Ahsoka
Around noon it started snowing again and ten minutes later Ahsoka was forced to link up to Max with a six foot long rope to not lose him. Despite being day the sky had turned pitch black and she couldn't see her own hands in front of her eyes.
Additionally, the wind had picked up and more than once the cover Maxwell's body provided her with was the only thing keeping her on her feet.
>>This is a bad idea! We should find some cover,<< Ahsoka yelled into her radio.
>>It's not far, only half a mile!<< Max yelled back over the raging storm.
Good one. Half a mile in this weather was like a marathon. Ahsoka pulled her hood lower and stumbled after her lover.
A cold shiver wandered down her back. Ahsoka looked around, trying to gaze through the swirling snow. Was there something out there?
>>Max, I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched,<< Ahsoka voiced her concerns.
>>It's possible,<< Maxwell only replied.
Then Ahsoka heard something over the hauling wind, something that sounded suspiciously like the roar of something big and ill-tempered.
>>Okay, something is here,<< she announced.
>>Nothings there Ahsoka.<<
Ahsoka grabbed him by his arm and spun him around to face her and screamed over the wind. "I just heard something! There is definitely something out there!"
"Ignore it-" Max started. Just then Ahsoka sensed something large charging towards them.
"Run!" she yelled, cutting him off. She grabbed her lightsaber and cut through the rope that bound them together, fear turning her stomach to ice.
Then she started running into the darkness, fighting against the wind. She heard Maxwell yell something but his voice was canceled out by the wind.
Ahsoka sprinted on, hoping that Maxwell was behind her. Suddenly she was running through the dark hallways of one of the ruins. All the time she could sense the charging beast drawing closer as she ran.
Suddenly she was outside again, tearing through knee deep snow.
Suddenly the wind and died down and it stopped snowing. The large presence that had perused her also faded from existence.
>>>Max?<< Ahsoka asked into her radio. No answer came. >>Maxwell!<< Ahsoka yelled. Nothing...
When Ahsoka saw a dark hooded figure approaching she tensed and loosened the straps of her backpack.
"Maxwell?" she asked carefully.
A glowing red light saber appeared in the mans hands and a moment later Ahsoka's pack landed in the snow and her light saber and Shoto blazed to life. Damn, where was Maxwell when she needed him?
"Who are you?" she asked.
As expected no answer came from the dark figure. Getting straight answers would have been to easy.
Ahsoka dropped into a crouch, her weapons raised. With two carefully aimed steps she closed the distance between herself and her foe and then jumped. She twisted through the air and landed behind her enemy.
Her foe turned to face her and parried her first blow.
Ahsoka spun around, her two weapons turning to streaks of light. Her enemy dodged her blows and when she used her moment of inertia for a low kick to his knees he simply caught her leg with one hand and send her sprawling in the snow.
Ahsoka rolled backwards and came back to her feet in a low crouch, ready to lunge.
Then she thought better of it and stood up at her full height and returned her shoto to her belt. What had Maxwell said? Be adaptable and seeing as her enemy wasn't overly impressed with her display of speed she would need to fight this out the old fashioned way.....for now at least.
She turned to face him with the left side of her body to minimize the area she exposed and held her weapon out in a perfectly horizontal line. Ahsoka would need to make use of the additional training Maxwell had given her and decide this battle through superior tactics and control over her own body and weapon.
Her hooded foe raised his weapon, obviously waiting for her to make the first move. For a moment Ahsoka considered disengaging to try to find Maxwell but decided to stay put. A retreat would put her on the defensive.
Ahsoka moved her right foot forward, keeping her weight on the left one. Her body turned around and she swung her weapon in a well calculated, two handed blow.
Her foe cleanly deflected her blow and stepped backwards, the tip of his glowing red blade angled down.
Ahsoka moved into a Shii-Cho stance and then stepped forward and engaged her enemy, opening up with two high , down angled blows both of which were parried followed by a stab aimed center mass. Her ever so silent enemy sidestepped and countered by slashing at her light saber's tip, nearly disarming her.
Ahsoka danced back slightly confused. A dark Jedi or Sith using Form one?
She promptly changed tactics. After taking another step back Ahsoka let her cloak drop to the floor and also pulled off the scarfs and goggles.
The physical strain from combat would keep her warm and if needed she could also rely on the force. She needed the maneuverability.
Ahsoka moved into a Makashie stance, her front leg angled slightly out while her back leg remained straight.
Ahsoka held her weapon low, the blade pointing diagonally upwards. She didn't have much experience in Makashie, Maxwell having only had the time to teach her the basics but it would have to do.
No one moved for a moment but then her opponent stepped forward and struck a downwards blow. Ahsoka moved forwards into the blow and simultaneously pirouetting of to the left letting her foe's blade slash through empty air. Using the momentum she already had Ahsoka brought her blade in a glowing green ark only to be parried. The move would have caught most Padawans of guard but apparently, her foe wasn't an armature.
Ahsoka stopped her right spin and made a step left, putting some distance between herself and her foe and also giving herself space to maneuver. Without coming to a standstill Ahsoka twisted left and swung her weapon in a low arc.
By the time she had turned far enough and ended the turn by stepping forwards, past her unusually static enemy her weapon came up in a deadly glowing arc.
Her enemy didn't move and for a moment Ahsoka thought she had ended the battle until her weapon passed only harmlessly through the air.
She instinctively let her right knees give away and fell away sideways just in time to escape a force push.
Ahsoka turned her weapon off and rolled. When she came up again in a low crouch she turned her weapon back on, this time in reversed grip form.
Her enemy stood there motionless and in a ready position. For someone who followed the dark side, her foe was unusually un-aggressive. Still, she could feel the emotions. The cold anger.
"Come on, if you think you're strong enough." Ahsoka challenged. Her foe dropped his hood and for a moment Ahsoka faltered as she gazed into a familiar face of someone she knew rather well, perhaps even loved.
It was Maxwell but something was wrong. His usually come gaze held a dangerous fire and his jaw was unnaturally tensed. However, apart from that and the slight crease in his eyebrows, his face was relatively calm.
Something was wrong though. This Max seemed very different, not only the fact that he wielded a light saber with a red crystal for a core. He seemed...darker.
"I'll take my chances," her enemy replied and attacked. Ahsoka parried the first three blows and danced under the fourth before countering. It was obvious that Max had changed his strategy. Unless he had a reason not to he usually tried to disarm his enemies instead of killing them. That was no longer the case.
He also wasn't fighting very fast. In fact back when she spared with Skyguy her old mentor had often fought faster.
Once again he was showing off his ability to combine timing with technique. By speeding up or slowing down by only the fraction he made sure that Ahsoka couldn't find a rhythm in the fight.
Ahsoka had no problem to defend herself from the single blow but with that strategy, Maxwell provoked mistakes on her part.
She stayed in reverse grip style and slashed her blade horizontally In a wide arc before disengaging.
"Maxwell, stop this! I don't want to fight you!" she yelled. Her old friend closed the distance and attacked. After two quick blows, Ahsoka realized that Maxwell had changed tactics from his earlier passive style to a more aggressive and quicker one forcing Ahsoka into the defense. It was painfully obvious that he was toying with her.
Ahsoka ducked under a blow and summer saluted backwards to get some space. Fortunately, Maxwell didn't peruse so Ahsoka decided to try to reason with him, "Hey, I don't wan-"
She raised weapon and just in time to fend of the storm of blue lightning that lashed out at her from his hand.
The glowing green blade and absorbed the energy. Finally after a few seconds the storm of lightning faded revealing her friend, his hand still raised.
Ahsoka looked at him surprised and a bit angry. "Hey-" What ever she intended to say never past her lips because just then a invisible hand took hold of her throat and lifted her up, letting her feet kick at empty air.
Ahsoka dropped her light saber and clutched at her throat. The grip on her throat tightened and sparks started dancing in front of her eyes. Finally, in an act of desperation Ahsoka sent a force push in the direction of her enemy.
Her for side stepped the force attack with ease but the invisible hand around her throat disappeared and Ahsoka dropped down into the snow. She was just about to lunge for her light saber when a invisible wall crashed into her and sent her flying through the air like a rag-doll. Luckily she landed in a large pile of snow and didn't break every bone in her body. The impact knocked all air from her lungs leaving Ahsoka gasping for breath.
When Ahsoka recovered somewhat and staggered to her feet she saw Maxwell coming towards her slowly, as if he had the time of the world.
"Please Max. Please!" she gasped. Ahsoka didn't fear death but the idea of being killed by the last person she still really trusted... .
"There is no mercy Ahsoka," he said. Ahsoka desperately pulled her Shoto from her belt and turned it on. Maxwell didn't pause but instead continued walking towards her and as if to add insult to the mess she was in he turned of his light saber and returned the weapon to his belt.
"Please, don't kill me. Stop this! I thought-"
"-that I loved you?" he asked sounding amused and chuckled at the thought. "How naive are you girl? You are entertainment , granted you quality entertainment but still entertainment . Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll keep you around as a pet. If you behave I might even reward you from time to time."
As she heard those words something died inside her. Had it all been a lie. The hours they had spent lying together on the Charger or gift he had made her before setting her free on Alderaan? Or was it this place that had awoken something in him.
Finally, he reached her and Ahsoka raised her shoto in defense. She wouldn't end as some piece of meat, living only for her master's pleasure. Ahsoka flipped the shoto's hilt around and caught it reverse grip. Then she stepped forward and dropped to one knee while twisting her torso around. Her shoto cut through the air towards her foes thigh but never hit anything but empty space.
Maxwell also evaded the reversed blow that followed as she twisted back while rising back up to her feet, turning the horizontal thrust into a diagonal one.
Ahsoka pressed the attack and stabbed straight down onto his shoulder. Maxwell blocked her arm with his own and reached out with his free hand to disarm her.
Instead of trying to free her arm, she reached down and grabbed Maxwell's lightsaber and pulled it free from his belt. Maxwell released her wrist and rolled backward just as she activated the freshly captured weapon.
"You are without a weapon. Yield!" Ahsoka growled and took a step backward, both weapons pointed at him.
Maxwell didn't answer. Instead of engaging Ahsoka with the force, with which she knew he could easily overpower her he stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Ahsoka spun around, her two weapons cutting red and yellow gashes into the cold air. Maxwell weaved through and around her blows with nearly impossible speed and grace as she danced in quick circular motions, the air around her turning into arcs of red and yellow light. Their dance lasted less than half a minute in which she managed to hit nothing but air while her enemy landed three quick punches in her side.
It ended when Maxwell caught her right hand, the one holding the shoto and twisted. Ahsoka cried out in pain and dropped her secondary weapon. She desperately swung her lightsaber over her captured arm to force him to let go.
Maxwell ducked underneath and moved right, to her now uncovered side. For a moment Ahsoka thought he would sucker punch her it instead blue light danced in her peripheral vision and a moment later excruciating pain erupted all over her body as blue tendrils of lightning danced over her body like the fingers of a lover.
Ahsoka screamed in pain and dropped to her knees. The lightning faded and she could move again....a bit. Blinded by the pain she swung the lightsaber in desperation only to have the hilt knocked from her hand. A strong hand closed around the base of her Spinal Lekku and held the sensitive organ so tightly that she barely felt herself being forced down to her knees. Again Ahsoka screamed in agony, her hands trying to loosen the brutal grip.
"You enjoy this, don't you?" the familiar jet somehow alien voice taunted her. The hand holding her Lekku disappeared onto to be replaced by another that went to her neck. Dazed and blinded by pain Ahsoka felt herself being pulled back to her feet by her throat.
He was close now, very close. "Just yield. You know you want to serve pet. You were always meant to kneel in front of others," he whispered in her ear.
Ahsoka lashed out, her fists hammering into her tormentor's body. Somehow she managed to loosen the grip enough rip herself free and start running. She got about two hundred feet before being tackled from behind. Despite her best efforts to stay on her feet her an the other rolled through the snow. Ahsoka somehow managed to transition into a forward role and get back to her feet but as she took the first step a hand closed around her ankle and the floor stood up and body-slammed Ahsoka...or at least that was how it felt.
She tried to get up again but her pursuer had a knee pressing down between her shoulder blades, keeping her pinned in place. The young Togruta desperately squirmed, trying to free herself. For a moment she actually thought it had worked but then her pursuer grabbed her Spinal Lekku again and forced her head back, pulling a door portion of her torso with it.
Ahsoka screamed and tried to free herself even harder but a hand slid around her throat. Simultaneously a leg hooked under her arm and she felt him use the leg as leverage to pull her on top of him. She clawed at the hand and squirmed, desperate to free herself from her much heavier enemy, her eyes gazing up at the sky.
"Let me go you bastard!" she screamed and tried to elbow him in the stomach.
"Stop struggling!" he yelled back. It was Maxwell! Of course, it was him. Who else would attack her on this damned world?
To her dismay, he wrapped his legs around her waist tightly and felt his hand grab hold of the left side of her collar. With a jolt realized what he doing, much too late to escape the chokehold. He pulled at the collar and the fabric tightened around her neck, cutting off the main artery and her windpipe. She struggled for a few moments, sparks dancing in front of her eyes. Then darkness took her. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the edge of a deep cliff only a few feet away.
So, this is it for now. I hope that the few readers that have read this far enjoyed themselves.
Winter Wolf and Lengendary over and out.