The Misty Province (Leona)

Sol moved thru the halls of his castle and in his normal attire of a Haori and Hakama pants both making him look Regal as he waited for his guest to arrive, after his day out on valentines he decided to reach out and invite his partner and temporary wife at the time Leona to his province for Coffee and perhaps a spar, they had a good time before and Sol hoped they would have fun as well in the heat of battle.”I do hope she arrives soon Im sure the towns folk will point her here” he said as he talked to the servents and made sure that everything would be ready for Leonas visit.

The training grounds at the back of the castle was prepared for the spar the two would hopefully have  and seals were put on the area to make sure any damage would self repair. Hopefully it would be a good work out it had been a while since the Void Dweller had fought a decent fight. He would have to be a bit careful due to the nature of his magic but perhaps he would get to try a new weapon he obtained before they used any magic.

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-Myazhe-

Wearing her green-and-gold outfit and Adaptable Armor with Argent Gloves, Leona carried her Nightshade Machete on her back and Silver Longsword on her left hip. She had been invited to this place by Sol Terumi of West Fiore Trading Company for tea and a sparring match. The last time she had had tea was with Eodunn Eero during their conversation in her office so long ago. The last time she saw Sol was during the Valentine Day's job that involved "marriage magic" and keeping the people from getting the candy.

Leona walked into the town and her eyes were drawn to an elegant castle reminiscent of the one she had seen in Shirotsume. This castle had white walls with sloping blue roofs and overall had an appealing look that made her want to walk towards it. Leona carefully made her way through the clean and orderly town and wound her way towards the castle, marveling at the clean streets and orderly homes with nary a tile out of place. It was not the Tri-Council city, but it was a nice little place to visit.

Leona suspected that Sol was in the castle, but she was not sure. Sol might not be the ostentatious type even though he was one of the big wheels of West Fiore Trading Company. He might prefer simpler lodgings, but then again he might not. He might have wanted something with some living space and something that indicated his high rank in the organization. Leona stopped in the middle of the street in front of a restaurant to try and figure out where to go next.

[Word Count: 275]

One of the villagers in the town saw Leona and one of them touched a communication lacrima and connected to the castle as a Servant approached Sol as he was getting stuff around.”She is here and in town very well I will go and escort her to the  castle” he said as he moved out of the castle and towards the cliff before he gently floated down and touched his feet to the water as he  then  moved onto dry land as he pulled out his Kiseru before it self filled with Nightshade and lit before the Void Dweller took a puff of it. He approached the street that Leona was on he smirked a bit.”Hey Leona Welcome to my Province  sorry if the  locals are a bit quiet they are cautious of newcomers” he explained before he motioned for her to follow him.

“I trust the trip was pleasant my Province is rather secluded but we enjoy our privacy its one of the reasons I had my castle built here” he said as he lead her up to the castle.”These people see me as a good omen here so  they taught me more about their culture and I keep watch over them and protect them and this province from harm” he explained as  they would reach the doors to the castle and they would enter into the courtyard. Inside it was beautiful with many kinds of flowers and rare trees growing all around. “would you care for Tea first Leona or would you rather spar first?” he asked

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Total wc - 465

Leona stood around like she was out of place... which in a manner of speaking, she was. She was much more at home in the desert than she was out in an area like this. However, the blonde was learning to adapt to different circumstances and this was no exception. Thankfully Sol himself showed up to assist her.

"Hi Sol. And it's OK if they didn't say a whole lot. The locals were friendly to me." Leona said to Sol in defense of the locals. They did not go out of their way to engage her in conversation, but neither were they hostile to her. She was a visitor in their town, so the onus was on her to adapt to their ways and not vice-versa. It was not like she went out of her way to talk to them, so they were justified in keeping to themselves. It was also possible that her reputation preceded her and they were somewhat intimidated by her.

"So this is your castle, huh?" Leona asked Sol as they entered the vibrant courtyard that boasted a wide variety of flowers. It was reminiscent of Mister Burke's home in Shirotsume; the key difference was that there was a lot more than just cherry blossom trees in Sol's courtyard. When the subject of tea or sparring was brought up, Leona opted for the tea.

"I'd like to have tea first, Sol." Leona replied to him. It had been quite some time since she had had tea. Part of her was looking forward to it.

[Word Count: 264]
[Leona's Word Count: 539]

As Leona asked if this was his castle Sol nodded.”Yes I had a friends Family craft it for me, they are master crafters and this is utter perfection it costed me an arm and a leg but considering how I grew up Im happy to have such a large and splendid home, and I hope one day to raise a Family here as well” he explained as he entered into the building with her and he removed his Geta before motioning for her to do the same. He would then lead her into a nice room with tatami mats and a low table with two pillows on the floor. The room had another door that was open and showed a view of the training ground  where they would be training, it was fillied with beautiful trees and flowers.

“please have a seat my dear  I want us both at our best before we spar” he said as he sat down on one of the pillows as a servant would come in and place two cups of tea before them, the blend was a simple Jasmine and Green Tea Blend which was floral and very mild. The servant also put down a plate of Hu Jiao Bing  crispy buns filled with juicy pork green onions and White pepper.”Enjoy Leona Midi Food is simple yet very delicious” he explained as he gently took one and took a bite of it enjoying the crunch and the juicy pork. After a moment Sol spoke again “so how has it been going with Silver Wolf Leona  Iv been so busy here that I haven’t been able to visit you guys or go to the mainland much” he said as he took a drink of tea

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"It's going OK. Mostly bureaucratic concerns at this point." Leona told Sol as the former removed her boots like Sol removed his shoes and sat at the low table before taking off her Argent Gloves and taking the tea cup into her hands. It was a good thing Leona had been to Shirotsume and taken the job of helping Mister Burke because otherwise she would have been totally lost on what to do. In a way she was still lost, but not quite as lost as she would have otherwise been.

When it was offered to her, Leona tried some of the food from Midi. It was a spicy noodle-based dish that was spicy but surprisingly good despite the spice. She drank some of the tea that was offered to her and found that it had a smooth taste and a mild but pleasant aftertaste.

"I like both the food and the tea. What's the dish called and what kind of tea are we drinking?" Leona asked Sol.

[Word Count: 171]
[Leona's Word Count: 710]

As Leona mentioned that the only things she was dealing with was beuracratic issues Sol chuckled a bit and nodded.”Ah it’s the joy of being a guild master and a higher up  I know the feeling Rui mostly deals with that since its his forte but sometimes I dabble in it as well though” he explained as he finished his pepper bun before being asked what the noddle dish she was eating was and what the tea was as well.”The Tea is a simple Jasmine Tea  one of my favorite blends and the dish your eating is Mapo Doufu  Noodles  it’s a bit spicy but the peppercorns in it are special and will cause a slight numbing of the mouth to make it a bit easier to eat it’s a fun and delicious combination of heat and flavor” he said as he took another  pepper bun.

As he sipped his tea he thought about something.”Come to think of it my dear we don’t know that much about each other do we?” he asked before he smiled and got an idea.”How about we learn a bit about each other how about we ask two questions and then the person answers and then gets to ask two back?” he suggested. It would allow both of them to learn about each other and hopefully become better friends and allies to each other

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Jasmine tea? Mapo Doufu noodles? Leona had never heard of either of those items until today, which served to demonstrate just how much culinary knowledge Leona lacked. Desert villages did not have much time or use for fancy dishes. Desert fare was mostly simple dishes like couscous, vegetables, and the occasional piece of goat meat, even the very occasional piece of beef. The blonde had never had tea before going to the Tri-Council City and had only had it again when she had met with Eoduun in her office a few months ago.

"I can tell that the Mapo Dafu noodles are spicy, but it's not a bad thing. I've forgotten the last time I had a spicy dish. Most of the time I eat something simple and without spice." Leona admitted to Sol after he told her the name of the noodle dish. Most of her fare was simple and without spice and most of the time she drank plain water. Tea was something that the city people  drank, along with coffee. Leona had never taken a liking to coffee, but her focus was soon diverted to another subject, one Sol himself had brought up.

"So you want us to each ask two questions, then the other person answers the questions. Once they do, they then get to ask two questions of their own?" Leona asked Sol. She thought about it for a moment. She was not very good with social situations, but she was even less adept with answering personal questions. However, as a Guild Master, she would have to become more socially adept than she already was.

"OK, why not?" Leona answered. She would go along with it. As long as the questions did not pry into classified guild information, the blonde would go along with it.

[Word Count: 303]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,013]

“I find that Spicy dishes are amazing but only if you balance the flavor and heat correctly but its only one aspect of Midi food”he explained as he took a sip of tea.”I would bring out more for you to try but then I think it might effect out spar if we are too stuffed” he joked with a chuckle.it seemed that Leona was ok with his idea of getting to know each other and he was glad since he wanted to get to know the people in the alliance and Leona seemed very interesting as well. with a nod the Void Dweller decided to go first.”Alright I will go first  What kinds of Magic do you use and do you like close range or long range combat?” he asked as he took a puff of his Kiseru.

Sol figured that it was not that personal of a question since your magic was a part of you and it was always good to know what an allies magic was to know if it synergizes with your own, and it was also interesting to know why some people liked to fight up close as opposed to long range of vice versa, to the Void Dweller it  told you a good chunk about a person as well.

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"I use Wind Strike Magic and Wind Summon Magic. Wind Strike Magic's the main one I use because it's balanced enough to let me fight from either close range or long range without too much difficulty. Wind Summon Magic lets me summon creatures to help turn the tables when I'm badly outnumbered or just need to fly over obstacles." Leona gave her answer to the first question Sol asked her. Both magic types had served her well over the course of her numerous adventures. Wind Strike Magic worked very well for her because not many people expected a mage to be able to used magically enhanced martial arts as well as the common ranged spells frequently associated with magic users. Wind Summon Magic let her use summoned creatures to turn the tables on opponents who thought they were going to win just because they outnumbered her. The summons were also useful for traversing or bypassing difficult terrain.

Leona had to take a moment to think about the answer to the second question. That question asked about what range she preferred to fight from. She soon came up with an answer.

"I like close range combat." Leona answered simply. The blonde tended to do best in close range combat because she had hard-hitting moves that seldom gave her intentions away with flashy magical effects. She also had the endurance to go the distance thanks to her armor and other abilities. Finally, she had a special roar ability that could be used as her ace in the hole if things got too dicey and she needed a little breathing room.

[Word Count: 272]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,285]

From the description of her magic and from the experience he had Sol know that her magic was powerful but to hear more about it made its useage even better and her secondary was just as useful for support and  escape. She then also explained that she was a close range fighter then a long range one when made the Void Dweller nod in understanding. Close range combat was so much  better in his opinion then long range it was satisfying to see the damage you were doing but at the same time it was dangerous because you were open to attack as well.”ah Im a close range fighter as well its just more satisfying when your that close  though I do have some long range options as well” he said before he went on.

“My two magics are  Venom Godslayer and Shadow Dragonslayer magic, my Godslayer magic makes it very easy for me to be able to control the  battlefield pretty well. it just takes one hit and I can cause any number of problems ontop of hurting someone and it gives me advantages  long and close” he said before taking a puff of his kiseru.”My Shadow Magic is strong as well but I use it more defensively since it lets me phase into shadows and even more clones and distractions and sometimes that’s all one needs to win the battle is one good strike” he finished with a smirk. He also had a hidden spell as well that made him even more deadly but he had yet to use it due to how strong it was  and it still drained him greatly.

“well that’s my two now its your turn” he said as he took a sip of his tea and tapped out his kiseru into a shadow portal and it refilled as he took another puff making sure not to blow it towards Leona since it was a bit toxic as well.”Im looking forward  to our spar I have a new blade and I cant wait to get some practice in  since it’s a bit bigger then my last sword” he mentioned since his new blade was not that heavy but it had a wide arc which meant he needed to get used to it.

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Leona listened with interest as Sol described his two magic types to her. She had gotten a small measure of experience with Venom Godslayer magic during the "Marriage Magic" trial in Rose Garden. The ability to immobilize opponents and poison them was an ability whose uses were not to be underestimated, but the magic itself pulled at the user and tried to tempt them to employ it at any given chance. Leona had no experience with the Shadow Dragonslayer magic, which sounded like a good complement to his first magic. It was like the complement between her Wind Strike Magic and Wind Summon Magic: Wind Strike Magic let her fight at either short range or long range and Wind Summon Magic helped her fight against crowds of enemies, which was one of her first magic's greatest shortcomings.

Leona had to think about her two questions because he had already answered the most pressing question she had, which was what types of magic he used. She needed to think of another question to ask. Sol mentioning his new sword gave her just the spark she needed. She sipped more of the tea and ate more of the noodles before asking her questions.

"OK, Sol. Here's my two questions. First, do you like using swords or using your bare hands more? Second, do you like fighting or do you consider it an unfortunate necessity?" Leona asked Sol. She took another sip of her tea while she waited for his answer.

[Word Count: 250]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,535]

Sol blinked at her question and he paused mid sip before he thought for a moment.”Hmm that’s a tough one  I like both honestly but when it comes down to it I like using my fists more then  my blade but that’s because I like to be up close to fight” he explained before he thought about his opinion on fighting and if he enjoyed it or found it to be  an unfortunate necessity. “I cant deny that I enjoy the thrill of combat but then again the life that I lived until I joined the company might have shaped me that way as well”he explained as he actually looked a bit ashamed of himself as he finished for a moment before he took a sip of his tea.

Taking another pepper bun Sol ate it before he  thought about his next two questions.”hmm  alright  an embarrassing moment and if you ok with sharing a near death experience” the Void Dweller asked. Considering his dark past Sol surprisingly had a few brushes with death before he became what he was now and thankfully  his risks that he took had dropped significantly since joining the company and becoming a vice president.”How about a few more questions then we  clash blades a bit?’ he asked  wondering how he would fair against another skilled opponent,surely it would be a better fight then when he had been at the end of Demis scythe blade. That was the closest to death he had ever been and it still spooked him to this day

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Leona listened to his answers with interest and found that they had more in common than they first realized. Both of them liked hand-to-hand combat and both of them liked the thrill of fighting more than they reasonably should. The blonde had no room to judge him on any of that.

"An embarrassing moment, huh?" Leona repeated the question. She had a few to choose from, but she needed to only tell one. Which embarrassing moment would be best suited to this particular conversation? She chose one from the House of Lost Souls.

"There was the time I was taking language classes on an ancient language called Court Hieromesh. The lecture was informative, but it was delivered in such a dry manner that I almost went to sleep at least twice. The lecturer who came to the guild hall to deliver the lecture noticed but didn't say anything." Leona recounted the mishap during the Advanced Language Course with Professor Rosetta. It was truly an embarrassing moment for the Guild Master of a guild devoted to science and knowledge. However bad that faux pas was, it could have been a lot worse than simply almost falling asleep during a lecture the guild had paid for.

"A near-death experience? Where do I even begin?" Leona asked rhetorically. There was the one in Shirotsume with the ninjas. Then there was the one with the Red Sands Bandit leader in Desierto when she raided their first base to free the captives of the Blue Sky Clan. She would tell that one.

"I was in Desierto with the goal of rescuing captives from the Blue Sky Clan and had just defeated their leader shortly after he slashed me with a poisoned weapon. I passed out in front of some horsemen and thought that I was going to be killed while I was unconscious. Thankfully the horsemen were from the Blue Sky Clan, so I was safe. They carried me back to my home village and I was treated in time." Leona told Sol. It was one of her more frightening near-death experiences and that was mostly because of the possibility of going unconscious around people who wanted her dead. She did not want to imagine how things would have gone if the horsemen were enemies instead of friends.

[Word Count: 390]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,925]

As she explained her moment of embarrassing moment Sol smirked before he laughed a bit.”Yeah being stuck in a class like that is rather dull I bet” he joked before he decided to tell his own.”My embarrassing moment was on one of my first missions here I had to ride on a giant bird that Rui is friends with and while we had traveled I had fallen asleep on the back of the bird, when we got there I had forgotten that I was up high and I ended up rolling off from a rather high perch, lucky for my I made of strong stuff but I still got an earful from Rui for that misshap” he explained

At her explanation of  getting nearly killed by a clan and being poisoned by a blade Sol nodded  as she mentioned she was lucky and got treated in time.”That does sound like quite a close call im glad you were around people that helped you out” he said before he took a sip of tea.”my experience was farther back when I was still part of a dark guild before I changed my ways. It had been an encounter with Fairy Tail and let just say I encountered another slayer that was far stronger them myself, in an instant he managed to shatter every bone in my body and left me broken and bleeding on the floor. I was scared angry and humiliated but a stranger managed to get over to me and healed me enough to keep me alive infact  its due to that healing that I was able to recover so well and keep being a mage and a fighter” he explained as he rubbed the back of his head as he remembered how badly Heero had thrashed him and  to be honest the humiliation still burned in him but he knew better then to dwell on it after all the man was dead so what was the point in holding a grudge.

“well shall we go and clash blades now?” he suggested as he stretched a  bit and finished his tea, the food had been finished and  Sol wanted to burn off  the energy he had right now and what better way then with a fight. The Deathless would lead  her to the training ground he had which was prepped  and as he stepped out onto the grounds the shadows covered him for a moment before it dispersed to show him more normal clothing  with the void dweller being clad in black jeans and a black sleeveless Chinese shirt.  He would then form a shadow portal and from it a handle would emerge before Sol would grab it and pull out a rather long blade  slightly curved like an Odachi and not counting the handle had a 6 foot long blade and it was glowing a soft red along the crimson metal.”Shall we just go with blades for now and add magic later?” he asked

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Leona could barely hide her shock when Sol said that he used to be part of a Dark Guild. Leona had never encountered a Dark mage of Sol's strength before, but he emphasized that he was a former Dark mage after his crushing defeat at the hands of another Slayer, so the blonde relaxed a little after hearing the story of his defeat and his encounter with Fairy Tail. She took off her backpack and Nightshade Machete and stuck with her Silver Longsword because she would need reach in this battle.

"We can spar if you're ready. I'm ready when you are." Leona said to her host. The Silver Longsword had more reach than her Nightshade Machete, reach that would be needed if she wanted to have a chance against Sol. When Sol asked about including magic, Leona did not need too much time to think of an answer.

"We'll start with blades, then we'll add magic when you're ready to." Leona answered his question about adding magic. She wanted to see what they could do without magic before bringing out the fancy stuff. The last time a "no magic" spar happened was when she and Eero traded punches outside Silver Wolf Guild Hall that time, but Eero was distracted and did not have his heart in it for reasons that she later learned about. Sol was focused on sparring and ready to go at a moment's notice.

[Word Count: 247]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,172]

Glancing at Leona he spoke again.”It was a long time ago Leona  Im not proud of my former actions and Im working hard everyday to repent for the sins I committed though the blood on my hands will never wash off” he explained before they got to the training grounds he used. Sol gave his sword a few swings to get the feel of it before he settled into a ready stance and once she was in one as well he suddenly closed the distance and slashed his blade upwards at diagonally, however even if she dodged it he would bring his blade down suddenly the same way just in case to catch her off guard as well, despite how long his blade was it wasent weak by any means. The mystic powers emitting from the sword  showed that it was very powerful and well crafted.

Sol would keep up his attack with a horizontal slash before he would then back off a bit. The Void Dwellers attacks were fluid and precise and he knew the value of when to strike and when to back off.”lets see what you can do” he muttered as he kept his eyes trained on her. The Deathless’s  bicolored eyes watched his opponent  just like a predator did prey and it was rather easy to see that Sol was studying her every move  and was running thru possible counterattacks and  parrys to her strikes when she made them.

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"It's no problem, Sol. I don't have any right to judge." Leona admitted to him, almost feeling bad for how she reacted to what he had told her earlier. She had done a few things she was not proud of, namely how her body count of bandits and slavers continued to grow every time she set foot in Desierto. They attacked her first and they attacked with full intent to enslave or kill her, so she was more than justified in killing them. However, each incident only proved Spectral Kasim right... all she could do was kill people.

Leona got into a ready position with her Silver Longsword and stood ready as Sol made the first move. His first move was to perform an upward diagonal slash with his weapon, which had a magic signature of its own that was a strong one. She parried the first slash but was caught off guard by the rapid diagonal downward slash that followed. Leona barely maintained control of her weapon and barely maintained her footing, wobbling on one foot for a moment. She parried the horizontal slash as well and was secretly relieved when Sol backed away for a moment.

Leona was not used to fighting in a two-handed style because she employed a sword in one hand and cast spells with her free hand. She was also not used to fighting someone with actual fighting talent. Fighting so many bandits and cultists who were better at intimidation than combat had dulled her abilities to fight against someone with actual sword training. This was going to be a tough sparring session.

Leona had used one-handed weapons since she was old enough to hold one but had never used a two-handed one in any capacity except for Kasim's Ram Dao. She would have to compete with Sol's superior reach and arguably superior training. She would have to find a way to take the fight to him with a normal Silver Longsword.

Leona silently rushed in and swung diagonally down with both hands in an attempt to engage Sol at close range, where his longer blade would be a liability because it would be slower to wield.

[Word Count: 370]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,542]

Sol was surprised when she managed to parry his first strike so  easily but as he brought his sword back down the same way just as rapidly it seemed he had caught her off guard and her blade bearly managed to withstand the strength of his strike as she wobbled for a moment as he backed off. The Deathless was currently wielding his sword one handed since in his hands it was very light but to anyone else it would be impossible to lift despite its design.”Not bad you have good form but lets see what else you know” he said praising her but his face gained a smirk as she suddenly rushed him and slashed down diagonally.

The Void Dweller quickly caught on to what she was thinking though, he knew his blade as longer then her and close range made it harder for him to react and swing however Sol got the feeling she wasent  comprehending where being close put her. He brought his blade up and  his  blade clashed against hers closer to the middle of his blade but not enough to off balance him before he suddenly brought his hand forward  and would throw a palm strike into her stomach to  stun her before he would knock her back with another stronger strike from his hand, if she managed to dodge his palm strikes then Sol would push himself backwards to reduce the risk of getting slashed by the blade and he would then bring his blade straight down at her in a counterattack. However if it looked like she would be unable to dodge it then he would pull back at the last moment so she didn’t get  mortally hurt if she got hurt at all.

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Leona managed to get him to go for the blade lock, but after that things did not go to plan. Sol met her blade with his own, then threw a palm strike that hit her in the armored stomach. She was stunned for a moment before being hit with a stronger strike to the midsection that made her stagger back and double over. The blonde had felt the impact of the unarmed strikes through the Adaptable Armor, but she would not be permanently hurt by them thanks to its protective properties. What could hurt more was the incoming blade that Sol wielded.

Leona managed to bring her sword up in a two-handed guard stance, but just barely. The longer blade of Sol's weapon clanged off her weapon and nearly knocked it out of her hands, but she hung on and brought it back into a ready position. She had to take the fight to him because while his weapon gave him superior reach, it was as unwieldy to use in a close-range fight as she thought it was. However, Sol would be ready for her to try that again and had already demonstrated an affinity for hand-to-hand combat. What could she do to lessen his advantages and bring her own advantages into play?

Leona was a bit shaken from the palm strike and stronger follow-up strike, so she would hang back for a bit because blindly rushing in would only result in getting knocked off her feet. She opted to shift to a defensive stance for a little while. Sometimes slow and steady won the race.

"You're pretty good, Sol." Leona complimented her opponent while forming a steady two-handed defensive grip. He was not pulling too many punches because of her gender and was taking her seriously. He was giving her a real sparring match.

[Word Count: 313]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,855]

As Leona managed to deflect his second attack Sol  had a smirk on his face but he had to admit she was doing rather well considering his sword had longer reach and  it seemed his strength surpassed her but she had yet to truly take a hit from his blade which impressed him greatly” your very good as well Leona your doing at well at learning and adapting to your opponent  now the question will be which of us will adapt faster to gain victory” he said as he saw her take a more defensive stance and he shifted his stance as well before he then started to circle her.

The Void Dweller circled her and his two colored eyes were  constantly flicking to parts of her body keeping an eye on her stance and even the twitching of her muscles as his blade remained at the ready in case she suddenly decided to go on the offensive again. After what felt like forever Sol suddenly lashed out gripping his sword with both hands and striking her blade and this time he aimed to bust thru her guard and then  if he managed it then he would capitalize on her opening and he would put  the spine of his blade to her neck to show he had won but he also knew that should she be able to weather his strike and even parry it then he was wide open and she could get a nasty hit in on him. Sol knew that the strike was risky but he also knew that much was risked in battle.

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Leona had received praise from Sol concerning her ability to adapt to changing conditions, but the sparring match was far from over. She knew that he was watching her and he knew that she was watching him. One of them would have to make a move soon, but there might be time for only one more move before the match was decided. Leona stood her ground as Sol began to circle her, keeping an eye on him because he was about to make his move.

Leona braced herself as Sol swung his weapon with great force, but she was not prepared for the sheer force that he could generate. Her sword was knocked aside, this time flying out of her hands and landing blade-first in the ground. She could not compete with the combination of finesse and power that Sol could bring to a sword duel because she was not very skilled with a two-handed fighting style, but that was not his fault. The fault was entirely Leona's.

With no other sword available to her and reluctant to use the knife concealed in her boot in a friendly duel, Leona conceded defeat the moment the spine of Sol's sword touched her throat. He was now at close range where she could attempt to strike back, but since he still had his weapon he had the advantage and she did not want to test her Argent Gloves' ability to repel swords like the one Sol was using. Leona raised her hands in surrender.

[Word Count: 256]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,111]

As Leona raised her hand in surrender Sol simply nodded before he removed his blade from her neck and he gently tossed it into the air before he dissapered into shadows  as if it wasent even there in the first place,  he smiled a bit as he spoke.”You did really well Leona  that was not easy and most sword fights end in a few swings  but you made sure it was not easy for me, just take what you learned from this loss and build upon it that way when we clash blades again your even more ready” he encouraged. Sure he had won be he didn’t want her to get discouraged.”Well first point goes to me now why don’t we shift to hand to hand combat?” he suggested

The Albino Void Dweller had to admit he was enjoying himself immensely, it seemed like forever since his last good spar and Leona was giving him a tough time despite him having a  range advantage with his sword, now with hand to hand combat range didn’t matter since  it was fists and feet being used, if he was honest with himself Sol wouldn’t even care if he lost since he was just having that much fun. His duel colored eyes held an amused and genuinely happy look in them. To be honest the Void Dweller had been in a more depressed mood as of recently due to certain events and this honestly made him feel a bit better.

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Sol was right when he asserted that Leona had a lot to learn from their sparring with swords. Leona had spent so much time fighting people with swords who really did not know how to use them other than as tools of intimidation. That hurt the blonde's own swordsmanship since she did not have to be fully trained with a sword to defeat them, only good enough to parry their attacks until she could counterattack with her magic. This was the first time in a long time that she had used only her sword to fight and it showed. There was no shame in losing to Sol since he was simply better than her and she had lasted a lot longer in the sparring match than she thought she would.

"You're right, Sol. I still have a lot to learn about how to properly use a sword." Leona said to him, picking up her Silver Longsword and sheathing it, then taking off the scabbard so that it did not get in her way for what was about to come next. With Sol having clearly won the sword portion of the sparring match, next the two would shift gears to spar in hand-to-hand combat. Unlike with Sol's sword, there was no clear advantage here. Her host might have a longer reach thanks to his height, but she was faster.

Winning here would boil down to applying experience and neutralizing Sol's advantages while bringing her own into play before he could adapt to her plan. That was what combat of any sort was about, but it still held true for hand-to-hand combat. It was especially true for hand-to-hand combat. Sol knew that Leona would try to take the fight to him and go for a quick win before he could land enough hits to slow her down and make better use of his range advantage.

"OK. You've won the sword sparring match, so let's use hand-to-hand combat for this part." Leona agreed with Sol, setting the scabbard on the ground away from where they would be sparring. This would be interesting since at first glance it was a repeat of the sword duel with largely the same problems facing the blonde. Leona was faster but Sol had the range advantage thanks to his longer limbs. He could use range to negate her speed and wear her down with repeated hits.

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[Leona's Word Count: 3,523]

Sol saw her settle into a stance  as he did as well and the Void Dweller did as well his stance a very loose version of Muey Thai, Sol mixed multiple martial arts together but muey thai was a favorite due to its more dangerous nature  since it used elbows and knee strikes as well as punches and kicks. Sol decided to close the distance and threw two quick jabs followed by a heavier punch, Sol was cautious though and if he overextended he would then pull his arm back and attempt an elbow strike. The Void Dweller would try to stay within range of Leona to keep throwing strikes but tried to make sure he kept her from getting into his blind spots or getting under his strikes and hitting him.

While the Deathless knew he had longer range he had to be careful and as he threw a knee strike at her and tried to get her on the defensive he knew that she could possibly get close and if she did it would hard to  dislodge her and get her back on the defensive. In the back of his mind Sol was happy he changed his clothes before starting the spar, he knew that his normal  Midi Style clothes would never have allowed him to fight like this.

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