Private Of Mind, Body, and Saber

[Amur]

Lah'mu what lovely place especially at this time of year. The planet had it's quiet damp fields and a soil heavy in volcanic residue and material. Plus the beaches with their wonderful black sand was to die for. Though that wasn't what the Sith Knight was here for. Being a member of the empire meant that you had little time to just slow down and go on vacations to desperately try to fill the void in your heart. No this was instead a lovely place for some practice. She looked at the beach and the small outcrop that towered above her. Yes this would make a fine place to break in the apprentice.

Amur while she felt confident in her abilities with the saber knew that idle confidence made for arrogance, and arrogance was a fast track to defeat. So she needed to practice and keep her mind and ability as sharp as the blade she wielded. Then there was the person she invented out here. Amyrin Ursan. Noted as a former Jedi knight and also the apprentice of Darth Malevolum. Both useful things as both becoming acquainted with the Sith could shed some incite on his master and his skill set could shed a light on the finer details of Jedi fighting style.

She sat at the base of the beach meditating waiting for Amyrin to arrive. The seas were calm and the waves gently washed onto the beach. A cool breeze blowing by the land. A good spot indeed.

Amyrin Ursan

 

[Amyrin Ursan]

Amyrin quietly descended from the black dunes that gave way to the beach. His yellow-eyes, burning with an ever-present hate, shifted between the many obsidian-like rock pieces that littered the beach. The long, dark cloak of the hooded figure swayed in the wind, desperately tugging at him to show a glimpse of his true appearance, but it was to no avail. No glimmer of light revealed itself, nor did the stern expression painted on his gray face show any sign of mercy or compassion. The light within him had truly died out, and nothing but a shadow remained of what the hooded figure once was; a proud Jedi Knight.

The Apprentice couldn't bring himself to understand why his fellow Sith had picked exactly this infernal planet for their first meeting. True, it was located within the Empire's borders, but it was far too tranquil for a true Sith to feel at ease here. Although that tranquility wouldn't last much longer. Through the Force, he felt how there very presence affected the environment. It was often overlooked what kind of impact those gifted with Force sensitivity had on the environment. Even with just their combined presence, he could sense the increase in aggressiveness of the local fauna. This subtle display of power was enough to keep him sharp and focused. With the Dark side came conflict, accompanied by violence around every corner. It was why he preferred to avoid planets such as Bastion and Dromund Kaas as a whole. Even as an apprentice, he found the infighting to be far below him. In fact, that was why he preferred to avoid most of his fellow Sith. All except for his master, the great Darth Malevolum.

Initially having wanted to subtly decline this invitation, Amyrin had reluctantly been forced to accept. The woman in question outranked him after all and although he was certain that she was up to something, there was little he could do about it right now. So he did what all Sith were supposed to do; progress and move forward.

With his gaze resting upon the dark cloaked woman, Amyrin made his approach, gathering the energy of the Dark side like a swirling mass around him. He wasn't in the mood for any surprises and would be quick to deliver punishment if there were any sudden moves going to be made. Darth Malevolum had learned him the basic principles of the Sith, and he would not fail her. No, he would always be ready. Always be thinking ahead.

His grasp closed around the cold metal hilt of his lightsaber, which the dark figure had hidden in the right sleeve of his tunic. He stopped about two meters away from the meditating Sith Knight. Undoubtedly, she had sensed his arrival. Deciding not to kneel, introduce himself or otherwise show a sign of recognition, Amyrin simply waited. He was called here after all; it was only natural for her to lead in this encounter.

Amur

 

[Amur]

Amur had faced the sea and watched it as it receded and drew up but she could feel the air turn cold and a chill form up her spine. Opening her senses up to the force she could feel the swirling mass of the dark side approaching, her head tilted slightly downward. It seemed that he was trying to build as much edge against her as possible. How so, melodramatic of him. It seems he was preparing for a fight and maybe even a chance to strike the knight down, seems like this apprentice was quickly catching on to the way of the Sith and how they operated, good. Very good.

As the apprentice stood behind her Amur barely even flinched comfortable even as she knew her guest was likely plotting ways to split her in two. Still she found his silence almost adorable as he remained stoic. What an interesting specimen he was already proving to be. She would have to spend time with him to see more and more what his master saw in him.

"Well then, barely a peep from you, I take it you must be Lord Malevolum's apprentice." She awaited to see if she would get a response. Perhaps she would or perhaps she wouldn't. Who knew with this one. Still she would wait to see if he would speak and would then respond. In the meanwhile she would get up from her meditative position and stand.

"I'm knight Amur, I'll skip the pleasantries. I brought you here to test your abilities. Don't worry, This isn't a kaggath. The empire has no need for us to needlessly kill eachother. I'm merely proposing a bit of sparring. Your particular training is of interest to me and I want to pit it against my own.

At this point she finally reach for her saber and hold it in her right hand, her thumb hovering over the button to ignite. The wind seemed to pick up in speed now and the waves becoming more violent.

"I'll be using only my saber and the force. I'll take care to avoid dismemberment and my lightning will only sting. I do hope that you'll conduct yourself in kind. Is this all satisfactory to you, Amy? She asked her body now tensing as she prepared for a duel. Who knows maybe this will be a good bit of fun.

Amyrin Ursan

 

[Amyrin Ursan]

The cloaked Sith apprentice did not respond to her initial comments. She knew perfectly fine who he was; so there was no need for introductions anyway. As she stood up, Amyrin would look her up and down. Through her distorted voice, he could already tell that she was wearing a mask, before she turned to face him. While he wasn't the kind of person to exploit one's weaknesses without good reason, the fact that she was wearing a mask was still something noteworthy. What did she have to hide from him, a mere apprentice? Perhaps she needed the mask for some sort of life support, or simple because she felt insecure. He had his doubts that she wore it simply because she liked it, no there had to be an ulterior motive.

Apart from the mask, Amyrin made sure to take note of the key details about the Sith in front of him. Posture, height, weight and presence in the Force. The more he knew about her before they initiated the duel, the better his chances of winning would be.

For the first time since he had arrived on Lah'mu, the apprentice spoke up. "Lady Amur if I may ask, why did you pick such a remote location for this... 'bit of sparring'? It truly was a waste of time to get here." he began, folding his arms across his chest. There was nothing for him to gain here, but nothing to lose either; unlike the Sith Knight in front of him. It would be quite degrading if she lost to him, after all. "That is satisfactory to me." he calmly stated, his eyes narrowing at the mention of that absurd nickname.

The Sith took a few steps back, creating more distance between him and his opponent before the spar commenced. When the distance between them was just about 4 meters, the gray-skinned Sephi would take a fighting stance. Amyrin brought his still inactivated blade in front of him, taking a two-handed stance with the tip of his blade pointed at Amur's forehead. His knees and elbows were slightly bent and his sickly yellow eyes studied his opponent's every move, as he patiently waited for her to take the initiative, and commence their duel.

Amur

 

[Amur]

She was definitely hoping for something more vigorous, the outline of a picture being formed. He would question why it was so remote to, inquisitive yet further supporting the outline and the details starting to form in her head.

"Because I value descretion, here we are but two beings on a beach outside of any prying eyes. What happens here stays here, whatever may be spoken here, shall be forgotten upon exiting the atmosphere, it personally suits me more than just another training room where someone could monitor us without our knowledge." She didn't trust most siths and knew that anything they could get their hands on that wasn't surface level was but a knife that could be used to stabbeth her.

She turned around and faced her opponent, Truth be told win or lose didn't matter, losing packed lessons with it that winning often would never teach. There was always something to be gained, besides Amur was never one to concern herself with rank. Titles meant little they were just phrases that people attached obsessive amounts of meaning into. It was the character behind, an apprentice could in a way be capable of out shining a sith lord, and some didn't deserve what they thought that title gave them.

Looking at Amyrin and watching him she was further being given an incite. From the nature of the conversation and now seeing him react and look over that she was understanding what she was dealing. Cautious, observant, passive. From the conversation and now here it was clear that operated under others intiative instead of thrusting head first. Some apprentices would have already begun the attack and if he done she would have been happy. However, it was clear she was gonna have to do all the work to get the experience she wanted.

Her lightsaber hang in her hand as she held it downward, if it ignited the tip of the blade would be hovering just above the ground infront of her. Her legs spread out a bit and now she was readying, knowing what to do. "Well in that case..." She raised her hands up into a double handed grip the blade now crossing across her body. doing that there was a subtle delay in the raising of her left hand as the outstretched palm was actually used to channel the force as the ground and sand directly behind Amyrin seemed to explode behind him sending a wave of volcanic dirt and sand pelting towards his back. Her lightsaber ignited to life almost immediately and now Amur would perform a force speed dash of 3 meters and now bring her blade down towards amyrin with care so that the tip of the blade would skim the surface of his face should he fail to dodge. The Knight ready for a guard or dodge eager to see how Amyrin would react.

Amyrin Ursan

 

[Amyrin Ursan]

His short waiting game proved to be fruitful, as Amur indeed took the offensive. The energy of the dark side that he gathered still swirled around him, tightly kept in line by his will. It was this connection to the Dark side around him that made him sense the subtle, almost sneaky pulse of energy guided by his opponent. That, and the slight tug at his cloak from the kicked up dirt and sand was all he needed to determine what was happening to his surroundings. At no point during their conversation had he decided to pull his hood back, which now proved to be an excellent decision, as the sand and dirt rained down again upon their battlefield. Besides, it was not as if he had the luxury of focusing completely on his surroundings. No, apparently his opponent liked a fast pace.

Had he still been a Jedi, Amyrin would have raised his saber to parry the incoming attack. With the reflexes obtained through years of battle, Amyrin processed the incoming strike and reacted accordingly. He was no longer the kind and passive Jedi Knight, no, he was a Sith apprentice. Aggression and
assertiveness would carry him to victory, not the pacifist ways he had once believed in.

Amyrin would burst into motion, drawing the swirling mass of his energy to him and performing a short dash of his own, intending to meet Amur halfway in her dash. The woman was about 4 to 5 inches smaller than him, which meant that he had an advantage in reach and from what he could gather, weight as well. His third advantage was, that the length of his blade was still unknown to his reckless opponent. With her two hands raised, clearly targeting his head, she left her entire lower and middle body open to a counter attack. Not because she overreached or because her technique was flawed, but simply because she had to aim high to hit his head. As he began his own dash, Amyrin finally activated his lightsaber and with a slight change of angle, pointed it at the Sith's midriff.

Because of Amur's own speed and her raised saber, Amyrin guessed that she would have an extremely hard time to stop or alter her trajectory. He wasn't afraid of her blade, for his own dash made sure that she couldn't bring it down in time before she would impale herself on his blade. If she somehow managed to do just that, his lightsaber would already be inside her guard, ready to cut off her arms between elbows and wrists. Any evasive maneuver she could make would require her to determine his reach with his now almost fully ignited blade. And with the speed at which the two darksiders moved, she simply didn't have the time to estimate this new, unknown factor.

If Amur truly had no way left to evade or counter his attack, Amyrin would flick his wrist and direct his blade to her left, instead causing them to collide at full force. It would still hurt, but it was better than dying anyway.

Amur

 

[Amur]

Oh heavens wasn't this a sticky situation! Except no. Amur had her full focus on the apprentice and could feel and sense his whirling mass of Force and energy, and like the currents of the wind could feel it starting to prepare to jut forward, aggressive indeed. This sensation combined with the stimulus being provided to her eyes of the blade extending forth giving her a useful piece of information: the angle. His two handed stance would actually work against him as it meant his hands and arms we're already at a severe downward angle and to deflect his blade down to her midriff would require him to likely have to cant his wrists as far downward as they allowed and try to extend out his forearms as much as he could, both factors would work against each other to make his blade strike his mark, which in practice meant that he would have to compromise a lot on his reach in order to maintain his stance. This meant that Amur was already being given more room to play with then Amyrin may have desired. The fact that Amur was shorter therefore placing her midriff closer to Amyrin's waist meant his angle have to be even more shallow.

Now for as what Amur would do it was a split second decision, with her lower body at harm, and her saber raised meaning in this circumstance she was unable to counter and left and right likely to be trivial for Amyrin to easy drift his saber to either direction limiting her options. Momentum would also work against her forcing her to commit to going forward. Really there was only one option and that was to work with what she had to dodge. With the Force still being channeled through her she would redirect some of it to slam her legs into the sand using it to propel herself upward and immediately tucking her legs as close to her body as she could. Simultaneously she would carry through on her commited strike and try to bring her saber down. This was mainly so that way she could take the saber strike she would have done and turn it into rotational force. she would be effectively performing a forward Somersault. Still being carried forward but now going up which Amyrin had completely compromised to try and go for her lower body. This combined with her legs rotating away from the blade's path meant that she would be able clear it as her body would rise clearing the top of Amyrin's fastly advancing head by about half a meter.

That was another factor now at play because Amyrin had decided take initiative and force dash it meant he would shrink his window to act meaning that once Amur passed over his saber it would be moving away from her meaning that trying to raise or follow her and attack made things all the more difficult. This would also mean that Amur's strike while could potentially with her rotation could still strike at Amyrin's back would likely miss as well with there being a small chance at best that it could graze Amyrin's back.

Amur would hit the ground behind feet first as her feet dug and skidded through the sand creating quite the trail as she quickly used free hand to catch the ground and force her body to rotate towards Amyrin as came to a stop. Her free hand also quickly reversed her grip on the saber to above it catching into the ground. Normally this window would be bad but given that Amyrin would likely need to reorient himself as well and the distance created between them would likely grant the two of them a before dull in the duel.

Amyrin Ursan

 

[Amyrin Ursan]

He had left one opening in his counterattack. An opening his opponent capitalized upon. A slight smile played about his lips the moment Amur jumped up. Who would've thought that she'd be so bold? His own forward motion meant that he wouldn't be able to turn around fast enough to sever her limbs, and while her sudden upward motion took away some of her speed, she would already pass the majority of his blade before he could act. At most, he would be able to graze her soles. But he had one more trick upon his sleeve.

Still invigorated with the energy of the Dark side, it would take him little to no time at all to channel it in an upward telekinetic blast. And because Amur had to jump a distance longer than his bladelength while also getting higher than him, he would have more than enough time to free one of his hands to launch an upward Force push.

The blast of energy was targeted at her groin, but would slam against her retracted legs. It would push her higher up and hopefully disrupt her trajectory. If so, the somersaulting Knightess would most definitely have to recover heavily from her landing. If the blast would hit, Amyrin would take the obtained window to come to a stop and turn, facing his opponent again. If it wouldn't, the apprentice would resort to a quick roll as a precaution against Amur's saber. Raising his guard again, he spoke up. "Such a reckless maneuver, do you have a death wish or something?"

Amur