♣ - Is your muse particularly merciless or do they leave their opponents relatively whole after a fight? Why? - Jak!
It depends, really, but when it comes down to it, Saerno is indeed quite merciless. When engaging more ‘normal’ combatants, Saerno seeks only to incapacitate, making sure they cannot continue in their actions. However, in facing enemies he knows to be entirely malicious, or those he has a personal vendetta against, he aims to not only maim, but to kill. There are no ‘last words’ when it comes to Saerno, you either speak to avoid the fight entirely, or end up never saying anything at all.
“Mercy is inefficient, torture is pointless, and second guesses land you in the sixth fulm underground. If they or I truly wished to avoid death’s toll, then we would’ve had a wonderful meal prior to this, one with a deadly battle of wits and words... And maybe a spot of dessert on the side. Quite riveting, wouldn’t you say, especially when compared to the barbaric art of brawling?”
Luo Qiang only draws his blade in defense of others and his principles, never has he raised it as a means of enacting violence. Even when dealing with malevolent beings, the swordsman has only gone as far as spilling their blood; never has he taken a life. To the Yanxian, there is nothing more sacred than the gift of life, and to take such a thing away is the task of a reaper, not of a farmer boy like himself. Even if it were his role, he could never bring himself to follow through. Death is a being that should come when one is ready and willing, not when they have so much more to do. The denial of this right to life is something that Luo Qiang will never be at peace with.
“Mercy... It is what many should treat others with. Death is no lesson, but wounds serve as a reminder, and one’s defeat is a sign they have more to aspire towards. It is the right of no one to judge what one’s life is to be worth, for only the self can determine that. This all reminds me of a saying I read about moons ago... ‘A soul severed early ever wanders, but a soul laid to rest is one that may yet spark life’.”