[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/L4JY57Ms/Leon-Banner.jpg[/img][/center]
[hr][center][h2][u]A Reason to Fight[/u][/h2]
Mentions: Talkan [@Grimnir], Roslyn [@Fallenreaper], & Kaureerah [@Force and Fury][/center]

[hider=A letter to Nonna]
Dear Nonna,

I hope this letter finds you well, wherever you may be. I have been having a wonderful time at the Trials. Being able to reunite with old friends and make some new ones in Ersand’Enise has been a wonderful time. I met a Hegelan named Talkan. I went out drinking with him and my trials team. What a fun night. Although, I’m sure he was watering down his drinks. Because he seemed sober the whole night from what I can recall. 

Another was a girl named Roslyn. I could tell she was a nice girl and had a kind heart. But she was rather troubled by some recent events. I think you can already guess how I helped her. That ragu recipe you gave me when I first left for the city. I have to thank you for it, it really does help every ailment.

Lastly, I met an Eeiako named Kaureerah. I first saw her at a concert of mine when she started singing during my performance. I’ve never had someone do that, at least, not with a beautiful singing voice like hers. I think you two would make for good friends. I do plan on bringing her to the caravans at some point. I will warn you that you may need to pay extra attention to what she is saying. But it is always sweet.

It has been a wonderful time over here. But, to my regret, it isn’t the reason why I’m writing. I’m not coming back to the caravans Nonna. Not for the time being at least. I can’t ignore what is going on in the world while I have the ability to change it.

Today I split up a fight between two boys. One was of a noble birth while the other seemed common. The worker boy had rushed the other but quickly began losing the fight. I was glad I could stop it before it got too bloody. The noble boy planted the worker into the ground with kinetic magic and ran.

I asked the common boy, his name was Baccio, why he had fought the other. He told me that the noble had killed his father. There was a big marketplace fire here within the last year and apparently, he was one of the ones responsible for it. I asked him why he didn’t tell the authorities, he said he did. I asked him why nothing had happened, and he spat. Then I asked him why he would fight when he had no chance of winning against a mage. He asked me if he had any other choice. I couldn’t answer him, Nonna.

I have always avoided fights. I always thought that no matter the situation, there was a better option than fighting. But at that moment, I couldn’t stick beside my beliefs. The reason I left Ersand’Enise was because I didn’t want to fight in pointless wars and bloodshed. But maybe they weren’t pointless and maybe the reason I left is because I didn’t have a reason to fight. You all would be safe no matter what I chose, so I could pick the easiest option.

But I don’t know how long I can choose that. I’m not blind to what is happening around me. There are refugees here fleeing a distant but approaching war and I can see another one for Revidia on the horizon. I’m afraid that life on the road will quickly come to a halt if that happens.

I hope you can down upon us and see the peaceful caravans living how they please, just as you remember them. I have a reason to fight and that is for you. I won’t become a killer, I refuse to take a life. But I will fight for peace here so that I can one day come back and know that I have done all I can to keep us safe.

With love forever,
Leon
[/hider]


[hider=A letter to the Doge]
Dear Doge,

I hope this letter finds you well. 

I have returned to Ersand’Enise. I apologize for my rudeness in leaving. But I needed to do it. You provided me with the origins of my birth and I simply went to find them. But that is beside the point of this letter.

I wish to see the approaching war stopped. In the hopes you carry a similar sentiment, I simply ask you. What do you wish of me?

Reliability is not something I can promise. But I seek peace and I won’t stop until I see that fulfilled.

I do not wish for anything from you. I am happy with all I have, I wish for nothing of personal gain.

You need not promise me anything for I cannot promise anything in turn. But this does not mean I can't be of use. Give me a direction, a way to stop the tides of war, and I will pursue it relentlessly.

So with that in mind, I ask you once again. What do you wish of me?

My regards,
Leon Solaire
[/hider]


[hr][center][h2][u]Enter the Dragon[/u][/h2]
Interacts with: Laska [@Force and Fury][/center]
[center][h3][u]Perfect Pizza[/u][/h3][/center]

Leon rubbed his sore cheek which had just been pinched by the Nonna. She was impressed with the pizza, as he was certain of. But did she have to express it in such a physical way? Stupid question, the answer was yes.

He was a bit behind the leaders in the race. His fame, even with the Sun King persona, was a double-edged sword. He got fantastic deals on premium pizza ingredients but lost time and energy when the crowd swarmed him. He couldn’t keep his pace; it's not as though he could simply push them away.

Singers and Saints were still in a good position after the first inning and Leon was in no mind to slack about. He ran to the portal immediately and jumped through to tag in Ayla for the Plunge.

But that wasn’t the end of the race for the Sun King. No, it was just the beginning. He had an ulterior motive; to run the rest of the race alongside the teams and make sure every team completed it. The Trials were for fun after all. It wouldn’t be fun to be eliminated from them.

[center][h3][u]Mushroom Maze[/u][/h3][/center]

Leon had not expected to be using his magic this way, ever. When he came through the portal, someone had grown a dense wall of mushrooms right outside the entrance. He was sure that the Trial runner would have more foresight than this; it had to be cheating.

He spent the time doing slow controlled burns of the fungi and he was there a good while doing it. The leaders of the race had long since run out of view and by the time he made any strong progress destroying the blockade, only the lagging teams had yet to arrive.

It would be a while until Leon could catch up to spectate his team at this rate. But he reminded himself of his goal and carried forth.


Leon lost himself in the maze and stumbled across a contestant lying face-up on the ground with a half-eaten mushroom in their hand. The student only had their hands visible as they were mostly concealed by a large oversized green robe. Despite their state of twitching on the ground, the hood still hid their face generously. 

Leon thought about revealing their face but then remembered his rule. If someone has gone to these lengths to hide their face, it's because they are horrendously ugly. Best to keep their veil in place. It is the moral thing to do.

He hoisted the twitching body onto his shoulder determined to rescue them from the maze.

[color=39b54a]“What are you doing? Fool! I was spectating the future!”[/color] The student piped up in a gravelly and hateful voice while being run through the maze turbulently.

[color=fff200]“You can thank me later,”[/color] Leon replied with a jovial tone. [color=fff200]“You aren’t done with the race just yet.”[/color] 

[center][h3][u]Lost City[/u][/h3][/center]

Chaos greeted Leon as he entered the Lost City. Some great big thresher was spinning and thrashing around destroying everything. What made it extra terrifying was that he rode a leftover Perrench thresher with a dud fin. There were too many close calls to count. But there were also too many students with calls too close. Bodies of students knocked out and knocked off their threshers floated in the sub-aquatic city.

A kinetic mage who was painted green from the Green Meanies, a mage dressed like a lion mascot from Indomitable Lions, a foolish mage dressed in full plate armour from the Knights of Justice, and what looked like an Ersand’Enise guard all rode on the back of Leon’s thresher. He tried bringing them back to consciousness as they waited out the thresher rampage.

Afterward, he returned them to their threshers to continue the race.

[center][h3][u]Invasive[/u][/h3][/center]

Leon had a great time running around in the hot bamboo forest. Plenty of sun is all he could ask for.

There was no great distance to travel on this one. All of the teams ran around the same area, so he had plenty of ability to catch up to the front of the pack, despite how far back he was.

He caught up to Laska at the last minute following just behind her as she jumped through the final portal. The Singers and Saint had come first. Victory was theirs.

In his excitement, Leon ripped off the Sun King mask and slam-dunked it into the ground. He revealed to all of the spectators that this mysterious figure was the famed performer all along. What better time than on the victory podium for the Dragon.

Leon was not humble in victory. After finishing a brief victory dance, he ran up to Laska and hugged her. [color=fff200]“You did so well I could kiss you.”[/color] He didn’t. He made no indication of attempting it either. He instead releases the hug. [color=fff200]“That is a victory worthy of song. I’ll need to go get the others immediately.”[/color]

But it wasn’t immediate. He instead basked in the glow of victory a bit longer, then dashed off to find the rest of the team, turned a corner, and then just about passed out from exhaustion.


[hr]