A Question of Honor

[Marion Espaa]

There had been many times in the past were Marion had forgiven people for their downright disrespectful attitudes toward her, but from one so close as to be considered her friend - it was insulting. Venatus had taken exception to her speech before the Conclave and went as far as to tell her, in great detail, as much. Luckily, it seemed that Aliyah was still with the other Jedi, and the two of them had traveled far enough away from the assembly to talk privately. Conversation was one way to put it, but the two of them were seasoned warriors. This could be handled through one form of conversation, words, or another. That was the path she chose.

"To the point. I'll get to mine. Nothing I said in that room was wrong, was it? You've said as much yourself in private, don't turn around and try to save face now. If you want to help them then you need to start being as blunt with them as you are with me."

Drawing Alacrity from it's sheathe and embedding the sword into the ground in front of her, directly across from him, in a challenging fashion. Drawing herself back to full posture, she looked the old warrior down as a wolf might observe an old moose. Too dangerous to be underestimated, but too rash and bold to be allowed free reign.

"You seem to think you can do or say whatever you want. You are wrong. There isn't a man or woman alive who has the right to speak to me like that, no matter how much you may disagree. If you won't show me the respect you've shown everyone else, I'll do as both our peoples are accustomed to and win it myself."

She let her words travel throughout the field for a moment, waiting for his reply. If he refused to answer her, then he disgraced himself and stained his own honor. If he accepted, the two would fight until one gave in and submitted. In truth, nobody gained anything physical or monetary in value. But it was a question of honor and integrity, the winner would be owed the respect of the loser, and possibly their life.

@Aurius Pheonix ​

 

[Venatus Phoenix]

"The next time we arrive at a sacred location looking to join an ancient and well-respected Order founded on hundreds of years worth of continuous service, do us both a favor and keep your mouth shut. I'm so sorry if anything that I have said conveyed that message to you, but I do not believe nor shall I ever believe the Jedi to be so useless as to be reformed completely. We came here to offer our aide, under my banner as my guest. Instead, you berated them in their own halls!"

His eyes crackled and fumed with their own pure fiery light as he looked down upon diminutive fiery-haired lass who had the nerve to call out an entire faction, and then proceed to chastise him? The instant that Marion placed a finger on her weapon, Venatus' hand found the grip of his longsword and loosed it from its sheath. While she embedded Alacrity into the ground, he simply rested his longsword on his shoulder and calmly watched as the upstart began a formal challenge against her. Apparently, saying she was wrong to have done that so publicly was an offense to her honor. As the Vahla followed the same old code, Venatus could respect her decision to try and win the honor and leadership he had gained from others in combat. But this was hardly the time for such games, there was a war to be one and strategies to be made concerning the future of the Galaxy as a whole. This was not a very good use of his time.

Spiteful little brat.

She had done more than that. It was a direct challenge to his honor, and unlike most other challenges he couldn't refuse or submit without losing face. It was just as much a battle of blades and strategy as it was a clash of wills, one seeking to overcome the other's determination. Allowing his longsword to drop low and centered on his chest, angled ever so slightly to the right, Venatus guarded himself. With the edge facing Marion, he could counter and go into a thrust or bind quite easily. With her stature and physical attributes, she'd be helpless if he decided to push his unarmed advantage, take her weapon and strike her asunder. Weapon at the ready and eyes locked on the silver iris' of his foe, Venatus willed the force to empower his thundering response.

"Very well. A lesson in humility it is."

 

[Marion Espaa]

He started at it again just as quickly as he had before, going on about how she had disrespected the Jedi in their home. If they had intended on talking about the affairs of the Galaxy and how it was viewed, she felt her sentiment was appropriate. He, of course, was the mighty and noble Venatus. Who's knowledge was unfailing and wisdom sought after by so many, a brain matched only by his ego in size. Marion knew he couldn't refuse the challenge, and when his longsword came up in a guarded stance she couldn't help but gently smile. He accepted the duel request in his standard mock fashion, so self-assured in his skills. He underestimated Marion, and that was to be his undoing.

She dashed forward immediately, grabbing the hilt of Alacrity and spinning it in her left palm to strike away her opponent's longsword and knock him off balance. Even if he tried one of his more exotic parries, the blow was meant to knock his weapon out of her way so that she could attack his chest. As she closed the distance between herself and the armored man, Marion launched a pushing kick aimed squarely at his chest, intent on winding him and knocking him back. Marion was shorter than he, it was true, but that worked to her advantage as she maintained a low and defensive posture during her attack.

@Aurius Pheonix ​

 

[Venatus Phoenix]

Marion's blade slapped his aside as easily as a hurricane would a tree. Her knee immediately chambered and released a quick pushing kick to Venatus' chest, causing him to slide back slightly before torquing the hilt in his hand. He brought his sword's blade above and through the gap between Marion's sword arm and hip. The maneuver would allow him to either disarm her, or impale her. Since Marion wasn't a fool and neither of them where fighting to kill, he doubted she'd resort to some foolish sacrifice.

He reached through the force as his bind struck, aiming directly for her forehead. A strong and pinpointed blast of kinetic energy would knock her head backwards abruptly. It's purpose would be to knock the woman out before she could continue this insane charade. But, at worst, it would cause a serious sense of disorientation and discomfort, which would only help his bind and disarm. His abilities with a sword were quite complete, as even without the Force he had been an exceptional fencer. Now, it served to bolster his strengths and shield his weaknesses.

Marion was used to enemies who struck without abandon, or relied on mundane techniques to win battles. As a matter of fact, most beings in the Galaxy were. His own skills were unique in a sense that they varied widely in study but harmoniously came together in combat. He had once described as a whirlwind of flame and steel, and any onlookers would see why. Venatus never stopped moving His defense and attack, parry, riposte, evade and dodge were all a single movement, never truly ending.

 

[Marion Espaa]

Marion curled up and allowed the moment to push her backward into a roll, as her sword was expertly disarmed by Venatus. She let her weight carry her back to her feet, drawing her knife as she rose. Marion kept her distance for a moment, observing his stance, his armor, his weapons. Looking for the slightest hint of weakness in his footwork or grip, stance or armor. She would keep her weapon raised and legs ready to spring aside at any moment, before lunging past his defenses and attempting a stab. It was pretty clear that his style relied heavily on binds and quick strikes. Her own fighting style emphasized impaling her opponents at close range, and that's what Marion intended to do.

He now had an advantage over distance because of his longsword, but if she closed the distance swiftly enough that she could counter. If he struck at her, she would move away from the direction of her strike and towards her, which would work to her advantage. The dagger would immediately aim for the weaker points in his arm and shoulder, aiming to disable the limb before he could use it to cause any more damage. The blow he had thrown at her head began to form into a headache and concussion as she stood in wait, wincing in pain.

 

[Venatus Phoenix]

Venatus scoffed as Marion rolled back and onto her feet, rising unsteadily and beginning to wince in pain. His attack had worked, but she still didn't seem to get the message that this fight was already lost to her. That little dagger wouldn't do much against a full-sized longsword that he could maneuver at incredible speeds, and he sought to prove that fact outright. Instead of attacking Marrion's body or blasting her backward into the cliff face, Venatus swung his blade low towards her knees as though to slice through them before he changed targets and struck at her wrist. The feint would be too fast for her to notice it unless she did not move to block. He simultaneously took a leaf from her booklet and stepped forward to plant his greaves firmly into her chest and drive her into the ground.

"ENOUGH! This is foolish! Give up and end this!!"

He moved to rest the blade at her throat, whether she caved in from the kick or not, by leaning forward and half-swording against her collarbone. If she still had the knife somehow, he would push it against her neck as well, all the while using his weight to continue pushing her back and down. Eventually, she would have to concede, she would not be willing to stay like this forever. If she didn't he would end up knocking her unconscious with the choke and would have to carry her back to somewhere she'd be welcome. Which was, most likely, not anywhere on this planet anymore.