Moderation in all things.

[Shuduc Macar]

Entering the training area the sith acolyte looked around for the instructor for this specific location. She had much to learn in terms of saber use but not all could be learned from her mistress Darth Venifica and she'd perhaps even be angered if her student did not seek knowledge wherever she could get it. After all if one shunned learning knew things the Vahl witch might find her a waste of time. So instead she sought out the trainers of the sith academy knights and masters of the arts here who could show her things she did not know.

[member="Vrag"]

 

[Vrag]

She'd acquired something of a pet project in the past week, and Vrag liked to see her projects completed before she moved on to new ones. For all the destruction she liked to cause, the woman was oddly methodical in her annihilation; a trait that had drawn her to Makashi in the beginning.

To her great dissatisfaction, however, Form II had its downsides, and the duelist would rather acknowledge that on the training mat than in the middle of battle. With that in mind, the Sith had taken to Niman as well, determined to ingrain it into her muscles to a point where flowing between the two wouldn't be a mere fantasy, but a devastating reality.

She had been tasked with showing the ropes to those who wanted to know them, and thus stood waiting in one of the training rooms, strangely patient for someone as imposing. The Vonduun crab shifted lightly against her flesh, the legs of the creatures nigh gentle in their movements as they grew ever more restless. The Vong, unlike Vrag, wasn't nearly as accommodating, and with every second that ticked by she could feel it yearn for combat a bit more.

Blue eyes met the impenetrable mask of the woman that arrived, then, and she smiled a small smile behind her own helmet.

"Shall we begin?" No use standing around, after all.


[member="Shuduc Macar"]

 

[Shuduc Macar]

Quick and too the point she supposed she could not fault the Sith Knight for that. She was not here just to exchange pleasantries. She took up one of her light sabers and activated it. Stepping up to the arena she gave it a simple twirl in her hand as she took up a stance. She'd seen the woman once before in the preparation for the invasion of Kyshaak. before everyone split off into battle groups. She awaited for the instructor to be ready.


[member="Vrag"]

 

[Vrag]

"Good," she spoke once the Acolyte drew her saber and activated it, her blue eyes briefly flickering to the red blade before they found the faceless mask of her sparring partner once more. She didn't believe in punishing people simply because they weren't ready — unlike some of her peers within the Sith, who gladly jumped at the chance to torment people —and so she resolved to find out just how good this woman was before tasking her with something the Acolyte couldn't possibly handle.

"Show me what you know," she spoke, her voice low and impersonal as it passed through the rebreather in her helmet.

[member="Shuduc Macar"]

 

[Shuduc Macar]

The helmet was a curiosity to her though perhaps as much as the mask was to her opponent. Most never realized one could derive all kinds of details through the force, it wasn't like being only able to see in blurrs of energy. You just saw more into it than others usually did. She moved in and swung in a controlled swing aimed at the body. She was always finding this style was strange she had to both control and remain loose in combat. But it was the basis for her duel blade style of combat. As she swung if blocked she'd turn it counter clockwise and aim for a strike toward the opposite shoulder.

[member="Vrag"]

 

[Vrag]

For the Knight, Niman was an exercise in temperance more than anything else. She'd learned patience through Makashi — a valuable skill in combat, doubtless — but now she needed to take it one step further and teach herself the art of restraint. At its purest, Form II was a very aggressive style of combat, built on pressing one's advantage until the enemy forfeited; either of their own volition, or underneath the ceaseless assault of the wielder's blade.

Form VI was nothing like that; in fact, the Way of the Rancor preached balance and a sort of… serenity that was very hard to find mid-battle. The Hand of the Dark Lord had never had issues with maintaining control — it was her specialty, even — but control had never equaled moderation.

Blue eyes followed the motions of the Acolyte as she stepped forward, giving the Knight that small window to react before the blade followed. She lifted her own weapon in the air, forming a high guard that would let the apprentice's beam slide off of her own, giving momentum to the right-to-left downward strike she would riposte with.

"Don't telegraph your attacks," she spoke loud enough to be heard over the sound of clashing lightsabers. "Weapon first, legs second."


[member="Shuduc Macar"]

 

[Shuduc Macar]

[member="Vrag"]

She moved some trying to get a better angle and listened to what she was being told, it was tough to go against the instinct to not obey your opponent but in this case it had a purpose. She swung again aiming upward but instead of the more typical downward stroke only moving into the strike later in the movement. As she swung she also aimed a force push to off balance her foe something the very basics of niman taught but she had yet to be very good at.

 

[Vrag]

"Niman," the woman spoke as she redirected the Acolyte's attack to the side — much better executed this time, if a little poorly aimed, "is called the Moderation form for many reasons."

Now, Vrag rarely talked during combat, first and foremost because it detracted from one's focus — and concentration was paramount in situations where reactions between life and death happened in the fraction of a second — but this was a sparring duel, a teaching duel, even, and she could afford to spare some of that precious attention.

"The chief being that it allows the user to," she made a small pause as the Force push met Vonduun crab and failed, "adapt." Like all Vong species, her armor was Force-dead, and as such unaffected by the Acolyte's attack. Most people were unfamiliar with the warriors of Yun'Yuuzhan these days, however, and that lack of knowledge was just another of the many advantages to using Vong tech.

"Now that you know the Force is useless against me," the woman continued as she guided her blade into an upward arc towards Shuduc's left forearm, subtly adjusting the trajectory of the slash by deftly manipulating the pommel of the hilt.

"You can try other avenues of attack."


[member="Shuduc Macar"]

 

[Shuduc Macar]

The armor was odd she'd seen that already but now she knew why now. She was always disturbed by the Vong and their disconnection from the force. However she looked briefly around and as she struck before moving to the side she used the force to pick up a small box and threw it from the back behind Vrag trying to get her leg struck out from behind her. This wasn't perfect she couldn't mask her use of the force well yet. As she did this she swung too trying to distract her opponent figuring she'd block the saber strike. "But the force is not only a direct weapon!"

If this worked she'd have an advantage if it failed however and she could not be sure how tough the armor was or able to stabilize Vrag was it'd have been a wasted move.

[member="Vrag"]

 

[Vrag]

Her stance remained relaxed, fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt of her lightsaber as she assessed her opponent. One of the main rules of combat was to watch your foe, not their sword; something that seemed almost too obvious, yet still an axiom that combatants forgot far too often. The one exception to this maxim was, perhaps, when one was facing a Vong warrior; an amphistaff, being alive in and of itself, presented an additional unknown in the fast-changing environment of a duel, adding another layer of difficulty to an already dangerous enemy.

Still, that was something for the future, perhaps. Vrag wouldn't use her amphistaff against the Acolyte, seeing as a single bite was wont to result in quick and painful death. Dealing with the creatures every day, the Sith had antidote aplenty, but it was still an experience that she had no interest in putting the woman through.

The motion of her hand when she manipulated the Force was obvious enough to alert the firrerreo to the threat. Not obvious enough, however, to tell her what exactly was going to happen, and with the Skerr Kyrric covering her head-to-toe, the fabled precognition lent by the Force was dimmed and uncertain at best.

She didn't have to wonder for long, mind you. It's hard to miss a hard object hitting your leg, armor or not.

The Vonduun reeled against her flesh, coiling as it held her upright — the benefits of being decked out in live organisms —as her red blade hissed against that of her opponent, clashing for a moment before it slid off.

"Good, you're getting the gist of it," she spoke, her low voice filtering through her rebreather with a metallic undertone. "Always adapt and don't stay set in your ways. Stagnation is death."

With that the Hand of the Dark Lord would step back and let her lightsaber point at the ground, the blade buzzing softly in the momentary silence. "I will conclude our lesson here, Acolyte. Apply the knowledge you have acquired today in your future battles and never hesitate to deliver a blow."


[member="Shuduc Macar"]

Spoiler: OOC

I'm going to end this here because my exam period is coming up, and I don't want to leave you waiting even longer than I already have. It's been fun.