A Mother-Daughter Road Trip

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 30, Post Number 733

-The outskirts of Nebdoui, early morning-

Leona was dreading this trip. Yesterday her mother Sophia had sent a letter to her urging her to hurry and take the bottle of Maison D'Everett to Kemal and secure the book on Ancient Muserian before some wealthy collector bought it outright. To make matters worse, Sophia insisted on accompanying the Wizard Saint to the Tri-Council City and there was no room for discussion. The blonde clenched her teeth as the Winged Lion landed on the outskirts of Nebdoui and sand briefly kicked up around her. Why was this happening to Leona?

The bottle of Maison D'Everett was ensconced safely within the protective case that had been given to her at the auction in Capital Crocus and today was the day that she would take the bottle of wine to Kemal and trade it for the book on Ancient Muserian. Leona had wanted to get it off of her hands as soon as possible so that if anything happened to it after she handed it off it would be on Kemal, not her. She also did not want to be constantly reminded of the fact that she had paid two million Jewels for a fancy bottle of wine.

Dismounting the Winged Lion, Leona dusted off her green, white, and gold outfit. On her left hip was the Silver Longsword that had seen her through many adventures and on her right hip was the pouch containing the Charm Grenade. On her hands were the Argent Gloves that she had earned for saving the cat people so long ago. On her back was a backpack of supplies needed for crossing the desert such as food, water, and a well-worn cloak to shield herself from the heat. Leona was physically prepared, but she was not emotionally prepared to deal with the greatest challenge of all... her mother.

Sophia Jarnefeldt had definite ideas about what she wanted and when she wanted it. Chief among Sophia's wants was for Leona to give up her career as a mage and return to Nebdoui in order to have children. Leona did not want to do that and had made it clear on multiple occasions, but the strong-willed Sophia would not hear it. That was one reason why Leona did not care to be around her mother any longer than she had to... it felt like Sophia did not care what the Wizard Saint wanted as long as the former got what she wanted. Leona was sure that the hapless Leonidas had to bear the brunt of Sophia's behavior every day; if that was so, he had good reason to resent Leona's life of relative freedom.

While Leona could grin and bear the constant demand to come home and she could tolerate the demand for children, what grated on her nerves the most was her mother's dismissive attitude towards her career. Sophia considered Leona's responsibilities as Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf and her responsibilities as the Wizard Saint of Courage to be part of an adolescent rebellious phase that Leona was going through. Leona deeply disliked having her career treated as a "phase." She had worked hard and had literally bled on more than one occasion to get this far in her brief but eventful career.

Leona had met and worked with many mages who were stronger and smarter than her, mages who had a far better claim to the title of Wizard Saint that she did. After everything she had went through to attain that exalted title and prove that she belonged in the ranks of Earthland's strongest mages, it felt like her mother could care less about what her daughter had accomplished because it was not what Sophia wanted. That casual dismissal of her work hardened Leona's negative attitude towards her mother and made interactions feel stilted. Sophia would not back down from what she wanted and neither would Leona. It was a contest of wills that strained their relationship and a contest that had no end in sight.

That was fine with Leona. It seemed that the only ambition Sophia had for her daughter was for Leona to be stuck in Nebdoui while barefoot and pregnant. Leona had more ambitious goals than hanging around a desert village and providing her mother with grandchildren.

Leona frowned when she spotted Sophia Jarnefeldt walking briskly towards her within a minute of the former landing. That meant that her mother had been watching for her arrival for some time. There was no turning back now.

"Hello Leona." Sophia greeted her daughter.

"Hello mother." Leona greeted her mother.

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After the terse greetings were exchanged between mother and daughter the wind kicked up a little and blew a small sand cloud that drifted between the Jarnefeldts. Leona found the setting to be appropriate because the desert was a perfect symbol of their relationship. The ground was barren and very little grew there unless someone exerted a lot of effort to make things grow. However, Leona was not very interested in growing the relationship between her and her mother because Sophia Jarnefeldt only wanted things to go her way. She wanted Leona at home having kids so that Nebdoui could be repopulated and she wanted it yesterday.

Maybe part of the problem was the Wizard Saint's fault because she did not try to mend fences with her mother. Maybe Leona should have been the bigger person and tried to reconcile sooner. But none of that mattered right now because neither blonde was willing to give ground. Sophia felt justified in her demands and Leona felt justified in refusing to give in to them. The Wizard Saint had no time for a staring contest, not when she had a two-million Jewel bottle of wine in the case that needed to get to the Tri-Council City ASAP.

"Let's get going." Leona suggested to her mother, who was dressed for desert travel. She wore a simple and modest tan dress with a knee-length skirt and a belt around the waist, brown boots, and a brown leather backpack almost exactly like Leona's except for being slightly newer. She also had a gleaming scimitar with a golden hilt and handle on her left side in case the pair got into combat with outlaws, which was a likely occurrence since they were traveling in daytime.

"I agree. Let's get going." Sophia said before setting off at a brisk walk. Leona crossed her arms and frowned. This was going to be a very long and miserable trip. If this was the tone that had been set for the trip, she might end up drinking the Maison D'Everett before it got anywhere near Kemal's bookstore. Leona hurried to catch up with her mother before the headstrong scribe got too far ahead of the Wizard Saint.

-Thirty minutes later-

The Jarnefeldts walked side-by-side in silence with only the sound of their boots crunching in the sand and the occasional gust of wind to break up the silence. Neither one of them wanted to talk because they did not have very much to talk about. They were worlds apart in temperament and outlook. While the conservative Sophia did not see life beyond Nebdoui and traditional gender roles, the bold (sometimes to the point of recklessness) Leona saw a whole wide world just waiting to be explored by anyone with the will to do it. Dr. Anna was an archaeologist with no magical ability and no magic weapons to defend herself with, but that did not stop her from going into potential danger zones in the name of research.

Sophia turned her head to look at Leona and her blue eyes focused on the Wizard Saint's green, white, and gold outfit.

"I see that you're wearing the outfit that I sent to you many months ago before that Fairy Festival." She said to Leona. Leona, wanting to take this chance to at least try to improve their relationship, took the bait and replied.

"I felt that it's an appropriate outfit for a Guild Mistress to wear. It's also fitting for a Wizard Saint." Leona answered in entirely practical terms. While at first she did not care for the skirt, in time Leona learned to deal with it because the green, white, and gold outfit had practically become a signature look. Even though the outfit tended to suffer damage to inconvenient locations that threatened to humiliate the Wizard Saint should the wrong people see it, she still wore it because on some level she appreciated what her mother did for her. Leona was not totally without feelings for her mother, but the clash of viewpoints tended to interfere with developing any meaningful familial bond.

"I've read about some of what you go through in the course of carrying out your responsibilities as Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf and as the Wizard Saint of Courage. I read about what happened during the Night of Eternal Darkness and I read about what happened in Midi in that town called Chiba. I know you don't exactly care for my opinion, but I think you're a bit too reckless." Sophia said to Leona. The Wizard Saint frowned. She just knew that this particular issue was going to come up, so she might as well address it now.

"You're right. I don't exactly care for your opinion." Leona admitted. This blunt admission made Sophia frown in displeasure. She also seemed a little saddened by her daughter's frank statement, but that sadness was quickly submerged by displeasure. After over a year of taking death-defying jobs, her mother's frown did not scare Leona anymore.

"I may not care for your opinion, but you do have a point. Maybe I'm a bit too reckless for my own good. I'm trying to do better by slowing down and thinking before I act, but it's not gonna happen overnight." Leona, who was quick to say how she really felt about her mother's opinions, was also quick to admit that on this occasion her mother had a point. The Wizard Saint had learned from the incident on the job with Luna Mira. Besides learning to slow down and study the situation before fighting, she had also learned to be more honest about her shortcomings. Just because she was a Wizard Saint did not mean that she was infallible. Sophia's expression softened a little but it was clear that she still held to the belief that her daughter was a reckless person.

Now that there was a momentary lull in the conversation, now was the time for Leona to ask a question.

"Why don't you approve of my career as a Guild Mistress and a Wizard Saint?" Leona asked her mother something that she had been meaning to ask for awhile. The question took Sophia by surprise and she struggled to find a meaningful answer. Leona was in no hurry... the pair still had a lot of distance to cover and plenty of time in which to discuss the matter.

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Leona waited for her mother to give an answer as to why she did not approve of the Wizard Saint's career. The Wizard Saint found it funny how a woman who always had an opinion on everything suddenly had nothing to say, but it could be her jaundiced opinion talking. Leona felt like nothing she did could ever be good enough; even if she singlehandedly wiped out the Crimson Sashes, Golden Band, and all the other outlaw gangs in Desierto, Leona would never get Sophia's approval, much less a hint of maternal pride. Maybe Leona should just give up on getting her mother's approval and keep doing what she was doing. Such an approach had worked for her so far and if it was not broken, why fix it?

"I don't approve of your career because you're too reckless." Sophia finally answered. Leona crossed the line from "annoyed" to "angry" in the time it took to blink. What kind of reason was that?

"What do you think being the Wizard Saint of Courage is all about?" Leona indignantly asked Sophia.

"I understand that being a Wizard Saint involves work more strenuous than rescuing cats from trees and helping elderly people cross the street. I also understand that you're the Wizard Saint of Courage, but it's almost like you're too eager to throw away your life to prove that you've earned the title." Sophia candidly answered. Leona moved to rebut that argument but then thought about what Luna Mira had said during the quest to kill the dragon in the mountains. The pink-haired mage had warned the blonde of the dangers of trying to prove that she had earned the right to hold a particular title and Leona was slowly starting to see the truth of that statement. Maybe Sophia had a point in saying what she did.

But what could Leona do?

Leona was not going to sit back and let the Crimson Sashes do what they wanted without consequences. She had vowed in Sorcerer's Magazine to retake the desert and the blonde would make good on her vow if it killed her. However, judging from how the Crimson Sashes had behaved during her raid on their temple hideout, making good on her vow might end up killing her after all. They were getting smarter with every encounter and were sending out teams of their best men to oppose her instead of sending out hordes of half-trained goons who barely had a chance. The Crimson Sashes had also abandoned the policy of fighting to the death and had instead started to retreat when she gained the upper hand, thereby cutting their losses and making sure that survivors who knew what she was capable of could pass on that information to new recruits.

"I know that you're only trying to prove that you've earned the right to hold your titles by taking on challenges that get more and more dangerous. If you get complacent, you might lose your titles and I know that you don't want that to happen. I also know that you feel like fighting's the only thing you're good at." Sophia continued. Leona paused in place. How did she find that out?

LEONIDAS.

He told their mother about what the siblings had discussed!

"Did Leonidas tell you that?" Leona asked. Sophia nodded.

"Damn it." Leona groused aloud. She was hoping that Leonidas could have kept quiet about what he had been told, but her older brother had told Sophia about everything they had discussed. He probably did it out of spite for her life of freedom and his life of working at a forge and constantly being asked for grandchildren. Then again, Leona had not told him to keep what they had discussed private, so part of the blame was on her.

Still, would it have killed Leonidas to keep quiet about his sister's problems?

"I'll give it to you straight. Your brother resents you. He doesn't like you getting to live freely while he's stuck in Nebdoui." Sophia said without mincing words. Leona was not awfully surprised by that. There was a certain tension between them while they were on the way to the iron mine that most likely was brought about by the differences in their lifestyles, but he was too polite to actually say it.

"So what's the solution? Do I just give up everything I've worked for to go back home and go back to staring at the horizon wishing that I could go see what was beyond it?" Leona asked Sophia. Leona had seen too much of the world to be able to go back to life in a desert village. Hargeon Town, Silent Cemetery, the Phoenix Mountains, Capital Crocus, Spooky Forest, Clover Town, Magnolia Town, Minstrel, Tolgalen, Celestial Sanctum, Midi... Leona had been to so many places in Earthland that she could not even remember them all.

How could she go back to Nebdoui and be expected to be content with village life after having traveled to so many different places?

"It may come as a surprise to you, but that's not what I'm getting at. If you'd ease off of the sarcasm for a moment, I'll tell you." Sophia dryly replied in a tone of exasperation.

"You could have fooled me." Leona snarked back. Sophia ignored the jab and was about to speak when the pair's attention focused on a dust cloud in the distance and a group of tan-robed men riding towards them. Both Jarnefeldts dropped the conversation and focused on getting ready to repel possible attackers.

"So much for a peaceful mother-daughter trip." Sophia snarked. Leona laughed a little.

"You almost sound surprised." Leona commented.

"I might be a teacher in a desert village, but I know trouble when I see it. Believe it or not, I haven't always been a teacher and a homebody." Sophia replied as the men got closer. They did not wear the colors of the Crimson Sashes or the Golden Band, but they did not look friendly. There were as many outlaw gangs in Desierto as there were grains of sand in the desert, so chances were high that the Jarnefeldts were about to encounter another gang of outlaws looking for some quick loot.

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The men on horseback continued to ride towards the Jarnefeldts without stopping, which likely meant trouble for the blondes. Unfortunately for the men they were about to clash with the Wizard Saint of Courage, who had fought all across Earthland and thus knew how to handle herself in a fight. The riders drew scimitars and the Jarnefeldts drew their weapons in preparation for the melee that was about to ensue. Then Leona had a thought... take away their horses and they would be a lot slower and easier to fight.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sophia asked her daughter. Leona looked at her mother. The Wizard Saint was pretty sure that she knew where this was going. The Wizard Saint had employed the same tactic of using Wind Blast to forcibly dismount opponents in her numerous skirmishes with the Crimson Sashes and other outlaws who operated as light cavalry.

"Knock them off their horses with a Wind Blast?" Leona asked her own question. The older Jarnefeldt nodded.

"OK. Ready when you are." Leona said. The duo raised their left hands and focused for a Wind Blast, waiting until the horsemen got closer before they would fire the spell. The riders got to within 100 meters of them before splitting off into two teams of eight to flank the pair, which surprised the Jarnefeldts because they were expecting the opponents to charge as a solid block, not split up. This unexpected change made Leona have to think on her feet and her thoughts turned to ways to level the playing field. Her summons would do the trick.

"O THREE SISTERS OF UNRIVALED MIGHT, GRANT ME YOUR POWER IN THIS FIGHT!" Leona telepathically called upon the Furies. Moments later a tornado formed around Leona and the three sisters appeared in a triangular formation. They stood up and then took flight.

"Megeara, Alecto, protect my mother from those riders! Tisiphone, stay with me!" Leona commanded. The two Furies nodded and flew to a defensive position above Sophia while the red-haired Fury assumed a defensive position above Leona. The men spread into a solid line and drew to within 15 meters before Sophia gave the command.

"NOW!" Sophia ordered. Sophia fired her Wind Blast that staggered two riders and knocked off two more. Leona then fired her own Wind Blast with the same results. The rest of the attackers kept charging, which was why Leona had called in the Furies.

"GET THEM NOW!" Leona commanded her Furies. The winged trio obliged, diving on the attackers with talons out. The Furies had thrown the riders into disarray; one man tumbled backwards from his mount when Tisiphone dove on him while two fell sideways from theirs when Megeara and Alecto dove to Sophia's aid.

Now that some of the men had been dismounted, fighting them would be a lot easier. Leona charged the closest man and cut his sword arm off at the elbow with a two-handed chop, then decapitated him with a two-handed horizontal stroke. One charged at Leona and their blades met in a lock, a lock Leona broke with a kick to his left shin. She chopped diagonally downwards and cut him across the torso; he disengaged and hurried to mount his horse while two men rushed Leona.

They attacked at once and Tisphone dove on the man to her left, giving Leona the opening she needed to fight the other man one-on-one. he ran towards her and attempted a one-handed downward chop. Leona caught his sword hand in mid-swing and seized it by the wrist with her left hand, then stabbed him through the torso with her own weapon. The man on the left saw this and broke away from Tisiphone to avoid sustaining further gouges in his torso and along his shoulder; he soon left the fight entirely, allowing Leona to focus on the other four men who had remained behind.

Leona glanced to her left and saw that Sophia was more than holding her own. Three men who had been sliced in half from shoulder to hip were scattered around her while Megeara and Alecto occupied the attention of two more men. Sophia was facing down three men who stood in a semicircle in front of her. The older Jarnefeldt was not daunted and stood her ground.

One of the men moved to attack and she responded by doing a backflip to create space, then lunging forward and disappearing in a blur of motion. Leona blinked. Where did her mother go?

The three attackers were similarly confounded by her disappearance and stood still with swords at the ready while looking for Sophia. Moments later three silver horizontal flashes appeared and the waists of the men began to spurt blood seconds before their top halves fell to the ground. Sophia appeared ten meters behind them none the worse for wear.

Leona was so astounded by her mother's technique that she got blindsided by a punch to the right cheek and staggered backwards four steps, but she soon regained the initiative by stepping forward and hitting the opponent in the face with a Mach Straight when he tried to use a two-handed downward chop. The sword tumbled backwards from his hands and Leona took advantage by decapitating him with a two-handed horizontal stroke as he reeled from the fast punch.

Upon seeing this display of prowess by Sophia and Leona, the surviving men quickly disengaged and mounted their horses to flee. The Furies encouraged them to keep moving with diving attacks while Leona walked towards Sophia to see how she was doing. It was not like Sophia really needed her daughter's help since the former had not taken a single hit, but Leona would make the gesture anyway to assure her mother that despite their strained relationship the Wizard Saint was not totally without feelings for her. Leona planted her right foot on the dead outlaw's torso and pulled the Silver Longsword from his corpse, then wiped off the blood on his robes before sheathing the weapon.

Sophia met Leona and the two began to converse as the Furies turned back once the horsemen had moved on to lick their wounds... or to gather more of their fellows and return to take revenge.

"Nice work, Leona. Those summons of yours came in handy." Sophia complimented her daughter for the idea to use her summons to level the playing field.

"Thanks, but it looks like you didn't really need them. That technique you used on those three guys was pretty impressive." Leona complimented her mother for her showing. The older woman had accounted for six outlaws by herself while Leona had gotten only four. Maybe there was more to Sophia Jarnefeldt than just being a teacher and a homebody.

"It's a Jarnefeldt family secret." Sophia explained where she had learned the technique. Leona looked at her with a skeptical expression.

"I'm being serious, Leona. It's a Jarnefeldt family secret." Sophia assured her daughter that she was not making a joke. Leona took her mother at her word to avoid an argument because she was starting to have a little respect for the woman. There was nothing like slaying bandits to bring mother and daughter together.

"OK." Leona said calmly. Sophia wiped her scimitar off on the robes of the same dead man Leona had pulled her sword from and sheathed it.

"It'd probably bore someone like you to tears, but I'll have to tell you about the Jarnefeldt family some time." Sophia said while facing towards the horizon.

"Yeah, you will. I've always wondered how I got a last name that's so out of place in Desierto. Aside from being born into the Jarnefeldt family, of course." Leona agreed without sarcasm.

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The Jarnefeldts were just about to set out again when Megeara brought the bottle in the case over to Leona, who had been so quick to go into battle that she had dropped the case on the sand and was about to leave without it. Thankfully the Furies were observant enough to find the case before it was left behind and the Jarnefeldts arrived in the Tri-Council City without the bottle of wine. Sometimes it seemed like Leona lived up to the worst aspects of her hair color, especially the part about being flaky.

"I take it that this object has value to you." Megeara said, holding out the gleaming case in her left hand. Leona took it from the helpful orange-haired Fury.

"Thank you, Megeara. It has a lot of value to me." Leona thanked Megeara for picking up the case before the Wizard Saint walked off without it. Sophia turned to her daughter.

"Is that the bottle of wine that you're going to trade to Kemal?" Sophia asked.

"Yes." Leona answered laconically. She was hoping that she could avoid having to discuss the price because her mother would not be happy to learn that the Wizard Saint had spent two million Jewels at auction. Judging from the way her mother was looking at her, it was not likely that Leona would be able to avoid the issue.

"Let's get going." Leona said, striking out in the direction of the Tri-Council City. Sophia nodded and the Jarnefeldts continued their journey to the beacon of civilization in Desierto. Maybe Leona could delay the discussion for a little bit so that she could come up with a good explanation... not that the Wizard Saint felt like she had to justify her actions to her mother. Still, Leona wanted to mend fences instead of burn bridges, so she would have to explain her reason for paying a sultan's ransom for the wine sooner or later.

-Two hours later-

"I'm afraid to ask, but I have to know. How much did you pay for that bottle of wine in the case?" Sophia asked while the pair walked under the watchful eyes of the airborne Furies. Leona now knew that she could not avoid telling the price, so it was best to be honest and be ready to explain.

"Two million Jewels." Leona answered truthfully. Sophia blinked.

"I'm being serious. Two million Jewels." Leona asserted. Sophia frowned deeply and took a deep breath; that was when the Wizard Saint knew that she was in for a rough time. Sophia always acted like that while winding up to deliver a big lecture to her daughter about the latter's failings, whether real or perceived.

"Are you telling me that you spent that much on a single bottle of wine?" Sophia asked. Leona nodded. The older blonde frowned and continued to question the Wizard Saint.

"You spent enough money to support Nebdoui for years... on one bottle of wine? One bottle?" Sophia pressed the point. Again Leona nodded. Sophia was about to grill her with the same intensity as the sun that was beating down on them from above.

"We could have bought food, clothing, blankets, and iron ore with that money!" Sophia angrily declared. Leona took this time to start defending herself before the inquiry snowballed into a one-sided verbal beatdown.

"You suggested that I go find a rare wine to trade with Kemal, remember?" Leona asked pointedly. Sophia nodded and calmed down a little, but only enough to listen to her daughter's defense. The older woman was still angry with her daughter for the perceived waste of money even though finding a wine in place of outright buying the book was Sophia's idea to start with.

"I had to win it at auction! At auction you don't get to set the price, you bid until you either win or drop out because of a higher bid than you can afford! There's only one hundred bottles of Maison D'Everett in the world and I'm holding one of them!" Leona continued her explanation. Sophia still remained angry but seemed to recognize that her daughter did not throw away a vast sum of Jewels on a whim. Leona in turn dialed down the tone of her voice so that she did not sound quite as aggressive, but she made it clear that she was not going to be intimidated by her mother.

"I was told that I had gotten off lightly compared to some bidders. The record price for a bottle of Maison D'Everett was ten million Jewels." Leona added in her defense. When she heard that Sophia frowned even deeper. Leona could only imagine the calculations her mother was doing on what ten million Jewels could buy for Nebdoui. Leona was sure that a lot could be bought for that sum.

"I don't exactly approve of you spending money like that, Leona, not for a bottle of wine." Sophia opined. It was Leona's turn to frown. After being reasonable for awhile the older woman was on the attack again by implying that Leona was a spendthrift.

"So you'd prefer me to try to go to Pergrande, a country that hates mages and openly advertises that fact, to go and get a bottle of wine so rare that only one hundred bottles of it are left in all of Earthland?" Leona asked pointedly. Sophia blinked.

"How did there get to be only one hundred bottles? What makes it so special that it's worth so much?" Sophia asked Leona. The younger blonde smiled. She was actually able to answer this question.

"I was told by the owner of a wine shop in Capital Crocus that the workers of the vineyard it came from managed to harvest just enough for one hundred bottles before an unexpectedly heavy rainstorm came and flooded the fields, ruining the rest of the crop before it could be harvested and turned to wine." Leona gave the answer. Sophia nodded in acknowledgment as the pair trudged through the sand. The Furies had not spotted any danger or anything worth reporting, so they kept silent while watching over Leona and Sophia.

"I still think you paid too much, Leona, but it's not my money, it's yours." Sophia said.

"Maybe I paid too much, but paying two million was a lot better than paying ten million. I had reached my budget at two mllion and there were people who still had money to bid... I think the other bidders backed off only because of my title." Leona opined, agreeing that while she might have spent too much, the alternative was far worse. Sophia did not respond... instead she stared off into the distance and said only one word while pointing towards the horizon.

"Vultures." Sophia said. Leona looked at the horizon, where her eyes drifted towards the sky. Her heart dropped into her stomach once she saw the small group of circling vultures. Their presence meant only one thing... death was waiting just beyond the horizon.

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-At the site of the slaughter-

Hurrying ahead of her mother with the case still clutched in her left hand, Leona paused when she saw what the vultures were circling over. It was a trio of wagons that had been overrun by a sizable group of bandits and wiped out. Bodies were scattered all around the overturned wagons... despite the near-impossibility of finding any survivors the Wizard Saint felt compelled to check for anyone who might have survived the slaughter. Leona rushed to take a closer look and found that the people who were killed were all men and all merchants who wore tan uniforms. She could tell because the wagons had the words "Tri-City Caravan Company" painted on them with black paint.

Leona began to walk around the perimeter of the three wagons to look for survivors, but all she found was corpses. She took a knee to examine one of the bodies that lay further away from the others and found that the man was a victim of numerous gunshot wounds; he had six wounds on his back, possibly from attempting to run for his life. The wagons themselves looked like they had been used for target practice by whoever it was that attacked the caravan. Unless they had gained access to guns after her last encounter with them, this was not the work of the Crimson Sashes.

The Wizard Saint stood up and began doing a circuit around the scene to check for survivors, but at the end of the circuit she realized that no one had survived the attack. Leona returned to her mother and gave the grim news.

"There's no survivors. They're all dead from gunshot wounds." Leona reported to her mother.

"Gunshot wounds, you say? That sounds like the work of The Golden Band." Sophia stated with authority. Leona was interested in this information and asked about them.

"Who's The Golden Band?" Leona asked her mother. The Wizard Saint felt like she should have remembered that name, but fighting so many different threats over her career made them all bleed together. Sometimes it was hard to tell one desert outlaw gang from the other... aside from uniform and weapon differences they were mostly the same.

"They're the slavers you fought in the iron mine, remember? They're a relatively new outlaw in Desierto who specialize in the slave trade. They're not as numerous as more established outlaw groups, but they make up for their lack of numbers with guns. Their typical soldier carries a bolt-action rifle and their elite soldiers carry semi-automatic rifles." Sophia informed Leona. The first sentence helped Leona remember who they were and what they did.

"I take it they either sell their captives for the money to buy guns or trade captives for weapons?" Leona asked her mother. Sophia nodded.

"If it weren't for those guns, The Golden Band would have been wiped out by another gang long ago. The established outlaw gangs are territorial and don't like new people trying to take their slice of the pie. The Regudo are working to determine who supplies The Golden Band with their weapons, but it's been slow going because they're also keeping a watch on the Crimson Sashes, who are busy looking for an equalizer of their own." Sophia explained further. Leona noted the part about the Crimson Sashes and was curious as to what kind of equalizer they were looking for.

"In my last fight with the Crimson Sashes they had dynamite. Do you think they're looking to get a steady supply of guns too? Or are they looking for rogue mages to add to their group?" Leona asked her mother. She was certain that the Crimson Sashes needed an equalizer because she had been a major thorn in their side. Nearly every time she had fought them she killed a good number of the outlaws and had either ruined their plans or dealt them a major setback.

"Those would be two viable options, Leona. The royal army's been hitting them pretty hard, but so have you. They're on the ropes and they're looking for anything that can help them get back on their feet. From here on out I wouldn't underestimate them because they'll use any means they can to kill you." Sophia warned her daughter of the threat that a desperate gang posed to her. While Wizard Saints were very powerful mages who could vaporize entire armies if the mood struck them, they were not invulnerable. Wizard Saints could lose battles either to being severely outnumbered or by simple hubris brought on by an unbroken string of successes. Leona had learned that lesson the hard way and was determined not to repeat that mistake because the next time she made a stupid mistake Luna Mira would not be there to bail her out.

"They've already been improving their methods to try and take me out. They've been sending out their elite soldiers more often and their elite soldiers use flash grenades and poison as a means of leveling the playing field against me." Leona informed her mother of recent developments learned from the last encounter with the Crimson Sashes. The Wizard Saint did not expect them to stop there. They were sure to keep experimenting with new ways to try and get rid of her. They were welcome to try.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but let's get going. There's nothing we can do here." Sophia suggested to Leona. The older woman was right. The vultures were already starting to land and were squawking at the pair for delaying their meal. As much as Leona hated to leave the bodies to be eaten, there was nothing she could do for them. It was time to go.

"Let's go." Leona said softly. She and Sophia left the site of the Golden Band attack behind and resumed their journey towards the Tri-Council City. Leona regretted that she could not have stopped the attack on the merchant caravan and regretted having to leave the bodies to be eaten by vultures. After the Crimson Sashes were dealt with the Golden Band would become the next outlaw group that was in line to be dealt with.

[Post Word Count: 1,032]
[Total Word Count: 6,360/12,500]

-Five hours later, outside the Tri-Council City-

After a lot of walking and a lot of sweating the Jarnefeldts had finally made it to the outskirts of the Tri-Council City without further incident. Their legs and feet were beyond tired, but their energy was renewed by the sight of the walls, the large wooden gates, and the sentries patrolling the walls and keeping an eye out for trouble. It would take just a little more walking and the duo would be inside Kemal's bookstore to finally trade the rare and expensive wine Leona had lugged across the desert for the rare and expensive book on the Muserian language.

Leona saw the men on the wall and was reminded to dispel the Furies so that her approach was not construed as an attack on the city. Leona dispelled the faithful summons who had watched over them and faced her mother, who was just as eager for this trip to be over as Leona was. Her forehead was streaked by sweat and her hair was frazzled from the sweat. Seeing her mother in such shape made Leona glad that her hair was kept somewhat shorter.

"Ready to go into the city and see Kemal?" Leona asked her mother.

"Yes. I'll lead the way to the shop because it's in a back corner of the city." Sophia answered. She took the lead and Leona obligingly followed her mother into the Tri-Council City. They passed through the gates and walked into the city that represented an oasis of civilization in the inhospitable desert.

-Inside the Tri-Council City-

The gate shut behind them and the Jarnefeldts stood in front of the bazaar that seemed to have every household good in Earthland for sale and never wanted for customers willing to buy them. Sophia immediately went left and Leona followed carefully behind her while doing all she could to avoid running into other people. That would be difficult because people were everywhere and quarters were so tight that Leona had to keep her arms pressed to her sides to avoid touching anyone. However, that did not mean that other people respected the Wizard Saint's personal space... before she and Sophia could get away from the bazaar Leona counted three instances of a male brushing their hand against her backside and one instance of a furtive squeeze. There was nothing she could do to stop it and she had no solid proof to use against anyone since the culprits literally disappeared into the crowd... Leona chalked it up to the perils of fame and followed her mother without a word about the incidents.

Once away from the hustle and bustle of the bazaar movement became somewhat easier because the vendors had fewer customers lining up to peruse their wares and thus it was a simple matter of snaking through the short lines that had accumulated. Sophia led the way and Leona dutifully followed her through the gaps between the lines, weaving to avoid the people at the end of the line and getting through without too much issue. The pair walked past vendors until they reached the top left corner of the city, where they stopped in front of a tall three-story office building to take a break from the crowd and figure out where they were.

"Kemal's bookstore is not too far from here. It's just to the right of this office building... but I'll need a moment to remember which building it is." Sophia informed her daughter. Leona was in no real hurry... she was just glad to be away from the crowds and have some space to herself. Leona set down her backpack and took out her canteen to take a drink while keeping a close eye on the silver case containing the Maison D'Everett because she did not want to lose it so close to her goal. Leona took a quick drink and closed up the canteen, putting it back in her backpack just as her mother spoke to her.

"I know where it is now, Leona. It's the fourth store to the right, the one with the wooden sign hanging above the door that has the open book on it." Sophia stated, pointing out the sign for the benefit of Leona. Leona saw the sign in question and followed her mother towards the shop with the case clutched firmly in her left hand. In just a few more minutes the Maison D'Everett would be Kemal's problem and she would have the book that she needed to translate the writing on the Muserian Focusing Stone.

-Inside Kemal's Bookstore-

The Jarnefeldts entered the bookstore and found themselves in an environment that was clean and tidy for such a small shop. It was only about 100 meters long by 100 meters across, but it was impeccably clean. The wall-to-wall bookshelves were neatly organized with the books in perfect alphabetical order, the bookshelves did not have a single particle of dust on them, and there were even helpful signs on top of the shelves that told the subject matter of the books on the shelves. Even the front counter was clean; the only object on the counter was a small bell that one rang for service, but ringing it would not be needed because a thin, mustached man in clean and wrinkle-free white clothing and a blue vest over the white long-sleeved shirt greeted them.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to Kemal's Bookstore! I'm Kemal!" The middle-aged man warmly introduced himself. Sophia and Leona waved to him.

"Hello Kemal. You've met me before, but you haven't met my daughter." Sophia said to the man, waving her right hand towards the green-clad blonde. Kemal's brown eyes met Leona's green eyes and he moved out from behind the counter to see her closer.

"Well, if it isn't Leona Jarnefeldt, the Wizard Saint of Courage herself! I've heard a lot about you! I've also been keeping up with your exploits!" He greeted her with her name and title. He then put out his right hand for her to shake and Leona obliged him. He then took notice of the silver case clutched in her left hand.

"And what might that be inside the case?" Kemal asked Leona.

"A bottle of Maison D'Everett. I'm here to trade it for the book on the Muserian language." Leona answered truthfully. Kemal's eyes lit up in joy.

"Splendid, splendid! I've been waiting years to get my hands on a bottle of Maison D'Everett!" Kemal said as he hurried behind the counter and into a back room. Sophia and Leona looked at each other as the man began humming a cheerful tune and rummaging through boxes. Sophia had never told her that the former resident of Nebdoui would be this animated. After a few minutes Kemal emerged from the back room with a rectangular gray book with silver letters on the cover that he set on the counter.

"This is what you're looking for. It's a complete guide to the Muserian language's forms, which are Old, Middle, and New Muserian. It was written about fifty years ago, but since the Muserian language has been dead for centuries the content is still relevant." He told the Jarnefeldts. Leona looked at the book and saw that her goal was within reach. All she had to do was make the trade and the book would be hers.

[Post Word Count: 1,228]
[Total Word Count: 7,588/12,500]

Once Kemal had set the book on the counter Leona reciprocated by setting the case with the wine on its side on the counter. Kemal almost immediately opened it and carefully pulled out the bottle, then carefully inspected the label to make sure that he was not being swindled with a bottle of cheaper wine in place of the rare vintage that he had requested. He hmmm'd and turned the bottle around and around while examining every inch of it for any clue that it could be an elaborate fake instead of the real deal. Sophia and Leona looked at each other while Kemal carried out his inspection. Did he do this every time someone traded wine for a book?

"I'm pleased with this Maison D'Everett. If I may ask, how much did you pay for this, Leona?" Kemal asked Leona, carefully holding the bottle in both of his hands. Sophia winced as Leona opened her mouth to respond.

"I paid two million Jewels at auction in Capital Crocus." Leona answered. Sophia silently and visibly recoiled like she had just been slugged with a sledgehammer to the chest. Kemal remained calm and only hmmm'd in response.

"That sounds about right, my dear. The record price for a single bottle was ten million Jewels at an auction in... Bellum, I believe it was." Kemal calmly replied to Leona's answer. When Sophia heard the price of ten million Jewels Leona thought that she was going to have to physically carry her mother home. Leona also smiled a little because earlier her mother had thought that Leona had made up the ten million Jewels sum to try and make her own questionable decision to bid up to two million Jewels look better, but now that someone else had cited the same figure Sophia would have no choice but to believe her daughter.

Kemal set the Maison D'Everett back into its case and snapped it shut, then locked it securely. He then handed the book on Muserian to Leona. Leona set down her backpack and fished out her desert cloak, then carefully wrapped it around the book before gently setting the valuable tome back into her backpack and closing it up. Sophia was too shocked by the top auction price to move or say anything, but Leona could see a look of horror on her mother's face. The Wizard Saint knew that her mother had already calculated the quantities of supplies that princely sum could buy Nebdoui if put towards the village instead of towards a bottle of wine.

"It was nice doing business with you, Wizard Saint." Kemal warmly thanked her for the valuable trade gift while extending his right hand for a handshake. Again Leona took his hand and shook it. She was glad to have the book, but she was even more glad to finally be rid of the burden the Maison D'Everett represented. Now the expensive beverage was Kemal's problem. Leona turned to get Sophia because their business here was done.

"If you ever need any more rare tomes, be sure to come back here and pay a visit! I take Jewels or wine!" Kemal said to her.

"I will." Leona promised before finally collecting Sophia and gently ushering her towards the doorway. The pair had a lengthy return trip ahead of them. She was not sure whether her mother wanted to walk the distance or fly it... that decision would be up to Sophia.

-Three hours later, on the outskirts of Nebdoui-

The Winged Lion landed on the outskirts of Nebdoui and kicked up a small cloud of sand. Leona quickly dismounted the lion and Sophia followed soon after. Once her mother was off of the lion's back Leona dispelled the summon and began to walk towards the village. Sophia quickly caught up to her daughter and the pair walked side-by-side towards the small tent city.

"I'm still shocked that you paid that much for a single bottle of wine, Leona." Sophia said to her daughter. Leona, not wanting to get into another argument so late in the day, took a few moments to think through an answer that did not sound hostile.

"I had a bad case of sticker shock, believe me. I also had buyer's remorse, but once I traded it to Kemal for the book on Muserian it all went away. Who knows how much I would have had to pay for the book if I paid in Jewels. I don't think that Kemal would cheat me... otherwise you would have never recommended the trade to start with." Leona answered calmly.

"I'm just glad it's over too. You got the book that you needed and we got back safely. So what are you going to do from here? Are you going to spend the night here or are you going to fly back home?" Sophia asked Leona. Leona looked at the sky and saw that she did not have much daylight left. Nightfall was approaching and while she would be safe on the back of her Winged Lion, she did not want to try and make the flight since she was sort of tired from the six-hour walk to the Tri-Council City and the three-hour flight back. She would stay in her home village.

"I'll just stay here for the night." Leona quickly answered. Sophia smiled a bit. Leona was mildly alarmed by that and hoped that she would not regret her decision. Sophia would probably give her the lecture about staying and having children for the umpteenth time and Leona would have to find a way to politely refuse for the umpteenth time. That was a major point of contention between mother and daughter and one that was unlikely to go away any time soon.

-Inside the Jarnefeldt tent-

"Well, here we are, Leona. It's kinda crowded since three of us are living in here, but it'll do." Sophia said to Leona, who had to avoid waking a sleeping Leonidas by staying away from the cot he was occupying. It was hard since the Wizard Saint was not used to being inside the family tent after spending two years away from home, but like with most other challenges in her path Leona quickly learned to surmount it. She had not entirely lost touch with her heritage and thus was not bothered by the lack of creature comforts such as lack of an actual bed to sleep in. The greatest challenge Leona had to face in Nebdoui came in the form of her own mother, who had firm ideas of what she wanted and was not going to budge from them.

"It works for me." Leona said calmly, again trying to keep from adopting an adversarial tone with her mother. Sophia seemed to imply that Leona had gone soft from living in the civilized lands and would turn her nose up at the modest family dwelling she had left behind almost two years ago. Leona had spent sixteen years of her life in Nebdoui and had not forgotten where she had come from. She could adapt to life here for a night or two when she needed to.

[Post Word Count: 1,192]
[Total Word Count: 8,780/12,500]

-The next morning-

Unable to ignore the sunlight any longer, Leona woke up to find her mother sitting at a small wooden table with a cup of coffee in hand and clearly waiting for her to wake up. She was sure that the topic of staying permanently in Nebdoui was going to come up at some point. That belief was reinforced when Sophia indicated that she wanted to discuss something with the Wizard Saint. Leona was not looking forward to it, especially first thing in the morning. The Wizard Saint smoothed out the wrinkles in her outfit and greeted her mother with a raised hand.

"I know what you're expecting to hear, but that's not what I want to talk about with you right now. Something more important has come up." Sophia said to Leona, who could not help but to let her surprise show. The same woman who had been hounding her for grandchildren for years was going to talk about something else for a change? Leona was worried that the world was going to end any moment now.

"Really? What might that be?" Leona asked without bothering to sound polite. Sophia ignored the rude tone of the question and got to the point.

"I told you this yesterday, but I'll say it again. Your brother resents you, Leona. He resents how you get to live a life of freedom while he's stuck here." Sophia told Leona. Leona sighed. Not this subject again.

"Great. Just great." Leona commented sourly. Sophia wanting Leona to stay in Nebdoui was bad enough, but now her older brother had expressed resentment about her lifestyle. She was not in the mood for the subject, but apparently things had reached the point that the topic could no longer be avoided. This needed to be addressed and needed to be addressed now.

"I'll go talk to him right away." Leona vowed. She was not going to let this situation continue to fester. The longer she waited to address it the larger the rift between the siblings would grow. If Leonidas was not going to be her friend, she at least wanted him to not be her enemy.

"Try not to be too hard on him, Leona. He might be gruff, but Leonidas means well." Sophia suggested that the Wizard Saint take a soft approach towards her brother. Leona did not need reminding, but apparently her reputation for violent problem-solving preceded her and her mother believed that Leona would not even bother with talking. Or Leona could be reading too much into it and not giving her mother a fair shake. There was quite a bit of animosity between mother and daughter that still needed to be resolved.

Leona left the family tent with the intent to discuss the matter with her older brother before it was too late. She kept her weapons on hand in case there was a bandit raid; Sophia might take that as a sign that Leona was loaded for bear, but considering where they lived and the frequency of bandit raids, having a weapon handy at all times would be considered a reasonable precaution to take. Besides, the Wizard Saint tended to attract conflict wherever she went.

-The blacksmith's tent-

Leona walked up to the tent to find Leonidas hammering away at a weapon he was crafting for either Nebdoui's militia or Berreb's. The older Jarnefeldt spotted Leona right away and set the hammer down on the anvil. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

"So Mother told you about how I feel?" Leonidas asked pointedly.

"Yes." Leona answered truthfully.

"There's no point in lying about it, so I'll give it to you straight. I resent you. I resent your lifestyle." Leonidas started. Leona frowned.

"You have apprentices and other blacksmiths to take over for you, right?" Leona asked him. Leonidas nodded.

"Then why don't you do some exploring of your own? Start out small and see if there are any ruins around the village like the one that I explored?" Leona asked him. It was his turn to frown.

"You make it sound so easy. I can't leave here, not when I'm the senior blacksmith for the village. I've got to train the apprentices and help the other blacksmiths make weapons for Berreb. I've also got to make weapons for our militia." Leonidas answered bitterly. Leona wanted to ask about him accompanying her to the iron mine but thought better of it.

"Fair point." Leona conceded. Leonidas might have been gruff, but he had raised valid points. Leona should have thought a little harder before saying what she did, but no one had ever accused her of being smart. Leonidas sighed and looked her in the eyes.

"Look, I know what you're getting at, Leona. Maybe I shouldn't resent you for leaving the village because you didn't have much of a choice. It was that or be burned at the sake for hitting the chief's son a few too many times after he got handsy with you. But I still resent you because you got to leave while I was stuck here." Leonidas admitted to his sister, softening his tone. Leona frowned but then realized that Leonidas was as much of a victim of circumstance as she was. She had been forced to leave and he had been forced to stay and neither Jarnefeldt had much say in the matter. Leona had gotten to make lemonade with her lemons by becoming first Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf and then the Wizard Saint of Courage. Leonidas had gotten nothing but endless work for his trouble.

The more Leona thought about it the easier it was to see why Leonidas resented her. If she was stuck here having babies while he got to roam Earthland at will she would be pretty resentful too. For a brief moment it seemed like they were starting to see where the other was coming from... maybe they could actually become something closer to siblings instead of just being strangers with the same last name. The siblings were at a standstill while they searched for something meaningful to say to keep the conversation going. Neither Jarnefeldt was known for their dazzling social skills.

[Post Word Count: 1,036]
[Total Word Count: 9,816/12,500]

Brother and sister stood for minutes with an awkward silence between them, trying to find the words necessary to continue the conversation that had started off in a bad way but had found its way to a sort of understanding before they reached an impasse. Neither of them could find the words needed to continue and were hoping that the other could say them, but it was not happening. They stared at each other until a trumpet sounded and Leonidas grabbed a scimitar from behind the anvil and donned a pair of steel gauntlets, then hurriedly put on a leather cuirass to prepare for battle. Leona looked at him in anticipation.

"Raiders!" Leonidas announced succinctly as he adjusted the cuirass. That was all Leona needed to hear. He rushed out of the tent and Leona followed right behind him with Silver Longsword in hand. Leona would have preferred that her older brother stay out of the fight, but Nebdoui desperately needed every man who could fight and she could not keep Leonidas away from a fight any more than he could keep the Wizard Saint away from a fight. The Jarnefeldt siblings were going to defend their village from the latest raiders who treated Nebdoui as a pit stop on their tour of the desert country.

-In front of Nebdoui-

Leonidas and Leona hurried to the front of the village where the militia was gathering and women and children were being ushered to the rear of the village where it would be safer. About 500 meters away was a cloud of sand being kicked up by a large group of men on horseback with raised swords that gleamed in the sunlight. Leona saw a collection of one hundred men and teenagers who were already armed and armored, but they would not be enough to stop the attack. Another one hundred men were being held back to watch for an attack from behind, which meant that they could not meet the enemy coming from the front. Leona would need to be front and center to make up the difference and use her intimidation factor to its fullest.

Leona needed to buy them some time to get ready and for stragglers to get into place, so she would throw herself into the fray since the raiders would prioritize dealing with her before they would go after the militia. Leona stood thirty meters away from the militia and cast a couple of summon spells to help her even the odds. She already had one summon on her mind.

"TEMPEST AVIAN!" Leona thought as she raised her arms to the sky and summoned Tempest Avian for the fight ahead. The metallic owl arrived in the midst of a giant tornado and landed by her right side. She would need to emphasize crowd control over raw power in choosing summons, so she needed to think of another summon with attacks that could hit multiple targets.

The griffin.

"GRIFFIN SUMMON!" Leona thought. An eagle's cry sounded from above and the griffin flew overhead. With her summons ready Leona was about to charge ahead of the militia to buy them some time when Leonidas put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her before she could even go two steps.

"Wait, Leona. The militia will need you to stay with them and give them support. Going out in front of them will only get you hurt before the real battle starts." Leonidas counseled her. Leona took a deep breath. He was right... she needed to stay with the militia instead of trying to take on the entire raider army by herself.

"Fine. I'll send the summons to do the fighting instead so that I can get rid of a few before they reach the village. If my summons get killed I can bring them back at will." Leona said, mentally sending Tempest Avian and the Griffin into battle. She could use them to wear down and disorganize the invaders before they got too close, but she would need to act fast. They were 200 meters away and closing.

The summons flew above the astonished village defenders and hovered close to the entrance. Leona walked behind the summons and watched the enemy army approach. She would wait until they drew closer before ordering the summons to attack with their best crowd control abilities. The army was now 100 meters away.

"Tempest Avian, use Steel Flechettes on my command! Griffin, use Blade Storm on my command!" Leona laid out the plan for them. The enemies were now 50 meters away and a quick eyeball count showed about 150 enemy riders riding in a solid line formation of ten men riding side-by-side. Killing them would be less important than breaking up their formation and making it easier for the militia to stand its ground.

"Wait for my command." Leona ordered. They were now 25 meters away. The militia did its best to brace itself for contact.

"Wait for it." Leona ordered. They were now 15 meters and so tightly packed that it would be hard to miss. This was what she was waiting for.

"NOW!" Leona finally gave the order. Tempest Avian fired a spread of Steel Flechettes and the Griffin fired a burst of silver wind blades from his wings. The front row of tan-robed riders got the worst of it; Leona counted four that had been definitely killed and seven more that had been wounded. More important than the kill count was that the tight formation had been disrupted... men on the flanks were impatient to get into the fight and began to stream around their comrades in the center who had stalled out, allowing the defenders to engage them on more favorable terms.

Leona ordered the summons up into the air and to begin swooping down on the horsemen while taking care not to hit the defenders. Meanwhile she got ahead of a block of spear-wielding militiamen and cast a Wind Blast that dumped five men from their saddles. There was a lot of fighting to be done before Nebdoui could claim victory, but with the formation disrupted this melee just might be doable. Leona had better hurry because Leonidas was on the left and was already kicking outlaw ass.

He used his left hand to seize a rider by the leg and drag him off the horse before stabbing him in the chest twice. Leonidas then grabbed a second rider and gave a repeat performance, then parried a sword stroke from a third man on horseback before seizing him and pulling him from the horse for a stab through the heart. Leona had some work to do if she wanted to catch up to her brother.

[Post Word Count: 1,120]
[Total Word Count: 10,936/12,500]

Leona ignored Leonidas on the left flank and turned back to her job, which was to shore up the right flank with her presence and her fighting ability. A teenage militiaman armed with a spear was currently fending off a dismounted raider but his courage was flagging and the enemy was drawing closer with a smile on his face in anticipation of an easy kill. Leona sprinted to the teenager's aid and grabbed the raider from behind, impaling the surprised man through the back with her sword and dropping the corpse to the sand.

"T-t-thanks!" The youth stammered out. This was clearly his first fight and he was in way over his head. He hurried to rejoin his fellows and Leona clashed with another dismounted horseman who had engaged her. The raider crossed swords with Leona and reached down to scoop up a handful of sand to fling into her eyes. Leona kneed him in the face with her right knee and stabbed him through the chest while he clutched his face in pain. She withdrew her sword and looked for her next target. She spotted one in the form of a horseman who had just trampled a hapless militiaman to death and was turning to find a new victim.

Leona sprinted towards him and the man spurred his mount forward with his blade held out straight. She paused in place, reached down into her right boot, and drew her knife, which she empowered with magic and flung at the man's chest. It struck home just above the heart and he screamed as he fell backwards from the saddle; the horse turned and ran towards the rear of the village. Leona reclaimed her knife and stabbed the wounded man through the heart before turning to rejoin the fight, the outcome of which was still up in the air. The defenders were still holding, but the outlaws were pressing them hard.

Leona reached the right flank just in time for a quintet of mounted raiders to push on a trio of isolated spear-wielding defenders who had lost five of their comrades who lay dead in the sand. She stepped in front of them and cast a Wind Blast that knocked them from their saddles, then charged the men while they were down and began to attack. She killed two with decapitating slashes before they could get to their feet but the third rose in time to block her sword strike. The emboldened defenders gave an assist by spearing him through the chest while his blade was locked with Leona's. With her weapon free she turned to engage the remaining two raiders; one of them met the challenge while the other turned and quickly hopped on a horse, fleeing on horseback instead of fighting the Wizard Saint.

Leona made short work of the man by sidestepping his lunge attack and letting the spearmen do their work. Once he had fallen Leona thanked the men for their help and turned to find more defenders she could help. They hurried to rejoin the main body of defenders and she followed them. Leonidas was still helping the left flank hold and was busy fending off a trio of raiders who were harassing a brave lone spearman who was holding his ground.

The center was holding firm as the mounted raiders began to feel the pressure of Tempest Avian and the Griffin diving from above to knock them from their steeds and onto the sand, where the defenders made quick work of them. The raiders began to slowly give ground, but they were not finished yet. Leona would hurry the process along with another attack or two, but first she had to deal with a pair of raiders who were charging at her.

Leona threw her knife at one of them and nailed him in the chest with it, but the second man took the chance to cut her right arm before she could raise her sword. Leona clenched her teeth and faced the man, who had already gotten in her face and dealt two unanswered punches to the face before she could respond. He stepped back, swung his sword, and cut her outfit open at the midriff.

Leona retaliated by closing with him and slugging him in the mouth with a Mach Straight, then stabbing him through the torso before he could react. Another raider emerged from nowhere and tried to tackle the unarmed Wizard Saint, but she hit him in the face with a Mach Jab that threw him off balance just long enough for her to hit him with a Mach Uppercut below the chin and knock him onto his back, causing him to drop his sword. Leona used the time to withdraw her Silver Longsword from the torso of the slain outlaw and move towards the raider with weapon in hand. Seeing her approach caused him to scramble to his feet and flee without his weapon; the Wizard Saint left him alone and reclaimed her knife, wiping it off before quickly putting it away.

The Wizard Saint saw that the left and right flanks of the militia were threatening to converge on the mounted raiders, so the raiders began to flee the attempt at encirclement and disengaged from the fight in ones and twos. They fell back about 50 meters and were starting a fighting retreat, so Leona decided to give them some extra encouragement to keep moving by aiming carefully and using her special Daunting Roar ability to roar like her namesake animal and project a cone of sound that hit fifteen of the bravest raiders. Upon being hit with the cone they immediately panicked and broke into a full retreat, leaving their fellows in danger of being overwhelmed by the defenders, who were reinforced by the arrival of the second group that had been held in reserve.

The raiders began a full retreat, leaving their dead behind and running away from the village at full speed. The dismounted raiders quickly followed on foot; the militia moved towards them but made no effort to engage, only showing them the door. Leona's summons stopped their pursuit and rejoined their mistress, who was a bit bruised but none the worse for wear. Nebdoui had won!

-Thirty minutes later-

Leona and her summons stood watch in case the raiders returned for another attack while the militia gathered up its dead and pulled the wounded from the battlefield to care for them. The militia lost thirty dead and an equal number of wounded, but it had held its ground. The raiders lost forty dead and ten wounded; the wounded outlaws who could flee had fled when the main body broke contact, so only those too badly hurt to retreat had been left behind. They remained under the careful watch of the militia and would be taken to face justice in the Tri-Council City by the royal army.

Leona watched Leonidas walk towards her. He had a gash in his armor from a raider's sword but was otherwise unhurt. The siblings met at the entrance to the village and shared relief that the other had survived the melee.

"That was a tough fight." Leonidas said to his sister.

"Yeah, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. These guys were small fry compared to the Crimson Sashes." Leona said to her brother. He nodded and looked towards the horizon where the raiders had vanished not even half an hour ago.

"I don't think they'll be back anytime soon. Now that we showed them that we aren't an easy target they'll think twice about coming back for another try." Leonidas opined.

"Yeah, but you never know, Leonidas. They might try again just to get the honor of raiding the home of a Wizard Saint and living to tell the tale." Leona said to him. She had helped Nebdoui today, but she could not always be here to defend her home. Nebdoui needed to improve the training of its militia and upgrade its weaponry in case The Golden Band came calling. All the determination in the world could not stand up against rifle bullets.

"Yeah, but they'll be in for a nasty surprise the next time they come back." Leonidas hinted. Maybe Nebdoui was working to get access to firearms and a steady supply of ammunition so that it could more easily repel raiders like the ones it had fought today. Leona did not know if that was the case and she did not ask for clarification because it might be a secret entrusted to him by Chief Elijah. Leonidas looked towards her and spoke.

"You did great, Leona. I know that we're not on the best of terms, but I'm glad that you stayed to help us defend the village. You helped us a lot today just by being here and showing the villagers that fighting the outlaws isn't hopeless." Leonidas thanked his sister for her help.

"We're not on the best of terms, but that doesn't mean I'll let outlaws destroy our home. I'm the Wizard Saint of Courage and I vowed to take back the desert from the outlaws. I'm gonna keep that vow." Leona assured him in a statement that was intended to be much warmer than it sounded. Leonidas smiled.

"Heh. Maybe one day you will take back the desert. But for now, let's get your outfit patched up before you head back to your guild." Leonidas said to her. Leona nodded her agreement and the pair waited until sentries came to relieve them before heading towards the Jarnefeldt tent. After a brief wait two older men took their places and the duo walked the short distance to their tent. While they were not fully reconciled, Leonidas and Leona were well on the way to mending their relationship. It would take time and effort to fully mend the relationship, but Leona would achieve that goal one day.

First she needed to mend her outfit so that she did not look bad in front of the village. Sophia could help Leona with that.

[Post Word Count: 1,678]
[Total Word Count: 12,614/12,500]

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, three hours later-

Three hours after the successful defense of her village Leona was back in Silver Wolf Guild Hall with a newly repaired outfit and her newly acquired book on the Muserian language of Ancient Desierto. Now that she had the book she could begin the process of laboriously translating the inscription on the Muserian Focusing Stone before she began experimenting with it. Besides the academic benefit of translating the inscription, there was also the practical benefit of knowing whether there was any special conditions that the stone could be used under. Leona did not want to start slinging spells only for it to explode in her hands due to using a powered-up spell that exceeded the limits of what it could withstand.

She went to her office and sat down in her chair to find a surprisingly light stack of paperwork waiting for her. The decision to appoint two new Aces was already starting to pay dividends. Aspen and Mercury were competent mages who also knew their way around paperwork, which was why the Wizard Saint was faced with only a small stack of it instead of the mountains that she was accustomed to staring down. Leona decided to do the responsible thing and take care of the guild paperwork before she started her personal project of translating the Muserian Focusing Stone. Leona began to sift through the stack of papers to see what matters needed her attention today.

Leona had not mended fences with either her mother or her brother, but it was unrealistic to expect a sudden change in attitude from a single conversation. It would take time and effort to effect lasting change. In the meantime Leona would have to take it one day at a time and juggle that task with all the other responsibilities of a Guild Mistress and a Wizard Saint.

Leona looked at the first paper her fingers touched and laughed. It was yet another missive on the coffee consumption of the guild. What was it with Silver Wolf and coffee?

[Post Word Count: 344]
[Total Word Count: 12,958/12,500]