Landing In Hot Water

-Hargeon Town, Nightfall, Hargeon Police Department-

Wearing an olive green t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts with boots, Leona walked into the lobby of the Hargeon Police Department. The police department emblem was emblazoned on the tile floor and the lights of the lobby glowed softly, making it stand out. Her footsteps clacked on the tile floor as she strode towards a waiting police officer.

On her back was her backpack of supplies and on her hands were the Argent Gloves. On her left hip was her Nightshade Machete. According to what she had read on the job notice, she would need all of her equipment for this task. Dead people were being pulled out of the sewers and the cause of death was determined to be death by burning, but the bodies did not have scorch marks like most burn victims exhibited.

"You're Leona Jarnefeldt, the Rising Star. I'm Officer DuClare of the Hargeon Police Department. I'm glad to see you!" A young female officer with blonde hair in a ponytail said to her. Leona raised a hand in greeting. The officer then launched into a briefing.

"We've been pulling dead people out of the sewers, almost all of them sewer workers. They've been burned to death, but their bodies don't show any scorch marks. Our forensic experts seem to think that they were scalded, but we don't know how. Death was too sudden for it to be death by boiling in a giant kettle." She informed Leona.

"We've got all the sewer entrances staked out. We've been keeping a watch on them ever since the first body was found five days ago, but we can't seem to catch anyone going in. We think they live in the sewers." Officer DuClare surmised.

"But how? They've gotta get food and water somehow. Unless they can turn invisible or have people bring them supplies, I don't get how they could live in the sewers without the police at least seeing someone." Leona replied.

"We're confused too. And it's sad to say, but we don't have an answer for that." She said.

"Anyway, I'd better get going. I'll go into the sewers and put an end to the threat." Leona assured the officer.

"I know you will. You've already killed Jacob Goodnight and you've slowed down the sale of stolen jewelry. You'll come through for us again, Leona." Officer DuClare voiced her confidence in Leona. The blonde left the police department and headed for the nearest sewer entrance. She should have brought a hazmat suit to wear. The sewers were a dark and nasty place full of rats and insects and sewer alligators.

[Word Count: 440]
[Total Word Count: 440/3,500]

Leona stood outside a sewer entrance that was located near the harbor. Outside were four police officers who were waiting for her. One of them, an older man with a golden monocle and a scar on his left cheek, approached her.

"Officer DuClare told us you'd be heading this way. You'll need this." He said to Leona. Two younger officers brought forward an olive green suit of some sort. It was what sewer workers wore to keep from getting their own clothing dirty during their work.

"You might want to leave your backpack. We'll take care of it until you return." The older officer suggested. Leona decided to take his advice and removed her backpack. Leona kept her machete because she wanted to test it in close-quarters combat. She would also need a weapon to fend off whatever lurked in the sewers.

Leona put on the suit and zipped it up. It covered most of her body and it was lightweight, which was a good thing because she would need to react quickly to threats in close quarters. She then took her machete and secured it to her left hip with the simple expedient of a belt threaded through the loops around her waist. Traveling without a backpack would be strange because she was accustomed to its weight on her back.

An officer offered her a flashlight but Leona refused the item. She could see just fine in the dark without it. It would also give her away before she was ready. Leona put on her Argent Gloves because their defensive properties would be essential in close quarters.

"We can't spare anyone to go with you, Leona. Every officer is needed to watch all the entrances and exits in case you flush the killer out." A young female officer with red hair explained.

"If you encounter the killer and they won't surrender, you're authorized to use lethal force. We can't afford to have any more people killed, especially not a Rising Star. You'll get the full bounty whether they're brought in dead or alive." A young man officer with blond hair and glasses told her.

"Good luck Leona!" The older officer bade her before opening the gate to the sewer and letting her through. He closed it behind her. Leona would be on her own from here on out.

-Inside Hargeon Sewers-

Leona was alone in the dark. She walked on the walkway beside the water to minimize the noise she made. She was going to make noise anyway, but sloshing water was a lot noisier than footsteps on the stone path. Leona noticed that the sewer layout was straightforward and featured straight lines and corners. It was a good thing that the blonde had natural night vision because up ahead was something that did not look friendly.

[Word Count: 468]
[Total Word Count: 908/3,500]

Leona Jarnefeldt rolls one Monster Die.

The member 'Leona Jarnefeldt' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Leona found herself facing down a Fire Spawn that looked like a walking flame. How it stayed lit in the sewer was beyond her, but that did not matter. She had to defeat it if she wanted to proceed. She could do that with the array of magic she had. Leona carefully aimed and fired a Gale Cannon spell, hitting the walking flame and drawing its attention.

The blonde ducked under its return fire of a fireball and threw a Fast Ball at it. It did not flinch as the ball connected and kept floating in her direction like nothing had happened. She stood up and used a Smashing Crescent spell that it dodged with a spin to the left. Leona used a Crescent Wave spell that connected, staggering it momentarily before it resumed its advance. It flung a fireball that caught the left shoulder of Leona's suit and would have set it aflame if she had not acted to quickly pat the embers out.

The creature was now within ten meters of her, so Leona used her reliable Wind Blast spell to knock it back. Instead the creature fell down and instantly exploded, sending out an expanding dome of fire that threatened to hit her. The blonde activated Ruby Dome and barely avoided being singed as the fire harmlessly splashed against the dome. Leona looked past the burning circle where the Fire Spawn once stood and saw that she had a choice of two directions. She could go straight ahead or she could go to the right.

Leona chose to go right. She carefully walked through the ring of fire and walked into the water, then climbed up on the walkway and kept going. She kept walking until she spotted something in the distance. Leona ducked down and tried to figure out what it was. Whatever it was, it was definitely not native to the sewers.

[Word Count: 318]
[Total Word Count: 1,226/3,500]

Leona Jarnefeldt rolls one Monster Die.

The member 'Leona Jarnefeldt' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Leona spotted a humanoid shape made of water that was on fire. How did that work? Magic. Magic was the only explanation she could come up with that made any sense. Magic or not, it was going to be defeated.

Leona aimed and fired a Gale Cannon spell, but the creature simply dove into the water to avoid the projectile. She kept a watch for it but could not understand how it could disappear without a trace. Suddenly it burst from the water and grabbed her ankle. It tried to drag her under the foul water when she "cut" its wrist with her machete. It shrieked and dove back into the water. Ignoring the burning around her left ankle, Leona pressed herself against the wall and waited for the enemy to reappear.

Moments later it leaped from the water and landed near her. The panicking blonde slashed at its arm, then used a Wind Blast to knock it down. It jumped back up and flung a fireball at her feet that hit her right knee and almost started a fire. Again the blonde extinguished the embers in time, but her suit now had a hole in it. Leona countered with a Gale Cannon that knocked it back, then finished it with another Wind Blast.

The creature screamed and disappeared in a puff of flame. Leona really needed to quit wasting mana like that. She still had to fight the killer lurking in the sewer. She took a breath of foul-smelling air and pressed onward.

[Word Count: 255]
[Total Word Count: 1,481/3,500]

Leona Jarnefeldt rolls one Monster Die.

The member 'Leona Jarnefeldt' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Leona walked until she reached another branch in the sewer system. She was now faced with the choice of going left or going right. She would have to delay making the choice because another Fire Spawn was onto her. It flung a fireball in her direction and floated to the attack. Leona learned to stay away from them to avoid the end result of their explosive demises.

She fired a Gale Cannon that hit it in chest, then used a Smashing Crescent. Both attacks hit and made the creature waver for a moment before resuming its attack. It hurled a fireball that exploded just behind Leona and showered her with cinders. She screamed as hot cinders rained down on her neck, prompting her to quickly pat out the neck of the suit. Each fire attack was burning away more and more of her suit.

Leona was so distracted by the burning sensation on the back of her neck that the creature closed to hand-to-hand distance. It swiped at her and was dodged with a timely duck. Leona popped up and hit it with a Mach Straight spell. How she could punch fire was beyond her, but the creature fell backwards. She immediately activated her Ruby Dome to avoid being scorched.

Once the fiery dome subsided, she looked herself over. The left shoulder, right knee, and back of the neck of her suit were missing or full of holes from the fire attacks she had endured so far. If this kept on she would be trudging through Hargeon Sewer in her normal clothing. She would do it if that meant stopping the killer before they killed another hapless sewer worker. The blonde did not earn the title of Rising Star by giving up in the face of adversity.

Again faced with the choice to go left or right, Leona chose to go right. She kept to the walkway and ignored the scurrying rats scrambling to get out of her way. She could not wait to leave this place.

[Word Count: 337]
[Total Word Count: 1,818/3,500]

Leona Jarnefeldt rolls one Monster Die.

The member 'Leona Jarnefeldt' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Monster Dice' :

After trudging through the sewers Leona came across a room with an open door. Leona spotted a humanoid form within, but this one was not on fire. It looked like a normal person... maybe they were the killer she was sent to find. Leona rushed into the room and looked around. It was a large, dry, and square area that almost looked like an arena.

On the walls were plastered "WANTED" posters with a question mark where the face would go. In the corner of the room was a cot and and three wooden chests. One contained clothing. Another contained drinking glasses and wooden plates. The third contained food, mostly dried foods like beef jerky and dried vegetables.

Leona heard laughter from behind her. She spun around and spotted a blonde woman wearing a blue jacket with the sleeves cut off as a vest and a blue skirt. She wore a black shirt with black tights and wore brown boots on her feet. Her arms were crossed in a sign of self-confidence.

"You mages are so gullible. You charge off into danger without even considering that you might end up charging right into a trap. And you just charged right into my trap. You won't leave here alive." She said to Leona.

"So you're the one who's been killing the sewer workers." Leona said. The woman simply laughed.

"Yeah. What about it?" She asked.

"I'm giving you one chance to walk out of this alive. Surrender and come with me." Leona stated. The young woman smiled.

"Thanks Sweetie, but I'll pass. Now that you've seen my lair, I can't let you live to tell anyone. You'll be my very first mage kill." She answered with confidence that she could kill Leona.

"Have it your way." Leona answered while drawing her machete. She was not going to waste time talking down this lunatic. The woman's face changed from confidence to mild shock.

"I remember reading about you. You're the one who killed Jacob Goodnight." She said to Leona.

"That's right." Leona replied. She was preparing herself for the unpleasant task ahead. Even though she had received explicit authorization from the police to use lethal force, the blonde would do so only because it was her job to rid the world of threats like this woman.

"He was an amateur. Me, I'm the real deal. You won't get to mount my head on your trophy wall." The woman asserted.

"NOW LET ME SHOW YOU!" She shouted before raising a hand and firing a flamethrower directly at Leona. The blonde raised her Argent Gloves and used Ruby Dome to save herself. The woman gasped, then she gave a wolfish smile.

"You're the first one to ever survive that spell. You're gonna be fun to fight." The Hydro-Arsonist said in a pleased tone of voice.

Leona could not afford to hold back any longer. This was the main event. It was her or the Hydro-Arsonist, and it was not going to be Leona who died tonight.

The Hydro-Arsonist:

[Word Count: 502]
[Total Word Count: 2,320/3,500]

Leona faced down the Hydro-Arsonist and tried to determine the best course of action. The enemy took the initiative and fired a stream of scalding water at Leona, catching the latter by surprise and hitting her in the right arm. The suit protected her from the worst of the heat, but her arm still burned from the water that soaked through before it could be shaken off. Leona retaliated with a Wind Blast that struck the running woman and sent her tumbling. The woman fired more streams of scalding water from a kneeling position and Leona dodged it by swiftly ducking to avoid a stream that would have hit her in the chest.

Leona then threw a Fast Ball that the woman rolled to avoid. She came up and ran straight for her tormentor with clenched fists. So she wanted to fight it out in hand-to-hand combat. Leona raced to meet her and slashed with her machete, cutting the Hydro-Arsonist on the right arm. The woman recoiled long enough for Leona to get in a Mach Straight to the former's face and knock her back.

"Heh heh. That's what I'm talking about!" The woman said as she wiped the blood from her lip.

"You get it, kid. You understand the thrill of the fight. You live for the adrenaline rush that comes with fighting another person. Just like me." The woman asserted. Leona could not really argue with that. The only time she really felt alive was when she fought someone. The blonde was ashamed of that. Maybe Kasim's statements during the fight against the Terrors on Celestial Sanctum were right.

Leona was so distracted by the recollection of the hallucination's cutting remarks that she was unable to block the flamethrower in time and her suit caught fire. Leona dropped her machete and rolled desperately on the floor in an effort to extinguish the flames. The woman's laughter made for a macabre soundtrack to the agonizing experience of being burned. By the time Leona finally got up she was hit in the chest with scalding water, making her scream since her suit had been mostly burned away.

"Come on... give me a fight!" The woman said while kicking Leona's machete away. The badly hurt Leona rose and fired a Gale Cannon to the chest, which the woman dodged. She smiled at Leona.

"That's it, kid. I can see it in your eyes. You want me dead." She opined. She was not lying. Leona really did want her dead.

The badly burned blonde watched as the woman ran at her for another fist fight. Leona leaped into the air and attacked with Air Burst, but only two of the eight wind balls hit the woman. The woman greeted the landing Leona with a punch to the face and Leona responded with a Lion's Tail Sweep that the former jumped over before delivering a kick to the face that sent Leona onto her back. The angry mage sat up and fired a Wind Blast that hit the woman and sent her sprawling onto her back. The woman quickly stood up and produced a red potion in a beaker.

"This is the first time I've ever had to use this, you know. It's also gonna be the last. You should feel honored that you've pushed me this far." The Hydro-Arsonist announced before uncorking the beaker and chugging its contents. Moments later the woman's external wounds began to heal.

"DAMN!" Leona hissed. The woman had just chugged a healing potion! Now this fight was going to drag on.

[Word Count: 594]
[Total Word Count: 2,914/3,500]

Leona stood up and tore off the remains of the suit, exposing her burned wrists, ankles, and legs. She was in pain, but she was going to kill this nutcase. No matter what it took, the Hydro-Arsonist was going to die. The angry Leona started off with a Smashing Crescent that caught the woman off guard. She then followed up with a Fast Ball to the face, knocking the smile off of the enemy's face.

"Damn!" The woman shouted.

"Drink all the healing potions you want. You won't live to see tomorrow." Leona replied. The woman showed mild concern. She apparently thought that Leona would be begging for her life at this point.

"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'LL BEG ME FOR DEATH!" The woman fumed as she fired another stream of scalding water. Leona jumped to the side and used Smashing Crescent to stagger her opponent. Leona closed in and used a normal kick to the knee, making the woman scream. She easily avoided the retaliatory stream of scalding water with a roll to the side.

"I thought you were a killer." Leona taunted. The woman clenched her teeth. Leona could exploit the Hydro-Arsonist's pride to work for her. The woman's attacks were fast but unfocused because she was getting angry. The Silver Wolf mage could use that.

"But all I see is a woman so afraid of death that she just chugged a healing potion." Leona added. The woman screamed a curse and fired an easily avoided flamethrower. Leona hit back with a Fast Ball to her stomach.

"Jacob Goodnight was more of a fight than you are." Leona quipped. The woman bit her bottom lip so hard that she drew blood. The mage was getting to her.

"GO TO HELL!" The pyromaniac screeched as she fired another flamethrower. Leona blocked that one with Ruby Dome, then waited for the screaming woman to engage in hand-to-hand combat. The woman charged in with a flurry of punches and kicks that were blocked with ease because she was so unfocused. She eventually scored a lucky hit to Leona's face, upon which Leona retaliated with a Mach Straight to the woman's face. She clutched her lip and staggered back.

"You're a joke." Leona chided her opponent. This was not even a fight anymore. This was more of a one-sided slap fight.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" The angry woman screamed.

[Word Count: 398]
[Total Word Count: 3,312/3,500]

The fight had turned into comedy. Comedy so terrible that it made Leona feel bad just to participate in it. The woman was nowhere close to hitting her with wildly flailing fists. It was like facing a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. A dangerous toddler who could sling fire and scalding water at will, but a toddler nonetheless.

Leona was getting kind of bored because the challenge was practically gone. Still, she had better end this fight quickly because the Hydro-Arsonist might end up winning if Leona let her catch her breath. Leona used a Smashing Crescent to knock the enraged woman down, then scooped up her machete and ran at the latter while she was getting up. Leona swung at her and made her dodge to the side before having to dodge a Fast Ball.

Leona used a Wind Blast to knock the woman down again. By this point her speech was degenerating into angry, barely coherent rants. So much for the "Jacob Goodnight was an amateur" insult. The burly man was a better combatant and had the bravery to fight to the end, even when he was outnumbered and had no way out. The Hydro-Arsonist was a coward who was trying to cover for her weakness by putting on a show of aggression.

Leona was knocking the pyromaniac around like a rag doll. It was not funny, not even in a gallows humor kind of way. She was sure that this kind of "fight" qualified as torture being inflicted on the hapless killer. Leona would end it soon enough.

[Word Count: 262]
[Total Word Count: 3,574/3,500]

"YOU! I HATE YOU!" The woman spouted. She was clearly on the ropes. Her plan had not gone the way she thought it would and now she was realizing how outmatched she was.

"OK. Tell me something I didn't know." Leona dryly commented. This was getting old. Now was the time to end it. Leona used a Crescent Cutter spell to cut the blonde across the chest. The woman screamed and grabbed her chest.

Leona used a Wind Blast to knock her down again. While the woman was down Leona threw a Fast Ball to keep her down. The woman rolled to avoid up, but the Rising Star was ready with a Gale Cannon spell that knocked her into the wall and seemed to give the Hydro-Arsonist a concussion. The other blonde's head was bruised and her vision was unfocused.

"I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU! IT'S NOT OVER 'TIL ONE OF US IS DEAD!" The woman shouted indignantly. This was sad. This was not even a fight anymore. This was a slaughter.

"Just quit. Please." Leona said softly to the woman. She really did not want to kill someone who could not even defend themselves. But the Hydro-Arsonist knew that there was no way out other than death. She fired one last stream of scalding water from her hands and then charged. She was going to go down fighting after all. Leona waited for her attack, then stabbed with her machete when the woman got within punching distance.

She paused in place, then toppled over with the machete still lodged in her chest. The fight was over... or so Leona thought. The woman rolled onto her back and attempted to use a flamethrower, but she could not cast the spell. She was bleeding profusely.

"Damn." The Hydro-Arsonist whispered. She then began to laugh.

"I'm glad I could fight you, kid. I know that I deserve to die for what I've done, but I couldn't turn it off. I couldn't turn... it off." She said before coughing up blood onto her black shirt. Her green eyes flashed in a moment of lucidity that had been long delayed.

"Don't end up like me, kid. Don't become an animal someone else has to put down." She pleaded with Leona moments before coughing up more blood and going limp. It was finally over. Leona withdrew her machete, found a blanket on the cot, wrapped the woman's body in it, and carried it out of the sewers as proof that the feared Hydro-Arsonist was finally dead.

Leona had won, so why did she feel sad? Would she have been happier if the Hydro-Arsonist had killed her? No. She would not have been happy because then the woman would have been free to kill more people. So why was Leona sad?

-Outside the sewers, Hargeon Town-

"You did it!" Officer DuClare said to Leona.

"The Hydro-Arsonist is dead. Her body's wrapped in this blanket." Leona said without much enthusiasm as she put the body down. She was not sure if the last-minute plea was an attempt to toy with Leona's mind or if it was a genuine warning. Either way, the plea made Leona think.

"The Hydro-Arsonist was a woman?" The officer asked in astonishment.

"She was. She had a hideout in the sewers that she lived in. You'll find it if you go in and search the place." Leona answered. All the officers showed interest in that bit of news.

"OK. We'll take it from here. Well done, Leona." The older officer thanked her as the two younger officers rushed to get a stretcher to carry the body away. Leona raised a hand in acknowledgement, reclaimed her backpack of supplies, and set out for Silver Wolf Guild Hall. Even if it hurt her inside, Leona had made Hargeon Town a bit safer for its citizens.

[Word Count: 640]
[Total Word Count: 4,214/3,500]