The Heat of the Blade

[Flamjetxx]

Participants: Kathrin, Mila, Vilaan, Reilu, Arkteleus Krayzen

The Ark Crusader Trials
Class: D'jem So Basics

The Heat of the Blade​

-The outside temperature of the temple, though still cold, was warm for the day. Ark, of 'course had a thick fur coat, and he was hardly effected by the colder temperatures of the planet, but he didn't expect a whole lot of resistance from his students. The truth is that whatever clothing they bring is completely up to themselves, but it would hardly be Ark's own fault if they froze to death out there. A layer of clothing could always be removed if needed. Thankfully, the platform he stood upon outside had this unique design that had pillars on the outsides of the large circular platform that gently blew in a warm breeze. It worked best on days like this, where the wind didn't blow, so that the warm air allowed those on the platform to feel like it was a survivable temperature. Granted, it was still cold, but at least it wasn't Ziost-cold. Furthermore, the stone tiles that made up the platform were a gentle warm, because of a heater that kept the snow from making the platform, which exited to a multitude of pathways, slippery.

All in all, it was an extremely comfortable environment for Ark. The lesson today would be that of the lightsaber. This happened to be a skill that Ark would consider one that he'd mastered. There was very little of the form that would surprise him at this point, and after having utilized it for so long, he'd best have mastered it. Thankfully though, his students wouldn't be testing the extent of his knowledge in the form today, but they'd rather be gaining the simple basics of the form.

All they had to do now was show up, and the mere verbal knowledge they could learn would benefit them far beyond observing a duel. After all, half the form was in the mind. Half of any lightsaber form was in the mind, and anyone that says otherwise has more to learn.

Ark stands dead center on the platform standing at attention with his hands folded behind his back. His eyes were closed, and he simply used his rather keen physical senses and the sense of the Force to alert him when all of his students have arrived. That, and he'd be meditating to build his strength for the upcoming lessons. Some of the more basic knowledge of D'jem So say that it's an incredibly draining skill; And they'd be right, both physically and mentally.

 

[Andrewza]

Being new to the order kathrin knew she had to learn how to Handel the tool of the Sith. The lightsaber. Well it was not what made a Jedi or Sith a Jedi or Sith it was there iconic weapon and something that to be mastered. Kathrin could think of no one better than ark. Not to menstion she had all ready seen him fight.


Walking through the cold kathrin had a thin thermal suit over witch she wore a real Kath hound fur coat that was to long. It dragged on the ground has she walked. "Crusader ark are you not cold. I mean it is pretty darn cold? And good day even though it is pretty obviovit not good weather."

 

[Gamov]

Hazel eyes stared absently into the azure sky, and for a brief moment Mila felt just the tiniest bit homesick. Not for her homeworld though; Terminus was fast becoming little more than a faded memory in the background of her thoughts. Rather, she missed those beautiful evenings on Arbra. Quiet nights where she would spend hours just gazing into the brilliant purple skies, her thoughts never anywhere specific or profound. Just looking. Watching, with the faintest flicker of wonder about her, as the galaxy drifted by in a million pinpricks of glittering blue/white light. She missed that kind of peace and quiet, never really realizing just how much she took it for granted until now. Sith worlds - she had discovered much to her chagrin - were far less pleasant. But Mila would endure as always. Some may think her petulant or weak, even short sighted, but there was more to her resolve than what appearances may let on. A brisk chill swept down the passageway leading to the platform, sending an involuntary shudder through the Acolyte. Pulling her cloak a little tighter around her body, she was glad she had taken the time to read up on her destination before setting out. Cold didn't really begin to describe this place, and she wondered why any living thing would want to call this place home. But she was quick to remind herself of her company - Sith. Seemed they liked hanging around places with horrid climates that were murder on the skin... among other things. Why they sought to swaddle themselves so in such trappings of misery she would never understand. Breathing out a curt sigh, her breath crystallizing in the bitter air, Mila made her way out onto the platform where she would be undertaking today's particular lesson: Djem So. She had to admit that she knew little of the form, but after watching a few duels among the other Acolytes and seeing what it had to offer, her mind was made up. Even if Djem So was more physically demanding than what she would like, Mila was slowly coming to terms with the notion that her success among the Sith would be determined largely by her strength of character rather than her quick wit or sharp tongue. But she was nothing if not dedicated. How could she afford not to be? The air became more pleasant as she made her way towards the center of the platform, which at the moment was occupied only by Crusader Krayzen and another student. Krayzen, for all intents and purposes, was intimidation personified so far as Mila was concerned. She had only heard rumors of what the Kushari looked like, but to see one up close... It was a sobering enough thought to know you would be on the receiving end of a Crusader's blade. But to put one in the hands of someone like Krayzen? That was the stuff of nightmares for the inexperienced Acolyte. She only hoped he didn't plan on demonstrating his skills on them personally. And failing that, that he wouldn't single her out for a one-on-one demonstration. The other occupant on the platform though was decidedly less imposing. A young girl whom Mila had never seen before, but looked far too young and malnourished to be out here on her own - much less learning how to use a lightsaber. The Sith, it seemed, were no sticklers for restrictions when it came to age. Shifting her attention back to Crusader Krayzen, Mila bowed politely in silence.

 

[Symbiot Spider]

It had been several weeks before Reilu could recreate a lightsaber. He was hidden away learning as much as he could about the process as well as honing his ability to meditate. He found that when he cleared his mind things were easier to understand, as if the force filled the blanks in for him. He was able to understand that his lightsaber had stopped working because he had betrayed the memory of his father in order to gain more power; this coming in the form of his newest crystal. After meditating for several days about it and learning this, he focused his attention onto creating a second lightsaber. This one was going to be different, Reilu gave himself completely to the force in order to create it, and it was definitely different. It was almost a meter long and made from a jet black polished alloy. He was proud of it.

With his new toy in hand he was now eager to learn how to wield it. He learned of a class for the basics of Form V: Djem So and decided that it would be as good of a place to start as any other. He didn’t know much about the people attending or the instructor and was shocked to find a rather large feline-humanoid standing in a clearly meditative stance. Reilu’s gaze crossed the clearing to the other two which weren’t as interesting, both of them females.

He noticed that they were wearing some form of protection from the cold and that was when Reilu tried to focus on the weather. Was it cold? He couldn’t tell if he was cold or not. Several years alone in the wild jungles of Endor would do that to anybody he guessed and shrugged off the thought. With his lightsaber behind his back, along his spine, Reilu put his hands to his sides and bowed to the instructor.

“I am sorry if I am late, I only just arrived here.”

 

[Sirocco]

His mission to become worthy of being his master's shadow drove him to scour the galaxy for knowledge and challenges that where in his scope of ability to achieve. Knowing his limitations despite having been created to potential kill any one in assassination and single combat after years of training with the lightsaber and the force, the mysterious creature knew he was still growing. He knew that potential did not mean set fact or an excuse to refrain from learning, the child of the darkside strove to achieve its greatest mission given to him the second life was breath onto him. He had been genetically created along side with the deepest and most powerful practices of the darkside to stand toe to toe in combat physically against some one like the Crusader standing there with the other acolytes. Sure, he probably could never win an arm wrestling match with him but if he had the skill then blows from him that would normally brake lesser man would only bring the acolyte pain. With an immense potential in the force to rival the best as specifically created, that meant nothing if knowledge and skill were not learned. Vilaan knew the great importance in learning and training and he knew that he was worthless if he gave into to pride to cloud his better judgement in the sith arts. Vilaan knew this class was an important stepping stone to achieving the glory he seek'd almost religiously o that he could appease his creator and do his will.

It was this thoughts that humbled the acolyte as he welcomed the Crusader's wisdom.

Having been to Ziost before, he knew of the harsh climate that the planet constantly challenged the sith with as they trained and honed their arts in the bitter cold. The difference in this time was not only his businesses in the planet as he had hunted the temple's rector before but it was then that he did not know of Tapas. Having learned of the ability to keep cold and warm with the force a few days ago, his skill in Tapas was under developed and lacked skill that would help one forgo with winter gear. Still, the ability would still serve him as he was not keen on hiding his face from others despite how monstrous he looked. If he did not have to, he would not hide his sight from any one as he was proud of his master's work.

His skin was pale gray with tiny red stripes adorning it, two pointed ears and sharp features made up the acolyte's more mundane features despite showing he grew no body hair. The rest of his face was what fascinated and frightened most that saw him; his eyes were like two pitch black holes that devoured all light that touched them. almost devoid of color, only 2 glowing blood red pupils broke the sight of pitch blackness. Having a bulge that resembled a nose, his face could almost be described as nearly flat beyond his sharp bones structure making up his cheek bones and eye brows. His lips sealed in neutral, they concealed razor sharp teeth that not only added to his nightmarish persona, but that been the end of many pray as it was adorned by his curiously forked chin that ended with two points on each side.

His powerful gray striped build was encased in winter gear that was in no way restrictive but was bulky enough to keep the Acolye stuff. Made with the best isolating materials the empire could provide this standard issue garb, the winter gear was thick but not restrictive and even sported some armor for combat scenarios and came with a hood despite the lack of wished head gear.

Having just killed the darkside Kryte dragon and having harvested it bounty, it Vilaan was still working on cleaning and polishing the pearls. Aside from the cleaning, he still needed to think of the choice design in his new lightsabers as he needed to choose the best design for the sith weapon before committing to its creation. For this scenario, Vilaan had chosen to bring the lightsaber entrusted to him before becoming an acolyte. Vilaan knew of the nature of creating a lightsaber and how it made one close to the weapon but this was a tool entrusted to him by his creator to employ in his missions so the synth crystal saber would have to do.

The cool air fogged before Vilaan as steam shot from his mouth with every breath as the acolyte made his way down the walk way of the temple. Having been offered the chance to learn the powerful and versatile form V, he could not resist such an offer from such a master of the form. Making his way down the wall ways of the temple grounds, he could feel the heat of the flooring through his boots as it melted all snow that fell on it destined to vaporize in minutes. Ingenious was what could be said at the amount of tech built to make the temple traversal, hard to maneuver in otherwise.

There he was, the crusader stood with the other Acolytes who arrived seconds after he did as they all gathered around to learn from his skill in saber combat. 3 relatively human looking Acolytes stood around waiting for him and the training to began as it seemed the crusader and Vilaan were the only "alien" members of the group. Alien, what an interesting word that was used by humans to address all other races weather they know or not that it applied to them as well. At first Vilaan contemplated if he was one of the few true alien beings in the galaxy as he technically did not belong to any race wile others would label him as sith spawn. Wile part of his subconscious believed this to be inaccurate as he did retain great amount of free will beyond his servitude of his master, the term was not wrong. It was true he was beyond all other sith spawn, created with the most powerful and careful practices pf genetics and the force spanning millennias of development, he was still a being born of the darkside. However, such thoughts did not matter in the end as the force knew his destiny and there was a change his genetic servitude could be overridden. One could only wander and see to see what the flow of time would bring.

"Afternoon master, I am ready to learn" Vilaan simply spoke as his voice was deep and menacing yet calm and collected as was his expression. His stance and demeanor were simply neutral as they showed a readiness to learn as he addressed his fellow acolytes with a quick nod, eager to learn form V.

 

[Flamjetxx]

The Voice came with the immediate recognition of her aura. Ark could have sensed her a mile away, and it was only because she seemed to be everywhere at once. It was good to see such dedication in an Acolyte to take on so much while so young. However, the voice was far more recognizable than anything else could have possibly managed, and since the first time meeting her, Ark had grown to, dare he say it, tolerate her.

The young girl had certainly taken on quite bit, and Ark had to admit that she'd come a great distance since he'd first met her, and her greeting showed it alone. Thankfully, he'd be able to teach her something this time around, and that was something he'd be looking forward to. The rest, Ark couldn't say he recognized, though they all certainly looked like they had potential enough to take on the form he wielded. It was certainly demanding, and though Ark had expected a completely different kind of group of Acolytes, he'd learned to quell his own arrogance and to not underestimate anyone.

Mila. Much like Kathrin, she lacked the natural strength to compete with such a skill, though Ark knows full well of the ability to augment one's physical prowess with the Force in order to compensate for such a weakness, and that alone would make her one of the harder to gauge as far as her capabilities go to wield the lightsaber style.

Reilu. He was still not exactly what Ark expected, though he was much closer, and he could draw on his physical strength a tad more than the females, though Ark has known females to have quite a tremendous strength, and as such, Ark wouldn't be surprised if he found himself incapable of keeping up. Ark would have to keep an eye out for them all as a sort of experiment. Ark wanted to know just how wrong he could be, and this group would be one of a kind.

When the demonic visage showed itself, Ark's interest couldn't help but to be piqued. Never has he seen such a creature in his life, and it would truly be a wonder to see what he'd be capable of. One thing is for certain though, is that his aura showed a great deal of anomalies. Perhaps Sith Sorcery has effected such a being, though Ark's interests weren't the point of the class. Ark wanted to share his extent of knowledge for the basics of D'jem So combat, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

A light breeze, one of few, brought the fresh cold air into the warming bubble of a training ground where it caused Ark's lengthy white fur to shift. As it shifted, and if one was paying close enough attention, they might be able to see the corrective surgery that replaced the strips of fur that Ark lacked at one point. Since becoming a Crusader, Ark had failed to cut his hair, and all around his body, it had grown a great deal to the point where grooming it was beginning to become a hassle. The only break in Ark's fur was the prosthetic right arm where Ark's sacrifice to win a duel had shown itself. His own fur draped over the prosthetic in an awkward display of just how long his fur really was.

As Ark took in the fresh air, it was the first sign of movement the students would see since arriving, though they hadn't been waiting more than a few seconds since the last student arrived. Ark's snout wrinkled causing him to bare his teeth as he enjoyed the freshness of the air. The constant warming of the core of the platform was beginning to get to him, and the snowflakes near the outside fell as water droplets. It was certainly an ingenious invention, and though he didn't need it, he was happy it could oblige to the students with no capability to naturally protect themselves from the cold. In fact, he'd even taken note to notice the coats they wore, and it made them seem unnecessarily buoy, though Ark knew better than that.

Soon enough, they'd find it warm enough to remove their outer layer, despite the occasional breeze that brought the cooler air onto the platform. Heck, it might even come welcomed when they finally get moving. For now though, Ark had a lot to prepare them for mentally.

"Welcome Acolytes," Ark begins finding no point to inform them that they were taking a D'jem So class. If they didn't know that, they've made a wrong step somewhere along the way to the platform, "Can anyone tell me something they know of D'jem So? There are a number things one should know about D'jem So before taking it on as a method of combat."

In truth, there'd be much more information to know about D'jem So than each of them could say, but the point of Ark asking is to see whether any of them did any bookwork before coming to the class. Ark always made sure he'd done so before his classes, and his preparedness has always helped him finish the class very strong. It would be interesting to see who here was going to do the same. Not only that, but answering something each would help to give a well-rounded idea of what to expect for those who weren't prepared for the class. Ark would then give them his own thoughts on the subject.

Something they'd all be able to figure out in the end is that they wouldn't' be learning D'jem So as if it were from a book, but they'd be learning Ark's own version of D'jem So. They'd get the brutality, the finesse, and the calculation of the form that Ark wields, and if they were any bit at all lucky, they'd be able to wield it as well as he can one day.

 

[Andrewza]

Kathrin watched has the others arrived. She did not really know any of them, not that it matterd. She was here to learn from Ark not play with friends. Once the last persons arrived Ark began with a question. Though kathrin did not know my about the technical side of forum v she did know some of its history.


"Crusader Ark. I read that forum v that djem so falls under was created by the Jedi thousands of years ago has a more agrisive and effective verstion form 3. It uses quick and powerful counter arttacks to win the battle.

 

[Symbiot Spider]

Reilu could see his own breath as he stood in contemplation. Now that he was able to concentrate through the force he called on it to focus his mind on the question the large catman had asked. His head dropped slightly as he thought to himself. He hadn't heard much of this form aside from what was already mentioned by the eager person on the end.

He quickly glanced passed the other students with a sense of curiosity. He couldn't help but wonder if they themselves had gone through similar things that he had before coming to any of the enclaves. His mind wondered slightly about the jungles of Endor before thinking back about the class itself.

“The only piece I have to add to what has already been said is that it was made for the purpose of dueling whereas __ was created more for deflecting blasters.”

Once he was finished speaking, Reilu dropped his head slightly again in order to listen to the force and those around him.

 

[Sirocco]

(OOC sorry for late post, been busy with a few things)

Ark's question was interesting as Djem-So, in Vilaan's perspective, was but half of the knowledge of form V as Shien and Djem-So were practically the same form with different applications. Remembering his knowledge of the form after having studied its entire history before coming to class, Vilaan wandered if the crusader would be annoyed by a long answer. Not taking any chances, Vilaan opted for a short answer which was interestingly long showing the length of an actually long answer in his point of vew.

"Shien and later Djem-So is the brother form of Ataru, created by masters who were put off by the lack of aggression brought on by Soresu. Wile Ataru was a brand new form created for pure offence, a topic for another class for sure, form V took Soresu's philosophy and blade work and modified it to be more aggressive. Form V is divided into two mentality that make up the full mastery of the form: Shien which took the blade work of Soresu and modified it to be more aggressive by centering on countering defense in blaster bolt deflection and attacking when an opening was revealed which was a more aggressive take on Soresu and Djem-So which took the blade work of Shien and fixed it into a dueling specialization applying powerful defense followed by overwhelming counter attacks and offence. Shien and Djem-So are in some ways Soresu with a refined Makashii mentality focusing on durable resilience and powerful attacks that call for strong body strength most of the time. Form V in its basics suffers from a lack of mobility which can be overcome with training and mastery for the form and supplementary forms" Vilaan spoke as he waited for Ark to say anything, wandering if his explanation was ok even when abridged.

 

[Flamjetxx]

Ark got a great idea as to who had done their homework before coming to class. Ark's surprise was in the fact that Vilaan had gone through as much trouble to give such a lengthy answer where they were so cold. Ark expected all the answers to be quiet, because the sooner they got through the intellectual lessons, the sooner they could actually get moving. Regardless, the point of his question was made, and he had his own opportunity to talk.

"Good. You all know at least something of the Form. Some I expect know more than others, but at least I don't have to crack open a book now. As far you you will be concerned, you won't have to know the complete history of the form, nor will you have to know anything about Shien. The class is focused on D'jem So, and as such, your only focus will be learning that," Ark begins.

"D'jem So is one of the most physically demanding and aggressive lightsaber forms out there. If you are too weak or cannot las more than a few good hits, then you will find yourself in a sore position. D'jem So's style of attack relies on your own physical prowess. It's one of its greatest assets, because it utilizes the tue power of a Forceful to break through your opponent; And you cannot say that any other form knows how to utilize the power that a Sith can call upon." Ark warns taking a glance at the smaller participants of the class.

"Many would tell you that D'jem So's greatest weakness is its lack of mobility. Sure, that may be the case, but it sacrifices its mobility for something far more powerful in a duel: Stability. You can defend against stronger attacks, deal crippling blows, and all without sacrificing your advantage of standing. A user of Ataru would be able to bounce all over the place, but there is a great lack of stability in their form; And such acrobatics are useless when you end up on your back. The way I see it, D'jem So is call the form of Domineering for a reason; Because it dominates both offense and defense," Ark begins. It's important to recognize the form's weaknesses in order to account for it. In all honesty, every weakness can be seen as a strength, and Ark's job is to both point out the weaknesses and to show them how they can be used as a benefit.

"There are a few rules to follow while using D'jem So," Ark says.

"Rule number one: Always face your opponent. You are stable. You will not be able to keep up with any faster of an opponent, but you can always continue to face your opponent much easier than your opponent can shift their entire body. This can be done with pivots and twisting your torso if needed.

Rule number two: Never intentionally retreat from your opponent. Your Form's advantage is the fact that it is highly aggressive and that it utilizes perfect stability. That means that every defense will stop your opponent dead in their tracks, and every attack will drive your opponent back.

Rule number three: Always be the aggressor. If you're always attacking, your opponent will be Forced to always defend. If your opponent is always defending, it gives you every opportunity to land a strike and it takes away every opportunity for your opponent to attack at the same time.

And the final rule number four: Always keep a clear mind. This is the most important rule that can be applied to any other lightsaber form apart from Juyo. Despite what happens around you to distract you, to keep a clear mind during combat will allow you to strategize and use every advantage presented to you. If you don't concentrate on the duel, then you might miss that you're being backed into a corner, or you might miss a flaw in your opponent's defense. In a situation where your life may very well be at stake, you cannot afford to miss anything at all."

"If any of you have any questions, now would be the time to ask them. Otherwise, I will now require you to retrieve your lightsabers. If any of you don't have any, I've brought some training sabers with me," Ark says while removing his own lightsaber from his hip and simultaneously juggling a few long-handled training sabers from behind him with the Force.

 

[Andrewza]

Kathrin was happy Ark had not asked them any questions, since other than what she heard now she knew nothing more. In fact the style did not suit her and it was not goi g to be her standard style. She was here to learn how to best defeat D'jem So and you have know and under stand something to truly beat it.

"Ark crusader, how does one keep them selfs facing towards your enemy if you fighting more than one enemy? Would it then be ok to break rule number two and retreat to better grounds like hallway?" Bowing her head kathrin then finished off by mumbling "can please have a training lightsaber?" Kathrin hoped no one would ask where her one was. She doubted stolen was a acceptable excuse in the Sith order.

 

[Andrewza]

Kathrin was happy Ark had not asked them any questions, since other than what she heard now she knew nothing more. In fact the style did not suit her and it was not goi g to be her standard style. She was here to learn how to best defeat D'jem So and you have know and under stand something to truly beat it.

"Ark crusader, how does one keep them selfs facing towards your enemy if you fighting more than one enemy? Would it then be ok to break rule number two and retreat to better grounds like hallway?"

 

[Symbiot Spider]

Reilu listened to the giant furball, he was a large man and clearly knew a lot about the form and how to teach it. Reilu was particularly drawn to the mechanical arm of the man-tiger. He also felt a little awkward that he didn't know about the species to know what to call him, but knew not to ask something like they in the current moment.

The floor was opened for questions and there was one that came to mind, but the smallest girl asked one first. She was a curious girl as Ark had mentioned that this form requires a lot of strength and the girl didn't look strong to Reilu at all. After the little girl had asked her question, he took the silence as an opportunity to ask his own.

“Which would be more important, Crusader Ark, the stability of the form or the strength within the attack? I am thinking specifically about the option of side-stepping an opponent in order to step off something else and create more momentum in the swing. Not retreating, but using the environment.”

It was something that Reilu was always good at doing. Surviving alone in a jungle teaches a person to keep aware of all things in the surrounding area. He could remember a particular scenario where he stepped off a tree in order to create a stronger swing of a heavy branch. Reilu reached behind his back and withdrew his long-handled lightsaber from inside his vest. He reached through the force and pulled it tight around him. He also took the time to look at everything within the courtyard, they were no doubt going to be fighting here.

 

[Sirocco]

Vilaan simply listened to Ark as he explained the basics of Djem-So to the acolytes, explaining very useful facts of the form but obvious to some one familiar with it. The other acolytes made good points about Djem-So but as a very diverse form, it only needed such tactics against the best of duelists which was something easily overcomes with training and integration of other forms into combat. Having nothing to say at the moment, Vilaan simply uncliped his light saber and held it at the ready to start the class which he believed would give him a useful ability in dueling.

Ark was a very interesting master, too bad he was taken, he would have been a great source of learning to Vilaan but perhaps he could still help him hone his abilities.

 

[Flamjetxx]

Ark cocks his head to the side with something to be portrayed as Ark's best surprised look at the validity of Kathrin's question. It was good, and in all honesty, Ark had never had the pleasure of facing off against two opponents at the same time.

"That Kathrin, is where the rules are thrown out the window. In an uneven playing field, it's obviously impossible to face two opponents at once unless they stand ight next to each other, which is unlikely at best. Not only that, but holding your ground would likely be a mistake, so retreat would likely be your best bet in such a case, until you can escape the situation, you can gain an advantageous position as you'd mentioned such as a hallway, or until you can attain reinforcements. This is where your clarity of mind would best serve you, because you will need to rely on your environment to manipulate your opponents," Ark begins to explain as he hovers one of the long-handled sabers over to the Acolyte.

"A funnel would be ideal when confronting multiple opponents, but if that's unavailable, and there's no place to run in a worse case scenario, It's best to try to get them both on the same side. D'jem So's wide sweeping attacks are excellent for dealing with multiple opponents at once, so if you can keep them within swinging range. Otherwise, you will have to adopt some sort of bastard form of footwork in order to keep them together and in front of you. But I'd try to avoid confrontations where you're outnumbered. It is far from ideal no matter what lightsaber form you use," Ark warns.

In response to Reilu's question, Ark is further impressed, "Although, D'jem So is most commonly known as a form of brute strength and a demand on a deeply physical level, many would be wrong to assume that's the depth of its extent. The truth is that despite that view, D'jem So requires just as much strategizing, use of leverage, evasion, precision, and speed as any other form. A duelist must be versatile in order to bolster every aspect of your style. You would notice that the training lightsabers I have, and my own lightsaber," Ark retrieves his own lightsaber, "Has an extended handle. That's to give more leverage with your attacks among having other uses. So you will learn that every advantage you can gain will be put towards your success in combat."

"A D'jem So duelist must use every technique they can manage in order to deliver a smarter, harder, and faster strike. If a sidestep can allow you to avoid someone else's lightsaber blade, or if it can allow you to strike harder, then I don't see how it can possibly be seen as retreat. Retreat is to step backwards intentionally. To retreat leads to defense, and a pure defense is to not allow yourself to attack. How can you hurt your enemy if you're defending and retreating? Ideally, your every strike will embody attack and defense in the same movement," Ark tries to explain for him.

Ark finally ignites his lightsaber for the familiar hiss to pierce their ears. The steam floats off the red glow, showing the coolness of the air around the hot blade. The consequent hum of the blade and its movement replies the hiss of the ignition. The red beam splits Ark in two as it is held up in front of his face.

"Make a line and take a stance. You will hold your blade vertically, as to split your body down the median," Ark instructs while, as if on que, four combat droids came out wielding energy staffs as to line up in front of the students.

"You must first learn how to defend as well as D'jem So's mother form, Soresu. It's the foundation that D'jem So was built from, and it will be what your skill set will be built off of," Ark instructs. They weren't going to actually learn Soresu, but they'd take a page from its book. The stem of D'jem So's attacking strategy stems out of Soresu, and in order to best attack, they would actually need to know how to defend.

 

[Andrewza]

Kathrin listened intently to Ark as he anserwerd the questions. "Thank you Ark crusader." Accepting the training blade kathrin again thanked him only this time she spoke more softly. "Thank you."


With here lightsaber in her hand kathrin assumed the stance. She griped the hilt tightly and cleared her mind. Focusing on the droid before her she had effectively blocked out all out side distracstions. Her eyes seemed to Polk forward and no where at the same time.

 

[Symbiot Spider]

((O.O.C - Hate short posting sorry))

Reilu understood the instructor and nodded his thanks as he turned the information over in his mind. He would need to be aware of everything around him as well as what is directly related to the fight in order to win. As he thought about the several factors within a fight, he lowered the intensity of his saber to the straining standards; no need to lose a limb while training.

His focus was fierce as the droids walked out and took their place. He raised his lightsaber in a loose, but controlled grip slightly higher than center on his hilt. His hand held the hilt near the center of his chest, the blade roared to life in a quick hiss of steam. The bottom of the hilt nearly rested on one of his hips and the blade didn't begin until the bottom of his chin. He liked the feel of this long-handled lightsaber and allowed that feeling to envelope into his focus.

Reilu was calm, but intense. His mind poured through the force and took in everything the small courtyard had to offer. He calculated the weather and if there was going to be gusts of wind. He allowed his breathing to sway slightly as his excitement gripped him. He studied the droid in front of him. Nothing special, but he knew not to doubt a droid made for combat. Reilu was ready and could only express excitement at the oncoming thought of hands on training.

 

[Sirocco]

His contemporaries made interesting points about Djem So as demonstrated by Ark's reaction to them but his response was not what he had in mind. If Ark spoke with the beginner's mentality of Djem-So then Vilaan understood were he came from with the problem of numbers but plenty of practitioners had shown to be capable with numbers. Darth Vader has been known to fight against multiple Jedi at once and he was fast in his executions wile Luke Skywalker followed in his example and surpassed it. Despite this two individuals being gifted in their arts, they were still basically normal humans when one took away their gifts. If Ark knew this then he wouldn't keep that to himself unless he wished to not make overconfident students out of them or he chose to do what Kasim did with Darth Bane and teach them everything but on his own terms. Whatever the case was, Vilaan would absorb all that Ark had to give but he would not limit himself to his teachings alone, opting to train himself to surpass this weaknesses he explained. He would surpass Darth Bane were the ancient sith was allowed to be tricked by his master.

Igniting his light saber as instructed, Vilaan made a line in front of him with his foot or saber and took a deep crisp breath before raising his lightsaber to begin. Opting for a stable posture of one foot forward and one slightly behind for movement and leverage, Vilaan raised his lightsaber in front of him vertically and took a defensive stance wile watching his instructor to wait for what came next. Extending his senses in the force around him to the point of seeing the flakes of snow drip from the sky and sensing the pulses of energy from the power conduits of the machine before him, he sensed became ready as he sensed energy gathering were the bolts would begin to rain on them as Ark saw fit.