Age works its wonders in many mysterious ways. Age devastates, creates, emboldens, heals, damages, decays. Such a wonder time is, so powerful that only the divine may dare touch it, yet so humble that it takes no conquest. Only one, simple direction, leaving it's mark on all those that pass. The ruins, a good example of the effects time has on all. This is were the hallowed warrior we now know as Nariwa Konahomaru stood. Observing. Taking it all in. And accepting that even the hardiest of mortals must meet their end in time's grasp if not in an enemy's. Nariwa Kona was as hardy as they came. Survivng uncounted years of war, battles, tribulations, overwhelming foes. And a freind. The one woman that was able to surprise him, the only person he cared to serve.

The one thing he had not defeated in his lifetime. It it seemed right that way too. For, if he was able to defeat te Goddess o Blades, she would no longer be the Goddess of Blades, would she? No, the title would have to be shared, and that would be no good. Kona was not the conquesting type. Simply being a Servant of the Blade was enough. This life was nearly enough.

Too bad, for Kona was looking to study archery as his next skill. That, and the one polearm that could transform into lightning was rather inviting to master as well. But as of late, he had no gold or credit with which to purchase or earn it. The dreamy blue sky, completely devoid of the slightest hint of any cloud blanketed the world in a celestial embrace, sheilding it from the other realms of the universe. One of which he was once a resident.

What a interesting event it would be, if Veronna were to show up. If he could somehow docile her, and then attack. Of course, she would likely bring Vaoulrah too... He did not want to harm the child. It would all be in good humor as well. Many conflicting opinions. his mind was slowing down. Kona did not want to realize it, but, age was catching up with him indeed. He would rest. Laying against a fallen pillar, Kona covered himself with his white cloak, leaving only his silver to cyan hair showing. Intending only to wait out the hours for some idea or event, Konahomaru fell asleep.

The day was beautiful, but cold, and Veronna had to wear one of her heavier cloaks. She knew where she was going and who she would see. For the last time she had met with Kona she said she would see him again soon, and this time she was actually able to battle. She walked down on what looked like an old street, but had been worn down by the weather. Her black boots hit the ground lightly, her movements showing no hurry. Her scimitars clicked at her hips quietly, the long sword, bow and quiver of arrows making more noise then her trusty scimitars. Her tunic was the usual dark red, her black cloak hiding most of her body, including the small bundle she held in her left arm, wrapped tightly and warmly in blankets to keep Vaoulrah cozy, as she slept.

Veronna's red eyes were focused as she walked, her mind deep in thought. Not really thinking about anything much, mostly about Taras, about where the city was heading, what would happen when all good left. Veronna was never one for real goodness, she always remained neutral, well, not really, she swapped from one side to the other, bordering more on the good side then the evil side. She would have to, especially since she was friends with Kona, who was very good and lawful.

Veronna walked through an old archway, it's stone crumbling and would come down sometime in the near future. There were pillars still standing, that use to support large, grand buildings, which were now gone. She took one more step, then stopped, a smile coming to her lips. She looked to her right, where leaning on a pillar, fast asleep, was Konahomaru, his whitish hair poking up from his white cloak.

The smile remained on Veronna's lips as she walked over towards him, her steps even softer then before. She stood in front of him, watching as he slept, not really wanting to wake him. Deep down she felt the darkness, though not really listening to it, it did present a flaw in sleeping in the middle of a ruins where someone could kill you right then and there. Though she would never think about killing Kona, maybe years ago, but not now, not ever. She kicked Kona, not to hard, but enough he should wake. "You sleep out here, your bound to catch a cold." She said, her voice slightly louder then normal, to get him out of his sleepy state.

Time uncounted and uncountable, except for perhaps by the spirits that mayhap had been observing, passed. Konahomaru dreamt of times when he was still innocent, fragile at heart. Of freinds and family lost in the wars that led to his journey to the surface of Imythess. A land, at the time, which had only been whispered occasionaly among the Celestial Realm. Amazing, how a man may be hardened by the deaths of those he loved and cared for against any emotion. Becoming a being of near pure logic, only experiencing the most rudimentry parts of any living creature. Pain, and releif.

It made him into a veritable killing machine, a power which had to be checked against constantly. A thud, a jolt, interupted the dream seqeunce. Konahomaru opened his eyes, and only white appeared before him. Of course. His cloak. But it seemed darker. A shadow was present. An all too familiar shadow. Cautiously reaching out with his mind, a familiar presence greeted him.

"You sleep out here, your bound to catch a cold"

Kona almost smiled. He released his cloak, the white fabric falling to reveal the golden and white clothing that identified him as a holy one. His aura, just like his conciousness, awakened and glowed softly and welcomely. "I should have suspected a drow I know of would have been stalking me. It is in your blood, you know?" Whether or not she actually was, Kona did not know. Even though the pair shared communication at the mind level, her divine thoughts often escaped his own mortal train of thought. And when was caught, if but for a second, it was undecipherable.

Kona's white, intense eyes peered about. Never revealing the direction in which they were looking, he examined Vaoulrah, who slept cozily wrapped in myriad bundles of cloth. Veronna was equipped with her trademark scimitars, and this time, a bow and quiver. Interesting. "You dont normally carry a bow. Did you intend to shoot me?"

Kona had no intention of drawing blade at the moment, as he peered down at his master. Even though she was somewhat shorter than he, he still felt miniscule in her presence. The time would come, and he would lose, as usual. Never to gain a strike against her. His right hand instinctively wandered to the hilt of his katana.

Veronna laughed lightly when Kona suggested that she might be stalking him. "If I were stalking you, I would not have let you seen me." Which was the truth, but she did not stalk him, she had other things to do with her time then stalking someone. Even though It was hard to read where Kona's eyes her going, she knew he was looking at Vaoulrah, then what weapons she carried.

After her chosen's last comment she shrugged, "I didn't intend to shoot you, but if you want me to, I can." She said, an evil smile crossing her lips. She liked to mess with Kona, finding it an amusing thing to do to him, since he didn't respond to emotions very well. But nether did she, when she made it to the surface. Back then she thought she had to hide her feelings, bury them deep down where they could never be felt. But over the last couple years she had found that smiling was a good thing to do once in awhile.

She decided to actually tell him why she had brought the bow. "Last time we met, you said something about archery, so I decided to bring my bow and some arrows, but practicing it is completely up to you, we could always spar, see how well you've gotten over the past few months." Her eyes lit up slightly, obviously showing she would rather spar over doing archery, but she wouldn't mind if he would like to practice with the bow.

At one point Veronna was very good with a bow and arrow, though she liked crossbows more. She had practiced a bit at her temple before coming out and found she was still decent at it, well, better then Ocar, but he never really was one for archery, one of his younger sisters was better then him.

Veronna's last comment caught him off gaurd, as many of those kind did. Why would he invite her to shoot him? What nonsense was it all. Kona suspected she was toying with him, and gave her a suspicious look. A look that asked the question he would not speak. "Since the cold has no doubt slowed my body down somewhat, let us warm up before I turn your own bow on you." invited Konahomaru.

Kona stepped away from the pillar, the cold stone seeming to drag at his body as it stole the heat it gave off. There was but a few feet in between Veronna and Kona, as it usually was when they were about to tear each other to peices. In a freindly and sportsmanlike way, of course. He drew his Katana, and held it to his side as usual. But this time, things were different. A bluff upon his bluff. It would never work against Veronna, it only barely acheived it's purpose the first time. No, this time, when Veronna made the attack, he would instead kick her.

She seemed to keep less of an eye on attacks not made with blades. Konahomaru fully realized that he woulod only have one shot at it, and it would never work again. Still, he was eager to try. The last thing on his to-do list was strike Veronna at least once. All those times he was stabbed, slashed, kicked, punched, and thrown would be made even if only he could draw blood.

"Can the young one be left aside? I do not wish harm upon her. No longer being the youngest in existence makes me worryful...", referring to the half-celestial. Him being one as well as her. Kona was once the youngest in existence.

Veronna let another smile spread over her lips, quite pleased he chose the sword over bow, for now at least. When he asked her to leave Vaoulrah aside she was already starting to do just that. She walked to the side lines, or where she guessed the side lines would be. Her hand slid across the clasp to her cloak and it fell to the ground. She then went on to her knees slowly and took the sling off, as the bundle in it wiggled around a bit. Veronna hushed Vaoulrah by rocking her a moment, then laid the bundle on the cloak and bunched it up around the child. She finally stood and reached to her back and took off the quiver, bow and longsword. She dropped them near her cloak, then her hands fell to her hips and rested on the hilts of her scimitars.

She walked over to where Kona stood, about two meters away. She drew her blades, the black metal reflecting some of the sun, but not making bright rays, instead dark ones, showing these blades were forged in the dark. "Hope you've been practicing," she said with a glint in her eyes, daring him to actually beat her, or even hit her. Kona was a fine swordsman, but he hadn't hit her yet. She didn't like to go easy on him, and she knew he wouldn't appreciate it anyways. She would rather battle at the height of her physical strength, then just leading him on.

She stretched her arms over her head, loosening up her muscles a bit. She then bent over and reached down to her feet. When she straightened up her body felt much better. She brought her right scimitar up in front of her, and her left was held out at her side. It was her normal stance, though she had been improving it more and more. She had floored Ocar several times in a row once by this stance, but when she got him off balance he could never stay up. Kona was a little different from Ocar. For one, Kona used two weapons instead of one, and he had some more speed then her husband. She waited, to see if he would make the first move or not. She was ready to either attack or block.

Kona wanted to laugh, but stifled his emotions immediatly. In a battle situation, there was only room for reason. Only cold hard logic. Something Konahomaru excelled at doing. Mental discipline was a key to expert swordsmanship, and Konahomaru was one of the best examples to be. Konahomaru waited patiently for Veronna to get ready, setting the sleepy Vaoulrah off so as not to be in harm's way. Stepping in front of him. Konahomaru examined her in detail. It had been a long time since he had sparred in earnest with her, and she had clearly gotten stronger. Something about having a child did that to females.

Whether or not Veronna realized it, she had opened up another option to him he had not expected to have. She neglected to state the rules of the match, which typically would be, no magic. And since Veronna was a drow, she would no doubt be at least somewhat vulnerable to the holy magics that Kona knew how to use. Making sure to keep a very straight face, Konahomaru melded his mind, soul, and spirit with that of Nariwa. The two combined were greater than apart, and he was now much stronger, too. His emerald skin was much harder to peirce, his strength had increased dramatically, and his speed as well.

Reaching to his back, Kona drew the heralded Lightning Blade, and his left hand drew the Force Blade. His new toy, as he liked to call it. If Veronna were to be struck by it, it would a decent deal of damage. He didn't count on that though.
Now, would he use Judgement now, or use it in a pinch? Nariwa Kona decided it would be better to use it when in a grapple of some sorts. Usually he lost those against her.

Raising the Lightning Blade to the fore, and the Force Blade covering his midsection, Kona crouched, and then pounced. Covering the two meters between them rather quickly, Nariwa Kona decided to take a page out of his Master's own book. Making a scissoring motion, with one exception. It was diagonlly, and so much more difficult to jam like he had done to her. A glorious battle this would truly be.

Veronna knew she didn't state the rules of the battle, but she didn't care. She wished to see Kona at his best, to see if you would be able to hit her. She had spells of her own and could kill him on the spot with some of her powers, but did not wish to, she would rather kill her enemies with her blade over magic, and Kona wasn't her enemy, just an opponent in this match.

She could feel Kona already calling upon his chosen, and knew he would be stronger then before, but then again, she was stronger too, and if need be she could use a spell to get even better. But she wouldn't, not yet anyways, not until she was forced into the right kind of situation. She knew he liked his magic weapons a lot, and she could tell that the new blade he used had some sort of spell on it.

She saw his muscles move before he even pounced. Yet she remained where she stood, until he was upon her. The first move he used was one she liked to use, except he changed it a bit. Instead of a horizontal cut, he went with diagnol. Which wasn't bad, but there was an opening already. Since one blade was on a diagnol cut up and one down, it left one of his sides open to some extent, and he was in motion, one that was somewhat hard to stop.

She made her first move. She let go of her fighting stance and threw herself forward. She forced herself into a somersault on his open side and landed in a crouching position as she brought her right scimitar up to his side to make contact. If it actually hit would matter if Kona was fast enough to come around and block, or move out of the way. She was ready to move in an instant, if he were to bring one of his swords to bear on her. A crouching position was kind of awkward, but she didn't have that much difficulty putting most of her weight in her feet and ankles.

Konahomaru sighed when Veronna tumbled right past him. No doubt one of her two scimitars would soon find his flesh. But wait! Thats it, magic allowed. Kona grinned. This would actually be a good thing. Kona closed his eyes and concentrated holy energy around him, and whispered "Faith sheilds me." A shimmering globe of holy energy surrounded Kona, and not a second later did Veronna's scimitar say hello to it. The scimitar made a tinny 'clink' noise as it glanced off the spherical barrier. The barrier would last as long as Konahomaru could supply it with energy, but the minute it suffered an attack greater than Kona' own energy could repel, it would dissipate. That would be a useful advantage.

Kona landed in a three point stance, rolled, and faced his opponent. The Goddess of Blades was now about five feet away. Either one of them could clear the gap in a matter of seconds, and both were in a good position to pounce. Would she go for an aerial or keep defending? Konahomaru had to be honest with himself. Only on the counterattack had he ever gotten close to striking her. So, it was necesary to lure her into doing so. Well, he didn't own two blades with projectile capabilities for nothing. Using Force Blade, he pinted the tip at Veronna and pumped the hilt. Nothin happened.

Then how did this thing work? He should have practiced with that feature before. It did use holy energy, so maybe if... The blade glowed a brighter white, and then a beam of light shot from the tip and sped towards Veronna. So that was it, then. The Blade required the wielder to channel some amount of holy energy through it, and force out the other end in a projectile. Konahomaru knew that she would either dodge or sheild against the projectile, so he waited patiently to find where she wold end up next. And then fry her with an unforgiving bolt of electricity. Or, move for the counterattack. The last time he ran an electric curent throgh her swords, it did throw her off a little bit. So he would use the Lightning Blade if she attacked.

Veronna had raised to her full height while Kona was rolling, and was ready for his next move. She was glad he blocked her first attempt at hitting him, it made things more fun and harder, for if you get the first hit in on an opponent, chances were you were going to continue to get hits in. She raised an eyebrow when he raised his sword to point right at her. She knew that the sword had power in it, but obviously was not working for him. She moved forward, her feet going as fast as they could carry her in such a short distance.

When a beam shot out from the sword she was slightly surprised but as her left foot hit the ground, she flung her body in the same direction, the bolt of energy just barely missing. She would not underestimate that sword again. But she was not done moving. Flinging her body around caused her to spin slightly, so she slammed her right foot down and pushed forward, making her jump at Kona with a speed and force she did not think she should have from loosing that much momentum.

Her legs were tucked under her as she jumped. She raised her right scimitar across in front of her and swung down in a diagnol cut at his face. Her left blade held out, ready to be flung around and hit him, though she was leaving herself open, she had her own magic she could use, and would wait to use it, perhaps she would not need it at all, and if she did, well, then Kona would have proven himself a very good swordsman, and should be recognized as one. She thought for a quick moment, how well Ocar would be able to go up against Kona. It would be an interesting battle, one she would watch. But this was her battle, and one that needed all her attention.

She dodged the projectile, but just barely. Good, that was unexpected for her. Landing, she seemed to be trying to regain the momentum she had previously, but Konahomaru did not think she would be able to. He was quickly proven wrong, as she pushed off the ground with only one foot and seemed to actually increase her speed quite a bit. Kona's muscles wound up like springs, as he crouched slightly to lower his center of gravity. His Fore Blade gaurded the space inbetween Veronna and his torso, and the Lightning Blade gaurded his head. Chances are she wouldn't chance a leg blow in mid-air.

Konahomaru was right, Veronna tried to slash at his face with the scimitar in her right hand, the left one ready to punce as well. What a dirty move! She had never tried to cut his face off before! How exciting... Kona extended his right leg back, pivoting his left shoulder to face Veronna and resist her inertia. His Lightning Blade collided with her scimitar, and the two sharp and deadly weapons rang in anger as steel ground against steel. Whether or not his own Blade was superior than hers he did not know, but it seemd to be more than a even match. It seemed the Lightning Blade dulled any sword or dagger it came across in a struggle like this. It had been blessed never to damage and stay eternally sharp by the Goddess herself. Were her own blades the same way? Probably. Electric current climbed across the favored weapon of the Servant of the Blade to the favorite of the Goddess of Blades and towards the hilt.

Veronna, although lighter in weight than Kona, had quite the bit of momentum behind her and almost knocked Kona off balance. His right foot dug into the ground and his left foot started to rise. Marshalling his strength together, he resisted and was able to stop from falling over. His Force Blade was in a tight position however, and he would not be able to kick her without falling over himself. Or her cutting his leg off with that other scimitar. Kona's eyelids squinted as he concentrated on the dilemna, his white orbs meeting the red pools of Veronna's own eyes. Then it hit him. "Let thy soul feel the wages sin pays." chanted Kona, and the Judgement spell activated. It would definately take a toll on Veronna's ability to fight with a clear mind. If it worked, the spell would inflict a headache and nausea upon her.

Veronna was ready for Kona to block, so she had forced all she could into her right scimitar, which proved to work quite well, since Kona almost fell over as their weapons hit, the wonderful sound of metal on metal hitting her ears, a sound she cherished during a battle. She did not back away from him, continuing to push forward, though she was not as heavy as her chosen and he could most likely push her over if he tried, but no, instead he went with magic again. She would not deflect to spell, she wanted to see what it did to her. Even though she was a goddess, she was not immune to everything.

As he spoke the spells words she continued to push, but then it felt like a club had hit her over the head, making almost dizzy. The first thing that came to her mind was 'back away'. She listened to her instincts and pulled away as fast as she could from Kona, cursing him every step. Maybe she should have blocked his spell. Her stomach began to turn, but forced herself to hold it, trying to regain her balance that she had lost from backing up.

She forced her head to clear somewhat so she could watch Kona, hoping he didn't come at her right now. What was she thinking? Of course he would take this to his advantage. She had to move, now and fast. She pulled her scimitars in front of her, ready to block any incoming attacks, though she was slow to do so and Kona would have had time to hit her. Her head hurting and her stomach threatening to bring up her last meal, she tried to focus, completely underestimating Kona's power.

It worked! It worked it worked it worked! Nariwa Kona was nearly ecstatic inside. For the first time in his life he truly had an advantage over this one unconquerable foe. Of course, the rivalry was freindly, if you even wanted to call it that. Kona had studied for his whole life as a warrior, disciplining himself in the use of the sword. So good had he become that the Goddess of Blades herself had taken notice of him, and put him under her wing. He only became better. However, he never thought he would see the day that he might surpass her. But wait! Veronna was just that. A Goddess, immortal. Invincible to al but others of her kind, it seemed. Did she allow him to get in a shot on purpose? For what reason? It confused Konahomaru.

But that was a train of thought better left to another day, when he wasn't about to finally draw blood from Veronna. Wasting no more time, as he had wasted enough already, Konahomaru made his move. Veronna sluggishly brought her scimitars in front of her to defend herself, but too slow to bock anything. Her mind was clearly being racked with pain, and the Goddess' balance was certaintly off-kilter due to the nausea. She had only backed up a few steps, so the time to clear the distance would be negligible. Kona hopped towards Veronna, spun around, pushed off the ground and landed next to her. Stepping back and to the side, he was now behind her.

No for the close quarters weapons. Kona put the Lightning Blade and Force Blade in their sheaths, the Force Blade in it's place at the hip and the Lightning Blade on his back. From his wrists he drew the two masterwork daggers he always had on his person. Kona had fashoined special sheaths for them to fit on his wrists, concealed under his sleeves so that he could draw them easily. Taking his right and slightly stronger arm, he wrapped his arm around Veronn'a neck and pointed the dagger diagonally, towards the artery at the base of her neck. With his left hand, he threatened the sever her spinal cord at the lower back. "Do you surrender?" asked Kona, full well knowing that chances were Veronna would find some way out of the situation. If she tried to escape, he had no qualms about severing her spinal cord and disabling her legs. But going for a killing blow was another thing. Could it even be done? Would she simply heal or laugh off the wound? Now was the time he found out.

Damn. She thought as her head began to clear and her stomach settle down. She felt the cool steel of a dagger just barely touching her neck, while she felt another at her back. He had indeed gotten better, she had underestimated his magic abilities and had paid for it. When he asked if she would surrender, she began to think of how to get out of this situation with out using magic. She could take the daggers, both in neck and back, though it would hurt, it would not kill her. Now if she used magic she would be able to get out of this no problem, but she did not want to.

There was not many ways for someone to escape from this hold, and it would be smart to give up and throw down her blades. But there had to be a way. For the first time in her life she didn't know what to do. Kona was strong. Stronger then herself, mostly because he was bigger then her.

Okay. There was a dagger at her throat, and another at her back. She could take one or the other, she would not choose both. If the one at her back went in, it would sever her spine and make her fall and it would take a little while for her to walk. While the one at her neck would cause her to bleed quite a bit, which didn't matter really, she couldn't die by loss of blood by a mortal weapon. But it could cause her to loose focus on the battle at hand, for she would still need to heal after it. Also, going forward would be harder then back.

Veronna slowly placed her left leg a little in front of her and let her weight fall to her right leg which was slightly bent. She then had to move fast. She threw all her weight which was in her right leg, to her back and against Kona. But as she did this she felt the dagger push in, even if he didn't push it. The pain went up and down her spine, making her grit her teeth with the pain. As she threw her weight, she had dropped her scimitars and reached up with her hands and grabbed Kona's arm which held the dagger to her throat, pushing it away from her. Hopefully she would have made him fall unto his back, along with her on top of him, and then she would have an advantage. Or would she?

Veronna stood still for a moment, considering her options. She was planning something. What if she used a spell? That would not be too comfortable of a situation, that much was for sure. Then again, she didn't enjoy using spells period. Probably why most of her matches were blades only. Just what was she capable of? Konahomaru would soon find out, as he felt the muscles in her body begin to work against him. The masterwork dagger at her spine pushed in, past his skin, and did it's damage. Without him even moving. She impaled herself on him? What kind of crazy... Nariwa Kona soon felt her hand grip his arm and pull it away from her neck. She was certaintly tough, and Kona respected her more for that.

Trying to force the knife back into her neck would only result in a pointless struggle. Even though Konahomaru was indeed stronger than her, and would be able to push it back into her throat, she would find a way out by then. Kona would have to act quick to keep her under wraps. Then the Goddess threw her weight against Kona, something he did not expect. Two blue dots appeared, one in each eye, revealing his surprise. Something that the Goddess of Blades was capable of doing to Konahomaru on a regular basis. The knife in her back began to tear even worse wounds as the pair fell on the ground.

Veronna was on top of Konahomaru, and he now knew accurately how much weight she really had. Light in comparison to him, but not a feather either. The impact pushed air out of his lungs, and he grunted when he hit the ground. Kona's dagger was still lodged in her back, so Kona gripped it and began to pull up. Gutting her from the backside. The dagger would only be able to work up as far as the last rib, but it would still do quite a bit of damage. The fall had broken his grip around her neck, and he desperately tried to get his other weapon to her neck again.

Veronna forced a painful smile as she felt Kona loose his balance and fall. She felt the dagger in her back rip at her more and more, causing more pain and blood. When they landed she felt Kona start to pull the dagger out. Thank goodness. She thought. She had let go of his arm when they had hit the ground because he had lost control of it and he had let go of her neck.

She had to move now, or she could end up in the same position she had been in a moment ago. She couldn't move to well, and if she was not wounded she would have flipped herself around and pin him down. But she did not have her scimitars and she was bleeding. Badly. She forced her body forward then into a roll, back towards her scimitars. As she rolled her back finally gave out from to much stress at the end of the roll. She found herself supporting her upper half with her arms, her legs unwilling to work for her. At least one thing was good. She had rolled right to her weapons.

She couldn't believe she was loosing. For the first time in almost twenty years. She knew now, what Kona was capable of while using all his strength. She should have had him use magic in front of her before this, then she would have known his power. She started to cough, and blood came with it, splattering the ground below her. She couldn't waste any more time. She had to act. But her arms were the only things supporting her, and if she reached out for one of her swords, she would most likely fall to the ground. She should heal, it would be the smartest thing to do, but the battle was not over, and she would have to make it through without any healing powers. She would not die by the lose of blood, or the wounds, but it affected her fighting.

She knew Kona would be regaining himself soon, so she put all her support into her right arm and reached out to one of her scimitars with her left hand. Her fingers wrapped around it. She hoped Kona would not attack right away, but what would prevent him not too? He almost had her beat, and she had a feeling he would not stop.

As Veronna scrambled over to her scimitars, Konahomaru was looking for the dagger he had previously placed in her backside. It was no longer in is left hand, but it wasn't still lodged in her back either. A shame that his ancillary weapons did not call out to him. When the fight was over he would have to search for it in the dust and grass that covered the ruins. Veronna now had a hold on a defensive possiblity, even though it was a weak one. To the end. What a fighter. Konahomaru smiled at his master and freind, and then sheathed the dagger in his right hand.

"You are certaintly too stubborn for your own good Master. I could easily destroy your physical body and force you to create a new one..."
said Kona, trailing off to let the words sink in. "But I like the beautiful body you already inhabit. Kona walked up to Veronna, and cast the Moment of Silence spell. A holy aura filled the area. It would prevent anyone from making hostile actions of any kind towards another.

Kneeling next to his Goddess, Kona reach out a hand and touch hers, hoping to get her to lower it. His other hand reach over to her bloodied back, which was nearly ripped in half from her hips to her last rib. Running his hand along the wound, he used the Bless spell. Holy energy surged into the wound and stopped the bleeding, then sealed the laceration. It wasn't poweful enough to heal beyond that extent, but it would do nicely for the moment. "All I wanted to accomplish was draw blood from you. The Goddess of Blades losing in a fight to her apprentice is impossible, afterall. At least, with respect, I would hope so. Shall we move on to archery?"

As Veronna's hand closed around the hilt of the scimitar she heard what Kona said. Stubborn. Of course she was, it was what got her through the Underdark, then the surface. Now she no longer had to rely on it as much, but during a battle she always had the tendency to keep going until her body no longer allowed. She wondered if Kona could destroy this body. It would be interesting to find out, but maybe for another day.

She sensed him walk up beside her and she tensed, her hand gripping the sword tighter, her eyes flashing a bright red. She felt the spell he cast and cursed him for it, though she could break through it as if it were paper. Something deep down told her to keep fighting, never to give up, the battle could be hers if she made him think she was giving up. No. Why was she thinking like that again? Those kind of thoughts had not been in her mind for several months, if not more then a year. They were dark thoughts, ones she had accepted and could control, but she almost gave into them, until Kona placed a hand on hers, the one which held the scimitar.

At first she fought it, but then slowly lowered it and let go. This was the right way, she would not deceive him, though the thought had occurred. She felt him try and heal her wound to some extent, but she only smiled when he just stopped the bleeding. She had known Kona's goal to draw blood from her for since ever. Veronna found what he said true. She could not loose. Not yet. She would have had several other things up her sleeves if the fight continued, and if it came down to it she would have used magic.

Veronna closed her eyes as she sat up, and when she opened them they were glowing, like how they always were when she used magic. Her back slowly piecing itself back together, bones cracking as they were put back into place, the flesh knitting itself together like threads in a tapestry. When her back was fully healed she let out a breath of air she did not realize she had been holding. Her eyes went back to normal as she looked down at the ground, realizing using magic took more out of her then she had thought.

The breeze was cool on her back since healing it did not mend the tunic or shirt. She did not care much about her clothes getting ruined, she always had spares at home. She reached out again to grab her scimitars. She grabbed the close one and sheathed it. Then stood and walked a couple paces forward and grabbed her other blade and put it away.

She then looked up and smiled at Kona, "You did very well, and if I am not careful you may beat me one of these days." Her smile was soft and calm, no jealousy or anger hidden in it from loosing. Before she could say more, she heard Vaoulrah crying and looked in her direction. "Excuse me for a moment, she is probably hungry. Would you mind waiting for a little while?" She did not wait for a reply, as she turned and started walking to where she had left her cloak and other weapons.

She bent down and picked Vaoulrah up slowly, hushing her as she pulled her close. She found a big enough piece of rubble and sat down on it, rocking Vaoulrah. She reached out with a free hand and grabbed her cloak which she had taken off. She pulled it around her and her daughter as she started to feed Vaoulrah.

Naria Konahomaru studied carefully the spectacle before him. Hoping to learn something out of this new event. The only other time Kona was aware of Veronna having used magic was when she resurrected him. He didn't remember that event in it's entirety though. The details were hazy, and it bothered him every time he tried to recall it. Her eyes glowing that dark red and the magic she used to seal up her wound and heal it completely dwarfed Kona's own healing abilities. Amazing, he thought to himself. What other things was she capable of? The possibilities were, well, possibly endless.

"You did very well, and if I am not careful you may beat me one of these days."
Konahomaru's eyes went from white to showing the two tell-tale blue rings. Except, this time he was not surprised. No, Konahomaru was filled with elation at being praised by Veronna. Kona smiled a wide grin back at Veronna. Then Vaoulrah started to cry out. Kona turned to look, ready for action, and saw that there was no agitator. "Excuse me for a moment, she is probably hungry. Would you mind waiting for a little while?"

Konahomaru knew nothing about childcare, so he didn't suspect that the girl was asking for food. "Of course Master. Take as much time as you need." replied Kona, and he assumed a gentlemanly position, hands folded over each other behind his back. To pass the time, he took in the surroundings in a little greater detail, his eyes flitting inconspicously from object to object in the ruins.

After about ten minutes Vaoulrah started to doze of. Veronna smiled at the child as she slowly placed her in the sling she wore around her shoulder. She pulled her cloak off, exposing her back to the cold breeze which blew through the ruins. She placed the cloak around Vaoulrah again, making a slight wall to prevent the breeze from touching Vaoulrah.

Veronna grabbed her quiver and slung it around her shoulder. She then grabbed her long bow with her left hand and stood. She turned to Kona, who looked like he was waiting patiently. She walked up to him, "I am warning you, I am not that good with the bow anymore, so do not be ready to be impressed." She gave him a sideways smile, "But who knows, maybe it will all come back to me."

She reached up and drew an arrow from the quiver and placed it on the string of her bow. She stepped away from Kona, scanning the area for a target. She then raised the bow and pulled the string back when she spotted a small tree nearby, the tree no bigger around then five inches. She placed her sight along the arrow and let go of it. It flew and hit the tree in the middle. She shrugged then looked back at Kona, "It's a little close, maybe if there was a target a little farther away..." She again started looking around the ruins, but was unable to fine anything an arrow would stick, considering most of the rubble around was stone.

She frowned, "I guess we could have found a better place to practice this." She drew another arrow and placed it on the string and drew it back, making it look like she was going to aim at the tree again, but right before she let it go she glanced at Kona and turned and sent the arrow flying past his right ear and shoulder, just barely missing him. If he didn't move.

((OOC: Hee hee, you clever devil. :D ))


Konahomaru turned to look at his teacher when she started to speak again. Not that good with the bow anymore? It probably wasn't a problem. As far as Konahomaru knew, she was proficient with every weapon invented. Or at least thats what he though. It was one of the reasons he admired her so much. To have that much skill, that sheer discipline. A mastery over the body. Veronna was the complete and perfect example of it. She knocked her arrow and began searching for a target to hit, as did Kona himself.

While Veronna had set her sights on a tree, and then another thing, Kona was lost in his own search. There weren't very many things an arrow would hit, and stick around for. Lots of stone, and dirt. A few small trees of course... The only thing worth hitting around here was either him or her, and Konahomaru now began to wonder if she would turn the bow on him. Even though he had dodged his fair share of arrows, most of them were coming from the sky and the archer was several hundred yards away. They were easy to dodge that way.

In number, you were always bound to get struck at least once though. Konahomaru remembered that when he was fighting for Taras against an orc army, he had gotten an arrow in the back. It was furiously annoying and painful, and distracted him long enough for a orc wielding a spear to put it through his shoulder. That was not a fun thing to happen to say the least.

Turning to confirm that there 'were no good targets', Kona saw Veronna pointing the arrow right at him and letting go of the string. Konahomaru had thought of the possibility, but her actually doing it was an entirely different matter. Dodge? Take it? shield of Faith? Those were the only three options. Using the shield meant the arrow could glance off and hit the child. If Master surmised he would dodge, she would have put the arrow on an off course. There was no real way of telling where it was headed. By now, it was too late. The arrow was not inches from his head when it seemed to whiz right past his ear. The feathers at the end brushed it, and the whole sham made him absolutely annoyed. Kona said nothing, and just gave his master an irked look. "I... You know... agh! Let me see that thing! You almost killed me Master! I could have been missing an eye and I wouldn't have been able to defend Taras as well, and then I would have to wear a stupid eye patch!" replied the upset celestial, beginning to march towards Veronna with his hand out ready to steal away the bow.

The arrow flew by Kona's ear, and Veronna raised an eyebrow, surprised he did nothing to prevent it, for she had seen him going over different options in his head, but was not fast enough to do anything about it. She then let a full face grin on to her face when Kona became irritated and annoyed with her as he said something about loosing an eye and such, she was not sure what he all said, being way to amused with his emotions.

It was hard for her to hold back the laughter when he came marching towards her, his hand extended, expecting to take the bow from her, which made her wonder if he would actually forcefully take it. But before he came withing three feet of her, she had pulled out another arrow from the quiver and had placed it on the bow's string and drew it back, pointing it directly at Kona's heart, her stance strong and firm, her hand near her ear but not moving a muscle, almost like she was a statue, the only thing moving was her chest as she breathed slowly, her eyes fixed along the arrow, the smile still spread across her face.

"I would not get any closer if I were you, Kona, for this time, if I let the arrow fly, it would pierce your heart." her fingers tightened a little. "Do you really believe I would have hit you? Do you distrust me that much? Do you think the Goddess of Blades would accidentally shoot you?" She let the arrow fly, adjusting it's position slightly so it flew by his left side, between his arm and rid cage. She then grabbed another arrow instantly and drew it back, aiming it at his heart again, the gap between grabbing the arrow and drawing it back taking only a couple seconds to do so, leaving Kona hardly any time to do anything.

Nariwa Konahomaru drew a sharp breath. He expected Veronna to either laugh at his folly or reprimand him, but not to threaten his life. His arm froze, along with the rest of his body, when her words left her mouth and crashed into him like a train. But she was still smiling while she said it! Such confusions all of a sudden, what was there to do? Normally he would have known, or at least, thought of something to do. Now there was an arrow not three feet away ready to run him through.

There was still hope though. Now that he had closed range, the chances of an arrow hitting Vaoulrah were near null. The Sheild of Faith option was still on open one. Then again, he could just cast the Moment of Silence spell again. But she could easily dispell that, if she so desired. He noticed the last time he did it, the concept of being unable to make any hostile manuver irked her. Was she playing a game with him? It was hard to tell, normally Konahomaru was able to sense a being's motives...

Veronna fired an arrow, and it passed between his raised arm and rib cage. His eyes widened. A warning shot? ""Do you really believe I would have hit you? Do you distrust me that much? Do you think the Goddess of Blades would accidentally shoot you?", said Veronna. Those words were significant, because the provided a non-violent way out. "Please forgive me master, but, distrust implies one suspects intentional harmful actions from another. I was worried about my life, not out of distrust, but, you did mention that your archery skills might not be up to par."

Kona slowly knelt to his knees to show submission. It was quite a rash thing to do, in retrospect. Not a good idea. This was different, this rashness. Something new about Konahomaru that he hadn't had before. Nariwa was becoming worried. He had not spoken in some time. Now he decided would be a good time to do so. "Even if the Goddess had struck you, what would you be able to say about it, oh servant? You should have held your tongue." the celestial scolded.

Veronna lowered the bow when Kona went one to his knees. She was surprised by his actions, not meaning to make him feel bad or anything. She was playing with him, she liked to mess with people, to confuse them, but Kona still had not grasped that entirely. She placed the arrow back in the quiver and walked those few feet and crouched down to his level, her eyes scanning his.

"Everyone wishes to protect their lives at any cost, but trust must come first, for your life will sometimes be in the hands of your friends." She placed her right hand on his left cheek, "I am a friend, and all I ask of you is to trust me." She smiled softly at him and moved her hand onto her knee, ready to rise, but before doing so she added one more thing, "I don't know if I have told you this, but my name is Veronna, not master." Her smile broadened with that last bit as she stood up.

She walked a few steps away, then drawing another arrow, but not placing it on the string of the bow quite yet. She was thinking. Her mind not staying on one single subject for long. She placed the arrow on the string and pulled it back, aiming it upwards, towards the sky. She let go of it and it went up and up, and then turned downwards and came falling back to the earth, towards the tree she had already hit once. The arrow's metal head struck in to one of the trees small limbs. She shrugged slightly, not very impressed, but better then it could have been. She looked over her shoulder at Kona, to see if he had gotten up yet, wondering if she should ask a question that had been on her mind as of late.

Konahomaru took a deep, slow, quiet breath, waiting for his fate. He felt Veronna draw closer, and soon, she was face to face with him looking him eye to eye. Konahomaru couldn't help but peer into her eyes. His own traced a path from her eyes, to her cheekbon, her mouth, and down to the ground. Then up again, he couldn't not look back at her. It was too hard, something was stopping him. It nearly frightened Kona, but for some reason, whenever his eyes met hers, he was calmed. And frightened again when he looked away. Eventually, his gaze locked with hers.

Veronna reached up and touched his cheek, something she had never done before. A sign of affection, it made the celestial warm inside. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, just barely noticable. All was well. "I dont know if I have told you this, but my name is Veronna, not Master." she said. She smiled wide at him, and then stood up. Konahomaru smiled too. When she walked away, though, the smile quickly faded and Kona was knocked free of the spell he was under. Or was it a spell? He stared at her form as she drew an arrow, fired into the air.

Kona watched the arrow reach it's peek, and then descend. It was headed for the small tree. What would it strike? Was she going to hit the center? No. The arrow found purchase in one of the even thinner limbs. Konahomaru was deeply impressed, and he stood up. "Veronna... that was amazing." me muttered, and simply stood there. Not sure what else to say or to do.

Veronna turned towards Kona when he stood, "why thank you." She said, smiling at his comment. But then her gaze went to the ground and her features became serious and almost dark as she brought her eyes to look at him again. "I don't know how to ask this, so I will just say it. I am being called by a different land for help. They have been at war for several years and wish for it to stop." She put the bow over her shoulder, then turned away from her chosen. "I intend to go, but it would please me greatly if you were accompany me, along with three hundred men and women from Taras." She looked back at him, hoping he would come with her, knowing she would need someone there who understood her, someone to be second in command.

Veronna knew Ocar would not be able to go. Someone had to stay and take care of Vaoulrah while she was gone. She had not yet told Ocar, knowing he would disagree greatly with her and insist that he should go. But she would not let him. She did not know how long she would be gone for. It very well could be years. But this was something she had to do. These people were calling to her and she would answer, even if they did not know who they were praying to.

She hoped Imythess would be alright without her for a while. But no one had tried anything for a while, and there were at least two other gods to watch out for the land, one she trusted, even though he had worked for Ranewen before becoming God of Air. She would miss Imythess, but she had never left the land, and seen other places. It almost excited her to go and see these lands. She knew Ocar came from a different land, but she had never gone with him, for her duties were always here. But now she must go. Or the two countries waring with each other could eventually reach Imythess.

Nariwa Konahomaru noticed the change in her demeanor and tone almost immediatly. She had to say something serious. Kona began to listen intently. He cast suspicions out the door, as often times, suspicions about one might say often clouded what it is they actually were saying. "I don't know how to ask this, so I will just say it. I am being called by a different land for help. They have been at war for several years and wish for it to stop."

Veronna paused for a moment, taking her bow and slinging it over her shoulder.
"I intend to go, but it would please me greatly if you were accompany me, along with three hundred men and women from Taras." ; It was all quite a bit to take in. Konahomaru was not familiar with the neighboring lands, although he had travelled through them, it was in haste as he was escaping the machinations of an old arch-enemy. Two nearby countries at war, wishing to have peace. Not only that, but there was the possibility that the war would spill over into Imythess itself. Imythess had been a refuge for so many so long, it would be a shame to see that happen.

And, his heart was with Veronna when it came down to things. The two were true companions, and had seen times good and bad together. What had he here to leave behind? A hero's legacy? What use was that when it came to mortality anyhow... Kona looked straight in Veronna's own eyes and replied "Were you go I shall go, were you sleep, I shall stand watch, and I will die at your side again and again without question Veronna."

A pledge to his undying loyalty. "What lands are in need of our help?"