The First Challenge

[lynchpin_castle]

This contest between the forces of Making and Unmaking has come to its first challenge. Each side has chosen two champions, and the terms of the challenge are set. It shall take place at a location neutral to both base-castles. The contest is expected to be primarily physical, with the victory conditions as follows.

One side must surrender completely to another.

Or

One side must completely defeat the other.

The first challenge has been issued 2 weeks after the formal choosing of Champions.

Comments

[light_of_willpower]

No, they probably didn't--and they'd tried to do this 'nicely' too. "Hold it steady!" Trusting her, as Trunks braced himself. Hands moving to his sides and bluish-white ki energy gathered in his hands. Focusing, green-eyes watching the crate---and then he brought both hands with their spheres of energy up and out in front of his chest. A continuous beam of energy lanced out from the attack, impacting the crate as he moved to hold it as well. That continuous beam of energy had to be doing some major damage to whatever was inside the crate; outside the crate was starting to show signs of wear and degradation as well.

The out-cold Zarbon, and Corrsk pinned underneath him, were forgotten for now.

[neveraknight]

She stepped forward a bit, both hands splayed, and straining a bit as she held the barrier, invisible for the most part. She was holding it pretty well but she could feel her arms shake a bit as he built up his energy to blast it. Another step forward, holding it and then...

As he let his blasts go, cutting through the crate like he had no issues with it, she let out a sigh, arms dropping and shaking her head. A force push was nothing, holding it on the other hand was a lot.

"Good shot." She said, flexing her hands and staring, seeing something moving still though. "What the heck are they?" She asked, noticing more movement a moment later. her nose wrinkled and the back of her neck itched. A warning. she lifted her hand to force push the crate again but instead whipped around as a blaster shot came from the knocked out duo over there. Ccorrsk having list a blaster and taken some shots.

Ahsoka took one shot to the shoulder, spinning back with that shoulder and pulling her lightsaber, turning it on and deflecting three more shots as she dropped to a knee. The world going in slow motion. Corrsk active but half under cover, and bugs regenerating to life again.

[light_of_willpower]

"No clu--" Trunks had started to respond, trying to get an idea of what was stored in the crates other than big and nasty.

Corrsk had managed to get his blaster rifle out, and in the moment they'd presented good targets, had gone for Ahsoka.

He had no way of knowing this, but it was quite possibly one of the stupidest things he could've done with a demi-saiyan around.

Things moved in slow-motion, Trunks turning as Ahsoka went down to one knee. One hand shot out to the side, that blue-sphere of energy gathered once more and then fired at the downed duo. Even if that didn't do it, the sword thrown with good aim to spear the Saurian's shoulder and chest to the ground likely helped.

Trunks was already moving though, thoughts of the other gone from his mind as he shifted closer to her. Pulling her arm around his shoulder and holding her wrist, the other around her waist and then they were rising. Getting distance and out of the immediate battle.

Insects of some kind--nasty looking ones, and considering he could see now that they were healing rapidly from where they were exiting the crate, Trunks was really hoping they couldn't fly. They had to end this, fast.

"Ahsoka." Trying to get her to focus more on him. "I need you to hold on to me, I need my hands." At least one of them, but two would be better.

[neveraknight]

That slow motion felt so strange in her head. She could feel herself falling back but not the burn of the bolt yet. Though she knew it would be soon. Her skill kept any other bolts from hitting the two of them, but she didn't hear Trunks for the moment. Just had her eyes set on Corrsk, trying to shoot one bolt back at him. She was pretty sure one hit him back, but unsure at the same time to what Trunks had done.

All she realized a moment later was his trying to pull her up, Trying to get her arm over his shoulder. She deactivated the lightsaber and held it tightly, so not to hit him on mistake, and realized a moment later he started to move, lifting off the ground.

Things started to fall in line again, the slow motion moving faster again, the volume control pushed up once more. She heard the bugs regenerating and moving, and heard the woosh of air as he moved them out of the way.

"I'm okay." She said suddenly, as if to promise her partner she was fine. "I'm okay, Trunks. Don't worry about me." She informed him, and shifted, trying to get a grip on his shoulder, tucking under his arm, and moving to be behind him, a firm grip at his shoulder with one hand, the other not so much, but she held on, trying to look down. "What are they?"

Dead, she figured. In a moment.

[light_of_willpower]

"Don't know." Helping her shift, slightly up higher almost in a piggy-back as one arm moved to help keep her steady. Her was encouraged around his collarbone and shoulder and she was able to see over his own shoulder easily. "Don't care."

Free hand now held back and up, calling energy to gather in it. That same blueish-white forming a sphere and growing larger and larger. As close as she was, Ahsoka might pick up on exactly what he was doing. All that energy he contained, focused, produced--ki--and he was channeling it, shaping it into a concentrated form.

Trunks himself was concentrating on keeping that sphere in a certain shape, a certain concentration as he fed more energy into it. Until he wasn't sure he could contain it anymore, and green-eyes narrowed.
Hand and arm moving in an arc, almost as if he were throwing it like a normal ball, into the center of the group of insectoid aliens.

The impact when it hit the earth and ground was a large domed-cloud explosion of light and energy, almost too bright. As it dissipated, a small crater was left, and some pieces of the crate and parts of chitinous plate. 'Dead' was indeed a good description.

At that moment, the same-whitish-energy domes that had kept the two sides separate before the challenge reappeared around the pair in the sky. Another sprang up around the pair on the ground--whether unconscious or dead. Challenge over it would seem, as the sky rippled in an aurora borealis effect to signal that Making had won.

[neveraknight]

She had no trouble shifting to settle at his back, trying her best to not be a weight on him, and holding on well enough. If she thought she was going to have an issue she'd use a force grip. For the most part, it's just her shoulder that was tagged and slightly bloody. She could still move her arm. The bolt would have been worse if she hadn't of moved when she did.

She clung on and watched, shielding her eyes by hiding her face in the back of his neck for a moment, eyes closed shut as the explosion went off, clearing the game field. When she opened them again, there was a bubble around them, and she peeked over to see the bubble around the other group.

"You are so very impressive to me..." She mumbled near his ear, in complete awe. Seeing the lights in the sky she pat his shoulder once (it's like lava rock or harder). "Think you either over did it and they had to stop, or we won...."

[light_of_willpower]

Later, her comment would hit him. Along with her warm breath and soft voice against his ear, how she'd almost nuzzled against his neck while hiding her eyes. On how soft her montrals and lekku were as they curved around her head.

Later--right then he was still focused a bit as he watched the sky shimmer and the bubble reappear. "I think we won." Trunks murmured, letting the super saiyan state go, as the golden aura faded and he breathed. Relaxing a bit, and shifting his grip more properly to piggy back Ahsoka more comfortably.

"You alright?" Turning his head slightly, trying to get a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, which once more were blue as his hair was light lavender again.

[neveraknight]

As he shifted back to the lavender haired boy she knew better she relaxed behind him, feeling arms reach back to her legs to hold her there. He might feel her body relax even more into him a moment as she rested her head on his shoulder, sighed and closed her eyes a moment.

"Mmmhmm." She hummed, then smiled, lifting her head again. "I'm fine. It's just a shoulder wound. I'e had much worse." She assured him, trying to give him a firm smile. "You didn't have to get so worked up back there." She said, patting his shoulder again and giving him a softer smile. "But yeah, I think you might have just won this round."

[light_of_willpower]

Her relaxing into (and onto) him made him smile, and his heart sped up slightly. Perfectly comfortable (mostly) for where he was, nodding with her words.

"I'm used to going solo okay? For the first time in years I have someone who I trust fighting with me and you think I won't get worked up when they get hurt?" It's teasing, trying for some humor himself--as he did more than just trust her. "You didn't pay attention to anything I said about saiyans, did you?"

Below them, the Masters of both sides had appeared. Surveying the scene, before the Unmaking Master nodded to their counterpart. Within a heartbeat or two, the bubble surrounding their champions, and all 3 of the beings, faded. Seeming to be sucked in upon themselves as if into a void or black hole.

Trunks started to let himself controlled-drop back to the ground, where the Master of Making was waiting for them.

[neveraknight]

She curled on arm, her good one, around his arm and chest a bit, hand flat and holding on, but also a small hug. "You aren't in this solo anymore. Though the only thing I didn't pay good enough attention to was Corrsk while I was holding those bugs back. I'll have to practice that technique a bit more."

Yes, she did catch some of what he said about the Saiyans, but she didn't mention it much yet. Letting him descend. "And I didn't hear anything to be upset about, if that's your worry." She peeked past him again and smiled at the Master, pushing to sit up more in the piggy back instead of relaxing completely into the others hold.

"Greetings, Master. Did we do okay?"

[lynchpin_castle]

The Master of Making seemed unsurprised to find one of their champions carrying another. An inclination of their figure, cowl lowering as well in a bow. "We believe 'okay' would be an understatement, if we understand the conversational nuances correctly." Back upright, and the being definitely seemed relaxed.

"Congratulations upon your first victory. Knowing something of your foes, and of you both, and how the challenge could have gone in myriad ways, we must congratulate you upon your cleverness as well as strength."

Gesturing out with their sleeves, and Trunks' forgotten sword shimmered in to rest upon them, held out but secure. "You both have more than earned your rest, and we shall all retire now unless you have other business here?"

[neveraknight]

Ahsoka leaned there on the other, grinning down at the Master. "As long as you are happy with the results. Did you know that they would bring out people we might have heard of or recognized races before?"

When the sword came to be there too, and when she was sure that Trunk's feet were on the ground, she gave him a hug one more and said, softly. "You can set me down again. I hurt my shoulder, not my legs." She said it with a grin, and she didn't at ALL mind being carted around by him. It was a new experience for her that she rather liked.

But then she looked to the Master and back to Trunks before saying. "No, I think this was all the business I had. You?" She asked her partner, fully ready to go, thanks.

[light_of_willpower]

Trunks hesitated to let her go, but....she was right. He hadn't minded though, and was more than happy to continue carrying her if she'd wanted. Still, careful as he let her get her feet under him and then he's bowing, moving to take his sword once more with both hands, almost ceremonial. Respectful, to the Master, before it was replaced in its sheath over his shoulder. To Ahsoka's question, he simply shook his head.

And tried to not think about how he missed having her snuggled against his back.

The Master's robes rippled as if with amusement at Ahsoka's statements however. "We did not, although it was a more likely result than not, given our Opponent. They do not see things we do in minutae, but in broader strokes? They may guess and suspect, and thus attempt to gain an advantage."

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Meaning...they probably had no clue who we were, but it's likely they could've guessed what place you'd chosen your champions from, and they followed suit." Then he was shaking his head in amusement at the confirming nod of the Master's own.

"As you have said before, this is almost like a game of chess, or Go, or Dejarik." Still with that grave tone. "But we do not believe nor intend to use you as amusements--that is not your purpose. Nor are we truly in control of the 'pieces' if you will, due to our own restraints, upon both sides."

But clearly there were opportunities for strategy, and to influence things.

[neveraknight]

She missed how warm he felt, but she figured that was just her body deciding she'd pushed it too hard again and thus was cold. She hooked her lightsaber back on her belt, both hands resting on top of them on either hip. A blaster bolt in the shoulder could have been bad, especially if she hadn't moved like she had. It was a graze, but it still hurt.

Still, Jedi and all, she didn't comment on it. She would tend to it as needed, and train more. Because that is what she is learning from all this. "It has helped, this fight, give me a clearer idea of what we will be facing. What the other master can manage doing." She let out a soft sigh, and though she was steady and fine on both feet, she did leave on hand on Trunk's shoulder, as if taking a bit of his stability for now.

"But this also told me, I have a lot of things I need to work on, just in case we face something else like this again." She gave the Master a smile, calm though. "I might like to try and find some books on training in the Force, if there is that possibility?" She asked, pleased with how this came out but suddenly feeling inadequate. Like fighting with Anakin and Obi-wan in those first days.

[lynchpin_castle]

"We shall make that happen then, as it is a possibility. If you would narrow down what specifically you might wish to know, or the area of training, it would help immensely. Otherwise we trust our Steward and resources to help see to your needs."

A nod to them both, robed-sleeves moving up in an expansive gesture. The white-dome of energy solidified around them once more, obscuring their view, and then after several seconds receded. Once more the 3 were in the Reception hall, as the Master lowered their arms. "We have resources to help you heal faster, in the case of graver injuries. We also suspect that this time, our opponent will indeed fully wait the allotted amount of time known as a 'month' before challenging again. Please rest well in the meantime, as we are thankful and at your service."

Bowing their figure, before vanishing in a shimmer of colors and light.