A.N.
A nice long update!
More questions are raised, and the adventure seems to have only just begun. It is funny how fate has a way of bumping into our life, I know that from experience.
Now, enough with the cryptic rant…
Enjoy!
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Chapter 4 - "I relish the challenge!"
"Whoa!" Ron gasped as he ducked in time to avoid what could've been a grisly punch to the cheek. From the moment he had stepped into the battle ring he did not attack his opponent once. He was always good at dodging and avoiding unwanted physical contact. If only he could focus all that energy to swing instead he could win in the ring for once, but alas it was the same story every time.
The man, clad in orange armor streaked with white stripes that were shaped similar to lightning, probably because of his fast jabs that could easily blow the wind out of anyone's lungs. He was smaller than all the other Mandalorian warriors, both in width and height equally. Although he had nerves of steel, he was still the weakest of them all, and yet Ron still couldn't take him on. Physically Ron was not so different from his opponent, and that is why he sees that this could be the chance he could prove his worth to everyone, and no longer be mocked as a man with no honor.
The other Mandalorians guards gathered, not because they believe Ron actually stands a chance against their partner, but for the fun of seeing Ron's hopes and dreams shatter pitifully as it always did; his fights always made for a good laugh. And laugh they did.
"Oof!" Ron tripped up and crawled a little too close to the edge of the ring, his green armor almost completely covered in the lush green grass, and his yellow streaks blemished with mud. The wind blew softly against his hair as he trembled from his opponent, who now looked a lot taller than he originally did, and seemed a lot meaner when he took his helmet off to reveal his young but cruel and unscathed complexion, he had a slightly tanned skin with calm eyes that had that killer instinct look to them.
"Well, well, well," he spoke as he took pompous steps towards Ron, and ran his hand through his short brown curly hair, "should I finish you and let you off easy? Or should I give you an honorable warrior's chance?"
Ron's eyes narrowed, "I don't need pity from you!" with his ankles Ron grabbed at his adversary's foot and twisted as swiftly as he could, the man found his face falling flat in the mud and Ron leapt up and lashed at him to finish the job, only to find himself instantly choking.
He looked down and found that the warrior had grabbed his throat and was lifting his head from the mud, "That was a dirty move, Stoppable!"
Ron's eyes widened to the sound of his old second name. He tried hard to be a Mandalorian, to be one of the Fett clan. Yet everyone always called him Stoppable still. It always provoked him. He attempted to knock the wrist of the hand, again and again, but to no avail. He couldn't breathe, and his eyes began to water, his body was losing energy, again he tried to knock the wrist, but now he was getting dizzy and his head rested on the ground as he looked into the eyes of his opponent.
That moment his impulse kicked in, and Ron's foot met the man's head, knocking him to the ground. Taking the chance to cough and breath, Ron paid the price when his foe got back up, Ron was dragged backwards, kicking and desperately trying to find a grip to hold, until he turned over and grabbed a hand and foot of his rival, which wasn't very smart, because the foot came straight at his face, causing him to wince in pain.
And before Ron could recover, he discovered that his opponent now sat right on top of him, delivering blows all over his face. As Ron cried out in pain and agony, his voice became muffled with the loud and deep laughter of the on lookers.
Kim had been walking through the villages' trading district, dressed in what looked like a scouting outfit; tight black pants with purple stripes going down the sides, a utility belt hanging off her hips, a tight purple short sleeved shirt with a loose sleeveless scouts' jacket over it and shining black military boots. She had just finished her routine patrol around the perimeter of the village, and not because it was her duty, but because it's something she had been doing ever since she was here. It was her way of clearing her mind, and she needed it ever since Tim had been missing. Then a voice registered in her mind, a very familiar and unique voice…Ron's.
She almost shrugged it off, when she heard it again, and it was coming from beside her, where there was an excited crowd of Mandalorian guards gathering around what looked like a battle ring, and then she heard Ron's voice deep within their laughter, automatically she dashed over to see what was going on, she pushed through the crowd, "excuse me, excuse…move!"
Pushing aside the last tower of a man, she was horrified to see her best friend, her only friend in the entire village, pathetically, laying there on the ground, with some Mandalorian guy mounted on top of him and swinging at him like some brutish rancor beast!
"You will remember me, Ron Stoppable!" he said through gritted teeth as he tugged on Ron's collar, "I Goran Chump will rise through the warrior ranks, and you will always fear me!"
"I give…" Ron managed through his swollen cheeks and lips, "I…give!"
But the punches kept coming, and the echoes of laughter kept going, again he tried to cry, "I…give!"
Suddenly Kim flew into the ring, much to the surprise of the observers.
"Enough!" she cried and shoved Ron's antagonist with all her might, sending the man rolling out of the ring and under the feet of the crowd, she glanced down at Ron, concerned and afraid, placing her hand gently on his wounds, "Are you alright?"
Ron could barely open his mouth, trying to mumble something, but the world became a blur and he simply fainted. Kim gasped, and furiously turned to look at Goran, who now got up from the sudden interruption and was glancing at her surprisingly.
She pointed a defiant finger at him, and fumed savagely, "You, me, in the ring now!"
Then voices began to erupt from everywhere, whispers and murmurs. All eyes now fell on Goran.
"Like you would stand a chance against me!" he chuckled, and stood to rival her, "I don't think so, I'm simply not in the mood."
Kim's face twisted into a very dark glare, her mouth barely moved to her words, "whether you like it or not, we're going to fight. The real question is do you prefer it with or without rules?"
The crowd fell silent, and it grew with more spectators, because if there was one thing that would gather so many people in this village, it would be a fight that really counts. They've seen so many good battles in the ring that they've actually grown bored of it. But this time Kim was fighting. Kim never fights. At least not since that long forgotten day; the day her father decided to adopt her. And now is the chance for this girl to live up to her legend. Just like all Mandalorians, these spectators showed no anxiety or excitement, but it was there, Kim could feel it.
Goran took in a deep gulp; she could've sworn she saw tears somewhere in his eyes, with a trembled voice he replied, "Fine. The ring it is then."
Kim clenched her gloved fist and it met the palm of her other gloved hand, "You've got one minute."
He let off a groan and nodded nervously, then watched as Kim paced over to the moaning Ron, falling on her knees and wincing at his wounds she called out to the crowd, "Could someone watch him while I finish from here?"
But no one responded, she grunted feverishly, clearly no one wanted to miss this duel, "Alright, could someone at least put him on the side for me?"
Two buff men stepped out of the crowd and began to drag Ron out. They were clad in colorful attire; Kim concluded that they must've been among those who've seen a lot of action in the ring. Kim stood and paced to the edge not believing that she's actually taking part in this horrendous game, but she had to do it. For Ron; for what this dirt bag did to him.
Turning to face her opponent, she took up a fighting pose by placing one foot in front of the other, and with a straight back she stretched one arm out and the other over her head, both palms open and fingers straight and joined together. Her face was still, her eyes fixated on the target.
All eyebrows were raised, particularly that of her opponents'. It was striking that no one ever saw Kim take up a fighting pose, and it seems that it came naturally to her. This duel has indeed taken a very exciting twist.
Goran shook his head and raised his fists; kickboxing was clearly his style, "Why should I fear you? I have training and experience on my side, you have none!"
He began to dance his way towards Kim, blowing fists in the air and trying to deceive her with false steps on either of her sides. But it was clear to everyone, he was afraid to attack her. The legend was haunting his heart and mind. He glanced into those cold emerald eyes, and all he could picture was doomed failure.
"Go on, man!" a croaky voice from the crowd urged him, "make your move!"
Another, this time, feminine voice chanted, "Get on with it!"
He looked around nervously at the staggering number of young and old Mandalorians watching him, his honor is on the line here, and Kim remained motionless, the bitter memory of her friend being savagely battered by him still fresh in her mind.
"I…I…" he began to stutter, looking back and forth from the crowd to Kim, "I…cant'…"
"I don't have all day, Goran!" Kim taunted, putting her hands down on to her hips and standing casually, "if you're not going to attack, then maybe I should?"
Goran grimaced and spat on the ground, and then he nodded and bit his lip, "Who am I kidding? You'll always be a Possible, a wannabe Mandalorian!"
He then clenched tighter on his fists, it was at the moment when Kim rolled her eyes and let them settle at the uneasy crowd that he made his move.
Everyone gasped to see him attack at such a speed, his fist at the ready, his deriding smile, his careful timing…it was almost perfect chance. No one could deny that Kim was going to get that punch.
When her eyes spotted him, when his swing struck nothing but air, when Kim leapt at an incredible height and allowed her legs split and her hands pat his head and allow her to somersault over him, and when she rolled on the ground and stood back on her feet almost effortlessly, the attention of the crowd became awe struck.
Goran looked around, to see the result of the sudden impact, and found her behind him by several feet, still inside the ring, still standing casually, and now a greater threat to him after displaying such agility, but to him she could be no different than Ron, agile but not powerful at all.
"I guess it's my turn now," Kim uttered while glancing at her nails, and then raised a brow at him, "right?"
Goran took a defensive arrangement, "show me what you've got!"
"Oh," Kim's sarcastic smile faded into a very nasty glare, "I will."
She was in the air, an incredible beam of the sun reflected from her, it all happened when Kim leapt and spun with a quick twist to her left, where her foot found a stunned Goran's jaw. The incredible cracking of his bone created an exciting mix of cheerful admiration and uncomfortable winces in the crowd.
And as he was about to fall backwards, Kim continued the air-spin with her right foot landing squarely on his chest with all her might, winding him as his body touched the ground. But Kim didn't stop there, her wrath had just begun.
The dazed and agonized Goran found himself on his feet, with Kim lifting him by his collar and shaking him violently, "Now I'll let you know what Ron felt like!"
The fuzzy image of Kim with gritted teeth was all he could see, then he felt a sudden powerful pressure on his chest, the mesmerized audience discovered that Kim had placed both her feet on his body and used him to leap to the sky, performing a mystifying back flip.
The jolt caused Goran to bend backwards, and as Kim stretched her foot down towards him, Goran realized to his horror that his face was to meet the sole of her boot. The dramatic scene as Kim descended from above ended when she planted Goran's head into the ground.
Had he been able to avoid the attack or not, it made no difference. Everyone agreed he was too stunned to react to such a spectacular feat. Fast, accurate and powerful, her moves were just right. They were perfect.
Her hair blew with the wind, her breathing slowed, and she rose to her feet. Standing over the motionless body of Goran, everyone watched speechless as she slowly made her way over to her unconscious friend without even a peek at her victim. She helped Ron on to his feet, placing his arm around her and leading him through the crowd, whom more than willingly cleared the way for them to go to the medical center.
After that, everyone's gaze returned to the ring, where a static Goran lay on his back, groaning and going in and out of consciousness. For a moment, no one spoke, no one moved. The thought that Kim had just flattened Goran didn't quite compute in everyone's mind yet. It took another agonizing groan from him to regain everyone's composure and motivate them to lift him from the ground.
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A speeder bike hovered at an incredible speed, coming over the hill towards the village. Its loud engine whined as it carried the two passengers on board.
Purt in his blue Mandalorian uniform piloted the bike, as Jarren held on behind him. His blue hair along with his long Jedi robes flapped wildly at the speed with which they approached the village. When they finally reached the closest building, Purt brought the bike to a stop and both of them hopped off to find a gathering of armored and colorful Mandalorians.
Purt didn't wait a moment before he ran in to meet them, Jarren on the other hand was adjusting his clothes and neatening his hair, but when he glanced at the large man who stepped out of the crowd, he immediately poised himself. The Mandalorian was dressed in blue armor, similar to the one Purt had, except it had yellow streaks on the arms and forehead, and the helmet was not oval, it was smaller, more of a tube shape than a curvy square, and it had a larger T shaped visor than the others. He was certainly striking to look at.
The Mandalorian spoke, "Who's he?"
The man had a strong voice, although it was the same mechanical muffle they all had through the mask, but this one was louder, more rough.
Jarren stepped forward, "I'm Jarren, I'm…"
"I didn't ask you, stranger!" The man interrupted, with a harsh tone in his voice, making Jarren feel obliged to step back.
Purt then took his place and gestured with his hand towards the young boy, "He's a Jedi student. He said he wanted to speak to Mandalore about a personal matter."
The larger Mandalorian glanced at Jarren, the young Jedi could feel that he was being studied. Through that visor the Mandalorian watched everything from his stand, his facial expression, even his breathing.
"What else do you have to tell me about him?"
Purt smiled behind the mask, no one could see it, but it became obvious when he spoke, "He beat Merko Ordo in the battle ring!"
The mandalorian lifted his chin in interest, "Is that so?"
He then paced over to Jarren, who had an innocent smile on, his walk was firm and very military, "So Jarren, what is it you want from me then?"
Jarren cleared his throat; he didn't realize that Mandalore stood before him all this time. And yet, somehow it made sense, he thought of what might be the best way to make his request, "I was sent here to complete my final trial, my task is to adapt to Mandalorian culture, and of course I will do whatever I can to pass this challenge, in order to prove myself a worthy Jedi Knight."
"Impressive speech there boy," responded Mandalore sarcastically, "but the real challenge is not to impress your simplistic old men on the council, the real challenge here is to prove to us why we should accept you in our culture. You may have impressed a few Mandalorians in the battle ring, but In order to adapt, you must become a Mandalorian yourself!"
"I don't understand," Jarren replied, shrugging, "What must I do then?"
"Don't ask me," chuckled Mandalore, "Look around, see what you can do to impress me, get to know some of the villagers perhaps and ask them, this is your trial not mine!"
"So you don't mind me wondering through your village? Getting to know your people?" asked Jarren rather stunningly.
Once again, Mandalore derided, "Go ahead, be my guest! There's not much for a stranger to see here anyway! You'll find our way of life is nomadic, look around boy I insist, and once you're done from here I suggest you tell everyone about us, because once the Republic crumbles the Mandalorians will become the only dominant power in the galaxy!"
The egotistical rant staggered Jarren, he couldn't believe the warmongering he heard come out of Mandalores' lips, he had never thought that the Mandalorians really fancied themselves as the dominant power before. But nevertheless, he was aware of the rivalry the Republic and the Mandalorian Empire had, and the more the Mandalorians expand their territories, the more of a chance a war could erupt.
"What's the matter, boy?" Mandalore snapped Jarren out of his trance, "You changed your mind?"
"Oh no, not at all," Jarren shook his head and smiled, "I relish the challenge!"
"Good." Mandalore seemed pleased with Jarrens' attitude, "I'll be watching you boy. So surprise me."
Mandalore walked back towards the small crowd of Mandalorians behind him. Purt took a glance at the Jedi and then joined the crowd that stepped into the guard post; leaving Jarren standing alone contemplating what seems to be the toughest part of his trial. Somehow he must become a Mandalorian.
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A.N.
Oh for sure, the next chapters will be fun!