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One More Stranger

WHO: Ikora Rey & Others
WHERE: Around Coruscant
WHAT: A little temple and a little fighting
WHEN: The Coruscant trip.
WARNINGS: Some violence

I. The Jedi Temple

When she asked the locals where to go for help almost every single person directed her to a place called the Jedi Temple. "It's a beautiful building," she said as she ascended the steps with Ophiuchus floating at her shoulder.

"And heavily guarded," he pointed out with a nod in the direction of the guards at the entrance.

"If it's as important as the people here say it is it makes sense for it to be guarded." Ikora continued up the steps with her hands folded behind her back. "Perhaps you should stay more hidden for the time being."

"... as you wish." With a little hiss of Light Ophiuchus vanished though Ikora could tell he wasn't happy with the suggestion. She would rather her ghost was out of sight if these temple guards didn't turn out to be as friendly as everyone suggested.

When she reached the top the guards asked her what her business was with the Temple. Ikora explained she had recently arrived on the planet and was seeking knowledge of where she was and in what system. The guards exchanged looks and then seemed to have a conversation without speaking. One stepped away with a nod and Ikora watched him pull a communication device from his robes and speak into it.

She waited patiently for them to decide what to do with the stranger at their door Ikora looked out over the endless city. Golden Age Earth might have resembled this place at one point, she imagined. Flying cars, spaceships, and technology as far as the eye could see.

It was beautiful in a way but Ikora couldn't help but wonder what sort of secrets this place hid.

"Come with us," The guard said.

"Of course." She only raised an eyebrow as the two guards flanked her and led her inside the temple.

"Wait here." They left her in some sort of waiting room.

Apparently, her presence had caused some sort of stir. Ikora wondered just what sort of stir that was.

II. Pit Fights

After arriving in the strange seemingly endless city, Ikora found herself exploring the deeper, more dangerous parts. She was drawn to the secrets hidden in the shadows and unlike some other Warlocks she was not afraid to take physical risks as well as mental ones. Ophiuchus was against the plan, of course. He felt they could stay on the surface and find a way to contact home. They could feel the Traveler out there somewhere even though it felt very far away. There had to be a way to get a signal into deep space.

Instead, Ikora found herself in the middle of a pit with shouting voices in seemingly hundreds of different languages. Some cheering for her. Some against her. She tuned them out and focused on her opponent who looked like a large green pig humanoid.

There were no firearms allowed in the ring which suited Ikora fine since she hadn't arrived on this alien planet with any. She held a mid-sized staff with a hook on the end tipped with a sharp pike. Her opponent had a large bladed weapon and his form was awful. So open. So easy to read. He would have never lasted long in the Crucible.

He charged, clearly relying on his size and muscle mass to overpower her. Ikora sidestepped, hooked the staff around the alien's leg and pulled. He landed on his face as Ikora stepped back. When the alien got up a charged her again she threw her hand forward and a blast of Void sent him reeling back. Ikora followed up with a swift drive of the staff into the alien's gut and then a blow to the side of the head.

She put the spiked point of the staff to the alien's throat. "I recommend you don't get up."

III. Wildcard

Want something else? Go for it.

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"Eh, that wasn't much of a challenge." Raphael had been muttering the observation to himself, but in such close quarters with a bloodthirsty audience, it was dangerous to say such things, even if it was technically truth. The moment the woman had been paired off with her opponent, the teenage turtle could immediately tell the difference in level between the two.

"<You think you can do better?>" someone sneered beside him in Huttese, and for a brief moment he thought he was talking to a mummy for the sunken eyes and defined cheekbones of the wizened and craggy face. Before Raphael could say anything, he found the Weequay shoving him forward into the ring. "<Here's another green one!>" the Weequay laughed, prompting a fresh round of shouting and jeering. He couldn't tell if they were cheering for him or the current champion or if they even cared, really.

Raphael glared at the crowds, then turned to look towards the woman. She was strong, and had some tricks up her sleeve. Definitely would be a challenge. Rolling his shoulders, he smirked a little as he reached back for the pair of sai tucked into his belt behind his shell.

"Been a while since I've had a good fight. How about it?"

"If you are actually willing," she said, inclining her head towards him. Ikora had seen him get pushed into the ring instead of choosing to step forward. She wouldn't fight him if he had no desire to actually fight. The crowd could make of that what they wanted.

She stepped back as the ring attendants grabbed her last opponent under the arms and dragged him off to recover his pride. It cleared her head to have a few fights. She felt more focused now even if her ghost didn't approve of such things.

"This is not a fight to the death." No matter how much the crowd might want blood Ikora refused to kill anyone who couldn't come back. She wasn't even sure she could come back with how distant the Traveler is. "Would you prefer first to yield or three times downed?"

His grin said it all, but he nodded. As much as he didn't like being forced into it, the truth of the matter was he loved to fight. It had been what had drawn him to these underground fighting rings in the first place, if just to see how things were.

"Fine by me." He had no intention of dying, and given the way he'd seen the woman dispatch of her earlier opponent, he figured she had good control. He also knew how stubborn he could be. "Downed three times," Raphael decided, his weapons spun expertly in hand and grasped as he settled sharply into an at-ready stance.

This was someone who truly knew how to fight. Ikora could see the... enjoyment in him. Many people in this ring, she found, fought for the money and nothing else. Or the love of violence which was different from the love of fighting. This would be a test of skill unlike her other fights.

"Downed in three," she echoed with a nod to him.

Ikora took a breath to settle herself and then struck. She launched herself forward, always favoring a more aggressive approach to fighting. She also wanted to test her opponent, start to pick out his fighting style. Was he a solid Titan who would stand their ground? Or a Hunter that would try to get behind her?

The Warlock would find she'd be met head on as Raphael had likewise made an immediate lunge. He was definitely aggressive, liked to get his hits in first. Despite being a turtle he was anything but slow, and as brash as going head-on seemed, he still had his sai poised in a flexible position.

When she lashed out he responded in kind, bringing up the pronged weapons to catch her staff between them. Definitely not the first time he'd fought someone with such a weapon, and there might even be a spark in his eye at that, both a welcome familiarity and an ache for the brothers he missed.

He slid his sai down the staff as he maneuvered with Ikora's momentum, trying to help her weapon out of the way while using it as leverage so he could swing a leg around in a kick towards her side.

The catch was expected. Weapons like his were made to catch and redirect. Ikora had never fought against them before. They were very different from a Hunter's knife but she understood their function easily enough.

It's a clever strategy. Ikora had to divide her attention between keeping control of her staff and dodged the incoming kick. She chose to try and counter the twist using the leverage of the staff to unbalance the alien while his leg came towards her.

She took the kick to her arm instead of her side for that but the impact wasn't too bad. Nothing her armor's shields couldn't help absorb. Much like a turtle's shell.

Then she snapped the end of the staff up trying to catch the alien under the chin.

Raphael felt the shift of the staff, but he knew there'd be little enough he could do about it with his foot already in motion. He was already running through his options as his kick connected with Ikora's arm.

At least with his sai still in contact with her staff he could figure which direction she'd be moving it, but it still kept him in close range until he could put his feet on the ground again. In reality that would be but seconds, but you had to react quickly, half in anticipation of your opponents moves.

The Guardian was quick, between the short movement she had to make and the reach of her weapon, so he still felt the end of the staff skim his chin even with his attempt to avoid it with a jerk of his head. It wasn't enough to jar him completely as he pulled his weapons back and stepped off to the side before coming at her again. This time he led with his right, ready to deflect that staff it came down to it as he swung, the grip of the sai in his left reversed to try thrusting its pommel upwards towards her abdomen if he was able to close in.

Blocking both attacks would be difficult which seemed to be the purpose of these weapons. Ikora had to divide her attention and decided on her action quickly. Her answer to one attack could lead her right into the second. Used aggressively the weapons were very effective.

She chose instead to Blink.

Ikora took a step forward, vanished into the Void and reappeared behind the alien. The action, though, left her breathless for a second and gravity seemed to drag at her bones. The Light in her was weaker than she originally felt.

The crowd booed as well, clearly not happy with her 'tricks'. She turned around and went to plant the staff against the turtle's shell to push him forward while she recovered her breath.

"Huh-?!"

Raphael blinked- not in the same way that Ikora did- when the woman suddenly vanished from in front of him. Another interesting trick. Also annoying- he'd had to fight someone who could teleport before, although he already liked Ikora a lot better than the Newtralizer.

Instinctively he had a feeling where she'd likely reappear, but he'd thrown himself completely forward, and winded or not, Ikora still had the greater advantage as he felt her staff connect soundly with his shell. His angle of attack already put him past the point of no return, but as he fell he was able to bring his hands down to turn it into a forward tumble.

Springing right back onto his feet, Raphael spun around to face the Warlock again. "Nice trick! You gonna to be able to keep it up?" He launched himself forward again, zig-zagging after the first few feet. When he finally came at her it was a feint, and as he pulled his sai back he twisted around with a roundhouse kick.

Ikora paid for her reliance on her powers. She wasn't able to catch her breath as the alien came for her in a second attack and the weight on her bones made her too slow. She was able to block the kick but not balance herself.

She ended up on her ass and the crowd cheered even louder. Some for Raphael. Some for simply seeing her go down.

"First round to you," she said diplomatically. Ikora learned she needed to be more careful with so much distance between her and the Traveller.

But when she got to her feet instead of being more cautious and careful... she was more aggressive. She lunged in striking out hard with her staff trying to drive her opponent back.

Raphael had backed off again at that. Attacking her when she was apparently tired was not something he was terribly interested in. This was a fight to test skills, not to see how many people he could flatten. As he waited for her he spun his weapons, grasping them in such an abrupt pause from their circuit that the metal rang sharply, but he'd seen Ikora make her move again, and in that his grin returned.

Rather than backing off, he met her attack with both his sai, getting a feel for the force behind it, pushing back likewise, just as aggressively. He was shorter than her but he was built solid.

An aggressive, confident opponent was preferable. Ikora was used to fighting aliens that wanted her dead. This kept her sharp even though the goal here was not to be killed.

She shifted her grip on the staff using the hooked end more like a spear point to jab at the soft places between armored shells. Ikora kept trying for his hands especially to make him drop his weapons. Clearly, he knew how to use his hands and feet as weapons but without sharp metal it would be easier.

And when she saw an advantageous moment she flashed Void light towards him, not to hit but to distract, to throw off balance and unnerve. It didn't cost her as much as a Blink but she was pushing her own endurance.

Keeping his movements short and quick was key when he was in such close quarters, especially when Ikora used a longer weapon than him. The Warlock was pretty good with a staff, but it didn't seem like it was something she specialized in as much as Donatello. He wove between her jabs and then ducked under, using his forearms to knock the staff upwards.

He had the tendency to get cocky however, and that was when that violet light bloomed towards him. Being unsure of the nature of that sort of power he broke off from any attack he'd been meaning to make as he jerked backwards from that Void light.

Ikora used the momentum of that jerk back to ram her shoulder in the center of his chest and then sweep with her leg to send him down to the ground if he didn't manage to recover. Those years of friendships with Titans were useful. Ikora was more physical than most Warlocks and more aggressive as well.

The use of Void would drain her though. She needed to balance it carefully in the fight. It would be expected now, she imagined, which meant she could use it less. Only in the right opportunity, then she could use it.

Stepping back she gave him time to recover like he had done for her. "You're very talented. You should be proud of that."

The Warlock got a good solid hit that Raphael'd appreciate the power behind if he wasn't too busy being knocked back by it. The foot sweep served to send him on his shell with a heavy thud. He couldn't tell whether the crowd was happy or upset for all the noise that blended together, but he ignored it for the most part as he swung his legs up over his head to flip back onto his feet.

"Learned from the best," he said, hunkered low as he readjusted the grip on his weapons with a crooked smile. "One for one. You're not bad yourself, sister. That was a good hit."

The crowd was getting anxious. They hadn't come to see people chat, and there was definitely a betting pool going on that no one wanted to lose. Raphael stepped sideways, then darted towards Ikora before dropping into a tumble. As he came out of it he pushed off with his feet as he brought both his sai up at her, once again in a reverse-handed grip.

Fast like a Hunter. Aggressive like a Titan. This alien was a much better fighter than anyone else she had encountered in this pit. A worthy fight. Shaxx would like this one.

She was on the back foot though as he charged her. Ikora blocked with her staff and he kept the pressure up forcing her to counter and block more than attack. She wanted to unleash Void at its full fury but knew it was a bad idea.

It was good to fight without relying on the Light. Ikora needed the practice. She hadn't fought like this since the Red War. Others feared the loss of Light but she was not afraid.

So, she fought back matching him for aggression. It was a fight, fast and hard. Ikora allowed the alien to dance around her while she did her best to keep steady. She hoped to wear him out and find an opening.

The grin on his face could have been mistook as smugness by the onlookers, but Ikora would be able to tell with each strike met and exchanged; Raphael was enjoying himself.

The blows they traded were quick and brief, but not pointlessly. He brought his strikes in from different angles, sometimes interjecting a kick, and here and there leaping back just to jump again for another angle of attack. While Ikora hoped to wear him out enough for an opening, Raphael's own line of tactic wasn't too dissimilar. He'd noticed she was keeping more to the defensive. He was watching her moves, trying to get a better feel for how she operated.

This wasn't simply like fighting Donatello for the staff. This was like fighting Leonardo, who could be both aggressive and reserved in his attacks as situation called for it. The thought had Raphael pull back just a bit.

The crowd, however, was frustrated. The tension in the fighting pit reached a fever pitch as both combatants turned defensive and careful. The noise swelled and suddenly a bottle came flying in. It was followed by a can. More jeering and a general noise of anger.

Ikora glanced at her opponent. "I think, perhaps, we should find an exit."

There was a distinct anger in the air. These people have come for violence not for a careful dance between two skilled fighters. No one had drawn blood. No one had broken any limbs. It was not what the crowd thirsted for.

"Ophiuchus, radar." Her ghost materialized and then quickly dodged out of the way as a rock came flying at them. No one in the audience was happy to see a droid appear.

"There's an exit at your ten. But also a crowd in the way. Uh, a big one."

Ikora looked over and yes there was. She didn't want to hurt these people but... she had no reserves about intimidating them. "Cover me?" she asked the turtle.

Then she walked towards the crowd with a hand extended gathering more and more Void to her even as she broke out in a cold sweat from exertion.

Raphael's attention broke away from Ikora to the crowd, raising an arm to sweep aside a flying bottle as he glared back at the angry audience.

"Yeah, they're gettin' ugly out there. Well, uglier," he agreed, nodding curtly at the Warlock. It was a surprise to see her Ghost appear- where'd that even come from? But now wasn't the time to be gawking. As Ophiuchus reported, the turtle turned to look. He personally would have no qualms about charging right through them, but Ikora seemed to actually have a plan. Again, he nodded.

"Got it." He spun his weapons around to hold them both with their points resting against the inside of his forearms so he wouldn't do too much damage if it came out to a fight to get out. Not that he felt sorry when he lept up to kick one of the projectiles flung their way, certain he'd heard it hit someone on its way back.

Edited 2021-03-30 16:44 (UTC)

As Ikora drew near with the power collected and ready to unleash she stared at the crowd and said one word.

"Move."

And they did. They actually scrambled to get out of the way. They were familiar with stories of Jedi and their power. They assumed this woman was some sort of dark Jedi because none of them ever came down to the pits.

Once they were through the crowd and it didn't decide to collapse in on them Ikora pulled the Void back into her which was a strain in her own system. This far from the Traveler it felt almost impossible. Except she managed it.

She caught herself against a wall, her ghost hovering anxiously around her. "I'm fine. Give me a minute."

Raphael didn't have any glowing explodey powers but he still managed to intimidate with a few meaningful spins of his sai and a glare that suggested he'd have no qualms about applying them to anyone who tried to get in their way. Someone yelled out for the next fighters amidst the grumbles and a few started to turn their attention hopefully to a better match while yet many others continued to give the previous two combatants dirty looks as they exited the pit.

The turtle started towards her when he saw Ikora look about to faint, but she still toughed it out. Taking the assurance she gave her Ghost as a good sign, Raphael instead watched out for any trouble that might have followed them. He wasn't about to trust any of these guys here, especially if gambling was involved.

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One More Stranger

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