Built from the shell of an ancient foundation, the Arx Colosseum has undergone renovations to allow multiple new configurations for battle. Its spectator setup remains largely the same, with high walls, tall enough for even the most savvy Jedi to find unscalable that lead up to spectator chairs which are divided into nearly organized sections to accommodate several thousand people. At the center, an elongated platform “box” contains a central throne of stone with various seats of smaller scale lined beside it in both directions. Two large holo-projection screens are set up on each side of the Colosseum, offering different angles of the match bia holocam drones.

Today’s setup is known as The Elements.

A singular large circular platform sits in the center of the arena elevated just off the main arena floor. Floating walkways jutting off to smaller platforms floating above the central one. At first glance, this setup appears simple, solid ground beneath your feet, nothing to worry about beyond falling off to the arena’s floor and the dangers of your opponent.

Yet once the match starts, that story changes. The landscape of the platforms shifts and changes cycling at random through vortexes of strong wind, rushing water geysers, shaking and rumbling earthquakes, and vents of fire.

Watch your foot, as each step might signal a change of the elements.

Lamenting past events did nothing to change what had happened, and did not heal the damage that had been done. The best one could do when faced with a regrettable situation was to learn from it as best they could.

And Lucine learned her lessons well.

The sand of the Shanty Town. The humid heat of The Forge and The Jungle. The whipping winds of The Bridges. Each venue had been murder on her hair, requiring hours of intensive styling even as medics worked on healing the varied, less-important wounds she had acquired with every match.

But this time she was ready.

Lucine felt a rush of smugness as she stepped through the massive double doors into the arena proper. Instead of allowing her curls to flow freely in copper waves, she had coiled them into an elaborate braid. It was carefully crafted to look messy. If any strands managed to come loose during the fighting, they would not be immediately noticeable.

She paused just outside the doors and looked around. A floating walkway led down to a raised platform just off the arena floor, composed of gray-white stone. Smaller platforms floated around the central one, made of the same type of stone and connected with walkways that were similar to the one she was currently standing on. She glanced at the platforms, before nodding slightly. Yes, those would do nicely for what she had planned.

Lucine had to admit that she felt a small amount of disappointment. Of all of the venues she had competed in, this one was the most simplistic and straightforward. While she suspected there was more than met the eye, she had to wonder if the time she had spent styling her hair had been a waste.

“I suppose I should be glad,” she murmured as she made her way to the platform where her opponent already waited. “There is no way they could be hiding a krayt dragon here.”

In the central viewing box, Idris Adenn stepped forward and began to announce the match, listing the accomplishments of both combatants to hype up the crowd. Lucine only listened with half an ear. She knew who she would be facing today, and had planned accordingly.

Mune Cinteroph, a Shistavanen and fellow Arconan, paced the central platform of the arena. Their steps were even and measured. Their canid ears were pointed straight upward and they kept whipping their head around to sniff the air. As Lucine drew nearer, they turned their head to fix their piercing red eyes on her with an inquisitive look on their face.

“Mune!” Lucine called in a cheery voice. She smiled brilliantly as she spread her arms wide in a greeting. As if they were about to have tea, rather than compete in bloodsport for the approval of the judges and the crowd. “It has been a mortal age, darling. You are looking well.”

The Shistavanen tilted their head first in one direction, then the other, nostrils flaring as they sniffed at her. “I recognize your scent.” Despite their furred muzzle and clearly defined teeth, their words were spoken in a lilting accent. “I know you.”

“My scent?” Lucine paused, her smile dimming only slightly. “Oh dear. Well, I confess that things got a little messy in the jungle venue. But I took a long bubble bath and used my favorite body wash. I am surprised that you can still smell it on me.”

The Shistavanen laughed, a strangely mellifluous sound. “The body wash was rose and vanilla scented, right? But no, you don’t smell like a jungle. A person’s scent is highly individualized. It can be covered by lotions and perfumes, but it rarely changes. It is how I know I have met you in the past. Your scent is tied to a happy memory.”

Lucine gave a slight nod. She had heard about Mune’s battle with their brother and the memory loss they had suffered as a result. It was something of a relief to know that he still had some knowledge of her despite his memory loss. It would make things so much easier. “Well, I did help you prepare for your wedding.” Lucine studied them out of the corner of her eye, considering them carefully. “I have heard that Eleceos is helping you to retrieve your memories.”

Mune nodded their head. “The process is going slowly. My past is littered with a significant number of traumas. Eleceos is being careful with them.”

“I can certainly understand that,” Lucine murmured. “Eleceos’s reputation is second to none. However, if you ever require additional assistance, I would be more than willing to help. Anything for a fellow member of Clan Arcona.”

The Shistavanen gave a low, rumbling growl at her words. “Thank you. I will consider it.”

Lucine offered them another brilliant smile, utterly unbothered by their noncommittal answer. In fact, she respected them more for it. Unfettered access to the mind was a dangerous thing, and it seemed that they actually understood that. It was refreshing, in a way. Most people did not respect how powerful the mind could be, a fact that she had taken advantage of on more than one occasion. “I look forward to the possibility of discussing the matter further with you.”

Sirens blared overhead, signaling for the match to begin. Both combatants tensed slightly as they looked around, searching for any change in the arena. Surely it would not be as simple as a fight on a flat piece of rock in the middle of the Colosseum. Idris had proven himself to be far too creative and nefarious for that.

The seconds crawled past. A scant breeze drifted across the platform, causing her hair and Mune’s fur to stir. But there were no other obvious changes to the arena that would indicate danger.

Lucine narrowed her eyes slightly as she glanced up at the Voice, who had returned to his seat and was now watching from behind tented fingers. “It cannot be this simple.”

Mune gave a low growl of agreement.

“It is funny. Though we are both capable of combat, we are also the least inclined to rely on it as a first response.” The redhead tossed her braid over her shoulder.

The Shistavanen tilted their head to the side. “Do you have a suggestion?”

Lucine gave him a cat-like smile. “How about a little game of capture the flag? We each place our lightsabers on opposing platforms and then try to retrieve them while trying to keep the other from doing the same. I am certain that whatever surprises this arena holds will make it more challenging.”

Mune gave a small smile, showing a discomfiting number of teeth. “Why not? It sounds more interesting than a straightforward brawl.”

“I am so glad you agree,” Lucine said as she unclipped her lightsaber from her belt. “If for some reason we are both able to retrieve our weapons then we will meet back here for a little nonlethal duel. Does that sound fair?”

She favored her opponent with another smile when they nodded their head. Moving first as a sign of goodwill, she threw her lightsaber toward a platform behind Mune even as she called upon the Force. It spun as it reached the zenith of its arc, before being caught by invisible hands that carried it to rest in the center of the far platform.

The Shistavanen followed suit, using their power to levitate their twin saber hilts to a platform behind Lucine. “We will go when the clock reaches one minute,” they said, nodding their head toward one of the large viewing screens. At the bottom, a digital interface clicked upward, indicating how much time had elapsed from the start of the match.

They stood facing each other as the seconds ticked past, each ready to move. Lucine could see Mune’s muscles tense below the thick layer of their white fur.

54… 55… 56…

They crouched down slightly, ready to take off running. Lucine tensed as well, pressing her lips together.

57… 58… 59…

As soon as the clock rolled over to 1:00, Lucine dropped into a crouch and swept her leg around to take Mune’s ankles out from under them. The Shistavanen laughed as they leapt over the attack, darting past her with lupine grace. “You’re going to have to try harder than that!”

Their playful words were cut off by a yelp as a vortex of orange-red fire appeared mere inches in front of them. They threw up a hand, a corona of energy appearing around them even as they twisted to the side to avoid the searing flames.

Those flames spread rapidly as if carried by the wind itself, creating a vortex of fire that encircled the combatants. Lucine took a deep breath as she felt the heat rolling toward her even from a few feet away.

She and Mune exchanged glances for a moment. Lucine drew upon the Force, guiding it to grant strength to her muscles as she took a running start and leapt over the flaming vortex, twisting her body to avoid catching her braid on fire. Mune, meanwhile, simply bounded over it.

Lucine did not look back, but the sudden rush of air and absence of heat indicated that the flames had winked out as soon as they had both cleared them. She ran for the walkway that led to her weapon, ready to leap out of the way of any new threat that might appear.

A ferocious wind was already beginning to pick up as she reached the edge of the platform, strong enough to make crossing difficult. She turned back to see that Mune was already halfway across their platform.

“You wish for me to try harder? Very well….” She smiled grimly and stretched a hand toward them, touching their mind as she wove an illusion.

The only warning was the sound of crackling, like embers catching light. The flames, caught and fueled by swirling wind, burst into a brilliant blossom of destruction. The scent of smouldering grass filled the Shistavanen’s nose. The weight of the heat wave that preceded the inferno was akin to a punch to the chest, all air forced from their lungs. Their fur was made damp with sweat. Driven by their instinct to survive, they turned tail, their heart racing. They bolted from the platform, flight the only option before them in the face of the all-consuming flames that, within a moment, swallowed the entirety of the platform they had been traversing in their haste to reach their lightsabers.

Mune hit the center platform in a roll before they sprung to their feet and spun around to see the swirling blaze. Except there remained no evidence of the flaming whirlwind that had moments before threatened to envelop them. Was the wind that blew through their fur powerful enough to clear the smoke so quickly? Had the Force warned them as it usually would have? The Shistavanen’s eyes widened in dawning realization, their head snapping around to gaze in the woman’s direction.

“Oh, you are sly,” their muzzle widened into a toothy grin, “Well woven illusion.”

Lucine fought the wind that whipped past her, closing in on her lightsaber. Nearly upon it, the wind abruptly ceased. Through grace alone, she managed not to stumble forward onto her exquisitely done-up face. Her lightsaber was within reach, and she extended her hand to grasp the weapon when a roiling rumble filled her ears. With a fraction of a second to react, she jolted back as a water geyser exploded upwards, expelled from cracked and fractured rock underfoot. From the corner of her eye, she saw her lightsaber fall back to the platform and roll, stopping within a hair’s breadth of a neighbouring platform’s edge.

She remained closer than her opponent, undisturbed by the change in circumstance, she infused the Force once more to empower her legs. As surprising as the appearance of the geyser had been, it was made less to the shock of the water being redirected to slam into her. The force of it sent her sprawling and sputtering through the water that managed to get into her mouth. She was glad her makeup was waterproof; otherwise, she would have been far more concerned, though her clothes becoming drenched was its own annoyance.

She caught sight of the Shistavanen’s eyes fixed intensely in her direction, a look of pure concentration directed entirely upon her with one hand extended. Or was that focus being directed somewhere else?

“Cheeky,” she could have laughed.

Mune released their hold on the water, catching the woman’s eye and knowing she had figured it out. With the Force’s assistance, they winked cheekily before leaping back to the platform they had evacuated moments prior. They landed between two geysers, paying the spray little mind other than to hope they did not smell like wet dog by the end of things. Lucine would not remain down for long, so they had to move quickly.

With grace and poise, Lucine returned to her feet, water dripping from her braid and clothing. She was all the more grateful for her choice of hairstyle. She sprinted, crossing the platform and weaving between a couple more geysers.

The sound of a loud crack echoed through the arena.

Both fighters skidded to a halt; their ears perked, and their heads snapped around to take in their surroundings. Their senses are on high alert. Ominously, another loud crack and a growing rumble filled their ears. The platforms vibrated with it, pebbles skittering around their feet. Shistavanen and Human met glances, clear neither of them had affected the change; they turned their attention back to their goal.

Crack!

Rumble.

The platforms shook more violently.

Mune was closing in rapidly on their lightsabers when the first jut of rock exploded up from the flat surface of the platform. In their peripheral vision, they could see cracks spreading out between blades of grass and stone. Between one heartbeat and the next, the Arcanist watched the earth tear itself asunder. Juts of jagged rock fell away while others thrust upwards. They had but a heartbeat’s time to leap.

Their platforms were seemingly coming apart under their feet. The Seeker felt the ground drop from under her feet. She fell, adjusting midair and landing in a roll that found her back on her feet, muscles bunched to bound upwards. She directed power into the muscles of her legs. She launched herself off the side of one trembling pillar of stone to another and back again until she vaulted over the top in a crouch upon its surface. She scanned for her lightsaber, worried briefly that it had fallen to the arena below in all the shaking. To her relief, it somehow managed to stay put. Lucky.

“It will take weeks to get all this dust out of my fur!” Mune shouted across from his perch upon another pillar.

Lucine looked at her nails and sighed dramatically, “You are telling me. My nails will be a mess until I can get a manicure.”

“Your lipstick still looks amazing,” Mune offered as if they could make it out from their distance.

“You are too kind,” she chimed. “Your tail remains immaculate.”

“Are you checking out my tail? You flatter me.”

“How could I not?” Lucine said in her most charming tone.

“Do you think Idris’ viewing box has controls that let him manipulate the elements down here?” Mune asked with a grin.

“If he does, he owes me a manicure, as a gentleman.”

The telltale sound of the earth shifting once more brought their attention back to the battlefield. Mune hadn’t needed the rest; Lucine was grateful for the opportunity to catch her breath. The friendly banter had not been half-bad either, as empty as it was.

With a resounding crack, the stone pillars began to crumble.

Snap!

Crack!

Mune’s eyes were drawn to the stone column their lightsabers rested upon. As quickly as the pillar they stood upon had begun to splinter, so too did the one their weapons rested upon. The game of capturing the flag they agreed to was becoming more exciting by the minute.

The smell of smoke tickled their noses. Seeker and Arcanist recognized the warning before gouts of flame roared from cracks in the rocks below. As if on cue, they both moved, their stone pillars falling to rubble.

Time slowed to a crawl. Mune watched the pillar holding their lightsabers crumble, mind calculating, body adjusting. The Shistavanen twisted and flipped in midair, snatching both weapons before they could fall and be buried.

Lucine also sailed through the air in a Force-aided leap. Her hand closed around the hilt of her saber, before the trembling of the platforms could send it plummeting. She flipped. Their feet hit the ground and skidded to a half, the new pillars they found themselves upon disintegrating rapidly. The wind whipped up around them, carrying the fire upwards in a violent whirlwind of devastation.

Tu-tump. Tu-tump. Tu-tump.

Like the maw of a krayt dragon, the columns of flame rose to engulf their respective perches and swallow them whole.

Tu-tump. Tu-tump. Tu-tump.

Seeker and Arcanist planted their feet. The Force welled within them.

Tu-tump.

Muscles tensed. They inhaled, focussed, holding each other’s gaze.

Tu-

-tump.

The thumping of their hearts drowned the whoosh of flames.

Tu-

-tump.

The flames engulfed them.

One-millisecond.

Two…

Three…

Shistavanen and Human burst from the flames, the sound of crumbling rock lost to the wild screaming of fire and wind. Perhaps angry that they had failed to consume the two fighters, time came rushing back. The Arconans hit the ground roughly, smoke and steam rising from their armour in curling whisps. Mune rose slowly, blossoming bruises fading, cuts and scrapes closing without a second thought. Already, they were funnelling power back into their being, aches and pains rapidly becoming but a memory.

Lucine’s recovery was slower; she rose a bit more stiffly to her feet. She consciously had to direct energy to the worst scrapes and bruises, starkly contrasting with the Elder. Her lipstick was still perfect.

Both stood, their lightsabers resting in their hands. Waiting patiently.

Mune stood at the edge of their platform, enjoying the brief respite from the raging elements. The last of their aches quickly vanished as the Force sped their recovery. Despite the elemental chaos that had taken place only a few moments ago, they felt reasonably refreshed and prepared for what was to come.

Their opponent, however, did not seem to be recovering as quickly. From where they were standing, Mune could see that Lucine was leaning forward slightly, her shoulders rising and falling as she caught her breath, her face flushed with exertion.

“This is what happens when you skip leg day!” they called cheerfully.

“Well,” Lucine managed between breaths as she clipped her lightsaber to her belt. “I shall have to get the name of your personal trainer when this is done.”

The wind was starting to pick up again, a breeze that ruffled Mune’s fur even as it strengthened to a gale. They tensed as they sniffed the air, wondering what the next trial would be.

From the opposite platform, Lucine’s eyes widened as she looked at something behind them. “Look out!”

Her warning was accompanied by the thunderous sound of cracking stone and a wave of heat. Mune instinctively took off in a run, narrowly avoiding a column of fire that exploded from the platform beneath their feet. The inferno seemed to chase after them, enveloping the platform mere inches behind them.

They ran directly for the walkway that connected to the main platform, which was untouched by the fire for the moment. They had to tuck their tail close to them to avoid the consuming flame that threatened to overtake them. Searing heat and the smell of singed fur burned their nose, causing them to pour Force energy into their muscles for extra speed.

Ten feet. Eight feet. Five. At last, they reached the walkway and the safety it offered. Yet as their foot was coming down onto its surface, the glint of metal on the arena floor caught their eye. Their foot found nothing but air, but they were already twisting, jerking themselves backward to avoid falling.

The fire and the walkway winked out of existence as they fell heavily on the platform edge, their lower body hanging over nothing but air. Their claws scrambled against stone as they climbed back onto the platform.

Mune glanced down at the arena floor to see the twisted remains of the walkway lying on the sand. Across from him, Lucine was running for the walkway closest to her. She had either recovered from her fatigue remarkably quickly, or it had all been an act.

“Tricky,” Mune growled under their breath. They would need to find a way across. But first, they needed to do something to slow the redhead’s progress. They smiled, baring their fangs as they drew upon the Force….

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucine saw Mune climb back onto the platform and give her a bemused look. But Lucine refused to feel bad about her ploy. The fall to the arena floor would have been little more than an inconvenience for the Shistavanen and would have given her a vital few minutes to prepare some sort of surprise for them on the main platform. In a battle against someone as powerful as Mune, she needed every advantage.

The winds grew more forceful with each step, and the rush of air past her ears drowned out almost every other sound. The buffeting gale whipped first in one direction, then another, nearly causing her to lose her balance even as she was pelted by grit and small stones.

The debris grew larger and larger. As she reached the walkway, a stone the size of her fist slammed against her thigh. Pain blossomed in her leg and she stumbled, nearly falling over the edge. She dropped into a crouch. Beneath her hands, she could feel the platform trembling as rocks bounced off of it, and even more debris skittered across the surface, driven by the wind.

She risked a glance to the opposite platform to see Mune standing still in the middle of the gale, watching her. Though the wind tore at their fur and robes, the rocks and debris bounced harmlessly off of a translucent barrier. Seeing her eyes on them, Mune smiled and waved.

Grumbling under her breath, Lucine engaged her plasma shield. She kept low to the platform, making her way across much more slowly than she would have liked. Her only consolation was that her opponent did not seem to be making any attempt to cross.

She had just reached the middle when something heavy slammed down on the walkway behind her, causing it to shudder. She yelped in surprise and turned to look to see a sizeable chunk of rock now resting on the far end of the walkway. A second piece of stone, roughly the same size as the first, was floating toward her in defiance of the howling winds.

Lucine whipped her head in Mune’s direction. They held one arm aloft, their hand closed in a fist. Grinning at her, they shouted something. Their words were lost to the wind, but the movement of their lips looked suspiciously like “Better hurry.”

They then brought their fist down in a theatrical motion. Behind her, the second rock slammed down onto the walkway. The impact lifted her a few inches off the surface and nearly sent her sprawling.

Even over the wind, she could hear the walkway groaning beneath the additional weight. It would continue to float for much longer.

Lucine abandoned any attempt at poise as she scrambled across the bridge, relying on her plasma shield to protect her from the rocks and her Force-enhanced strength to keep the wind from sweeping her away.

THUD

A third rock dropped onto the walkway. Lucine threw herself forward even as the bridge buckled and dropped beneath her feet, causing her to stumble. She slammed against the edge of the platform, holding on with all her strength as the winds buffeted her, trying to tear her free from the stone.

Pressing her lips together, she focused on maintaining the energy that sustained her added strength. Slowly, surely, she pulled herself onto the platform.

Lucine rose to her feet in time to see Mune hop down from the floating stone they had used to cross the distance between the two platforms. As soon as their feet hit the ground, they released the Force energy that had held the rock suspended in the air. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

As soon as both combatants reached the central platform, the wind died down into a light breeze. The only evidence of the earlier tempest was the layer of sand and debris that now covered the smooth surface of the platform.

Lucine looked the Shistavanen up and down. Their fur was significantly more disheveled than it had been before, and their robes were torn and burned in some places. But they did not appear to have any injuries. It seemed the foray to the other platform and back had been little more than an inconvenience to them.

She sighed inwardly, redirecting her Force energy to her various aches and pains. Icy cold tendrils spread through her as her bruises began to heal. She hid her need for recovery by lifting her hand to examine her ruined manicure with a forlorn expression. “After this, darling, I do believe I am going to need a spa day. Interested?”

“That does sound nice,” Mune agreed. “It’s going to take forever to get all this grit out of my fur.”

“Nonsense, you look fabulous,” Lucine replied as she offered him a brilliant smile. “It still has its glossy sheen. I simply must know what product you use to get it that way.”

“Product?” Mune said blankly.

“Oh dear. Are you telling me that it is completely natural?” The Shistavanen tilted their head at her words, their expression slightly confused. It was all the answer that she needed. Lucine laughed and shook her head. “Wow. That almost seems unfair.”

Her various pains quickly vanished as they spoke, leaving her feeling somewhat prepared for the duel. She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt. “Well, I suppose we should finish this before discussing plans for afterward. Are you ready?”

Mune grinned, showing a disconcerting number of teeth as they fell into a defensive stance. “Ready.” Their voice was a quiet growl.

As if to emphasize their words, the platform beneath their feet began to tremble, accompanied by a low rumble that reverberated through the combatants to their core.

Lucine took a deep breath, drawing on the Force as she shifted her weight slightly, her emerald lightsaber flaring to life in her hands. “Then let us begin.”

Mune centered themself in the Force. The Shistavanen breathed it in as naturally as they did the air. With a calming warmth and a cooling breeze, the arena receded until there was only the platform they stood upon and their opponent before them. The trembling of the platform below warned of more mayhem yet to unfold. For the moment, the Arcanist paid it no mind. Their ruby eyes fixated on the woman before them.

Lucine was a fine-featured woman with hair the colour of copper and a grace and poise that could be the envy of any high society. Belying her beauty was a woman more than capable of mentally or physically destroying her enemies. Mune was glad they needn’t count themself among the latter. They exhaled and shrugged their jacket from their shoulders while visualizing the Force filling their corded muscles and tendons with additional power. They pictured it flowing freely through their body, filling the fibres of their being, infusing them with light and dark in equal measure. They flicked their wrists and the hilts of their lightsabers slapped against the pads of their hands. They dropped to a crouch, muscles coiling and burning with barely contained power. Violet and cerulean plasma cascaded to life, shrouding the Shistavanen in their glow and flickering in ruby eyes made fiery in their white-furred features.

Mune watched the woman shift her weight and observed the motion of her body as she readied to move. The Arcanist would not give her the opportunity. The predator in them urged them into motion and they would not be denied. The distance was closed in a heartbeat. The cerulean lightsaber slashing up in a vertical cut.

Lucine, not to be caught off guard, parried.

The crackle of plasma filled their ears. The flashing of the energy of the two blades colliding sent their shadows dancing around them. It was violent and beautiful and marked their duel as truly having begun.

Mune reversed their grip on their violet lightsaber a fraction of a second before the woman deflected their left-hand attack to bring her weapon into a horizontal arc. Its passage was interrupted by another snap of plasma before being turned away completely as the Shistavanen maneuvered into another attack with their second lightsaber.

Lucine twisted and deflected and slashed again.

Both fighters wove in and out of each other’s guard. Plasma rent the air over and over. Horizontal slashes met by vertical guards, diagonal sweeps turned aside. Jabs and lunges evaded, parried and deflected.

The Shistavanen was frighteningly agile like an acklay set upon its prey. The Human had better-honed lightsaber skills. She could read her opponent’s attacks and counter, while Mune was more able to readjust and adapt on the fly through pure speed and the whispering of the Force through their being.

The wind picked up, signalling the end of the arena’s respite. It whipped around the two fighters, summarily ignored, even as the rumbling underfoot grew in intensity. They were focussed, reading each other’s motions, and analyzing the minute movements of the other’s body.

The rumbling grew more insistent and as one, they separated as the geyser erupted between them. Beads of water, catching the light of emerald, violet and cerulean, falling through the air. The fighters circled the water spout, switching off their lightsabers as still more water surged up around them, raining down to drip through hair and fur. The chill of the water on the skin raised goosebumps, chilling battle-warmed flesh; perhaps it would have been refreshing had they not been as tense as they were.

From one heartbeat to the next, they circled until the water that fed the geysers ceased. Lucine toggled her lightsaber to give life once more to the emerald blade. Mune reactivated both of their own and reversed the grip of both hilts. The spout that separated them died, stray droplets left to fall through the air between them.

The Arcanist was again the first to move. Lucine pressed a second toggle and an emerald blade twin to the first extended from the bottom of her conversion hilt. She deflected one blow then the next. The Shistavanen registered surprise for but a moment. Of course, her lightsaber was a conversion hilt, but so far as they were aware, the Human only ever made use of one blade. They barked a laugh, the surprise delighting them. The woman spun the weapon and pressed her attack.

Slash.

Parry.

Spin and slice.

Block, deflect, dodge.

The woman breathed heavier. Sweat dampened her brow. Lucine saw that unless she could outmaneuver her opponent, they would tip the scales by simply outlasting her. Lucine thrust the tip of one of her blades forward.

Mune knocked it aside.

She spun around with the momentum in a wicked horizontal slice.

The Shistavanen flipped over the blade and landed in a crouch.

Lucine spun around and brought her blade down in an emerald arc. Mune bent back on their laurels, blocking their opponent’s attack with crossed lightsabers.

“I must admit, I may be envious of your flexibility.”

“Your fighting form is nothing to scoff at,” Mune pushed against the blade above him and took the opportunity to dodge sideways before Lucine’s emerald blade plunged into the earth.

Mune skidded, feet struggling to find purchase on the wet earth. They sensed the woman’s next attack. The Arcanist had all of a split second to decide what to do. Their eyes narrowed and the Force surged within them. A feral growl bubbled up from their throat. Their blood boiled, and their heartbeat echoed in their ears. They pivoted sideways, narrowly avoiding Lucine’s attack with a visible uptick in agility, a feral rage fueling them.

Lucine sensed the change. She felt the usually calm aura of her fellow Arconan become something wild. It was not unfamiliar, as it was always there just below the surface, but to sense it unfettered was something else altogether. She was forced on the defensive, deflecting one blow, then another. Mune’s attacks came rapidly, barely giving the Human time to think, only react. She was being hard-pressed to keep up.

Left-handed slash. Deflected.

Right-handed jab. Parried.

Left. Right. Low. High.

Mune’s attacks came in a whirlwind of movement and acrobatics. Anytime Lucine could get in a counter, the Shistavanen was already moving. She was not being allowed to weave any tricks, so focussed was she on directing the Force just to keep up the pace.

Were they even aware? She realized she could be in real danger. She was forced to twist to evade a vertical low-to-high slash.

She lost a step and Mune was there.

The Shistavanen’s cerulean blade thrust forward and Lucine steeled herself, but the finishing blow never came. She stared into the lupine face of her opponent and watched the widening grin that split their muzzle. The hum of the blade inches from her throat filled her ears. They sensed the wild fury calming, waning as the Arcanist reeled it back in.

Exhaustion replaced its absence.

“You win,” Lucine announced loudly.

More softly she added, “If you put more training into your form, you could be frightening.”

Mune’s grin faded around the edges, and then with a sigh, their lightsabers deactivated. They straightened from their crouch and dropped their arms to their sides. They looked down at themself, covered in mud. They were already imagining the hours it would take to get their fur clean and shook their head. “Let’s go hit up that spa.”