h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, yar, not reading backlog is my job, didn't you know? It's been working fine for 6 years now, so why bother to change?


Still, it's an honor to meet you. That would make you the only active original member, besides KL, who's lost in outer space somewhere anyway.

I mean, I joined back in 01', but by that time, most of the roster was going defunct...

and nice job on the curse, btw, even tho it surely has hampered my own evil plots.

[Masque]: Thanks. Oh, and I spent the last 3 years in the Sonoran Desert studying the arcane ways of attorneys. So now you can call me Masque, esq. if you like.

[Yar] And I spent the last year involved with one zany scheme after another, made one big mistake the light of which will not reach Earth for two and a half million years, gave up most of my magic, and I may have switched places with an alternate-reality version of myself.

sounds... typical, Yar.

I manage to get myself stuck places on a regular basis (like here) and then forget to log on for months on end.

so, fancy a sword duel?

[shrugs] Too much danger for collateral damage down here. [glances around the wine cellar] Which I somehow don't think Masque would appreciate very much.

*shrugs* Not like he wouldn't be used to it. Anyone who spends more than a couple minutes in STUMPED sure gets used to it.

Still, it's his place...

[Masque]: And it's very valuable wine.

Yeah ... [looks thoughtful] Now, if there was room elsewhere in this place we could go, where we aren't in danger of, uh, alcohol abuse here. If we did, the place would be thick with the smell of departed spirits ...

[Masuqe]: Well, in keeping with the western theme of the bar, you could always have a showdown in the desert.

(Redfox puts his head in his palm, groans while dragging it off, and gives Yar a look that could kill.)

Oh, man, that was terrible.

How does the desert sound?

[shrugs] Might as well. Sure, why not?

(Redfox strolls out of the bar into the desert outside. He take off his jacket, and drops it on the boardwalk outside the saloon. It makes a really inappropriate *thud* and rattles the building slightly when it falls, probably due to the amount of stuff in it. Redfox then adjusts his fedora, readjusts his grip on the sword sheath, and crouches down slightly, sheathed sword pointing slightly down behind and next to him, his right hand relaxedly floating in front of him, in easy distance of the sword handle. Classic Iaido stance.)

You first, old chum.

[Masque]: I'd offer to be your second, Redfox, but I really don't care.

[Yar steps forward, grinning and drawing his sword. It's a nice long Japanese katana, and gives off an aura of power if you can detect magic. In a blur of motion, he zips forward almost right up in front of Red Fox, and swings his sword diagonally upward. Oh, and one of the things about his sword is that it leaves a brief trail of blade-ness which expands a few inches outward, effectively giving his sword a slightly longer reach than its actual length.]

*Masque is tempted to pull his pistolas and shoot them both. But doesn't.*

(As Yar's swing starts, Redfox's hand moves in a blur. There is a sense of movement, and then an extremely high pitched ringing tone as Redfox's Iaido blade contacts Yar's across the flat, in the middle, and near the hilt of Redfox's. Yar's sword is pushed sideways, away from Yar's torso, as Redfox's blade slides across Yar's. It throws him a little off balance, and the swing loses it's aim and energy. Redfox's motion could be carried into a swipe at the legs, but he does not. Redfox's blade appeared in full for the merest instant as it contacted Yar's, and a VERY keen observer would have noted the strip of black metal along the back of the blade which served to deaden and dissipate magic. Redfox's motions have been mostly too fast to see, but as Yar is still regaining his footing, the last 6-8 inches of Redfox's blade are visible as he slides it back into his sheath with a sharp *snickt*)

(Redfox resumes his stance, and wonders what style Yar has trained in)

You're fast, I'll give you that. But are you faster than ME?

[Yar was actually trained to use a light sabre. However, Dylan cannot be scuppered to seriously research the seven "forms" of lightsaber combat which were invented entirely separately from the actual movies, and therefore isn't a true Star Wars nerd. Meanwhile, using a sword with a blade which actually has weight is understandably a bit different for Yar, though he seems to be doing just fine for now. He smirks, arching an eyebrow, and slips into the position of the "fast" form as seen in the Jedi Academy video game.]

Good question! Let's find out!

Just as a heads up, Iaido is a Japanese sword form based on 2 things: one, every form starts and ends with a sheathed sword, and two, it's strictly reactionary. Also, blindingly fast.

However, I suppose you COULD use it aggressively...


Oh-kay.

(Redfox's fingers ripple, and he turns the sheath in his left hand. His right blurs to the handle of the blade, and transitions into what looks to be an upwards stroke judging by the flesh toned blur. The blade is moving too fast to be visble.)

[Yar's eyes blaze. Holding his sheath in place with his left hand, he darts backward, parrying Redfox's sword and then moving in for a fairly straightforward stab.]

(At the top of the deflected swing, as Redfox's body is extended fully up to power the swing, Redfox flips the blade over while reversing his grip, and snaps back to the handle, holding it like a dagger. He then leans back to gather force behind the blade, sweeps it diagonally down, crashing into the corner of Yar's blade back, with enough momentum to throw it complete away from from it's path. Redfox's hand blurs in an elegant circle and he re-sheathes the sword while crouching back down and stepping back.)

Not fast enough... are you?