Welcome to Gaia! ::

Briallen walked through the grove by her family’s home in Chiume. The Alkidike was taking her time with a visit, lingering after the last fight with Odina, and trying to figure out her next move. Did she want to keep doing smaller trips throughout Belrea or did she dare travel all the way overseas? Briallen let out a soft sigh, her fingers twisting around a stray branch as she pondered all of her options. She could try to appease others by staying in the area and training with the other warriors, as much as the thought made her heart tighten painfully in her chest. Did she give up the freedom of travel after just a bit of fresh air? Surely there were so many other treasures out there for her to discover, it simply would take time and some wandering first. Doing so though could truly fracture her relationship with her Vandrea sister, the connection between the two of them frayed because of their constant spats as of late. Any attempt to get Odina invested in her stories were always failures, the Vandrea simply shutting down as soon as Briallen mentioned anything about her travels. And so for once, Briallen had her old training staff in her hands, the worn wood somehow comforting despite representing the path that she had veered away from in favor of treasure hunting. It was her weapon of choice when she went to strike at the few dummies scattered about the clearing past the grove, the things obviously beaten up from Odina’s own daily training sessions.


“Now this brings back memories.” Briallen mused as she moved to quickly strike each dummy in succession. Rather than brute strength she was known for her speed and accuracy, the Alkidike light on her feet and talented with weapons especially those favored by sacred hearts. It was almost like watching a twisting wind while she moved, dust being left in her wake as she danced across the clearing with her staff.

[Briallen 1]

“A conflicted feeling, perhaps?” Admitted Briallen, lowering the staff as she rested for a moment. Her gaze did not go directly towards Odina even though she spoke towards her, Briallen instead focusing on the autumn foliage above them and the flickering sunlight that brightened the leaves into different shades of amber and reddish hues. At least the forest was still as beautiful as she remembered, especially during this time of year. She much preferred studying the leaves at the moment instead of glancing over towards Odina where there was surely an expression of disdain already. Despite willingly coming into an area where Odina was sure to appear, Briallen was not yet prepared to face her sister’s judgment.

[Briallen 2]

Briallen twisted her training staff in her hands, the Alkidike moving her focus from the leaves and back to the familiar object. “I was feeling a bit nostalgic and wanted to play around. I used to train out here daily by myself, you know.” She replied with a faint smile crossing her lips, the expression almost mournful rather than happy. She was more innocent back then, full of hope and not aware of other details that changed their lives. “And then I found my magic as a sacred heart, never touching the staff again as I focused on dual blades.” She was honestly surprised her family had kept it for her with how often she had been away over the last few years. The room she had shared with Faenna was still as it was almost a decade ago when they were barely teens, the beds arranged in the same way with their chests of items tucked neatly away until they came to visit. “What do you think? Does it look like I can still train with the staff?” She mused lightly, twisting the weapon again and taking a stance with it even as she didn’t look directly at Odina still.

[Briallen 3]

Harsh. Briallen’s fingers tightened on the training staff, the Alkidike fighting to keep a small smile on her face as she finally turned to look at Odina. It was best to look unbothered, right? If she slipped now and let her emotions take over then it would just become another spat between them. “Care to show me then?” She lifted her staff, her smile still forced on her face as she waited for her sister’s response to her challenge. The smile did nothing though to lower the tension in the air around them, Briallen daring her sister to swing at her with all she had and prove that she was weaker from so much lazing about.

[Briallen 4]

Briallen raised an eyebrow, finding her confidence as she faced her sister. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t serious.” She liked to play around, but not with things like this with Odina especially now considering their situations. No, this would be a true fight not some sort of prank. The Alkidke swung her staff, the edge of it dragging across the ground. “Let’s see how strong you’ve gotten in the past few years, Odina. Come at me.” She challenged, preparing herself for the oncoming attack. Odina was not one to take training lightly and most feared sparring with her, she was simply a brute when it came to exchanging blows something that even Briallen knew. One false move and she could be completely bashed into the ground.

[Briallen 5]

Thankfully Briallen excelled at speed and dodging attacks. Relying upon the whip for the last few years, using it to get out of several dangerous situations and away from beasts by swinging up in the trees, had helped to increase her dexterity and she did not hesitate to use it to roll towards the right to dodge Odina’s swing. Though she didn’t even get a chance to taunt her sister, Briallen knew better than to waste precious time when the Vandrea would be swinging again as soon as she regained her balance. All Briallen could hope to do was wear her down by dodging, smacking at her legs when she could with her training staff as they moved about the training area.

[Briallen 6]

Ooof. How many more pokes would Odina take before truly losing her temper? Briallen knew that her warrior sibling preferred brute strength instead of being toyed with like this. Not that she truly meant to play around with Odina, it was simply her tactic to wear the stronger warrior down. Briallen would probably lose her training staff if she used it to block a blow, that’s how strong those swings were. So she just continued dodging around, hoping to wear down Odina’s energy until she gave up or allowed Briallen to sweep her onto the ground. The sudden smack to her side though caught her by surprise, Briallen letting out a soft noise as she twisted backwards to try and avoid the full impact even though her ribs were surely bruised just from that simple jab.

[Briallen 7]

It was admittedly terrifying to see such an expression on Odina’s face. There was more than just duty in the passion that her sister felt when fighting, that was for certain. Perhaps it was best that the Vandrea stayed on Chiume instead of traumatizing some poor earthling fighters. Briallen didn’t have time to ponder such things though as another swing and another came her way, the reckless energy quickly consuming Odina as she kept chasing Briallen for another hit. Briallen just hoped that Odina could feel some sincerity despite her berserker state because the Alkidike realized that if she didn’t act now then another hit could potentially knock her out for the rest of the day, if not a full week or longer. It was time to show that she still had some skills, her travels doing more for her strength than Odina realized. Briallen turned from simply dodging the attacks to counter-attacking, barely dodging the other’s staff but managing to make jabs of her own towards Odina’s stomach to knock the breath out of her.

[Briallen 8]