Cain crept to the edge of a dense thicket overlooking a broad clearing by the river. What he saw would have taken his breath away, had he not been so focused: Anakin and Ahsoka were in the midst of a fierce duel with Kar. The trio moved across the muddy clearing like dancers in a deadly ballet, each a blur of motion. Cain quickly crouched behind the buttress root of a massive tree, remaining hidden for the moment, and observed the battle unfold with rapt attention.
At the center of the fray was Kar, and he was more fearsome then Cain's recollections had painted. Kar was a towering figure, his chest bare and gleaming with sweat and rain, crisscrossed by old scars. Muscles knotted under his dark skin with each movement.
He wielded a massive vibroshield on each forearm – curved slabs of dull metal that hummed audibly even from a distance. The shields' edges were stained and chipped from countless clashes. Kar's eyes were wild, almost white-rimmed, and he bore a predatory grin that revealed teeth filed to points. He moved on the balls of his feet, barefoot in the mud, like a predator ready to pounce. Every so often he emitted a growl or a grunt – primal sounds that resonated with power.
Surrounding Kar, trying to flank him from two sides, were Anakin and Ahsoka. Anakin's lightsaber blazed purple as he pressed an aggressive offense, his face a mask of determination. At the opposite side of the clearing, Ahsoka's twin lightsabers whirled in her hands weaving an almost protective pattern as she looked for openings. They were attempting a classic pincer maneuver, Cain realized – divide Kar's attention, hit him from both flanks so he couldn't focus on one target. Against most foes, it would be a swift victory for the two. But Kar Vastor was not most foes.
With a roar, Kar lunged at Anakin, covering the distance between them with shocking speed. Anakin met him head-on, swinging his lightsaber down in a two-handed power strike that would cleave most enemies in two. Kar didn't attempt to dodge; he caught the lightsaber blade on his left vibroshield, angling it just right. Sparks exploded as plasma scraped along the alloy. The shield held firm – the lightsaber did not cut through.
Anakin's eyes widened in surprise, but he reacted quickly, twisting to deliver a side kick toward Kar's midsection. Kar absorbed the kick with his massive frame, barely budging, and with a snarl he slammed his right-hand shield forward. Anakin brought his saber back just in time to block, but the sheer force of the blow sent him skidding backwards, boots digging trenches in the mud.
Kar was about to press after Anakin when Ahsoka made her move. Taking advantage of Kar's momentary back-turn, she sprinted in and leapt high into the air, flipping gracefully over a low swipe of Kar's shield. Her dual lightsabers spun in a blur as she aimed for Kar's exposed flank. This is it, Cain thought – a strike from above that Kar might not be able to block in time.
But Kar instincts were honed razor sharp. Without even looking up, he felt Ahsoka's attack coming. Cain sensed a swell in the Force around Kar – a wild, unrefined burst of danger-sense. Kar dropped to one knee with inhuman reflexes, and instead of slicing into his torso, Ahsoka's blades whistled just inches above his head. In the same fluid motion, Kar thrust an elbow back and up.
The point of his left shield caught Ahsoka in mid-air, clipping her just under her ribs. She let out a gasp of pain as the blow knocked her off her trajectory. Ahsoka tumbled to the ground, twisting to land on her feet, but the impact was hard. She stumbled, momentarily winded.
Seizing the momentum, Kar spun toward her and swung his right-hand vibroshield in a wide horizontal arc. The edge came at Ahsoka like a giant vibro-axe. To her credit, Ahsoka recovered with incredible agility – she backflipped just as the shield slashed through where she had stood, the force of its passing stirring a gust of wind that tousled her montrals. A split-second slower and she would have been bisected. The brutality of Kar's strike was evident; there was no hesitation, no restraint – only a desire to disable or kill.
Anakin rejoined the fray with a yell, vaulting back into close range and aiming a flurry of quick lightsaber strikes at Kar's side to divert him from Ahsoka. Purple and green blades flashed against the dull gray of Kar's shields. Kar's ability to adapt was becoming clear.
After the initial exchange, he now shifted his stance to brace better against Anakin's power blows, and began timing counter-swings at Anakin's arms and legs, trying to exploit the reach and coverage of his shields. Anakin switched tactics, transitioning into a more acrobatic sequence to try to throw Kar off – perhaps drawing on Form IV Ataru maneuvers he'd seen Obi-Wan or Ahsoka use. He leapt over a low shield swipe and attempted to slash at Kar's back mid-leap.
Kar let loose a feral snarl that reverberated in Cain's mind – a surge of Force-based intimidation. Cain could feel the telepathic roar ripple outward. Anakin faltered slightly in the air, just enough that his swing missed its mark. Kar whirled with astonishing speed, tracking the Jedi's movement like a hunting beast. Before Anakin could land, Kar extended his arm and backhanded the Jadaii with a shield. The edge glanced off Anakin's shoulder armor, tearing a chunk out of the plastoid plating and spinning the young Jadaii down to the ground with a thud. Anakin rolled away through mud and leaves, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Cain gripped the bark of the tree root in worry. In the span of only a minute, Kar had nearly landed disabling hits on both Anakin and Ahsoka. This was no ordinary duel; it was survival incarnate versus disciplined skill, and survival was holding its own. Kar Vastor fought with a relentless ferocity that was terrifying to behold.
There was no pause, no spoken taunt or negotiation – just continuous, brute aggression combined with uncanny instincts. Cain realized Kar was actually enjoying this fight; the predatory grin on his face had widened. To him, this might be the ultimate test – two worthy prey who hadn't fallen easily, a challenge to be conquered.
Ahsoka was moving again, circling opposite Anakin. She wiped sweat (or perhaps a trickle of blood) from her brow with her forearm. Her eyes were fixed on Kar, studying him more warily now. Anakin rose to one knee, shaking off the dizzying blow he'd taken, his lightsaber held in guard position.
The two began to coordinate silently, edging around Kar in opposite directions. Cain could sense a shift in their approach – they were adjusting, likely falling into the rhythm of teamwork that comes from long partnership. Ahsoka met Anakin's gaze across the clearing for a heartbeat, and in that moment they seemed to come to an understanding without words.
Kar stood in the center, chest heaving, scanning back and forth between them. He pounded one of his shields against his thigh in challenge, a wordless invitation for them to come at him again. Mud and rainwater dripped from the rims of his shields. A low animalistic chuckle rumbled from his throat. Through the Force, Cain could faintly sense Kar's savage glee – the thrill of the fight coursing through him, emboldening his already formidable presence.
Ahsoka struck first this time. She darted in, feinting a thrust high with her shorter blade. Kar reacted to the feint, raising a shield – but Ahsoka nimbly dropped low and swept her leg out in a spinning kick. The kick caught the back of Kar's knee, exploiting the moment his weight shifted.
With a grunt of surprise, Kar was forced one knee down into the mud. Anakin seized the opening Ahsoka created: he lunged from the opposite side, channeling the Force into a powerful push aimed at Kar's chest. The kinetic blast hit Kar squarely, actually driving the massive man back a step and fully off-balance. Kar snarled as he slid, his back hitting the gnarled trunk of a fallen tree at the clearing's edge.
For the first time, Cain thought, they've got him! The two pressed their advantage. Ahsoka whirled like a dervish, her twin sabers striking in an X-pattern. Kar crossed his shields to block, and green blades clashed against vibrating metal in bursts of light. Anakin came in from Kar's other side, raining overhead blows. Kar roared – a furious sound that sent nearby birds flocking from the trees – and channeled all his strength into defense.
His shields moved in a blur, mirroring the two blades with shocking precision for a man untrained: left, right, high, low – he met each strike with just the right angle to deflect. Cain could hardly believe it; the brute was adapting to their coordinated assault in real-time. Sparks and droplets of molten metal scattered as Kar's shields endured strike after strike, the lightsabers unable to penetrate that defense.
Under the combined onslaught, Kar finally showed strain – his biceps quivered, and Ahsoka's relentless speed was beginning to outpace even his reflexes. She scored a hit: one of her green blades seared a line across Kar's left forearm, which was momentarily exposed as he tried to fend off Anakin's heavy swing on the right. Kar bellowed in pain as the lightsaber burned flesh.
Enraged, he suddenly thrust both arms outward, releasing a telekinetic pulse fueled by raw anger. The invisible blast caught both off-guard, throwing them back. Ahsoka was hurled clear across the clearing, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop near the treeline, while Anakin skidded back several meters, digging his blade into the ground to stabilize himself. Kar pushed off the fallen tree and got back to his feet, chest rising and falling rapidly. The burn on his forearm smoked, but he paid it no mind, eyes locked on his enemies.
Wiping rain from his face, Anakin called out, "You alright, Snips?" (his nickname for Ahsoka) without taking his gaze off Kar. Ahsoka coughed and gave a thumbs-up as she stood, though she looked dazed.
Cain noticed something then: Kar Vastor tilted his head as if listening to Anakin's voice, and a cruel spark lit in Kar's eyes. In that instant, Cain felt a ripple in the Force – Kar's telepathy at work. Ahsoka stiffened, her eyes widening, and she brought a hand to her temple.
Across the clearing, Anakin grimaced and shook his head as if warding off a buzzing insect. Kar was projecting into their minds again, perhaps an assault of fear or a distracting cacophony. The Korun warlord took a slow step forward, sensing weakness.
He said nothing aloud, but Cain could almost imagine the wordless snarl of dominance Kar was likely conveying telepathically: a predator asserting control over prey. This mental intrusion was enough to momentarily falter the two Jadaii, Ahsoka's defensive stance wavered, and Anakin blinked rapidly as if clearing a hallucination. Cain's heart pounded.