"That would be telling," Calindra said as she smirked, despite her exhaustion.
"So, 'Blondey' it remains," Anima replied without missing a beat.
The Palatinae's eyes instantly narrowed, a sign that combat was about to resume. Sweat beaded over her skin, causing both dirt and hair to plaster across her face. She made a quick glance at her surroundings, finding that many of the Massassi that had stopped to watch their bout had moved on to their own sparring sessions. The subspecies of the Sith were no doubt expecting more from them, something flashy. She could do flashy.
Anima suddenly charged forward, taking a half-step before propelling himself forward with lunging strides. The Journeyman reacted quickly, clenching her eyes shut and falling into a crouch. At the same time, she opened herself to the Force and pulled it about her like a shroud, her brow furrowing in concentration as she focused on becoming nothing.
"Son of a—" Anima muttered before he stumbled mid step, the woman suddenly disappearing between blinks. Common sense told him that his opponent hadn't actually moved from her position, but the sudden uncertainty that came from not being able to see a pending counterattack robbed him of the momentum that came from a sure strike. When robbed of vision, nothing was sure and the Sith wasn't about to risk anything. The Juggernaut opened himself up to the Force once more, directing it like a conduit into his legs. He launched himself off the ground, the added jolt of power catapulting him further than he would have managed under his own power. Throwing his arms out, the Umbaran managed to spin his body about and land facing where he had last seen his opponent, just as her cloak faded and she snapped back into view.
Calindra drew her trusty blaster the same moment she felt the Force slip from her grasp, aiming sure and true towards Anima as he landed. She smiled so hard Anima thought her face might shatter. "Stop me if we've been here before," Hejaran hissed out as her finger squeezed tightly against the trigger repeatedly. Red bolts of deadly plasma screeched through the air, one managing to soar just over Anima's shoulder while the others homed in on his core. The Sith threw out his palms, tugging on his connection to the Force and willing it to manifest like a swirling vortex in his hands. The shots connected with his palms and sparked briefly before ricocheting in less lethal directions.
Well, less lethal for Anima... unlike one or two unfortunate onlookers.
The Human cocked an eyebrow, paying no mind to the wounded cries as she rose to her feet. She grasped the weapon in both hands, tilting her head slightly for better aim as she began to approach her target with steadily increasing speed. The Sadowan was ready to defend himself more, if needed, but remained in a half crouch. He tensed as the shots rang out in a deadly chorus once more, but found no follow through to defend against. The red bolts scorched the ground at his feet, kicking up plumes of dirt and dust that hung like mist as the the particles caught in the steady breeze.
Anima squinted his eyes hard, reaching out with his senses, both physical and of the more mystical variety. The cloud before him suddenly collapsed inward, the only warning before an invisible concussive blast crashed heavily against his body. Not having time to prepare, the sudden shock caused his chest to convulse and force the air from his lunges, which had the added effect of knocking him somewhat off balance. The Sith was already backpedalling before Calindra's diving form was upon him, knocking him fully to the ground. He had expected to be able to recover quickly, but a heavy weight inhibited his movements. The human had planted herself firmly astride him, blaster barrel trained squarely between his eyes. Anima snapped his head to the side, but the heat of the weapon's discharge singed viciously against the side of his face, filling his nostrils with a mixture of burnt flesh and hair — an altogether unpleasant aroma.
Anima hissed from between clenched teeth, redirecting his hand that instinctively rose to cup his cheek to instead grab the woman's wrist. He forced her arm up, removing the lethal instrument from the equation. His actions were met with renewed force from his opponent, a force etched upon his body via a hard knee slamming into his groin. The world blurred at the edges of Anima's vision as the pain surged like fire throughout his body. No matter how accustomed to pain one became, not a single soul was ever truly prepared to handle such a strike gracefully.
Any who claimed such were damned liars.
The Sadowan had no choice but to bite his lip hard, drawing the coppery taste of his own blood as he felt his instincts snarling just below the surface. That part of him was screaming for retaliation, lusting after the blood and violence of such a rebuttal. He used pain to bring focus, to drown out the darkest parts of his being. Furthermore, he used that pain to restore the cycle of his power. Pain bred anger, anger turned to fire, and the fire of the Dark Side filled his entire being. Anima bucked hard against Calindra's weight, freeing himself up just enough to throw her to the ground beside him.
Sweat was now flowing freely down his face, falling in droplets to the ground as he hopped to his feet and crouched above the Palatinae in one fluid motion. The cold metal of his left hand slid across her throat, red beads forming around his taloned fingers as they pressed hard into her flesh. A mixture of pain and fear flashed through Calindra's eyes as Anima's mismatched gaze stared into them, watching as she fought to retain her composure while she struggled against his grip.
"Time to sleep, little blondey," Anima smirked as the muscles of his right arm bulged, using his power to further amplify the strength of the strike. His heavy fist slammed down, managing to slam hard against the woman's temple and flip the proverbial 'off switch'. The Sadowan felt her body go slack as her mind was sent into the sudden and dark embrace of unconsciousness, letting out a long breath as adrenaline faded and fatigue screamed from his overused muscles.
Anima wasn't completely sure at what point during the fight he had decided not to kill the woman, as he had originally intended after their previous encounter. Regardless, he had made the decision and that would be the end of that. It saved him both time and effort, seeing as the Rollmaster wouldn't have to hide what he had done or, for that matter, have to explain what happened to Locke so that the Consul could make an attempt at diplomacy with Xen'Mordin.
Yeah, that would have gone over so well.
"C'mon, lady," Anima muttered between gasping breaths as he slipped his arms under Calindra's still form, supporting her head with his forearm as he rose to his full height, "you haven't told me your name yet."
Turning to face the Massassi blocking his path away from the temple, Anima affixed their chieftain with a lethal glare, daring him to try anything. After a brief moment of consideration, an opening formed and the Rollmaster made his way towards the jungle, where his shuttle awaited a short hike away. It was going to be a long trip out of Taldryan space, and even longer still when Calindra woke up. More than likely she would try to kill him again the second she did so.
Oh yeah, it was going to be one hell of a trip.