Adept Tasha'Vel Versea vs. Combat Master Vincent Brujah

Built from the shell of an ancient foundation, the Arx Colosseum has undergone renovations to allow multiple new configurations for battle. Its spectator setup remains largely the same, with high walls, tall enough for even the most savvy Jedi to find unscalable that lead up to spectator chairs which are divided into nearly organized sections to accommodate several thousand people. At the center, an elongated platform “box” contains a central throne of stone with various seats of smaller scale lined beside it in both directions. Two large holo-projection screens are set up on each side of the Colosseum, offering different angles of the match bia holocam drones.

Today’s setup is known as The Elements.

A singular large circular platform sits in the center of the arena elevated just off the main arena floor. Floating walkways jutting off to smaller platforms floating above the central one. At first glance, this setup appears simple, solid ground beneath your feet, nothing to worry about beyond falling off to the arena’s floor and the dangers of your opponent.

Yet once the match starts, that story changes. The landscape of the platforms shifts and changes cycling at random through vortexes of strong wind, rushing water geysers, shaking and rumbling earthquakes, and vents of fire.

Watch your foot, as each step might signal a change of the elements.

“ A New Combat Master? Well, well Vincent,it seems you are making a name for yourself within the Dark Council’s eyes.

Appears like I need to pay you a little visit to see how prepared you really are for the role.”

Tasha'vel’s eyes gleamed bright green while her message was sent to the Sith.

“First Vincent, I would like to congratulate you on your promotion to Combat Master. I have no doubts many challenges will be along the way, but I look forward to seeing what you are capable of doing.

War is looming on the horizon with some of the most recent things happening of late and would like to invite you to a little..how should I say it?

A test of your might.

I know that you are so fond of talking about about your fighting prowess, how about a fun little spar then to show me?

Meet me at The Arx Coliseum.

I have a special venue in mind for the both of us or don’t. The choice is up to you, I will be waiting.”

“Message delivered successfully.”replied a robotic female voice on her communicator.

“Good, now let’s prepare.”

A few hours later

It had been awhile since she had been to the Arx Coliseum, what was once a couple different settings now offered several different scenarios.

Having arrived, she checked through her weapons before walking to the settings terminal.

“Please enter the venue number and name.”

“Ark Coliseum: The Elements” Tasha replied as she punched in the venue number.

“Venue selected and now running, please enter through the large main doors.”

She smiled softly and sauntered through the tall, large metal doors. As they closed behind her, she hopped onto one of the several platforms around the room.

Instantly it began to glow, causing the entire room to shift into a beautiful watery landscape with waterfalls cascading down from the top platforms.

Along with the top platform waterfalls, a coursing river went right through the middle and flowed down towards her.

There on the sides of the river, appeared land from where she had stepped, however, it started to sink.

Tasha swiftly moved onto drier land as she felt her shoes slipping down into a nasty watery bog.

“Impressive work.”

Her communicator now chirped a moment as a single message displayed.

“I am already here Tasha, ready and waiting.”

A cheshire grin formed upon Tasha’vel’s lips as her emerald eyes scanned the area searching for the Sith.

Vincent, however, was already using the terrain to his advantage, camouflaged to blend in with some shrubs and ground.

She was fairly close, about twenty yards and in his sights. He stayed quiet, observing her for now as he began to quickly think on his next move.

“Smart man hiding within the room, but not for long. I have a feeling you are somewhere closer to me.” She called out, taunting him slightly. “I just hope you are a man though, mice like to hide. You aren’t a mouse are you Vincent?”

This was his chance.

Vincent instantly charged bringing both lightsabers, Hellfire and Brimstone to his hands, igniting them both with ease as he reached the Twi’lek in seconds. The crimson blade crackled with unstable intensity as his second blade became a raging orange of flaming inferno.

He then leaped up and brought both blades down in an X pattern,aiming to take her head. Anger and rage surged through him, he was determined to defeat her.

“Never a mouse, but a lion that will devour you whole!”

Feeling the imminent danger and seeing that he was not going to be so easily hindered, Tasha’vel smirked.

Showers of sparks flew everywhere, illuminating the ground as her gorgeous violet colored blade held up against his hellish twin blades.

“Finally, the lion pounces, but he will find his prey is not so easily devoured."

Pushing against his blades, Tasha’s fiery emerald eyes blazed into his very soul as he felt an immense strength and power blocking his strike.

It was invigorating and quite alluring to his senses.

An actual match, someone who wasn’t pulling punches. With a swift kick to his gut with her right leg, it sent him flying backwards a couple feet. However, she felt a sudden rush of heat as his armor burst into flames upon contact surrounding him in a protective fiery shield. Her brief contact had caused her shoe to char a bit and actually burned her right foot slightly.

"Not bad Sith."

She licked her lips and smiled as she pointed Vilruna's crackling violet blade at the mildly suprised Sith.

“Now show me what you got Vincent!"

“With pleasure.” The Sith said in a deep, heavily modulated voice.

Vincent dove back in with the crimson saber in his right hand, swinging it overhead at a downward angle directed at Tasha’vel’s upper half. Her violet blade intercepted with ease as The Sith landed directly in front of her. The blades clashed together with a hiss, but only for a moment.

With Tasha’vel focused on blocking the crimson saber in his right hand, Vincent brought the fiery orange blade in his left hand at Tasha’vel’s midsection. It was as if she had seen the motion of the inferno of a man coming before he ever moved. Her lightning fast reflexes and surprising strength allowed her to dodge backwards while twisting the purple blade of Viluna at a downward angle to intercept Brimstone. Hellfire swung inches from her face as she dipped backward and let it swing over her head. Vincent broke the clash and took a step backwards, preparing himself for the next wave of attacks.

Brujah growled beneath his helmet. His anger was building. She was good, but he was certain he could find a hole in her defences. He sprang forward, diving in with Brimstone in a stabbing motion at her chest. She steadied herself on her feet and made an upward arc with her violet blade to redirect the stab to her right side. Vincent lurched forward. As he did, Tasha’Vel turned her hips sending a midkick directly into the abdomen of the Combat Master. He stepped to her side and then the two began circling each other in front of the staircase leading upward.

For the first time in what felt like a long time Vincent was outclassed in a lightsaber battle. As Tasha’Vel reared back for an attack of her own, Vincent began backing up the stairwell leading up to smaller platforms. He put himself into a defensive position, and though the Adept had the clear advantage in raw skill, Brujah was still no slouch. The combination of his two sabers defending against her one and his steady movement upward that continued to give him higher ground on her assisted him as she took swings at him that he was able to parry or bat away.

The crimson flames surrounding his armor reflected off the waterfall and the bogy area below them giving the whole platform an eerie red glow that was only overpowered by the intensity of the lightsaber duel. Sparks flew off of Vincent's crimson saber as he parried away another upward stab at him. Just then four geysers erupted from the marsh below them simultaneously.

They were lucky to be on the spiral staircase as the platform below was instantly flooded. Droplets of water shot out from the main streams, soaking the fighters and extinguishing the flames on Vincent’s armor. Still, neither fighter took their attention away from the other for even a moment. Vincent continued to back away, edging closer and closer to the next platform with every step.

“I brought you here to see your fighting skill, not to watch you run away.” the Daughter of Sadow taunted as she followed him up the stairs.

“Then keep your eyes open, Twi’lek. We’re just getting started.” The Combat Mastered replied.

The Adept began to show the first signs of her own frustration. She was clearly better with sabers than the Combat Master, but his antics and strategy kept her from landing any truly significant damage on him. She raised her free left hand. With a flash of blue and violet illumination, bolts of lightning flew from her fingertips and at the Hand of the Empress.

This time it was Vincent who seemed to anticipate the attack coming. With augmented speed and agility he flipped himself backwards and away from the lightning. He disappeared from Tasha’vel’s line of sight as he landed on the small platform above her. She snarled at the emptiness in front of her, and then she heard his robotic voice once more.

“Join me, Tasha’vel. I have so much more to show you.”

She laughed as she extended her hand to him. “Show me, then, Vincent, but perhaps you should join me.”

Vincent felt an intense surging telekinetic energy gripping him tightly as Tasha brought her hand into a fist and pulled it back violently, launching him off the platform above towards her.

As he fell towards the platform, she leaped towards him, her violet blade held tight as she prepared to strike him in the air. The platforms glowed once again, and the landscape shifted from water to rocky terrain. A large mountain erupted from the ground, lifting towards the top of the arena as it suddenly became rocky with cliffs and plateaus. Taking advantage, Vincent sheathed his blades and swiftly angled himself towards the erupting mountain while free-falling, grabbing hold of a rocky jagged edge as he rose upwards, leaving Tasha’vel behind.

He carefully turned and aimed his right wrist towards the Twi’lek and fired two discs from his Sith Lavanrok. Unable to dodge, the discs struck her lekku and her chest, enveloping her body with a liquid net that burst quickly into flames. Searing burning pain lashed throughout her body as it scorched and burned. She screamed in pain as she used her lightsaber to cut the net and dove to the ground to roll out the flames. Vincent then carefully dropped back down to the ground, smirking as he took out his lightsabers again, charging forward to the downed Twi’lek, bringing his blades down towards her body.

“I told you I would find a weakness and use it against you. Seems you were too greedy.”

Despite the intense pain, Tasha’vel smiled as she immediately brought her blade up against his, blocking them from striking her body.

“Perhaps I was Vincent, you did impress me immensely. I think you will make a fine Combat Master.”

She then kicked him again in the gut as the Sith jumped up, eyes blazing as blue lightning danced around her fingertips.

“However, you still have much to learn.”

As she parried back, a strong bluish white current of lightning struck outwards, hitting him, not relenting. The pain was intense, horrifying; he could feel his entire body reeling. He felt sick; he knew this was it, but he would somehow find a way.

Tasha’vel was determined and would not stop now, maintaining the lightning upon him.

“How does it feel being brought down, Vincent. Sucks, doesn’t it? I can help you grow stronger. Do you want to be more powerful to kill your enemies, or do you just want to continue doing things your way until someone stronger takes you down?

I can see you are a fighter who doesn’t back down even at impossible odds. The brotherhood needs you, and I want you to become more powerful and be a full-on match for me. After all, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, wouldn't you agree? Now I can maintain this lightning and use my telekinesis to hinder you till you wear out completely, or we can stop for now and train. What do you say?”

Pissed off, hurting badly, seething, and wanting to kill her so badly, Vincent forced himself to ignore the pain of the lightning to think for a brief moment on her words.

He could play along enough to train and eventually overcome her, or try now and possibly be brought down by a humiliating blow to his ego.

Looking at her, he did bring her down once. A wicked smile formed, and he could do it again.

“I brought you down once; I can do it again!”

He focused on himself, all the hatred, and the way the Jedi had treated his family. He would kill every last one of them, and this lady wasn’t going to stand in his way.

Letting out a defiant cry, his eyes burning red, he pushed back against Tasha’vel with all of his might, force, and strength, using both his blades. Suddenly, the lightning stopped as he felt a slight give and felt one of the blades meet flesh. Then he heard that delightful, sickening sizzle.

Hellfire sank into the Twi’lek’s shoulder, slicing its way into her. She gritted her teeth but managed to push the blade back. Her eyes gazed at the enraged Sith still fighting her.

“Well, if you want, Vincent, my offer to train still stands, just wish that you had accepted, but I get it. I hate to do this, but...” Immediately, she leaped back away from him and, with a flick of her wrist and hand, a large piece of rock smashed into the back of Vincent’s covered head, then another. He tried to block and smash them with his lightsabers as they came at him, but there were so many rocks flying about him, Vincent could not block them all. Soon, he felt himself tiring from the onslaught.

Finally, after a barrage of several large head-sized rocks slapping his head, combined with his efforts to block as many as he could with his sabers, he felt himself losing consciousness. In a last effort, He threw both blades at Tasha, but she dodged them as he dropped towards the ground. Pulling out his blaster pistol, he tried one last-ditch effort to shoot her as she came closer, but the blaster shot bounced off her like it was nothing.

“Sorry, Vincent, but I can’t have you killing me just yet. For the record, you were an amazing fighter, standing toe to toe with being outclassed and still managing to wound and burn me. For that, you have my utmost respect for sticking to it. I still have goals that I need to complete, and for that, I must live. Seek me out later if you would like to receive training. Good fight, Vincent. Now rest well. When you awake, the medical droids will see to it that you are as good as new.”

Turning off her lightsaber, she smacked the back of his head with enough force to knock him out before shutting down the Venue. “Good luck, Sith, hope you recover soon.”

Vincent paced back and forth in the middle of the smaller platform above the one they two had started fighting on. He eyed the smoke obscuring the entrance to this circle of hell. His intuition had guided him correctly. This platform was surrounded by a ring of fire roughly a meter tall. Any second the Twi’lek woman would enter through the smoke and then the playing field would be leveled.

As he waited, he deactivated Brimstone and clipped it back to his belt. His confidence was ever rising. He didn’t feel the need for the extra defense the second saber gave him any longer. Instead he would focus on the environment surrounding them and using it to his advantage.

Before he ever saw a trace of Tasha’Vel’s blue skin a violet flash came bursting through the door of smoke. The Force screamed at Vincent to defend, and he threw his crimson saber up to deflect the burst of lightning away as the Twi’lek stepped through the smoke. She had her own lightsaber secured in her left hand, her right arm extended, ready to fire more lightning at her fellow Sith as needed.

Vincent didn’t intend to give her much of a chance. As soon as she was clear of the door he closed his eyes for a moment and the circle of fire enveloping the rest of the platform closed in around the door as well. Vincent raised his left hand and the fire grew from one meter tall to three, and worse yet, it began expanding inward, quickly.

The Twi’lek and the Warlord both darted to the center of the platform, lightsabers crashing together with a violent hiss. She was faster than him, better in skill even, but the tension of the walls growing ever closer limited both of their movement. The heat grew more intense with every passing second as the flames grew nearer and nearer.

Before the circle could get too tight, Tasha’Vel sprung backwards to put some distance between the two.

”Bingo.” the Combat Master thought to himself.

He reached to his back and quickly unlatched a metal disc. With a flick of his wrist he tossed it into her path and guided it exactly to where she would land. In midair, Tasha’Vel deactivated her saber and pulled her lightwhip, ready to press a quick and deadly attack on Vincent, but as soon as her feet touched the floor the disc that she landed on expanded outward. In a flash of unexpected motion she was suddenly surrounded by durasteel bars and a metal roof that deployed over her. After a moment the trap that she had stepped on produced a loud hum and a translucent blue field surrounded her.

She wanted to activate her whip, but the bars were too tight in on her to allow for a swing. There was no escaping it. She was trapped. The Combat Master stalked her until he reached the outer edge of the Miniature Universal Force Cage. He reached up and unhinged his helmet, pulling it off of his head and placing it on the ground at his feet. His smile was wide and wicked.

“You came here to test my might, but what you didn’t consider was my intellect, Versea. The way I see it, you have a 20 minute time out. We can spend that time talking over some of your more impressive lightsaber strategies, or we can spend it testing your resolve.”

His smile grew as he waved a hand and surrounded the cage with fire just close enough for her to feel the intense heat, but not close enough to do any serious damage.

“What shall it be?” he asked.

“Let us talk.”

With a snap of his fingers the fire in the room extinguished. He crossed his legs and took a seat in front of her temporary prison. Looking up at her with a smile, he spoke again.

“Well, then, let’s get started…”