Ask Raxus Since This Is the Perfect Spot to Learn

[Merian Sere]

Merian hadn’t planned on stopping by the training room after the pool, yet here she was. That training with the knight-captain had done a number on her. Not only was she making an effort to return to regular meditation, she actively sought out sparring sessions for the first time since the academy. And it was paying off. Cleared after Moltok, fresh off of Dubrillion, the knight’s confidence was soaring like a seabird.

There wasn’t much activity in the sparring room. At the other end of it, Merian saw what had to be a squire and a knight-instructor in the middle of a lesson. But there was another man, seemingly standing around. Merian took her chance. She dropped off her bag to the side, her hair still damp from the pool, and went to him. Taller than her by a head, well-built, but younger, she thought. He’d make for a challenge.

“Knight. You seem like you’re waiting for someone.”

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Tam was always late. The squat squire was going to make a terrible Knight, but his shortcomings meant he was never sent on missions and could generally be found around the Academy. Roman had pressured him into some sparring days ago, and now the idiot had not even turned up on time.

His comm pinged. Some bullshit from Tam about a video game tournament he couldn't leave. What absolute bull.

An unfamiliar voice made Roman whirl, finding himself face to face with one of his seniors.

"Knight Sere" he said, bowing his head and straightening a little, clasping his hands behind his back. Roman quietly studied most of the Knights that passed through the Academy. They were where he wanted to be after all. He only wished he wore something better than his red and black activewear.

"I was waiting for my friend, squire Samgee, but he has got taken up with other things". She had unusual eyes, but they gave little away. "We were going to train together". Hopefully his focus on his development would impress if nothing else.

@Volene

 

[Merian Sere]

“Squire Samgee, is that so? Well, you’re in luck. Let’s go a bout, if you’d like,” Merian offered. “What’s your name? Since you already know mine.”

The interaction had her do a double take, especially the mention of his squire friend. She’d called him knight, and he hadn’t corrected her, but a closer inspection revealed the man was likely younger than Merian had first thought. Where initially she’d imagined him two or three years her junior, she saw now it was more than that. Not that it mattered much. Training was training.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

"I'm Roman" he replied, realising he had failed at introducing himself. "Roman Kallo, I'm a squire myself". He resisted the urge to add but not for much longer. It was cool to have self-confidence, but the closer he got to the maximum age for a squire the more defensive he started to sound.

"I'd be honored" he said, slightly taken aback. Many Knights had no time for training with squires, let alone ones they had never met. He was not about to pass up the opportunity to learn from someone so much better than Tam.

"Are you looking at duelling, Force combat, or something else? I need to improve pretty much everything". The training room had practice staves, multiple aids and devices for every skill you could think to test. It also looked the squire and instructor down the far end had finished their session, so they would probably have the place to themselves.

@Volene

 

[Merian Sere]

“Apologies, Squire Kallo,” said Merian. “I’m sure I’m not the first to make the mistake.”

With him, she walked to the center of the room, claiming enough space to move around though they had the room to themselves now. At his question, she extended her hand and brought over two training sabers from the wall with the Force. She handed him one.

“Let’s start with this,” she suggested. “Best of three hits. Simple, quick and we’ll see where it leads us. Have you played around with the different forms yet?”

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Roman smiled awkwardly. She pretty much was the first to make the mistake. Until recently, he had been a relatively quiet and dutiful squire, and no one had been given much chance to mistake him for a full Knight.

Sere pulled a couple of training savers from the wall almost effortlessly. Roman tried to act uninterested, though he was impressed. He could have done it, but it would have taken him much more concentration.

He accepted the saber, twirling it to learn its weight. “Three hits, fair enough” he agreed, thinking it sounded pretty easy. She was quite small and Knight or not he felt he could slip past her guard three times at least.

“Erm, not much” he answered regarding the forms. He was not afraid of the lightsaber, but equally he had not gone to town on his training like many of his fellow squires. The Force almost intrigued him more. “But if anything suits me it’s probably five or six” Roman ventured, having thought about it a little before. He was no duellist and no acrobat and the attack appealed to him far more than standing his ground.

”Do you have a preferred form?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

@Volene

 

[Merian Sere]

“Five or Six,” Merian echoed. “Well then.” She almost answered his query regarding her own favored form, but she caught herself. This could be a teachable moment.

In truth, lightsaber combat had never been her focus, and as such she mostly used a variation of Form One, her own mobile, aggressive take on it, simple and direct. But when she was forced into the armor, with her mobility severely restrained, she fell back on Form Three.

“How about you tell me?” she said with a smile to him. Merian adopted her opening stance, saber centered, unremarkable. “Read my movements. On your call.”

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

“Fair enough” Roman agreed, intrigued. He was not sure his knowledge was up the task, but he would give it his best shot. They had not even touched staves and Sere was stretching him already.

She opened with a pretty ordinary centered stance, that was so indistinctive it threw Roman off. “Huh” he muttered, not sure enough to commit himself just yet. He held his own stave high, angled down behind him, deciding to try out what he knew of Form V. He knew it could be full on, but he was taller and broader than her and assumed he could match her strength enough to make it work.

“Looks like three“ he breathed, readying himself “or maybe even one. Time to take a closer look!”

He swung his weapon down diagonally, intending to swat her own aside. Try as he might, he couldn’t make himself go full tilt just yet. Hitting Sere over the head would be a much bigger deal than when he did it to Tam.

@Volene

 

[Merian Sere]

Roman picked his own opening, Form Five’s trademark attack stance. Aptly named the falling avalanche, a high guard unfit to cover much. In any real situation, Merian would have moved already and aimed to strike first or backfoot anyone bold enough to open with such a reckless stance. But she’d called for the fight to begin on his move, and that required a change in strategy.

When his opening attack came, Merian jumped back a step, letting the blade whiz past her rather than try to block it; when momentum carried it too far, she bolted back forward and swung horizontally from the opposite side, looking for an easy first hit. Only there was less power than she expected behind the squire’s first blow.

“Are you holding back on me?” she wondered, amused. “Shouldn’t it be the opposite?”

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Rather than blocking the hit, Sere jumped back quicker than Roman had expected. So quick in fact that he could do little as his weapon went sailing past her, the aggressive style taking him with it in part. The squire tried to step to the side in case she countered, but she was too fast and the end of her stave caught him on the elbow.

Roman growled involuntarily at the keen hit, shaking off his free arm as he rounded and adopted his opening stance again, gritting his teeth. “Maybe” he admitted, shrugging slightly “won‘t make that mistake again”. He threw her a wink. Roman had her measure now and would not underestimate the Knight again. He had been silly to in the first place.

He stepped left, and then right, swiping at her forcefully this time, but ready to shift his bodyweight if she tried to dodge again.

@Volene

 

[Merian Sere]

And there was the first hit, easy enough with her preferred form an no armor. Roman didn’t even try to guess before the second round. Merian decided to switch it up.

This time, she interposed her training blade to block his heavy strike close to her body, with minimal movement. If Roman was bigger and likely stronger than her, the Force evened the difference. He didn’t reel from the block and Merian stayed put, pursuing no counterattack so as to leave the squire absolutely no opening. Eventually he’d have to get bolder, and then opportunities would abound.

“That was One,” she said, referring to last round. “This is Three. You might find it frustrating.”

She perfected her guard, ready for him to use the Force or do something surprising in an attempt to break the deadlock.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Frustrating. That was one word for it.

Roman managed a weak smile. "I don't know what you mean". He did not pause for breath, going at her again still in the style of Form V. He channeled his irritation desire to land a blow into every swipe, coming at her from above and below, left and right, in a changing pattern of strong blows that would tire him if he kept it up but should also put her under pressure.

When he had done enough to perhaps think it was all he had got, he lashed out with a foot, aiming to kick her in the knee and knock her off balance. The street fights of his homeworld had taught him the value of an old-fashioned kick a long time ago.

Whether or not it was successful, he would try to sidestep and slow a little, testing her defenses in a more balanced way.

@Volene

 

[Merian Sere]

The attacks rained on her, challenged her. Roman was better than he’d given himself credit for. But he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer. That was the essence of Soresu, tiring the opponent faster than yourself. Not that Merian was immune. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face and down her back, mixing with pool water.

When the kick came, she jumped over it, dipping back into her mobility in an unorthodox way for Form Three which she used only when encumbered by her armor. The better idea would have been to block it with her stave for the second hit, but the training mattered more than the competition.

“Use the Force, Roman,” Merian panted. “Show me.”

@Alhon