Man's best friend (complete)

[Naj Arilov]

Down a dark alley a mix of screaming and growling could be heard. A local vagrant had stared a moment too long as a blueish-grey skinned humanoid walked by with a scruffy looking dog trotting at his heals. With only a gesture of his staff, the dog had gone into a frenzy and lept at the unfortunate vagrant. The fight had lasted a few minutes before the vagrant was able to kick the dog away. As soon as he did, the lower end of Naj's staff came around, knocking the Vagrant out cold.

As Naj raised his staff to deal a killing blow, he caught a glimpse of someone entering the alley out of the corner of his eye. Forgetting the bum for a moment, Naj turned toward the entrance of the alley and squared his shoulders slightly, trying to get a better look at the person through the dim lighting of the Coruscant night.

[Pierce Tondry]

Everything was dark.

The sounds of a struggle had led him this way, where he found cold brick and mortar. His fingers traced the rough and crumbling substance into the alleyway. The smell of an unwashed dog met his nose first, and he knew he wasn't too far from what was happening. He could still hear the breathing of an unconscious victim.

Everything was dark.

A cold wind blew into the clothes he wore, clothes that were missing shreds that revealed injuries barely healed; wounds that felt the cold and the numbness more severely than the skin that remained intact. The cold filled him with resolve, and the darkness began to give way to an impression of surrounding alley walls....

"You don't have the right to do that," said Pierce.

[Naj Arilov]

The pointed bottom of Naj's staff was brought away from the homeless man as Naj took a few steps forward. Beside him, the stray dog that was accompanying him growled at the intruder, an audible warning, and a message to its master.

Naj could barely see the man still, save for a dim outline. The way the man walked, the way the man stood, advertised his injuries ever so subtly.

"I may not have the right, but I have the ability."

Naj's staff tapped slightly as it touched the duracrete ground. Naj rested his wieght between it and his legs and stared at the man who had come to stop him. Beside him, the loyal stray's fur stood on end, and its ears layed back against its neck.

[Pierce Tondry]

Another step brought the darkly lit figure into a splash of moonlight. Instinctively, one hand reached up to touch a dark strip of cloth that served as a blindfold, adjusting it with a slight push of the fingertips. A thin shirt and torn combat pants hung loosely off him.

"If that's the way you gotta be," Pierce said slowly. "Then I gotta stop you."

He took another step forward.

[Naj Arilov]

"Interesting...."

Naj's head tilted to the side in mock curiousity. Obviously this man had no clue what he was getting into, though hes posture made Naj a tad edgy.

He carried himself with confidence, even if injured.

With a slight turn of his wrist, the top of Naj's staff faced toward the man in front of him. In an instant, the dog at his side tore off toward the man, quickly closing the distance before leaping at the man's throat.

[Pierce Tondry]

There was a vision of a canine and a man with a cane, both figures obscure and blurry, as though they were lights he couldn't focus on. The dog suddenly leapt forward, highlighting itself; the man darkened in response. And then, the dog began to slow down, even as it leapt into the air to attack...

Pierce reached forward with one hand and snatched the dog out of the air by the throat. In one fluid, whipping movement, Pierce outstretched his arm and slammed the dog into the alley wall. The impact made a dull thud, something cracked, and the dog jerked spasmodically. Brick crumbled to the ground below.

The dog let out a whimpering groan and Pierce let go of it. It tumbled to the ground in a heap.

"Now you."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj took a step back at the sight of Pierce taking out the dog with almost no effort. He wasnt necessarily scared, more surprised really. Instead of rushing forward, Naj methodically walked toward Pierce, though he kept a good measure of space between the two.

"Nice trick, but insignificant." Naj said, as the pointed end of his staff was brought up toward Pierce's face.

[Pierce Tondry]

The dog had gone dark, the energy within it flickering with spurts of weakness. Now, it was just the man and his cane illuminated in this hazy world of blur. The cane raised to point...

Pierce's right hand grabbed hold of the staff around the middle. With a single, crushing effort, he broke the staff into two pieces.

The hand lowered down to Pierce's hip. The smooth and cold piece of metal slid from between his fingers and clattered to the pavement by his foot.

Pierce began to walk forward again.

[Naj Arilov]

Apparantly, Naj had greatly underestimated this mans strength. With no creature to defend him, and no weapon, he now found himself slowly backing away, quickly glancing left and right to find a quick escape.

The situation was now way too tense for Naj's taste, and he could feel fear building up inside.

[Pierce Tondry]

Using his ears as a guide, Pierce stepped over the source of the shallow breaths- which was probably this man's intended victim. At short range, Pierce could distinguish them as rough and wheezing. Life flickered below, weak and malnourished.

Pierce stopped, his sightless gaze fixed on Naj. "You beat up a homeless man?" he asked softly.

With a strong leap, Pierce tackled Naj to the ground, then got to one knee and socked him in the midsection.

[Naj Arilov]

"He....OOF!!"

Before Naj could barely start, he was on the ground. Immediately he took up his "aggressive defense" which consisted of covering his face with one hand, while trying to hit his assailant with his free hand. The initial attempt had failed however, as a hard fist came down, hitting him solidly in the stomach.

Both arms crossed over his stomach, as Naj rolled to the side slightly, barely able to breath and coughing roughly.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce reached out and grabbed one of Naj's arms at the elbow, dragging him back over. Though the other struggled against being moved, Pierce overpowered him enough to pin his arm in place with his knee. He raised one hand over his head, flattened it, and chopped into Naj's elbow.

[Naj Arilov]

"AHHHHH!!!!!"

Pain shot up and down Naj's arm as the chop nearly broke his elbow. It was apparant that he wasnt going to be getting away, so Naj made a desperate attempt to get free. He balled his free hand up in a fist, and with all the strength he could muster, hit Pierce square in the jaw.

This brought on more pain, as Naj heard every knuckle in his hand pop.

Pierce's head barely moved...

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's head caught itself, then slowly turned. The blindfolded eyes stared blaster bolts through Naj's head.

Wrapping both hands around Naj's neck, he stood up and hauled the other with him. The blindfold stared at Naj's gasping face, almost regarding him as though it could see every contour of the pain Naj was in. Then Pierce thrust the other away with a sickened grimace, watching him stumble backwards into a wall. "You disgust me."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj stumbled backward and his whole upper body flattened against the wall before his whole body heaped to the ground. The red glow of his eyes was now dim and almost non-existant. He hacked for a moment, noting blood as he did. His voice was low and weak, but held a slight growl...

"Who are you?..."

[Pierce Tondry]

One hand took hold of the collar on Naj's shirt and hefted him upright again. "My name is Pierce Tondry," he rasped. "And your justice is come."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj's eyes dimmed even more for a moment as he glared back up to Tondry. Without really even realizing it, Naj's hand came up to Pierce's shoulder and tried to push him away, to no avail. A moment later Naj fell to the ground and began trying to drag himself away.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce tossed the scrap of collar in his hand away. He reached into his torn clothing and produce a slim cylinder. With wide, graceful, and exaggerated movements he took hold of the lightsaber in both hands switched it on. A brilliant green beam lit the alleyway. "Run, little man. Run before I cut you in two."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj has been deceptive. While he is hurt, hes not as incapacitated as he'd prevously led on. As he crawled, he sneaked a shard from his broken staff into his hand. He crawled a bit further, til he was beside the unconscious vagrant. He turned in time to see Tondry ignite a saber. With one quick jerk, he stabbed the vagrant in the throat, leaving the metal imbedded. He then quickly lept to his feet and broke off in a full blast run.

While Naj isnt the epitome of strength or speed, hes had his share of running from fights, and his running reflects this. As he rounds the corner of the alley, he isnt sure if Tondry is running after him. Hopefully he was faster than the jedi. Hopefully the Jedi would try to take care of the wounded vagrant.

Either way, Naj didnt intend on stopping til he was in the safety of his ship, on his way back to Koros Major...

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce almost started after the fleeing coward, but a burbling cough from the injured homeless man held him back. In the ghostly world of distortion through which he saw things, his lightsaber showed up as a brilliant beam of white light. He could clearly see the shard of metal in the homeless man's neck, and the flickers of life that were inside him were quietly dying.

Kneeling amid the garbage in the alley, Pierce began tearing strips of cloth from his shirt to make a bandage.

[Naj Arilov]

After a full minute or two of running, Naj finally gathered up the courage to look behind him. The alley he'd been in was completely out of sight.

The sith apprentice slowed his pace to a walk. A quick walk, but a walk none the less, as his whole body ached from the beating he had sustained. Pierce Tondry. The name of the jedi was now implanted in his head. Naj had a very good memory, the name wouldnt be forgotton. For now though, he made his way to his ship, which wasnt too far away. He needed to lay down and recover, the trip back to Koros Major would provide time for this.

The encounter had gone completely opposite of how he had planned however. The man was superior to him, even when Naj was armed and he wasnt. Then he had a lightsaber, something that Naj wasnt prepared for at all. His goals were clear now. He would be better prepared next time. Hopefully the library at the Krath would have some text on lightsabers (this possiblity was very good, as everyone he had met there carried a lightsaber). If there was a way to beat them, he would figure it out.

And the next time he decided to fight, he would have a greater beast at his side.

He turned another corner and caught sight of his ship. He looked over his shoulder once more, and took relief in the fact that Tondry wasnt there. It was time to go home....