Welcome to Gaia! ::

“It would be detrimental to my learning if you went easy. The Senshi and Knights I’ve come across recently have offered me no such favors; would probably be wise if you treated me much the same.” When going toe-to-toe against someone obviously stronger than himself, Vaux was of the mind that it was better to focus on his evasive footwork and trying not to get hit instead of outsmarting or attempting to overcome someone that would knock him out easily with one minor slip-up.

The Lieutenant looked around the room; noting a couple of battle-worn marks on the wall; identifying this as the training area used for general sparing. “The Castle is quite magnificent;” Well equipped with necessities from the Main Hall where he had last been summoned, offices for Generals such as Rakovanite.

Presumably, if he didn’t have a home of his own, then there were barracks and a cafeteria for temporary residence. Fortunately, he skated by, just barely, without having to rely on the latter. But it was good to know that the option was still there.

“It’s been my experience thus far that neither Senshi nor Knights have the ability to teleport as we do.” We being the loose term used to indicate other Agents since he had not yet earned that privilege or promotion just yet.

Teleportation, the one thing he looked forward to more than the promotion itself. The ability to close distances in a blink of an eye, to maneuver with stealth; well in terms of sound and sight at least, the ability to sense auroras would always give him away. Nonetheless, it was an ability that could easily be used both offensively and defensively; just as the general now was demonstrating.

If it wasn’t that he was already at least somewhat familiar with the skill thanks to his own General, Rakovanite, then it was likely that Vauxite would have been caught unaware and struck like a youth that had royally pissed off their parents for stealing. Not that he’d ever been hit for that reason but more than once he’d been hit with a belt.

That being said, when Chambersite disappeared before him, Vauxite dove forward towards where he had been standing. Tucking his chin he rolled from shoulder to hip across the concrete or stone flooring. The hairs on the back of his head rose knowing that with the speed of the General’s attack, he only barely missed being hit as the rapier whistled through the air where he had been standing but a moment prior.

He lurched forward several steps before finally righting himself enough to turn around and face Chambersite. Dust and dirt clung to the side of his face but he made no move to wipe it away; so long as it wasn’t in his eyes he paid it no mind.

“Makes it easy to position yourself in someone’s blind spot,” Vauxite smirked. The thrill of this spar was definitely getting his blood pumping and in response, he summoned his own cheap plastic icicles to hand.

If it wasn’t that Vauxite often used a similar move when engaging White Moon Senshi or their Knights then he may have been caught unaware and fatally injured by the blade that had been thrown in his direction. As it was, however, the Lieutenant predicted that the thrown weapon would be followed up by a rush attack.

The blade was aimed chest high and would have pierced him through the shoulder if he’d tried to dodge to the left or right of it. Ducking wasn’t an option either. Instead, he leaned back, dropping his right shoulder behind him as he twisted his hips and pivoted on his left heel to avoid being stabbed.

It worked, mostly anyway. He still felt the sharp metal blade cut through the thick fabric of his sleeve as it just barely missed cutting into his upper arm. Fortunately, close only counted in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Too bad he wasn’t quick enough to catch the blade and turn it on its owner. As it was, it clamored to the ground somewhere behind him as he brought both arms up to block the second swing from the General. Vauxite clenched his teeth, grunting at the pain that shot down his arm and caused him to drop one of his icicles when his hand went completely numb.

The sheer strength behind the strike was enough to make him slide back no less than a foot yet somehow he managed to stay standing. “s**t-” he hissed; more surprised than annoyed since he had very little idea of how much of a power difference there was between Lieutenants and Generals. Rakovanite had trained with him a few times and Vauxite felt like there were moments when he might have been holding back.

“I prefer to not give them a chance to use their magic.” He shook his arm out to try and regain feeling before leaning over to pick his own weapon up off the ground.

Wise words to keep in mind. Vauxite hadn’t considered glancing through the database to see what information has been recorded regarding White Moon Senshi or Knights that are currently active.

He did, however, seem unsurprised at the mention that there were some who preferred using their fists. One such Senshi came to mind and Vauxite had to actively try to keep from sneering at the memory of him. The first time he’d lost to one of them and while he was certain it wouldn’t be the last since he was only a lieutenant, he was determined to make sure it was not a frequent matter.

He gripped his weapon tightly in both hands but then suddenly relaxed. This was a trap the way Chambersite held both arms out, openly inviting an attack, Vauxite was no fool and knew that the moment he got within range, that pointed sword would reappear and he’d be within striking range with limited ability to dodge another attack.

“I yield,” he replied instead. “I know when I’m bested.”

“I’m no match against a General, you have more maneuverability, speed, and energy at your disposal that, until I’m stronger, I cannot compete with you.” Only by luck was he going to be walking away from this training session with hopefully just mild bruising on her forearms.

“Thank you for your time, I look forward to our future spar.” Vauxite smiled and gave a curt nod of his head in Chambersite’s direction. He hoped it would be sooner rather than later but trust was a fragile thing and he had made a bad judgment call that had consequences beyond what could have been predicted by someone who had only been a part of the team for five months at best. It would take time to earn Rakovanite’s trust again, but Vauxite was not idle in trying to prove himself to his General.

Fortunately, there were other members of his team that were of a similar rank and he felt confident enough that if he’d ask, someone would be willing to help him train, if not Rakovanite himself.

“And don’t worry, I won’t forget,” Vauxite added in a more serious tone.

Chambersite had offered a sizeable amount of valuable knowledge that he would put into practice the next time he encountered another Senshi or Knight. Scanning the database would help him better prepare for this inevitability and hopefully help keep him alive until his first Promotion was granted.