CoH CoS (Chapter 18)
The crowd parted for the two combatants striding into the middle of the field. Damien and Artemis walked side by side. A few whispered words came from the crowd, but otherwise all was hushed. Artemis and Damien stood on either side of the clearing. Damien raised a dark eyebrow and spoke,
“Staves or sabers?”
Artemis looked at him for a second before giving his a sly smile.
“A master of weapons. Something I should have remembered. You’d offer me a saber dear Knight?”
“Of course Mistress. It would be my honor. Athena!”
Athena walked forward to stand right behind Damien.
“Yes father?”
“Your lightsaber please.”
Athena unclipped her lightsaber and handed it to Damien without a word. Then she stepped back into the crowd.
With a small push from his Gift, Damien let the lightsaber float into Artemis’s outstreched hand.
“Ready whenever you are Mistress.”
She smiled at him and then, without warning, launched herself into the air. She ignited the lightsaber while in air, bringing it in a head strike. But Damien was no longer there when she landed. She spun around and Damien swung with a side strike. She flipped up and tried a kick for his head. Damien spun in an arial (cartwheel without hands) and their feet connected, Damien pushing her back. They landed at the same time and met. The lightsabers danced and moved. They attacked, parried, defended and struck with precision and accuracy. Damien struck hard. She backpealed, able to only defend it lightly. She stumbled and Damien advanced.
“Mistress!” Maria yelled and threw a half staff in her direction. Artemis caught it and blocked Damien’s thrust. She started on the offensive and moved forward. Damien moved backward, defending each strike from both weapons. He jumped back into a lightsaber spin that defends as well as buys time.
“Father!” Athena yelled and threw Damien’s other lightsaber toward him. Damien caught it and ignited it at the same time. He moved forward, attacking again. Artemis and Damien attacked and defended back and forth. Finally something happened that had never been recorded as happening before. An Astari staff was broken. Damien had thrust downward and Artemis had blocked with staff and lightsaber. But Damien’s thrust had cut through the staff and pushed the lightsaber down to bare millimeters from her face. He slowly removed his lightsaber and stepped back. She got up and and shut the lightsaber down. Damien did the same. She looked at the part of the broken staff in her hand and looked at Damien. She then bowed. He bowed in return. They came forward and shook hands.
“Well played master Knight.”
“And you as well Mistress.”
She handed the lightsaber back to Daimen.
“Maybe you can give me better instruction on the proper use of it later.”
Damien smiled softly, “Anytime you wish Mistress.”
Artemis smiled at Damien and then walked off.
Athena walked over to Damien and put her arms around him. He looked at her and smiled, pulling her close.
“Father?”
“Yes hun?”
“Not that I don’t mind Chip’s instruction…but would you teach me to fight like you.”
Damien smiled again and ruffled her hair softly, “Yes, I think it’s time you learn. But come, it’s time to go home.”
Tenchi
“…the cultivation of the mind, the body, and the soul, and we must always cultivate the soul.”