"You were always a fool," Vader's deep voice intoned as his crimson saber flew forward with the determination to put an end to the battle of words only to be stopped by a powerful block. Red clashed and sparked against blue.
The Force buffered the calm figure, shielding him from the bone jarring crash of weapons. Vader moved about quickly striking at him from every angle, seeking the first instance of weakness in the Jedi's defense. Try though as the dark lord might, Obi-Wan endured.
The Jedi easily dodged each wild slash and potentially fatal swing of the sword. While every explosion of meeting blades made his heart ache more, he knew that the time for speaking was over. Vader would not listen and Anakin Skywalker was gone.
Yet he was loathe to give in so completely. "Anakin."
The word was jolted from him as he was pressed to defend against an unwavering thrust. Mere centimeters spared his life. Then just as swiftly as the attack had begun, it ended as Vader retreated a step. The black cape swept around the dark figure, gliding just above the powder-strewn floor.
Taking the moment, Obi-Wan wiped the cream-colored edge of his sleeve across his split cheek collecting a large red stain on the material.
With the slightest wave, Vader commanded the Force to send the Jedi flying backward with an invisible hand and shattered the spell of calm Obi-Wan had possessed.
Before the Jedi could regain his balance, the dark lord threw himself forward. The blood-hued blade sliced low followed through with a wild upper cut that glanced off blue. Unrivaled power flowed through the black shrouded figure as he hammered the blade down on his opponent. Every successful impact drove the Jedi another step closer to the melting pit.
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, struggling for purchase even as he was shoved over the grit-covered stone floor. A deep throb built in his muscles as he absorbed the brunt of each blow. "You can stop this," he said between ragged breaths.
Blood tickled as it oozed down the side of his face from the gash below his right eye. The thick red fluid oozed itself into the ginger hairs of his beard. His arms shook from the strain as he parried a downstroke. Countering, his pale blue blade clipped the black armor at the dark lord's shoulder.
An orange explosion of sparks from a damaged mechanism went unnoticed as Vader eliminated the space between them. Scarlet flashed and with the flick of a wrist the dark lord inflicted a thin slash across the Jedi's back.
Jerking hard to the right, while fighting against the newfound pain, Obi-Wan turned and kicked out connecting the back of Vader's knee.
The masked figure roared as he sank to the floor before catching himself. With a frustrated growl, the fallen Jedi moved faster than the cumbersome suit belied and drove his weapon forward. "This ends now!"
Fighting against the injury, the Jedi bounded backward, a mere step ahead of the lethal weapon. The cream of his tunic hung open revealing the torn flesh that grazed his spine. Breathing heavily Obi-Wan retreated beyond the Sith's reach and dropped his saber arm to his side. After a brief pause, the blue blade was disengaged.
He was tired.
While his vision had remained somewhat blurred, the pain in his head had been relegated to a place where it would not interfere with the combat. Every breath burned and he struggled to reach his calm center.
Pale azure met the hidden gaze of his apprentice–friend–as he awaited Vader's next move.
It was a mercifully short wait.
Vader whirled about in a flourish and rushed the Jedi once more. Red sliced through the still air, its aim true and clear.
An instant of blue.
In the distance of a heartbeat, a width of meters stood between the two men, flaming weapons in hand, as silence reclaimed the chamber.
Obi-Wan stumbled.
Uneven boot falls echoed in the sudden silence. The blade once more disengaged as the silver cylinder slipped from numb fingers and clattered to the floor. Every breath burned as he clutched his wounded shoulder. The stench of burned flesh and material wafted about. Vader had made contact.
The fire of a dying age had left a deep gash from the top of the Jedi's shoulder down across his chest. The scorched material of his tunic gaped open revealing the angry wound.
Pain swam in the blue depths of his eyes as he wavered before gaining enough strength to face Vader once more. Through the fog of physical agony, he slowly became aware of the other man's mechanical breathing. Though now it was no longer that even, mechanized sound. A haunting wheeze and click bled from the dark figure.
The Sith straightened, revealing an equally devastating slash across his chest plate. His suit controls were heavily damaged by the Jedi's final effort. The click and wheeze of his forced breathing filled the chamber.
A languid motion of the dark lord's gloved hand commanded the unbridled power of the Dark Side. He sent the Jedi crashing into the wall.