Private Eastern Brisshal Swordplay Practice

[Solaria]

Solaria stretched her arms after an hour of swordplay practice. She was getting stronger, but it was a slow process. Thinking about it, she hadn't really fought anyone difficult in a while. "I hope I'm not getting dull by only doing this sort of practice..."

That was when it came to her. Who did she know that was powerful? Who did she know that would likely help her get stronger? The first person that came to mind was @Toko, her best friend in the game.

Voice Mail

Toko, it's Solaria! Do you think you can help me train by any chance? I'm worried just fighting bandits and monsters is dulling my senses. I was thinking it might be helpful to spar someone with a sharp mind like you. I'm just outside Honeyhome in the forest. If you're up to it, please meet me. Either way, I'd love to see you!

"Hopefully she won't mind helping us, right Hawnell?" She smiled to her sword, which she sheathed for the moment. It groaned, not wanting to be put back in its 'cage'. "Oh, stop griping, Hawnell," She spat at the sword. "It's just until we get a hold of Toko."

 

[Toko]

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She had just finished moving the last bags of flour into Esther's bakery, the woman thankful for the help Toko had offered upon seeing the baker struggling with the heavy burlap sacks. Her reward had been a few buns, freshly baked out of the over and with a mix of various herbs encrusted into the bread. Most had been moved to her UI inventory, but one was kept on her hands for the rabbit to much on as she strolled down the streets.

It was then she received the unexpected voicemail, Toko's ears perking up at first as she thought the voice of a familiar elf meant Solaria was somewhere nearby, before finally realizing it was a message from her HUB that was now playing.

"Training, huh?" It had been a while since she had seen the elf, the golden tags on the beastfolk's next a testament of the growth Toko had gone through since, and so she was curious as to how Solaria had been doing these days. "Sounds like fun~"

Voice Mail

Of course, I'll be there in just a few minutes! I got some bread from Esther's bakery, too.

With the reply sent the rabbit changed her direction, taking a sharp right on the first road before angling towards the familiar forest on the outskirts of the village. She knew which spot her friend would be at, after all it had been used many times before when Toko had been practicing her Nature magic in the past.

Eventually the figure of a familiar blonde Elvin came into view, the initial bread Toko had been munching on long since consumed, and the Lepus cupped her hands to her mouth before calling out.

"Oooiiiiii! Solaria-chaaan!!!"

A hand was raised as the Lepus waved to catch the attention of her friend before closing the rest of the distance.

@Solaria

 

[Solaria]

Solaria was listening to the sound of Toko's voice on her voicemail when she heard it even louder in person. Turning towards Toko with a bright smile, the swordswoman ran towards her, hugging the beastkin affectionately. "Toko~! Thank you for agreeing to train with me!" She was sure Toko was stronger now just by looking at her- but no matter how much stronger Toko was, Solaria was still going to give it her all.

"How's Esther doing? I just got back to Falderen from making a trek out of the country for a change of pace. Have you ever been to the Hylands? They've got some really nice scenery and some interesting alchemy ingredients!"

Suddenly, she heard a familiar 'ahem' coming from her side. Laughing nervously, she unsheathed her sword and held it out to her side. The weapon glowed a holy golden hue before transforming into a human, whose clothes matched the color of the hilt and sheath of her blade. "I almost forgot to introduce you. This is Hawnell, my sentient sword. Pretty neat, huh? We usually just talk while he's in sword form, but most people don't really hear him like that, so we practiced him taking a humanoid form so he can talk for himself. Come on, Hawnell, say hi to Toko."

The humanoid sword turned away, muttering a hello. Solaria laughed nervously. "Sorry, even though he wants to talk to people, he's actually pretty shy. But Toko's not scary, Hawnell! Scary strong, maybe, but not scary! Promise!" He muttered something about not being afraid, glaring at Solaria for teasing him. She laughed heartily, before turning back to her friend.

 

[Toko]

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"Hey no problem, that's what friends are for after all no?"

She was surprised when the Ef pulled her frame into a hug, a nervous chuckle giving before Toko loosely returned it in kind. "Esther's been good, her business is definitely booming! Helped her move about fifteen burlap sacks of flour today to her storage, apparently she's going through the grain faster than ever these days." The Lepus took a moment to open her palm UI, flicking through the settings before she found what she was looking for.

"Here, some buns from her bakery—fresh outta the oven too."

She'd hand the three buns over to Solaria so the elf could store them away in her own inventory, or eat if she so chose of course, before the rabbit stretched her arms up high as she began loosening the muscles for their practice match... until a curious ahem caught Toko's attention.

"Mmm, what was that? You said something, Solar—eeeh?! Nandayo!?"

Curiously she had looked as the girl pulled out her sword, Toko's head tilting sideways in mild confusion before the bright glow caused her to squint her eyes in response. Instead of a sword there stood a figure, a man by the looks of it, and the Lepus instinctively hopped back a few steps with her guard up.

"Hawnell...? Ah, right, that mastery you had been looking forwards to obtaining." One eyebrow raised as Toko looked the new figure up and now, able to see on closer inspection various features that reminded one of the sword's unique design. "I remember you said your weapon would talk to you then... but I wasn't aware they could transform, too."

Well it was quite interesting, she supposed... although a part of the Lepus felt she might've been less unnerved by the sword's original form instead of this humanoid one.

"Right... hello to you too then, Hawnell."

@Solaria

 

[Solaria]

Toko's words rang true in Solaria's mind. Friends helped each other- it was just the way of the world. It made her smile softly, nodding to the woman's sentiment.

"I can imagine how much she must be working with how delicious her baked goods are. I'm surprised it wasn't even more sacks than that!" Giggling, she accepted the buns after letting go of her friend. "Thank you so much, Toko!" She smiled a bit more brightly, putting two buns in her inventory before taking a nibble of the third. "So tasty! Here Hawnell, try some."

Handing the bun to the humanoid sword, Solaria noticed Toko seemed a little intimidated, hopping back a few steps when Hawnell appeared in human form. "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to startle you. But yeah! My training finally paid off! I can communicate with him without him transforming, but it's easier for him to talk to others this way. I was surprised at first too, but... Apparently some legendary swords can do that, and Hawnell was a legendary sword as it turned out. To think, I'd just found him lazing around in a weapon's shop!"

With a bit of a laugh, she returned the humanoid figure to its original form after he finished eating his half of a bun. Solaria smiled, gripping the hilt firmly as she put him back in his sheath. "I'm thinking of getting a practice sword later on to do my daily swinging practice. Hawnell always complains now that I work him too hard doing that. Lazy bones, this guy."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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The Lepus felt more at ease when Hawnell was returned to his original form, something about a sentient sword having a humanoid shape was a little bit off putting for the rabbit, but she was still happy for her friend. "I'm glad you both found each other then... although you'd think he'd be happier about training, should be better than sitting bored in a shop all day." There was a soft chuckle that accompanied her words, before Toko began to stretch her arms and legs in preparation for their practice match. The weather was nice today, and aside from the local sounds of faune it seemed liek they would have the clearing all to themselves.

"Right, time to set some ground rules for our combat—if there's anything you're not sure about feel free to tell me, okay Solaria-chan?"

Carefully the Lepus went over the restrictions with the Elf, wanting to ensure their fight was clean and free of worries. After all the goal of these sparring matches was to simply get Solaria more accustomed to combat with Hawnell.

"Alright, got all of that? If so when you're ready we can begin~"

With that Toko moved to one side of the field, the Lepus taking a moment to gather nature and earth energy as bark covered her forearms before being reinforced with hardened stone. She wasn't sure how sharp Hawnell might be... but Toko felt pretty confident that these safeguards would be enough.

@Solaria

 

[Solaria]

With Hawnell returned to sword form, Solaria stretched as well. There were a lot of intricate movements involved in proper swordplay- and this time, she was going to try new maneuvers than she used in kendo practice. Having loose limbs was important for safety and practicality.

"I think I get it," She chimed melodically, walking to the opposite side of the field. She was going to go all out and have fun doing so, or so she'd decided. Toko was, after all, a seasoned fighter. She could probably handle anything Solaria threw her way- and that was just the kind of challenge the Elf needed. Just fighting off bandits was no longer enough for her.

With a deep breath and then a yell to show she was about to charge in, Solaria pulled back Hawnell and prepared an angled upward strike. She was aiming for Toko's bark-covered wrist, deeming it a good place to start a fight with a martial artist all points considered.

Hawnell was sharpened carefully since the last time he'd been used as a blade... But would that be enough? Solaria knew it would not. She had to put her all into the technique and power to lay a hit even- and that was her first goal for this challenge. To get a hit on Toko.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Toko was confident in her abilities, after all the Lepus had spent long hours honing her skills whenever possible—sometimes with Alonso, sometimes at the Guild, and many times with a certain giant Lion… still it didn’t hurt to be careful, and that why the bark and earthen guards were up for today’s lesson. Swords could be quite sharp after all, and Toko wasn’t sure how a legendary one like Hawnell might vary, but she also hoped the extra protection would help Solaria be more confident when coming towards her friend for a few swings.

"Watch the eyes—you’re basically broadcasting with them that you’re coming for my wrist, Solaria-chan!"

She sidestepped before leaning back, the movement granting Toko just enough space for the top of the blade to pass by without harming the rabbit, before an open palm attempted to strike the blonde elf in the stomach. "Don’t open your guard too much either, otherwise your opponent will try and capitalize on it~" The maneuver, if it actually manage to find purchase, wouldn’t be terrible—the hare knew better than to go all out with the Elf the way Toko did with Brutus, it was meant to be only hard enough that it could create distance between herself and the sword wielder before Solaria came towards Toko once more.

@Solaria

 

[Solaria]

Solaria had yet to make many sparring friends. In fact, for the most part, this was her first true spar- normally, she just trained by doing image training or fighting off bandits and monsters. She was far from perfect, though, and having Toko teach her her faults was much better than Hawnell harping at her to do a few extra swings because her arms were tired.

When Toko mentioned the fact that her eyes were giving away her strike location, Solaria frowned. "How do I attack without looking at my target?" This did explain a lot- and gave her an idea for future use. "Maybe if I blind my target first...?" No, that felt like a cheap trick- but in a life-or-death situation, it could be mandatory...

Toko's attack was amazingly strong. It sent Solaria back a fair bit, the Elf grinning as she regained her balance. "Toko is strong! I was right to ask you to help!" With a grin, she charged in for another attack, trying to avert her eyes. She aimed at the shoulder this time, but it was hard to do without looking.

No, she had to look. "Crap, I can't attack what I can't see! This is a problem." She stopped partway, adjusting her stance before moving in on the attack, groaning. It was too obvious where she was aiming. Toko was smarter than the creatures and people Solaria usually fought... But there were surely more with bright minds like Toko she'd have to fight someday. "Any advice, Toko-sensei?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"The same way we do most things, after all we don’t look at things directly all the time while doing them." Thankfully the Lepus wasn't aware of the thoughts the Elf had, she would've not enjoyed an attempt at blinding her eyes... and that was not the lesson Toko was looking to impart onto her friend either. "You don't always look when you go grab a glass of water for example, among other things."

There was an attempt at following Toko's advice, but of course it was poorly made and lead to nothing—however that was the whole point of this exercise. Solaria wouldn't get things off right out of the bat, these were things she'd only nail down by constant practice. Toko wouldn't always be able to be there for her to guide her, but at least if she got the basics down today the blonde could keep polishing those skills on her own.

"Good, try it again~"

The attack was parried with ease before the Lepus put some distance between themselves, making a motion for the swordswoman to come at her again.

@Solaria

 

[Solaria]

Solaria laughed nervously. Somehow, she felt a bit stupid for not thinking of that. She often multitasked, especially while studying. She did everything while studying- eating, drinking tea, having slight conversations with her babbling little brother. If she treated this like studying, would that help?

With a smirk, she tried to look straight ahead and aim for an upward strike. She missed and had still looked where she was aiming without moving her head, but it was still obvious to her she likely gave it away with that automatic movement.

"Crap, this is harder than I anticipated." She knew Toko would be stronger than her and expected she had more experience, but she couldn't help wondering how she'd gotten so far so quickly. Solaria trained regularly on bandits and beasts... So why was she so bad at this?

With a deep breath, she aimed at the left shoulder. She managed to avoid looking quite as much this time, darting her eyes back and forth before looking straight ahead and rushing in to strike. If it would work, only the impact would tell- but she felt some confidence building inside her. "This is sort of fun! It's nothing like fighting a bandit- it's sort of exhilarating!"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Yeah, the realism of this game certainly doesn’t make things any easier either," She commented as the blonde attempted another strike, and while she did good to not move her head in the direction Solaris was aiming the elf’s eyes were still a dead give away as Toko side stepped out of the strike’s path. "… but I think that’s also what makes this game pretty fun."

She counted herself lucky in many ways, from having spent a whole childhood training under the watchful guidance of a beloved sensei to meeting the right people in the right times and places… and perhaps spending a bit too much time playing the game had also helped the rabbit to grow and develop so quickly compared to other peers.

Having signed up for the League’s expedition had also helped in her growth, but also cemented a deeper bond with other Travelers in the Guild too. At the end of the day there was no better teacher than time, and Toko had been spending lot of it continuously honing her fighting skills in game… although her magic control was severely lacking still, something she chalked up as a side effect from growing too quickly in game.

"Ottottoh…!"

The next strike by Solaria was harder to read than the first, the blondes constant eye movement helping mask where she was aiming until the last moments—and while the Lepus managed to physically block the blade at the last second Toko could help but grin as she nodded in approval.

"There we go, that’s it… keep repeating that until your body remembers it naturally." After all deception was the first step towards learning good feint tactics. "Be sure to always practice it with Hawnell whenever you get the chance, the more you do it the faster your body will get used to doing things that way."

@Solaria

 

[Solaria]

Solaria grimaced slightly as Toko side-stepped. She clearly needed to train harder- not just alone, but against others. And not just monsters and bandits, either. It was now obvious to her that her training style severely lacked in certain departments.

"I've never sparred like this before... Even in the real world. I'm learning a lot. I should do this more often. Think you have some friends that wouldn't mind sparring with me too, Toko? In the future, I mean. I can't just hog you all to myself, after all. I should also find a way to play more frequently. Maybe schedule some time each day just for Terrasphere."

A soft giggle left her lips as she imagined how happy her brother would be to hear she was taking such strong interest in something other than studying and housework! Her devotion would surely inspire him to take more time for himself, too. But wait- she couldn't tell him about Terrasphere... Well, she'd figure something out.

"Huh? With Hawnell at all times? But won't he get tired if I do too much practice with him? He's a sword, but he's a living sword. I was thinking of getting a wooden practice sword just recently... Should I not?" The sword mumbled something to Solaria that only she could hear. "Oh? You're fine with training more regularly with me? You won't get tired out? I guess that's that then."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Mmm... I'm not sure who would have free time," There was a pause as the Lepus took a oment to think, wrecking her brain for a possible sparring partner that Solaria could hit up. "The ones I know are usually pretty busy with thei stuff... ah, that said, you could swing by the Guild's Headquarters and check who's around and available!"

A satisfied nod was given as if the hare was happy with that resolution, after all she'd hate to just impose on anyone in particular without prior warning. "The Guild has a training area you see, and even if you're not part of the faction I'm sure people wouldn't mind sparring with you—especially since they're already there to train anyways~" Yup, perfect solution hands down, the rabbit almost felt a bit proud of herself for her quick thinking.

There was a pause as Toko listened to Solaria's explanation of Hawnell, her head tilting slightly in confusion. "Doesn't that mean he'd also benefit from the constant training too, then? After all, he's a sword just like you said... constant use should help you hone him better as a result?" It looked like said living sword was also in agreement with the hare, at least fromt he one sided conversation that Toko was able to listen in on.

"See? He gets it~"

@Solaria