Lightside Sith 021

As Ventress ran at him, Kaine maintained his haughty pose, and lifted his left hand, raising two of his fingers vertically. Pulling upon [Telekinesis], he shifted several pieces of bark, in front of her face, slowing her down. 

“Petty tricks, Renstar. Face me like a real man!” Ventress shouted as her momentum barely slowed down. 

Kaine was undeterred by her howling, and in fact, was pleased because small amounts of +1LP were added to his points bank just from that minor interaction alone. 

“You have no idea about the depths of the Darkside.” Kaine-an utter novice in the Force-smugly intoned. Yet, perhaps due to his extensive surface knowledge as a nerd from Earth, his words rang with truth, and were acknowledged by the Force. 

Ventress's scowl became wide, and she growled like an animal as she swiped through the bark as if it were nothing. 

Through [Sense], he could tell she was well and truly riled up, however, for all her rage, the fact remained that deep down, she was a cold, calculating bi- 

Jumping up into a backflip, Kaine's eyes went wide as [Precognition] barely triggered in time, and he avoided a spinning lightsaber flying at his backside. However, he was quick to hide his concern at the near loss, and instead clucked his tongue. 

“Have you learned nothing?” Kaine questioned like a lecturing professor disappointed in his idiot student. 

“You have nowhere to run to!” Ventress exclaimed, her entire aura was like that of a predator about to pounce for the kill. 

Falling through the air, he doubtlessly would be diced by her blades, as he had no room to maneuver…is what would happen if he was a fool. However, he hadn't been pushing [Telekinesis] to the limits in his training for nothing. 

Stepping on the air as if it were a solid surface, he performed the forbidden technique in any Force Adepts arsenal. Dare he say, it might even embarrass his ancestors, as it was largely associated with Jedi. It was the dreaded: Double Jump! 

Bouncing out of range of Ventress's lethal twin bladed X cut, Kaine leisurely landed on top of another tree. 

“You'll have to do better than that, my dear!” He called down, cupping the side of his mouth with his hand, making sure she heard him. 

As she fell back down to earth, her blue iris’ met gold, and her fury somehow grew twice as large. 

+5LP +5LP +5LP +5LP 

Snarling, she shoved out a hand, and pulled. 

Caught slightly off guard, Kaine stumbled forward a step, nearly slipping down towards her. If he was relying solely upon his own abilities to resist another Force Adapt's will, he doubtlessly would be down there, face first with the bald lady. However, his gauntlet glowed a deep chaos-blue, and the [Malice] rune lit up, helping him resist her pull. 

Kaine yawned, then looked up towards the balcony. His yawn transformed into a choke as he caught Dooku's expression. The old man's facial expressions were transitioning between disappointment, pride, and cold fury. 

“Renstar, enough of this farce. Finish her.” Dooku commanded. 

Sighing to himself, Kaine practiced more of his [Telekinesis] and floated himself down from the tree. It was actually really kriffing difficult, and taxed him more than he ever suspected! 

‘Damn you, Dooku, making this shit look easy!’ He complained to himself as sweat began to form on his back. 

“You have humiliated me for the last time, Renstar.” Ventress's raspy voice came from two dozen feet in front of him. 

Kaine, meanwhile, let out a small breath, like a man who was recovering after lifting a heavy weight. 

The chalk-skinned girl didn't seem to like this, as a handful of +1 & +2LP wafted up from her. 

Slicking back his black hair with his offhand, Kaine adopted a duelist's pose-the kind a rapier fighter might-and invited Ventress with a cheeky flourish of his blade. 

“Arrogance shall be your downfall.” Ventress slowly bit out as she began to prowl to his side. 

“I believe that is the history of all Sith, my dear.” Kaine chuckled. 

“Hmph.” Ventress snorted, then ran at him. 

Pulling her hand once again, Kaine was surprised that [Precognition] wasn't warning him about being moved…but from an object coming from behind! 

In this swamp-like environment, a puddle of black sludge that was to his flank suddenly shimmered, and a dozen piranha-like fish flew at him mouth agape. Meanwhile, her speed-a genuine asset of hers-was quite good, and she had already closed the distance, slashing at him with well coordinated strikes. 

Kaine reacted based upon his training, and the instincts granted by a Tier III skill. 

As her left strike came down at a diagonal slash, he parried it to the side, then hopped over it, completely evading the oncoming attack from her left hand. She moved to swipe both of them, pivoting on her foot like a whirlwind, and lowering her center mass, one blade was high aimed at his chest, the other was low, going for his knees/shins. 

Kaine continued stepping to the side, and used the Force to help him slide across the muddy ground, evading her attack. 

These two actions took place in seconds. By now, the fish had arrived, but this time, they were headed towards Ventress. Without even looking at them, she slammed her palm down, and they crashed into the dirt floor, their bones crushing into pieces. 

This time, Kaine took to the offensive, and opened with an extended thrust, the most common bread and butter move of Makashi. It was fast, lethal, and was made at maximum range. Compounding onto this factor was the enhancement of his own [Speed], which was in no way lesser to her own. 

She desperately raised one saber to deflect his, hoping to bat it aside, then strike at his hand with the other. However, Kaine coiled his wrist like a viper, slightly pressing her downward power strike aside, and continued with his thrust. Ventress was forced to abandon her plan of going for his hand, and had to retract her offhand, blocking the tip of his crimson lightsaber mere inches from her face. Some sweat began to accumulate on her face due to the heat of the weapon, and her life seemed to flash before her eyes as she jumped back. 

Kaine didn't utter another word as he once more assumed the duelist's pose, and slowly began to walk towards her, looking for any gaps in her defense, or a moment of inattention. Then, much to his surprise, the girl began to slowly laugh. Raising an eyebrow, he remained in place, his lightsaber humming and ready to enact violence. 

“Perhaps I was wrong about you.” She said in a languid, seductive manner. 

‘Hmm? This isn't going according to script, where's my LP?! Lady, you're a rageholic wannabe Sith. Get angry!’ Kaine thought to himself, his face darkening as the girl in front of him suddenly shifted gears. 

“Afterall, it would be rather pathetic for one of the Count's toy soldiers to be any weaker than this. Such a well spoken, handsome man you are, Lord Renstar. My defeat is all but guaranteed. After all, I fought my way through The Box for the last several hours. Shouldn't a mighty Sith such as yourself disdain to finish off pitiful little me?” She asked in a quiet, pathetic voice. 

Kaine felt a subtle thrum in the Force making his heart palpate, only the hissing pain at his wrist woke him up from his fugue. The damned Dathomiri witch was trying to [Mind Trick] him! And what's worse, his [Malice] rune was working…but he still felt some dizziness! He was effectively 25% weaker than he was a moment ago. While that may not seem like much, he was pretty much equal with her baldness a second ago. Although he had gained the initiative, it was a fact that she had run through the gauntlet. Given fair conditions, and a 100% purely lightsaber duel, he rated his odds of victory to sit around 50/50. But now, with this searing migraine that had flared up resisting her [Mind Trick] he'd place his chances of achieving victory around 35/65. 

Glancing at his other gauntlet, he hid a smirk, as he had a little surprise for the girl. 

Wearing a somewhat blank look on his face, Kaine did his best impression of a lobotomite, and looked towards her woodenly. He decided to act like someone who spoke without a filter, the best opportunity to goad her into a reckless charge was now! 

“It is true, this gauntlet of tasks you have engaged in has left you lesser.” Kaind nodded along, speaking in an understanding tone. 

Ventress's slow smirk said it all, as she knew her technique had some success. 

“A true Sith-such as myself-would face the challenge boldly and openly. A shame your skills aren't up to task.” Kaine shook his head, and clicked his tongue in disappointment. 

She looked like she could barely contain her scowl as she deactivated her lightsabers, and ‘bowed in submission.’ In fact, hiding her face right there, he could guarantee 100% it didn't look pretty, as +1LP +1LP +1LP wafted up from her. 

“How unfortunate.” Kaine sighed. “You truly are a beautiful woman, and your skills genuinely are top tier. I foresee that you shall attain great power.” He complimented. “Only…” 

Ventress lifted her head, surprise and shock briefly colored her expression, as if she never expected the arrogant Renstar to have such private thoughts. 

“Only?” Ventress pressed, drawing closer, trying to appear like a weak sycophantic subordinate listening in to her boss' monologue about the past. 

“Only that bald head of yours. I think I could truly fall in love with a vicious, petty, vindictive woman such as yourself, but that shine is so bright, I might as well call you Mr. Clean.” Kaine sighed, and spoke as if he had lost the will to live. 

+5LP +5LP +5LP +5LP +10LP +15LP +20LP

‘Holy schmoly, that really pissed her off!’ Kaine thought to himself, barely keeping his eyes from bugging out. 

Head bowed, Ventress practically presented her shiny globe at him, and he truly felt disgust. Call him a chauvinist pig, but sorry, he only found women with hair to be beautiful. 

Perhaps she sensed his disgust, as her twin lightsabers ignited, and she stabbed at him from close range. Having baited her this close, Kaine dropped the act, adopted a smug smile, and activated the [Hate] rune on his glove. A red light glowed around his eyes, and his connection to the Darkside practically doubled. His muscles slightly bulked up, and all of his physical attributes increased by about 1.5x 

The mental malaise was entirely replaced by a rose-tinted type of vision. Everything in front of him…must be destroyed! 

“Ruagh!” Kaine erupted with a roar, meeting Ventress's close ranged, surprise attack with unmatched fury and aggression. 

Her double saber thrust was batted aside as if she were a toddler punching at an adult's knees. She tried to parry once more, but Kaine was relentless with his strikes! Stab after stab came out, and before long, a touch scorched the side of her arm, leaving a long white trail of heat. 

Refusing to back down, Ventress bit her lip to contain the pain, attempting to meet him blow for blow. However, Kaine was relentless, his fury unrelenting! The Darkside howled around him as a berserker like mentality gripped him.

Overhead. 

Sideswipe.

Diagonal stab. 

Forward flip slash. 

Kaine executed all these attacks with the fervent glee of a madman. His muscles were like iron, and whilst his mind wasn't as calculating, his skills with a lightsaber were system based, and did not deteriorate in the slightest! Before long, several stabs and glancing blows had accumulated across Ventress's body, leaving her in a tattered cloak, and on her knees. Both of her blades had been knocked aside, and she was in the mud looking up at an enraged Sith. At some point, Kaine had torn his own shirt off, exposing his muscular red form. His chest was heaving as he looked down at Ventress with murderous intent. 

“Finish it.” Ventress held up her neck. 

Kaine raised his blade high, then brought it down in a violent rush. Just as the heat of this ‘training’ blade was about to collide with her neck, the weapon deactivated. 

Before he had struck, Qui-Gon loudly coughed nearby. A millisecond of the ghost's aura leaked into his perception, granting him a brief window of clarity. Deactivating the rune, he gasped for air, and felt like a balloon that had rapidly deflated. Although the [Hate] rune was active for only like five minutes, it had taken a lot out of him. His body was sore over, and he felt like he had tanked a direct hit from a Rancor. 

“Why did you stop?” Ventress scowled. “This is not the way of the Sith. Or are you doing this because you pity my weakness?” 

She was a ball of spite, and self-hatred at that moment. For a second, Kaine genuinely pitied her. 

Standing still, he looked down at the girl, and shook his head with a sigh. 

“You know, everything I said was true. You really do have potential to be great.” Kaine said, holding out his hand to help her up. 

Her blue eyes met his, and she tentatively held out her hand, only to recoil, like someone who had been bitten by a snake. 

“Who would trust the words of a Sith.” She muttered to herself, bowing her head in defeat. 

Kaine, feeling a little diabolical, leaned down, and gripped her by the chin, forcing her to meet his eyes, a grin slowly spread on his face as she looked at him with this cute, defiant puppy-dog look. 

Then to her utter shock, and horror, he kissed her on the lips. 

Stunned into silence, she blinked up at him as he moved to stand. 

“Never let it be said that Kaine Renstar treats his woman wrong.” He laughed, then, pulling a cloak out of his inventory, tossed it on top of her, covering her shredded clothes, and jumped out of The Box. 

Looking up at him, and clenching her fists, Ventress was quick to stand. 

“Your woman?!?! Get back here Renstar, this isn't overrrr!!!” 

+5LP +5LP +5LP +5LP