Duel of Attrition (open to a Jedi)

[Darth Bhaal]

:: The self-styled God of Murder stood on a wind-swept mesa, his face smug behind the war mask he donned. He lived many lives indeed, it so seemed. Now, at last, the time drew close for him to unleash his total fury against his hated enemies, the Jedi. He'd remained hidden long enough. Soon...the name Darth Bhaal would be uttered in fearful whispers in the halls of the Jedi.

Yes, soon enough. But first, he required an example. ::

[Shade Magus]

As Shade looked up from where he was meditating he could feel a dark presence. He didn't know who it was, but he knew that the aura was dark and cold. He looked around the landscape that he had been doing some self-training on. He wasn't sure when the being got on planet but he didn't like it. Shade stood up and put his gloves and boots on his feet as helooked around.

"This is very unsettling."

Shade packed the rest of his things and started to walk towards the aura, strangely drawn to it. He just hoped that whatever it was he could handle it.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: ...there, just across the horizon. A force-sensitive aura, he could feel it. Underneath his balaclava, the Sith smiled. Soon, he would have the confrontation he desired. ::

[Shade Magus]

Shade stopped moving very suddenly as he spotted something off in the distance. He could not tell who or what it was but it was near the place that he could sense the evil at. Shade then put his bag down on the ground and started to look in it until he pulled out a small metallic cylinder. He then clipped his lightsaber on his belt, just incase he needed it and then he continued walking forwards.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: He seemed hesitant...as all Jedi were. That was to be expected. It mattered not...the confrontation had already begun. Bhaal smiled beneath his balaclava. This one would serve as a messenger for his Greater Jedi Order. The first would live...but the rest would soon know why he was the God of Murder.

The Sith approached his first adversary, and he spoke in a deep voice. ::

Your arrival was forseen, Jedi. Your defeat was simply inevitable. Come...let us set upon this future that we already can see by the fear in your eyes!

[Shade Magus]

"My arrival may have been forseen but the fate of this fight has not. I know not who you are but I warn you, you do not know me either. I am not the strongest warrior but also I am not the weakest, as you soon will see."

Shade dropped his bag to the side and checked to make sure his lightsabre was in easy reach before he took a step forward.

"Who are you? What is your purpose here?"

As he waited for answers to his questions Shade looked around to make sure he was not being lead into a trap. When he was satisfied with the layout of the surrounding enviroment he turned and narrowed his eyes back on his opponent. He wanted to get the point across very clear that he feared nothing or no one. He would fight this person and he would win.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: The air shimmered for an instant, like a waver of hot air on a summer afternoon. The Jedi's head snapped back as an invisible force struck him across the mouth, enough to barely break skin, but insignificant in a greater scope. It was a generation of Force pressure, emanating from the masked Sith ::

Such should be obvious. I am your enemy. My purpose is to defeat you. No more delays!

:: The Sith's lightsaber levitated off his belt, springing into air in front of him as he grasped the hilt, the orange blade leaping from it with a snap-hiss. ::

[Shade Magus]

Shade shuffled back a few feet and raised his hand to his face. he felt something warm and wet on his fingers and when he looked down he could see that blood was trickling from his lip. He wiped it away and smiled.

"Kudos to you on drawing first blood, but you will soon see that it will not be the last blood drawn."

Shade then slammed his foot on the ground and caused just enough dust to come in the air that he used the Force to push it all at his enemy and he wrapped it around his head. He then spun in a counter-clockwise cicle and unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it before coming to a complete stop.Here he waited for the opportune time to strike. As he stood there he tried to read the aura of the one he was fighting to try and get a grasp on his power.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: Bhaal paused, the cloud of dust thick around his face. He lowered his saber, in a sign of tired annoyance. The Sith could nevertheless sense the Jedi's presence, as surely as if he were to see him on the clearest of days. ::

Save your parlor tricks for stormtroopers, Jedi. You insult my intelligence.

:: With a slight gesture from his off hand, Bhaal disperses the dust as unquestionably as a spring breeze. ::

I am Darth Bhaal, although this galaxy likely knew me through a different name, I'm sure.

:: The mad clone raised his unarmed hand, palm outstretched, as a cool and intensifying breeze built across the battleground. Within moments, a shimmering orb of green began to grow in front of his palm, as the air around the two combatants imploded inwards upon itself, forming superheated, pressurized plasma. ::

Don't you remember?

[Shade Magus]

Shade let a smile come across his face.

"Parlor trinks? You haven't seen my parlor trinks yet."

He watched as Bahaal dipursed of the dust cloud justa s easily as it had been put there.

"If you say I should knwo you by another name then tell me and maybe I will be impresse, but until then you are just another lost soul."

He stood there waiting for the guy to reveal who he was or to see if he was just bluffing.

[Darth Bhaal]

Actions...speak louder than words. You will know, soon enough.

:: The pressure sphere leapt from Bhaal's embrace in an instant, hurtling towards the Jedi. In less than a second, it exploded into a blinding thunderclap of power, the blast only two meters from Shade's chest...sending him off his feet as the plasma expanded in a shockwave of fire. The shockwave pummeled and the seething fire licked at the Padawan's skin as he fell back. As the residuals of the sphere faded into a pale light, Bhaal pounced, cutting through the dissipating wisps of flame as he dove down on the padawan, his lightsaber slicing downward in a double-handed assault ::

[Shade Magus]

Shade pushed the pain as far away as he could and he lifted his saber to meet his crazed opponents and there was a hiss in the air when the two energy blades met. Try as he might he could just not move the Sith off of him with his chest hurting the way it did. He then brought his left knee up into the gut of Bhaal and flipped him over.

"Well this is just great," Shade said as he got up to his feet and brought his blade down across the chest of his opponent.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: Bhaal's own blade met in mid-transit, colliding fiercely against the Jedi's saber. Rotating his wrists, Bhaal exerted pressure against the fulcrum point of the contacting blades, using Shade's downward momentum against him as his blade missed wide left, sinking into the soil next to him.

The Sith smiled under his balaclava, his body uncoiling like a spring, landing a double press kick underneath the Jedi's extended arm, smashing into his ribcage and knocking him away forcefully enough for Bhaal to flip back to his feet ::

[Shade Magus]

Shade flew up into the air before coming back down to the ground with a oud thump.He had been kicked in the ribs so hard that it had knocked his breath out. He rolled over on his side and lay there trying to catch his breath.He then picked himsefl up slowly, always keeping an eye on Bhaal. He had seriously underestimated this guy's strength and it was about time for him to kick his own strength up a notch. He took in a deep breathe and let the Force flow through him. He let it flow into his muscles to increase his strength and spped. When he opened his eyes he felt 10 times more powerful, but he knew he could only withstand it for so long. He turned and lookedat his opponent and smiled.

"Get ready to play."

He then jumped into the air and spun around horizontally and both his and Bhall's blades met with a clash of light and the two fighters kept exchanging blow for blow. Shade was surprising himself by how much he had improved since his laster training session.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: The dancing, shimmering blades seemed to clash with a crescendo beat, the flashing was bright like forked lightning in a thunderstorm. The padawan had increased his speed, and his anticipation of attacks was vastly improved. Every feint, every slash was detected. Bhaal was impressed, but not beaten.

In the midst of a high-to-lol swing, Bhaal dropped his center of gravity, exerting a force push at the Padawan's ankles while springing upwards with a raking underhanded haymaker strike...the hilt stud of his saber on the dealing end of the attack ::

[Shade Magus]

Shade fell to the ground and let the hilt of the lightsaber come down until it was almost touching him. Then he jerked his arm up and grabed the wrist of Bhaal and twisted it, sent his opponent flying over him. Shade then jumped back up to the ground and brougth his lightsaber back up, waiting for his opponents next move.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: Bhaal tumbled backward, quickly stopping his roll and raising up. The throw had dislodged his lightsaber from his hand. Glancing to the right, he saw it...10 feet away. With a gesture of his hand, the saber leapt into the air and activated, twirling towards the Jedi as Bhaal leapt high into the air over him. ::

[Shade Magus]

Shade stood there confused as to how he would deal with both threats and he did as his master told him and closed out all surrounding distractions and focused on the now and then. Before he could realize what was happening, Shade had thrown his blade up into the air and let it block Bhall saber. He then rolled undr his opponent so that when he landed Shade would be there waiting.

He got back to his feet and just as Bhall landed on the ground, he was met with a roundhouse kick, and sent staggering back. Shade then completed his turn and called his saber back to his outstreatched hand.

"Whoa. That was intense," Shade said as he put both hands on his saber and brought it's hilt above the ground and the blade pointing towards the ground. He had his right leg bent and his left leg out in front of hism. He stood ready for anything else that could come his way.

[Darth Bhaal]

You know nothing of the intensity of the Dark Side.

:: Bhaal righted himself after taking the roundhouse fully. With a slight gesture, he drew his saber back to his hand with the Force, sliding it onto his belt ::

Such lessons only come with scars, foolish Jedi.

:: Bhaal casually extended an open palm toward the Jedi, as a cool and growing breeze blew at both of their backs ::