Karla

[Another routine training session at the Battle Dome. Karla finishes another battle with the advanced bandits programming that Ginia had taught her. However, it's only after the battle is finished when her own exhaustion seems to hit her like a freight train. Her entire body aches, and a tightening sensation in her chest. She hadn't noticed it during the battle, and she's certainly never felt this bad after one. In fact, she actually decides to quit her training session early.]

[She staggers out of the simulation room on her way out, then pauses, coughing violently.]

[Video]

[Karla's definitely sick; she's sure of it now. She's put her physical activity on hold, but the urge to battle still rages within her. And worse, indulging in battle is not the ultimate answer.]

[Still coughing as she opens her journal, she waits for a lull before speaking, her voice hoarse and weak.]

...Has anyone ever had a hunger for battle that you just can't quench? What do you do to keep it from consuming you?

[Since Karla had gotten her Wo Dao back from being duplicated, she's kept the spare sword she had picked up during the procedure. It hasn't seen much use, as Karla had only kept it at her side in case she did lose her primary sword. But recently she's decided, if she's going to carry a second sword, she might as well try to incorporate the use of it into her own style.]

[So she'll be training at the barracks, twirling and swinging her Wo Dao in the air as if in a choreographed dance. Occasionally, in mid-attack, she'll pause and draw her second katana and swing it in a different angle. She straightens herself and sheaths the katana before returning to her Wo Dao practice.]


[Video]

One thing I've come to learn about Luceti is that people live very different lifestyles here. They have different cultures and different customs, and it's interesting to learn about them all.

[The droppings and the golden ass incident spring to mind, but. Well. She'll pursue more knowledge about those things on her own. Someone needs to teach this girl about mischief.]

It particularly pleases me that women can do so much...more. Where I grew up, women were not allowed to even touch a weapon. Women were only told to do what men say. They were bound to typical housework, cooking, cleaning, and the like. But I know women are capable of more than that.

But here, there's a group of warriors that are strictly women. The..."Kyoshi Warriors", I believe they were called? Personally, I have found a greater challenging in sparring with another woman. They use speed as their primary weapon. Speed is far more difficult to overcome than brute strength. What women lack in brute strength, they make up for with their speed.

I don't particularly enjoy battle myself, but I'm just glad to see that women are more than just housewives for men here.

[Karla is...confused, to say the least. She didn't know who she was...but she hasn't thought about it either. She only thought of herself as just a girl, looking for her big brother. Others saw her as the Princess of Swords, a devastating warrior whose skill and beauty was talked about all over Elibe. She didn't care too much for that reputation, because she didn't care about fighting. The only thing on her mind was finding her brother.]

[But Zompano's recent takeover allowed her to become something else entirely. A wife and a mother with a family. She had to admit that she liked it while it lasted.]

[Her voice is filled with sadness and disappointment as she casually speaks into her journal.]

To be a wife and a mother, even for a short time, was...quite an illuminating experience. That's a kind of life I would have liked to live.

[At some point during the day, the Sword Princess can be found at the Battle Dome in yet another "bandits raiding the village" scenario. There are three bandits facing her now. They move in to attack, mercilessly swinging their axes at her. Karla dodges their attacks easily, as if they were moving in slow motion. And then three strokes from her sword led to three fallen bandits. The setting fades back into the usual empty room. Karla sighs as she sheaths her sword. Asch had shown her how to use the Battle Dome, but now she needs to learn how to make the scenarios more challenging.]

[Later on, she takes a break, sitting on the edge of the fountain in the plaza. She cradles her sword in her lap, stroking the smooth blade with her fingers. It's strange, having to get used to the sword all over again after temporarily forgetting her skill. As usual, she remains oblivious to the world around her. Approach her anyway?]

[Now that Karla has been here for a little while, she stops to reflect on what she’s seen so far.]

...This world is far different from my home. People gift each other with droppings, and monsters attack you at the bar.

[Yes, she is under the impression that everyone in Luceti gives each other poop like it’s a normal thing.]

At this point, it is clear that I won’t find my brother here. I also understand that there’s no way to get back home either. So, what does one do?

[In the meantime, Karla will do the one thing she excels at - practicing her swordplay. She’ll spend some time in the Battle Dome practicing her strokes and evasions within one of the empty rooms (no simulation programmed, because she doesn’t know how). Her movements, alternating between attacking the air and dodging imaginary attacks, almost look like a graceful dance.]

[She can also be found in the forest doing the same thing.]