11 Xetha II

Rain continued to fall onto the two warriors as flashes of lightning were accompanied by the sounds of booming thunder, all the while steam rose from their blades evaporating the falling water. Xetha, with her black cloak fluttering in the chilling breeze, smiled at the Wanderer as she was certain the end of this battle was drawing near.

Below the black binding wrap on her chest, the Wanderer's abdomen was still in excruciating pain after being sliced and burned by Xetha's lightsaber. Grimacing, the Wanderer scanned Xetha's double-sided scythe with her single eye, dumbfounded by the absurdity of the weapon. 'This is gettin' ridiculous.' she thought to herself, never having seen such a blade.

Her lightsaber was unique in its own right, based on a more archaic weapon known as a katana, with a slightly curved blade and scabbard. Nonetheless, her lightsaber still functioned in the same way as any other normal lightsaber, the differences were mostly just aesthetic. Throughout her years as a Jedi, weapons as absurd as Xetha's were few and far between, in fact, most of them still took the form of a sword if they were different at all.

"Are you afraid, Jedi?" Xetha asked, still spinning her double-sided crimson scythe in her hands, creating even more steam as it cut through the falling rain. Seeing the puzzled expression on the Wanderer's face was exhilarating, though that expression was far from one displaying fear. As her blade continued to spin, Xetha took a step forward, prompting the Wanderer to take a slight step back as she continued to think of a new plan of attack.

Xetha laughed once more, her orange Sith eyes glowing brightly along with her white, fanged smile. "Mmmmm..." Xetha moaned, still grinning at the Wanderer as she stepped forward. "I love it... Seeing the fear in one's eyes the moment before I strike them down, it's euphoric! You want to run away, don't you Jedi!? You wish to have never challenged me, right, Jedi!?" Her calm, cold voice started to grow more erratic as she spoke, compelling the Wanderer to scoff at her.

"I ain't afraid of you. I ain't runnin' from you neither. I'll kill you even if it's the last thing I do." The Wanderer spoke plainly, compelling Xetha to once again laugh before looking at her curiously.

"Is that so? You are a Gray Jedi are you not? You walk the thin line between light and dark. Yet, here you are, protecting some village on a far-flung planet, facing me of all people." Xetha couldn't comprehend why such a formidable warrior was wasting her life away on such a planet. Xetha was powerful in her own right, such that she never needed to fully exert herself, using only one end of her lightsaber in every duel.

"You're wasting your potential here, Jedi! You fight with half your vision, with just a single arm yet you are my most formidable foe. You walk both sides, yes? Therefore, you can comprehend why the Dark Side of the Force is a necessity within the balance of the universe. Balance in the Force must be important to you, that is why you use that colorless blade, correct?" As Xetha continued on with her soliloquy, the Wanderer glared at her, showing not a hint of her own thoughts.

"I too am a believer in balance, such that I seek power over all in order to ensure that true balance can be achieved. You and I could achieve that together, perhaps as a consort to one another. Imagine how powerful you could become once your vision is restored and your arm is replaced-" Xetha's attempt to turn the Wanderer over to the Dark Side of the Force was a valiant attempt, though she was cut off by the Wanderer before she could conclude her offer.

"I will never join the likes of you. Never again.

I am no Gray Jedi.

And I am no Jedi.

What I am is a warrior who will protect those who cannot protect themselves against those who prey on the weak, whether that be through collectin' bounties whose targets are some of those beasts of prey or through passing by a city of folks being preyed on by monsters like you.

My one good eye, the one I can sense filth like you from a parsec away with, is far from a weakness. Same goes for my lone arm that strikes down any and all foes who dare face me with the utmost efficiency.

This missing arm acts as a reminder of when I was weak, a reminder that I am now far stronger than my past self. This missing eye, the one covered by this here eyepatch, serves as a memory, reminding me that I was once lost, though my path was found upon my eye bein' lost.

These are my strengths. Not physically, but spiritually and mentally. That is why you will die by my hand. You believe physical strength overpowers all when in actuality, physical strength is the most flimsy of all strengths."

Xetha frowned, being incapable of seeing how the Wanderer could consider herself stronger when lacking such important features as sight and power. What confused her even further was the smile that was on the Wanderer's face, albeit, a very slight one. "When it comes to all that consort talk, you aren't my type, sorry." the Wanderer's slight smile then faded as she continued. "You're a monster, it only took five minutes of looking around this place to see that. I may walk between light and dark, but I do not walk between good and evil. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong."

"Then you die." Xetha proclaimed before dashing toward the Wanderer, spinning her double-bladed scythe in her hand. Xetha then lept in the air, flipping her body as she sliced down onto the Wanderer with one side of her blade.

The Wanderer blocked this strike using just her lone arm, showing no signs of wavering. Xetha wouldn't let either of them take a breath, using the blade on the bottom of her scythe to attack the Wanderer from below.

The Wanderer swiftly flipped her blade, blocking Xetha's low attack. As their blades collided and sparks flew, the two fighters made eye contact briefly, their roles in the battle seemingly switching at this very moment. No longer was Xetha the confident one, as it was the Wanderer she would be the victor of this battle.

With a barrage of alternating low and high attacks, switching between the top and bottom half of her double-sided scythe, Xetha fought on using everything she had physically, though the Wanderer blocked each attack with ease using her single, grey lightsaber.

'I don't understand! How is she the complacent one!? How is she not growing overwhelmed by my blades striking her down!?' Xetha thought in her own head, trying to figure out how the Wanderer was seemingly performing at an even higher level despite her lightsaber's strength being doubled.

As Xetha's frustration grew, her Sith eyes shone even brighter. Each alternating attack of hers would prove to be far more vigorous and swift than the last, such so that she could tell that the Wanderer was starting to become overwhelmed. "Yes!" Xetha started to think out loud. "You cannot keep up with me Jedi! I can see it in your eye once again! You're wavering!"

The two of them continued to clash blades and the Wanderer continued walking backward as she blocked each and every last one of Xetha's attacks, despite her supposed wavering.

Xetha, using the top of her blade, slashed downward using all of her strength. Swift as a fox, the Wanderer dodged to her right, holding her lightsaber with a reverse grip. As if time slowed down for the both of them, Xetha's eyes widened upon seeing the Wanderer suddenly beside her. The Wanderer's grip on her blade tightened before she delivered a reverse slash aimed directly at Xetha's midsection.

Every warrior and every weapon has a weakness, including Xetha and her double-sided scythe. The Wanderer spent the entire fight figuring out just what that weakness was, and it was at that moment when she found it.

Similar to a pike, her scythe's weakness was the long handle. However, the difference between a scythe and a pike was the techniques used by their wielder. A pike used thrusting attacks, whereas a scythe used long, ranged slashes to cut down its opponent.

Though slashes were more difficult to punish in comparison to thrusts, the Wanderer knew that Xetha's other weaknesses were her arrogance and emotions. The Wanderer waited for those two weaknesses to reach their climax before punishing every single one of Xetha's and her scythe's weaknesses at once.

With her reverse slash, the Wanderer sliced Xetha's scythe in half and sliced her midsection. However, her blade's length was not enough to cut through Xetha in her entirety.

Despite her attack only being half successful, the Wanderer's eye dilated, looking at her enemy like a beast looking at its prey. In one swift motion, the Wanderer flipped the grip on her blade, holding it with a forward grip to extend her range before attacking from left to right with a backhanded slash, prepared to kill Xetha.

Like a cornered animal, Xetha found a way to survive, holding the two halves of her scythe as if she were holding two sickles as she blocked the Wanderer's grey blade. "I- I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" Xetha spoke through her pain as her body still burned from the Wanderer's blade.

Finding herself at the advantage, the Wanderer went on the offensive, delivering swift, yet powerful attacks with her grey blade. Xetha, to the best of her ability, blocked these attacks with her makeshift sickles, though the Wanderer's speed was overwhelming.

Trying the same technique as the Wanderer, Xetha dodged one of the Wanderer's attacks, twirling with both of her sickles in hand before slashing horizontally. However, unlike Xetha, the Wanderer was prepared for this, blocking Xetha's attack with ease.

As the Wanderer's grey blade clashed with Xetha's two sickles, the two of them looked into each other's gazes. Xetha's eyes were filled with hatred and passion, whereas the Wanderer's lone eye was poised while also appearing ghastly.

With one final move, the Wanderer deactivated her lightsaber, causing Xetha's blades to pass above her hilt, leaving her vulnerable. With wide eyes, Xetha looked on as the Wanderer placed the hilt of her lightsaber on her chest and activated it.

The sound of the Wanderer's lightsaber humming and cutting through flesh was heard as it cut through Xetha's heart, causing her to release her sickles from her hands. As she looked down at the blade in her chest Xetha spoke once more. "Y- you coward." she muttered, referring to the Wanderer's underhanded tactic of retracting her lightsaber in the heat of a battle.

This tactic was known as Tràkata and was rarely used. This tactic was seen as demonstrating weakness by the Sith and as cheating by the Jedi. It was also dangerous to use since turning off one's lightsaber would leave one defenseless, even if it was just for a brief moment. The Wanderer, however, was certain that Xetha would not capitalize on that one second of weakness due to her overconfidence and the fact that she was using a makeshift pair of weapons.

"You said it yourself. I walk the line between the Jedi and the Sith. Therefore, your fatuous rules, such as the ones against Tràkata, don't apply to me.

You may call such a technique a sign of weakness, but to me, bein' dead is as weak as it gets. Besides, a true warrior would have been ready for any technique, even ones that are forbidden.

When it comes to the move itself being a sign of showin' disrespect, you don't deserve even the smallest speck of respect from me.

Good ridance."

Having finished her piece, the Wanderer slashed upward, cutting through Xetha's chest until she cut through her neck and head, finishing her off if she wasn't dead already.

As Xetha's body hit the ground, the Wanderer's blade hissed as hit scrapped the inside of her scabbard was heard before clicking into place, signaling the end of their duel.