Master Seraine "Erinyes" Taldrya Ténama vs. Colonel Shanree Argentin

The darkest rooms of the Tempest Crown Cantina hide many secrets, shady dealings, and unsavory types. The Backroom Ring is one of those secrets. Known to many as top tier entertainment on Nancora, but restricted, open to only those who can pay to fight. And it is lucrative.

Fifty feet in length and width, the Backroom Ring is a square room used long ago as a water cistern, now repurposed into a bloody combat arena. The ceiling is low enough for the taller fighters to feel claustrophobic whilst the walls are layered in dented durasteel plating equipped with shock prods and deadly spikes. Humid air fills the room along with the stench of sweat and bile. Neon lights dot the ceiling in the middle of the room, splashing color and shadows in circles further out. No seating arrangements are available, only cam droids showing live feeds on the cantina screens. Speakers bolted into the walls spread the crowd's cheers in the ring, blasting fighters with their energy.

The ring is segmented into square panels, each capable of independent activation. Pressure plates hidden beneath the surface trigger traps when stepped on. Most panels do nothing, but some discharge electrical bursts strong enough to stagger even armored fighters. Others superheat, glowing dull orange before cooling, forcing constant movement. Some panels are purposefully unstable, collapsing underfoot without warning, to disrupt balance. Many and varied traps exist underneath the floor, constantly innovated on and changed from day to day. Gravity projectors under the arena can alter gravity, making combatants float or pinning them to the floor. The ceiling hides gas vents, misting combatants with stimulants or pacifying and disorientating them.

There is no place for elaborate maneuvers here, no space to breathe or rest. The Backroom Ring is made for pure close combat. No high ground, no distance, only brutality as panic and pain close in.

Erinyes tied her hair back as she walked into the Backroom Ring, surveying the cramped surroundings for any clues that might help her survive the ordeal. Whoever her opponent would be, she was fairly sure they wouldn't turn out to be a problem. The treacherous environment, on the other hand, could trip up even the most prepared of fighters. If she wanted to win the bet she'd made with the bartender and get access to the Cantina's information network, she'd have to be on her toes–

The sudden presence of a familiar signature in the Force made Erinyes frown. A moment later, a Miraluka stepped through the door opposite her. Shanree.

Kark.

The two Taldryanites approached each other as opponents in a professional fighting match might. Shanree raised an eyebrow when he sensed Erinyes lift clenched fists instead of going for her more customary lightsabers. "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, mimicking the gesture.

"What I do best. Stirring up trouble," Erinyes said. As she exchanged a triple fist tap with Shanree, ripples of intrigue and impatience came through the loudspeakers that transmitted the crowds' cheers. Did these two contenders know each other? What was with the blasted formalities? Get on with it! "Did you take the bet, too?"

Shanree nodded gravely as he took a step back into a Teras Käsi guard. Instantly, Erinyes could see that he held the relaxed confidence of someone who had mastered his craft. Her competitive streak wondered if not using lightsabers had been a mistake. "If they realise we're working together, they might not honour their end of the deal," he warned.

"Let's try not to kill each other," Erinyes said, assuming Shadow Step's non-stance by shifting on to the balls of her feet. Not killing each other was one thing, but this was a fight club. Blood would have to be spilled, if only to keep up the ruse.

The Miraluka grunted his assent, and the fight was on.

Erinyes burst forward, her hands blurring as she lashed out with open-hand strikes and kicks. Shanree moved at the same instant, his limbs guided by the Force to intercept each attack with fluid efficiency. He scored the first strike, too, driving a half-fist into Erinyes' sternum and knocking her back a step. The Emissary coughed with the impact, but didn't let it deter her from driving forward again.

Unfortunately for Erinyes' assault, the floor had other ideas. One of the tiles was in fact a spinner, and the instant she placed her weight on one side of it, she lost her balance and sprawled forward. She recovered her balance, but the stumble killed her forward momentum.

In the same moment, a jet of superheated steam roared down from just above Shanree's head. The Miraluka darted to one side, then leapt upward to evade Erinyes' leg as she tried to catch his ankles. Mindful of the spinner tile this time, Erinyes pushed herself to a stand and closed in again.

The resulting scene was reminiscent of a martial arts holo, with limbs flying at blink-and-you'll-miss-it speed. Predictably, the crowd loved it, and Erinyes found her confidence boosted by the cheers of approval coming from the loudspeakers. Stakes or no, fighting was damned fun, and it had been too long since she'd had a truly challenging opponent. The bruises and spat blood she was accruing over the course of the battle were just the price she paid for her entertainment.

Still, enjoyable or not, the fight wasn't going spectacularly in her favour. An ember of discontent flared in her gut as she missed a third grapple in a row, interrupted by a gravity trap that lifted her off the ground at precisely the wrong time. Shanree had expertly redirected her momentum, sending her slamming into the shock prods in a nearby wall. Her armour handled the worst of it, but not enough to keep the jolt from being painful, and the spikes scraped against her arms and legs.

Shanree grinned at Seraine. She was one of the few he could call an Old Friend, and he was enjoying this– and he knew she was as well. The Miraluka backed off for a moment and spat out a small glob of bloody spit.

“What’s the matter, Old Man? Winded already?” Her taunt sounded harsh but he felt the familiar teasing tone for what it really was.

“You talk too much”, he fired back.

Erinyes knew the old Colonel was quicker than he looked and she thought she was ready. He closed the distance between them preternatural agility, but feinted under her guard unexpectedly at the last second. Sliding past her he slapped the pressure plate behind her with his hand. The Colonel rolled onto his feet. A gust of air, triggered by the plate, hit him from behind, propelling SAG Operative back at the Brotherhood’s Envoy just as she was turning about in confusion. He crashed into her and together they were thrown to the floor near the far wall.

They hadn’t even skidded to a stop before he started seeking advantage in the grapple. Erinyes drew her knees in close as hard as she could to make space between his mass and her smaller frame, twisting to the side as she did so she could keep his arms from finding her arm and leg joints. That was exactly what Shanree set to work doing having taking a dominant position. He straddled her, using his legs to bind hers. His hands attempted to slither through the space between her arms and torso, to entwine her limbs and wrench them into submission holds. She was slippery and repeatedly fended off his probing attempts.

“Quit playing around” she hissed at him, sending her elbow into his ribs during a rare unguarded moment.

Shanree snarled as if wounded and rolled off of her into a crouching ready stance. Seraine was back to her feet in a heartbeat, her hair partially matted to her forehead. She blew some of it out of her face and returned the Miraluka’s lingering grin. Their attention was drawn abruptly to jets of flame erupting from the wall beside them. Shanree danced back on nimble feet but was forced away from the wall behind him when yet more jets of flame burst from holes along its length. He skipped forward just barely missing becoming barbecued only to move into Seraine’s striking range.

She unleashed a flurry of hand combos that Shanree obligingly caught and redirected with open palms. She pushed forward, throwing a knee at his abdomen. Catching it with two interlaced palms he threw a shoulder into her chest followed by his elbow when enough space had opened between them. Staggered and breathless she blinked wildly as she stumbled backwards. Shanree spun around twice before placing a heel into her abdomen with a rear kick that held very-little back. The air again vacated Erinyes's lungs and her legs went weak as the edges around her vision began to darken.

Erinyes stumbled backward and tumbled towards the wall behind her. Suddenly understanding he’d gone too far Shanree reached out desperately with an open hand. She was too far for him to physically grasp, yet an invisible hand grabbed her and pulled her forward just ahead of the emerging flames behind her. He heard her gasps as she filled her lungs with life giving air. He couldn’t see her but when she looked up at him something had changed. They weren’t having fun anymore.

Frack. This always happens.