Ghost of Nightmares Past/Chapter 17

OBI-WAN VS BRUCK

Bruck and Obi-Wan's sabres danced before them, both blocking and attacking violently, each of them desperate to defeat the other. Bruck pushed Obi-Wan back, out of the Council Chamber, and into the corridor. Obi-Wan leaned back as Bruck's sabre swung for his head, and ducked, before kicking out, tripping him. Bruck recovered quickly, before shoving his knee into Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan rolled back, and got to his feet, holding his sabre in front, as Bruck rushed towards him. He parried, and was instantly pushed into a wall.

"I'm too strong for you Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan ducked and dodged as Bruck's blade burned the stonework, as he force-dashed away. He pushed his left hand out, pushing Bruck back slightly, before leaping for him. Bruck was ready, and he dived to the side, causing Obi-Wan to somersault so that he landed on his feet. He turned to see a red sabre being flung towards him.

Obi-Wan flung himself into the air, his stomach parallel to the floor, and the sabre swung below him, the heat coming from it almost singing his tunic. He landed gracefully in a crouch, and, as the sabre came round for him again, jumped to the side. Bruck caught it in his hands, and ran towards him, twirling it in his hands. Obi-Wan parried instantly, and gave him a small Force-push when he got the chance, enough to send him back slightly. Bruck growled at him, and ran towards him, making the windows shake in their frames. Obi-Wan parried his next blow, dodged another, and flipped back out of the way of the next. Bruck kicked him, before bring his fist down. Obi-Wan held up his left arm, and blocked it, but the kick had connected with his sore side, making him grit his teeth and bare it.

"You should not have been Qui-gon's padawan!" Bruck yelled at him. "I was destined to be his apprentice!"

"He chose me Bruck!" Obi-Wan yelled back, as he backed off towards the stairs. "He chose me! You had your chance of having a Master, and you turned it down! Qui-gon never wanted you!"

"You're lying!" Bruck held, and Obi-Wan parried his next blow. The sabres sparked slightly, and crackled, as Bruck snarled, "You turned him against me!"

"You did that yourself!"

Obi-Wan pushed him back and kicked him, causing him to fall to the ground. Obi-Wan turned and ran, running up the next flight of stairs, ignoring the cold air that was starting to sweep his hair.

"Get back here!" He heard Bruck yell. Rain-drops began to comb through Obi-Wan's hair, as the weather outside took an instant turn for their duel.

It was starting to rain outside.

Obi-Wan slipped on the last stretch of steps, giving Bruck time to bring his sabre down, but, to his frustration, Obi-Wan used the force to push himself up from the step, and through the wooden door onto the temple roof, high above the Council Chambers. His hair got soaked instantly, and he turned to face Bruck, as he ran through the splintered doors to face him.

"Bruck!" Obi-Wan shouted at him, as he stopped a few metres away. "Please stop this!"

There was a rumbling sound, and lightning forked the sky above them, as the wind increased, causing their tunic folds to flap in the breeze. Bruck's white hair was dancing around his face, his icy blue eyes now a shade of red; he was falling closer to the Dark Side now. Obi-Wan held his sabre in front of him, before shouting, "You can stop this Bruck! Fight it! Return to the light!"

"I will never go back to the Jedi!" Bruck roared at him, slowly advancing towards him.

Obi-Wan frowned, causing the rain drops to fall down his face in straight lines. "They should have left you on Telos IV, Bruck. They should have sent you back as soon as they realised that you were turning evil!" He stopped, trying to control his emotions. "Please, just stop and think!"

Obi-Wan pulled his wet hair out of his eyes, and waited, sabre up, for Bruck to make his move.

Instead, Bruck said, "I will stop this Kenobi...when you are dead!" He raised his hands, and lightning forked through the air, using the rain-drops as extra steps towards him. Obi-Wan backed off, and jumped behind the spire, and the lightning missed him by inches. "Come out from your hiding hole Kenobi!"

"I'm not hiding Bruck!" Obi-Wan yelled, and he sliced the spire off, and pushed it away with his hands. Bruck, however, was ready. As the spire came towards him, he raised his own hands, using the force to stop it, and send it straight back at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan raised his hands, trying his best to push the spire back to Bruck. It was a battle of strengths now.

Obi-Wan could feel exhaustion as the two force-energies fought against one another to beat the other. A hissing sound could be heard, as the force signatures enveloped the spire into one big hug, touching each other...

The explosion roared through the air, as the spire exploded into the air, causing both Obi-Wan and Bruck to fly backwards. Bruck landed just before the steps, but Obi-Wan, who had nothing behind him, slid on the wet surface of the roof, dropped his sabre, and clung on for dear life on the flood grate at the side of the roof. His hands slipped as he hung there, before, slowly, he pulled himself up, half way, onto the stone roof. Bruck was already getting to his feet, sabre ready and ignited, and he grinned at the defenceless Jedi before him, clinging for dear life onto the grate.

With a sickening cracking noise, Bruck tried to snap the grate, but Obi-Wan kicked his feet into the stonework, forcing him to go flying backwards into the air. A somersault set him the right was up, and he activated his rope hook, swinging effectively back onto the roof behind Bruck. Using the force, he called his sabre back to him, and ignited it. Bruck was already coming at him. There blades danced before them again, as Bruck went on the full assault, with Obi-Wan defending himself. Bruck seized Obi-Wan's left arm, bringing his sabre around to his back, trying to score a deadly blow. But Obi-Wan was ready; he used Ahsoka's hold as a defence, blocking the red sabre that aimed for his back, before shoving Bruck away with his shoulder, making him release his left arm, as it began to go numb with his grip. Obi-Wan ran at him this time, going on the offensive, as the Sith slowly got to his feet. However, Bruck flipped him over onto his back on the stand, and brought his sabre down again. They parried, with Bruck trying to push Obi-Wan's sabre into him, as he lay on the stand where the spire had once stood. "You haven't won yet Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan pushed Bruck over him, flipping him onto the stand, before getting up. But the Sith recovered, swinging his sabre at Obi-Wan's defenceless back...

The pain seared through Obi-Wan's left shoulder, as the swipe cut his tunic and burned the skin below. Yelling, he leapt back, trying to not show any weakness that could give Bruck the upper hand. But it was too late. Bruck leapt for him, through the air, bringing his sabre crashing down onto Obi-Wan's forcing him to the ground. Bruck struck his sabre hard a few times, before disarming him. Pointing the red beam at Obi-Wan's neck, he smiled. "Goodbye Obi-Wan." "Not yet!" Obi-Wan bellowed at him. He spun himself on the wet floor, his feet connecting with Bruck's ankles, causing him to trip. Aiming an effective kick into Bruck's side, he heard his ribs crack, and Bruck's roar of pain. "Now we're even!"

Obi-Wan got to his feet, and kicked Bruck's sabre away from his hand, before summoning his own. Igniting it, he brought it down, ready to finish Bruck once and for all...

His blue sabre connected with red instead, as Bruck effectively summoned his own back to his hand. A kick to Obi-Wan's right side caused his half-healed ribs to scream in pain, and he backed off. He was unprepared for what happened next.

Lightning coursed through his body, burning parts of his tunic as Bruck forced it towards him. Obi-Wan raised his hands, causing the lightning to go instead, to where the force gathered. Bruck roared in anger, as Obi-Wan used the force to form a shield around his body, causing the lightning to go off in all directions. "I'm stronger than I was twenty years ago Bruck!" Obi-Wan called to him, over another rumble of thunder. The rain was really affecting his vision now.

"But not as strong as me!"

Obi-Wan released his right hand, causing the lightning to go off in a different direction, and flung his sabre towards Bruck, who stopped the lightning to raise his blade to block it. Obi-Wan caught his effectively over his head, in the wrong hold, as Bruck came towards him. He brought his sabre down, twirling it into the right hold he needed, and, with both hands, and began to go on the defence again. Bruck was getting annoyed now; the anger was clear on his face, and his teeth were bared at him. Obi-Wan raised his blade above his head, and Bruck did the same. Together, their blades twirled in the air, like Anakin and Dooku had done over a year ago. The red and blue light were their only sources to see each other when the lightning didn't flash across the sky. They pushed each other a foot apart, and slammed their sabre into each other's. The crackling noise and the flash of light when that happened almost blinded Obi-Wan, but he quickly blinked, causing the light to glance harmlessly against his eye-lids. Bruck, however, caught the flash instantly, and snarled in pain. Obi-Wan seized his chance, and leaned on his sabre, causing Bruck to lean back. Obi-Wan pushed and pushed, taking them towards the edge.

Bruck fell backwards, but grabbed the front of Obi-Wan's tunic, pulling them both down, as he fell from the roof. Obi-Wan was flying through the air with him now, and he could see the glass roof below, above where most of the Jedi were still fighting their shades, which were getting less and less. Obi-Wan felt Bruck pull him around, his back facing the ground, sabre pointing downwards over his heart. Obi-Wan twisted, causing Bruck instead to face the ground.

With a sickening smash, they fell through the glass roof.

Obi-Wan reached his hands out just in time, using the force to slow him down, and cushion his fall. He landed on the ground, face-down, and turned onto his back. Glass shards rained towards him, but he rolled backwards, and they shattered onto the floor, becoming tiny crystals on the ground, sparkling in the Temple's light. People stopped, as he got up, sabre up as Bruck ran towards him. Their blades connected, and he could see cuts on Bruck's face, where the glass had struck him. Obi-Wan could feel grazes on the right of his face, but ignored the pain as it increased. Bruck shoved him back, before swiping at his chest. Obi-Wan leaned back just in time, the blade just an inch away from his chin. Suddenly, he was thrown back, as Bruck force-pushed him away. He landed in a crouch, gazing up, panting, at Bruck as he slowly walked towards him.

How can he not be tired! Obi-Wan thought angrily to himself. There has to be a way to defeat him!

Obi-Wan parried Bruck's blow, and went on the offensive, pushing the man back. Jedi were starting to watch the fight between them, and Obi-Wan finally pushed Bruck back. Some of them ignited their sabres. "No!" He gasped to them, and they stopped, even Bruck. "This is...between me...and him!"

"You look tired Obi-Wan," Bruck sneered at him, circling around him, twirling his sabre in his hand. "Maybe you should just let me beat you."

Obi-Wan raised his arms in his sonseru stance, but they shook slightly, as Bruck came towards him. His swing blocked Bruck's sabre, and, this time, Bruck leapt away as he swung for him. Tiredness was creeping into Obi-Wan's muscles, and he stopped, as Bruck came towards him again. Then he realised what Bruck's plan was; he was tiring him out. If Obi-Wan became too exhausted, Bruck would easily take him down. Bruck swung at him. He parried, and tried to attack again, but Bruck dodged him effortlessly, and pushed him back. Obi-Wan gazed up at him, before standing, exhaustion plain now on his face. What should he do?

Use a Repulse, a voice said in his head.

I've never been able to accomplish a powerful one before, Obi-Wan told the voice, as he parried another blow from Bruck.

When he is backing off, built it up in your body. When you can't hold it in must longer, and he comes close, release it.

Obi-Wan crouched, head down, as Bruck landed a few metres away. Eyes closed, he concentrated. "Do you accept defeat?" He heard Bruck say, and his voice sounded amused. " Maybe it's time I finally finished you off Kenobi." Obi-Wan felt the tiny voices of his midichlorians speaking to him, and they were offering words of comfort, encouragement, building up his entire count together. His body was burning now, as the force flowed through his veins.

This was what he needed to do.