Dual Blade Fencing

[Xion Vala]

Both his lightsabers sitting on either side of him Xion waited in the training pavilion for the recently promoted jedi knight. He had been hearing so much of her accomplishments upon his return to the temple that he wanted to see if she lived up to the gossip. Taking another drag from the marcan herb that he had loaded up in a pipe Xion inhaled the smoke and felt as his mind was bombarded by the euphoric feeling. His nerves calmed and his body grew less tense as the herb took effect.

He had acquired it from a Gungan he had ran into during his travels, and oh was it worth the credits. The downside to it is that afterwards Xion was always hit by an extreme hunger. Which when living in the forests of Yavin involved him having to go out and hunt. Xion was pretty sure that he would get in trouble if a master caught him but his level of caring was dang near at zero. This battle he had sworn to himself that he would use both of his sabers at the same time so as he could become more comfortable with the Jar'kai form of battling.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Her promotion hadn't been long in the books before she had received a request to a match up against one of the newer Padawan arrivals. The Twi'lek never declined a spar, and so she agreed to meet [member="Xion Vala"] at the temple training grounds to give it a whirl. As she exited her room she walked at a brisk pace toward the training center. She didn't want to keep Xion waiting, but knew that no matter how much she tried, she was always the last to arrive for anything, anywhere.

Upon reaching the grounds, Sera glanced around for a few seconds before taking note of the Jedi sitting off to the side and greeted Xion as she approached him.

"Hi there. You are Xion, yes? I am Sera. I believe you asked me to meet you here for some training?"

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

Xion had finished off the Macan herb long before [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] had arrived the sensation and fogginess of his mind beginning to clear. The short escape from reality was much needed. Hair blowing in the wind Xion looked out at the empty grounds. No one was out there yet, most likely off kissing up to their masters and trying to prove themselves. All for a title that meant very little in the bigger scheme of things. Yes you gain more respect and a bit more freedom but does that mean you were more important than the others? What's next? You're going to try and climb the chain higher to gain even more influence and recognition? While out in the galaxy other beings suffered. It was sickening.

Xion saw the women approach him long before she had noticed him. One of the few perks of having to use the force to see. Smiling his head turned towards her the empty eye sockets staring at her. "Aw, the almighty Sera. It's a pleasure to meet you at last." Xion said before making his way to his feet and offering her his hand. "Yea thought I might want to brush up on my skills before leaving again. I appreciate you accepting my challenge."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

An eyebrow raised and a small grin appeared on her face as she listened to Xion greet her. She extended her hand as well and shook his but gestured a wave with her free hand. "Almighty? You must have me confused with someone else. I am by no stretch mighty, least of all almighty. But it is my pleasure to train with you. I am happy to help with whatever I can."

Releasing his hand she took a step back so not to crowd his personal space. "So what did you have in mind that you were looking specifically for me for? There are surely plenty of much more advanced knights and masters around."

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

It was shocking how humble the twi'lek was, Xion had even paid a compliment that most would have accepted and taken with stride and let it get to their heads. The fact that she didn't stare at his eye sockets was another point for her as most would be scared or comment about how Miraluka usually wore cloths or something to cover them. "No I think I may have the right one. You may not be almighty yet, but I'm sure you'll get there one day. As for the other knights and masters... Well I don't think I'm on the best terms with them. You know running away to go live in the wild isn't something that they condone most likely." Xion explained shrugging his shoulders as though it were no big deal. He had ran from the temple so he could find himself, create his own bond to the force and he had. Xion had been out and mined phrik on his own, faced pirates, and even crafted his own lightsabers. All things he was proud of and he had done without permission of the jedi.

"What I would like you to help me with is to battle me so I can become accustomed to using these at the same time." Xion said reaching down and picking up both his sabers. Most would've just used the force to summon them to their hands, but Xion had no talent for those implications of the force and had instead focused on animal friendship. Both sabers held in his hands Xion activated them their golden blades springing from the hilts and shining brightly. "So may I have the honor of this dance?" Xion asked. His mannerisms were one of the few things he had kept about himself even after going off to live in the wild.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera giggled at the comment regarding running away. She had thought of doing something similar after the battle of Manaan. Returning home to Cambria was the only thing on her mind, aside from the burning disappointment from that day. "Well, thank you for the vote of confidence in that aspect, and I understand your dilemma. I can assure you though, a scolding from the council or the masters is nothing too terrible. I've had a few myself and lived to tell the tale."

Watching as the Padawan picked up his two lightsabers and pressed the activators while speaking, she nodded. She understood the necessity and desire to wield two blades, but more so the ability to do so well, with confidence, and a clear understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of twin saber combat.

"Right. Well, before we get started my question to you is this. Are you by nature ambidextrous? Or is this an acquired talent that you are now attempting to teach your body? If it is the latter, it will take substantial amounts of practice to become anywhere near the same proficiency as your dominant hand. Just keep that in mind, if ever faced with a combat situation before you are ready, and fall back on that blade only when the time is right."

Pressing the activators of her own green and purple sabers, they sprang to life in the ever recognizable snap-hiss that they had become known for. "Another thing to remember is that while you are now wielding two blades, your tactics must entirely change. While it is possible to attack on two fronts, and defend against multiple opponents, you must compensate for your now split strength and focus. Your attacks will never have the same momentum or raw power behind a single bladed user, so you must utilize methods such as speed and grace to overcome that obstacle. Furthermore, you will not have the same raw strength to draw upon when defending yourself either. I would always recommend evasion, rather than entangling yourself into a saber lock, if at all possible."

Sera wanted to be certain that the other Jedi fully understood the benefits and drawbacks of twin saber combat before engaging in the practice. These reasons are why I am an Ataru practicioner. The style lends itself well to the dual wielding art, but also, I always recommend to anyone who learns from me that they practice both dance and gymnastics, to better their understanding and control over their body as a whole. Now, before we start, did you have any questions for me?"

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Yea they might not be to bad, but this temple just isn't my home. I can't live here while I know whats going on in the galaxy. At first I left to acquire my own understanding of the force and build a connection to it, but after that I realized that I can't... No I won't spend all my time hunting and fighting Sith. There are more threats out there that have to be dealt with, best someone does it while the jedi fight the Sith." Xion explained. He really had no love for the jedi that only focused on the extermination of the Sith. There was no point if in the meantime you let the rest of the galaxy fall to pieces. All over a feud that happened long ago and because one side wanted to be over the other.

"I am a natural at everything a I try. My lady." Xion said smirking at her. He was a natural ambidextrous individual which is why he had created both blades instead of just one. His reflexes from using his inherent use of Force Sight and Force Sense also would help him in the coming endeavors like they had many others. Or maybe they wouldn't.

Xion listened intently to what the twi'lek was saying as he watched the green and purple sabers come to life. "I don't think they offer dance practice on Yavin." Xion said poking fun at Sera even though he did understand what she meant. When she asked did he have any questions Xion stopped and put a puzzled look on his face as though he was thinking about it, but in the next second he brought both sabers up and down to attack the twi'lek. "Nah I think I'm good."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera grinned at the amount of confidence in Xion's words, being a natural at everything was impressive, but overconfidence would lead to one's own undoing when faced with someone more properly trained. She would hold back her comment though, hoping that Xion would understand this himself before it got him into trouble when the time came to put those skills to the test against a real opponent.

"One doesn't necessarily need a teacher to learn dance, everyone finds their rhythm on their own in the end."

A sudden twitch of Xion's hands gave away what he was planning, perhaps without him even knowing. And as he raised his two sabers to strike at Sera, she stepped sideways on her right leg, the knee bending slightly while the left saber raised instinctively in a horizontal fashion to block both strikes as they closed the distance on her. "Cunning. Making the first move without alerting your opponent is a key talent to ending a fight quickly, and with the least potential for casualty. Keep in mind the idea is not to kill your opponents unless it is absolutely necessary."

Turning her body towards the left to face Xion with his sabers still atop of hers, she arched the right handed blade at waist level around from the back to force a distance gap.

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

Xion's right eyebrow twitched as his sabers met Sera's own. It was quite amusing that she had reacted to his attack just in the nick of time. Something that he would have to learn from. "Why thank you, but I always offer the ones I fight a way out. If they don't take it I can't risk my life for them. Nor will I risk what I care for most. One warning that is all they get." Xion said getting a bit personal as he remembered his time on the planet Wayland when he had went mining for phrikite ore. Some pirates wanted to set up camp near the mine and were willing to cut down all the trees around just so they could be close to it and have a claim on the mine. All the homes of the animals would've been lost if Xion hadn't arrived and used the force to point the vine snakes in the pirates direction. He had given them a warning. A warning they did not heed and in return Xion had released the snakes on them. The snakes coiled around the pirates choking them and cutting off their circulation till Xion finally made the snakes withdraw. The pirates had needed a lesson and Xion was the one to teach them just as [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] taught him now.

Somewhat lost in his mind he barely noticed the Sera's other blade coming around in a arc aimed for his waist. Pouncing backwards Xion barely dodged it feeling the heat from the lightsaber as it passed by. Running at her to close the distance once again Xion found himself bombarded by so many options when it came to his two blades. It had effectively doubled his options, but had also doubled how much he had to concentrate on a strategy. Bringing his right hand around in a swipe aimed for Sera's chest Xion would stop the blade just before it reached her and suddenly bring the left around aimed at her waist.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

A sigh escaped her lips as she listened to Xion. Killing someone was the polar opposite of what her morals would allow. She knew that the Jedi in the order each held their own individual moral code that they followed, and some would bend the rules to fit their situation. There was nothing she could honestly do to change Xion's mind, that much she was sure of, so there was little point in pressing the matter. "As you wish. Just remember that killing someone, though it may be justified, doesn't make it right."

When Xion backed away from her attacks, she was familiar enough with unrefined Ataru and Jar'Kai practitioners as she herself had once been of the same mindset of pushing the charge that she predicted the advance. As Xion made his slashes from his lightsabers from the right and then the left, Sera lifted her left hand to block the right handed slash, though Xion had opted to halt the attack in an attempt to connect with the left saber instead. As the blade approach her midsection Sera lifted her right arm and forced a Barrier up and around her body, forcing the saber to halt its path, the energy from the blade clashing against the energy shield.

Sera smirked, looking at Xion. "You are fighting with wild abandon. You will not overcome masters of Soresu or Makashi like that. Focus yourself, watch for your opponents tells, predict what their body will do before they make their move. Use your body as your weapon, not as the delivery of it."

As the barrier fell away from her she turned her right hand and called forward a surge of energy and violently Force Pushed him away from her once again.

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Killing may not be right in any way to the jedi no matter how you look at it, but I can't follow that path. I will bare the burdens of the deeds I have committed. I know this. You never forget your first kill, I know this even more as it still weighs on me. But I will not let it deter me from the path I walk." Xion said to the twi'lek. He was not some jedi who followed a higher moral code. He couldn't afford to, there were numerous beings out in the galaxy that cared very little for morals and would strike him down in a heartbeat if given the chance. Sometimes to survive and succeed you had to play by their rules instead of taking the high ground.

Xion saw his blade seemingly stop midair but he had felt the invisible barrier that he had hit. Cursing himself for his lack of force abilities Xion sighed. Instead of the traditional abilities all he had done was use his abilities to use and guide the wildlife on Yavin and Wayland. Such things like what Sera had done were outside his realm of ability. The twi'lek's words rang in his mind before he felt himself being lifted from his feet and being carried a few feet away. Hitting the ground Xion let his body keep rolling so he could get to his feet and without missing a beat he rushed Sera once again.

This time Xion came up bringing both blades in at a slash straight for her upper chest area and if she went to block it he'd lash out his leg in a powerful kick his weight behind it aimed for her stomach. Following up with the relentless assault Xion would spin bringing both blades arcing in a sweep from his left to the right but his leg would kick out to sweep Sera off her feet.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Be mindful of the path you walk. You may find yourself on the path to the darkside, and that is a very, very dangerous road to travel."

As Xion was knocked back and off of his feet Sera remained stationary, her blades still held in her typical state, awaiting his continued assault. She had learned long ago that while Ataru focused on closing the gap and formidable acrobatics, the need to over exert one's self was not always necessary, especially seconds into a battle. So she would continue to wait, wait until he slipped up, a grievous error on his part that she would exploit to show him the meaning of what she had been telling him. The learning process was meant to be trial and error. She had undergone the exact same motions as a Padawan, and she learned well enough the flaws of her ways, the same as Xion would, and he would grow from it.

And so the Padawan charged again, forcing his twin blades into another assault against her. Turning her body sideways she raised her right handed saber which was now facing Xion, slashing with his blades to use the momentum and force them downwards towards the ground. She hadn't entirely expected the forceful kick which was likely aimed for her stomach however, and felt the weight of his foot knock her forwards, tripping her up a step or two as his blades once again swung towards her, accompanied by a sweeping motion. The Twi'lek hadn't yet had the opportunity to readjust herself and turn back to face her opponent, so she opted to position her sabers facing the ground and twirl them over her shoulders to block the incoming swipes of her opponents own weapons.

Taking the opportunity now, the Knight performed a layout, flipping her body forwards and away from Xion, while twisting her body mid-flip in a 180 degree turn to face her temporary enemy. "My turn." Two words were all she gave before thrusting her right hand forward, releasing a burst of telekinetic energy to pull Xion forward towards her, and another burst with her left hand to attempt a Force Push against his own left handed saber in hopes to catch the Padawan off guard, enough to exploit an opening in his own defense. To which she would then lunge forward and make a single, forceful slash with her left blade to attempt a disarm maneuver, while using her right hand to fake an attack at his right shoulder blade.

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

Xion watched Sera's every move carefully through the force. The way that she raised her own sabers and forced his own down towards the ground. Sera moved with a finesse that Xion just didn't have. He never had such a talent, but what he didn't have in finesse he made up for with his reflexes. It was no wonder she had became a knight so fast something that he had yet to achieve. But one day he would meet her and they would be on an even playing field. However Xion knew that she could do things with her sabers that he couldn't. The curve in his hilts helped during certain maneuvers and made applying his strength easier in most instances but some maneuvers would be outside his bounds without substantial amounts of practice.

The flip that Sera performed was also something to be admired and Xion even marveled at it as she placed herself out of his reach. Whistling he watched her land gracefully Xion inclined his head to her in respect. Then he felt himself suddenly yanked forward. Trying to hold himself in place Xion locked his legs and tightened his muscles to no avail as he was still drug to Sera. However her force push on his saber wouldn't be as effective due to the curved hilt which provided him a great amount of grip on the weapon. Raising his right arm to block the attack for what he thought would be an attack Xion would clash his blades with Sera's and do the same with his left. Keeping them both locked he'd bend his body and launch his upper body forward to try and headbutt Sera with his head and shoulders in a sort of tackle. Which he would follow by lashing his head up in an attempt to have his head meet Sera's chin before lashing out with a kick to her chest to put distance between them. "Sorry" Xion would say a bit of guilt over hitting her if he succeeded

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"].

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

If there was ever something Sera lacked in combat, it was close range defense. She held only the very basic concepts of Makashi and Shii-Cho, and Ataru itself was not a defense oriented form. Furthermore, at face-to-face range neither dance nor gymnastics were of much help. So when Xion hurled his head towards her, with sabers locked against one another, she had nowhere to go, and nothing to block with. Their two heads collided, which gifted Sera an instant migraine, only to be followed up with another one from directly underneath her chin. Her head lashed back as she allowed her body to vault backwards, her thumbs pressing the activators on her sabers as the palms of her hands grasped the floor, elbows bending to receive the momentum and launch her body back upright, avoiding the last kick with just a few centimeters to spare before tapping once again on both sabers to spring them back to life.

"Owch." She rubbed her chin for a second with the top of her wrist, adjusting her jaw a few times before refocusing on the fight. Stepping forward on just her toes of the left foot she skipped once toward Xion, entering into a face paced criss-crossed twirling motion of her sabers as she jumped a short distance towards him, continuing to twirl the blades in a violent array, making the beams appear as if they were each a single, long, stream of light as one came in a slashing motion diagonally from the right and above, while the other arched from the left and below, before they reversed direction and slashed opposite again.

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

The guilt of what he had done to Sera flew through Xion's mind and his smirk found itself upside down. He hadn't wanted to truly hurt her. He had only gotten caught up in the fight and did what came to mind. The remnants of the headbutt echoed through his mind as Xion shook his head deactivating both his sabers. He had even began walking towards Sera a hand extended. "Sorry I didn't really mean to hurt you. Just got caught up in it."

Xion realized his mistake soon afterwards cursing his kindness. Sera began closing the distance with a single leap while constantly twirling her blades. The solid beams of green and purple lights would have lost most people who saw with their eyes, but Xion saw with the force. He saw the motions she was making but even then she was moving at a great speed. Had Xion aggravated her with his attack before? Even if he did this violent assault was something that he hadn't expected from her. Bracing himself he reactivated his sabers and brought his right arm down to block the attack coming from his right and he did the opposite with the left saber in an attempt to block them. But he saw her shoulders move and as the blades reversed direction Xion deactivated both his sabers and crouched low to the ground. While crouched he'd spin beneath the blades coming up between them and Sera where he'd come up using both of his fists and driving them into Sera's chest to push her back. Following the attack if it was successful he'd reactivate his sabers.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera smiled at his kindness, and though she would without a doubt feel that later, she would continue pressing the Padawan to his limits, so that he knew that until you had forced a surrender, a fight was never over. With the block of her strikes she understood how well the miraluka was able to see using the Force, and that illusionist tricks would not work quite as easily to one who did not see with only their eyes, the Knight smirked. It was a great talent to have, despite her disadvantage. However she did still have the grace of agility, so when Xion blocked her strikes and made the attempt to punch her not once, but twice in the chest, she merely performed an aerial, launching her body to the left in a bit of a sideways cartwheel, while maintaining the use of her hands.

Mid flip, the Jedi rapidly extended her hand, sending one of the blades hurtling towards Xion in an attempt to delay his next attack, and force him to continue defending himself as she uprighted herself, briefly switching her style toward Makashi and making a series of quick, relentless thrusts and jabs toward Xion's legs and abdomen while she recalled her off-hand saber and rattled off a quick thought to her foe.

"Most would see the lack of physical vision as a detriment. But to those who harness the power of the Force properly, it is a much greater vision to see through. You are adept at the art, and that is to be commended."

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

As the blade came spinning in his direction Xion turned but instead of blocking it he leaned back using his flexability and leaned all the way back so that the saber passed over him. The heat from the blade could be felt on his skin as the saber flew by almost as if blisters would rise instantly. Pushing himself back to his feet Xion hadn't expected Sera to go into such a attack frenzy. Each thrust and attack pushed him back farther and farther as he began to make his way to the edge of the arena. Xion didn't rely on blocking but instead his reflexes in sidestepping and dodging the attacks. Then as one of the thrusts for his abdomen came Xion would spin around it bringing both his sabers in a sweeping arc around and aimed for Sera's back.

"I have lived all my life using the force to see, I have never been granted such a gift as to see like you do. I am far past adept my dear. Just as you are more than adept at dancing I assume?" Xion asked .

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera smirked, unsure if the comment towards her dancing was truly genuine or a sarcastic jab at the idea of it. She wasn't offended regardless, but smiled wider as he continued backing toward the edge of the combat zone, the telekinetically thrown saber narrowly missing him, her attacks pressing him to dodge more and more. As she launched the final flurry of her attacks Xion slipped one of his own in, spinning around to use her attack against her, his sabers sweeping toward her back.

Her lekku twitched and the warning she received through her connection to the Force instinctively forced her legs into action. Gathering a bit of energy she expelled it through her legs, leaping up and backwards, flipping over Xion with her sabers held in front of her body in a defensive state in the event that he attempted to follow through with an upwards arch. As she landed on the ground a few meters back she felt the twinge and burn on the back of her heels, one or both of his sabers has skimmed the back of them, burning a small portion and making an incredibly irritating wound that would likely affect her mobility going forward.

Grimacing for a moment she extended a single blade from her left hand, the right pointed toward the ground. She would remain in a more defensive state for now, so not to risk herself with her current state.

[member="Xion Vala"]

 

[Xion Vala]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Xion saw the smile from Sera and in return couldn't help but do the same thing. This had become alot more than just a duel, it had became a dance between the two as they went back and forth combating each other. This was one of Xion's first duels against a jedi knight and it had become incredibly fun. The battle had become a sort of enjoyment to Xion. With his last attack missing or appearing to he was surprised by just how far Sera could jump as she proppeled over his head and landing quite a distance away. She was just so full of surprises, and all the dodging she had made Xion do had obviously worn him out as he breathed heavily and sweat beaded upon his brow. He had never had to move so fast and much in a short period of time.

IF he didn't end the fight soon Xion would be to exhausted to continue. He knew that he couldn't win but the least he could do was get the knights respect. Running forward Xion rushed her noticing the defensive stance. Digging both his blades into the arena floor he rose them up propelling hot rocks and marble at Sera as a distraction so he could attack. Upon reaching her he'd bring his right blade up in a slash but would activate the dual phase mechanism built into his saber to make it shorter. While his left arm would come down in a strike from above and do the same. Then as they reached her core he would re-extend them to where they would fall short of her body.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera stood at the ready as she awaited Xion's inevitable advance. He was a capable duelist, and was able to properly use the talent granted to him by his Force Sight to see just as well, if not better than those who used only their eyes on the battlefield. With his charge she noted the peculiar decision to pierce the ground with his sabers, and as the intent registered in her mind as to what exactly he was doing he made his move, hurling debris towards her mid-charge, before making his intended assault.

An interesting tactic for sure. She'd never been faced with such small debris used as part of an attack before. If nothing else, the distraction was a success. Her hands crossed horizontally in defense of the incoming attack, however as she noticed the change in positioning from Xion with respect to his sabers, her thumbs slid down to the activators as she dropped both lightsabers to the ground, her hands thrown forward in retaliation, releasing a sphere of energy to envelop the Padawan in a protective stasis field, the first Force Barrier she had ever used in an offensive manner to temporarily subdue her aggressor. And while the barrier would hold only long enough to withstand the immediate attacks of his strikes, it would be more than what she had anticipated or hoped to achieve.

Without summoning her sabers back again she held her hands extended, the bluish hue of the barrier fading from existence. "Enough. You are without a doubt a very capable duelist Xion. Adaptive and calculated. Two very important traits when faced with an opponent. You've taught me a few things today that I am grateful for, as I hope that you have learned something as well."

[member="Xion Vala"]