Private [Shots Fired] - Cedwyn Blaidd

[Alexandros Xanathos]

TAGS: Cedwyn Blaidd

Alex's heart pounded with excitement as he danced around Cedwyn, light on his feet like a nimble cat. He knew he was facing a formidable opponent, and the playful nature of their training didn't diminish the fact that Cedwyn held the upper hand. Yet, Alex was undeterred; his focus was sharp. As he circled to his right, Alex made a conscious effort to move toward Cedwyn's flank. He wanted to explore different angles of attack, even in this friendly game of 'tag.' His eyes remained locked on Cedwyn's every move, studying the way his mentor shifted his weight, anticipating the next strike.

With each advance, Alex sought to avoid Cedwyn's attacks, weaving and ducking to in attempts to stay just out of reach. Occasionally, he mustered the courage to offer a block, hoping to test his reflexes and defense. Cedwyn's strikes were swift and precise, but Alex was determined to learn from every interaction, even when he couldn't match his mentor's skill. As they engaged in this playful dance, Alex became more daring, his attempts aiming for quick taps to Cedwyn's neck and kidney areas. His movements became more cautious, more calculated, as he sought opportunities to strike without leaving himself vulnerable.

He plucked up his sweater in one quick motion and slid down between Cedwyn's legs drawing up on the sleeves and tethering them together hastily so before rolling to the side and moving to re-engage Cedwyn looking to try and even the playing field by 'playing dirty'.

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[Cedwyn Blaidd]

Outfit: Casual
Tag: Alexandros Xanathos

Watching the kid adapt and switch things up, Cedwyn kept his pace the same and made sure the younger fighter couldn't trap him by keeping his body fluid and flexible. The attempt to use his sweater as a weapon but it wasn't going to help the kid, relying on the need for something else to assist the fight demonstrated Alex's weaknesses. "Play dirty all you want, but if you can't fight me without tools or weapons then you are only weakening yourself." It wasn't an insult or goading the kid, it was coming from the wishes to improve his student.

There were always going to be fights where you were unarmed and there were always going to be opponents more skilled, it was being able to adapt in hand to hand combat that Cedwyn wanted to encourage his student. His attacks shifted from attempting to hit Alex to disarming him and rendering the kid's arms useless. "The basics of Echani is learning to fight with your hands, being able to connect your emotions and body language and expressing them through combat. Connecting mind, body and soul." Cedwyn mentioned as he moved forward.

His own body language was instructive, stern but there was a warmness in the background. His legs shifted and he attempted to kick at Alex in quick, sharp succession. "If you cannot connect yourself and find harmony, then and only then will you be able to understand what you need to read from me." His movements were considered obvious and predictable in Echani terms but he was moving in a manner only an Echani would know how to read him, or one in Echani combat could read.

 

[Alexandros Xanathos]

TAGS: Cedwyn Blaidd

As Alex felt the impact of Cedwyn's kick, he gritted his teeth against the pain that surged through his body. The force of the blow sent him crashing to the ground, but he refused to stay there. He had been through worse and this battle with Cedwyn was just another challenge he had to overcome.

With a mix of frustration and adrenaline coursing through his veins, Alex pushed himself back onto his feet. He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, having torn open a wound from their last scuffle. His eyes locked onto his mentor, Cedwyn, who stood before him, still composed and focused on the fight.

It was time to prove that he could adapt. With renewed determination, Alex lunged forward, his movements more fluid, attempting to catch Cedwyn off guard. His fists danced through the air, but this time, he wasn't merely trying to land a hit. Instead, he aimed to find that vulnerability in Cedwyn's defense and exploit it. He mirrored Cedwyn's footwork as best as he could, trying to predict the older man's next move.

As Alex continued to work at bettering himself in their combat, he almost always got back up no matter how many times he went down. If he was conscious, and breathing, he somehow found energy to carry on. Their differences in skill were clear as night and day. Alex did not slack nor did he call it quits on his own. He did become less flighty as their fight continued and he took more risks to learn more about Cedwyn's style trying to learn to read him.

 

[Cedwyn Blaidd]

Outfit: Casual
Tag: Alexandros Xanathos

Cedwyn watched Alex being kicked to the ground, landing hard, thinking perhaps this had gotten too far already but the kid rose back up onto his feet and wiped the blood away. He wasn't pleased with that but if the kid wanted to keep fighting, then it would only cause issues and frustrations that Cedwyn was holding back, limiting Alex in some regards. There was also the trust in Cedwyn's fighting capabilities that he knew when they needed to stop and when he was content to allow Alex to push himself. The kid had proven himself resilient and tough, so Cedwyn was content to allow the fight to continue currently.

"Don't act out of anger and frustration. They might feel good emotions to use in order to empower your strikes but they make your movements more predictable and leave you more vulnerable to counter-attacks." Cedwyn stated firmly, he wanted Alex to learn how to find balance in his emotions, to fight with everything he got but not to fall victim to power that the Dark Side claimed to hold. "While frustration and anger are normal to feel in a fight, especially when you aren't succeeding, you need to be able to adapt, improvise and move forward."

The jabs that came from Alex to test his defences and to find a flaw in his defences, Cedwyn was able to spot this and adjust his defensive stance to a different style. Blocking the attacks and demonstrating the skills he held as a highly effective fighter, "good strikes, nice attempt to see flaws in my defence and using that knowledge to exploit them. It is foresight few fighters have at your age." Cedwyn praised the boy for doing better than a good number of fighters his age, the praise was nothing to be scoffed at either.

"Again, lets see what you got, show me everything you feel. Everything you want to express. See the way that my body communicates and see the way that yours is communicating in this fight." Encouraging Alex to take a moment to focus on his body's motion and feel the way his body moves as they fight. It wasn't about winning the fight or landing a hit for Cedwyn, it was ensuring that Alex got a glimpse into seeing how he fought and understanding how that could make him one of the best fighters in the galaxy.