Well, that failed spectacularly. Nate groaned inside as both strikes missed, hitting nothing but air as Aoren easily ducked and rolled out the way. He really should've expected a maneuver like that, he'd done a similar thing to get away from cougars and wolves, why shouldn't Aoren do the same? And so the other man was using Nate's own trick against him, rolling to the side to avoid the cougar's pounce and now Nate was stuck trying to recover from a failed attack and see if he couldn't make his style do anything useful.
Aoren was already in motion, rising from his roll and charging at Nate with clear intent. Nate, however, had barely recovered from his previous strike, and his protesting rib and injured shin meant this mobility was all-but-shot. In the wilds of Syliras it was a death-sentence to be immobile so he tried to will his legs to move, but he could really only awkwardly shuffle a few steps back, his legs wobbly and unfocused beneath him as he tried to make it behave the way it was supposed to.
The issue, as Nate was quickly discovering, with his "style" was that it was designed to be very aggressive. It relied on mobility and speed to do most of its damage, much like the animal it was based on. It wasn't well-suited to absorbing or even parrying blows, instead avoiding them when possible and deflecting them when absolutely necessary, but he had neither the training, nor the skill, nor honestly the speed required to pull that off.
On top of which the single most critical aspect of this style, mobility, had been robbed by Aoren's strike to his leg. The limb was still tingling from the strike and it made it difficult at best for Nate to even maneuver, to say nothing of the graceful backwards leap he had intended to pull off.
One thing was for sure though, this style could work if done right, except he was clearly not doing it right. He needed practice with it to get the kinks out and this Aoren was definitely someone with an actual, disciplined style that could be a very effective sparring partner. Not to mention he didn't sugarcoat any of his strikes or try to hold back or any of that nonsense, he went straight for real, honest to the gods strikes that actually hurt and needed to be avoided. It kept Nate on his toes and was almost as good as facing a real, living, hungry cougar. Almost. The cougar had more teeth.
The forward momentum of Aoren's charge was not really blunted by what he did next, just transformed. The circular motion and the tightening of his hip muscles told Nate that the man was going to attempt a kick but his limited mobility meant he was not in any position to dodge it and the style as he currently stood with it did not allow for appropriate defensive techniques. Or perhaps he was just too rigid with his thinking.
But if he made "exceptions" then his style wouldn't stay true to form, and would be nothing but a mess of random strikes and blocks, and wouldn't be a style so much as him flailing about. It was a tough decision, but Nate decided to stick to the style, and try to see if he couldn't find a way to make it work.
Aoren had pivoted around, the kicking leg gaining strength both from the borrowed momentum of the charge combined with the circular motion of Aoren's spin, and Nate knew he had two choices. Well, really only one choice, when he really boiled it down. He had to try to block this attack, because he was in no condition to dodge. As the leg came sweeping in Nate bent lower on his knees, raising one of his arms until it was at a ninety-degree angle and bringing it so that the forearm was perpendicular to the ground, looking to employ some form of elbow block. He would have preferred to slap the leg away but the form of the stance really didn't allow for such movement so he hoped this block would suffice. It did not.
The force of the kick powered right through the block, knocking Nate's elbow into his own chest and sending him sprawling backward, where his bruised shin finally caused his legs to give way and his stumbling became a collapse, falling backward onto the mat and onto his rump, the pain from his ribs finally catching up and he threw up his hand in surrender. Nate took several deep breaths and tried to get his bearings, his face somewhat dazed from the beating he'd just received. None of his attacks hit their mark, and it felt like every single one of Aoren's did. This style was clearly too advanced for him to attempt; he'd need a simpler one if he was to have any chance at success.
"Well, that was clearly a resounding success," Nate sighed, sarcasm obvious in his voice, face morose as he slowly picked himself up from the mat. "I don't think I got in a single solid hit. Well, that's not surprising given the fact that my 'style' probably doesn't even work. Or possibly even exist." Nate couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. He'd really hoped to get in at least one hit, but the simple fact was the style was too aggressive, too reliant on maneuverability that he just didn't have.
"I... I was trying to copy a cougar's movements, actually, but clearly I didn't succeed all that well," Nate shrugged. "Cougars rely on mobility, a good offense, and blinding speed, all three of which I currently lack."
Rubbing his sore shins and ribs, Nate sat down on the mat for a short period and checked his injuries. They weren't severe, and given a few days they'd heal completely, but he doubted he'd have the mobility he'd need to properly execute any of the maneuvers he wanted with his new unarmed style. The ribs he could grit his teeth and maybe handle, but the shin would be a highly limiting factor. And if that'd been his knee...
Still, Nate hated giving up. If he had to get some broken bones tonight just to get in one good hit, then he'd be willing to sacrifice a femur or two. Whatever it took! He looked back up at Aoren with a determined expression. "I gotta say, you're one Hai of a fighter. I'll be ready in a few chimes to go again, lemme just catch my breath. Say... you interested in doing this again some other time? 'Cause I'm gonna need to build up my speed if I'm ever going to make this style work."
You more than deserved it, Aoren! Brilliant work!
