Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to A Knight's Tales :: One Force Rules them All. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Echoing Reflections: Open to any and all; This is your shot at the title!
Topic Started: Feb 20 2008, 01:00 AM (305 Views)
Darik Kane
Member Avatar
The Prodigal Son
Administrator
Their was something otherworldly in the serenity of falling rain. Many times in his short, yet bloody life the assassin had stopped to bask in tranquility that followed the soft patter of falling rain on duracrete. Though the hectic times had certainly given their share of stress, even now the rain held him silent as he paused to contemplate. Life was… complicated as of late… Formerly the most powerful man in the entire Imperial Military Vexas Saix had as of late, led his Red Dawn forces in battle against former allies. Unfortunately such large scale battle failed to give him what he craved more than anything… Battle against worthy opponents.

True, that was something that had been lacking since the death of his last challenge not even a year before on this very planet. However, he found himself yearning for a challenge none the less, as unlikely as the prospect seemed. So for a moment he simply stood, letting the light rain fall around him on the darkened Imperial Capital, deep in the private thoughts that he kept so carefully concealed from all those around him.

He was dressed casual, loose black breaches and tunic of expensive silk, over which he wore his fitted long coat. Shining rancor skin leather and hanging to mid calves the jacket was expensive, and extremely comfortable. Though it possessed strap/buckles to hold it closed, at the moment it hung open, his hands in the pockets. White hair spilled over the collar and hung wet, plastered to his back as his impassive face scanned the skyline.

As usual of late, he wore no weapons whatsoever, having chosen to leave them behind for the moment. Only in battle did he carry the twin endlessly customized blades that had become his calling card, yet he was not worried in the least. His corded muscles and powerful Echani fighting styles made his unarmed body a deadly weapon in and of itself. However it was his skill in his particular area of the force, named “Ryukei Quiong”, that gave him the total confidence to walk openly unarmed while he was currently the most wanted man in the Empire. Weapons made of steel or even the famed lightsaber were an inconvenience when one could simply create a weapon made of solidified force energy with litte more than thought and the supreme will born of total mental and physical control of oneself.

How he longed for a challenge in this day and age.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cinaed
Member Avatar
This is what I traded my innocence for.
Neutral
Cinaed had made sure that his normally soundless boots made a wet thud against the duracrete as he walked closer to the the endlessly all-mighty figure of Vexas. Lowering his head, he smiled. Odd, he did not care to note. He was too excited to realize that he was excited. Such a reaction was something that was filtered through his endless facades. But now it was genuine. A genuine smile... His head lifted, the rain having matted down his white hair against his head. Lifting his right, gloved hand to his face, he pushed it back. It was begining to grow long, perhaps he should have taken care to have gotten a hair-cut. Oh well, too late now.

His hypnotically piercing blue eyes stung through the humid, radin-droplet filled air, into the mismatched orbs that Vexas posessed in his skull. Cinaed wondered what else his old sensei had changed about himself since he had left. He was tempted to open his Kontoueiseki, and find out. But there was something about not knowing that sent shivers down his back - what a terrifyingly enjoyable sensation. He forced control over his body when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Have you grown?" he inquired with his trademark grin, humourously calling dibs on the role of the most matured, and paradoxically poking fun of the fact that the elder Echani was a few inches shorter than himself. He seemed unable to keep hold on a sudden, rather dark laugh, but managed to keep it from getting too loud. Instead he focused on the force, drawing it closer to his body, and then through it. The sudden feeling was like being flung into the sky and granted wings.

A spark of electricity scorched the ground. Cinaed would be extra careful, doubling the range of his electromagnetic field to ensure that he did not harm himself, it was dangerous to use this technique in the rain, but it also made it so much more deadly. Cinaed did not wear his red jacket, instead dressed only in his battle-suit. The two swords were strapped over his right shoulder, but he made no move to draw them yet. His knees bent as his arms lifted readily. "I know how much you hate to start things off, so allow me," he told Vexas as he suddenly made a move inwards.

His incredible speed was not augmented by the force, only pure physical condition. The lean muscle could be seen from under his black battle-suit. With a blink, the Kontoueiseki came alive, transforming Cinaed's eyes into dangerously hypnotic kaleidoscopes of blue and violet. Suddenly planting himself not about a meter away from his old master, the force engulfed him, and he thrust forward his left hand.

The power surrounded him, taking him like a wave of warm water before surrenduring itself to him, thrusting forward with sudden intensity in a palm-sized blow towards the current location of Vexas' diaphram. Cinaed kept his eyes locked on Vexas, smiling that smile. But Cinaed knew that Vexas was aware of the true power behind those magnificent eyes in Cinaed's skull.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darik Kane
Member Avatar
The Prodigal Son
Administrator
Vexas remained calm throughout the exchange, remaining in his state of perfect mental balance, and surveying the situation from his vantage point of calm clarity. When the force began to move around his former student he was already beginning a counter method of his own, never allowing himself to leave the mental eye of the storm that protected him from getting lost in the proverbial storm of combat. Cinaed's attack was simple, direct, and possibly devestatingly effective. However, Vexas had spent countless hours ingraining this type of behavior, usually violently, into his former apprentice so he was expecting a focused attack.

Without moving a muscle he shielded himself, drawing up a wall of force energy at a diagnal angle to slant aside the powerful force thrust with minimal effort on his part. When one began to understand the subtle science behind the movements and currents of moving force energy, one began to see the weaknesses inherent in all but the most powerful of the variants of force push. However this was a game that these two had played before, and while Vexas would not normally bother with the rather useless practice of such flippant remarks in combat, he knew best how to verbally twist Cinaed into performing up to his expectations.

"I see your assignment has left you little time to keep your skills honed, your edge is dulling former apprentice..."

He said, as he brought his arm up and pointed directly at the younger Echani with his pointer finger.

"Its no wonder you lost your sword and a leg to that little Jedi on Corellia when your getting this dull, allow your old master to show you how one should keep skills 'sharp'."

He said, as he focused on the force between them... Altering it, pulling it into the state he wanted, and creating a black and red blade of pure focused force energy that literally speared outward from his finger tip to skewer his former apprentice through the diaphram... A far deadlier parody of Cinaed's own attack.

Throughout his movement he kept his eyes focused squarely on Cinaed's, all but ignoring the actual Kontoueiseki and instead focusing on his former apprentices pupils, waiting for the tell tale sign of dilation that would give away the moment of movement.

Vexas' senses expanded under the sudden rush of information afforded by his Kyokeimyaku. Senses sharpened to a degree that was far beyond the range of 'human', each adding yet another piece of the puzzle that he would use to literally disect Cinaed's actions and movements too the point where he would read his every movement as simple as reading a book.

Kontoueiseki and Kyokeimyaku were each representations of total mastery of the eclectic Echani principle of The Diamond Mind, focusing on mastery of combat in a mental sense rather than physical. True these formidable abilities evolved normal physical combat to a whole new level, however results aside each was a delicate process that involved total control of a fighters mental processess.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cinaed
Member Avatar
This is what I traded my innocence for.
Neutral
The moment Vexas' eyes focused on Cinaed's, the younger of the two echani warriors attempted to draw Vexas out of his serene state of mind forcibly. The older Echani would find himself chasing through the endless tunnels of Cinaed's Iris' in order to even keep track of Cinaed's pupils, which seemed to only retreate deeper into the twists and turns of Cinaed's endless mind. But at best, this was still a longshot, do to the nature of Vexas' Kyokeimyaku. Still, Cinaed had premeditated this entire battle, and decided that by that very same nature, if Vexas were to be caught, he would be even more enthralled by the illusions Cinaed painted for him.

Only Vexas had the ability to create eye contact with the Kontoueiseki, and it was not due solely to either his willpower, or his Kyokeimyaku, it was due to both, and the fact that the only living practicioner of the technique was his former pupil. The time the two had spent together under the mask of 'sith' was not orthodox by any means. There were certain Echani elements which Cinaed felt gave him an advantage over any other trained apprentice in the Sith. It brought knowledge, discipline, and understanding, the three foundations of becoming powerful.

Cinaed could see, even without the Kontoueiseki, what was truly happening inside the head of Vexas. Exactly how the move was planned. Cinaed saw it before it was actually performed, how it was ment to be. And true to his beliefs, Vexas was completely in control. Not a single breath taken a nanosecond before it was ment, his finger coming not even a millimeter higher then supposed, the timing of his attack was completely insynch with his action. This is what made Vexas so much harder to determine in battle than any other person, his control.

Vexas would never find that dilation he sought, whether he fell for the illusion or not. But Cinaed took the afterthought necesary to play for Vexas one of the scenarios that played within Cinaed's head. Such was the nature of the Kontoueiseki, he saw everything that could happen, and through the art of illusion, the art of confusing another's mind, he could make them see that. So, if Vexas succumbed to the Kontoueiseki, which was highly unlikely, he would see Cinaed skewered.

Only for a moment, before seeing the flash of electricitythat sparked from Cinaed's right hand. The younger Echani had twisted counter-clockwise, stepping back to avoid the 'laser blade' Vexas had created, and now, he seemed to whip electricity from around his back, lashing it out towards Vexas' extended hand with enough voltage to burn the flesh right off it, and still electricute the rest of his body exceedingly due to the rain.

"Surely you don't expect me to compare to one of you fellow Sevenswords," Cinaed remarked in the midst of all this. "Especially your own brother. Where lies you kinship, sensei? To expect a Bladedancer defeat over your clansman." Cinaed knew Vexas had abandoned Echani politics long ago, but perhaps comments about his brother would momentarily stir his control. Every fraction of a second counted against Vexas.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darik Kane
Member Avatar
The Prodigal Son
Administrator
OOC: Now I know that you must have mistyped that, I mean surely your aware of the fact that if a staff member were to even think that your ability was allowing you to read another character's mind to simply predict and instantly counter their attack/ability that your Kontoueiseki ability would come under review, and likely be denied afterwards.

Also, I thought you should know for future references that lightning/electricity cannot theoretically be "whipped" in any form or fashion. Lightning flows from point a to point b along a path, it can spiral and so on and so forth, however that is because that is the path it is directed to take. It cannot be lashed in the form of a whip, since it would move between the two points so quickly that a physical swing would never match the speed of the moving electricity.

With that in mind, I want you to be very careful on how you describe your Kontoueiseki ability working. You are not reading minds, you are supposedly using a combination of reading the tiniest traces of both physical and force movement. That is the gist of your request for the ability. However take into account that this ability is also limited by what you know of your opponent, for instance if Vexas were to use his 3rd custom power, which he has never used in combat or even in a topic with other people, even the abilities of your Kontoueiseki would be totally worthless because you cannot predict what is totally unknown to you. Such is the case for uses such as these with his Ryukei Quiong. True he has created physical shields before, however keep in mind that IC Vexas has never revealed the secret to his techniques, therefore Cinaed should have no idea just what his foe is capable of, especially considering the fact that Vexas has never used or hinted at the use of the ability in such a way.

Just something you should keep in mind, because were you to do this in an IC topic, then I would have to call you for powerplaying. By choosing to make your Kontoueiseki an eclectic Echani martial art you are allowing anyone who would be "versed" in the Echani arts knowledge of the technique, whereupon which Vexas has stated that Kyokeimyaku is his own creation combining his own force talents with tennats of the Diamond Mind, in other words something completely new.

IC: Trained force sensatives were taught to rely on the force as an extenstion of their senses, to trust the flow of the force even in situations where their vision could not be relied on. Herein lied the fundament flaw of Cinaed's Kontoueiseki, as Vexas was not bound by the same limitations in sense as others were. He felt keenly the flow of the force through both his own body, and the space around him, that attention to his surroundings made attempts to use illusion to draw him from his own body all but useless.

Cinaed's illusion was all but ignored, supernal hearing detected the scuff of boot on rain slicked roof that meant movement, as well as the friction generated by the armor sliding against itself as he moved. Everything came together in his head, as he invisioned the quick dodge as it must have played out based on his sensory input. Cinaed's illusion was limited by the fact that it was according to how Cinaed would have perceived the movement, and since Cinaed's senses were on a "normal" level, they were easily determined to be fiction by Vexas' own superior Kyokeimyaku enhanced senses. With that in mind dispelling fiction was easy, as Cinaed let loose his next attack.

With an almost infinte sense of casual disregard Vexas didnt even bother with a movement, only twisting the force into the desired shape with a flex of his willpower. The force flowed around him, manipulating in the most base possible way as it moved into the physical spectrum, becoming solid. He had never faced the Howling Snake, nor did he particularly know how it was achieved, however lightning was still lightning, which meant that it would ground upon contact. With only a millisecond's pause thanks to equally enhanced reaction and mental process he formed what could amount to a lightning rod, letting the bolt strike and then ground itself onto the wet roof. Silmutaneously he picked himself up, rising a fraction of an inch to clear his feet from the wet roof an instant before the bolt would ground, discharging itself through the water as it would any other conductor.

"That bond means nothing to me. I have lived my entire life apart from my clan, and thus his relation to me is trivial at best. I am Echani in heritage, in deed, and in name... However, the relation you speak of is by blood alone. There is no bond between my family and myself."

He replied in response as he continued to look his former apprentice in the eye, at the time he used their eye contact to reveal yet another surprise in his bag of tricks. He had spent his entire "career" in the Sith, tracking down obscure abilities and weapons to use against the various enemies he had created, the ability he showcased now was just another weapon in his formidable arsenal. A mental assault of his own, though vastly different in its approach. Whereas Cinaed had created an illuison of his own design, Vexas' Torture by Chagrin was far more primal in its approach. Unlike Cinaed's illusion, Vexas simply used their force enhanced vision lock to drag forth the darkest fears and memories from his apprentice's past, forcing him relive his worst memory in such clarity that it would seem as though Cinaed had actually went back into his own past.

And most importantly, unlike a simple illusion, this full blown memory turned hallucination was based on true memory, meaning that not only did he see this worst moment of his past, but his other senses of hearing, smell, taste, and even touch used their own memories to heighten the experience to what was almost a indistinguishable moment that was akin to being trapped in one's own past, no longer a memory, but a single frozen moment of time made real again.

He might not care for Mental Torture in any personal sense, however Vexas was more than content to simply keep changing the scenario and letting Cinaed battle his own demons over and over again. However that was only half of the effects of this particular ability, should this moment of mental torture not suffice he could simply twist those memories into an even darker state using his command of the darkside.

All was fair in battle was it not? And technically Cinaed has tarted it...
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cinaed
Member Avatar
This is what I traded my innocence for.
Neutral
OOC: The language which I use is for dramatic appeal, Most simply the idea of "Whipping" the electricity. Of course, I know that due to chemistry and physics I can't actually whirl the electricity like a rope, but I use the statement to identify an action that is fundamentally alike. To clearify, my character twisted out of the way of your attack, and to follow suit, used the momentum that carried from his hips to his shoulders to lash out his arm, which had accumulated around it the electricity for the attack. It was at this point that the electricity reached out to your hand.

And no, Cinaed can not use the Kontoueiseki to read minds. The idea of seeing your movement before it was made is easily attributed to the basis of Echani Martial Arts as I understand it. It was you yourself who had first pointed out to me the concept of two skilled Echani being able to finish a fight without even starting it. Again, I use language like "Seeing into your mind" To dramatize the ability to read everything else about you. The way you breath, the contraction and dilation of your pupils, the pulse at which your heart is beating. You've explained it better yourself.

And in response to the technique you've used never being revealed to Cinaed before: Cinaed has seen the Ryoukei Quiong in multiple cases, notably one in which we were having a meeting to discuss Valec's assassination with various people in the Empire. With and without the understanding his Kontoueiseki provides, he's been able to disect it, and only can not perform it himself due to the rule of only being allowed three custom force powers, or, as it translates into IC, simply not having the required skill and knowledge of such realms of the force.

Still, he has witnessed it, and for all he, or I, know, you can mold it in any possible way, shape, or form, granted you do not exhaust yourself. So, why would he believe for a second that you would not use it to attack? The Kontoueiseki is based almost solely on the ability to reason. So, if you lift your finger, and I know you can manipulate the force in such a way, I know you either will do just that, use Force lightning, or maybe even a tiny force push or other kind of telekinetic move. In any case, I'm going to try and move out of the way.

I see not any reason for either of us to find fault, however. Your post has distinctly done that which I expected; find a way out to counter the move I played, whether you feel you had to downplay that which I said or not, I feel it is exact in its response to the way I envisioned my move.

OOC2: Doesis dis means I gets to bes smartistrers? lolwuht?!

IC: Cinaed quickly dispelled the electrical current between himself and the lightning rod Vexas had created in his defense. It did not exhaust Cinaed to conjure the electricity, only to use it. Cinaed had expected Vexas would say as much, such was the control he had. It mattered little, though, Cinaed had not counted on it in the least.

Cinaed was surprised by Vexas' next piece played, though. It was almost like a darkness had begun to creep in on him from behind, screaming to him with various memories, all dark, each with its own distinct nightmare. However, they were not his nightmare's. He had given them away to his various facades The freedom from such thoughts was the perverbial rent they paid for taking residence within his mind. To put it simply, Cinaed had dealt with his past.

For a moment, Cinaed almost opened his mouth, ready to inform Vexas that his torture was useless, but he heard a scream. And then another joined it. Loudly those which sought residence in his head began to cry hysterically, as if trapped within a burning building. Cinaed's eyes widened, and his mouth opened. He drew in air, but instead of joining in the yelling, he seemed frozen. Steadily aware of Vexas, yet at the same time infringed by the fears of his people.

Cinaed was shocked to find himself transported away from the rooftop in sudden manner. He no longer felt the rain beat upon his skin, instead he smelled fire. The droplets of rain smacking against the duracrete had been replaced by the sound of sword upon sword, ringing through what he immediately recognized as his old village - head settlement of the Bladedancer clan. He remembered it now, his father had just recieved word that the last of the other settlements had just been raized, not two days ago.

Cinaed already knew what happened next. Zekkir, his older brother had just left the hut in seek of their father, he and his mother were confined within the hut, in preparation to make a get-away to safety. Cinaed proficiently carried a short vibrosword, although he couldn't be any older than eight. The personal bodyguard of two warriors who guarded he and his mother waited by the door, when it slammed open. The first invaders were easily dealt with, but when one managed to get through, Cinaed had been ready,

It was just as he was taught. Quickly moving forward, he plunged the large sword forward, every motion as he had practiced, it was no different. Not until the blade touched flesh. A yell escaped him, as he stumbled back. Panic took him as he realized what had just happened. The man before him yelled in surprised pain, not for any longer than a second before he was beheaded by Cinaed's mother.

Cinaed closed his eyes, feeling himself retreat away. He had to be picked up and carried out. But it was then that he came to a distinct realization. This already happened. He heard a voice, like his own. He could swear it was his own, but deeper, older. It made him shiver inwardly.

He opened his eyes, to see himself being carried by one of the bodyguards, and immediately realized who had spoke to him. It was that one, in the red jacket. Two swords were carried on his back, and his hair was messy, but his most interesting feature were the eyes, a plethora of blue and purple. Like my own. The boy watched as he was carried away from the person, who seemed to be ignored by the blades of either side. And when he turned around again, he saw the young man, watching him keenly.

----------------

Cinaed watched his younger self, his face bland. He had already solved this mystery. Vexas had tried to induce this, but instead triggered it in dangerous revelation for the various personas Cinaed had created. And now, in their most frantic moments, they forced control. He seemed to be watching his life from within himself, like a subconscious. He was not in control, but he was aware.

With a blink, he vanished from the memory of the burning of his village, and looked around. He saw himself, various ages, various clothing, all reflective of the masks he wore. They all shared a striking similiarity, aside from being essentially the same person, they all seemed dazed. It made sense, they were trapped within memories. They did not see him, nor did they see eachother. Cinaed closed his eyes, pushing these variations of himself aside, and opened his eyes to see Vexas.

However, he still did not feel the rain. He did not hear it, nothing. He only saw it. He saw himself on the rooftop. His Kontoueiseki and desensitization to his past allowed him to see past his own memories, however curiously enough, he was not able to pull himself free of them. Cinaed blinked, and surrounding himself and Vexas stood those copies of himself, and immediately Cinaed felt the rain against his skin, he heard it against the duracrete.

Cinaed's eyes noticed something new, a connection between his mind and Vexas' force signature. Cinaed raised his hand, and severed it. The tendril retreating away from Cinaed to tend to its wounds. Cinaed wiped off his brow, as if wiping off the residue of Vexas' force presence, insisting that it was akin to a grime that Cinaed could hardly bare to have touch his skin.

"Alright, enough of these mind games, I'll give you that round," Cinaed said, but he was already making adjustments to his Kontoueiseki to better affect Vexas. Cinaed suddenly focused the electricity under his feet, and invisible attack that would immediately cover the entirety of the water around Vexas' feet as Cinaed was lifted off of the ground by Force energy. This was a technique he was working on, where he would seem glide on the electrical currents like skates, but where as they were surrounded by water, it had the potential to electricute Vexas right away, overbearing the "Lightning rod" with electrons. There was just one more piece to this puzzle, the final movement of the electrons away from the feet of Vexas, making him a more ideal target to load with negative charges.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Battle Arena · Next Topic »
Add Reply