Ask Broadening the horizons

[Caelum Skylar]

-Jedi temple training room

Though Caelum did study and practice some of the basic Soresu principles and blade work, working it into the style he prioritized for years to strengthen his defenses, he was yet to face a dedicated Soresu combatant. With the young Jedi's enthusiasm and focus on combat he eventually realized that he should broaden his skills in that area and decided to ask some of his fellow Jedi known to have some degree of proficiency with the Form to help him train with some sparring matches. As a dedicated combatant Caelum always leaned on the duelist side a bit more than some traditional Jedi diplomacy or spiritualism and frequented many training sessions, sparrings and missions that usually involved working with the Sector Rangers in apprehension of criminals.

Izel Thral, a fellow Jedi Knight and a member of the Vratix species was one of his peers he had known had a proficiency with the needed style of combat. Furthermore Izel's unique physiology would give Caelum some much needed training when it came to facing unorthodox foes. On the other side of things he had hoped the sparring session could prove to be of use for Izel as well having her face such an aggressive type of duelist. Caelum's preferred lightsaber form was Djem So, the fifth of the classic forms. Djem So's focus on countering and attacking, pressing the attack and favoring strength and power blows seemed to be in conjuction with young Caelum and adopting the form came almost as second nature to the boy, his natural fitness, strength as well as Force augmented attributes combined with the blade work played a great role in him overwhelming or overpowering his opponents or in some cases both.

''Thanks for agreeing to this, I could really use some training with the styles you seem to be proficient with Izel.'' said Caelum as he adjusted the settings on the hilt of his saber in the training room, a hint of awkwardness in his voice as he didn't really know Izel that much though mostly masked by the young man's notable aura of friendliness. Most of their meetings consisted of passing by each other in the hallways, attending some classes together and generally knowing of each other's existence but not really interacting in any significant ways.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel had been most surprised by Caelum's request to spar with him, mainly by the fact that he even knew her name. It certainly took her a few moments to recall his, but then it was possible she was easier to identify because of her species. Vratix weren't exactly a common sight in the galaxy, and as far as she knew she was the only one among the Jedi. Caelum had been in the Order longer than her, and so they weren't really in the same clique when she was still a Padawn. She knew of him, and even shared a class or two with him when they were still apprentices, but they had never interacted outside those instances. Of course she still agreed to his request. From their minimal contact she had gotten the impression of a decent enough person, and she never minded getting to know people better. Not to mention any chance to improve her lightsaber skills were sorely needed.

She let out a soft chitter of amusement at Caelum's words, standing a few meters away from him as she practiced the evolutions of Soresu with her unignited lightsaber pike in preparation for their bout. "I think I'd say sufficient rather than proficient," She replied humbly. "I'm hardly a specialist in any form. But I'll do my best to provide a match for you." Perhaps she was selling herself short. She had been sparring often with Fiach and her skills had certainly been improving, but she still wasn't sure how well she'd stack up against more experienced opponents. Following Caelum's lead she stopped in her practice to adjust her saber to a non-lethal setting. Contact would still hurt something fierce, but there'd be no threat of death from a mistake.

"I'm surprised you approached me at all. I'm sure you could find a more adept Soresu practitioner somewhere." Her antennae twitched a bit as she looked at him. "Or were you just looking for someone you could say you defeated?" She asked wryly. Of course she meant it as a joke, but that wasn't always easy for humanoids to tell. Her kind weren't exactly easy to read.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

He laughed sincerely at Izel's statement before continuing to explain ''Oh no not at all, in fact I've heard rumors here and there about your recent exploits and the familiarity with the form so you were simply the first to come to mind. I admit there were a couple of choices that sprung to mind after yourself but from what I've seen of them and heard of you you seem to be a tad bit better.''

Caelum's words were indeed truthful and at his mention of combat training to his masters many agreed with the notion of trying to approach firmly defensive opponents and that it might prove much more fruitful to the young man at the moment than going up against a skilled master of the art.

''I'm honestly more concerned about you knocking me on my behind.'' He said with a genuine laugh. In his fights so far Caelum relied on a few strategies that he'd developed but most of them as well as his successes came down to power blows and overwhelming the opponents or in cases of stronger foes outmatching their aggressive style of blade work with his own. He is yet to face a defensive opponent of his own skill level or higher and he realized that might prove to be a problem some time down the line. Thus the reason for this sparing session between the two Jedi that didn't really know each other much at the time.

''How do you want to do this ? Two to three rounds sound good ?'' he asked Izel as he prepared himself and transitioned into a stance with his blade held with both hands in front of him.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel hesitated when Caelum spoke of her 'recent exploits'. Honestly that wasn't as flattering as the human may have intended. Whenever she thought of recent missions she always came back to the disaster on Ontotho and her allowing herself to be manipulated by the Sith. It was a memory she very much would have liked to put behind her, but just couldn't seem to forget. Despite these unpleasant memories rearing their heads once more outwardly Izel maintained a facade of calm both through her unreadable expression and through the Force. Only her antennae twitched a few times as she collected herself and tried to catch up with what Caelum was saying.

"Yes, best two out of three sounds good." She agreed with a quick nod. She waited for her sparring partner to take up his position before assuming her own stance and igniting the green blade of her pike. As usual she held her weapon so the blade was level with her chest and extended out towards her opponent. She immediately recognized Caelum's stance as Djem So, Form V. Fiach used this form occasionally when they sparred, and her old master Reev had incorporated elements of Djem So into his Niman style. It was aggressive like Ataru, although more refined in Izel's opinion. While still requiring great strength it wasn't nearly as exhausting as Form IV, and incorporated a good defensive base. It was a well-rounded form, but not perfect. Djem So relied on a domineering approach and taking control of the flow of battle early. Given her size Izel wasn't exactly an opponent that could be easily pushed around. All she had to do was hold her ground and let Caelum come to her. So long as she maintained her calm and built up a defensive momentum she should be able to withstand his assault until he offered an opening for a counterattack.

"Whenever you're ready..." She conceded the opening attack to him, which only made sense considering she was applying Soresu. Defense, defense, defense. That was the strategy. Let her opponent throw himself at her until he tired himself out with those powerful swings and started to get sloppy. She could do this.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

From both Izel's stance and words it seemed apparent to Caelum that they both realized what this fight was gonna boil down to. Essentially it was going to be his offensive against her staunch defense most likely a war of attrition since both knights were still relatively young and lacked any extensive experience besides their usual go to styles.

Still, aware of the situation at hand Caelum was not gonna give up on his usual approach, at least for the moment. Planing to probe out just how well Izel's defenses fared against it.

He swiftly approached Izel as he raised his blade into an overhead strike aiming for the Vratix's head, a Falling Avalanche move common with the Djem So. Expecting the blow to be deflected he would then use the momentum as the blades bounced back to perform three more strikes from the same position, first coming from the right, second from the left and third from the right side again all aimed high towards Izel's head. All while standing firm, his left leg positioned outward as he dealt the blows.

Though such blows were heavy enough to fit his plan of probing her defenses their other purpose was to keep the blade of his opponent engaged and high as Caelum attempted to perform a swift kick with his right leg into the Vratix's mid section trying to push the alien back a few feet.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel watched with a meticulous eye as Caelum approached. His initial attack was fast but measured, opening with some standard Djem So evolutions. It was clear these were just probing attacks, her opponent was feeling her out. Parrying the strikes was simple enough, allowing Izel to build up some momentum for the constant deflecting cycle common in lightsaber defense. When using Soresu rhythm was key, getting into a stable and repeating motion and allowing the Force to flow through you and guide your movements. This flow of the Force also allowed Izel to be more aware of her surroundings and incoming attacks.

She spotted the subtle movement of Caelum's left leg, adjusting it's positioning with each successive strike. When he finally moved to try and kick her she was ready for it. As the human swung a kick towards her midsection the Vratix simultaneously lifted her front left leg, catching him by the knee before he could strike and holding him there. Izel let out a satisfied click and as her opponent was immobilized swung the blunt end of her pike to try and strike him in the midsection in kind.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

The blunt end of Izel's pike hid Caelum's abdomen the Jedi barely able to clench it as if to diminish the blow, still this sudden strike did serve it's purpose and land precisely where it was aimed. As he was hit though the force of the strike pushed Caelum backward from the Vratix's leg that stopped his knee as he instinctively would try to pull his body weight backwards away from his opponent as soon as Izel stopped his attempted kick.

Almost stumbling a bit before he would be able to find footing with his now released right leg Caelum released the double handed grip on his saber instead holding onto to the blade with his right hand as he stretched his left to maintain balance from the blowback. Young as he was he was still in a few fights and on receiving ends of a few blows as well as having his initial plan of attack disrupted. This served to sharpen the Jedi's instinct when it came to battles and was now more adept to reacting to such things accordingly as one would.

In Caelum's case it was of course - to attack more. And as he staggered back, slightly bent over forward a bit from the strike to his midsection, he swung the blade that was now held only by his right hand in a sweeping, diagonal half circular slash from his left side to his right. The strike was mostly aimed at Izel's legs and if the Vratix's would jump to avoid it the Jedi would strike at her right side more freely at her weapon's handle taking advantage of the position of her pike's blade from his previous attack.

If however Izel could predict this attempt at exploiting her possible weakness and try to block the strike instead of dodging it Caelum would hold keep the pressure to her blade instead of deflecting from it into another strike and attempt to grab onto her weapon's long handle with his left arm and pull himself in once again for a jumping knee strike to her body, this time with his left leg.

Though admittedly thinking a few steps ahead was impressive to a degree, especially against an opponent whom he'd only have relative theoretical knowledge, the truth was in this fight Caelum's only attempts at staying and thinking ahead were 'short term'. If the predicted outcomes would fail in any way at the current time Skylar didn't have a third option ready and would have to come to a completely new strategy on the fly. All this meant was that even though he attempted to think ahead and be a step ahead it was in truth only a 'short term' thing as he didn't have a grander plan of approach to this fight and Izel's skills and style of combat

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel was satisfied to see her attack land, resulting in a nasty blow to Caelum's side that staggered him backwards. That would leave a few bruises. But her opponent was able to maintain his balance and redirected the momentum to launch into a counterattack. Izel saw the powerful sweeping strike of his saber coming towards her legs, and spun her pike around so her blade blocked his. However she was unable to parry the blow, as Caelum pushed into his strike and initiated a saber-lock. His next move Izel did not expect, as her opponent then reached out with his free hand to grab the metal shaft of her pike and leveraged it to help aim a flying knee to her torso.

This was a problem Izel should have foreseen, and privately she cursed herself for allowing Caelum to get inside her guard. The whole point of the lightsaber pike was to keep her opponents at a distance. She never should have let him get so close. Caught off guard Caelum was able to land a knee on her abdomen, drawing a pained hiss from the Vratix. She had to increase the distance between them at once, as she clearly wasn't suited to close quarters combat.

With a grunt of effort the large insectoid yanked up on her pike, hefting the smaller human still clinging to her weapon into the air and swinging around as she tried to throw him off of her. If this was successful she would immediately back away and reassume her defensive Soresu stance. If Caelum was strong enough to hold on she would continue to grapple with him over her pike, eventually raising her two front legs and pushing them against his midsection to try and shove him off of her.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

Trying to maintain his grasp on the handle of Izel's pike the young man was thrown aside by the Vratix's sudden move, his strength without the Force augmenting him not being able to withstand the large alien's natural might. Thrown to the side Caelum landed with a few broad pivots as he tried to maintain balance and stay on his feet, all the while twirling his blade instinctively as if to cover his open areas and flanks while he tried to maintain ground. Even though Izel was a defensive fighter the move was a reflex and Caelum's still couldn't be 100% sure that she wouldn't try to attack at the time.

Now firmly on his feet the young Jedi brushed a hand over his stomach, the area previously struck by Izel's pike, as he moved sideways 'half circling his opponent. Sure Caelum's strike was successful but he was now in the same position as before - away from his opponent, a position Izel seemed to largely favor. Even if it was a speculation before it was all but confirmed now that the Vratix didn't enjoy close quarter combat and would rather keep her enemies on a certain safe distance. This was further helped by her weapon design combined with her own large limbs allowing for better reach. Assessing the situation Caelum knew that surprising her again with integrated hand to hand combat would be hard and Izel seemed to be more conscious about maintaining her distance now even more than before.


Grabbing the hilt of his blade with both hands mimicking his opening stance Caelum once again charged at Izel with a yell. In truth he didn't have many options combating Izel's style let alone someone of her anatomy that even further stone walled the young human, and in addition his previous efforts gave away too much information about his own tricks and it was less likely that would work again. Bringing this fight to close quarters seemed to be a much more daunting task now than before. Instead Caelum's opted for a ''new'' approach. Charging towards her he descended with yet another Falling Avalanche move, expecting these hits to be parried Caelum would immediately follow the first strike with a second horizontal strike to Izel's left side before using the momentum of the deflected blade and rotating his entire body for a third strike, again a horizontal slash but this time to her left side.

All these moves were followed by the human's yells and shouts as he intentionally put all of his strength in the strikes going for a full on Djem So offensive and though this was a quick path to exhaustion he in truth didn't have much choice as probing Izel again and staying distanced wouldn't amount to anything but playing into her hands. There was however a layer of strategy to this seemingly blunt approach. Knowing that he had to once again engage in a close quarters bout and that his previous surprise tactics wouldn't work Caelum's thought of trying to corner the Vratix near a wall where her foot work would be largely compromised. Wanting to mask his intentions as a raging-not well thought out offensive was his initial idea but the combat enthusiastic Jedi didn't think it would be enough to fool the careful Izel so instead he made sure that this offense was aimed, precise. As he attacked from above, then right and then swiftly left the purpose of these strikes, even power blows, was not just to try and exhaust and push Izel back but Caelum was trying to play into her weapons weaknesses and exploit them, attempting to guide her defense to once side then swiftly striking at the other and making the Vratix have to exert extra effort and get her weapon to have to ''travel a longer distance'' to get her shorter blade constantly into a correct position to block and parry.

Caelum hoped that this engagement combined with his full strength behind the attacks would be enough to get Izel to either focus completely on defending from it thus not paying full attention to herself being backed against the wall or simply to overwhelm her in a way that she'd have to pour all her efforts into maintaining the defense even if she realized what the young man was trying to do.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

As the two Jedi separated from their initial exchange Izel stumbled just a bit before regaining her balance and spinning her pike to hopefully distract Caelum from the momentary show of weakness. That blow to the belly had hurt, but as she watched her opponent brush a hand over his own stomach she was satisfied that he wasn't at 100% either. She could still win this.

Caelum didn't waste much time before jumping back into the battle, taking his saber in both hands and crying out as he charged forward. This time Izel retreated as he advanced, being more mindful to keep him out of striking range. He was coming at her with much more powerful blows this time, putting all his strength behind them. That was good. While Izel had some difficulty maintaining her guard in the face of these stronger strikes it was playing into her advantages as a Soresu user. Outlast. If he kept this up he was going to tire himself out much more quickly than she would, especially since she was backing away and only using her pike to swat back the oncoming blows. She was still expending a comparably insignificant amount of energy to defend herself.

She was conscious of the fact he was backing her towards the wall as well. Caelum was no fool after all, he'd know better then to employ such a straight forward and mindless attack. He was clearly following the basic tenets of Djem So, to control the battlefield and overwhelm your opponent, forcing them to fight in a disadvantageous environment. She had an ace up her sleeve for that, so for the time being allowed him to think his trick was working. She continued to retreat back towards the wall, and continued to parry blow after powerful blow, letting the human exhaust himself. Finally they reached the wall at the end of the training room and...

Izel simply placed each of her back legs on the wall and continued to retreat from Caelum's assault by walking backwards up the vertical surface, until she reached a point outside his range. The insectoid took a moment to chitter in amusement. "Didn't account for that did you?" She asked playfully. "It was a good plan though. Probably would have worked against a humanoid." She leapt from the wall, flipping in the air to show she still had energy to spare and landing a few meters away from Caelum, quickly turning to face him again and raising her lightsaber pike. "Care to try again? Or do you need a break?" She realized her arrogant remarks were just begging for a reversal of fortune, but she felt quite confident at this point she had succeeded in tiring her opponent to the point where in a real duel she'd have the opportunity to defeat him. Even so she leaned forward ever so slightly. A barely noticeable indicator that she was still hurting from the earlier blow, and that showy jump had exacerbated the pain.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

Yes. His attack had worked and Izel was slowly getting closer and closer to a wall where Caelum would attempt to get inside her guard once again. However things were not as they seemed on the surface.. Reaching the wall the Vratix simply climbed it with her limbs leaving a jaw dropped Caelum on the ground as he followed her with his eyes in clear shock. ''Am I really THAT stupid??'' must be what went through his head and his expression was even more confirmation for Izel who surely noticed it. Of course that she could do that, her entire body, her look, EVERYTHING screamed that she could and the cool and thought out Caelum felt pretty comically stupid right now.

Izel's playful comment from the side of the wall was further confirmation that she picked up on Caelum's visible surprise and awe. The Vratix had even went as far as to perform a flashy flip in the air as she landed on the ground again. ''Care to try again ?'' Caelum shook his head letting out a chuckle at his own admittedly comical reaction and misjudgment clearly acknowledging Izel's advantageous point in this duel in a quite friendly 'good sport' kind of a manner.

Though the young man's previous attack was full on in regards to his strength he was yet to burn out all of his fuel. The problem, though, wasn't with him burning out the fuel but with the fact that he was effectively running out of options to get through Izel's defenses. In truth this was what he was aiming for with this training session amped up to the maximum degree - a Soresu based opponent that is on top of it all not only using an unusual weapon but also is of a rather strange species.

Still, the match was not over and Caelum twirled his blade in his right hand a few times as he went over the scarce options in his head. ''Not gonna lie... didn't see that coming.'' the human admitted with a smirk. Getting Izel to dedicate to an offense might help him turn the tables but she was most likely smart enough not to give up her visible current edge with such a decision.

With not much options left Caelum once again went on the offensive although this time much more conservatively as he slowly approached Izel and aimed a couple of high overhead strikes almost as if he was back to probing her.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel let out another soft chitter at Caelum's response. She was glad he was being a good sport and having fun, she was certainly learning to enjoy sparring more and more. During her days as a Padawan it was a field she had always avoided like the plague, but ever since she decided to invest more time in the art she had found a certain appeal to it. It was the strategy more than the physical aspects that interested her. It was why she focused so much on Soresu and Makashi. They were forms that favored brain over brawn, outmaneuvering and outsmarting your opponent rather than simply beating them into submission.

By his more measured approach she could tell Caelum was trying to figure out his next strategy as well. Izel knew of the weaknesses in her own form and in the Soresu technique in general. She had even been developing strategies to use against Soresu practitioners. But she wasn't about to give them away now. Perhaps after she had won the round she would offer Caelum some advice on what to do in the future. But for now he seemed to be returning to a slow probing approach. Izel continued to maintain her distance, parrying his blows and retreating to keep him from getting close enough to use his hand-to-hand combat again. This would give him a chance to regain his stamina while he thought of what to do next. Izel wasn't sure she'd like that. Part of being a Soresu user was knowing when to counterattack, and now seemed ideal. Caelum had tired himself out, and there was a clear target for her to strike at.

After parrying his next series of strikes Izel would finally counter, making a sudden feint before jabbing her pike towards her true target. Caelum's stomach, in the exact spot where she had already hit him before. It wasn't a fully committed attack. She still wanted to maintain her distance after all. But she hoped the surprise offensive paired with the already weakened target would result in a quick and decisive end to the round.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

Though Caelum exhausted almost all of the ideas he had about breaching Izel's defenses he was still not completely out of his tricks. Engaging the Vratix in a much safer way the human Jedi attempted to assess the situation once again before fully committing to his next tactic but it seemed to have been cut short. In his hesitant probing approach Izel saw an opening and capitalized on it, choosing the right time to attack and with a swift jab of her pike the weapon's blade struck Caelum's stomach. The saber settings being adjusted to more of a stun/taser mode had made the young Jedi jump back and fall on his back as the strike connected.

Caelum slowly got on his feet, not wasting any energy with unnecessarily energetic movements as he held his stomach followed by a hissing noise through his gritted teeth. Still, the human's face didn't seem to imply any ill will or resentment of his previous failure as he got up and meet his sparring partner with his eyes. ''That's one.'' he said, his smile cut halfway through by the lingering pain of the previous strike. Caelum figured that if he was to best Izel in the first round even if exerting himself he could risk the second round even using it to conserve and recuparate his strength for the third one. But with the current situation things were different, not only did he waste a lot of his energy and stamina, not to mention his ideas and tricks, but he was unable to get the winning strike which meant that the overall victory in this match was fleeting from Caelum's hands.

The young Jedi circled around the training arena as if to walk off the pain, his lightsaber still ignited and addressed Izel while not giving up his pacing around the room ''That was good. I was too caught up in my offensive to predict your counter attack, as one certain master of ours would say 'too focused on the problem at hand to see the bigger picture'. '' he said jokingly still keeping the friendly tone among the two although it seemed that the unfamiliar awkwardness was fading a bit and hoping to draw a chuckle out of Izel, that is... if the giant bug like aliens were capable of chuckles of course.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

As Caelum fell to the ground Izel was satisfied to have secured a definitive win for the first round. This would give her more room to experiment with different and less practiced tactics in their next exchange. Though of course she had no intentions of taking it easy from here on out. She gave Caelum some space as he walked off the pain of that last blow, extinguishing her pike to show she had no intentions of making a surprise attack. For her part the Vratix would sit down on the floor and set her weapon down in front of her, resting in a meditative stance between the rounds, though her eyes followed Caelum as he spoke to her.

She gave a good natured chitter in response to his words. "I'm not fundamentally opposed to the idea of an all-out attack," She offered her own opinion on the match. "It's a strategy that's been proven to work in certain circumstances. But you need to commit to that strategy, rather than switching to a more measured approach halfway through. That's what allowed me to counter." Her antennae twitched as she inclined her head thoughtfully. "It also helps to assess your opponent's strengths and weaknesses before getting caught up in a duel. I admit something of an advantage here since I encounter human duelists far more regularly than you'd be up against one of my kind. But you had the right idea trying to get close. My defense works best from range."

She would then stand up and stretch, getting ready for them to begin again once Caelum had a chance to recover his stamina. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind I'd like to use this chance to practice my Makashi as well. I've been trying to familiarize myself with the form." The Vratix would then reach out and use the Force to call her pike back to her hand, spinning it a few times as she ignited the weapon before taking up the Form II opening stance. "I'll begin this time. Just tell me when you're ready." She didn't want to start the next round too soon. She'd rather fight Caelum at his best then in a weakened state. That held benefits for neither of them. So she was willing to wait a few minutes if he so desired.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

Caelum nodded while Izel spoke as in agreement to most of which the Vratix was saying. ''Sure, feel free to fight whichever way you want, after all this is a sparring match.'' he added ''Hope you didn't hold back yourself back to using just Soresu right now on purpose.'' he said once again in an obviously playful, friendly manner. Making a few slight standing jumps Caelum twirled his lightsaber swiftly, rotating the blade around his sides from his right hand to his left then again to his right before putting a stop to the flourish as he entered the same opening stance as he did before - both hands gripping the hilt of the weapon in front of him.

''Ready when you are.''

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel chittered softly in response to Caelum's banter. "Oh no, I'm far too competitive to do something like that." She insisted. "Soresu is the form I'm most practiced with. It's only natural my greatest strength would be defense" As her opponent got into his ready stance she inclined her head slightly. "Of course that doesn't mean I've no experience with offense at all..."

Her advance was much more reserved and deliberate than Caelum's had been. She would take a few steps towards her opponent, then a few more, testing to see if he would retreat or hold his ground. She would start with a few feints to probe his defensive wall, before beginning to make targeted jabs and slashes. Izel applied Makashi exactly as was written in the textbooks. She remained light on her feet, advancing and retreating along a central line in a graceful manner. She also took full advantage of her superior reach, attacking from the edge of her own range to ensure Caelum's counterattacks would not be a threat to her.

She would strike high, then low, then high again. Feint towards his left arm then jab at his right. Feint towards his right leg then jab at his left. Her blows didn't have a great deal of power behind them but were extremely precise, aimed at joints and the wrist, meant to wear down her opponent by a thousand cuts as opposed to one definitive strike.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

Caelum held his ground as the Vratix approached, she was as expected quite cautious about her attack pattern much like she was with her defense, making a point of first probing the young human before dedicating to an attack pattern. Furthermore Izel made a point of attacking from the edge of her reach, making sure to utilize all the advantages her bodily structure gave her over the smaller human. Though the power behind the Vratix's strikes was not immense nor overwhelming it took Caelum great effort an concentration to repel her blows and he could not opt for his immediate-counter attack Djem So approach due to the leverage Izel's reach gave her. If he'd parry or deflect one of her initial blows and go straight into a counter attack she would have more than enough time to react and would most likely even do so not with trying to defend with her blade but rather by stepping back and keeping her distance, Caelum thought, if this hypothetical advances continued Caelum would eventually provide an opening for Izel to strike and do so from a safe distance.

Instead he stood his ground and tried his best to deflect the incoming blows, concentrating heavily on his defense and the plethora of feints Izel incorporated in her offensive pattern. It was however just that - a pattern. She would deliberately feint towards one side only to strike at the other, go high only to attempt a low strike. It was a rather textbook offensive approach and one Caelum was quite familiar with both from his own usage and fighting against it. Perhaps the Vratix's focus on defense as her primary strategy left her offensive approach as the base rudimentary application of the form he was now sure was Makashi. Still getting and understanding of her attack patterns didn't mean that defending from the strikes was an easy task especially with Izel's long reach.

Predicting the nature of the next attack Caelum deflected a strike to his right that was preceded by a feint to his left and immediately counter attacked finally. Though his own strike was more akin to Izel's jab's than the human's usual strong style power blows, perhaps due to the situation and positioning he couldn't or wouldn't risk attempting a strong cleave. The strike itself was aimed at Izel's hand, the one clutching the hilt of her weapon that was closest to the blade. If the tip of the blade did meet it's target Izel's grip of the weapon would have been momentarily left to only one of her hands and Caelum would immediately push his own usual strong style attack in, going to overwhelm the opponent, striking hard with both hands from his right side then immediately from an overhead position in a down stroke before switching it up a bit. If the scenario of his attack advancing did happen and his overhead strike was blocked or deflected his hands would once again rise above his head, only a bit more to the side of his shoulder rather than a straight central line, as if he would deliver another blow from that position but instead Caelum was planing to use the momentum of the deflected strike and instead rotate in place by full 360 degrees, slouching down as he did and aim a quick stab towards his opponent's torso.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel felt that her measured offense was working well. She could tell Caelum was struggling to keep up with her, and so long as she maintained this minimalistic attack style he would likely tire himself out before she did. Carrying over some of the tenets of Soresu she planned to exhaust and then strike down her opponent. Unfortunately she allowed her attack pattern to become too repetitive, and thus opened herself up to a powerful counter.

Predicting her next feint Caelum managed to get a blow in, singeing Izel's right hand and forcing her to release her hold on her pike. Immediately the Vratix started to retreat, realizing her mistake, but Caelum pressed his advantage. As he brought his hands up for another overhead strike Izel ducked back while retreating to evade the blow, but Caelum kept drawing closer. He swung at her again, and Izel struggled to raise her pike with one arm to deflect the blow. She succeeded, but unfortunately the strength of the strike knocked her weapon from her hands, the extinguished pike clattering to the floor. Caelum then carried through on the momentum of his swing, spinning around and making a jab at Izel's torso.

The Vratix leapt back at the last moment, but still felt the heat of the saber as it burned the fabric of her robes over her abdomen. Izel continued to scramble backwards, winded and astonished by the efficiency of Caelum's assault. She reached out and used the Force to call her pike back to her hand. She reignited it and assumed a defensive stance, struggling to catch her breath and moving the fingers on her right hand as she tried to get the feeling back in them. "Close..." She huffed. "I can't give you an inch can I? You're like a gundark with a lightsaber." She added with a lighthearted chitter. She kept her distance from Caelum and circled him as she tried to regain her stamina and formulate a new plan of attack.

@Six

 

[Caelum Skylar]

Caelum couldn't help but smile to Izel's comment ''Thanks I'm taking that as a compliment!'' he said as he paced around the training arena. His last attack was almost successful but both he and Izel knew that he failed to deliver a decisive blow that could conclude the round. Still he was somewhat proud of his tactics against a style of combat he was considered inexperienced at facing in the sparring rounds so far, this one was inches away from succeeding and the last one failed only due to the Vratix's unique physiology and would have most likely worked on a number of other opponents. However close didn't quite cut it and Caelum had finally started running out of options completely. Izel would be weary of another sneak strike at her hand and he had exhausted all the other ideas he had.

Circling around the arena he spoke up ''Allright. Let's see it.'' He goaded Izel playfully while trying to maintain a facade of composure when in reality he knew he was out of options and at a disadvantage here only hoping to lure Izel in to attack and potentially capitalize on a mistake if she'd even make one.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel continued circling Caelum, shifting her footing and stance back to Makashi as she prepared to attack again. He wouldn't have known it, but she didn't have many strategies left in her repertoire herself. Her offensive form while improved still left much to be desired. All Izel could think to do was try and incorporate some Force attacks into her next assault to try and unbalance her opponent.

The Vratix's next approach was almost identical to the last, slowly moving in with feints and light jabs. At least this time she changed up her pattern a little and would attack in the same place she feinted to occasionally to try and catch Caelum off guard, but for the most part the pattern showed little adaptation. That was until Izel employed her next gambit.

The Vratix shifted her assault to make a series of high aimed attacks, attempting to bring Caelum's attention upwards. She would then lift one of her front legs, not to perform a kick but a Force push aimed at his legs. The intention was to knock his feet out from under him, or at the very least throw him off balance. If this succeeded in created an opening Izel would immediately seize it. However if her opponent was able to predict her attack and outmaneuver her, she wasn't sure what else she had to offer in response.

@Six