The Misty Province (Leona)

Leona kept her Argent Gloves on as well as her Adaptable Armor. That proved to be a good choice because Sol closed the distance between them and came out swinging with two jabs and a heavier punch. Leona sidestepped the two jabs and ducked the heavier punch. She attempted to close the distance to make a few attacks of her own when he threw a knee strike that nearly hit her but glanced harmlessly off of her left Argent Glove.

Leona could not hang back and hope to win this fight because Sol had the advantage of longer reach. Letting him keep that advantage and make attacks at will was not the smart thing to do. Running the risk of catching a knee or foot to the face, Leona closed the distance with a lunge, then did a leg sweep to try and throw him off balance. She recovered quickly and backed away to avoid any swift and painful retaliation from Sol.

[Word Count: 162]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,685]

Sol was rather impressed by  Leonas speed as she managed to divert his strikes or outright dodge him,when she diverted his knee strike with her gloved hand the void dweller blinked before she suddenly swiped his legs out from under him,However Sol quickly brought his hand behind him and used his momentum when he hit the ground to kip up and he brushed himself off.”Alright you got me to hit the ground but it wont happen again” he said as he got back into position. He focused on her as  he approached but was being very cautious knowing she could strike at anytime.

The Slayer internally was impressed she took his feet out but he knew that in a real battle a move like that could have left him wide open for a blade to his gut or worse. Just like in the sword battle Sol started to circle her, his fists up in the ready stance and he was thinking where the best spot to strike was, it was clear that the Deathless moved with intent and was being methodical with his actions as he circled Leona. After a moment he lunged again this time he aimed to grab the back of her neck before pulling her close and would deliver 3 quick and powerful knee strikes to her gut if she didn’t avoid it.

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Leona was briefly surprised that she managed to knock Sol down but soon got over it because Sol was on his feet and ready to fight again. He began to circle her and was looking for just the right opportunity to pay back the leg sweep with interest. Leona was onto his plan and ducked just in time to avoid being grabbed by the back of the neck... her timing was so close that when she ducked she felt his fingers run through her hair. Once she had ducked she rolled forward to put some distance between them and did not dare think of immediate retaliation.

Leona had to pick her spots with someone of his skill and experience because getting predictable and trying to retaliate after each attack he made would result in a quick and painful beating. She could not afford to stand toe-to-toe and trade blows with Sol... not yet, anyway. The blonde decided to keep her distance for the time being and bide her time before striking back. Speed and unpredictability would be her saving graces against someone like Sol.

"That was a close one, Sol. You're pretty good!" Leona said to her sparring partner. He clearly knew how to fight with more than just swords. He also also a good hand-to-hand combatant with a good combination of speed and power.

[Word Count: 230]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,915]

Sol got surprised when she managed to duck him again and as she rolled forward and away from him the void dweller quickly twisted and righted himself so he was facing her his arms still up in the ready stance, the Silver Wolf guildmaster was surprising him more and more and honestly he was ok with that since it showed him weaknesses and holes in his fighting style which he could improve upon.”you are as well Leona but be careful I almost got you with that one, and with our skill level it only takes one mistake to cost us the match” he said though he had a teasing grin on his face as he kept his eyes on her.

“I’v been fighting almost all my life I feel at home  on the battlefield” he explained as he suddenly rushed forward and closed the gap quickly, he quickly started to throw punches and kicks at her his movements fluid and without waste as he mixed elbow strikes and  knee strikes at her to mix it up and keep his attacks unpredictable. He relized if he didn’t keep up the momentum then she could possible capitalize on his  penchant for attacking in short bursts and backing off. Sol hoped that  by keeping the pressure on he might finish this quickly since he knew the longer it dragged on the higher chance that Leona could turn the tide and score a hit that could put him down.

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Leona listened to Sol's advice on being careful. There was a small skill gap between them, which meant that one or two good hits could change the course of the whole match. However, Sol had the advantage of formal fight training while Leona got her start beating up Crimson Sashes and slavers who thought that Nebdoui would be an easy target. Sol had to fight formally trained opponents with technical skills while Leona fought opponents who relied more on intimidation and numbers than actual fighting skill to win over people who typically could not fight back. That diet of easy opponents left Leona ill-prepared to fight someone who had formal training and that lack of skilled opposition could cost her the match.

Still, the blonde was holding her own. She was managing to dodge his attacks so far, but Sol was getting wise to her plan and was starting to adapt. Sol had closed the distance and threw elbow strikes and knee strikes: she blocked the elbow strikes with her Argent Gloves but took a knee strike to the stomach and one to the left leg. She was mildly hurt and still able to fight, but she could not afford to "tank" hits while looking for just the right opportunity to strike back. Leona would simply have to make an opportunity of her own.

"I'd say that you feel at home on the battlefield. It's no empty boast." Leona said to Sol while looking to make her opportunity for retaliation. He was keeping on the move and not making it easy for her, but she did not want him to take it easy on her. She wanted him to take her seriously. Leona opted to stay on the defensive just a bit longer until she could discern a pattern in his movements. It was unlike her to be on the defensive for so long, but fighting a skilled opponent required a change in fighting style.

[Word Count: 329]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,244]

Sol kept on striking at Leona even as his knee strikes found their mark he kept moving and didn’t want to give her a chance to breath or regroup, he knew that an opponent that got a chance like that most often would regain control of the fight if not outright win it.what impressed the Void Dweller the most was that she was managing to parry or weather his hits which was not an easy thing to do. Deciding to mix things up Sol suddenly dropped and would aim to kick out her feet from under her and then not waisting his momentum the Deathless would suddenly spin and bring his heel down aiming to drive it into his opponents gut, if he connected it would surely knocked the wind out of her and perhaps leave a nasty bruise for him to deal with later. Should he miss Sol would push off the ground and try to gain some distance so she wouldn’t capitalize on his attack.

Sol had to admit this woman was a wonderful opponent and she was a clever fighter, she was able with withstand his strikes and she learned with every hit she took. The Vice President wondered if they kept doing spars like this that they might even become more skilled and stronger to boot. It also made Sol happy that she didn’t seem bothered by his appearance, since his near death encounter with Demi he had gained Snow white skin and his eyes shifted to two colors one eye being Crimson Red and slitted while the other one was a vivid Purple and just as slitted as the other one the mark of his former dragon blood and his dragon slayer magic, once they got to using magic in the spar it would get interesting since the slayer would be more then willing to allow Leona to use Deadly strikes against him due to him being damn near impossible to kill because of what he was.

Though Sol was taking Leona seriously he had to hold back just a bit with his strikes due to the nature of this fighting style being more ment to kill opponents which is why the use of knee strikes and elbow strikes were encouraged.Sol knew he was able to take a fatal blow and be fine but he didn’t want to risk that with Leona.”Well Leona do you want to keep going or shall we move on to magic” he asked as he kept his stance up in case she wanted to keep going.

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Leona had waited too long to make her move because Sol had moved in to make an attack of his own. He was taking the fight to her before she could come up with the perfect plan to turn the sparring match around. Leona was too slow to react to his sweep and had her feet knocked out from under her. She landed on her back and barely managed to put her left gauntlet in the path of Sol's descending foot before it reached its target, but the Argent Glove did little good because the force of the stomp pressed her hand into her stomach when it connected.

Leona clenched her teeth as her stomach buckled from the stomp and tried to right itself. She rolled over onto her right side and barely avoided throwing up even though she heaved twice. Leona had taken a big hit she probably could not afford to have taken, but the Silver Wolf mage was not out of the fight yet. She had not gotten this far by giving up after taking a hit or two. The blonde mage stood up and assumed a ready position, indicating that she still wanted to fight in hand-to-hand combat.

"Let's keep sparring in hand-to-hand a bit longer." Leona gave her answer to Sol. She wanted to keep going a bit longer and see if she could turn things around. Maybe continuing was a mistake and the blonde was outmatched in that area of combat just like she was when they sparred with swords, but she would keep sparring because she was unwilling to give up.

[Word Count: 274]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,518]

It seemed that Sol had managed to catch his opponent off guard and as his heel implanted itself into her gut the void dweller had to resist the urge to flinch as he knew how much it must had hurt. As she rolled over and nearly empied her stomach contents Sol relaxed his stance for a moment.”Leona you ok?’ he asked before he saw her slowly rise to her feet and assume a ready stance again. As she told him she wanted to keep going with hand to hand combat and Sol gained a fierce smile on his face though it was not ment to frighten.”That’s what I like to hear Alright lets keep going!” he said with a tone of excitement in his voice as he got back into his stance. Leona didn’t know it but getting back up to fight even after taking such a nasty hit actually made Sol respect her more. The Deathless had been fighting all his life but to see someone willing to fight even against bad odds took courage and he admired that.

Moving and circling around her again Sol moved carefully and cautiously before he lunged forward and aimed a straight kick to Leonas gut before he would push forward and attempt to deliver a knee strike as well. Sol didn’t stop there and once again he threw a fast straight jab at Leonas midsection before he aimed an elbow strike to her sternum. He wouldn’t let up the pressure even if he had landed a powerful strike on her. He wouldn’t go easy on her and he got the feeling she didn’t want him to. The Slayer had learned growing up that underestimating anyone could lead to death and that was very apparent when he was a dark magic in Basilisk Fang.in that environment Sol had learned many hard lessons and where his eyes had been opened which had led him to leave and join the Company. Sol suddenly brought his hands back before he suddenly shot them forward and attempted a double palm strike to her midsection.

If he managed to land this Sol had no doubt the fight was over but if he missed or she parried it then it left him wide open for an counter attack and depending on what Leona did could easily level the playing field but the Deathless knew he had to take risks as playing it safe in a fight did nothing but make you predictable. Sol could feel some sweat dripping down the sides of his face from the fight but also from how much he as focused on her. He knew she was a guildmaster for a reason and that’s why he took this so seriously and was leaving nothing to chance and only holding back enough to not kill or maim her badly. He wanted to enjoy this and make sure she had no lasting damage from his attacks. He took a deep breath and put his mind back on the task at hand as he waited to see what would happen next.


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"All right then. We'll keep going." Leona said to Sol, shrugging off the stomp to her stomach the best she could. Maybe she should have refrained from eating before the sparring match, but she did not want to offend Sol because he was her host and he was being polite to her. She did not want to make an enemy from an allied guild, so she ate the food and drank the tea that was graciously offered to her. The blonde had no regrets for doing so until being stomped in the stomach. However, Sol soon gave her more pressing matters to deal with.

Leona sidestepped the kick aimed at her stomach and sidestepped the following knee strike. She barely dodged the fist to her stomach and ducked under the elbow strike aimed at her sternum just in time. She had timed it so closely that his elbow actually grazed her hair as she ducked under the attack. Leona had a habit of timing her dodges pretty closely in the sparring match so far and she did not seem to be able to break the habit. Each time she barely dodged Sol got a little bit closer to hitting her and would eventually succeed in landing the match-ending hit.

Leona popped up like a jack-in-the-box and was about to make a counterattack when he suddenly drew both of his hands back and thrust them forward in a double palm strike aimed directly at her midsection. The blonde had only a split-second to react and react she did. She tried a spinning dodge around the attack to get behind him but was hit with the right palm of the attack, being knocked back and off of her feet from the force of the hit.

The blonde rolled head over heels for two full rotations before righting herself and pushing off the ground in the third rotation, hopping to her feet and skidding back a foot before coming to a full stop. Leona again had to fight the urge to throw up because this was the second time she had been hit in the stomach and she was starting to feel it. She needed to start fighting back, so she suppressed the urge to vomit and rushed at Sol.

He had been chaining attacks together, so Leona would return the favor and put some pressure on him despite the risks of doing so. She got to him and stopped running, then performed a leg sweep to try and knock him off his feet and quickly recovered to make the next chain of attacks. She transitioned into a jumping front kick aimed at his chest, then followed up with two swift punches aimed at the chest and finished with a side kick aimed at the stomach. Once the sequence was complete she performed two back handsprings to try and avoid any retaliatory strikes he might send her way.

[Word Count: 491]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,009]

It was easy for Sol to tell that the blond was having trouble due to the shots to the stomach she had been receiving but then again that was the nature of the beast, if anything the Deathless was proving that  it was always good to block such a tender area. It surprised him greatly as she managed to sidestep his strikes but she was bearly dodging many of them and even then he could feel his limbs grazing her hair with how close he got. Sol knew that she was playing with fire and eventually that would burn her and let him land a nasty hit on her.

She then surprised him and tried to once again take his feet out from under him but the Void Dweller was not about to be caught off guard the same way twice and he lightly jumped over her sweep before he was suddenly caught  by her kick to his chest and he felt the strength of her punches as she then aimed akick to his side but it was then that the Regent of the Province struck.he would grab at her leg as it impacted him and he would then knock her other foot out from under her to send her sprawling to her stomach, if he got that far he would then grab her foot and start to twist putting intense pain on her ankle to make her submit. It was one of the more brutal ways he had of harming someone without actually leaving a mark on them. If she managed to slip away he would jump back and nurse his chest and no matter what the scar that was struck across his upper chest now burned fiercely making the slayer want to hiss in pain.

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Leona was not too surprised when Sol jumped over the sweep, but she was surprised when the rest of her attacks had connected. For the entire sparring match Sol had been quick on his feet and was about as easy to hit as smoke. Either she had really caught him off guard or he was just taking a couple of hits so that he could trade a few powerful hits of his own. She did not want to stay in his range and find out. Leona saw him stand for a moment, then suddenly reach out for her foot with lightning speed.

Leona was unable to stop the kick in time and her right foot was grabbed. Leona then felt her other leg get knocked out from under her and she fell to her stomach, flopping inelegantly onto it. The blonde managed to get just enough time to look back at Sol and see him go for the ankle of her right foot. She quickly darted forward just in time to avoid the grab, then scrambled to her feet and spun around to face him. Sol might be landing fewer hits than she did, but the hits that he landed really hurt.

Leona's stomach began to hurt again and the leg that was knocked out from under her began to ache a little. She was not sure how much longer she could keep dodging him and landing any meaningful counterattacks. Sol knew that he was wearing her down, but Leona knew that she had landed at least one meaningful hit because he started to nurse his chest like the blonde was nursing her stomach. She did not strike him particularly hard, so she must have inadvertently hit a sensitive area on his chest. She had no idea where that was and she did not want to know because hitting him there one time might be a mistake, but striking that area more than once would cross the line.

If Leona crossed the line Sol might stop holding back and come after her for real. She did not want a friendly sparring match to turn into a real brawl, so she would just have to find somewhere else to hit him. That would be easier said than done because Sol knew how to defend himself and make his weak points harder to hit.

Leona stayed back and faced Sol, nursing her stomach while he nursed his chest. The blonde felt like she could perform one more decent volley of hand-to-hand attacks before she could not meaningfully fight back. She would have to make it count.

[Word Count: 437]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,446]

Sol quickly  got back into position as he decided he wanted to end this quickly since it seemed they both were getting a bit tired and Sol was now aching from his scar which would cause him trouble  in the long run as a distraction.  The deathless then decided to use a bit of trickery for this last skirmish and he  pushed off the ground hard and rushed at her before he would throw what appeared to be a kick at her right leg to knock her off guard. However it would be only a feint as he would then stop his kick before using his momentum to turn the kick into a knee strike aiming for her sensitive stomach once more.as he did this he would also bring his fists down aiming for her shoulders to prevent her from trying to back away from it and also possibly trap her.

Though he knew that by doing that he left himself open but as with most combat sometimes you had to take a risk. In the back of his head he  knew he might want to ask his Servant Yuzuruha to prep the Hot Springs for him and perhaps Leona If she wanted  so that way they could  rest after this since they both were now in  pain. As much as they might want to use magic it might be better to take a rest since  the slayer had to admit he was targeting her stomach a lot but then again it was one of the ways he was taught, once you opened up a weakpoint on an enemy you kept striking it to do the most damage. Even in a spar this was no different for Sol. Depending on how the fight would go Sol would back off before he rubbed his scar thru his shirt and glance at Leona.”Lets call this spar over for now I think we need to recover “ he  suggested before he  snapped his finger and a woman with red hair and dressed in traditional Midi Garb would walk onto the grounds.”You Summoned Sol Sama” she asked Bowing low to him and he bowed back to her.

“Yes would you prep the Hot Springs Yuzu chan I think a soak would help me and my guest if she would like to join me?” he said before the Kitsune in disguise would nod and bow to him before leaving and Sol glanced at Leona.”Care to soak in the hotsprings it does wonders after  a work out and I can also help mend you stomach since I struck it so many times” he offered to her

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Leona was preparing to defend against another flurry of hand-to-hand techniques when Sol suggested that they postpone the sparring for now and instead pay a visit to the hot springs. Leona was genuinely surprised by the offer. It was the last thing she had expected to hear from Sol at a time like this, but she was not going to turn it down because he had been a good host to her. The visit had been going well so far and she did not want to insult him at the last minute.

"Uh, sure. We can visit the hot springs. I think that's a good idea." Leona voiced her agreement with Sol's idea. Her stomach began to hurt again, probably because the anesthetizing effect of the adrenaline was beginning to wear off now that the sparring had been postponed for awhile. Sol had traded quite a few hits with Leona and had went the distance... Leona was not sure if she could have remained on her feet after going another round with him. She would have tried her best, but she had a feeling that he could have flattened her from the get-go if he really wanted to and was just taking it easy on her.

"I'm up for the hot springs if you are, Sol." Leona reaffirmed her agreement with his idea. Now that the fighting was over she was starting to feel every hit that she had taken. The Adaptable Armor had saved her from the worst of it, but the blonde was still hurting, especially in her stomach. She could only imagine what she would feel like if she had not been wearing the armor.

[Word Count: 284]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,730]

As Leona accepted his offer Sol nodded and smiled before he would  stretched a bit and then would guide her off the grounds after she got her weapon and he would lead her thru the halls and deeper into the castle. After a while he would stop at a door and he would open the door for her.”Here you are the female changing room after you wash up and are ready the door on the other side leads to the hotspring Ill see you on the other side” he  said politely before he slipped into the other door and into the male changing room.  Once he was in the Deathless washed and rinsed off before he put a towel around his waist and then headed into the Hotsprings room.

The room was Open with no roof above it and steam could be seen rising from the water as Yuzuruha finished  by putting a few lotus flowers on the surface of the water and then she bowed before departing. Glancing at the area around him Sol  liked the simplicity of it, the stone ring around the entrance to the hotsprings and a few simple dark wood benches to go along with it. Sol slipped into the water and sighed as the the warmth instantly loosened his muscles and he enjoyed the soft scent of the lotus flowers in the water. As he settled down fully the only thing that could really be seen on him was the upper part of his chest and his strong arms  And across his chest was a single scar a gash struck straight across his chest.

Sol  grumbled a bit and rubbed the scar since it bothered him from time to time but that was to be expected from the weapon the struck him. One didn’t take a hit from a Reapers weapon and come out fine after all, before he could really dive into his memorys anymore he felt a small tray bump into him and he   blinked before he saw that it  had a small bottle and two saucers on it and it brought a small smile to his face.”Yuzuruha really does know how I like to spend my time in the hotsprings “he chuckled as he poured himself a saucer of sweet plum Sake and he sipped and enjoyed the sweet smooth flavor as he waited for Leona to come out.

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"Thanks." Leona said to Sol before stepping into the female changing room and taking cover behind a privacy curtain. She took off her Argent Gloves, then her green-and-gold outfit. She put all of her effects into a safe place away from the shower, then stepped into a medium-sized shower with a stainless steel shower head positioned overhead and began to shower off after the lengthy sparring match. She grabbed a bottle of liquid soap that smelled like lavender and made use of it. It might seem like a waste to shower before getting into a hot spring, but Leona did so anyway out of force of habit.

Leona did the same thing before getting into the hot springs back at Silver Wolf Guild Hall. She was familiar with the hot springs at the guild hall because she visited them after every job that involved fighting. Their miraculous healing properties helped keep her skin looking fairly good... otherwise her chest and stomach would look like a road map from all the scars she had received in the early days of her tenure in Silver Wolf. Wearing the Adaptable Armor helped keep her back and stomach in good shape, but the best measure to prevent scarring was to not get hit at all. That was easier said than done.

Leona turned off the shower, dried herself off, and wrapped the towel around herself before exiting through the other door to access the hot springs. She emerged and got into the other end of the hot springs, then quickly removed the towel and lowered herself into the water in one smooth motion. She sat down in place and waited for Sol to speak to her.

[Word Count: 285]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,015]

As Sol saw the door open he opened his eyes as he took a sip of his sake and  as Leona approached he saw her suddenly remove her towel and he blushed bright red as he ducked under the water to try and give her some privacy when she was getting in before he suddnely got a view of something else'Fuck' he thought as he came back up and quickly diverted his eyes so she didn’t think he was a pervert "I am Sorry Leona" he said not wanting her to think he was being perverted but he had still gotten a good look at her form and in his head he admitted that the Guildmaster of Silver Wolf  was absolutely gorgeous  her body was fit and showed how much she trained. Once she was in he turned his gaze back  to her and he gently pushed the tray floating in the water at her as he put a small vial filled with  soft blue liquid in it on the tray as well. he smiled to her softly “you should enjoy that its sweet Plum sake and the  vial is a medicine I created that should heal your stomach incase any damage was done and also  nullify any pain as well” he offered knowing he had hit her stomach rather hard.

It was then that Sol sighed and he leaned back and enjoyed the warmth of the water.”theres nothing like a hot soak after a training session. You did very well Leona I haven’t had such a workout in a while” he admitted as he looked at her his tone was praising and a small smile on his face. She had done well against him and even when she had a disadvantage against him she hadent backed down  but rather just took a moment to think of a new strategy.”Your ingenuity and quick reflexs were impressive as well though you had many close shaves” he chuckled a bit at that remembering how many times he had struck her hair because of how close he had gotten to actually landing a punch on her. “perhaps we should do this again I can teach you a few tricks and you can teach me a few things you have picked up as well” he suggested, he always liked to learn new things and battle tricks were always useful no matter if you had trouble using said trick knowledge was always useful.

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"It's no problem, Sol." Leona said in response to his apology to the lack of privacy. She was not too upset by it because the Silver Wolf hot springs tended to be pretty popular, even at night. Leona then focused on the next issue, which was drinking the sweet plum sake that had been offered to her. She was not sure if she wanted to drink it not because she distrusted him, but because she ordinarily did not drink alcohol at any time. Leona decided to try the plum sake just to say that she had tried some.

Leona took a sip of the beverage and found it to be sweet-tasting but not too bad. She would take it slow with this drink because this was the first time she had ever had alcohol. The blonde turned to Sol, who was clearly interested in her and not just for her fighting ability.

"Yeah. I had to learn how to fight ever since I was twelve years old. What I know is good against bandits and slavers but not so good against people who really know how to fight. People like you." Leona said to Sol about her fighting experience to date. Leona had to rely on getting the first strike and avoiding her opponent's counterattacks when she could and "tanking" the attack with her armor when she could not dodge. It was lacking in finesse but it had done the job so far. She likely needed help to get to the next level, so to speak.

Sol offered his help with that matter and Leona was inclined to accept it. The blonde would sit back and see how things went before accepting the offer. She did not want to jump at the first offer that was made, but she did not want to sit back and wait too long only for the opportunity to pass her by.

[Word Count: 320]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,335]

As Leona told him that’s its ok Sol nodded to her as he relaxed a bit more though he still had a slight blush on his face. When she mentioned that she learned how to fight  when she was just 12 years olf and that what she knew was good against bandits and slavers it was harder dealing with people who had training like him and the Deathless nodded in understanding.normally bandits were not to bright and hardly trained normally using threats to get their way and slavers were no better.”To be fair I didn’t really get training until later in my life  I grew up on the streets for most of my childhood it wasn’t until my Draconic Father Ballom gave me my dragonslayer magic that I learned how to fight much better and I learned some form of discipline” he explained.

“even still though have dealt with many foes that were far above my level,  this is a reminder of one such battle and one that will never heal” he said as he gestured to the scar on his chest.”This is actually the reason I look the way I do now, I learned that if you survive being attacked by a reaper consider yourself lucky”he said as he recalled when Demi had attacked him when he had been turned into a child. If it had not been for Johann he might not have survived due to blood loss. He took a sip of his sake from his saucer before he glanced at her then down towards where her stomach was.

“Hows your stomach feeling Leona? I apologize if it seemed like I focused on it but it was one of the ways I was taught to fight. I was taught to open up a weak point and then  capitalize on it” he explained. He knew the pain of being taught that fighting style since his father had made him vomit his lunch up multiple times and would make him get back up and keep fighting

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"It's fine, Sol. I'm doing a lot better now that we're not doing acrobatics anymore." Leona said to Sol after the latter apologized for targeting her stomach during the sparring match. She was not upset by it because she did not want Sol to hold back... too much, anyway. She did not want him to murder her during a friendly sparring match, but she would not learn too much if he did not seriously challenge her during the match. Sol was more than a good challenge for her precisely because he did not hold back too much and treated her seriously just like he would any other opponent, two things that she appreciated about him.

"I've taken on a few opponents who were stronger than me in my time. I got lucky, very lucky. Lucky to still be alive and lucky to be relatively unscarred." Leona admitted to Sol. The blonde had no external scars but a lot of mental scars. The largest came from the time slavers burned 71 of her fellow desert dwellers to death rather than let her free them. Leona was still trying to forget that awful sight and the sounds that accompanied it, but seeing and hearing people burn to death was not something that one could easily forget.

Leona took a sip of the plum sake. She was drinking it slowly since she did not want to get intoxicated in case she got called away on urgent business for Silver Wolf. She also did not want to get intoxicated during her first time drinking alcohol.

[Word Count: 265]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,600]

As she told him that  it was fine and that she was doing a lot better now that the fighting had ended Sol nodded in understanding.”True  I must admit when you hit my scar it didn’t hurt to badly at first but it made it flare up something fierce” he said. Thankfully It was not a true weakness but it was irritating a lot of the time when it flared up. As she explained that she had taken on a few opponents stronger then her and she had gotten very lucky and had come out of it unscarred and alive. Sol nodded.”I have my fair share of scars and not all of them from battle” he explained before he turned and would show her is back revealing whip marks on his pale skin  showing where the whips strikes had bitten into his flesh.

“my first guild when you failed you didn’t get a try harder and a slap on the wrist, I was struck multiple times for failing and I was an Ace of that accursed guild". He said his tone at the end was bitter before he sighed and would  turn and lean back onto  the stone so  he could prop his arms up.”Im honestly happier I left though the memory of my deeds still follow me  and I know I can never be rid of them but then again it’s a constant reminder to not let the monster inside me run wild again” he said before he sighed and looked at her.”I have made a new life for myself in the Trading company and I am forever grateful to Rui and rest of my friends for helping me to become better and not remain in the dark” he admitted. He then smiled warmly at her

“Im also Grateful to have met you as well and to know such a beautiful warrior who can  fight so fiercely” he complimented. He couldn’t deny she was beautiful and a strong warrior and he found it very attractive but he could only wonder what she thought of him in return. He knew his past made it hard and also the fact that he still had such a monster inside him might be a bit frightening but he was better then the mad dog he had been in the past and he could only hope she saw that.

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Leona listened to Sol talk about his scar and his time in his former guild without judgment. She had no right to judge anyone after all the bandits and Crimson Sashes she had killed in Desierto. One could argue that they had vowed to kill her on multiple occasions and she had more than enough reason to kill them before they could make good on their threats. Still, Leona regretted that she had to kill so many bandits just to stay alive. Aura Sparks would probably want nothing to do with Leona after the latter's latest adventures in Desierto resulted in a rising kill count of bandits and slavers.

"I don't have much right to judge anyone, Sol. Every time I go to Desierto I end up killing more bandits and slavers. I might be doing the region a favor, but I probably don't look too good." Leona admitted one of her biggest regrets to Sol. She was doing Desierto a favor with each outlaw that she took out, but in the civilized lands she probably did not appear quite as heroic as she did to the people of Desierto. She had a kill count that rivaled that of entire guilds and it only seemed to grow each time she went into the desert, even for an archaeological mission. However, as the Wizard Saint of Courage it was Leona's job to take the fight to threats that ordinary people could not handle. Leona was more than qualified to take the fight to the bandits that made Desierto infamous as a hotbed of outlaw activity.

Leona blushed a bit when Sol described her as a beautiful warrior. Leona did not think a lot about her appearance because she was too busy trying to run a guild and busy trying not to die on the dangerous missions she undertook. She also had only one or two outfits at most, so she was far from a fashion model.

"Thanks for the compliments, Sol." Leona said to her generous host.

[Word Count: 340]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,940]

As Leona admitted that she had no right to judge him and that every time she entered desierto  she ended up killing more and more Bandits and slavers and that while she was doing the region a favor in other places she would not look so good and Sol simply shook his head.”Leona  don’t let it weigh you down. They chose their path and you chose yours.  It is not your fault that they ended up at the end of your blade and consider what might have happened had you not stopped them". He said as he internally debated about moving a bit closer to her in the hotsprings to comfort her since this seemed to bother her but he was also worried about  overstepping and making her uncomfortable. He decided to risk it and he moved thru the water until he was beside her and he gave her a soft look and a comforting smile.”There will always be those that will frown upon the actions of people like you and me. Some for the simple reason of that we have taken a life and some for the fact that we didn’t try to reason with our foes first.” He explained before he let out a sigh.

“the problem is most of those people have never been in the situations we have been in, the life or death choices, the Rage we can feel, the sadness and stress we get put under. Its not an easy thing and even more so when your in combat”Sol finished as he took a sip of his alcohol before he looked at her again.”don’t let these people get to you Leona your helping to make Desierto better and like I said those that were opposing you made their choice, its alright to have regrets but don’t hold onto them or let them drag you down” he advised trying to console her and make her feel better. Sol knew how hard it was to let such a thing eat away at you and  it would only hurt you in the long run.

wc- 348

"I think I am too. At least I'd like to think that I'm making a difference in Desierto." Leona replied to Sol's assertion that her actions were making Desierto a safer place. She was not happy with having to kill in almost every battle she got into in the desert, but she was going up against dangerous enemies who fought in groups and would not hesitate to kill or enslave her if they got the chance. Few others could fight the odds she did and hope to survive, so someone had to keep pushing back the bandits and slavers whenever they got too bold and made moves against Nebdoui or the allied villages. The blonde also felt that she had to live up to both her name of "Leona" and her title as the Wizard Saint of Courage. Her older brother Leonidas had warned her against pushing herself too hard to live up to the Wizard Saint title, but Leona could not neglect her responsibility to the people of Earthland to defend them from what they could not fight against.

Sol moved in next to her and made a good point when he claimed that some people did not understand people like them because they did not have to make the life-or-death choices that mages did. It might be self-serving to think that way, but Leona believed that he had a fair point. It was easy to criticize when one did not have to face down aggressors intent on killing them, their family, and possibly their entire village just because the aggressors could do it and stand a good chance of getting away with the crime. Leona made sure that those who preyed on the innocent faced consequences for their actions.

Leona had accumulated quite a few regrets over her career and not all of them were related to fighting. She felt like she had taken Leila Vergious and other Silver Wolf guild members for granted. She also felt like she had been neglecting the guild to pursue her own ambitions. Furthermore, she felt like she had not contributed a whole lot to the Silver Moon Faeries alliance while enjoying all of its benefits. However, Leona was trying to change things for the better by taking a greater interest in Silver Wolf and its members.

Leona was trying to help her guild members by going on jobs with them and standing by to help if they needed it. She was trying to build something of a relationship with Leila Vergious, the mage who had given Leona her start in the guild. She was also trying to do things besides fight and kill enemies or risk her life recovering ancient artifacts, things like learning ancient languages or doing the occasional bit of magical research. It was slow going, but with enough time and effort the blonde would turn things around.

"You're right, Sol. I shouldn't feel bad for having regrets, but they don't have to rule my life." Leona agreed with him.

[Word Count: 510]
[Leona's Word Count: 7,450]

Sol nodded as Leona told him that she liked to think that she was making a difference and the slayer knew that she was since if there was less bandits and slavers then less people would suffer.”I know your making a difference Leona your keeping the good people in Desierto safe” he assured her. The Void Dweller knew that it could not be easy considering she was a Wizard Saint and the title held a lot of power but also a lot of stipulations that could be  problematic. Sol himself could understand her situation considering as the Vice President for the company and a former dark mage his actions were always under scrutiny due to his shady past but he didn’t let it stop him when he had to do his job.

When she agreed that she shouldn’t feel bad for having regrets he nodded.”If you need someone to talk to about them I am always willing to listen Leona” he offered as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.”From what I have learned Regrets weigh on the soul, those that hang onto them and hold them tend to be unable to fight at full strength due to the weight of them. For my race its vital not to hold regrets” he explained before he sighed.”If I hold Regrets Leona My weapon becomes Slower and Heavier I can’t move or fight as good as I normal can, if it continues to get worse I might not be able to protect the people I care about or someone may die that I could have prevented dieing” he explained.

Sols  training in this was harsh but it was vital for what he was to become, Demi had taught him that he couldn’t hold regret and that it was dangerous for him to do so and would do him no good. He was still learning and it was not an easy thing to let go. He could only hope that he was helping Leona out with  what he had learned since he didn’t want to see her fall in battle due to hesitation or some lingering regret weighing her down.”The life of a mage is never easy” he sighed.

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"I'll be fine. But thanks. Thanks for the offer." Leona expressed her appreciation of Sol's offer to listen to her whenever she needed someone to talk to. She did not want to drag anyone down with her stories about fighting bandits and slavers because no one made her go into danger time after time. She chose to do so of her own volition. She chose to oppose them because it was her job first as a Rising Star, then as the Wizard Saint of Courage. She would have done so even without the titles conferred upon her by the Magic Council, but being one of the newest Wizard Saints gave Leona extra incentive to continue the fight because now she was hailed as a hero by most of Earthland.

Leona's regrets did not affect her physical performance very much, but they did affect her mental state. Sometimes she was prone to doubt about whether she was really helping anyone by killing bandits, serial killers, and slavers. Sometimes she also wondered if Spectral Kasim was right in claiming that all she could do in life was kill others. Leona decided to keep Spectral Kasim's existence to herself because she did not want others thinking that the Wizard Saint of Courage was off her rocker. Leona also did not feel that Wizard Saints should feel doubt or regret... after all, she chose this path for herself.

The blonde took another sip of the plum sake while trying to think of what to say next. She still had slightly over half a bowl of the beverage left. She was handed a gift-wrapped topic to discuss when Sol claimed that the life of a mage was not an easy one.

"Yeah. Being a mage isn't easy. The stronger you are the more is expected of you. Sometimes it can get stressful." Leona agreed with him. She did not mind the challenge, though. She had gone from doing simple jobs in obscurity to doing high-profile work for the Emperor of Midi and a sultan of a Tri-Council City. High-profile work was also a good way to keep Silver Wolf in the public eye and help bring in lucrative work for its members. Leona had benefited from it and would ensure that members of her guild benefited as well.

[Word Count: 392]
[Leona's Word Count: 7,842]