Angelic Altercation

Leona was still feeling the effects of the burn, but Masha had just given her a fighting chance by taking one of Gabriella's swords out of play. Leona was not going to squander this chance. She caught Gabriella not completely paying attention to her and used a Crescent Cutter, hitting the angel and inflicting a gash on her arm.

"You will pay for that!" The angel promised as she nursed the wound. She moved to make good on that threat with her sword. She strode up to Leona and brought it down in a single-handed downward chop that the Silver Wolf mage avoided. Gabriella then rushed Leona, cutting her on the left forearm just below the Argent Glove. Leona recoiled.

"We are now even-" Gabriella smugly stated before she was cut off by a Wind Blast that knocked her backward. Gabriella angrily glared at the blonde. Leona was not going to sit back and be lectured by an angel who thought every visitor to her realm was a demon. She was also not inclined to listen to someone who wanted to murder Masha because of something beyond the redhead's control. Gabriella was getting a lesson in the perils of underestimating humanity.

The angry angel rushed Leona, but this time the mage was ready for it. She tripped the angel with a Lion's Tail Sweep and jumped back to avoid a stab attempt from the downed person. Gabriella jumped to her feet and was met with a Fast Ball to the face. Leona would keep pressure on the angel and not let her build up steam for an offensive.

Gabriella glowed red and pointed her sword at Leona. An expanding red dome caught Leona in its 15-meter radius and hurt her mildly, but the mage was still going strong. She had to keep going since both her life and Masha's depended on it. Leona closed in and dodged a stab, then hit back with a Mach Straight to Gabriella's face. The blonde followed up with a one-two sequence of punches to the stomach, upon which her opponent staggered backwards to put some space between them.

"You fight well... for a mortal." Gabriella gave a sort-of compliment to the blonde while twirling her sword in her hand. Leona kept quiet. What else could the angel throw at her?

Gabriella darted at her and made a two-handed diagonal slash that Leona narrowly avoided by stepping back. Unfazed by the narrow miss, the angel pressed her attack and caught Leona in the stomach with a punch. Gabriella followed up with a headbutt that made the mage stagger backwards and fall onto her back. Gabriella backed off and allowed Leona to stand up again.

Leona's head was spinning from the unexpected headbutt. That was an unexpected move and a good one for the situation. Leona just might have to try using it herself one day.

[Word Count: 480]
[Total Word Count: 8,156/7,000]
Gabriella's HP: 450/1,000 (-60 from Crescent Cutter, -60 from Wind Blast, -40 from Lion's Tail Sweep, -60 from Fast Ball, -80 from Mach Straight, -100 (50 x 2) from Leona's punches, -30 Bleed Damage from Crescent Cutter DOT)
Leona's HP: 332.5/500 (-37.5 from sword slash (50- 25% Physical Defense= 37.5), -15 from Purge (20- 25% Magic Defense= 15), -37.5 from punch (50- 25% Physical Defense= 37.5), -37.5 from headbutt (50- 25% Physical Defense= 37.5), -25 from Burn DOT)
Burn is on Turn 2 of 4.

Masha's eyes fluttered open. She could still hear the sounds of battle off in the distance. Leona was still going then. Good for her. The succubus forced herself up. Pain shot through her center. Masha gasped, a hand flying to the wound. Damn that angel. Masha took a few shallow breaths before pushing to her feet. The pain nearly caused the succubus to pass out again. She was barely holding onto consciousness.

Grasping on the last vestiges of her spell, Masha cried out. "Hey! Bitch! I'm not dead yet!" Fire gathered over her fists. Punching toward the archangel, Masha gasped. Pain rippled outward. The movement was too violent for her abused body. Blood spilled out of her mouth as she coughed. She didn't even see if the explosion hit. Gabriella seemed to have taken notice of the succubus. Perhaps she thought Leona too injured or something to stop her. Masha widened her stance and punched repeatedly. Gabriella screeched as explosions detonated across her body. Three hits... four hits... black threatened the edges of Masha's vision. She panted, blood dripping from her wound and her mouth.

The archangel charged Masha. Rather than bothering with her sword, Gabriella merely backhanded Masha. She flew through the air to crash into a pillar. Masha sat in the crater, barely conscious. Gabriella advanced on the succubus. The archangel seemed to have completely forgotten about Leona. "Go... Leona... finish... this." Masha said weakly. The succubus had played on Gabriella's fear of demons. The archangel would always see a potential demon as more dangerous then a competent opponent. Now was the time to strike. The redhead only hoped the strike came before Gabriella finished her off.

Health: 100

[Gabriella's HP: 90/1000, -360 (90 x 4) from Explosion!]

WC: 282
Total: 8,701

Masha's sudden revival and equally sudden attack caught Gabriella off guard. An explosion generated by the redhead drained most of the angel's remaining stamina, giving Leona the opening she needed to finish the fight. The blonde was quick to capitalize on the opportunity. She was not going to do anything dramatic, just a quick and simple new spell she wanted to try out. Here went nothing.

Leona wordlessly pointed her right finger at Gabriella and channeled magic power into it until a small silver ball the size of a marble formed on the tip. She then fired the small projectile at Gabriella, who paid the price for taking her attention off of an active opponent. Gabriella was hit in the stomach and thrown backwards, landing on her wings and her back and dropping her sword. She skidded at least ten feet before coming to a halt. The helpless angel raised a hand in supplication.

"I suppose that you will want to put a permanent end to your angel problem?" Gabriella asked sarcastically.

"No." Leona answered laconically. She had not killed any of the other angels. She was not going to kill Gabriella. The angel looked skeptical.

"Our fight's over. You can't continue to fight. I've already won. I didn't kill any of your angels and I'm not gonna kill you." Leona explained her reasoning.

"That is interesting logic. However, I do not think that you nor your friend are demons. If you two were indeed demons, you would not have survived our attacks." Gabriella said to Leona. It was the blonde's turn to raise an eyebrow. Even if Leona was not a demon, Gabriella's attacks still hit hard. In between her speed and strength, it was no wonder that Gabriella was the lead angel.

Leona kept quiet about the angel's own "interesting logic". She did not want to ruin the tenuous post-fight peace that had just broken out. Still, there was a burning question on Leona's mind.

"What happens from here?" Leona asked Gabriella.

[Word Count: 334]
[Total Word Count: 8,490/7,000]
Gabriella's HP: 0/1,000 (-150 HP from Wind Bullet)
Leona's HP: 332.5/500
The fight is over.

Masha groaned, feeling her body knitting itself back together. The pain of the regeneration made the succubus wish she were dead. The redhead pushed her body out of the pillar, flopping onto the ground. The short fall didn't help the succubus' condition much. She was surprised when two angels flew over to help her up. With their assistance, Masha was able to limp to Leona's side.

Gabriella was helped to her feet as well. "Now, I release you back into your world and seal that entrance into our Realm. We can not have any actual demons making their way into this sanctuary." The angel paused a moment before inclining her head. "I supposed I owe you - both of you - an apology. I'm sorry." The angels all took off into the air. As they carried Gabriella away, the archangel said over her shoulder "Escort them to where they entered the Realm and seal it after they step through."

Masha tried not to flush as strong angel arms wrapped around her torso. It wasn't a passionate embrace but her body screamed for something...spicy with another person. She looked over to see Leona being picked up in a similar hold. The angels, flanked on either side by two more angels, flew the mages to the break in space they'd originally been pulled through. The succubus was too tired, too injured to even tease the angels once the mages were set down.

After being released, Masha stumbled through the gateway. No need to stand on ceremony or prolong their stay. The succubus planted her butt on the ground immediately. She was back in Fiore. The redhead waited for Leona to come through. "We need to talk, missy" Masha said tiredly. The succubus hadn't forgotten the kiss Leona had promised her.

WC: 299
Total: 9,000