A New Pack (Intro/Open)

“I don’t know why I didn’t bloody think of this sooner,” the blonde lamented, flames bursting from her flamethrower as she made her way up the mountain. It had been a slow and laborious trek up until now and even the usually laid back woman had begun to feel just a little impatient. She’d been wandering up the snowy paths for what felt like hours, with the only company being an oddly shimmering wolf who seemed to be leading her onwards. It didn’t get too close to her and  seemed a little annoyed with her method of clearing the way but it led her on nonetheless. Jaesa had heard a great deal about Silver Wolf and after the unfortunate demise of her old clan, she’d found herself missing the companionship that came from being in a group. Sure, she could wander into the nearest inn and find a partner for the night but that was always just a one night deal and the blonde was looking for something more long term.

The hunter had looked into a great deal of guilds but there was something about this one that attracted her attention, namely the hunting of treasure and rare artifacts, which was a task that she was fairly well versed with already. OK, usually she was hunting people but she’d been on a few hunts for jewels and items too and felt that she might as well stick to what she was good at. She’d travelled far and wide in her time and had come a long way since she had been scrapping for food as a child, struggling to survive on the streets of Lavanitir. It had been a rough way to grow up but the experiences had made her into the woman she was now. With a quick trigger finger and a wit to match, Jaesa was more than confident in her abilities and ready to move on to bigger and better things.

“I hope this place has some good liquor,” she uttered, chuckling as her blazing weapon continued to melt the snow, allowing her to move a lot quicker although she almost became a cropper once or twice by tripping over the now slippery ground. The wolf just watched her progress, its head tilted, seeming to have an understanding far deeper than an ordinary wolf. Its behaviour was unnatural too and honestly, she was surprised that it hadn’t struck at her from the start. The woman had encountered her fair share of beasts and was fairly knowledgeable about the animal kingdom although her hunts had usually been for larger game, much larger, She had her fair share of tales to tell and hoped that those of the guild would too. There was something inspiring about hearing the adventures of others and it always spurred her onwards to seek greater ones herself.

Another half an hour passed and the red eyed woman finally reached the peak of the mountain, where she came across a lovely looking building that certainly captured her attention. It must have been the guild hall and as she approached it, she’d hear a howl on her left, resulting in her turning to see the wolf briefly incline its head in farewell, before vanishing back into the storm, its job done. Jaesa made a salute of sorts as it left, in gratitude for its help before climbing up the small staircase and entering the building.

Dismissing her weapon with a click of her fingers, the blonde rubbed her hands together, appreciating the warmth of the beautiful lobby.

“Anyone around?” she’d say casually, wanting nothing more than to take the weight off her feet for a while and drink all night long.

(617 Words)

-In the Guild Master's Office-

Sitting in the Guild Master's office wearing her green, white, and gold outfit with Argent Gloves, Leona had been perusing four clothing catalogs she had been interested in. They were from Capital Crocus, Desierto, Bellum, and Minstrel and the point of browsing them was to find the maker of Celestial Fabric and commission a Celestial Fabric version of her current outfit. So far she could safely rule out Desierto as a source of Celestial Fabric. From what she had read the mage-friendly nation of Bellum seemed to be the most likely source of the self-repairing fabric, but she could not rule out Capital Crocus as a source either. Her experience shopping for dresses for the auction night had taught her that many styles of clothing were on sale in Fiore's capital city, so it was safe to bet that there also many types of fabric to choose from.

Perhaps Leona had been going about the search the wrong way. Instead of looking for clothing made from Celestial Fabric, perhaps she would be better served looking for the fabric itself. That might be the right direction to go in, but that led the Wizard Saint back to her original problem, which was not knowing where in Earthland Celestial Fabric came from.

Deciding to set the issue aside for the moment, Leona gently closed all four clothing catalogs and focused instead on the task of deciding what kind of job she wanted to take on next.

One idea that immediately came to mind was reading the book on Ancient Muserian she had traded for at Kemal's bookstore and using it to translate the characters on the Muserian Focusing Stone so that she could learn more about the ancient tablet. Another idea was to go to Capital Crocus and look for an older computer that she could buy and take back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall. The plan was to use it to practice her computer literacy skills so that the modern world would not totally leave the Wizard Saint behind. During her recent trip to Fulci Leona had learned to use the SHG-IV smart glasses with reasonable proficiency, but to be more in tune with her role as Silver Wolf's Guild Master she needed to be up-to-date with modern technology like Mercury Arsenault and the other Aces were.

The Wizard Saint was not sure which idea to pursue first because both of them were worthwhile goals. If she researched the Muserian Focusing Stone she could possibly learn more about the circumstances that compelled the creation of stones that focused the magic of the user and made it stronger. If she acquired a computer she could learn to use it and bring her tech skills up-to-date. She would have to set that endeavor aside because she felt a strong magic signature enter the guild hall, a magic signature that was strong enough to indicate that its owner was no novice mage. Leona stood up, pushed her chair in, and immediately left the office to see about the new person in the guild hall.

-In the guild lobby-

Leona entered the lobby to find a young red-eyed blonde woman who was a few inches taller than herself. She was undoubtedly the owner of the powerful magic signature and looked like she had been in more than her share of fights. Leona approached the young woman and introduced herself.

"Hi there. I'm Leona Jarnefeldt, the Guild Master of Silver Wolf!" Leona cheerfully greeted the young woman. Next she would ask a question that would set the tone for the rest of their conversation.

"How can I help you today?" Leona then asked the powerful blonde mage.

[Post Word Count: 616]
[Leona's Word Count: 616]

Turning as she felt an incredibly potent magical signature coming her way, Jaesa smiled in a friendly manner as another blonde woman approached and introduced herself. The hunter was a little surprised that the guild master herself had come to welcome her in person but she certainly appreciated the gesture. Leona’s magical aura was by far the strongest that Jaesa had come across before, stronger than hers for sure, which wasn’t something that the red eyed blonde was all that used to. Still, it didn’t intimidate her or anything and there were a few moments where she had to fight off the urge to actually look the guild master over, as beautiful as Leona was. Jaesa had never been shy or coy and the temptation to flirt was rather strong. For the moment, however, she managed to hold herself together, not wanting to tempt fate so soon by maybe insulting Leona accidentally.

“Hey there, I’m Jaesa Fenrir, a bounty hunter from Lavanitir,” she answered in kind, her tone friendly and jovial. It was difficult not to feel relaxed in such a lovely atmosphere and there was a warmth to not only the guild master but seemingly the lobby as a whole. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leona. The first of many meetings, I hope. I also appreciate the aid that your wolf provided by helping me up the mountain. I could have been wondering for quite a while without its help. I take it that it was yours?” It was an assumption but when she dwelled on it, the idea made sense. The wolf had definitely been a little unnatural and had behaved more like a guardian than a hunter. It had been a companion for her at least for a little while and she’d definitely enjoyed its quirky nature.

Chuckling, the hunter was then asked a question and after a moment of thought, she decided it was for the best to probably just come out with it, rather than dance around, “I was hoping that I could possibly offer my services to Silver Wolf and join the guild. I’ve heard a great deal about its exploits and I’m sure that I could help with its activities. I’ve done a fair bit of hunting in my time and searching for treasure and artifacts is one of the guild’s goals, I think?” She was only going by the rumours she’d heard but it had come up more than once so she assumed it was accurate. “I admit that I’m also struggling a bit with wandering the wilds alone,” she added after a moment or two, seeing no reason why she shouldn’t be honest, “I’m used to being in a clan and being with other people, you see and unfortunately my previous group came to a rather nasty end.” Nasty was putting it a little lightly and Jaesa still occasionally replayed the scenes in her mind, cursing herself for having been so rash. It was too late now and all she was left with were regrets.

(506 Words)
(1123 Total WC)

Leona listened to Jaesa introduce herself as a bounty hunter from Lavanitir. That trade explained how Jaesa had become so strong and had the air of someone who could hold her own in a fight. The Wizard Saint had dabbled in bounty hunting with her takedowns of Jacob Goodnight and the Hydro-Arsonist, but Leona was just an amateur compared to Jaesa, who had spent many years in the trade and had likely traveled all over Earthland in the process of seeking her quarry.

Jaesa then thanked the Guild Master for the aid of the wolf that had guided the latter to the guild hall. Jaesa followed up on that with an inquiry as to whether the wolf who had guided her was Leona's. That was a tricky question because the wolves were not exactly Leona's to command like she would PG-13 or her summons. The wolves were independent beings who chose to work for the guild by guiding travelers and prospective members to the guild hall and deliberately misleading those who wanted to harm Silver Wolf. If trouble came to the guild hall they also served as the first line of defense against invaders.

"The wolves technically aren't mine, Jaesa. You see, they're free beings who choose to work for the guild by guiding travelers and prospective new members to the guild hall. However, they are open to taking orders from me or the guild Aces." Leona explained the relationship between Silver Wolf and its wolves the best she could to the taller blonde. The Wizard Saint had interacted with the wolves a few times before back in the days when Eero Saarinen was her sole Ace, but she had never really spent much time around them. Maybe she needed to interact with them a little more to learn more about the wolves who worked for Silver Wolf. In the meantime, the taller blonde asked a question that was well within Leona's wheelhouse.

"Yes Jaesa, treasure-hunting is one of the guild's major goals. Though any member of the guild can help with that goal, that job's the primary responsibility of the guild division known as the Hunters, members of the guild who are officially tasked with traveling across Earthland and bringing back any treasure that they may find. Whether it's a weapon, magic jewelry or clothing, armor, or a stone tablet, if it's treasure, Hunters go find it and recover it for the guild." Leona answered with confidence. She had done a bit of that when she had recovered the Muserian Focusing Stone from the Crimson Sashes so many months ago, but she did not yet know its full power or the full story of why it was commissioned. Leona had been told that the Muserian civilization had crafted them to defend against the armies of King Saarghon, that prominent ruler of Ancient Desierto who kept popping up during Leona's adventures in the region. They were meant to power up the magic of any mage who held it, but research into them was still ongoing because it was a personal project the blonde kept having to put on hold in favor of more pressing matters such as investigating a necromancer attack in Midi or helping her home village in Desierto weather outlaw attacks and keep its alliance with other desert villages strong.

"If you're looking to join Silver Wolf, the Hunters are always looking for new members." Leona offered before hearing Jaesa say that wandering the wilds alone was starting to take its toll on her. The Wizard Saint herself had a brief stint as a Guildless mage before meeting Leila Vergious and joining Silver Wolf; being a Guildless mage was something that sounded easy to the naive desert girl. Leona was shown the error of her ways after barely surviving the hunt for Jacob Goodnight... having no support network and having to find jobs herself were difficulties that she did not anticipate. Even though she sometimes felt dissonance over the fact that the Wizard Saint of Courage had joined a guild at the first opportunity she got instead of sticking to the challenging path of being a Guildless Wizard Saint, in the end Leona did not regret her choice to join Silver Wolf.

"I traveled alone for a brief time at the beginning of my career and I know how you feel, Jaesa. Traveling alone's pretty hard because there's no one to turn to for help if things get really bad or if you just get lonely. That's one reason why I joined Silver Wolf so long ago." Leona assured the taller blonde that the Wizard Saint had been through the same experience and knew where she was coming from. Leona omitted an inquiry about Jaesa's previous group because the Wizard Saint could tell that the subject was not one that she was willing to discuss just yet. In that case it was best to let the matter lie and let the person talk about it if and when they were ready to do so.

[Post Word Count: 836]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,452]

There was quite a lot of information for the blonde huntress to take in but there wasn’t anything that put her off. She found the relationship between the guild and the wolves rather fascinating which certainly explained why the one guiding her had been so willing to help. Sure, she’d scared the creature to death when using her flame-thrower but it had aided her nonetheless and that spoke volumes for the trust that there must be between the two parties. It almost sounded as if the guild and the wolves were one giant pack, a thought that Jaesa found quite inspiring. She’d had her fair share of encounters with canines during her career and she’d always admired the wolf especially. It was just a shame that she had none of their subtlety or guile. Nope, it was balls to the wall or nothing for her.

She hadn’t expected to have been offered a place in the guild so soon but after hearing the description of the guild hunter division, Jaesa knew that she’d come to the right place. Leona’s explanation of the group sounded perfect and the taller blonde had no qualms at all, “The Hunter division sounds just right for me, I think. I’ve retrieved a few magical items in my time although I’ve got to be honest with you and admit that a lot of my adventures end up a little bloody. I shoot from the hip sometimes and don’t always think things through first. I figure I should tell you that now before you take me on, in case there’s an issue. I admit that I didn’t hear much about the guilds policy when it comes to violence and killing. I know that some guilds are strongly against it and some are a bit more open to it. I’m not going to go out there looking for trouble but it has a habit of finding me.” The former bounty hunter had made her fair share of enemies over the years and Jaesa had a feeling that one or two would probably turn up at some point. She doubted that those meetings would be civil either. They never were.

At the mention of the loneliness of being alone, Jaesa would nod her head in reply, “Yeah, that’s pretty much how I’ve been feeling. After a while of wandering by myself, I just couldn’t take it any more. I’m a sociable girl and I need someone to talk with and tease.” A smile crossed her face and she had to stop herself from accidentally staring at the guild master. Leona was a beautiful woman and the bounty hunter was well aware of it.

Wanting to get off of the subject of her socialness to prevent saying something silly, Jaesa would ask after a few moments more, curious about her fellow blonde, “Are you a hunter yourself? It’s rare that I meet someone who’s got more magical power than me and I bet you must have been on some great adventures.”

(502 Words)
(1625 Total WC)

Leona appreciated Jaesa's honesty about her tendency to shoot from the hip and the tendency of her adventures to end in violence. The Guild Mistress also appreciated the warning about those things before inducting her into Silver Wolf and getting more than she bargained for. However, Leona had very little room to criticize anyone for using violence because she often took jobs that were combat-oriented and tended to turn violent.

"If you're completing a mission that involves stopping a serial killer or fighting bandits, that won't be a problem. Neither is violence in self-defense. The only reason you're going to be thrown out for violence is if you go around killing people without cause, but I doubt that will happen." Leona said to Jaesa. If she ever turned people away for using violence, the Wizard Saint would have to show herself the door. She had a personal body count that was easily over two hundred assorted bandits, cultists, serial killers, and other threats by now and that count was only going to keep climbing as her career progressed.

Leona thought about what Jaesa said about the latter being sociable and requiring social contact. The part about social contact made the Wizard Saint think about the irony of her own name. Lions were the only big cat species that formed social units and Leona tended to act more like a tiger than a lion. Then there was the added irony of a lion leading a guild named for wolves. Life was funny like that sometimes.

Leona needed to become more sociable herself if she wanted to keep Silver Wolf going. The new divisions would only go so far... the members needed someone to unite them. Since Leona was the Guild Mistress, it stood to reason that she should be the unifying force of the guild... with help from her Aces, of course. Her Aces and their hard work on the idea of divisions were a big part of the reason that Silver Wolf was starting to gather strength again.

When asked if she was something of a hunter, Leona could answer that question with authority.

"You could say that I'm something of a hunter, Jaesa. I've hunted both human threats and animals, along with supernatural prey like werewolves and zombies. I got my start with a serial killer in Hargeon Town, a guy named Jacob Goodnight. Then several months later I took down the Hydro-Arsonist in the sewers of Hargeon Town. After that I've been fighting bandits, cultists, zombies... the list goes on for quite awhile." Leona claimed to Jaesa. That was not a boast or an exaggeration to make herself look impressive. Leona had fought serial killers, slavers, cultists, bandits, zombies, ghosts, werewolves, and other threats all across Earthland and had the experience to show for it. She also would have had the scars too were it not for the miraculous healing properties of the guild hot springs.

[Post Word Count: 488]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,940]

The guild mistress's explanation about the guilds rules regarding violence made sense to the taller blonde and she found herself nodding, “Sounds reasonable to me. I’m not a coward who just guns people down for no reason and I don’t have much love for those who do that either. They deserve a bullet and I’ve taken a few of those out in my time. It’s like I said just now, I’m not a saint but I know when to draw the line when it comes to who to shoot. I won’t stain the reputation of the guild or anything like that. I can promise you that.”

Her line of work had never been the most glamorous. Sure, it had scratched her itch for adventure and kept her belly full but it wasn’t as noble as it might have appeared. It was bloody hard work and the requip mage had suffered her fair share of injuries and lost many friends over the years. It was rough but looking back on it, Jaesa wouldn’t have had it any other way. It had turned her from a starving and homeless child to the woman she was now. Her only true regret was how that chapter of her life had ended and the blood that would forever stain her hands. Greed was a powerful motivator and could turn the heads of even the closest of friends. A lesson that she would never forget.

Raising her eyebrows as Leona spoke about her own adventures, Jaesa would whistle, “Sounds like you’ve been on as many hunts as I have. I admit that most of mine have involved going after humans rather than animals. Lavanitir has its fair share of crime and the local guards aren’t that great when it comes to dealing with the crooks, so they hired me instead to deal with them. I don’t know if the place is corrupt or not but there’s something definitely up. I guess the most supernatural-like creature that I’ve fought is probably a vampire. Bloody thing was a pain in the ass to kill and I almost died fighting it. No matter what I hit it with, the fool just laughed at me.”

Chuckling as she recalled the fight despite the difficulty of it, she’d add, “We’ll have to exchange stories some time. I’d love to hear more about your adventures.” She was intrigued, not just about the guild but the guild mistress herself. Jaesa was used to being in charge and taking on the role as the head of whatever clan she was in but she respected Leona and the hunter didn’t have any real qualms about playing second fiddle to her. “Has Silver Wolf had any run-ins with the so-called dark guilds, by any chance? I’m kind of curious about the guilds policy about how it deals with them. I get that they’re not all evil but I’m sure as hell not going to stand by if I come across one of their members doing something they shouldn’t be.”

(504 Words)
(2129 Total WC)

Jaesa promised that she would not shoot people indiscriminately and stain the guild's reputation and Leona was satisfied with that. Leona had a feeling that the bounty hunter would not go off the rails, but she had asked for an answer on the guild's stance on violence and Leona had given an honest answer. It might be naive of the Wizard Saint, but she trusted her guild members. None of them had done anything so far to betray that trust, so the Wizard Saint was willing to go on faith. Silver Wolf was a collective of explorers who had freely chosen to associate with each another and trust in the Wizard Saint as their leader, not a collective of fearful individuals conscripted into the ranks and held together by fear of the overwhelming power of one person.

"That's fair, Jaesa. I can't stand by and let evil have its way either." Leona said in response to both Jaesa's statement that she knew who to shoot and her promise not to go off the rails. Leona was not one to stand by and twiddle her thumbs while bandits, cultists, and others marched across Earthland doing what they wanted when they wanted. She acted against them and put her life on the line to keep them from winning. Sometimes she might have been too quick to employ violence against them, but at the time talking was not an option and most of them were trying to kill her anway, so she responded in kind.

Leona listened to Jaesa talk about Lavanitir and how she hunted mostly humans, mainly ones that the police could not hope to stop because they did not have the training to go up against them. Leona could respect that. She had acted with official sanction when she stopped Jacob Goodnight and the Hydro-Arsonist in Hargeon Town all those months ago. Perhaps the Wizard Saint needed to take another one of those jobs to show serial killers that she was still on the hunt for their kind. In the meantime, mentioning vampires made Leona blink.

"I've dealt with vampires once before and it was a hair-raising experience. Imagine a vampire who literally laughs in your face when you shove a Silver Longsword through its chest. Imagine the feeling when your magic doesn't do anything and you can only run for your life." Leona described her one experience "fighting" a vampire. It was that "new breed" Miranda Melbont told her about and that Leona encountered in the old hunter's house, the kind that could laugh off garlic and stakes through the heart. That encounter was one of the most frightening experiences in her time as a mage and it was not one that she cared to repeat, but she would have to help the Order of the Silver Blade reckon with the "new breed" eventually. Speaking of which, Leona should really check on the Order soon.

"Yeah, I'll have to tell you a few of my stories some time. And you're right. I have a lot of them, so you'll need some time on your hands." Leona informed Jaesa that none of her stories were going to be quick tales. The blonde bounty hunter would need plenty of time on her hands if she wanted to hear many of them. In the meantime, Leona recalled Jaesa asking about whether Silver Wolf had dealt with any of the so-called Dark Guilds and thought about a response to that question. It was a good one that she had not considered before.

"Silver Wolf as a whole hasn't run into any of the Dark Guilds yet, but I've encountered members of a Dark Guild once before near Beanstalk Village. I didn't fight them because I was badly hurt from dealing with a cultist in the area and there were at least three of the Dark Guild mages heading my way. This happened way back before I became a Wizard Saint and got to be as strong as I am today." Leona explained the details of her one encounter to Jaesa. Silver Wolf did not have an "official" policy yet, so Leona did not want to jump the gun and make one up on the spot. However, Jaesa had asked a good question that deserved an equally good answer.

"As far as guild policy on dealing with members of Dark Guilds goes, right now it's at your discretion. I'll have to bring that matter up with my Aces so that we can get an official rule written in stone for the future." Leona finally answered Jaesa's question to the best of her ability. It was not the best answer that could be given, but it was all Leona had at the moment. She would need to bring up the matter with her Aces as soon as possible so that the next time the question was asked she would have a better response.

[Post Word Count: 818]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,758]

The bounty hunter couldn’t help but agree with Leona’s own views on dealing with rule breakers and evil doers. It wasn’t as if Jaesa hadn’t once or twice gone off the rails herself and she wasn’t exactly a by the book type but she had her own code of conduct. Killing someone for the sake of it was just pointless but doing so for a job or defending someone from harm was completely justified in her opinion. She’d met her fair share of mindless killers and the result was always the same. They died and that blonde had no regrets at all about it. They never tried to talk or plead, they just saw her as another helpless victim and so she taught them otherwise. “Better to stop it now then let it thrive and fester,” she’d reply, glad that the guild mistress agreed on that particular point.

Her curiosity was piqued when Leona spoke of her own encounter with a vampire and she swiftly nodded her head, “Yeah, I can imagine that well enough. I must have shot the one I ran into with every weapon I had at the time and it just kept coming. I’d never come up against anything like it before and it loved nothing more than rubbing that fact in my face. I was so young and gung ho back then that it just threw me from one side of the area to the other. I hope that I’ve grown strong enough to combat them now and kind of hope that one day I do encounter one of their species again, if only to test how far I’ve come since then.” She had a suspicion of where she could find them although it wasn’t exactly the safest place in the world to get to. She’d have to be prepared and a few drinks beforehand wouldn’t hurt either.

“Oh, don’t worry. I imagine that your tales are all action packed and I could listen to stories like that all night long,” Jaesa replied with a smile. It was no exaggeration and the bounty hunter had spent many nights in bars and taverns across Fiore exchanging tales with those she came across. In truth, it had become one of her only means of social contact with people after the death of her clan. She’d spend as much time as she could in bars, when not on the job or on the road. Alright, sometimes she was after more than storytelling and desired something more physical.

The answer to her question about dark guilds was a little vague although the bounty hunter could understand why. “That’s fair enough and I’ll try not to cause too much of a scene with any dark guild members that I run into but that won’t stop me teaching them a lesson if they start messing around. I admit that being a part of a guild is going to be a little different to what I’m used to and I’m not all that great when it comes to guild politics and stuff like that.”

(513 Words)
(2642 Total WC)

Leona wished that she could have given a better answer to Jaesa, but until she took the matter up with her Aces and had the matter written in stone there was little else she could do. At least the blonde bounty hunter was accepting of that answer, if only for lack of a better option. Leona then turned from that subject to the subject of a rematch with vampires, something that she would have to eventually do herself.

"Like in your case, the first encounter was an unpleasant surprise, one that I won't forget any time soon. Also like you, I've learned a few new tricks since the last time I dealt with the vampire I had to flee from. Thankfully it's trapped behind a barrier, so I have plenty of time to deal with it. I'll deal with it again soon enough." Leona said to Jaesa. Leona had learned quite a few new spells in both Wind Strike Magic and Wind Summon Magic, but the biggest game-changer was gaining possession of Shoki. While she was not sure if it could harm vampires, they qualified as supernatural entities and Shoki could harm them, so it was worth a try. She would make sure to have summons and/or Order of the Silver Blade backup before she went for a second round with the "new breed" vampire in case the demon-quelling katana proved to be about as harmful to them as a butter knife.

Leona turned from fighting vampires to the subject of her many stories. Leona had certainly accumulated a lot of them over her brief but eventful career of a little over two years. It all started with her exile from her home in Desierto and ran to the present with numerous fights, triumphs, and a few tragedies in between. She was sure that Jaesa did not want to hear about such mundane things as shopping for old books and getting a passport. Jaesa wanted to hear action-packed stories such as her successful fight to save Wolfsmane from being overrun by werewolves, her rescue of the Blue Sky Clan members and takedown of the Red Sands bandits in Desierto, or even her adventures with the God and Goddess of Ishgar Ruvel Mizune and Samira Nassar that were odd but also exciting.

They numbered among the strangest of Leona's adventures because in her very first one with the pair Leona attended the fall festival near Haunted Castle with them. She also participated in a cooking contest and accidentally brought to life a grilled cheese sandwich that merged with a refrigerator to become The Recheeserator, which proceeded to eat the thoroughly obnoxious celebrity Chef Ramsey and burst through the hedge maze. It was an odd adventure that taught the blonde that cooking was not for her and had also brought her closer to Samira Nassar, the closest person to a friend Leona had among the Wizard Saints and Gods and Goddesses of Ishgar.

Jaesa had indicated a particular interest in the action-packed stories, so Leona would be sure to try and bring those up at the best possible opportunity. The Wizard Saint was not even sure where to begin because she had so many stories from the time before she became a Wizard Saint like her first "real" job in Silent Cemetery collecting to fighting Jacob Goodnight in Hargeon Town to the fight with the werewolves near Wolfsmane. She also had the story of how she had rescued the film crew of the TV show Supernatural Sleuths from the vampire lord Henry Capella, the odd but amiable vampire lord who just wanted entertainment in exchange for freeing the film crew. What was significant about that story was that it was the job where Leona had earned her Silver Longsword, the closest thing to a signature weapon she had and her first choice against supernatural threats until she was loaned Shoki by Priestess Sumika of Okyto, which was a story in itself.

Last but not least was the issue of dealing with Dark mages outside the guild. Leona was obligated to confront them because of her title as the Wizard Saint of Courage and fight them if she could, but no rule said that she had to kill them. The Wizard Saint would try to take them alive, but if they offered enough resistance she would resort to lethal force to protect herself and others.

Leona feared that Jaesa might have mistaken her statement to be a blanket one covering what was to be done if any Silver Wolf members did anything construed as dark, but the guild had a rule on that. Leona was not sure how Jaesa would take it, though. Jaesa seemed and sounded like an honorable sort who did not flinch from fighting corruption wherever she found it and Leona did not want to drive her off. However, the Wizard Saint had a guild to look after.

"Joining a guild was kinda hard for me too since I came straight to Fiore from Desierto, but Silver Wolf welcomed me with open arms. It's a little over two years down the road and I'm still here." Leona said to Jaesa, sharing a tiny bit of her experience with a guild.

[Post Word Count: 870]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,628]

“I hope you give it the beating that it deserves,” the bounty hunter replied with a smile as Leona spoke of her plans to deal with her own vampiric foe. It wouldn’t be easy but Jaesa had faith that the guild mistress would be able to defeat it. Jaesa couldn’t help but feel that she and her fellow blonde were kindred spirits in some ways which gave her even more confidence in her new bosses abilities. Her own desire to combat a vampire again was mostly focused on the one that she’d faced before, as his entire attitude has made her skin crawl. She’d met more than her fair share of unpleasant people and beings in her career but he’d been the worst. He’d thought of her as more of just a blood bank than an opponent, a level of disrespect that she’d never experienced. She’d have her chance to set things right, even if she was the one who had to push the issue. She had a bullet with his name on it.

It was reaching the point of the conversation where the blonde felt that she needed to make a decision about whether to formally ask to join or not. She could stand and chat with Leona all night long and would happily do so if that was what the guild mistress wanted but at least for a moment or two, the blonde pushed her curiosity aside and did a little hard thinking. Leona’s words about her own experiences of being welcomed into the guild were a boost although when she pondered about it, Jaesa didn’t really need any more convincing. The guild mistress had been completely honest with her and answered every question that she’d put towards her. Leona hadn’t messed her around with half answers and had just answered her straight. The hunter appreciated that kind of candour and secretly wished that more of those that she’d met had been so honest. Even among her group of closely knit allies, there had always been question marks regarding the loyalty of a few of them, until it had reached the point where they had become exclamation ones instead. The result? Disaster. Jaesa just hoped that history wouldn’t repeat itself.

It was with that in mind that she spoke up again, her smile fading as she opened up about her past. “I’m glad that being in the guild has been such a great experience for you and I hope that I come to think of it in the same way. I wish I could say the same about the previous group that I was in but the truth is that we ended up getting into an argument over a particularly large bounty that we had brought in. I won’t repeat what was said but in the end, it ended up in violence and sadly the majority of the clan were killed, out of pure greed. I’d known some of those guys and girls since I was just a kid and in one horrible moment, I saw a side of them that I’d never seen before. I was lucky to get out of there alive and I have no idea just how many of them are left now, if any.”

She paused for a few seconds, before adding, looking more vulnerable, “It still hurts to talk about it but I feel the need to since you’ve been so open with me.”

(573 Words)
(3215 Total WC)

"I'll get that vampire next time, Jaesa. Now that I know what he can do, he won't have it so easy. But he also learned about me, so I've still gotta be careful." Leona assured Jaesa that the next time she went after the "new breed" vampire it would not be able to laugh off her attacks. She had acquired Shoki and had been given permission to use it outside of Midi, so she would take the holy katana to use against the vampire and see how he held up against a blessed weapon from Midi. Then again, if he could laugh off a sword made of blessed silver through the chest, he might be able to shrug off a holy katana too, so Leona had better not get too confident just because she had Shoki now. Overconfidence against a vampire could get the blonde into a lot of trouble... if she survived making the mistake to begin with.

Leona went silent and listened to Jaesa talk about the events that had led to her coming to Silver Wolf Guild Hall. They involved a big bounty that had been brought in and questions concerning how to distribute the bounty money. The inability to answer that question in a satisfactory manner led to the group violently splitting up due to greed and Jaesa was lucky to make it out alive. Leona had never been through anything that intense. Well, she had, but the famine she had lived through when she was younger was more of a slow burn than a sudden eruption of violence like what Jaesa had went through.

It started when what little rain reached the village failed to appear and the crops died. As food supplies dwindled over a period of months and people got hungrier, they got angry over the smallest things. Any little mishap would set off an apocalyptic fury.

Someone brushed a hand against their tent when passing by. Someone accidentally kicked sand on someone else's shoes or boots as they passed by. Words were misheard and insult was taken where none was meant.

Any of those reasons were good reasons for people to fight. Most of the time the combatants limited themselves to harsh words, but sometimes the hostilities involved weapons. Only Chief Elijah's calm leadership and skillful oratory kept Nebdoui from destroying itself through infighting, but the road to recovery was still a long one that involved a lot of hard work settling disputes that flared up from time to time.

"It's fine if you want to talk about it, Jaesa. It's also fine if you don't want to talk about it. I understand that it's tough for you to talk about what happened considering that you were friends with the people involved, so I won't make you tell me if you don't want to." Leona assured Jaesa that she could discuss the difficult subject at her pace or she could elect not to discuss it at all. It sounded like an empty platitude, but Leona was being sincere about what she said. Jaesa would not be penalized in any way if she did not want to talk about the matter. Leona was not the kind of person to go prying into the past of others because she knew from personal experience that some things were best left in the past. She did not like to talk about what had happened between her and Joshua Hamlin or what had happened to Kasim, her friend from long ago.

[Post Word Count: 584]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,212]

“It’s OK,” the hunter replied after a few moments of thought, “I think it’s better to speak of it now rather than let it fester. I don’t want to join the guild with my past hanging over me like a dark cloud. If I’m going to be a member, I want my focus to solely be on Silver Wolf and to enjoy every moment that I spend with my guild mates. I don’t like bottling things up and it just drives me insane after a while if I do. I appreciate the sensitivity though, Leona. I really do.” A small smile would briefly cross her features but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Thinking back on the day in general was difficult but when her memories of the meeting that led to the shoot-out came into focus, it became far tougher."I’m not sure that I could actually repeat what was said even if I wanted to as everything seemed to blur together,” she continued after a while, “The atmosphere that day was so tense that I suppose I should have realised before that something was wrong. Everyone was on edge and seemed a lot more snappy than usual. I could hardly say a word to them without them biting my head off but I thought that it was just the fact that they were tired after the long hunt. We’d been tracking our target for weeks, built like a troll and almost impervious to gunfire. A brute of a man, who took out a few of our clan with just his fists. Being punched by him felt like being hit by a truck. Still, we managed to bring him in and the reward was as I said before, our largest ever haul. We sat around our meeting table to even up the jewels and then....”

She paused again and sighed, “That’s where things went downhill fast and I can’t say that I was completely innocent in the whole ordeal either. I was feeling testy as well and lost my temper, as everyone seemed to. The elder members of the clan wished for a bigger piece of the pie while the younger ones like me weren’t happy about it. We felt that we’d done the majority of the work and that we deserved just as much as they did. This situation had never come up before and we were a little taken aback by it. It had always been an even split up until then. It was as though everyone had fallen under the influence of a dark mage spell or something and no one was acting like themselves. Humanity at its worst.”

“Things escalated quickly and I eventually stood up and told them all to stop acting like a bunch of kids. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back which led to the drawing of weapons and a full scale shoot out. I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie and enjoy a good fight but there was no pleasure in that fight. Our entire clan imploded in that one firefight and it was horrifying to be a part of. I’m sure that a few of the smarter clan members did manage to get out and run but I couldn’t tell you how many. As for me, I couldn’t get out as I was furthest from the door, so I just flipped a table over and took cover behind it, exchanging fire with my former friends.”

“I don’t recall how many I personally killed and wounded but I do remember that it was me who fired the bullet that killed the clan leader. He’d completely lost his mind and carried this enormous shotgun. There was no way I could get passed, so I summoned my sniper rifle and unleashed the most powerful shot I could fire. There was no way that he could block it and he died with the most horrible looking smile on his face, consumed by greed and rage. All that was left after that was a room filled with bodies and I got out of there as quickly as I could. Ever since then, I’ve travelled the world alone, until now.”

She fell silent then, feeling batter that she’d come out with it. The memories would never go away but she reckoned there was a lesson in it for her, somewhere.

(725 Words)
(3940 Total WC)

Leona heard Jaesa recount a tale of a group beating steep odds against a bounty that they had been tracking for weeks and was discovered to be all but bulletproof once the fight began. When the group overcame the target and turned it in for the bounty, they gathered around a table to celebrate and divide up the Jewels. That was when a time of celebration got heated and eventually turned violent in a way that scarred Jaesa just like the altercation with Joshua Hamin had left an indelible impression on Leona.

Jaesa had explained that the elders had tried to pull rank to claim a bigger share of the reward money for themselves, a move that dismayed and angered the younger members. The younger members were used to a fair splitting of the reward money and for the older members to suddenly pull rank was something that could not be tolerated. Tempers that were already strained from the job flared and weapons came out. It did not take too much for the standoff to escalate to an exchange of gunfire that soon spiraled out of control... if such a thing could ever be controlled to begin with.

Maybe Jaesa hoped that cooler heads would prevail and that the altercation could be averted before bullets flew, but when Leona listened to the story of the gunfight and learned that the clan leader himself had been consumed by greed, she knew that the story would not end well. Things only got worse when the clan leader brandished a shotgun and Jaesa herself put him down with her most powerful sniper rifle attack. That was the point where Jaesa took her leave of the fighting and Leona could not blame her for doing so. When everyone was shooting at one another over money the smartest thing to do was to leave while the going was good. Jaesa then traveled around by herself just like Leona had before the latter had met up with Leila Vergious.

After going over everything she had been told and thinking carefully about what to say to Jaesa, Leona finally spoke.

"I've been on the receiving end of gunfire on a few occasions, but I haven't been hit. Yet. Staring down the barrel of a gun held by someone who wants me dead is a bad feeling. I can't even imagine how it felt for you to stare down the barrel of guns held by people who were once your friends." Leona said to Jaesa. The Wizard Saint had stared down many gun barrels before. A lot of bandits and slavers wanted her dead for her continued interference in their plans to terrorize the people of Desierto in particular and Earthland in general. But she had never faced off against someone she considered a friend. Leona had few friends to begin with because of her own choices, but she was trying to change that because Silver Wolf needed a leader that its members could rally behind.

Leona then thought about Jaesa's remark that a few of her former friends had escaped the firefight and were still out in the world. Leona wondered if any of them were after Jaesa. Whether they were loyalists out to avenge the fallen clan leader or whether they just wanted to kill Jaesa for the sake of it did not matter. Leona would help Jaesa if the latter asked for help. However, Leona had better wait a bit before asking a question that might alienate the other blonde.

"If you're still willing to talk about it, there's a question I'd like to ask. If you want to stop now, just tell me and that'll be the end of it." Leona gave Jaesa a chance to end the discussion here and now without any ill feelings on the former's part.

[Post Word Count: 636]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,848]

Leona's reply to her story was almost a little too spot on for the hunter although Jaesa did an admirable job of keeping her expression neutral. In those first few days after the shoot out, she'd felt so numb as she'd tried to come to terms with what had happened. It wasn't an easy feat and she must have replayed the scene hundreds of times in her mind. She should have felt betrayed, angered beyond measure but it just didn't come at the start. The blonde had sunk into a depression instead, for the first time in her life and it was only when she returned to hunting that she seemed to pull herself out of it and start to heal. The thrill of the hunt managed to instil some life back into her again and things began to change for the better. Had she felt anger and bitterness towards her former friends since then? Of course she had. It had all been so petty in the end and so many friends had lost their lives over a few jewels. It wouldn’t happen again, she’d promised herself that much.

As she thought about it a little deeper, she realised that perhaps was the main reason why she’d sought out Silver Wolf. Yes, the loneliness had become overwhelming but there was something else as well. She wanted a second chance to be a part of a clan again and to be able to feel what she used to feel. A sense of camaraderie that could only be felt with those that you’d bled, sweated and cried with. That was her hope anyway and she was more than willing to try and form bonds with her new guild mates, should she make it in.

She was brought out of her thought train as Leona asked her about whether she wished to talk about her past any further. Jaesa pondered about it for a moment but it wasn’t a tough decision in fairness. She’d already come this far and now that the hunter had opened up, it didn’t feel quite so hard so speak about it. The blonde was unsure about just what Leona would want to ask about but she became a little concerned that perhaps it was to do with whether her previous actions would make her a threat to the guild or not. She couldn’t be sure but that was her best guess.

“I’ll answer as best I can,” she finally said evenly, “What do you want to know?”

(420 Words)
(4360 Total WC)

Leona was not sure how Jaesa was going to take this next question. Leona had given her chances to end the conversation now without any penalty and Jaesa had continued of her own free will, but the Wizard Saint was still going to be careful with the wording to the question. Again, she did not want to alienate the other blonde by asking a question that appeared to insult her competence or intelligence. The bounty hunter had likely already considered the possibility she was going to ask about, so Leona might just be wasting her breath and Jaesa's time.

"OK, Jaesa. I'll ask you the question. Well, two of them anyway." Leona stated calmly. Having run over the wording in her mind numerous times, she was pretty sure that if she asked them as she had intended Jaesa would not take offense. It involved the question of whether Jaesa needed help with loyalists of the late clan leader who wanted revenge on Jaesa for what had happened that fateful day. There was also the question of whether the other blonde needed help in case the loyalists came calling.

"You said that some other clan members escaped the fighting around the same time you did. Do you think that any of those survivors are loyal to the clan leader and are after you for what you did?" Leona asked Jaesa. That was the easy part. Now came the hard part, the part that Leona worried might offend the bounty hunter. Still, she had to know.

"If there are any loyalists after you, do you think you'd need help dealing with them?" Leona asked Jaesa. She did not want to sound insulting by implying that the bounty hunter was not able to defend herself from her former friends, but she asked the question anyway. The Wizard Saint was only making an offer of help that could be accepted or declined without penalty. She would wait to hear the response to her questions before going further down that path.

[Post Word Count: 336]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,184]

“Yeah, I’ve already encountered one or two of his loyalists and they were anything but friendly,” Jaesa replied truthfully to Leona’s first question, “They want me dead and I’ve had a near miss already. I’m just a traitor in their eyes now and they attack me pretty much on sight, no matter what I say or do. My guess is that the loyalists have banded together and formed a new clan and are wiping those who refuse to join or disagree with them out. They’re not bounty hunters any more, just mercenaries who are willing to do anything to achieve their goals. When we were all together, we had pride in our work and didn’t take on jobs that were considered beneath us. Now? I think they’ll do anything. I worry about anyone who comes across them whether they are innocent or guilty. All they care about is money and destruction, consumed by greed and a desire for revenge.”

The second question caught her slightly off guard, not because she was insulted or offended by the offer but rather the fact Leona had extended it to her so swiftly. Here Jaesa was, a brand new recruit who’d just come through the door and already the guild mistress had offered to help her fight her former friends. The blonde shouldn’t have been surprised in truth as she’d already come to respect Leona due to what they’d already spoken about. The guild mistress had a forward thinking approach and got things done, similar to the hunter in many respects. Jaesa wanted to accept the offer but there was something in the back of her mind that wouldn’t go away and she felt that it had to be brought up, more for her conscience's sake than anything else.

“I’d gladly accept the offer but my concern is what happens if they decide that by helping me, their focus will turn towards Silver Wolf, which is the last thing that I want to happen. Anyone that I align with is going to become a target in their eyes. Sooner or later, they’re going to have to be dealt with and the longer they are left to grow in number, the worse it will be. It’s not going to be pretty and I’d appreciate any help that the guild could offer but I can’t say with any certainty that the guild won’t become a target. I feel that it’s important to get that out into the open before you decide to help me. I don’t want my old clan to become a thorn in the side of my new one.”She didn’t feel the need to sugar coat her words and just said it straight.

(450 Words)
(4810 Total WC)

When Jaesa told her that loyalists were out in the world and that she had already encountered and dealt with one or two of them, Leona was not terribly surprised. She was also not surprised to hear that any attempts at peaceful diplomacy were a dismal failure, but it was not on Jaesa's part. The loyalists to the late clan leader simply did not care to talk and preferred to let their weapons speak for them, but Jaesa's counterargument had carried the day... so far.

What did surprise Leona was that the loyalists had banded together just to try and take down Jaesa. She must have been too tough for them to handle by themselves, which said a lot about Jaesa's capabilities as a bounty hunter and a mage. That reminded Leona of a long-ago adventure in Desierto when she had first encountered and defeated the Red Sands Bandits, which was also her first encounter with gun-wielding opponents. A short time later the Red Sands Bandits remnants had joined up with a slaver gang to get revenge on the Blue Sky Clan and Leona. While joining forces with the slavers kept them alive a bit longer, the alliance ultimately did not help them because Leona killed all the Red Sands enemies she could find during the defense of the Blue Sky Clan village and the rest were either captured and taken to trial in the Tri-Council Cities or had fled into the desert.

"So the surviving loyalists have formed their own clan. They've also become mercenaries who are killing any old clan members who won't join them or who simply disagree with them. Furthermore, they' taking any job, no matter what it is." Leona summarized what Jaesa had said, leaving off any extra commentary that might offend the bounty hunter. It seemed like the loyalists had fallen pretty far from their lofty perch in the halcyon days of the bounty hunter's clan. Leona then turned her attention to Jaesa's reluctance to get Silver Wolf involved in the fight between her and the loyalists.

"I can understand where you're coming from, Jaesa. I've made quite a few enemies myself and I'm worried about them going after people I know just to get back at me because I'm too tough for them to handle." Leona expressed understanding of where Jaesa was coming from with her reluctance to accept the offer. Leona appreciated that concern. She appreciated that Jaesa did not come here to use Silver Wolf's guild members as human shields or as cannon fodder to throw at the loyalist clan. Furthermore, Leona appreciated Jaesa's honesty about the possibility of a guild becoming a target if she joined.

It did not take Leona long to make her choice. She was not sure what right she had to commit the others to a fight they did not ask for, but something had to give. Leona had not turned away any of them when they had asked for help, so why should she turn away Jaesa?

"If you need the help, I'll help you. I'm a Wizard Saint and a Guild Mistress. I'm obligated to fight tough enemies that few other people can handle. I'll warn the entire guild to be on watch for any suspicious activity around the Phoenix Mountains. If any of them are bold enough to attack the guild hall, the whole guild will respond." Leona offered again to Jaesa, this time in an overt fashion. Leona was the de facto queen of the Phoenix Mountains and the mountains were sovereign Silver Wolf territory. No attacks on the guild hall or Silver Wolf members would go unanswered.

[Post Word Count: 606]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,790]

Leona was pretty much spot on with her summary and Jaesa simply nodded in response to it. Her former friends weren't the same people that she’d known for so long any more. They’d become something else and were travelling down a road that Jaesa had no interest in following herself. She wasn’t perfect and the blonde had made more than her share of mistakes but they’d just shaped her into who she was today. Could she have done things differently during the meeting to have prevented the shoot-out afterwards? Maybe but would sitting in silence and just agreeing with the clan leader truly have helped the clan as a whole? No, she didn’t think so. It would only have led to further disagreements down the line and when she thought about it clearly, it was probably inevitable that a shoot-out would have happened anyway. There was just too much greed within the clan and not enough unity. Money was never a good sole reason for people to join up together, as it usually ended up in deception or violence.

“You can see why I felt like I had to bring it up, that being the case,” Jaesa replied as Leona mentioned her own enemies and the risk they were to Silver Wolf. “I’m not a weak mage and I know all too well that they’ll gladly attack anyone they consider to be a friend of mine in order to extract information or simply as an attempt to hurt me psychologically. I expect nothing but cruelty from them and I suspect that when I do meet up with them again, they’ll hold nothing back in trying to end my life and those I care for and call friends. It’s more than personal to them.”

Much to her relief, Leona didn’t seem undeterred by her previous warnings and offered her aid anyway, which caused the blonde to smile slightly. As the guild mistress spoke, Jaesa couldn't miss the strength behind her fellow blonde’s words and it was almost as if she could feel the determination not only in her speech but in her magical aura as well. It was inspiring to say the least and the hunter made a promise to herself then to reach for that same level of strength. A Wizard Saint? Jaesa had thought that they were just a myth, given how little she truly knew about how mage guilds worked but she knew enough to realise what the role meant. They were the pinnacle of all mages who followed a more noble path.

“I’m more than happy to accept the offer then,” the hunter said after a few moments more thought, “I honestly don’t know if they’re foolish enough to try and attack the guild itself but I wouldn’t put it past them to at least try and scout it. The leader of the new group, a vicious thug called Tuco, isn’t afraid to send his men to their doom if it means he gets something out of it. He couldn’t care less about them or anything other than himself and what he wants. I’m not surprised that he ended up taking control, as he was almost thrown out of the clan once or twice for his brutish methods. He almost brought us onto the radar of the Rune Knights more than once. He’s a demented individual, to say the least, but he’s not weak by any means. Eight feet tall and built like a tank, he rules by fear and nothing else. He’s never been keen on talking and now? He’s a damn sight worse.”

(599 Words)
(5409 Total WC)

Leona realized that she had made a poor word choice when she had said that as a Wizard Saint she was "obligated" to confront threats like Jaesa's former clan members turned mercenary team. That word made it sound like she would only handle the threat because of her title. It also made her sound like that if she was not a Wizard Saint she could not be bothered to deal with the issue. That could not be further from the truth and fortunately Jaesa had picked up on the fact that Leona would deal with the threat whether she had a title or not.

"It seems like they know that they can't take you on directly without an overwhelming advantage in numbers and firepower, so they're settling for going after you indirectly. That's nothing new to me. Even though the situation's not new, it still hard to deal with." Leona reiterated to Jaesa. Leona was far too tough for most bandits to take on without a huge advantage of some sort, but most people in her home village were not quite so formidable. The strongest people after Leona were her mother Sophia and her older brother Leonidas, but two other mages were not close to enough to defend the village from the Wizard Saint's numerous enemies. Nebdoui was a frequent target of bandit and slaver raids, partially to get back at her for thwarting their plans and killing so many of their members. Leona was not happy about that, but there was little she could do other than back off and let the bandits and slavers do whatever they wanted, which was not going to happen.

"It's easy for me to say, but you can't back down. Not in the face of people like that. They started the fight and you have to finish it." Leona said to Jaesa... not that she needed reminding. Leona had to do the same thing with the outlaws threatening her desert home. It was not a fight she had started... outlaws had been raiding her village decades before she was even born. She had inherited the struggle, but one day she was going to finish it.

"But you don't have to face them alone, Jaesa. I'll be glad to help whenever you need me to. I won't stand for anyone attacking members of Silver Wolf." Leona pledged. If she let people go around attacking Silver Wolf members without just cause, then she might as well not even bother calling herself a Guild Mistress. Guild Masters and Mistresses were supposed to protect the guilds they had been entrusted to lead and protect the members. Attacking Jaesa because she survived a gunfight over money and had killed the former clan leader in defense was definitely not just cause, so Leona would stand by Jaesa come what may. The Wizard Saint would just have to warn the rest of Silver Wolf to be alert for unusual activity around the guild hall and to report it immediately.

"And thanks for warning me about Tuco. He sounds like a tough customer, someone not to be taken lightly. I'll warn the rest of the guild not to fight him unless it can't be avoided." Leona thanked Jaesa for warning her about the new group's leader and how tough he was. Leona did not expect the new leader to be a pushover. There was no way that a pushover could unite a group of former bounty hunters and bend them to his will without being tough enough to impose a modicum of order on a group of tough customers. Ideally Leona would be the one to deal with him since she was the strongest mage in Silver Wolf, but it might fall to her Aces or even Jaesa herself to fight Tuco. However, if what Jaesa said was true, Tuco would deliberately pick out the weakest Silver Wolf members to go after just to get back at Jaesa and Leona for daring to stand up to him.

This was going to be a tough fight, but it was a fight that had to be fought.

[Post Word Count: 684]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,474]

Jaesa replied bluntly, nodding with Leona’s assessment, “They can’t hurt me so they go around and strike at those who can;t defend themselves. It’s frustrating beyond belief and the fact I understand why they’re doing it makes it even more so. I don’t think this is a fight that can be won on the back foot and the only way to truly handle it is to take the offensive. It’s cowardice of the highest degree but I don’t expect anything less from them at this point. If we don’t press them and force them to disband then the risk of them harming the guild will only increase. Lavanitir is filled with precisely the type of men and women that would jump at the chance of causing trouble and I can only imagine how easy it will be for them to gain members.”

“Oh, I don’t plan on backing down any time soon,” the blonde would continue in regards to Leona’s inspiring advice. “They made a mistake by pushing on with this and they can’t be allowed to just continue with their plans. Even if they weren’t targeting me specifically, I couldn’t let it go. There’s no chance of convincing the leaders of the clan to cease with their antics but I hope that perhaps those further down the chain might. There are many kids in that town who are poor and desperate, just as I was when I was a kid, who’ll join up with them for safety and for a sense of belonging. They don’t understand what they’ve signed up for and will just be used as fodder by the leader and his lieutenants.”

Jaesa felt a strong sense of relief as Leona spoke of offering her aid to the hunters' cause and the blonde actually started to think that she’d been a fool for thinking that she might have been turned away. Guilds weren’t formed based on lies and deception, they were built on trust and companionship or at least that’s what she believed. It was what she’d thought her clan was supposed to have been too but had of course been proved completely wrong about that. Still, she was prepared to push that side and dedicate herself to her new guild, as well as to deal with her past. As long as Tuco and his mob were still running around, she couldn’t be completely at peace with herself but as long as she had a weapon in hand and a witty insult for her foes, she’d keep fighting.

“A wise precaution,” she said with another nod, “He’s made of strong stuff and I’ve seen him take hits that could kill most mages. It’s his durability that makes him a tough foe and he just keeps getting back up, no matter what he’s hit with. As if he’s made of granite or something.”

She couldn’t help but feel as though Leona understood her situation on a far deeper level then just as a Guildmistress. It was as if there was something more personal than that. Jaesa wasn’t sure if she should pry or not but given how the conversation was going and how open it had been, she felt it wouldn’t be out of line if she at least asked. “I can’t help but think that maybe I’m not the only one who’s had to go through something like this. You said earlier that you understand how I feel about all of this, so does that mean that you’ve had issues of the same type? I’m sorry if it’s too personal a question and if you don’t want to answer, I definitely understand.”

(606 Words)
(6015 Total WC)

"I was thinking the same thing, Jaesa. Just like with the outlaws of Desierto, you're not gonna win by just defending against their attacks. You can't wait them out. We may have to take the fight to them, but we've gotta be careful. We just can't kick down the doors of Lavanitir and go in swinging." Leona said to Jaesa, who was aware of that last fact more than anyone. The Wizard Saint recalled that Jaesa had said that the civil authorities only had nominal control over that port city and that organized crime held the real power.

"Deiserto's outlaws are almost the same as the Lavanitir gangs. Some join for protection and belonging. Others join for easy loot taken from isolated desert villages that the sultans don't even know exist. Other join just to kill and loot without consequence." Leona added when Jaesa mentioned that the gangs of Lavanitir were composed of desperate and poor teens who Tuco and his chosen lieutenants would gladly throw into the fray without any concern for whether they survived the engagement or not. Leona was not sure how to handle them because while they posed a threat, they were acting out of desperation rather than malice. Perhaps Jaesa could come up with a way to solve the situation without killing the unwitting conscripts along with the mercenary gang.

"If Lavanitir is really controlled by shady people like you say it is, the mercenaries may or may not have made deals with them for protection... or extra muscle. Their headquarters also might be situated in an occupied area for easy access to human shields. I don't know how we're gonna get them out, but we're gonna need to draw them out of Lavanitir before we act against them." Leona started to go over the obvious with the patient Jaesa. Then the Wizard Saint thought of something.

"But they'll likely be expecting us to try something like that. They didn't make it this far by being stupid. If we're going to take the fight to them, we'll need something tempting to lure them out with." Leona commented. She could not believe that she was talking about wiping out a mercenary group with the same casualness with which one would order coffee at a cafe. However, Leona had to make concessions to the grim reality of the situation facing Jaesa and Leona now that the latter had promised to help. Leona had committed her guild to this, so Jaesa and Leona had to win. Her idealistic side had also been ground away by life in the desert and numerous conflicts with desert outlaws.

"Maybe they'd be willing to come out and fight at the prospect of possibly getting to kill a Wizard Saint." Leona casually commented. Killing a Wizard Saint would be a big feat for the new mercenary group. Some of its members would be irresistibly tempted by the idea of getting a chance to kill a current Wizard Saint. If they somehow pulled it off and got away, that would be a big feather in the cap of Tuco and his crew. However, Leona was not sure that they had not planned for that possibility either, but Leona's current game plan was centered around exploiting their greed and need to establish themselves in the crowded mercenary market by offering tempting bait in the form of herself.

Leona was about to refine the plan a little when Jaesa asked how Leona knew how she felt. Jaesa's courtesy in asking the question did not go unnoticed. Just like Leona had earlier, Jaesa gave Leona a chance to end the line of questioning by invoking personal reasons. However, Leona would answer. It was a fair question and it was not a big secret.

"I have family still in Desierto. They live in a desert village with few defenses other than a militia. The village has always been a popular place for outlaws to raid, but now that I've become a major thorn in their side they have even more reason to go after it. I've killed so many outlaws from so many groups that it seems that they've made it a point to raid my home village just to get back at me because they know I can't get there in time to stop every single raid." Leona admitted to Jaesa how she knew how the latter felt about her friends and other close people being targeted by Tuco and his crew. Anyone who read Sorcerer's Magazine would know that Leona's mother and brother still lived in Nebdoui. That was a source of constant worry for the Wizard Saint because any vengeful Dark mage looking to get back at Leona only had to travel to Nebdoui to get their revenge. No one had tried so far because the fear of a Wizard Saint's wrath outweighed any reputation boost, but one day a bold and/or foolish one would try to go there to kill Leona's family and fellow villagers.

If that happened Leona would make sure that destroying Nebdoui would be the last thing they ever did, but that would be cold comfort to the Wizard Saint and to all the dead people of Nebdoui.

[Post Word Count: 868]
[Leona's Word Count: 7,342]

The bounty hunter didn’t interrupt as Leona spoke about the potential risks of going in all guns blazing and the risks that could bring. She knew the dangers that could come from it herself and although part of her was screaming to gung ho, it was tempered by her desire not to kill those who didn’t truly believe in what Tuco was saying. There was a line that had to be drawn between killing those who truly desired bloodshed and those who simply followed Tuco out of fear and desperation. It made the situation far more difficult to deal with and the blonde pondered about just what the best plan of action was. Nothing that Leona said was inaccurate or untrue and so she chose to nod her head, rather than answer directly. She wouldn’t say that the guild mistress was stating the blindingly obvious and was actually rather relieved to hear that Leona was aware of the risks. For mages such as them who were more action orientated, it was sometimes difficult to consider the risks when the heat of battle was on. Jaesa knew that all too well.

It was when the Wizard Saint started speaking about possibly using herself as bait that caused the blonde to blink, slightly surprised. The casualness of the comment had caught Jaesa slightly off guard and she mused to herself for quite some time about it. “It could work although whether Tuco would show his face himself or just send his goons to try and fight you is a tough one to predict. I’ve no doubt that the idea of killing a Wizard Saint would appeal to him and his most hardcore followers but he’s pretty shrewd and may suspect a trap. It would all depend on whether his head or his heart rule, I suppose. He’s so corrupted by greed that he may feel compelled to come, if only to claim that he was there personally. The fact that you’re the leader of Silver Wolf may also sway him too as I imagine that killing the guild mistress of the guild that I’m a member of would only make you a more tempting target for him. I think it’ll definitely draw out some of the lieutenants at the very least which would still be a pretty good catch for us. I doubt they’ll give us any information but if we do capture one alive, there’s a slim chance of it.”

There was still a question mark in the woman’s mind about just why Leona was willing to go so far in aiding her. Yes, the defence of the guild and removing the criminal element were important reasons but Jaesa couldn’t help but feel that it was more personal than that and once Leona answered her question as to her own experiences, everything became crystal clear to the hunter. “Ah, I see,” she said with a sigh, “It seems that no matter where you go, there’s always a group of violent thugs trying to cause trouble. I understand so well as to the frustration that you must feel and if I were in your shoes, I’d feel exactly the same way. I appreciate the fact that you were willing to open up to me about it and I hope that by dealing with Tuco, perhaps we can at least deal with one group of cowards and put an end to them.”

(570 Words)
(6585 Total WC)

Leona listened to Jaesa muse about how Tuco was smart enough to possibly deduce that the Wizard Saint was willing to use herself as bait to lure him out. While he might be smart enough to deduce that it was a trap, there were two things that made Leona appealing bait to the mercenary gang. First, she was a Wizard Saint and killing a current Wizard Saint would put Tuco and his crew on the map. Second, she was the Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf and killing her would hurt Jaesa even more than killing a rank-and-file member of Silver Wolf. Leona was willing to risk her life if it would lure Tuco and his crew away from their human shields.

Leona would also take that risk so that the rank-and-file guild members did not have to. Long ago Leona had vowed to protect and expand what Leila Vergious and Poko Monstar had built. If she did not step up and protect the guild when it needed her to defend it, why was she even calling herself a Guild Mistress?

"I'm willing to risk it, Jaesa. Like you said, we can't win this struggle by always being on the back foot. My only concern is that if we take any of his lieutenants alive, Tuco won't fall for it again, not unless Tuco mounts a rescue mission. I'm not exactly holding my breath on that." Leona voiced one of the few concerns she had about the plan. They were going to get only one shot at it, so they really needed to make it count. After that Tuco would be onto them and the chances of the same plan working again were about as good as those of Leona overcoming her fear of heights, becoming an Olympic-level swimmer, or getting married.

Leona then shifted gears to speak about her willingness to tell what exactly it was that gave Leona the same feeling as Jaesa when it came to friends and family members in the line of fire.

"Fighting the outlaws of Desierto wasn't something I exactly chose to do. Rather, I was born into the struggle. My mother almost didn't teach me magic, but the fact that the outlaws gladly kill or enslave children was what pushed her to teach me so that maybe I could defend myself. If she hadn't taught me magic I wouldn't be standing here right now." Leona threw in the fact that she did not choose to fight the outlaws of her own free will. She had inherited the struggle because she was born in Nebdoui. The struggle had intensified because she refused to be a victim and fought back whenever they attacked her. Leona hated that her family had gotten dragged into it, but she could not back down now, not unless she wanted Nebdoui to be destroyed. Rather, Leona would keep fighting until the outlaws stopped attacking or she was finally killed.

"If I can't kill them all, I can at least make each raid on my home as costly as I can. Maybe they'll finally get the message that raiding my home's more trouble than it's worth." Leona added her goal for fighting despite the never-ending swarms of outlaws who targeted Nebdoui and targeted her. A war of attrition did not favor her, but it was the best she could do. Unless she somehow got possession of a map showing where every last outlaw camp was, there was no way she could take the fight to every last gang and stop them before they could launch raids on caravans or desert villages.

[Post Word Count: 600]
[Leona's Word Count: 7,942]

“There’s more chance of him becoming a holy man than him attempting to rescue his men,” Jaesa replied dryly, “I imagine that being captured alive would be considered failure or betrayal in his eyes. The reasoning I had behind possibly taking one or two alive was that it may perhaps give us the chance to find out more about the gang. As I said just now, the odds of them saying anything are slim but it’s just another option if the plan doesn’t work out. If it all works out and Tuco is taken down then there won’t be any need for that. He’s the glue that keeps the clan held together and if he falls then it will become unstuck. The young and brainwashed will be free of his influence and can hopefully turn away from the path that Tuco has set them on. That’s my hope anyway. As for his lieutenants? I doubt there’s a chance of that happening with them. They were corrupted by greed even before the shoot out. God only knows what their state of mind is now. They’re as demented and fuelled by revenge as Tuco is and would rather be shot to pieces then try to better themselves. You’re right, Leona. We got to take them all out in one fell swoop. If we leave any of the high ranked members alive, they’ll just rebuild.”

Jaesa would listen closely as Leona opened up a little more about her own troubles with outlaws and it was so easy for the hunter to agree with the Guild Mistress’s approach to the situation. “You had to learn to use magic to survive, just as I did on the streets. I can imagine how tough it must have been for you and your family to be forced into having to fight a battle that you neither wanted nor started. The most important thing is that you and those closest to you have survived and despite all of the pain and torment, you’ve not become twisted by it and instead fight to stop those who want to cause it on others. We’ve both had it rough but have come out far stronger because of it. That’s how I see it anyway. We could have given up long ago and thrown our morality out the window and become thugs but didn’t.”

As her fellow blonde would go on to talk more about her seemingly endless struggle against the outlaws, Jaesa pondered for a few moments before answering, “If you ever need a hand with taking out some of those outlaws groups, I’ll be more than happy to offer my services. I’m sure that you’re more than strong to take them out but I feel that it’s only right to offer anyway. You’re putting your life on the line in order to aid me with my troubles, so it’s only right that I’m prepared to take the same risk for you or any other member of the guild. That’s what being in a guild is all about, right?”

(509 Words)
(7094 Total WC)