Against the World...(Rugs)

[Deleted]

His Master had told him that his training could wait until he was fully healed. So for three day's he had done nothing, but wait around waiting for the new wounds on his body to heal, at least to the point where they wouldn't bother him. It was awful waiting for three day's doing no real training. He had gone through the forms of Shii-Cho, and practiced his Niman a little bit, but outside of that he had nothing to do. So when the third day had come, and passed he started to lose his mind, and sought out his Master telling him that he was ready to begin training.

It was still early in the morning, but he was ready for far too long his training, and power's had been stunted. No more was he going to sit around, and let the precious time that he had pass by him. If he was going to become strong enough to get what he wanted then he would have to train a hundred times harder than every one else at the Academy. He knew that his new master wouldn't let him down, and that thought filled him with a slight sense of pride. With the help of Master Aurelius he would become strong enough to track down Xiszek, and tear the man down into nothing.

So here he was making his way down to the Training Grounds where Master Aurelius had instructed him to go for his first day of real training. Even though he was still a little beat up from their previous encounter, he couldn't stand to sit around, and do nothing for another day. Walking into the open area he saw the series of training circles, and squares designed for sparring. Looking around he quickly spotted his Master, and he walked up to him.

"I am ready to go when you are Master Aurelius.." he said calmly waiting to hear what they were gonna do today.

[Rugs]

Morning found Nieraan in the training grounds, as it often did. It found him a bit earlier, perhaps, this morning than the others. The sun had barely pierced the far horizon; the sky was still a dull mix of greys, with hints of pink starting to grow as the day slowly came to be.

Nieraan sat in the middle of a sparring circle, deep in meditation with his eyes closed. He felt the boy approaching from a distance. Ah, good. His eyes cracked open and he stood, sighing. He wore a dark grey sleeveless shirt for the morning’s training, along with some black pants.

As the boy approached Nieraan turned, reaching his senses out to feel his presence. He wasn’t fully healed, it seemed, but he was strong enough to throw himself into training. Even better.

He’d looked through the boy’s files in the days since he officially made him his apprentice. He was decently strong for his age, but had a lot to learn. Today, they’d start taking those steps.

”I am ready to go when you are, Master Aurelius,” Zexva said.

“Good,” Nieraan said, rolling his neck. “We’ll start with the basics today,” he said unclipping one saber from his waist. A green blade flashed to life; this saber was one he’d taken from a Jedi he killed, rather than one of the two he’d built himself. “What forms do you know?”

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The wind was cool to the touch, and that was something that he was grateful for, because the moment the sun came out it would feel like he was melting within his clothes. A black sleeveless shirt, and cargo shorts adorned his frame as he walked up. His ever present belt sash was wrapped around his waist with his lightsaber clipped to it. It looked as if his Master had been out here for a while already, but that was to be expected from someone as strong as he was. Zexva had felt that strength firsthand, thinking back to the few days prior where he had gotten all of his new injuries. It was worth it though because now he had a Master.

“We’ll start with the basics today,” his Master stated unclipping one of the lightsabers from his belt, and causing the green blade to flare to life. “What forms do you know?” Master Aurelius asked him.

"Shii-Cho is the one that I know best, but I also know some Niman, but not enough for it to be very effective in combat. I never really got to finish my training in Niman before I was left here." he stated as he unclipped his own lightsaber.

Pressing the button on the handle the golden blade flared to life before his eyes as he waited to see what they were gonna do. He didn't know his new Master's training methods very well, but something told him to be on guard just in case. While he doubted that his new Master would just attack him out the blue, you never could be too safe. Trust was a deadly ally to have, and it would just as easily cut you in half, as it could help you out.

"So are we practicing forms today Master?" he said his tone emotionless as he kept his gaze locked on his opponent.

[Rugs]

Zexva’s personal assessment of his skills more or less lined up with what Nieraan expected from reading the boy’s files. Some skill in Shii-Cho, some skill less in Niman and little else. “Alright,” he said, taking a step to the side. He spun his blade in his hand, more a motion to keep his fingers busy than to start making a move on the Initiate.

Tempting as it was to launch deep into instruction and pound the boy’s face into the dirt, that wouldn’t do the boy any good. Kamirille, brutal as her instruction was, always sought to make him stronger — when he wasn’t trying to run from her or kill her. The regimen bore its bruises, physically and mentally. Zexva would surely earn his own, but it’d benefit neither of them a thing for Nieraan to beat the boy silly simply because he could.

Besides, they both knew he could do that, if he felt like it.

“We’ll start with Shii-Cho,” the Firrerreo said, yellow eyes focused intently on his apprentice. The very tip of his lightsaber dragged in the sand behind him, leaving a meandering, softly-glowing trail even though he’d set the blade to training strength. “It’s the foundation of all the other forms. If you can’t get a grip on it, it’s not even worth trying to teach you something more advanced.”

Beyond that, Shii-Cho held a bit of a warm spot in Nieraan’s heart. He often fought with his saber staff or, if things really called for it, his true love — Jar Kai. But he’d often fight with a single blade against an opponent that didn’t merit two, and when he did, he relied on Shii-Cho.

Suffice to say, was good at the form; and he kept his skills in it sharp, unlike many other duelists who let them atrophy after moving on to something more advanced.

“Come then,” he said, motioning with a hand for Zexva to attack. “Show me what you’ve got, boy.” He stood idly ready, but not in a classic stance. Nieraan rarely used such stances, but even more, it was a subtle statement to his new apprentice.

If Zexva wanted respect, he’d have to earn it.

[Deleted]

His master had told him to attack, and he knew that he was going to get the snot kicked out of him again, but regardless he would attack. It as part of his training to become stronger, and this was raw physical combat. So he held his lightsaber in front of his face dividing up his Masters body with it. He would have to go as hard as he could otherwise he would risk defeat, and that wasn't an option for him. Eventually he would match his Master in power, and then he would take off on his mission to kill Xiszek.

So with slow deliberate steps like he was taught he began to advance towards his Master. Aurelius's body was still cut in half with his lightsaber as he divided up his opponents body into four quadrants within his mind. Each of the quadrants was a striking zone, and with sparring you would usually use horizontal, or vertical attacks to try, and strike at the enemy. However if you were on the battlefield then you would instead utilize diagonal strikes as well to make your attacks more unpredictable.

So the moment he was within striking range he swept his blade diagonally from Aurelius's right leg up to his left shoulder in an attempt to cut him. He would show his new Master that he was worthy of being trained by him. Even though Aurelius had agreed to take him on as an apprentice Zexva still felt the need to prove himself.

"I will win this time!" he said with his usual machine like tone.

[Rugs]

Zexva advanced on Nieraan, blade vertical before his face. The boy’s initial advance came slow, his steps measured. Nieraan knew Zexva approached cautiously to walk himself through the form’s basics. His mind surely churned with strategies on how crack a particularly challenging nut.

Nieraan didn’t hold that against the boy. Not yet. He’d filled the same position Force only knew how many times, against Kamirrile. And she didn’t forgive as Nieraan would in the early goings.

We’ll have to clean that up, the Firrerreo thought. He filed the point away into a mental checklist of things to work on as Zexva’s training began in earnest.

It was the first of many such mental checklists, he was sure.

The pink boy burst into sudden motion. His golden blade zipped low to bite at Nieraan's leg. The strike sought to burn a path up through flesh and bone until it freed itself from his shoulder. Nieraan supposed it was a decent enough opening strike, but nothing he wasn’t used to.

Perhaps a heartbeat or two before Zexva’s blade sang out, Nieraan’s sharpened senses whispered of a coming attack. He took a step back and to the side, leaning away from the boy’s blade as he deftly circled around behind him. His own verdant green blade left another glowing scare in the ground as it skimmed the sand again.

Nieraan settled his weight and, planting himself with his rear leg, pushed a kick off at the boy’s exposed back. It’d hurt a bit, should it find its mark. Still, he hadn’t kicked so hard as to try to cripple his student in the first exchange of their first match.

“Again,” he demanded in unyielding answer to Zexva’s earlier declaration of impending victory. "At least make me use my blade, boy."

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A sharp note of pain rang through his back as his master easily dodged his blow, and then kicked him in the back. It was not meant to tear his spinal column in half thankfully, but it did send a message. He was going to have to attack with everything he had in order to become stronger like he wanted. Standing up he heard his master's voice ring into his ears. Telling him to attack again. Biting his lower lip into a snarl he remembered what Master Aurelius had told him. That all the emotions could be used as weapons for the darkside, not just rage. But this wasn't a battle to be won with the force.

So refining his vigor he rushed at Aurelius again, and swung with his saber again aiming for a cut across his master's stomach. It was a pretty obvious move which is what Zexva wanted him to see. As he was brining his saber across he would keep spinning using the weight of his momentum to aim a backfist right into Aurelius's face. Hopefully while he was busy trying to parry the first one the second one would catch him off guard, and he could land a solid strike on his Master.

Though he wasn't that adept at hand to hand fighting so he doubted it would work, but it was still worth a try.

[Rugs]

Nieraan smirked a bit as the boy regained his footing. Zexva turned, gold blade burning in hand as a snarl twisted his face in anger. Good, Nieraan thought as he gave a lazy flourish with his own saber, put those emotions to use, boy. Zex was often cold, for whatever reason. Nieraan knew passions lurked beneath the façade that was often more machine living, breathing person.

Whether the boy kept putting on the same front as always, Nieraan would make sure to draw those passions out, one way or another.

If it took a little embarrassment in the sparring ring, then so be it.

Zexva advanced again. Nieraan’s yellow eyes focused on the boy as the golden blade licked out again, this time at his stomach. Nieraan saw the ruse as it developed; the slight differences in Zexva’s stance as he pushed his weight forward in the spin to put some added force behind the strike. The saber strike itself, met and turned away with a gentle flick of Nieraan’s blade, was merely a distraction.

Clever. But still not enough.

Nieraan leaned slightly back, giving himself the bare minimum space to ensure the blow missed—Zexva’s hand passed so close that he felt the small burst of air that followed the strike. As it passed, Nieraan countered.

He hooked his leg forward, seeking to pull one of Zexva’s legs out from under him. As he did, he shifted forward, bringing his saber away from the block of Zexva’s blade to slam the hilt into the boy’s chest and, with luck, send him to the ground again.

[Deleted]

The gap between the two of them was frustrating, but he shouldn't have expected anything less from the man that he wanted to be his mentor. All of his blows fell short of the mark, but that was to be expected since Master Aurelius was far more experienced in the art of combat than he was. Zexva wasn't fast enough to react when his master hooked his leg around his own, and then yanked it out from under him. Within the span of a few seconds he was falling flat on his back once again. Looking up at his master he realized how helpless he was at the moment, and if this were an actual fight he would be dead.

He had to remain calm, anger without purpose was nothing more than a dull sword wielded by a novice. Though his Master was certainly pushing his buttons. He kicked out with his legs in an attempt to trip his master, or at least kick him in the shin, while in the same breath rising to his feet again.

The match was incredibly uneven, but it had to be done in order for him to grasp the power that he so desperately wanted. In order to break the chains that constrained him he had to keep pushing forward no matter what the cost was to himself. So he began an onslaught against his mentor a series of sweeping, and jabbing attacks meant to cleave the opponent in two, or stab them in vital areas. All the while he did his best to keep up his machine like mask, though slowly in this fight it was beginning to crack.

[Rugs]

Down Zexva went. Again.

Nieraan didn't feel any satisfaction in manhandling his apprentice so easily--beating up on students was hardly new to him. If anything, he felt a pang of disappointment. "You'll have to do better," he muttered, walking wide as the boy lashed out with his legs.

"You think you'll last outside these walls if that's the best you've got, boy?" he snarled. Contempt lay thick on his words,and he shook his head slightly. "Pitiful."

Zexva lunged, this time into a sustained assault. His blade came high. Nieraan knocked it away, then hurriedly stepped out of the way of a follow-up thrust. Surprisingly, the boy attacked again before Nieraan could cleanly to a follow up and for once, forced him to action as he ducked low. Zexva's golden blade singed the air not half a foot above him as the strike went wide.

The duck hid Nieraan's subtle smirk. When he rose again, fending off diagonal blow streaking toward his shoulder, his face was all contempt again. He had to keep pushing Zexva to his breaking point, then past it. Break the boy down, then start building him back up again.

Their blades met again, a blur of gold on gold as the Zeltron swung wildly at Nieraan's head. He steadied his weight and, as Zexva came 'round again, swung into the boy's strike to force their blades together.

"Disappointing," he said. The stench of zone filled his nostrils as their blades hissed and crackled. Zexva showed some impressive phsyical strength; not enough to be a concerning threat to Nieraan, but enough so that he'd have to honestly try to overwhelm the student if he chose to. "All that effort and you can't even touch me.

"Maybe I was wrong about you," he growled. Suddenly he lowered his blade and stepped around Zexva, to see if the boy had the presence of mind to keep himself from tumbling forward. Nieraan turned on his heel and lashed his blade out at where the boy's back had been.