Warrior's Way [ Job | Solo ]

diana corvus

During her escapades in the mountains, she had stumbled upon an odd building. Men seemed to be training very hard in organized lines on the outside. The smell of blood and sweat lingered in the air. She stood nearby to observe their training like a child. The more she watched, the closer she moved towards them. Such ferocity and dedication placed her in a state of awe. A faint melody and soft drumming could be heard along with shouts, all in unison with each other. There was a man, standing tall and pacing back and forth the lines of men. Bellona had perched herself on one of the trees, mesmerized at their movements. How they flowed with such elegance yet with a stern form. It reminded her of how the gladiators trained back at home in Reim. She would watch her father hone his skills and train the others. Her heart fluttered a bit at the thought.

A hand pressed itself on her shoulder, a tight grip. "Are you here to challenge our warriors or stand here like a coward?" The voice boomed into her ears, making her jump and turn her head to find the source. "Ah! I'm no coward," she pouted, turning to face the man. He stood over her so she had to look up at him to make eye contact. She felt as if his mere presence demanded her respect. An intimidating man, he was. "If you are not a coward then why must you hide?" he asked, almost mockingly. Diana shook her head. "I was inspired by their hard work." The man smiled at her with a slight blush tinting his cheeks. "Thank you. Do you wish to challenge some of our warriors to sample their strength?" he offered, extending his hand out towards them. Diana felt a rush of excitement flow through her body. She forced back a grin as she nodded and let him lead her towards the building.

The warriors did not avert their attention as she thought they would. It was almost like they were invisible. When they got inside, the main room was mostly empty aside from the weapon racks on the walls. Though they looked as if they hadn't been used in a long time. "You may stretch your muscles, young warrior. I shall bring your opponents. They have waited a long time for this moment," he said as he moved into another room. She set her bag and sword down next to her, taking a deep breath. Diana took the time he gave her to stretch out her stiff muscles and crack her bones. It had been a long time since she had done that but she was happy her flexibility didn't change. She sat herself down and began to meditate in the middle of the room with her katana resting on her lap. Not paying attention to the time, her meditation broke as she heard feet shuffling on the floor.

A crimson eye opened, then the other, gazing upon the three men that stood before her. "You may use any weapons at your disposal but there is no killing allowed. The last one standing is the winner. Are you ready?" said the man, crossing his arms. He seemed serious but she had no intention on killing these men. Only to test out her skills with her newly forged sword. Diana rose to her feet, tying the sword back onto her waist and placing her hands upon it. Her feet silently slid into position as she eyed the three men before her. They were clearly well trained and ready to put up a fight. But with her luck, they would easily be disposed of if fought properly. "I'm ready," she said, drawing her sword slightly. The sharp sound of her blade resonated within her soul. It was as if the sword was one with her own body. 'Trust your sword and it will trust you back.' It was something she was told once. To think of it like it was her own hand.

She closed her eyes and awaited for the signal; for the footsteps lunging towards her. One, two, three, four... five steps. A single tone resonated from her sword as she drew it fully into a fluid arc in front of her. Her heel twisted so that she was now sideways. A sharp wind flew at the men and collided with their bodies, cutting them deeply. Diana sheathed her sword once more, turning on them as if she won. She could hear the man's booming voice break out in laughter as a sudden rush of pain pulsated from her neck as she stumbled forward. Her neck made a cracking sound upon impact. Another blow went straight to her gut. They moved so fast and she had let her guard down. A small amount of blood flowed into her mouth as she coughed and wheezed to catch her breath. "Shit..." she cursed, spinning around to find the first person to slam her fists into.

A sense of overwhelming rage filled her fists as it connected with one of the men, sending them flying across the room. However, the next blocked her punch with his own and followed up with another to her face. She grabbed onto his fists, pretending to try and push him away before crushing them within her grasp. He fell to the floor in pain as yet another blow directed itself into her side. She screamed with great emotion. A mix of her anger, pain, frustration, and overwhelming guilt as she slammed her fist into the man's face, knocking him out. Diana let out huffs of air, spitting out the fresh blood that filled her mouth. The pain finally settled in as her adrenaline faded with each breath. The young fanalis fell onto her weak knees, wiping her mouth from all the blood and sweat. "You did good! However, you have much to learn! You let down your guard but I can tell you're well trained," the man laughed, giving a smile to Diana who weakly looked back to him.

"Thanks," she mumbled, laying back onto the cold floor. The stench was disgusting and made her nostrils burn but she was too tired to move. This would leave bruises for sure. "You may join us for training if you'd like. You're still breathing so you can still train!" His statement reminded her of something her father said to her once but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Before she knew it, he was reaching down to help her up. She grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. His warmth and intimidating stature reminded her of her father. This brought a faint smile to her face as it brought her nice memories. There was something about the situation that felt like a dream. She was in a daze for a while as he directed her in training. Her body ached with every slight movement but she did what was asked of her. A hand fell on her shoulder again.

"Stay strong, kid!" he said, trying to reassure her. She felt oddly at home here. Working herself to her limits with a strong figure to lead her. Diana finally managed to snap out of it, paying more attention to her new mentor. She spent most of the day training at this place until she passed out. Diana worked herself to her limits, her body weak and broken by the end of it all. When she awoke, she found herself in the same place she was before. The sun beams blinded her as she fluttered her eyes open. Faint sounds of shouting echoed through her throbbing head as she forced herself up. Her muscles were twitching in agony as she struggled to keep herself upright. "What..." she sighed. "Rise and shine, get up!" yelled a voice. She flinched at the sound of it, wearily getting herself up.

Diana tried her hardest to get into the motion of the training but moving so suddenly made her nauseous and dizzy. "Ugh," she held her head for a moment, pausing. If anything, she needed to eat something. Her stomach felt like an empty pit that ached to be filled. The booming laughter pierced through her ears again. All the sounds were making her head spin. Her body almost throbbed in unison with the training. "All out of stamina, fanalis?" he mocked, giving her a slap on the back making her collapse onto the floor. Every time she would get up, he would slap her again. Like a punishment. After a few times she caught herself, swinging her fist at the man. "Screw you, old man!" she shouted. He laughed again in response after catching her fist. It was clear she did some damage but he didn't look phased. These people were all monsters.

After a few days spent with them, she decided to go back out on her way but not before thanking them. The hard training and discipline was something she needed. It was a spot in her psyche that needed to be filled. A spot her father's death left empty for many years. She was finally beginning to learn how to cope with it. The feeling was refreshing and lifted a bit of burden off her shoulders. Though she was unsure if her nightmares would stop keeping her up at night. But that problem was best saved for another day.