It was most definitely not a good day.

Ril stood in the center of a large training hall. Along the walls of the room there were racks and racks of various weaponry. Many were made of wood and looked nothing like their metal counterparts and were obviously made for sparring. However, there were several racks that were filled with real weaponry.

But that was not what had caught Ril’s attention.

In the center of the large room, three inline sparring rings filled with sand that were partially indented into the ground stood. One of the sparring rings was occupied by Zed, a young man which Ril had been introduced to earlier.

He was a lanky individual, wearing loose fitting robes with a quarterstaff in hand, but he wasn’t training. He stood still in the exact center of the sandy ring with a dismayed look on his face. Ril would have immediately dismissed him if not for the unruly silver hair that he had.

No, Ril’s attention was focused on the far wall, where the racks of real weapons were being held. Beside the rack, a disturbingly familiar figure stood, caressing the sharpened steel with loving fingers.

“My lovelys. Nice and sharpened. How absolutely wonderful.”

Saddie gave a lovelorn sigh, then turned her gaze to the two boys. Zed flinched visibly, clutching his quarterstaff defensively in front of him.

“W-wh-why ar-are you he-here?” He stammered. “Master S-Saddie”

“We have a new recruit, Zed! It’s just so wonderful! I can’t wait to test his abilities out.” Saddie strutted forward, clapping her hands excitedly. “Oh right, Zed, Ril, Ril this is Zed. You two are going to be training together for the time being. A lovely arrangement, but unfortunately not what we are doing today.

“Today, Zed, you are going to be practicing your staff forms over there in the corner somewhere.” Saddie waved dismissively to the side of the room, then she turned to Ril with a cheshire grin on her face. “But Ril, you will work with me. We are going to need to figure out what your power can do.”

Ril gulped. “Uhm, I am not comfortable with this arrangement, could I just tell you what my powers are and then can I join, uhm, Zed over there in the corner. He can teach me to use that stick. I haven’t ever learned to fight with that weapon.”

Ril glanced desperately at the other student, but Zed had already disappeared to the other side of the room, swinging his staff in a dizzying series of attacks.

“No! It is important to know the limits of one's powers before you use them out in the field” Saddie said, licking her lips delightfully, “Don’t worry! It will be fun!”

Ril gulped and took a hesitant step back, considering whether he should try running away.

“Now! Let’s begin.” Saddie clapped her hands again, “Your main ability, the one that you are using right now, what is it called?”

She gestured towards the two Rils standing in front of her. They looked at each other fearfully, before the right one responded. “Mirror Form.”

“How does it work I wonder. I saw some of what you can do back when you were playing tag with Sio.” Saddie walked up to the right clone who looked like he was regretting speaking up first.

When she was standing right in front of the clone she raised a single immaculate fingernail and placed it on his cheek. Ril felt her hot breath on his ear as she whispered into his ear. “I wonder.”

Ril gulped, unable to back away from the entrancing women.

Belatedly, Ril realized that her blood red painted nails were sharpened.

Then Saddie smiled beautifully and kissed him on the cheek. Then she dragged her sharpened nail along his cheekbone, leaving behind a ragged bleeding cut.

“Arghh.” Ril stumbled back clutching his bleeding face. Saddie had cut deep, nearly all the way through his cheek.

“So you still feel pain. That’s just so...Perfect!” Saddie giggled, clapping her hands like an overexcited school girl. Ril resummoned his clone so that the cut disappeared and he glared at the woman, backing away further.

“What was that for?” Ril shouted.

“Oh don’t be that way.” Saddie pouted. “Or else I’ll have to tie you up to conduct more testing.” She wasn't particularly sad as she said those words.

“Testing? Dear god woman, just ask. What do you want to know about my power?”

Saddie tapped a sharpened nail on her red lips thoughtfully, but then she smiled, “Well how much mana did it cost to repair that scratch?”

“Not much, why?”

“How much is not much?” Saddie smiled, “Can you heal your clone when it isn’t injured?”

“Uhm, sure, why?” Ril replied, wary. He had fallen into a combat crouch instinctively, watching Saddie from two angles as his clone backed away from the two to ensure an escape route.

“Well? Do it! Don’t keep me waiting.”

A barely perceptible flicker ran over the clone as Ril resummoned it in place. Saddie narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, I knew it. The regeneration is visible, if barely.” She murmured to herself, then she perked up, visibly hopping up and down several times as she smiled at Ril. “And how much mana did that cost to do?”

“About the same.” Ril said carefully, “What else do you want to know?”

In the back of his head he actually appreciated the testing. He was long overdue to better understand his abilities, and figure out any secrets his power contained.

He did want to explore his power. But not like this. Not with her. He didn’t trust Saddie any farther than he could throw her, and he would much rather test this out with...literally anyone else.

“Does the mana cost increase at all?” Saddie asked curiously.

“Maybe, but not for small-- Arghh!” Ril stumbled back grabbing at his dismembered arm. He missed, and it fell wetly onto the sandy floor. Staining the ground with an ever increasing circle of silver. Tears fell from his eyes as his clone recovered.

“Near instant recovery. How wonderful! How expensive was that recovery? More or less the same or higher than the previous two?” Saddie lifted up her whip which had materialized in her arm. The end was covered in silver blood.

“More,” Ril groaned. “Definitely more.” He felt that there was a noticeable barrier to recovering his clone.

“Hmm, it seems that you get incapacitated by the pain though. We will need to increase your pain tolerance, but I’m getting ahead of myself. How much more mana did healing the arm take?”

Ril winced, rolling his reattached shoulder. The dismembered limb was still leaking on the ground. For some reason, Ril couldn’t take his gaze off of it.

“Uhm, well. More. I don’t know. It’s like I have to push against a wall to resummon the clone. This time it was harder. I don’t really have a frame of---.” Ril’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

This time he caught the flash of the whistling whip as it tore into him. He screamed and closed his eyes tight. Unwilling to know how much damage had been done to his clone by the crazy ladies whips. He forced his will against the wall in his mind, which was significantly tougher to bypass this time around.

“What about now? How much mana did that take?”

Ril put his hands on his knees, sweat dripped down his forehead, nausea bubbled in his stomach from the remembered pain. “Even more.” He said after a moment.

“Mana investment scales with physical damage. Absolutely wonderful to know.” Saddie said, then she tapped her lips thoughtfully. “I wonder...”

Ril paled. “What?”

Saddie didn’t respond. Instead she walked over to the wall of the room and picked up an armful of leather practice armor. At least three sets. None of which were complete. She dumped them in front of Ril.

“Put those on.” she said, before turning around and going to the far wall again. This time she picked up an armful of weaponry and brought them back to Ril. “Those too. Come on we don’t have all day.”

Ril eyed the armor. There were at least three helmets and no pants in the pile. Instead of arguing he decided that the easiest path would be to just roll with it, and if he was in any actual danger he would run.

He donned the armor, feeling completely ridiculous at the ill fitting armor. Six short swords were strapped haphazardly across his body, and a large tower shield was held gingerly in both hands, since it was too large and heavy for him to hold with one arm.

“Ok now, heal!” Saddie commanded imperiously gesturing, but there was a lighthearted smile on her face.

Ril resummoned his clone, surprised that this time there was some noticeable effort even though he wasn’t injured. The clone materialized with all of the various ill-fitting armor that Ril had donned previously.

“Fascinating. By your face, that was more difficult than just an uninjured recovery. Which means that the mana cost doesn’t scale off of damage, but rather by how different you are to your clone.” Saddie frowned, clearly disturbed by something. “I wonder...”

She raised her whips in a flash of movement. Before Ril could even blink he felt a horrible nothingness as his perspective was wrenched back to his real body. He vomited as a wave of pain spread through him, the feeling of only one perspective disorienting after so much time.

He looked up through a film of tears as he saw Saddie rummaging through his corps. His head lay sightlessly several feet from where it should be. Ril closed his eyes and clamped down on the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him.

“Ahh, that makes sense. It’s not real.” Saddie said, lifting up his decapitated head and removing the topmost helmet before unceremoniously dropping the head with a splat.

Ril winced, but tore his gaze from his body, and focused on Saddie. “What’s not real?”

“Your body. Or anything on you.” Saddie said, demonstrating by tearing the hardened leather helmet as if it was made of tissue paper. The edges where it tore were black and crumbly. As if it was made of ash. “At least after it has died. It makes a lot more sense, since I don’t think there are any abilities out there that can just create new stuff like your can.”

Ril blinked. That was...interesting. Certainly not something that he would have figured out all on his own. He wouldn’t have killed his clone to try and figure that out. With a sigh, he pushed against the horribly tough wall in his mind to resummon his clone. Several moments later, it reappeared at his side.

Saddie refocused on him. “So not instant. It takes more time the more damaged the clone is. Very interesting. But not really consequential considering how fast it is in the grand scheme of things. How much mana did that cost?”

“A lot more.” Ril said tiredly. “It was at least twice as hard as when you chopped off my arm.”

“What other abilities do you have?” Saddie asked. Ril hesitated, not used to sharing something so personal.

"Oh come on. We need to know what you can do if we are going to trust you. Here, I'll tell you about some of my best skills, if it makes you uncomfortable." Saddie said impatiently, “I’ve got Rite of Sanguinary, Hemolytic Overdrive, Pain Reaver and...” she smiled, a twinkle in her eye, “Aspect of Anguish. That good enough for you?”

“What do those abilities do?” Ril asked, hastily committing Saddie’s words to memory.

“Nuh uh.” Saddie shook her head. “You’ll have to figure that out yourself, won’t you.”

“But that’s not fair, if I tell you my abilities you will know what they do, because unlike your abilities mine are self explanatory.”

“Tough,” Saddie grinned, “now spill.”

Ril deliberated for a moment, before telling her about his other abilities. However much he disliked Saddie, he agreed that if he planned on working with the White Lily it was important for them to understand his potential. Plus, he learned about a couple of supposedly rare skills from Saddie.

That did not mean that he told her everything, keeping Keen Mind, and Backstab to himself. Keen Mind because he thought the ability special and Backstab because he wasn’t proud of it.

“A wonderful collection you have. I see you upgraded Spark and Fade. How delightfully mundane! You should see about upgrading Snow to Ice and Darkvision to Darksight in your free time. But for now we have more important things to do.”

Ril nodded, filing away the information for later.

“How many more full recoveries can you do before you collapse?” Saddie asked gesturing for Ril to take off the mismatched armor, to which he gratefully complied. The armor was heavy and the sword belts dug into this skin.

Ril shrugged off of the leather tunic, “A couple, why?” he glared at her suspiciously.

“A couple, but not a lot.” Saddie surmised. “Let’s test out your combat skills. Come, join me. What is your favored weapon? A shortsword?”

Ril nodded hesitantly, then followed her to the center of one of the sand pits. She tossed to him a steel shortsword. Completely ignoring the variety of wooden practice swords that littered the walls. He caught it deftly before taking a stance.

His clone stepped up to his side, an exact copy of the shortsword held loosely in his hands.

“No just you, Your clone will be on the sidelines when you get hurt.” Saddie said, a smile growing on her face. She twirled a shortsword of her own in her hand as she confidently faced him.

Ril gulped. “When I get hurt?”

Saddie laughed delightfully. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” She crouched down into a battle stance, and prepared to charge forward.

Ril straightened. “Can we use wooden swords?” I don’t trust you not to bisect me for your own sick amusement. He left the second part of that sentence out.

“But that would take out all the fun of it!” Saddie pouted prettily. “And besides. How else are you going to get the Pain Tolerance skill if you only feel a itty bit of pain?”

Ril grudgingly returned to his crouched position.

Wooden weapons would still hurt...but whatever.

“You know what they say. What doesn’t kill only makes you stronger.” Saddie said happily, as she approached, sword first.

Behind them, Ril faintly heard Zed muttur. “What doesn’t kill you makes you wish you were dead.”

He couldn't properly acknowledge the bone chilling remark because he was immediately forced onto his back foot. Saddie charged him, her casual walk transforming in an instant into a full on charge. Wisps of red fog trailed her movements, horrid afterimages of her form seemed to scream in agony as they followed her form. Her arms twirled in a dizzying array of combinations, her blade lashing out in the most inopportune moments, causing Ril to reel back as cuts seemed to simply appear on his skin.

Ril ducked backwards, carefully controlling his footwork to prevent an unpleasant fall. Then he lashed out swinging his sword wildly to create some distance between himself and the instructor. Saddie danced backwards, a delighted laugh escaped her perfect lips as she immediately reengaged, punishing Ril as he regained his footing.

He deflected three lightning fast thrusts that would have disembowelled him if he had not twisted and delivered a hurried slash at Saddie’s ankles. She gave a little hop, cresting the blade with near perfect precision and causing her impressive assets to jiggle distractingly.

A blush began to creep up Ril's face, but was immediately suppressed as a Saddie pulled her sword lovingly across his throat. He choked as blood fountained. The acrid taste of blood clogged his nose, and filled his lungs. He coughed, falling backwards as little flecks of silver fell onto the sand. The acrid metallic flavor of blood was overpowered by the horrible need to breathe, and he coughed once more. It lasted but a moment before he healed his clone, and reoriented, still coughing instinctively even though his airway was clear.

“Focus!” Saddie sighed happily, a predatory grin enveloping her features, as she began to add a sashay into every movement. It seemed as if the last thing she wanted was for Ril to focus.

Once more she charged, chasing Ril across the sandy arena. Silver blood made the sand clump together and squelch unpleasantly under their feet.

Ril rolled forward, parrying her sword before leaning in to deliver a punch at her exposed wrist. At the same moment he reached out with his mind and Imprisoned her mana within her.

“Wonderful!” Saddie breathed out, but seemed otherwise unaffected by the ability. The red clouds continued to follow her and she continued to move impossibly fast.

Her arm swung back, propelled by Ril’s prior punch to send her into an elegant pirouette. Before she had even completed a single rotation, her entire body clenched, and her leg lashed out. Smashing into Ril’s sternum in a devastating show of force.

Ril left the ground. Flying for a brief moment as his arms windmilled and once more he coughed up blood. Then he slammed back into the sand with a bone jarring crash. The injury didn’t last long however, as he fell onto his back and did a combat role to pull himself back to his feet. Before Saddie could jump onto the offensive. Ril charged.

He feinted high, then pulled low. His blade swiping out like a viper ready to deal lethal injury, all pretense of this being a sparring match completely gone. Replaced by a fearful hunger to stop the maniac before he had to suffer further.

Saddie pulled back, blocking the strike on her crossguard, then spun around, ripping through Ril’s shoulder with a well placed drawing cut. Blood dribbled down Ril’s forearm but a moment after it appeared the cut faded away, not a scratch left in its wake.

Ril fell back, gritting his teeth against the pain, even after it was gone the aftershocks caused him trouble. Being hurt so badly was not something that his body was used to. Exhaustion warred against the adrenaline pumping through him, threatening to pull his feet out from under him, but he prevailed, lifting his blades defensively once more.

Crimson blades descended on him, arcs of silver coated steel pummeled his steel sword to the side. Barely, Ril managed to get his sword to intervene between himself and the vicious steel. Each time a heavy blow would redirect his blade, and force him to dodge backwards.

Blood dripped down his arm. It intercalated itself into his grip, causing his grip of the sword to slip in his grip.

Ril jumped backwards. Then he tossed his sword into the air, and healed his clone. A second blade appeared in its hand as it took the form of the bystander who watched the battle implacably.

The first blade fell down, and he caught it with his left hand. Then he crouched, both blades pointed at Saddie.

“Lovely!” she murmured. Her sword flicked forwards, searching for blood. Ril twitched to the side, causing the blade to narrowly miss, as he charged forwards, headless of the danger.

Both blades descended, One from above, and one laterally. Each likely to cause permanent injury or be lethal in their own right. Their bodies impossibly close as Ril’s charge had eschewed the normal distance combatants preferred.

Instead of a normal reaction, a tinkling laugh escaped her, and she bit her lip suggestively. In the moment before the blades landed, Ril clearly saw a single bead of blood well up between her perfect white teeth.

Then she blurred.

Red veins flashed across her visible skin before disappearing as fast as they came. Her body twisted, contorting impossibly as it spun around the blades unnaturally fast. His blades missed her by millimeters, and he stumbled forward as he desperately tried to arrest the momentum of his attack.

Saddie appeared behind him, then with almost loving care, she inserted her meter long length of sharpened steel into Ril’s kidney.

Ril screamed, both his forms collapsing as his vision darkened.

“I wonder, if you can recover if the blade is still inside of you?” Vaguely he felt Saddie cradle his dying clone from behind as she murmured sweet nothings into his ear.

He ignored her. Fighting the pain for all he was worth.

He launched himself, against the wall in his mind. It pushed against him, sucking up mana like a glutton as he tried to force it to reconstruct his clone. Heal his injury. Make the pain go away.

“Oho. It’s coming out. How exquisitely marvelous!” She whispered to him as she pressed her body against his, wedging the sword in the wound, and inducing another wave of pain to overwhelm Ril.

Ril shoved his mana at the wall in his mind. Near feral from pain. Then as suddenly as it had come, the pain vanished and a fresh clone materialized next to Ril’s side. Both collapsed, exhausted and traumatized from the experience.

Saddie tsked.

“Pity.” She said, dumping the lifeless clone unceremoniously. It collapsed bonelessly, blood gushing from the open wound on its stomach. Saddie flicked her blade, an arc of silver blood flew into the air and fell upon them as she smiled happily.

Her front was liberally covered in his blood, making her look like she had stepped out of a pool of molten silver. Her clothes stuck to her figure as she sashayed over to Ril’s forms, then she crouched down so that her head was parallel to his.

“You are absolutely the most perfect training partner ever! That was so much fun, let’s do it again.” she said as she stuck a single gore covered finger into her mouth.