I Left My Heart In...

-Crescent Island, late morning-

Wearing her green-and-gold outfit with Adaptable Armor and Argent Gloves with all her weapons placed inside her backpack, Leona got off the boat at Crescent Island and walked among awestruck guests who parted to make room for her without the blonde even asking. Leona felt guilty about that because she did not want that kind of treatment. However, she had been elevated to Wizard Saint by the Magic Council, so she supposed that it was only natural that people treated her differently now. Still, she was a little upset about it.

"It's Leona Jarnefeldt!" A brown-haired young woman in a white sundress and straw hat with oversized sunglasses said to her boyfriend.

"She's the Wizard Saint of Courage!" An older man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki cargo shorts with sandals said to his wife, who was wearing a floral print muumuu and straw hat.

"I can't believe I'm actually seeing a Wizard Saint for real and not on television!" A teenage girl said to her sister.

Leona was self-conscious about all the attention she was getting from the resort guests. She wished that she could have remained anonymous, but public attention was the price one paid for being a Wizard Saint. Regardless of the inconvenience it may have caused her and may cause her in the future, the Silver Wolf Guild Master was proud to be allowed to join the pantheon of mages who were granted the venerated title. Leona could not afford to rest on her laurels now. She would have to keep working like she did before earning the title and prove that she belonged among the new generation of Wizard Saints.

Leona entered the resort in order to rent a room for a few days. She was going to do that in order to have a base of operations from which she would venture forth to find a special treasure rumored to be on the far end of Crescent Island. First she needed to actually rent the room before pressing on to her mission.

-Inside the resort lobby-

Leona walked into the resort lobby and took a place in line, where she waited patiently for her turn to rent a room. She started out in the back of a line with twenty-one people in it, but the line moved briskly and it took only twenty minutes for her turn to come up. Leona sidled up to the desk and spoke to a young blonde woman in a blue shirt and blue knee-length skirt that somewhat resembled a naval uniform.

"Hi there. I'm-" Leona started speaking before the young clerk typed rapidly on the computer keyboard in front of her and held up a keycard.

"You're checked into Luxury Suite Number 13, Miss Jarnefeldt. It's the same one you stayed in last time. It's yours for three days." The young clerk said with a smile. Leona was taken aback by the speed with which the transaction was completed. Leona paid her Jewels up front and was given the room card. She then took the elevator to the floor her room was on and made a beeline for the room.

-Luxury Suite Number 13-

Leona opened the room door to find her room freshly cleaned and in excellent shape. She shut the room door behind her and locked it, then took off her Adaptable Armor and set her backpack in a wooden chair in front of a wooden desk. She then took off her Argent Gloves and laid them on top of the desk. Leona opened her backpack and brought out her Nightshade Machete, then laid it on top of the toilet tank to keep it nearby in case she was ambushed while taking a shower. She then undressed and shut the bathroom door to take a shower before heading out to find the treasure.

-45 minutes later-

Dressed in her black one-piece bathing suit and desert camouflage shorts, Leona put on her Adaptable Armor and Argent Gloves and opened the backpack to pull out the job notice and some notes on what the rumored treasure did. She then set the backpack on the floor beside the desk, keeping her Nightshade Machete within easy reach. The blonde was going to go over the job information to have a basic idea of what she was doing before she tromped off into the wilderness.

Leona reviewed the job notice and read that the special treasure she was looking for was an unusual one... it was half of a mermaid's heart. The blonde had never heard of half of a mermaid heart before taking this job. She had always thought that removing a heart was an all-or-nothing affair.

Leona read some notes prepared for her by a senior staff member of Silver Wolf and learned that a mermaid heart was an item imbued with considerable magic power. Merely having it could boost one's magic power, but only if one was a mage. It could be useful for even a non-mage because mermaid hearts sold for six figures in the alchemy ingredient market and went for even more on the black market. Leona read on and learned more about the heart and why she had to recover it before someone else did.

Any mage who found a mermaid heart could get a power boost that put them on par with a Wizard Saint. A Wizard Saint who had one could challenge a God of Ishgar and be on even footing. A God of Ishgar in possession of a heart could gain enough power to challenge the Magic Council and stand a good chance of winning. Leona did not want to even think about what Samira Nassar could do if the Saint of Humility ever managed to get one.

Leona spent a little more time preparing her equipment before she ventured out to the far end of Crescent Island.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 1,000/11,000]

-Crescent Island, resort-

Leona strolled out of the resort lobby with a map of the island in hand, ready for the job she had come here to perform. She was here to recover the half of a mermaid heart before someone with sinister motives retrieved it first. Even if people with sinister motives were not mages, the amount of Jewels that the heart could sell for would certainly attract unsavory types looking for a quick payday. While some would argue that letting greedy idiots die while looking for the treasure would only be nature taking its course, it was Leona's responsibility to work for the good of all. There was also another reason that recovering the treasure was imperative.

The island's primary source of income was tourism. If a greedy person came here, ran afoul of the guardians, and died, the guardians might decided to become more proactive in getting rid of threats to the treasure by chasing off everyone on the island... or killing them. That was something that she did not want to happen.

Leona walked along the beach and followed the map away from civilization and to the "wild" side that had not been assimilated into the resort property... yet. While the stakes were lower than the last couple of jobs she had taken, she could not afford to fail because she had just been declared a Wizard Saint and Wizard Saints did not fail. She walked through the sand until she passed the lighthouse she had visited the last time she was here and paused on the ocean side of the structure. It was then that in the distance she saw a wooden sign on a post warning of the danger beyond it.

"Warning: Dangerous beach up ahead!" It said.

Leona thought that was hardly an adequate protective measure for the resort, but she supposed that the loss of revenue generated by a panic would be a lot worse. Still, they could do a little better with all the money they made... at least put security guards or something a little more substantial than a sign. Then a thought hit here. That was why she was here. She would clean out the "wild" part of the beach and make sure that the resort and its beach were safe.

Leona walked by the sign and knew that from this point onward she would not be on the "civilized" part of the island and would be on her own. Being on her own was nothing new to her. She had run most of the jobs she had taken by herself and had managed to beat the odds before. She would do it again.

The blonde mage walked by the sign without too much concern because she did not see any signs of danger yet. Maybe the treasure's guardians took some time to get organized, time that could be used to get close to the treasure before they could mobilize and bury her under their sheer numbers. She thought about the situation for a moment, then realized that there was a smarter way to go into the area than walking about until she literally ran into trouble. She would just summon Ramses and let him be her eyes in the sky. She doubted that the enemies here had any ability to drive him out of the sky, and if they did happen to knock him down, she knew not to go airborne.

"PHARAOH SUMMON!" Leona thought. Moments later the owl appeared and landed on her left Argent Glove. He twisted his head sideways and looked at her.

"Do you need my services?" The tan owl asked.

"Yeah. I'd like you to fly above me and look at the ground for any signs of trouble. If you see anything strange, let me know." Leona said to him. He puffed up and stretched his wings.

"It will be done." He said to her before lifting off and soaring into the sky. Leona was glad to have him because he would save her a lot of grief by spotting trouble and alerting her to it before it could get to her. Even if he was not the best combatant of her summons, Ramses was enthusiastic about his job and carried it out to the best of his abilities.

Leona walked along the deserted beach looking for the first wave of defenders that were certain to be mobilizing as she walked. She did not know what form the defenders would take and did not know what they could do. The job notice mentioned penguins with dynamite, catfish, and crabs with knives, but she was not sure if the information was genuine or someone's idea of a prank. Leona would ascertain the truth for herself, but sometimes truth was stranger than fiction.

Leona was kind of liking having a beach to herself. There were no screaming kids running around, no volleyball games, nothing. Leona was not much of a social person because she was just used to being on her own. It was an unhealthy attitude for a Guild Master and an unhealthy attitude for a newly minted Wizard Saint, but she had not earned those titles by being a pretty face. She had earned them by facing down quite a few bad situations by herself and winning.

Leona's thoughts about her social life (or lack thereof) were interrupted by Ramses speaking to her. He had seen something of interest.

"I spot... penguins!" He said to her with a degree of uncertainty. Leona shared his uncertainty. She thought that penguins inhabited colder regions like Silent Glaciers and Iceberg. What were they doing on a beach?

"Thanks." Leona said to him while drawing her Nightshade Machete. She saw some black specks in the distance and kept walking towards them. The closer she got the more detail she was able to see. Ramses was right. They were penguins and they all had dynamite sticks!

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 2,000/11,000]

Leona was perplexed as to why penguins were on a tropical beach and holding sticks of dynamite, but it did not matter. They were in the way and they had to be moved. However, Leona wanted to do so without killing them if it could be avoided.

"Perhaps if you remove their sticks of dynamite or put them out before detonation, you can convince the penguins to go back whence they came." Ramses suggested. He had a point. Penguins were not exactly designed for combat, so taking away their only weapon would render them harmless. Leona could do that.

With Ramses' suggestion in mind, Leona cautiously approached the penguins and tried not to give them any reason to charge at her. The penguins were quick to take notice of the intruder and pulled out small clear lighters to light their sticks of dynamite with. Leona approached them and raised a hand, casting a Wind Blast that knocked them onto their backs and snuffed out the fuse of their only weapon. The black-and-white flightless birds panicked, flopped over onto their white stomachs, and dropped the useless red sticks before diving into the water to get away from the advancing mage.

"Well done!" Ramses complimented her.

"Thanks, but this job's far from over. Keep looking!" Leona told Ramses. The blonde walked down the beach with weapon drawn in case penguins popped out of the sand, but black-and-white creatures did not exactly blend in with the sand. She could also rule out an attack from the sea because the water would render the fuses useless. Ramses has not reported any airborne threats, so the mage did not need to worry about attacks from the sky. All she had to do was focus on what was in front of her and keep going until she found the treasure.

Leona put away her machete, brought her backpack down to the sand, and took a moment to drink some water. The hot midday sun was beating down on the mage and could be as dangerous an enemy as explosive-wielding penguins if Leona did not take care of herself. She was going to be out here awhile, so she could afford to take a bit of time for a water break. After drinking a quarter of a plastic bottle, she tightened the lid on the bottle and put it back into her backpack for later use. She then kept walking forward and spotted more black dots looming in the distance.

"I see more penguins up ahead! I estimate a dozen of them!" Ramses warned her.

Leona approached the penguins with caution, but they saw her coming and lit the fuses before beginning a fast waddle in her direction. She used a Wind Blast to knock them into their backs and put out the sticks. Again they panicked and righted themselves, then dropped the dynamite and dove into the water to get away from her. Leona let them go because they were no longer a threat.

"I will let you know if I see any more." Ramses informed her. Leona walked past the discarded weapons and kept going. Her mind kept turning to the question of how penguins ended up on a tropical island. Did the mermaid bring them here with magic or did they escape from a zoo?

The blonde also wondered how they obtained lighters and sticks of dynamite. She had not heard about any mining ventures going on here, so they likely did not raid a nearby mining site to procure the explosives. Maybe the mermaid gave them some, though how the mermaid got it in the first place was still a mystery. Leona tried not to think about it too much because otherwise she would spend all day trying to figure things out. Her thoughts were interrupted by another warning from Ramses.

"I see more of them! They have already lit their dynamite!" Ramses warned her. Leona saw the dozen-strong squad waddling towards her and cast another Wind Blast. The gust of wind put out ten of the sticks, making their owners flee for the safety of the water. The remaining two penguins kept "charging" for all they were worth. Leona jumped into the air and used an Air Burst to put out the remaining two fuses, making the frightened birds throw their flippers up in surrender and waddle for the water.

Leona was mildly entertained by the penguins. As Ramses had predicted, once their only weapons were taken away or rendered useless they abandoned the fight and fled to safety. Leona was fine with that because they were no threat to her without the dynamite. She walked past the fleeing penguins and continued on her way.

"I spot a tidal pool filled with catfish. Be careful, though. There's something off about them!" Ramses reported. Leona was not sure what was "off" about them, but she would find out soon enough.

Leona kept walking until she came across a medium-sized tidal pool filled with catfish. However, this variety of catfish was no ordinary whiskered fish. They were animals with a head and upper body, and front paws of a cat and the bottom half of a catfish. The two dozen animals filling the pool all turned their yellow eyes towards her and looked. Leona instantly backed away because the claws of cats hurt whenever they made contact with flesh and these animals looked ready for a fight.

"Why don't you ever call me, girl?" One of them asked Leona in perfectly understandable human language. Leona took another step back from the pool as their eyes followed her with millimeter precision. Now she saw what Ramses meant about something being off about them.

"What do you mean?" A confused Leona asked. The catfish shook its head in disappointment.

"What do you mean what do you mean?" The indignant creature asked Leona.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 3,000/11,000]

Leona had dealt with dynamite-armed penguins and now she was dealing with catfish that could talk and were hurling insults at her. This job kept getting stranger and stranger with no end to the weirdness in sight. The catfish were using their front legs to climb out of the pool and perch on the sand while their lower halves remained in the water. The effect was unsettling because it looked like they were trying to stare her down.

"Why don't you call? Don't you have an iLac?" One of the strange fish asked.

"No. No I don't." Leona answered in a matter-of-fact tone. She had not been by the factory where they were made and she did not have a lot of use for one. If she could buy a replacement when the first one was damaged beyond use, Leona might take the risk and get one. As it stood, every mage got an iLac and only one iLac. That was incentive not to get one, among other reasons like the security of private information on social media networks and the fact that if hers was stolen by enemies of the guild they could easily access confidential information stored on it.

"What are you? Some kinda Luddite?" Another fish asked.

"I-I'm from the desert. We don't have a lot of high-tech devices out in the desert." Leona defended herself. The fish clapped their front paws together and laughed at her. The blonde was not amused by them laughing at her.

"What she's really saying is that she's too dumb to know how to use one!" One fish said to another, inspiring another burst of high-pitched laughter. It was like they had all inhaled helium before emerging from the tidal pool. Leona's patience was starting to wear thin. Just because desert people did not deal with technology very often did not mean that they were dumb.

"Ooh, ooh, I've got one! Check this out guys!" Another fish said to its friends. The fish then faced Leona and began to speak.

"Go bang some rocks together, caveman!" It taunted her while slamming the "palms" of its paws together to the raucous applause of its peers. That did it. Leona was going to sort them out.

"Ooooh, look! She's mad now!" Another fish chimed in. The high-pitched laughter rang in Leona's ears and pierced her eardrums. She was going to hear the laughter long after she had finished this job and moved on.

Leona silently raised a hand and prepared to cast a Wind Blast. The fish caught on and mockingly raised their paws in imitation of the gesture.

"Uh oh! She wants us to talk to the hand!" They said mockingly. Leona continued to let them talk and make jokes because she would have the last laugh. All it took would be a few more seconds. The magic surged through her hand and she fired the concussive blast while they laughed at her. The laughter stopped as some of them sailed through the air and onto the sand.

"Hey, that crazy homophobic caveman's trying to kill us! Get that skank!" One of the outraged catfish screamed. The fish that had not been knocked onto the sand began to crawl towards her with alarming speed considering how their bodies were built. The blonde waited until they got close, then cast Storm Impact and slammed her fist into the sand, generating a sandstorm that staggered the catfish and made them cough.

"Oh come on! That caveman's flinging sand at us!" One of the fish protested.

"Ohmigah, what a skank!" Another fish commented.

"At least the filthy skank's in her natural element... dirt!" A third wisecracked, drawing a laugh from its wheezing colleagues. Leona frowned deeply and fired a Wind Bullet at the offender, knocking it backwards and onto the sand. She had had enough of their crass insults and was going to do something about it.

"Damn girl, why so serious?" A fourth fish asked before reaching Leona and clawing at the blonde's exposed legs. The fish dug its claws deep into her left leg before Leona grabbed it by the paws and slowly pried the evil fish off. She then threw it at another fish crawling towards her and gave the rest of the fish pause.

"Damn, she's for real!" A fifth commented. While Leona dealt with that one a sixth fish jumped onto the front of her Adaptable Armor, climbed up with its claws, and stuck its muzzle in her face.

"C'mon girl, gimme a kiss!" It said to her while closing its eyes and puckering its nonexistent lips. The horrified Leona screamed and pried it off of her armor, then flung it onto the sand. She ran back a few steps and used another Wind Blast to knock them all back. They all fell unconscious and did not move. The blonde was glad that fight was over, but more of them were sure to be on the island.

That fish trying to kiss her was so gross that the blonde was going to have a hard time getting that mental image out of her head. Maybe having some alcohol after this job would not be such a bad idea. The resort had a well-stocked bar with plenty of drinks... something there had to be strong enough to do the trick.

Leona took pity on the unconscious fish and threw them all back into the tidal pool so that they did not suffocate on land. She intensely disliked the fish, but the blonde was not going to be cruel and let them suffocate. Once the good deed was done Leona stopped to treat her bleeding leg with some antibiotic ointment and slapped a bandage over it to keep germs out. There was no telling where those catfish had been. After patching up her leg she kept walking.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 4,000/11,000]

After the encounter with the catfish Leona was not certain what to expect next. She had encountered the dynamite penguins and the catfish that the job notice had mentioned. If the list was accurate, now she needed to watch out for crabs wielding knives. Crabs did not need knives because their claws were more than dangerous enough, but she supposed that the crustaceans were given knives for additional reach. In a way it made sense because the crab was the only one really designed for combat, so a knife would extend its reach just enough to turn it from an obstacle beneath notice into a threat, albeit a minor one.

Leona recalled the yeti crabs from Silent Glaciers when she and Haley had traveled to get the moss sample. The furry crustaceans had scuttled out of the frozen water and swarmed her, grabbing onto her leg and pinching her hard enough to draw blood. These crabs would probably act the same way, only this time the threat was greater because they had knives that could stab and slash. Leona was not too worried about them because a simple Wind Blast could flip them over, but she had to be careful because her legs were not armored like her hands and torso. One stab or slash to the right place and Leona could be in deep trouble because medical help was so far away.

Leona slowed her walking down because the crabs in question could scuttle out of the surf, out of one of the numerous tidal pools, or even pop up out of the sand. She would have to travel carefully... or she could simply fly over the terrain and make them emerge from hiding. Then again, they were crabs with knives, so their intelligence might be greater than that of the average specimen. She had never worked with crustaceans before, so the blonde did not have a baseline to compare this type of crab with other ones.

"I am not seeing anything yet, but that does not mean that nothing is there." Ramses informed Leona. He was right. Just because they did not see something yet did not mean that nothing was there. The crabs could have been alerted to her presence by the penguins and catfish and have had time to literally dig in and wait for her to pass by. before making their move.

Leona slowed her pace to a crawl because she spotted tidal pools up ahead, which meant more of those creepy fish or the first encounter with the crabs. If she was hoping to get through without encountering more catfish, she was doomed to disappointment because eight of them popped out of the tidal pool and perched on its edge with their front paws. Leona simply sighed.

"Hey girl!" One of them called out.

"It's that chick again! I heard she doesn't even have an iLac!" A second fish chimed in.

"Oh, so that's why she never calls!" A third added. Not this again. Leona would have to endure more bashing by the catfish.

"I heard that she roughed up our friends at the first pond! What a rude chick!" A fourth told the others. They all frowned at her with those creepy cat eyes and hauled themselves out of the water. Leona took a few steps back.

"It's too late to run, skank! You're on our turf!" The first one warned. That was where they were wrong. Leona was not going to run from them. She was letting them haul themselves out of the pool before giving them a Wind Blast. Once they were out of the pool she would show them how wrong they were.

"Oh, not so tough now, huh skank?" The second fish asked her. Leona took another step back to encourage them to keep pressing forward. It was then that the blonde felt the wind blow through her hair. Leona liked that shift in the weather because now her spells would hit with more power than normal.

"I don't see what's so funny, girl! Maybe you can tell us to our faces after we gnaw your legs off!" The third taunted before baring its catlike fangs for emphasis. Leona stepped back again. That was when the overconfident fish finally emerged from the pool to crawl towards her. Leona did not waste any time in acting; she raised her hand and fired a Wind Blast that knocked all eight of them backwards and scattered them around the pool.

"Oh man, we got played like a cheap kazoo!" A fish proclaimed with a front paw raised in the air as if calling for quarter.

"Ow... my fin! My fin!" Another fish called out while slowly crawling back towards the tidal pool. The other fish joined it on its slow crawl to sanctuary but did not quite succeed. They passed out shortly before reaching safety. Again Leona took pity on the eight fish that tried to punch far above their weight class and put them back in their pool so that they would not suffocate.
She then walked away from the weird fish and continued on her quest to find the mermaid heart.

She wondered how much farther it was to the location of the heart. Her feet were beginning to get a little tired, but she did not want to call in one of her summons yet. She needed to save her magic power for bigger confrontations. Leona would continue to walk to the destination until the terrain became impassible for whatever reason. Moments later Leona would regret her decision as she came across another tidal pool.

"The tidal pool in front of you has crabs in it! I spot ten of them!" Ramses warned his mistress. Leona was not happy to hear that because now she would have to deal with crabs holding knives. Unlike the catfish, they could move disturbingly fast over the sand and attack in groups.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 5,000/11,000]

Leona walked forward and watched as ten crabs armed with knives scuttled out of the pool to confront her and halt her progress. They were no larger than ordinary crabs and looked the same, but they wielded magical switchblade knives that were opened. The blades gleamed in the sun as the crabs steadily advanced on her while clicking their empty claws. This was the first time that Leona had ever seen a crab in the wild. She had heard about them and read about them, but there were no crabs in the desert, so this was her first time seeing crustaceans in person.

"Hold up, girl! You're on the wrong beach!" One of them warned her in perfect human language.

"You best turn around and go back the way you came, chick!" A second chimed in, waving the knife for emphasis.

"We won't let anyone get near the heart without a fight! You better think about what you're doing before you get hurt!" The third crab suggested. Leona was not going to take being accosted by a bunch of small crustaceans very well. She was also not going to be dissuaded from her course of action. She was here to get that treasure and she would not stop until she had it.

Leona raised a hand to use a Wind Blast and the crabs were galvanized into action. They charged her in a sideways scuttle and waved their knives as they charged. Leona used the Wind Blast and disarmed six of them without any issue... they raised their claws in a defensive posture and ran for the safety of the ocean without looking back. The four that were left continued to move in, but Leona was ready.

She cast a Storm Impact that knocked them back and gave her enough time to kick away the knives of three more crabs. The disarmed creatures abandoned all thoughts of fighting and ran for the surf, leaving one more determined crab to stand in the blonde's way. It was not backing down. It looked determined to stand its ground and raised its weapon in defiance.

"I'm not going anywhere, girly! I swore to her that I'd guard the treasure and I'm not going to quit now!" It said to her, not budging even as she cautiously approached it. Leona's curiosity was piqued. Who was the woman the crab talked about?

"Who is this woman whose treasure you swore to protect?" Leona asked the determined crab. It used its free claw to put a bit of sand into its mouth and spit it in the direction of Leona's booted foot. The brown spit did not go very far, but the blonde understood the message.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out! Enough talk! BRING IT!" The crab shouted. Leona took one giant step forward and kicked the weapon away, forcing it to scuttle backwards to avoid following the weapon in flight. It scuttled back and then charged at her with its claws held out. It leaped for her leg and the blonde sidestepped the flying crab, then kicked it in the backside, knocking it onto its back.

"My shell! You kicked me in the back!" The crab shouted in pain, putting its claws over its face. Sensing that it was beaten, it gave up the fight and walked sideways for the surf. It paused at the water's edge and issued a warning.

"This isn't over! We'll meet again, chick!" It promised while waving a closed claw at her as a human would wave a closed fist. Leona took a single step towards it and it bolted for the water. Leona watched it submerge itself in the water gently lapping at the shore and turned around to continue the journey. In a strange way she could admire the small crab's tenacity. She was bigger, taller, and stronger than it was but it still challenged her to a fight with little concern for its own safety.

Leona walked around the tidal pool the crabs had emerged from and continued until the shoreline curved to the left. She paused at the curve and looked in front of her, her heart sinking at the sight of more tidal pools. She already saw a mixed army of catfish and crabs awaiting her approach and staring at her with unblinking eyes. This battle looked like it might get more than a little rough.

"There she is!" A catfish warned its fellows in its high-pitched voice. Leona gave in to the inevitable and walked towards them until seven knife-wielding crabs burst out of the sand and shook the sand off of their shells. The surprised blonde took a step back and the crabs opened their switchblades in unison.

"You came to the wrong beach, girl! This is Bamila's turf!" A crab with a long vertical scar that nearly bisected its red shell warned her.

"Don't just stand around! Get her! Turn her into minced meat!" A catfish shouted to the crabs. They heeded the call to action and ran at her in small red waves. Leona had to actually run away for a short distance to get enough room to use a Wind Blast to disarm the first wave, but more crabs were heading her way and a few catfish joined the charge while hurling verbal abuse at the blonde.

"You're such a heartless person for not calling me!" One of the catfish accused Leona. The blonde blinked because she did not even know that fish could use human technological devices, let alone social media. This adventure would be reason enough to refrain from getting an iLac. The mage did not want to turn it on only to face the "kissy face" of a catfish on her screen.

"We'll show her how it feels to have your heart torn out of your chest!" Another catfish threatened ominously.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 6,000/11,000]

Leona wordlessly let them all approach, then fired a Wind Blast that knocked them all off of their feet and scattered them like a seafood buffet. The crabs dropped their knives and went flying near the tidal pool where some of the catfish were hanging back and encouraging the crabs to fight. A few of the bolder catfish were flung to the edge of the pool and were dragged in by their friends.

"Oh man! She doesn't even have to touch us to knock us aside! I don't know if we can stop her!" A disarmed crab said while panicking. Another crab scuttled up to it to offer encouragement.

"We have to fight for Bamila's sake! She trusted us with this job!" Another crab argued. It patted its friend on the shell with its claw. The other crab took heart and looked determined to finish the fight. Leona wondered what this "Bamila" did to command such loyalty from the animals.

"For Bamila!" The crab with the vertical line bisecting its shell shouted before thrusting a closed claw into the air. Its colleagues rallied and gathered for a charge.

"FOR BAMILA!" The crabs called back with raised claws of their own. They then scuttled to the attack in a gesture that was foolish and brave considering who they were up against. Leona felt sorry for them as they rushed at the blonde mage without pausing. She then fired a Wind Blast that scattered them about the sand, breaking the flood of red heading towards her with a simple gesture. The upturned crabs righted themselves and began working together to drag their colleagues to the safety of the water where the mage could not threaten them... Leona let them go because they were too busy trying to help their friends to threaten her.

Leona could respect that kind of bravery from creatures so small and so insignificant compared to the average mage. She did not think that they were brainwashed because after the failure of the second charge they knew they were outmatched. If they were truly brainwashed they would have kept on attacking even if Leona was killing them with each spell she cast.

"I can't believe it! She defeated the crabs like it was nothing!" A catfish said in panic.

"We can't let her pass without a fight! That skank will steal Bamila's treasure if we don't stop her!" A second fish tried to shore up the crumbling morale of its friends. The catfish steadied themselves and tried to present a united front against the mage who was approaching them. They then crawled to the attack in an attempt to keep the Saint of Courage at bay.

Leona used a Wind Blast to knock most of them onto the sand, but two determined catfish got through and jumped onto Leona's unprotected legs. The mage screamed as they sank their teeth and claws into her legs.

"You can't go anywhere without legs, you skank!" One fish pointed out the obvious while clawing her left leg just above the knee.

"I'll gnaw your legs off!" The second promised as it did its level best to make good on that threat by tearing into her right leg. The blonde mage was in pain from the repeated biting and clawing, but she was not going to let those creepy fish win. She took out her knife and pried each one off with it, letting them bite against her Argent Gloves in a futile attempt to get her to let them go. She slammed their heads together and threw them into the tidal pool, then nudged their friends back in with her feet.

The blonde fished out the first aid supplies and patched herself up with them, then put them away just as another small army of three dozen crabs showed up to bar the way. Leona had the feeling they were trying to do what the young Crimson Sash member did back in the temple and attack her legs in the hope of slowing her down. The catfish were trying to buy time for their colleagues to mobilize.

"We've gotta stop her here!" A crab urged its friends. This one was missing a claw but had a switchblade clutched in its other claw. Its friends massed behind it to form another flood of red shells waiting to sweep Leona away. Leona leaped into the air and used an Air Burst to break up their ranks, then cast a Wind Blast to knock them all onto their backs and disarm them. To her surprise they righted themselves and massed for another charge without a moment's delay.

They all gathered, then rushed at her with purpose and resolve. Leona used a Wind Blast to knock over all but six of them, the fortunate crabs continuing to run at her with all their might. Their legs kicked up the sand as they finally closed with her and began making short stabbing attacks at her legs with their knives. Leona was forced to back away as they pressed their advantage without delay.

"We've got her on the back foot! Get her now!" The one-clawed crab urged its friends. Leona admired their bravery and teamwork, but she had to stop them before their knives cut her legs and really put her in a bind. She used a Storm Impact to knock them onto their backs, then kicked away their knives before they could flip back over. The crustaceans flipped back over and raised their empty claws, then rushed at her and tried to climb up her boots.

"Get her!" The one-clawed leader exhorted its enthusiastic troops. They dutifully climbed onto her legs and clamped down with their pincers, making Leona scream. She was going to make them let her go no matter what she had to do. She focused long enough to take her knife and use it to begin prying off their pincers.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 7,000/11,000]

After a lot of work and a lot of pain Leona managed to pry them off and kick them back whenever they tried to latch on again. Her legs were hurting and she wanted to get revenge. She cast a Wind Blast and knocked the brave half-dozen back onto the sand. Maybe this time they would recognize that resistance was useless and give up the fight because they were not going to win.

"We can't win this one!" A crab said to the leader. The leader closed its eyes and put its claw to its mouth.

"If we don't go now we might not get out of here alive!" A second crab proclaimed.

"I know, but we can't give up. Bamila's counting on us to defend her treasure!" The one-clawed leader said. It was trying to rally the others for another attack, but their morale was gone. They were not going to charge again, not into certain death.

"We can't win this. She's a lot stronger than us. The others will have to handle her." Another crab suggested, tapping the leader on its shell with a claw. The leader opened its eyes.

"Let's go. I can't throw your lives away in a losing battle. Maybe the others can succeed where we failed." The leader conceded defeat. It and the other crabs turned away from Leona and began to haul their companions to the water. Leona let them go and walked past them, being careful not to step on any of the crabs. Once she was safely away from them she brought out the medical supplies again and patched herself up.

Another stretch of beach loomed in front of her and it was teeming with penguins. She knew what that meant. She was going to have to stop them before they could get close and run at her with it or throw it in her direction. Thankfully they were a lot easier to deal with than the catfish or the crabs. They were also a lot less likely to charge her even without weapons.

Leona pushed on ahead despite the pain and encountered the first wave of nine penguins, who took their lighters and lit the dynamite, then waddled in her direction. Leona cast a Wind Blast and knocked them onto their backs and put out their only weapons, forcing them to right themselves and retreat. Another wave of nine penguins lit their dynamite and waddled towards her. Another Wind Blast put out their fuses and made them waddle away in panic.

This was a taxing job not because of the strength of the enemies, but because of their numbers. They were draining her magic reserves and just kept coming no matter how many she brushed aside with each Wind Blast. She did not have a choice in the matter. She had come this far and she was not going to leave with nothing to show for it. She was going to get that treasure and do what she must to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

The third wave of eighteen penguins lit their fuses and moved towards her as a team. She snuffed out their fuses with another Wind Blast and the team collapsed into a mob of panicked flightless birds scrambling for the surf. Leona had almost reached the end of the penguin mob, but one last wave of nine prepared for battle and surged at her. This attack met with the same result as the last few... a Wind Blast put an end to it and made them break off the attack after their weapons were rendered useless.

Leona walked past the retreating penguins and kept going until she reached an empty stretch of beach. She walked cautiously, keeping an eye out for hidden crabs waiting to pop out of the sand and attack. Her mind turned back to thinking about what Bamila did to rally such loyal animals to her cause. There was no mind control because they retreated as soon as they knew that they were not going to win. Did she promise them something like the run of the island in exchange for protecting the treasure?

Did Bamila grant them their improved intelligence in exchange for becoming her guardians? What did she do to gain their loyalty? Leona did not know. What she did know was that plenty of animals were throwing themselves in harm's way in order to keep Bamila safe. That was clearly not everyday behavior for these animals.

Leona walked until she came across a large army of crabs with knives standing in front of a cove that flowed into the ocean. The army was there to block her way and prevent her from reaching what looked to be Bamila's sanctuary. The wind was still at Leona's back, so she could scatter them with a single Wind Blast like she had so many times before. It was then that a brown-skinned young woman with curly hair emerged from the cove and walked through the crabs, who respectfully parted to make room for her.

The young woman was dressed in a seashell bra and a white sarong with a white bikini bottom on. She walked through the crabs with an air of authority and commanded their adoration without having to utter a single word. She must be the "Bamila" that the animals were talking about.

"I'm Bamila Babello. I've heard that you want my treasure. A lot of people want it. What makes you so determined to get it?" The young woman asked.

"I want to get it so that no one else does. Do you know what a mermaid heart can do?" Leona asked the young woman. Bamila simply laughed.

"Of course I do. It powers up the magic of whoever holds it." She quickly replied in a tone that indicated that she simply did not care what harm the treasure could do.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Word Count: 8,000/11,000]

"If you know what it does, then why did you create it to begin with?" Leona pointedly asked Bamila. Bamila rolled her eyes and did not respond for a few moments. She clearly did not care about the situation and was just going through the motions. She must have been through this same situation quite a few times in the past because she seemed completely at ease with it. After almost a full minute the young woman deigned to speak to the Wizard Saint.

"I created it for the fun of it. You people are all the same. You want either power or money. My treasure can provide whichever desire you want." Bamila finally answered. Leona was not too happy about that answer. The mermaid created such a dangerous thing just for kicks and grins? That kind of threat was what Wizard Saints worked to stop. Leona could not let the treasure continue to exist in Earthland... as soon as she got to it she would destroy it.

"I like to watch people turn on each other when they try to claim it." Bamila continued.

"It's funny to watch people who claim to be best friends fight each other over the treasure. All their words about friendship and trust are just empty talk. When push comes to shove people will stab each other in the back if it means getting the slightest advantage for themselves." Bamila finished. Her brown eyes met Leona's green eyes and a smile came across her lips. She seemed to be trying to read Leona's mind.

"I think I know why you're after it." Bamila said aloud.

"Why's that?" Leona asked.

"You want to take it to increase your own power." Bamila answered confidently.

"Think about it. You're a pretty strong mage, but there are other mages a lot stronger than you. You're tired of having to play second fiddle to them and want to show them who's boss." The mermaid continued her theory of why the Silver Wolf Guild Master was after the treasure.

"You want the treasure so that you can not only defend what's yours, but also take over new things to call your own. I can see it in your eyes. You want that power boost. You can't lie to me." Bamila said with a smile that indicated absolute confidence in her words. Leona was not buying it. The mermaid was wrong about her.

"No I don't." Leona said tersely. Bamila acted surprised for all of a few seconds before snorting derisively and laughing. Her laughter filled the air.

"I've heard it all before, girl. So many people promise to destroy the treasure in order to save the world and what do they do when they finally get it? They just use it for themselves. They use it to get whatever they want and they don't care how many people they trample on to get it. Then someone stronger kills them, takes it for themselves, and the whole vicious cycle starts all over again." Bamila retorted.

"But it always ends up back in my possession." Bamila said as she put a hand to her chest. Leona was not sure why she was doing that, but it had to be important. The blonde watched as Bamila's hand glowed ocean blue and she placed the hand just above her heart. Leona saw the skin gradually fade away and what she saw almost made her vomit. Bamila had only half of a heart beating in her chest!

"Do you know why it always returns to me?" Bamila asked rhetorically as her eyes met Leona's. Leona's eyes were fixed on the sight of the half of a heart beating in the mermaid's chest. The story of the heart in the chest was not just a story after all. It was actually true.

"Because my heart always belongs to me!" She asserted as the skin grew back over the chest cavity and she prepared for battle. The crabs gathered protectively in front of their mistress and prepared for battle themselves. Leona put away her knife and drew her Nightshade Machete. Bamila simply laughed at the blonde.

"It'll take more than that to get rid of me. You won't even be able to get within range to use your oversized bread knife!" Bamila boasted. She then jabbed a finger at Leona.

"GET HER!" Bamila yelled.

"FOR BAMILA!" The crab army shouted in unison before scuttling towards Leona in a red tide of claws and knives. Leona used her power to cast a Wind Blast that knocked over a good deal of them, but more surged forward to take the place of those who were disarmed and knocked over. Leona used another Wind Blast to knock over the replacements, but more crabs scuttled out of the water behind Bamila, who stood and watched with her arms folded and an expression of confidence on her face.

Leona was not getting anywhere. It seemed like for every crab she knocked over three more arrived to replace it. She needed another way to get to the mermaid before the former was overwhelmed by the crabs. Her summons could help.

"O FABLED HARPIES, O SISTERS THREE! LEND YOUR STRENGTH UNTO ME!" Leona thought. The harpies arrived in a kneeling position and stood up, taking wing to avoid the army of crabs that were rushing towards them.

"Get the woman!" Leona ordered telepathically.

"We'll get her!" The harpies vowed as they soared into the sky. Leona turned her attention to knocking back the crustacean army before it got to her. She used a Wind Blast to knock them back, then advanced into the space they left behind. She waited until reinforcements formed up, then fired another Wind Blast and watched some of the crabs strike Bamila. She groaned in anger.

"Get out of here! LEAVE ME!" Bamilla yelled.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 9,000/11,000]

Bamila yelled at the crabs to leave her. They turned to look at her in the best expression of disbelief that their non-human faces could muster. She stood firm on the order and the crabs began to walk back into the surf. Her eyes then met Leona's and she spoke.

"Not bad, girl. I should have known better than to rely on those weak animals to protect my treasure. They didn't have what it took to protect my treasure." Bamila said dismissively of the creatures. Leona frowned. Even though they were her enemies, Leona could respect the effort that those creatures went to to try and carry out their mistress' will.

"They were good at scaring away the casual treasure hunters and killing those who didn't leave while they had the chance. But they're no match for you, so I have to step in now. It's been awhile since I've had to deal with any intruders myself. You should feel honored to die by my hand." Bamila said to Leona. Leona was not impressed with the boastful mermaid. She was just another dime-a-dozen villain.

"Now let me show you how I deal with intruders." Bamila said calmly before opening her mouth, taking a deep breath, and beginning to sing. The mermaid began to sing a slow, monotonous song as she raised her hands above her head and they began to glow ocean blue. Two transparent tendrils of ocean water formed and began to stretch into the sky. Bamila casually waved her hands around and the tendrils followed her movements exactly.

Bamila then swung her hands down and the tendrils came crashing down on Leona, who used a Ruby Dome to protect herself from the impact. She deactivated the shield and spotted the flustered mermaid forming nine balls of water into her hands as she continued to sing. Bamila then flung them forward, forcing Leona to duck and weave to avoid them. She managed to avoid five before her legs began to hurt and she was hit in the face with the remaining four balls.

Leona fell to the sand with the machete in front of her and heard Bamila laughing. The laughter was short-lived as the harpies dove on her and began scratching the mermaid with their talons, making her scream in pain and frustration. Leona took the opportunity to recover and fire a Wind Bullet at the flailing woman, hitting her in the chest. Bamila was knocked onto her back and the water formed a protective bubble around her.

Leona fired another Wind Bullet to try and pierce it, but the aquatic barrier held firm and did not give way. Instead the projectile fired back at its source. Leona ducked just in time to avoid being hit in the head by her own projectile and the mermaid laughed again as Leona's hair was rustled by the near-miss. The blonde wiped the wet sand off of her face the best she could and dusted off her sand-encrusted Adaptable Armor. The fight was starting to get interesting.

"Not bad, girl. Still, it's not good enough to defeat me!" Bamila boasted before dropping the shield. Leona had to think of another plan. Her spells were doing damage, but they were not doing enough of it. She needed to use bigger spells, but those plans were interrupted when the singing stopped and a loud screech sounded from Bamila's mouth. The blonde dropped her machete and clamped her hands over her ears to drown out the awful noise.

"How do you like my song?" The mermaid asked the deafened blonde, who had nothing but ringing in her ears from the sonic attack. The blonde's equilibrium was momentarily shot and so was that of her three harpies, who plunged from the sky and slammed onto the sand just behind Bamila. Leona struggled to get to her feet as Bamila grabbed the machete and slowly ran her finger along its edge before walking towards Leona.

The harpy sisters struggled to get up and were almost to her feet before Bamila let out another unearthly screech that forced all four of them to their knees in pain. Bamila grabbed Leona by her hair and pulled her forward, exposing the back of her neck. The blonde knew what was going to happen next. Bamila was going to try to kill her with her own weapon.

"USE... TRIPLE THREAT!" Leona telepathically ordered her harpies in between pulses of a headache. They flew into the air and prepared the attack. Leona would have to stay where she was and hope that it hit in time.

"It's been fun, but now it's time to end this." Bamila said to Leona while raising a hand to prepare the decapitating blow. Leona's head wobbled and her hearing was trying to recover from two screeches in a row. She was not in any shape to dodge, but she did not need to. Bamila yelled in surprise as a triangle of energy slammed into her and knocked her down. Leona grabbed her machete and ran away from Bamila, who quickly got up.

"You're full of surprises, but you're going to lose this fight. You're only delaying the inevitable." Bamila assured Leona with a confident expression. She let out a third screech that brought Leona and her summons to their knees, then raised her hands above her head as they glowed ocean blue. She formed a large sphere of water over her head and waited until it was about the size of a car, then threw it at Leona. The sphere of water absorbed Leona and trapped her inside of it. Leona struggled to hold her breath long enough for the harpies to come to her rescue.

"LEONA!" The harpies cried out in unison. They tried to take wing, but Bamila screeched again, driving them back to the ground. Leona was in deep trouble.

[Word Count: 1,000]
[Total Word Count: 10,000/11,000]

Leona was trapped in the aquatic bubble with no way out and with no way for help to get to her. Every time her harpies tried to come to the rescue a screech would send them falling back to the ground. Leona did not have much time before she drowned. She saw Bamila watching her struggle with a smug expression on her face. Leona was in a bad place and with her harpies unable to help, how was she going to get out of this one?

"Summon us." A female voice suggested telepathically.

"But how?" Leona asked.

"Use this chant. O THREE SISTERS OF UNRIVALED MIGHT, GRANT ME YOUR POWER IN THIS FIGHT!" Came the response. With no other options and running out of oxygen, Leona did as she was instructed.

"O THREE SISTERS OF UNRIVALED MIGHT, GRANT ME YOUR POWER IN THIS FIGHT!" Leona thought. She saw her harpies get replaced with three new ones who were older and more powerful than the younger harpies. They took to the sky in the time it took Leona to blink and dove onto Bamila, causing the bubble containing Leona to burst. The freed blonde sprawled onto the wet sand and began coughing up water, unable to gain her footing for even a moment. At least she was still alive.

Leona coughed up sporadic torrents of water from her lungs but was slowly coming around and slowly regaining the ability to breathe. Meanwhile the new harpies were giving Bamila the fight of her life. They dove on the mermaid, kicked at her with their razor-sharp talons, then flew away before any of her water attacks could hit them. The once-confident mermaid was getting worn down by the repeated hit-and-run attacks and was unable to muster an effective response.

"I'll get you! I'll get you all!" A bleeding Bamila vowed. She opened her mouth and began to inhale.

"Don't let her sing!" Leona instructed the harpies. The red-haired one dove down with talons extended and cut Bamila across the face, causing the mermaid to scream and clutch at the deep gouge marks that scarred her right cheek. The harpies then formed into a triangular formation and fired a red, blue, and orange beam of energy that slammed into Bamila and made her disoriented from the flash of light.

"We will finish this." The red-haired harpy asserted. The three harpies lifted Bamila up into the air by her arms and flew towards the rocky covering of the cove, then hovered in place. They flipped upside down in unison and dropped a screaming Bamila head-first onto the rocks. Leona recoiled at the sound of the impact.

The blonde was shaken by the sudden end of the fight. She did not expect it to end so quickly or so brutally. The trio of harpies landed in front of her and introduced themselves to their mistress.

"I am Megeara." The orange-haired harpy introduced herself.

"I am Alecto." The blue-haired harpy introduced herself.

"I am Tisiphone." The long-haired red-headed harpy gave her introduction.

"Together we are the Furies." They said in unison.

"Thanks for the rescue." Leona thanked the Furies. They looked a lot like the younger harpies but spoke and behaved a lot more formally. Then she remembered something that she was told by Sylvia. The younger harpies had mothers that Leona could summon... these three new harpies had to be their mothers!

"You and our daughters were in trouble. We could not stand by and watch." Tisiphone replied to the blonde. Leona was glad for their intervention because without it she would be dead right now. She then turned her attention to the cove that Bamila and the crabs had been guarding. Leona walked towards it while her harpies flew as escorts.

She took off her boots and socks and left them on the shore, then waded into the surf and into the cover. In the back was a pile of gold coins, valuable gemstones, and other assorted treasures worth an untold number of Jewels. Leona spotted a treasure chest nestled all the way in a corner... that had to be the chest the heart was contained in.

Leona waded through the waist-deep surf and climbed onto the slippery rocks, then crawled on all fours to the treasure chest. A few near-slips later and the blonde was in front of it. She grabbed it with both hands and carefully backed off of the rocks, slipping into the surf with the treasure chest firmly in her hands. She slowly waded back to the beach and slammed the chest onto the sand in front of the curious harpies.

"I sense something powerful within." Megeara said to Leona. The blonde opened the chest to find a half of a heart pulsating on the bottom. All four women recoiled and covered their noses in a vain attempt to protect themselves from the horrific stench. Leona brought out her Silver Longsword and aimed the tip of the sword just above the heart. She was going to plunge the sword down and put an end to it once and for all.

Leona thought about Bamila's words and about how she created it to lure mortals in for sport. She recalled the boast of how "friends" would willingly kill each other to gain such a powerful item for themselves. Now was her chance to end the cycle once and for all. Bamila was dead and soon the other half of her heart would join her on the other side.

Leona took a deep breath, then plunged the tip down into the heart with a deeply unpleasant squishing sound. The heart pumped rapidly for a few moments, then ceased beating altogether. The magic signature disappeared and the heart faded away into nothingness. It had been done. The heart was destroyed and its owner was dead, never to return.

Leona left the empty chest where it was and turned to her three harpies.

"C'mon, let's go back to the resort. I've had enough excitement for one day." Leona said while claiming her boots and socks. She took them into her left hand and began walking back to the resort. Her harpies followed just above her as their mistress thought of raiding the buffet line and simply sleeping in her room's large bed for awhile. She had two more days of vacation time before she had to return to the guild hall. She would make the most of those days.

[Word Count: 1,104]
[Total Word Count: 11,104/11,000]