Blade to Blade (Aethan)

[Ryan]

Location: Cartann City, Adumar

The Prince of Cartann had arrived in Cartann City a few days back for a get together with his royal family. Rion was a prince, it was his duty to make a presence though he was far down the line of succession he still had responsibility to for fill. It was such a responsibly that had lead him away from Adumar after the Mandalorian invasion and continued occupation of the planet. Rion had fought against the barbarians and had lost. Refusing to submit to defeat he left his home to join a greater cause in hopes that eventually he would come back one day to liberate his people from the united clans of Mandalore.

The young Prince had always know he was attuned to the force but had never acted upon it till the day he was defeated by the Mandalorians. He, against his family's wishes, saught out the Jedi to further such skills while placing his own skills as pilot in the service of the Republic. Today was the first day he would find peace for himself, his family shindig was over and done with and had left the Prince frustrated and unable to relax. Was a common occurance after most family get togethers.

The would be jedi found himself shadow sparing in an open arena built for blastsword dueling. He was working on his footwork getting use to the lightweight of the lightsaber at hand for he had spent most of his life training with the blastsword. He had chosen to focus on the makashi form, came natural to him as he grew up with similar techniques of single combat.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...there were many reasons to come to Adumar but none of them need concern royalty not interested in the occult or furthering their knowledge of the force which is why when Aethan ventured into Cartann City it was usually to deal with middle men. He often dealt with the servants of royals or members of their retinue but once in awhile the Explorer came face to face with the royals themselves. The Adumarians had an interesting social structure based on honor and various duels that were fought between men, and women, over what Aethan could only assume were points of that same honor based system. It was as interestingly complex to a man who had only scratched the surface of the society as it was simple to an individual who was born into it...

...Aethan's travels in Cartann City had taken him several places but now that his business had concluded it was time for pleasure. He'd ventured to the dueling arenas built for the blastsword combat that nobles often engaged in. Once there it was a matter of observation until he found a man, Rion Ke Taldan, who moved in and out working his footwork and sparring opposite his shadow. Tilting his head Aethan observed the mans movements, gauged his skills and eventually clapped his hands together loudly ensuring that the sound would carry over the otherwise empty arena until it broke the mans concentration...

...descending a set of stairs that lead into the arena Aethan would have eventually settled onto the ground where he'd shift his body slightly before beginning to move further into the arena and closer to the man. Dressed in worn attire that was well traveled and practical it was easy to see that Aethan was an offworlder, his clothing had little in common with the average attire of a noble Adumarians, but more than that one thing that set him apart as different was the lgihtsaber he wore clipped to his belt over his right hip. He'd pat it with his right hand once as he approached...

..."Fancy footwork."...he'd comment once he'd come within a distance to speak openly..."Your shadow will only offer you so much of a challenge though."...he seemed to insinuate that repetition and following his own shadow wouldn't be the same as having an actual partner. Frankly Aethan was prepared for a good duel, he didn't often have the opportunity to indulge himself being as active pursing various rumors and lore as he was but currently he'd come into a bit of spare time and it seems that Rion may have been just the man to indulge him in this little exercise...​

​

[member="Rion Ke Teldan"]

 

[Ryan]

The young Prince welcomed the intrusion. Not often you find one willing to approach a royal in such a manner, let alone subtly opening himself up to challenge. Rion would gaze upon the foreigner with his hazel brown eyes full of intrigue locked upon the stranger's approach. His head tilted with his jet black hair slightly slopping to the right as a cocky grin formed upon his face.

"You are correct, Foreigner!" The prince would reply back to the man's observation and advice " Question is would you be more of a challenge then my shadow?" He would taunt the man before him knowing full well that this man was looking for a proper duel. It was in his language and body and why else would a stranger enter a dueling arena?

Rion Ke Teldan would click the control settings upon his saber to training, it decreased the power output and transformed the weapon from deadly to more of a shock/stun weapon. It was a setting that was commonly used by padawans so that they did not permanently or critically damage their fellow students. The prince would then raise the lit lightsaber up with the hilt inches away from his face and blade perfectly vertical in a traditional Makashi Salute. Then He would blade himself towards [member="Aethan Tannan"] with his strong arm (right) forward with the lightsaber in the low guard, blade pointed to the ground as he waited for his challenger to ready.

"First to five hits" Rion would set the parameters of the duel. "By the way, my name is Rion Ke Teldan" He would introduce, leaving out his proper titles. Such would probably not matter to this stranger or in this duel. It was obvious he was of royalty with his fine clothing and such and with anyone with knoweldge of the area would know of the ke Teldan dynasty.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

..."We'll soon find out."...came the immediate reply to the ribbing that Rion had offered him and reaching for his lightsaber Aethan would remove it from his belt and flick the switch on the hilt before a -vwooooosh- signified the activation of the weapon along with the creation of a brilliant emerald blade that radiated a subtle glow. The Lightsaber was fairly standard save for the crystal it had been equipped with however it was unlikely any special quality the crystal might boast would come into play during this duel. Narrowing his eyes after he'd activated his lightsaber Aethan would rotate his wrist once and then work his arm into a practiced sweeping patern that loosened his joints...

...his neck craned to the left then rolled to the right..."Five hits."...he agreed while his thumb slid across the hilt of the lightsaber to a switch and adjusted it to a non lethal setting that would ensure a good sting compared to a debilitating strike. Once the power setting on the lightsaber had been adjusted Aethan would tip his head and let his lightsaber sweep out to his right in a version of a salute before he began towards Rion once it became clear he had taken his stance...

...as Aethan approached, shifting his right side forward at a forty-five degree angle, it would become apparent that he was light on his feet. Very few of his dueling techniques involved outright overpowering his opponents at least that was one might surmise from an individual who appeared to be agile as compared to powerful. Nearing the distance Aethan allowed himself to mirror Rion to an extent with his right side ahead at the afore mentioned angle, the lightsaber likewise angled downwards in his right hand with the tip pointing towards the ground....

...planting his right foot Aethan would have snapped his lightsaber to his left, Rion's right, while making an inwards roll on his wrist to augment the quick blow. The Lightsaber moved to cross with Rion's and knock it out to his right before Aethan cranked his wrist backwards to flick the tip of the lightsaber back towards the outside of Rion's right leg rising into his thigh. It wasn't meant to be anything more than feeler, a blow that poked and prodded at his enemy, testing his response to begin things..."Aethan Tannan is my name."...was heard after the his lightsaber crackled briefly...​

​

[member="Rion Ke Teldan"]

 

[Ryan]

[member="Aethan Tannan"] successfully knocked Rion's blade off to the right, leaving the Prince's right leg in the open for assault. The man was quick in body and mind and made no hesitation with bringing his own blade back to strike Rion's right leg on the outside with a quick flick of the wrist as he had won the battle of gaining dominance on the inside of royal's guard.

Rion was quick of mind and body as well, trained all his life in this and many other arenas like this in the art's of blastsword dueling. He had one many and lost few in his time and today the young prince wasn't going to give up so lightly. Yes, Aethan had skillfully worked his way through to the inside of his guard but the Prince moved with the graces of a panther, using the momentum his opponent had forced upon his lightsaber and a quick twist and rotation of his wrist to wrap his own blade back into the inside of Aethan's attack. He would bat the man's saber downwards into the ground parrying it away from the outside of his right leg.

Now Rion had the reflexes of a deadly panther but brawled like a drunken ensign on shore leave. Rion's counter strike was nothing short of simple and dirty. He would thrust a quick left handed jab at Aethan's face, aimed at throwing the warrior off balance and driving him backwards on the defense. The hit, if successful would not count towards victory points for that could only be accumulated by the blades themselves. This was Rion showing he liked to be unpredictable.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...the parry of the lightsaber displayed the solid knowledge of defense that Rion had however the attack that followed would showcase a certain reckless bravado that could either benefit or hinder him in a duel. In this case it wasn't decided which it would be. The Lightsaber had been parried downwards, Aethan expected a counterattack but when Rion extended his left arm to deliver a stiff jab he was caught mildly offguard due to the slightly unorthodox maneuver however there was a reason duelists were careful about extending themselves to far...

...Aethan's right side remain shifted forward on the same forty-five degree angle as Rion jabbed at him however rather than meet the attack head on he quickly rocked backwards onto the heels of his feet, shifting his weight onto his back left foot as he went. Pivoting on his back left foot Aethan felt the mans fist brush against his face as he drew his right side backwards with the motion that had essentially drawn him into a left side lead at the same forty-five degree angle that he'd originally been in. It was a mirror of his stance but also so much more. As indicated by his previous movements and the way he carried himself Aethan was light on his feet, his movements were fluid and flowed into one another well...

...in complete concordance with the pivot that he made Aethan would draw his right arm up over his shoulder on a diagonal line. The Lightsaber, parried low, was in the perfect position to accommodate the movement which was augment by the pivot that Aethan had made creating the room necessary for the technique to be completed effectively. It was a basic draw cut. Parried as it was, low and slightly off to his left after his previous attack, Aethan's lightsaber was in a prime position to travel from his low left to his high right in a diagonal stroke that was both swift and efficient....

...the lightsaber would swing into motion as Aethan pivoted backwards, rising underneath Rion's extended left arm as he jabbed, in a simple motion that if performed correctly would target the underside of Rion's left forearm just beyond the elbow. A hit would sever the arm of an unarmored individual completely but luckily they were fighting on a lower power setting. When the motion was complete the momentum would carry the lightsaber over Aethan's right shoulder extended out to his right...

...as he finished the blow Aethan felt it as well, the sting of pain, he'd been hit in the mouth as he pivoted back away and made the draw cut but sucking on his bottom lip he smiled vaguely at his opponent...​

​

[member="Rion Ke Teldan"]

 

[Ryan]

Rion's left arm would of extended quickly outwards with the left handed attack. The jab would land with a tight fist and a rotated arm as he exhaled sharply. Then with in a blink of an eye, after his left fist brushed against the man's face his hand and arm would snap back with trained reflexes. The man's blade would whoosh past where his arm was once present and if it had lingered any longer, Rion's opponent would of scored a hit.

The Prince would quickly step backwards to give himself enough room to counter Aethan. In the art of Makashi, a great deal depends on being in the right place at the right time. Makashi practitioners are constantly manoeuvrings in and out of each other's range, accelerating, decelerating, changing directions and so on. All this has to be done with minimum effort and maximum grace, which makes footwork arguably the most important aspect of a training regimen.

Rion would position himself standing somewhat side-on to Aethan's direction, leading with the right handed weapon side. The Prince's stance, the feet are a shoulder-width or more apart with the leading foot forward and the trailing foot at right angles to it. Finally, the knees are well bent and the center of gravity is kept mid way between the heels. He is now in a position where he is well balanced, able to use his leg muscles to generate rapid bursts of speed and change directions with comparative ease. particularly this stance decreases the vulnerable target area. Further, and more importantly, it maintains balance and ease of movement both forward and backward.

Rion would then deliver his counter attack with a lunge, where he reaches out with his front foot and straightens his back leg. This maneuver has the advantage of allowing him to maintain balance while covering far more distance than in a single step as the tip of his lightsaber targeted Aeth's center mass, yet still allowing a return to the more defensive makashi stance.

[member="Aethan Tannan"]

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...the coppery taste of blood was evident after Rion had struck him in the mouth, the jab had been crisp and well executed, however the injury dissipated in a matter of moments leaving nothing behind except the taste that had filled Aethan's mouth. The Firrerreo all possessed an enhanced healing factor, major wounds healed in hours and minor wounds healed in minutes, in the case of an extremely minor wound like a fat lip it would barely have time to become noticeable before beginning to fade. Even as Rion's arm withdrew from his jab and he moved backwards to position himself for a counter it may have been evident...

...now as for Aethan himself his lightsaber had extended over his right shoulder and was outstretching further to his right with the completion of the stroke. While his intended blow had missed he wasn't as open to a counterattack as it might be assumed. With his left side still leading at an angle Aethan would begin to sidestep to his left so that he could displace himself with Rion's right side that had been turned towards him. Whirling his lightsaber back around as he did this he would drop it in a combination of block and parry when his opponent lunged...

...the lightsaber whirled back around Aethan's head, as Rion lunged, passing behind it while he raised his left to cap the bottom of the lightsaber's hilt. When the lightsaber came around it would be over Aethan's left shoulder and he would drop it in a smooth but powerful diagonal stroke from his left to right bringing it down Rion's lightsaber and on the outside of it as he lunged so that he could parry it to Rion's left and downwards. Bringing the lightsaber down Aethan had wanted to maintain a position of dominance over Rion's weapon...

...no attack followed. Aethan was happy to push for a dominant position between the two of them at the moment as dueling wasn't always a matter of attacking to overcome your opponent. He waited, his eyes wavering between Rion and the clash of their lightsabers, watching for an opportunity that would give him the advantage in this situation so that he could press home an edge...​

​

[member="Rion Ke Teldan"]