he opened them without touch, and brought Lady Zena in.. Handing her over to the meddroids care, he hoped that they would be able to heal her in time..*
*Riding the storm* (Closed challenge to Zena)
*Standing on the edge of the cliff, the Sith Lord stared out at the horizon, and the endless storm that was coming in from it.. The sky churned with black clouds, spewing bolts of electricity along with the constant rain down towards the restless ocean.. It was a beautiful night, and MnT could only hope his open challenge would be accepted..*
*As the wind blew his trenchcoat back and forth under the incredible weight of his sheathed broadsword, his hopes were answered... There was a force presence nearing him through the forest that bordered this little outcropping of rock that he had grown to love.. He did not recognize it, but that was well enough. Another chance to meet someone of the Empire that he hadn't met before..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 08-24-2002 09:36 AM:
Sniffing the air like a wolf would for its missing pack, Zena sensed the cogent presence of one of her male brethren of the Empire. She ambled through the dense thicket with cat-like ease, till she happened across the Sith Lord. A gust of wind parted her stygian cloak revealing her mandalorion iron sword sheathed in its scabbard, Serpent's Fang, and a double bladed light saber, Rancor's Claw, its long cylindrical hilt sequestered at her belt, swaying with the rhythmic movement of her hip. The panorama view off the cliff was mesmerizing, as the full moon danced in and out of the accumulated cloud coverage, casting its luminous glow in a path of rippling gold across the vast sea encompassing the perimeter of the cliff's edge.
"Greetings...I am Zena...I accept your challenge."
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 08-27-2002 02:34 AM:
... Ahh, Lady Zena I believe?
*He spoke the words after turning his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.. He had not met Master Lynch's apprentice personally, but like most other people of the Empire, he had at least heard of her, and knew whose face to put the name to..*
*Turning with a bow in greeting, MnT smiled and continued..*
... Tis a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lord Miryan no Trunks, and I've heard excellent things about your fighting skill.. How would you prefer to commence this spar? One sword, two, or none at all? I believe I should be able to give you a good match in whichever way you'd like..
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 08-28-2002 07:10 AM:
Reciprocating his chivalrous gesture, Zena smiled, following in suit.
"As I have heard impressive talk on your skills, Lord Trunks..thankyou..How about a good warm up without weapons? The pain shall indeed prime us later on when we utilize weapons,"..she spoke with a mischievious grin.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 08-31-2002 03:12 AM:
... An excellent idea, my lady..
*That said, he bowed down as was his tradition, to honor both his opponent, and the battle they would soon be participating in.. Standing straight again, he brought himself into a traditional defensive stance, and nodded as he spoke once more..*
... My honor denies me the first move, so please.. Have at me..
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 09-03-2002 05:21 PM:
With a nod, Zena sized up her opponent as she circled MnT, scanning him like a predator, seeking out any weaknesses and hidden strengths. As she halted her trek in front, a meter away, the newly promoted Sith Knight advanced on her competitor swinging her right foot, as her weight was supported on her left, activating into a roundhouse kick, making direct contact dead center on his chest.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-14-2002 02:43 PM:
*The kick was solid, and it connected hard. Stepping back with the leg that had been forwards to counteract the momentum from the blow, MnT stood his ground without losing his balance.. A moment later, he looked up and grinned..*
... Excellent, you have a Lot of strength, I can see this will be a great battle..
*Stepping forwards again, MnT spun off his right foot as it touched the ground, and whipped around with a left whirl-wind kick that would've hit Zena right in the face if she hadn't ducked. However, as his torso spun around away from her, he released a fairly powerful force push to her face with his lowered hand. The sudden attack left her off balance, and trying to stop from falling on her butt backwards, as MnT completed the spin, and backed off a few feet, waiting for her reaction..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 11-15-2002 08:03 AM:
Her past mercenary sergeant's demeanor got the best of her, as Zena muttered a string of curses while crashing to the ground like a toppled Hutt..
Unclasping her sword belt and weapon as it would only aid in an obstacle of her agility, she slid it out of the way brushing off her tunic, her pale blue eyes never wavering from her opponent while regaining her composure to an offensive stance. With a wink she nodded..
.."Wan't to play rough I see."..
Drawing in a breath of algid air, the Dark Force was beckoned with its obscure tendrils spiraling about the Sith Knight in custom fit energy. With a balled fist, a massive limb was dislodged off a tree with an audible snap of timber, following her gaze as it sped like a make-shift spear towards the Sith Lord's proximity. He dodged it with ease darting to the side only to meet Zena not far from behind. With a feigned upper right cross to the left side of his jaw, Zena gravitated to the ground attempting a dismounting sweep from the aft sector of his lower appendages.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-15-2002 05:57 PM:
*The branch had obviously been a feigned attack, a distraction.. No-one but a fool relied on so heavy and slow of an attack actually connecting so early in a battle.. As it was, Zena managed to use the moment it took to dodge, to get up close..*
*She launched a quick punch towards his face and, unsure if it was equally meant to distract, he threw his head and upper torso back and away. Fortunately, it Was a feign, and it left her true intentions fairly open.. As she ducked down to sweep his legs out from under him, MnT let the momentum of dodging carry back and, with a quick leap, into a backwards mid-air somersault away from her.. As he was landing though, he could sense that she was already on her feet and approaching again so, using his legs to absorb the energy of his landing like a spring board, he launched forwards again with a flying tackle to her midsection that she was too close to properly avoid..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 11-20-2002 11:00 AM:
Grunting from the sizeable jolt to her body as her back met the ground, compiled by the weight of MNT, Zena had to catch her breath as the wind was knocked clean out of her. With her free hands, she stole some time boxing his ears. As he pushed himself back from her, she slid her right knee up from under his left thigh, then seizing both shoulders, threw him off to aside, followed by an axe kick to his stomach with her left heel as she rolled away, waving him on with a grin while proceeding to stand.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-20-2002 08:00 PM:
*Emulating Zena's grunt with one of his own as her heel came down into his stomach, MnT smiled. She'd had the oppurtunity to do some real damage there, but as she'd been rolling away while trying to axe kick him, the attack hadn't been half as strong as it could've been.*
*Rolling back into a handstand before dropping his legs down, the rest of his body fell back with them, into a standing position. Keeping his eyes on Zena, the two circled around each other for just a moment, before MnT launched forwards again. Without aiding his body's natural speed, he still managed to surprise his fellow Sith, for his actions seemed just a blur, a shock considering the strength of the 6'3" man.. In an instant he was in front of her, his body turned to the left, launching a right press-kick towards her left knee. However, just as she brought her arm down to block, it was being relaunched towards her stomach. Another barely-missing feign, and another attack, this time towards her face. Her block was connected with this time, and she had to pull her face back to prevent her arm slamming into it. However, In that moment of distraction, she didn't notice that he had pushed off the ground, and as his right leg started to drop, his left heel was closing in on the side of her head with stunning speed..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 11-23-2002 09:13 AM:
Letting free some curses at her dismay at being surprised by the spin kick, Zena then collapsed to the ground, her vision distored by the blow as everything was a blur. She still needed to catch her breath from the severe kick to her midsection. MnT stood his ground awaiting a swift reprisal, as it was then answered.
Grabbing a handfull of dirt to cloud his vision, Zena tossed it into his eyes as she jumped up and charged him with a clothesline maneuver, her left arm extended horizontally as she sped on by him, following his tumbling body as she went for an elbow drop to his trachea with her left elbow, her body thrown at prone level to the rear of his left side by his head on a slight angle pointed outwards.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 11-24-2002 10:44 AM:
*However, MnT's extensive agility training - utterly important in the development of a martial artist - paid off. While Zena expected him to simply fall onto his back in perfect position for a continued attack, she found herself performing a rather painful elbow drop on top of one of the few sharp rocks that lay amidst the dirt and grass. As for the Sith Lord, he had rolled with the attack, doing a backflip into a hand-press jump that carried him up and away from his fallen comrade.. As he landed on his feet a good 7 feet away from her, he kept his senses on her with the force, watching her carefully as he closed his eyes and wiped out the dirt.. A dishonorable technique, but one that in the military, he could understand the use of.. He would let it slide, fortunately for her, but pity any Jedi who thought it a worthy addition to battle against him...*
*Quickly he relieved his eyes of the remnants of the attack, and brought himself into a proper defensive position, ready for anything she could throw at him..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-04-2002 12:46 PM:
Feeling MnT alter his position before doing so, Zena contorted in her fall upon the rocks receiving a nasty abrasion on her forearm, of what could have been pierced like a spear. With a capacious grin, the Sith Knight ingested the pain with a growing vigor, wiping off some of her blood with a finger while teasingly tracing her tongue over it.
"You drew first blood," she mused.
"Dishonorable most would think of that trick with the dirt. I must admit. But I am at the advantage of letting my past in the mercernaries be known. Am I not...MnT? We all know how they fought," the ex-sergeant smirked getting back up to her feet.
Unsheathing a dagger from within her bootsleeve, she past the hilt between both hands in a display of seasoned agility.
"Time to add to the stakes my friend," she challenged, her eyes shifting to a gray steel.
Lunging at the Sith Lord with the blade's handle grasped in her right hand, Zena went for an overhead strike to his left pec muscle, as she then grabbed his right shoulder with her left hand, the dagger navigated dangerously close to the heart area. Her adrenaline was surging as the Darkside was commanding Zena to try her contender to the limits.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-04-2002 03:20 PM:
.. Advantage or not is a matter of perspective.. If you can defeat a foe that uses any means neccesary, without dropping away from honor yourself, does that not make you all the stronger?
*As he said this, Zena retrieved a dagger from a boot-sheath, and lunged towards him, grabbing his right shoulder in the process.. While a useful tactic for the most case, lunging towards Anything typically left your balance in a precarious position if the target moved on you.. This proved itself true as MnT reacted..*
*Pivoting quickly back and around on his right foot with surprising speed, he twisted around, and put his left arm to Zena's upper back, forcing her to stumble forwards, right into, and over, his extended right leg..*
*As the Ex-mercenary fell forwards, MnT just managed to save himself from being pulled down with her, and backed away, bringing a hand to his chest to investigate the stinging he felt.. Feeling a wet substance, MnT looked down at the bloody tear in his shirt.. Apparantly she had indeed managed to cut him, though it was just through the surface, not very deep at all.. With a smile, he brought himself again into a defensive position, and spoke again..*
... Besides, that way, when you're required to go Full out in a battle, it leaves you at all the more of an advantage, as I have learned well in past battles with dishonorable Jedi..
*He had no knife himself, but that was fine with him.. It was not as if he wasn't well versed in how to deal with armed opponents.. If she chose to continue the fight with the blade as an advantage, so be it.*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-07-2002 12:43 PM:
While pushing off the ground and wiping the dirt of her tunic, a trace of blood trailing down her lower lip from the collision with his leg, Zena nodded to MnT.
"Good move...However, you do not know me when I jest, do you friend? I have honor...As I have fought over it a multitude of times."
While saying that she flipped the hilt over her hand and promptly resheathed it back in her concealed boot sleeve.
"Have at me? Allow me to play the defensive," she grinned, waving him on.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-08-2002 10:33 AM:
... That is good to hear, but I'm afraid you may have mistaken my attempt at discussion, for something derogatory.. Make no mistake, I do not doubt that you're honorable, I just wished to share what my own experience has taught me of the matter..
*As he finished speaking, he brought himself into an offensive stance from the defensive one he had been in.. Suddenly he leapt forwards, a near horizontal jump that carried him immediately into striking distance. He opened the melee with a lightning fast kick to the left side of her head, before even touching down. It was blocked by the Sith Knight's hand, as she stepped back to avoid being bowled over by MnT's leap. No sooner had his left leg touched the ground, than it was forced upwards again, a powerful snap-kick racing towards her face as his upper torso dropped back. Catching himself with his hands, excellent muscle control alone enabled him to bring back in his right leg towards her Own legs.. If the snap-kick was blocked, she would have to deal with the inevitable being tripped up. If she didn't block, well, she'd probably be on the ground anyways..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-09-2002 05:55 PM:
Bowing back to avoid the buffet to her face, her weight was too far shifted aft to employ an evasive flip, and met the ground in response to his attack on her legs. Rolling from him as she freed herself, Zena hopped up to carry on the offensive. The man was indeed finely cultivated in martial arts, but the Sith Knight was determined to find an open valve. Summoning the timber already separated from its hosting tree, it rolled towards MnT from the rear, as he jumped the obstacle Zena launched herself into a forward flip sailing over the Sith Lord, ending in a twist to face his back when he touched down. She then plowed her right fist into the base of his spine, expecting the shock may lower his station.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-10-2002 03:30 PM:
*It seemed Zena was underestimating him.. Without force aid, had she truly expected him not to notice her jumping over him? It was not like the tree branch rolling up from behind had warranted more of his attention than it took to jump backwards.. In any case, she landed behind him, and he could sense her fist coming rapidly towards the small of his back.. Quickly tensing his muscles, his back grew practically as hard as durasteel, and when the Sith Knight's fist connected, it was effected as such. The attack was powerful, and it Did hurt, but not nearly as much, he was sure, as Zena's fist hurt right now..*
*As she landed the blow, Zena let out a pained curse, and her attention was momentarily drawn to her hand. Distraction enough. MnT quickly whipped his torso around to the right, his legs following suit. As his right leg rapidly approached her right side, she braced for the impact, but instead found his leg wrapping around her torso at the knee. This left her confused just long enough for his attack to come into full effect..*
*Pushing off with his left leg, MnT launched it up towards her left side, catching her arm and torso with it as his spinning momentum ripped her off her feet. The attack was quick, and so was the fall that left her crashing down hard on her right shoulder. As he landed, his kept his arms down to help take the impact from his legs.. Quickly yanking them out from around Zena, he pulled away along the ground, and got back up to his feet, bouncing slightly from one foot to the other to help ease the pain they were in..*
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-23-2002 09:56 PM:
Bruised and battered, but hardly beaten in full, Zena felt MnT may have underestimated her as she growled at his over-confident bearing, feeding on the pain incurred by his blows for added power, as she ingested it like a pack of starving half-crazed romprats.
"You may have me bested in this fashion of warfare, but lest us not forget my specialty, friend. Arm yourself or do not...Your choice."
The buzzing hum of Rancor's Claw was clearly audible as the lava red lances danced in a splendor of unison out into plain view, the Sith Knight already planted solidly, spread on both feet as she had called upon her weapon via the Force, spinning the sister blades in multiple rotations as her hands were riveted on the saber resistant hilt when it came to rest before her with a snap of honed wrists.
Closing the distance between them in a measureable gait, Zena feigned a lunging thrust to his sternum with her right blade, then spun off to her left clipping his right hamstring muscle, bearing down with her left lance, just enough to induce a noticeable burn accompanied by that all too familar stench of burnt flesh and added grimace of her opponent.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-24-2002 11:53 AM:
*With an inaudible curse, MnT felt the saber's blade trail along his leg.. However, at the same moment, his own sabers came free of his belt, where they had strangely become caught.. Backing away with a hop, he twirled both of his weapons around, Life in his left hand, Death in his right, and ignit both of the blades with two simultaneous "snap-hisses"..*
... A Weapon is merely a tool.. How well you can use your own body determines your skill with anything else..
*With that he lunged forwards, Life held back in a defensive cross while Death arced out and down towards Zena's left shoulder. Naturally, her own blade raced up to deflect it, but she was not counting on meeting so little resistance. As it was, MnT allowed the saber hilt to turn in his hand, rotating from a standard grip to a military grip.. In the process, the dark grey blade slid along and past her own, carving into her chest as he began to turn to his right, step stepping out of her range quickly as the blade cleared her flesh.-*
ooc: will write more later. right now is mind-numbing tired. Too much late-night present wrappy combined with worky in morning make no happy >_<
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-26-2002 12:18 PM:
Recoiling in pain, her eyes drowning in acute torment by the shocking blow, Zena eyed the nasty scar across her chest that could have spelled doom if it were a duel to the death. She skirted back, allowing no time as she pressed on further, driven by both rage, vengeance, and an escalating fever engulfed in the throbbing woes of anguish.
Nodding to MnT for his wise counterstrike, she knew his trick to invert the saber was a crafty one at the least, giving hint he was indeed well skilled in this form of combat as well.. A saber was the extention of a Darksider's will, as martial arts was in its own unique venue, yet many placed too much emphasis on the latter to emphasize their adroitness in battle. A soldier of the dark arts must be honed in several aspects of warfare. The Sith Knight carried no doubts he was prepared for her in all the forms, and this concept purged her thoughts giving plight to serious quarry.
MnT knew he scored a massive hit on Zena, and the wound would slow her in agility and strength, yet the Sith Knight summoned forth Rancor's Claw, attacking his left flank..then his right, in blinding arcing assaults that were checked with ease by the Sith Lord, by first Life followed by Death. Her chest ached with an inferno of fire with each twist, as the accumulated muscle damage was wearing her down. The Darkside kept her going, sapping into her reserves to compete with this powerful opponent.
After his last block, MnT's left blade was steered towards his challenger's right breast, which Zena avoided in haste with a pivot on her left heel, rocking her body back and right, 90 degrees, to avoid the purple beam, her right leg descending well behind the other out of the danger zone. She then swung her blade under his extended left core, continuing to slide till she marked his armpit area by the ribs, ripping her blade a few inches through his skin, her left beam moving simultaneously in defense of his adjacent saber, as she was prepared for any surprises.
Breathing heavily, her eyes wide from adrenaline...Zena favored MnT with a grin.
.."You could have killed me with that inverted maneuver of your saber to my chest. Had this been a serious encounter amongst enemies, I doubt I would have survived to amputate your left arm at the shoulder," she winked, guiding her blade back before that damage would have been incurred."..
***
OOC: I was snowed in--no phone for three days..o_O..I'm taking it out on you lol.. Nice move by the way with your counter.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-26-2002 07:00 PM:
*Grimacing in pain as the blade sat there under his arm, both cutting and cauterizing at the same time, MnT was left with no wise choice but to listen to her.. Jumping back and away could give her ample oppurtunity to bring the blade in towards his body, severing his upper and lower torsos if she was so inclined, and of course, dropping away or moving to either side was not an option..*
... Perhaps, but avoiding or dampening the damage caused by my maneuver would have been much easier to do, then me trying to get out of this one..
*His words continued to pass through his mouth as it arced into a smile.. She had retracted the blade..*
... And besides, It's not as if simply severing my arm would be the most damage you could have caused from that position.. I do believe that had you pulled your saber across and through my chest, removing my head and shoulders from the rest of my body, It would have left me fairly dead as well..
*Turning off Life for a moment as he stretched and rotated his left arm, he was not surprised at how the pain seemed to sear right through him.. Fortunately, the muscles that were damaged were mostly involved in pulling his arm down, and in battle, the triceps could do almost the same job just as efficiently..*
... Do you wish to continue? Or would you rather have your chest wound looked at and treated?
*At that, Zena gave him a strange look, as if he'd just made some ridiculous proposal.. Thinking back upon his words for just a moment, his cheeks began to burn red, as he realized he indeed Had..*
.. At the medbay, that is..
OOC: Well, glad to see you back =D We had snow for about an hour here on the 24th ยก^_^ just long enough to tease us into thinking we'd have a white xmas. Yeah, lol, when we've had 7 in like... 80 or 90 years, the likelihood isn't that great >.< And thanks ^-^ It's one of the maneuvers I enjoy doing with MnT, makes for a really interesting mental image =)
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Posted by Dark Lady Zena on 12-27-2002 07:01 AM:
Lofting a brow, seemingly amused by his comment, Zena began to appear confounded as she swayed back and forth, still maintaining a conscious state by the Darkside. The wound was far more serious than both had ascertained. He had seared a piece of her heart valve, ample enough to cause her vision to suddenly dim, with blood pulsating in an ardent attempt to pour through the heart and reach her brain, yet its labor was severely compromised as the vital organ was stressed beyond its own means of capacity.
Hoisting her right blade up, the Sith Knight bravely decided to motion for another attack, but as she rotated left, Zena clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground onto her back with a groan, her own saber slicing through part of her right thigh, the elongated hilt opting for leverage to thwart a total dissection as it layed across her left leg.
She looked up at MnT as her eyes appeared clouded and without form. It was as if she was in a dream state, travelling back in time on the battlefield at her mercenary camp, when another Sith Lord had mortally wounded her, yet decided to heal the courageous sergeant and take her as his apprentice, sending his student to the TSE to further her training.
Zena then spoke the same words as she had at that time that had altered her life for an eternity..."Finish me..Let me die with honor with my comrades," her words trailed off into oblivian as her heart suddenly arrested and her head slumped to a side.
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Posted by Miryan no Trunks on 12-27-2002 03:40 PM:
... If and when you die, it will Not be by the hands of one of your own..
*Using the force to deignite her blade while he stooped to pick her up, he lifted the fallen Knight into his arms, careful to in no way cause her wounds any aggravation.. Lifting her saber, he placed it in his pocket before taking off out of the training grounds with as much force-aided speed as his body could muster.. Which was in fact quite a lot. Quickly launching his way up to the branches at the very tops of the trees, MnT passed his way over top of the forest like a jet, clearing 30, 40 feet with each jump, losing no speed whatsoever with each branch he landed on and, in the same instant, pushed off from. Within the same minute, he had exited the forest and was barely moments away from the medbay, even through all the corridors..*
*Stopping instantly outside the bay doors, he opened them without touch, and brought Lady Zena in.. Handing her over to the meddroids care, he hoped that they would be able to heal her in time..*