RETROSPECTION- Rianna vs. Myraline

THE SET-UP: Jedi Padawan Rianna Xi has been caught up in a plot by the crazed scientist Xirdal Roch, who seeks to give the galaxy the ultimate upgrade by spreading his lethal techno-virus, developed as a scientific answer to Sith magic. After fighting her way to Roch, Rianna arrives only to find that her Jedi teacher, Myraline Kiros, has become enslaved by the virus and is ordered to kill her...

HOW THIS WORKS: Second duel! So here are the rules as a reminder.

The duellists take turns to attack each other. The attacker and the defender each describes their attack or defense respectively. The winner of the round is decided by four things- the Lightsaber skill of the fighters, the style they are fighting with, how their moves play off of each other, and a small random factor known as the competency bonus. As I control Myraline, I will determine how she goes about her actions.

The winner of a round scores a single point, followed by the attacker and defender switching places. Only one move or countermove can be made per round (excluding taunting, do that as much as you please). If the round is a draw, the attacker wins.

The victor of the duel is the first person to make it to five points, but it must be a win by two clear points over your opponent. The amount of points you win by dictates the fate of the loser- a two point loss is a superficial wound, a three point loss is a lost limb, a four point loss is multiple lost limbs or a crippling injury, and a five point loss is an outright kill. If you lose the duel by survive, you can always escape without being re-engaged.

At the start of any round, either combatant may try to flee. In fleeing, the duel carries on as normal, but whomever makes it to two points first, winning by one clear point, determines the success of the endeavour. If the person running away wins, they escape. If not, they don't.

ANALYSIS: Rianna has the ferocity and skill of a warrior in the making, but she is still only a learner and Myraline, whilst no swordsman, has the advantage of experience. Rianna's physical capabilities over her scholarly tutor may be her only true advantage.

Myraline has initiated the fight and strikes first.

Score:

Rianna- 0, Myraline- 0.

Myraline to attack, Rianna to defend.

Myraline usually handles her lightsaber with smooth prowess, but as she cracks her neck and steps forward to engage you, you find that she is fighting rather more like Prince Septimus after he was killed in Stardust. Her movements are jerky and sudden, almost twitchy.

And so it is when she snaps a blow towards your throat that you are almost not prepared for it...

Rianna will quickly twist to the side while bringing her lightsaber up to intercept the orange blade.

For a moment you think you have it... but it was a feint! Myraline lets her lightsaber clash lightly against your own before she maneuvers it back and around you guard, so that the swipe severs a lock of your red hair. You fall back to avoid losing part of your face as well.

Roch is laughing.

Score:

Rianna- 0, Myraline- 1.

Rianna to attack, Myraline to defend.

Trying to ignore Roch's infuriating laughing, Rianna lunges forward, swinging her lightsaber with a powerful blow to try and break through Myraline's guard.

Her ferocity showing through, Rianna taps into some inner reserve of strength and smashes her lightsaber into Myraline's, knocking away her classical guard momentarily and forcing her to retreat a few steps with her sweeping power blows.

Round draw, point to attacker.

Score:

Rianna- 1, Myraline- 1.

Myraline to attack, Rianna to defend.

Tapping into some reserve herself, Myraline meets one of your follow-up blows solidly and shunts you back before going for the age-old overhead strike toward the top of your skull.

Rianna brings her lightsaber up over her head to block the attack while ducking around to the side.

The downward strike does not meet its intended target, and as you slip away to the side, Myraline overcompensates. She tries to catch herself while also pivoting to cover her flank as you try get at her, resulting in a weak defense.

Score:

Rianna- 2, Myraline- 1.

Rianna to attack, Myraline to defend.

Holding her blade up in a standard lightsaber stance, Rianna attacks with a simple, short sweep of the blade at Myraline's side.

As your simple slash goes in, Myraline regains her balance and strength with surprising quickness When your sweep connects with her blade, she shunts it away and uses the Force to knock you back with a short, violent shove.

Score:

Rianna- 2, Myraline- 2.

Myraline to attack, Rianna to defend.

Following up on her rebuff, Myraline spins towards you with her lightsaber held horizontally, attempting to strike at your hip.

Rianna will take a single step back while bringing her saber down, holding it vertically to try and catch Myraline's lightsaber.

You time your maneuver well, drawing upon your teachings that you ironically learned from the very woman you fight. Her attack does not quite reach you as you step back and you fend off the blow. Your Master keeps her lightsaber pressed to yours, the two grinding and crackling in their lock.

Score:

Rianna- 3, Myraline- 2.

Rianna to attack, Myraline to defend.

Rianna holds her position a moment longer, before suddenly pulling back, twirling her lightsaber in a swift slash under Myraline's guard.

This time it is Myraline who steps back. She withdraws her blade and angles it downwards so that she catches your attack with little effort and uses your own momentum to force it into the floor, where it sparks and fizzles through the metal like butter. She then withdraws her blade again...

Score:

Rianna- 3, Myraline- 3.

Myraline to attack, Rianna to defend.

... and goes for a simple jab toward your chest, above your guard.

Rianna stands her ground, only moving to attempt to catch Myraline's jab with her own saber and shove it to the side.

Your defense comes rather more hastily than you intended. When you bring up your lightsaber to shunt it becomes more of a flail. It knocks the jab away but leaves you open to another, which you also hastily knock away until you gain enough space to regroup your thoughts.

Round draw, point to attacker.

Score:

Rianna- 3, Myraline- 4. Match point.

Rianna to attack, Myraline to defend.

Suddenly very nervous about this duel, Rianna flips over Myraline, jabbing her lightsaber towards her Master's shoulder.

The nervous sensation must have been triggered by Myraline's attempt to distract you... when you flip over her, you narrowly avoid the chair that she had flung at you with the Force from behind! She only just narrowly raises her lightsaber to meet the overhead strike, then spins around to face you.

Score:

Rianna- 4, Myraline- 4.

Myraline to attack, Rianna to defend.

As she turns on you, she unleashes a lightning-quick diagonal slash across your front, following that up with a second spinning slash across your midriff.

As she lands, Rianna snaps up her lightsaber to try catching the first attack, and then simply twirls her wrist to catch the second.

You manage to intercept the first attack, but Myraline uses this to her advantage. She quickly twists your blade with a simple maneuver then changes the direction on the second attack, nearly cutting through your stomach. You back up just in time, with less than an inch to spare.

Score:

Rianna- 4, Myraline- 5. Match point.

Rianna to attack, Myraline to defend. Match point.

Backing away from the attack, Rianna ducks down into a roll, slashing her lightsaber at Myraline's legs as she does so.