Kirk growled as the other man jerked forward in a skillful lunge, no doubt hoping to catch him off guard with speed. The rapier was a fast blade, meant for quick work and a stab through the heart - the blade of Vulcans. The cutlass was a beautiful thing in its practicality and brutality, but it was not made for speed.

Luckily, the man wielding it was.

Kirk brought up his own blade swiftly and parried the lunge off to the side, using the strength of the parry to come in straight at the stranger's shoulder in a downward chop.