Rescuing Amanda Smith... Again

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 39, Post Number 959

-Lycan Woods, midnight-

Wearing her usual green, white, and gold outfit with black bike shorts on underneath the skirt, Leona had geared up for werewolf encounters. On her torso was her Adaptable Armor and on her hands were her Argent Gloves. On her left hip was her Silver Longsword and in her right boot was Ses Revanche. With her was Ancient Knight, a companion Leona had not taken on a job for awhile. She had promised to show him the world but circumstances kept interfering, so tonight she had brought the knight with her for backup against the werewolves who lived in this forest... since she was still kind of beat up from the fight with Mordecai a while ago, she would need him to watch her back and help her fight any werewolves who thought she was a late-night snack.

Leona's mission was a simple one. She had been sent here by Meredith Smith to rescue her younger sister Amanda Smith, a young woman with a terrible sense of direction. It was so terrible that the young woman had set out for Hosenka but ended up in Lycan Woods. Leona was baffled as to how that kind of mistake could be made, but she was here to bail Amanda Smith out of it.

Thankfully Amanda had thought to charge up her iLac completely before leaving home, so the young woman had managed to keep in contact with Meredith. That was both good and bad. It was good because Amanda was still alive but bad because the missing young woman was so lost that she could not give any sort of landmarks to help Leona find her. That meant that Leona would have to comb the woods for the missing blonde.

Leona and Ancient Knight walked side-by-side on the path that led into Lycan Woods as they listened out for any nearby werewolves who might have picked up their scent. It did not take long for them to hear howling from further up the path. Ancient Knight was quick to comment on that.

"Those wolves will undoubtedly attack us as we walk along the path. We should be ready for them to attack at any moment." Ancient Knight noted. Leona shrugged her shoulders.

"Those werewolves won't stop us from finding Amanda and bringing her out of here alive and unharmed." Leona said to her companion. She had dealt with werewolves several times before. While she was not terrified of them, she knew firsthand how dangerous they could be and she would not take them lightly. Fortunately for her Leona was carrying her Silver Longsword, a weapon that made the formidable werewolves a lot easier to take down, which was a blessing because she did not know how much time Amanda had. Leona was working with information that was hours old and she would have to move quickly to find the lost blonde before it was too late.

"We should tread carefully, Leona. There is no telling how many of them are out there." Ancient Knight advised her. The Wizard Saint walked in silence for a few seconds before responding.

"There are a lot of them, Ancient Knight. The woods are full of them, but it's to be expected when you travel in a place called Lycan Woods." Leona commented. While she was wary of them, werewolves held no special terror for her. They were just tough obstacles that were a part of whatever mission sent her to Lycan Woods. Moments later howling sounded from very close by and they could hear the sound of heavy footsteps.

"They are getting closer. Get ready!" Ancient Knight told Leona. Leona drew her Silver Longsword and waited for the werewolves to show themselves. She was not going to go looking for them... instead she was going to wait for them to come to her despite the risks of doing so. She would not have long to wait because eight of them emerged from the woods to the left and began to surround the pair.

"Be careful, Leona!" Ancient Knight advised Leona.

"I'll be careful, Ancient Knight." Leona assured him as she watched the werewolves to their right. Leona could see from their body language that the lycanthropes were ready to pounce at any moment. Since she could not use Storm Impact because of Ancient Knight's presence, the Wizard Saint would have to be careful to avoid getting surrounded and cut off from her companion.

[Post Word Count: 740]
[Total Word Count: 740/10,000]

Now that the werewolves had shown themselves Leona no longer had to worry about where they were going to come from. Now she either had to kill them all or kill enough of them that the rest retreated. When one of them began to charge at her the Wizard Saint she took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then went into action.

The first werewolf to reach her reached out with both hands to try and grab her shoulder to pull her in for a bite, but Leona knew how to counter that. She ducked down, then jumped up with the Silver Longsword angled upwards towards its chest. The blade punched through and had likely hit it in the heart because it yelped loudly and collapsed to the ground, killing it but leaving Leona without her sword. The Wizard Saint ducked down and drew Ses Revanche from her right boot, then fought a pair of werewolves that attacked in unison.

Leona saw the one on the left approaching and it was just a bit closer to her than its companion, so she faced it first. She drew back her left fist and hit it in the face with a Mach Straight technique, then slashed at its throat with Ses Revanche. The knife missed because the werewolf stepped back at the last moment, leaving Leona to hit nothing but air. The werewolf on the right approached and reached out for Leona, who ducked under the grab attempt and then stood up and jumped back a single leap.

Behind her she heard the sound of sword meeting flesh and howling, which meant that Ancient Knight was holding his ground. That meant that Leona could focus on the enemies in front of her, which had now increased to three werewolves now that the third had decided to join the fight. Leona watched them move towards her and had an idea. She would cast a Wind Blast spell to stagger them, then go for her Silver Longsword, which was still lodged in the dead werewolf.

Leona quickly put Ses Revanche back into her right boot, then raised her right hand. She prepared and cast a Wind Blast spell that hit all three of the lycanthropes, knocking them off-balance and giving her a few moments to hurry towards the dead werewolf. Leona sprinted to it and flipped it over, then seized the sword's grip in both hands, planted her right foot on its chest, and pulled up. She freed the blade just in time because the werewolves recovered from the effects of the Wind Blast and began moving towards her again.

The Wizard Saint watched them approach in unison and knew that she would need to hit all three of them at once because they were going to attack as a team. She prepared a Silver Revolution ability with her Silver Longsword and watched tip of the blade glow silver as they began to run towards her. Once it was ready she held the sword out at her right side and spun in place for five full revolutions, hitting all three in the chest with the Silver Revolution ability and causing them to yelp in pain before collapsing to the ground.

Leona heard the sound of howling behind her and turned around. She saw Ancient Knight standing tall over three dead werewolves as the last one retreated from a losing battle. Once the fighting was over Ancient Knight turned towards Leona, looking behind her for a moment before making eye contact with her.

"Nice work, Leona." Ancient Knight complimented her.

"Thanks. You did a good job yourself." Leona said to him. Moments later howling in the distance broke the post-battle silence. The two made eye contact again.

"We should keep moving." Ancient Knight suggested to her.

"Yes. Let's keep moving. Amanda's counting on us." Leona said. She wiped the blood off of her Silver Longsword on the body of one of the fallen werewolves and began moving forward with Ancient Knight walking beside her to her left. She was not sure how far into Lycan Woods they had to go, but they would keep searching until they found Amanda.

Leona should have brought her iLac so that she could have kept in contact with Meredith, but she did not think to do that. The next time she went on a job like this she was going to bring her iLac with her. Leona just hoped that that mistake would not cost Amanda her life.

[Post Word Count: 750]
[Total Word Count: 1,490/10,000]

-Deeper in Lycan Woods, one hour later-

After their first successful skirmish with the werewolves who called Lycan Woods home Leona and Ancient Knight had pushed deeper into the area looking for Amanda. They had not found any sign of her, which was both good and bad. That was good because they had not found any blood or shredded clothing, which meant that Amana might still be alive somewhere. That was bad because without any blood or shredded clothing to give a general direction to go in there was no clue as to which direction to focus the search.

Leona had been looking down at the path while they walked and did not find any tracks to follow, so that method of locating the missing young woman was not going to work. Unless she caught a big break soon she was going to have to rely on sheer luck to find Amanda. Leona took a quiet breath and kept moving forward until she heard howling sound from nearby. Upon hearing it she paused in place along with her companion.

"Get ready!" Ancient Knight warned her. Leona had put away her Silver Longsword during the walk, but now that combat was imminent she drew it again and began to look all around her for the lycanthropes. She did not have long to wait because within three minutes of hearing the howling eight more of them bounded onto the path and blocked the way. Leona tightened her grip on her sword and watched the werewolves tense up before moving in as a coordinated pack. Four of them charged straight towards the Wizard Saint and the knight while the other four broke up into pairs and looped around the left and the right to catch their prey between them.

Leona raised her left hand and fired a Wind Blast spell that hit the four wolves charging right at them and knocked them back for a few moments, but the other four continued their loop unhindered before they completed their maneuver and approached their targets. Ancient Knight turned to face his two attackers on the left and Leona faced her attackers on the right. The clash began and Ancient Knight and Leona began to fight their separate battles.

The two wolves targeting Leona had attacked at once; one tried to grab Leona's shoulders while the other moved in from the left to attack her from that side. She ducked under the grab attempt and did a quick jump to the right, then turned and slashed at the two werewolves when they advanced on her simultaneously. They were cut across their chests but did not sustain a lethal wound... Leona looked behind them and saw that the four werewolves she had knocked back with the Wind Blast had recovered and were starting to charge again. The Wizard Saint frowned.

She heard howling from the left followed by the THUMP of a body hitting the ground. Ancient Knight must have killed one of his attackers. Leona faced her attackers and saw one of them sprint towards her, prompting her to take a step back before thrusting her Silver Longsword towards its head. The sword punched through its skull thanks to the beast's momentum and it died instantly, collapsing to the ground and nearly disarming Leona when its fall almost wrenched her sword out of her hands. Leona managed to hang onto her sword and pulled it out in time to face the second werewolf as it reached out towards her shoulders with large hands.

Leona waited until it was close, then took a step back while holding her Silver Longsword out towards its chest where the heart would be. Its momentum did the rest and Leona's right eardrum was hurt as the impaled beast howled in her ears. It made one last attempt to reach out and pull her in for a bite, but Leona ducked under the grab and it died without having landed a hit on her. Leona let go of her sword and watched the beast slump to the ground, then quickly rolled it onto its back and hurried to pull the sword out of its chest before the other wolves got there, but she was too late. The other two lycanthropes arrived and confronted the Wizard Saint before she could retrieve her weapon. Leona hurried to pull the sword out and barely retrieved it before her attackers were upon her.

The first attacker approached Leona head-on and she slashed at its chest, forcing it back after dealing a non-lethal cut to its chest. The second attacker had approached from the left and lashed out at her with an open hand bearing sharp claws. Leona jumped to the right and narrowly avoided the claws, then turned right and saw the werewolf she had cut across the chest moments ago moving towards her again. This time Leona went for the kill and stabbed it through the chest, piercing its heart for an instant kill.

Leona swiftly withdrew the sword in time to meet her other attacker and stabbed it through the heart as well just as Ancient Knight finished the last of his attackers. Once all the werewolves were lying on the ground the Wizard Saint and the knight faced each other. They had defeated this group of werewolves, but the howling in the distance told them that at some point down the path they would have to fight even more lycanthropes.

[Post Word Count: 908]
[Total Word Count: 2,398/10,000]

-Deeper in Lycan Woods, two hours later-

After defeating the last pack of werewolves who had challenged them Leona and Ancient Knight had proceeded deeper into Lycan Woods on their search for Amanda Smith. They had not found any clues as to which direction she had went in, but as they walked down the path they heard howling in the distance. That meant that at some point they would have to fight again, but they had already defeated two packs of werewolves, so they were confident that they could win any skirmish against the lycanthropes. The pair walked down the path until they spotted a light blue object lying in the middle of the path. Leona spotted it about the time Ancient Knight pointed it out.

"Leona, what is that?" Ancient Knight asked her, pointing towards the object with his sword.

"I don't know. I'm gonna check it out, though. Watch my back!" Leona said to her companion before walking slowly and carefully towards it. She was not sure what she was going to find, but she was less concerned about the object than she was about being ambushed by more lycanthropes. There was no predicting when they would appear and how many of them would show up.

Leona slowly and carefully walked towards the object while looking all around her until she reached it. Once she reached it she looked down and saw what it was. It was a light blue iLac. She heard sound coming from it and bent down to pick it up with her left hand. Leona examined it and found that the iLac had taken no damage when it was dropped... and that someone was on the other end!

"Hello?" A familiar-sounding female voice asked. Leona raised the iLac to her lips and spoke into it.

"Hello? Meredith, is that you?" Leona asked for the speaker's identity.

"Yes, this is Meredith. Leona, is that you? I thought you were Amanda! Is she OK?" The voice confirmed its identity before asking for the Wizard Saint's identity.

"Yes, this is Leona. I don't know if Amanda's OK or not, Meredith. I'm still looking for her. I've had to fight my way through two packs of werewolves already, so the search hasn't been going as quickly or as smoothly as I'd like." Leona confirmed her identity and reported her progress to the client.

"How did you get Amanda's iLac?" Meredith asked.

"I found it on the path just now. I don't see any sign of Amanda yet." Leona replied. Meredith sighed.

"Amanda's really gotten into it now. I used to worry whenever she got lost and went into Silent Cemetery while on the way to Rose Garden, but Lycan Woods... Lycan Woods is another kind of dangerous." Meredith said with worry. Leona remained silent.

"Just do what you can to bring Amanda home, Leona. I know that if anyone can find her and bring her back alive, you can. And please be careful while you're at it." Meredith requested of Leona.

"I'll do everything I can to bring Amanda back to Magnolia Town alive, Meredith. And I'll be careful." Leona assured the client. The Wizard Saint was more worried about Amanda than she was about herself. Leona was a powerful and experienced mage with over four years of adventuring experience while Amanda was just an ordinary citizen of Magnolia Town. The Wizard Saint would still be careful, though.

"Thanks. I'll hang up now so that you can focus on looking for Amanda, but please tell Amanda to call me the moment you find her." Meredith made another request of Leona.

"I will, Meredith. When I find her I'm gonna give her the iLac and tell her to call you." Leona replied.

"Thanks." Meredith said before hanging up. Once Meredith hung up Leona lowered the iLac and turned around, then walked over to Ancient Knight.

"I found Amanda's iLac, but I still don't have a clue as to where she is." Leona told him. Ancient Knight was about to speak when they heard screaming coming from down the path and to the left. The two immediately turned and looked down it. They did not see the source of the screaming, but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere within the woods.

"Did you hear that?" Ancient Knight asked Leona.

"Yeah, I heard it." Leona replied in the affirmative. The screaming sounded again.

"We need to get going!" Leona told her companion. She then turned around and started jogging down the path while Ancient Knight followed close behind. After a few jogging steps the Wizard Saint broke into a full run and Ancient Knight did his best to keep up. Leona hoped that she would get there in time to rescue whoever was screaming. If she was lucky the person she rescued would be Amanda.

[Post Word Count: 806]
[Total Word Count: 3,204/10,000]

-In the woods, forty minutes later-

Shortly after discovering Amanda's iLac on the path some time ago Leona heard screaming somewhere in the area and she and Ancient Knight deduced that it was coming from the woods off the beaten path. Going into them was not a good idea because the local lycanthropes could appear from anywhere, but that risk had to be taken. If the person was Amanda they had to be rescued no matter what. Even if they were not Amanda they would still be rescued because no one deserved to be stuck in Lycan Woods.

Leona and Ancient Knight was making their way through the woods where the screaming was coming from when it sounded again, but this time it was a call for help. They were on the right path. All they had to do was move forward a bit further and they would find the source. They had better keep going while they still could.

The pair continued to move into the forest until the call for help sounded from the tall tree to their right. Leona looked up the tree and saw two legs and two feet wearing tennis shoes dangling from a large tree limb that was definitely thick enough to support the weight of a human. Leona looked around before she called out to the person. The moment she called out to them any werewolf within earshot was going to run towards the sound.

Once she was certain that the coast was clear the Wizard Saint put away her Silver Longsword, then cupped her hands over her mouth while clutching Amanda's iLac in her left hand and called out.

"Hello? Amanda Smith, is that you?" Leona called out to the person.

"Yeah! How did you know my name?" Amanda asked.

"Your sister Meredith sent me to rescue you!" Leona replied. There was silence for a few moments.

"Great! I've been stuck up here for... for... I forgot how long, but it's been awhile!" Amanda said. Leona looked at the tree and saw numerous claw marks where there had been several attempts to climb it.

"I dropped my iLac on the path some ways back. Did you manage to find it?" Amanda asked Leona.

"I've got your iLac with me, Amanda." Leona confirmed.

"Great! Give me a minute or two and I'll climb down!" Amanda said. Leona turned to Ancient Knight.

"Ancient Knight, Amanda's coming down from the tree. Help me keep an eye out for werewolves while she climbs down." Leona ordered her companion.

"Understood." Ancient Knight said before beginning to look around the area. Leona alternated between looking up into the tree to track Amanda's progress and looking around the area for enemies. Leona saw Amanda grab onto the tree and began slowly and carefully climbing down from it. The Wizard Saint looked down and began looking around the area again while Amanda continued to climb down.

After a few minutes Leona heard the sound of feet hitting the ground and spotted Amanda. The blonde with twintails walked over to Leona.

"I'm glad to be back on the ground again. I forgot how long I was up in that tree!" Amanda exclaimed Wizard Saint. Leona held the iLac out towards the recently rescued blonde, who recognized the device and took it.

"Meredith asked me to tell you to call her the moment I found you." Leona told Amanda about her older sister's request.

"OK, I'll call her now!" Amanda said. Amanda tapped the screen and began scrolling while Leona and Ancient Knight continued to look around them for werewolves. In the meantime Amanda called her older sister.

"Hello? Meredith, are you there?" Amanda inquired. Leona and Ancient Knight heard a sigh of relief on the other end.

"Amanda! I'm glad to hear from you! When Leona told me that she had found your iLac I was afraid that you didn't make it!" Meredith said.

"I managed to climb up a tree before the werewolves could get me, but it was really close. I'm safely out of the tree now and Leona's gonna take me out of this place as soon as we finish talking." Amanda informed her sister.

"I'm gonna hang up so that you can start getting out of there. We'll talk once you're out of Lycan Woods." Meredith told Amanda.

"OK, Meredith. Talk to you then!" Amanda bade her sister goodbye before Meredith hung up. Once the conversation was over Amanda put the iLac in her right shorts pocket and faced Leona.

"OK, Leona. Let's get outta here!" Amanda said to the Wizard Saint. Leona drew her Silver Longsword.

"All right, Amanda. Follow me." Leona instructed Amanda. The Wizard Saint began to guide the other blonde back to the main path while Ancient Knight brought up the rear and watched for werewolves trying to sneak up on the group. Leona had managed to find Amanda despite having little information to go on, but the real challenge was going to be getting her out of Lycan Woods safely.

[Post Word Count: 838]
[Total Word Count: 4,042/10,000]

-Lycan Woods, back on the main path, thirty-five minutes later-

After a lengthy and tense walk through the deep woods that was not made any easier by the sound of howling nearby, the trio were finally on the path again. Now they faced the tasks of walking out of Lycan Woods while anticipating werewolf attacks at any moment. Again Leona was in the lead followed by Amanda and Ancient Knight bringing up the rear.

"Are you sure that we're on the right path, Leona?" Amanda asked the Wizard Saint. Leona did not look back as she answered the question.

"I'm sure, Amanda. We're going the right way." Leona answered with confidence. She should know because she and Ancient Knight had to fight their way through two packs of werewolves to get this far. Within moments of answering the question the trio heard howling from nearby.

"They are close by. Get ready!" Ancient Knight told Leona. Leona took a quiet breath as she felt a grab from behind. Leona knew that it was Amanda.

"Stay close to Amanda, Ancient Knight. She's not a mage and she's not a fighter, so we're gonna need to protect her." Leona ordered Ancient Knight.

"I will stay close to her." Ancient Knight said. A minute later some werewolves ran out of the deep woods and surrounded the trio. Amanda crouched down on the ground while Leona and Ancient Knight prepared to fight for their lives. Leona counted twelve werewolves in this pack.

Leona knew that she could not get too far from Amanda, so she would have to avoid getting separated from the other blonde. She would need to fight defensively instead of actively going after werewolves, but that was fine with her. She had plenty of long-range spells to use to compensate for her inability to go far.

The werewolves in front of Leona attacked in groups of three... three of them charged straight for her while the other group looped around towards Leona's right. The Wizard Saint held her ground and waited for the trio attacking from the front to get close before raising her left hand and preparing a Wind Blast spell, then casting it to knock down the three werewolves and buy her time to deal with their fellows. With the first three down Leona turned to her right and began to fight the other werewolves.

Leona prepared an Air Pressure spell with her left hand, then cast it at point-blank range at the werewolf on the right, who was trying to loop around her to get to Amanda. The werewolf was hit in the side of the head by the horizontal column of compressed air and crumpled to the ground, leaving Leona with two more enemies to deal with before the other three joined the fray. She saw the lycanthrope on the left heading for her along with the one in the center, so Leona stabbed at the one in front of her, scoring a non-lethal hit on its torso that was just strong enough to make it back off for a moment. She turned to face the last one and stabbed it through the torso as it charged her, making it howl in pain before crumpling to the ground

Leona hurriedly pulled the Silver Longsword out of its chest and turned to face the enemy she had stabbed moments ago. She heard two howls a short distance behind her and the sound of two bodies hitting the dirt, meaning that Ancient Knight had claimed another two werewolf kills. The Wizard Saint and her companion were holding their ground so far, but they were still badly outnumbered.

"LEONA! TO YOUR RIGHT!" Amanda called out. Leona turned right and spotted the werewolf she had hit with the Air Presssure spell trying to get to its feet. The Wizard Saint sprinted over to it, raised her Silver Longsword above her head, and brought it down in a two-handed chop on the beast's neck, decapitating it in a single stroke. The beast's head had barely hit the ground when Amanda called out another warning.

"LEONA! TO YOUR LEFT!" Amanda shouted. Leona turned left and spotted the werewolf from the second trio moving towards her with its arms extended for a grab. The Wizard Saint ducked under the grab and then thrust her sword upwards with both hands, stabbing the werewolf through the heart and killing it instantly.

Leona stood up and reclaimed her sword from the werewolf's chest just in time to spot the werewolves she had knocked down with Wind Blast charging towards her as a trio. She moved forward just ahead of Amanda and stopped.

"Amanda, get back and stay back until what I'm about to do is finished." Leona ordered Amanda. Amanda obliged and stepped back four full steps, giving Leona just enough space to use Silver Revolution without the risk of cutting Amanda in the process. Leona then held her sword out to her right side and prepared another Silver Revolution. The tip of the Silver Longsword glowed silver and when the werewolves were too close to dodge she used the Silver Revolution, spinning five full revolutions and cutting the three attackers across the torso with her sword. They howled in unison and fell to the ground with a deep cut from the Silver Longsword on their chests.

"LEONA, HELP!" Amanda called out. Leona faced the other blonde and saw two werewolves who had gotten past Ancient Knight hurrying towards Amanda. Leona sprinted and put herself in front of Amanda with Silver Longsword at the ready. They were not going to get past her if she had say in the matter.

[Post Word Count: 942]
[Total Word Count: 4,984/10,000]

Leona waited until the two lycanthropes got close, then raised her left hand and prepared a Wind Blast spell. When it was ready she cast the spell, knocking both of them down in a single casting. Leona took advantage of their close proximity to her and Amanda to attack them... since Amanda was nearby Leona could fight a little more aggressively while still protecting the other blonde. Leona attacked one of the werewolves as it was lying on its back by turning her sword upside-down in her hands and plunging the Silver Longsword into its chest, killing it when the blade pierced the heart. It might have been unsporting to attack an opponent who was down, but the werewolves were several inches taller, were quite a few pounds heavier, and had a lot more muscle than Leona, so the Wizard Saint had to take whatever advantage she could get against the beasts.

The second werewolf of the pair scrambled to its feet and faced Leona just as the latter pulled her sword out of the first werewolf's chest. It swiped at her face with the claws of its left hand extended, but Leona ducked under it and popped up, then stabbed it in the chest. The Silver Longsword pierced its heart for an instant kill. Leona retrieved the sword from its body and turned to face Amanda, who was frightened but unharmed.

"They are retreating!" Ancient Knight called out to Leona. Leona turned to face her companion and saw that he was right. The two werewolves who had been fighting him were running back into the deep woods, leaving the trio alive and unharmed. Leona took a quiet breath.

"OK, we won't have long before yet another pack shows up, so we'd better get going while we still can. I'll lead the way." Leona said to Ancient Knight and Amanda. Leona set off at a brisk walk, being careful not to move faster than Ancient Knight or Amanda but still moving at a reasonable pace. The trio left quite a few dead werewolves behind them, but there were plenty of live ones lurking in the woods. They were likely using the deep woods for cover as they moved to set up yet another ambush for the trio somewhere down the path.

-Lycan Woods, thirty minutes later-

The trio had made decent progress towards getting out of Lycan Woods. They still had a ways to go, but thirty minutes of uninterrupted walking meant that they had gotten further than Leona had anticipated they would in thirty minutes. She had anticipated at least one fight before this point.

"Are we anywhere close to getting out of here?" Amanda asked Leona.

"We've still got a ways to go, Amanda." Leona informed the other blonde as Ancient Knight brought up the rear. Amanda took a deep breath.

"This is quite a mess I've gotten myself into. I was headed for Hosenka to meet up with a friend, but I took a wrong turn and ended up here." Amanda explained how she had gotten here. Leona had learned that information from Meredith when the latter had hired the Wizard Saint for this job, but Leona kept quiet and let Amanda talk. Amanda was clearly frightened by where she had ended up and it was obvious that she was in way over her head.

"At least I thought to charge my iLac before leaving home this time. I normally forget to do that, but today I remembered to charge it." Amanda told Leona. Leona was glad for that because had Amanda forgotten to charge the device the Wizard Saint would have had no way to contact Meredith. Next time Leona was going to bring her own iLac so that she would be able to communicate with her clients.

"Thanks for coming out here to rescue me, Leona. I didn't know how long I was gonna have to stay in that tree. I wasn't sure if anyone sent to rescue me was gonna make it in time." Amanda thanked Leona for coming to her rescue.

"It's no problem, Amanda." Leona calmly replied. She was not really keen on talking for long because she had to listen out for werewolves, but she made it a point to acknowledge what Amanda had told her. After making that statement the Wizard Saint went silent again and listened out for howling, the rustling of branches, the sound of rapidly moving footsteps, or anything that could tip her off to a possible impending ambush. So far she was not hearing anything like that, but rather than that lack of sound easing her concerns, that lack only made her concerns grow.

Leona continued to press on towards the way out of Lycan Woods despite her misgivings. She did not have much choice but to keep going because staying here any longer than necessary was a bad idea. If the trio stopped now there was a chance that they might not make it out of Lycan Woods alive.

[Post Word Count: 834]
[Total Word Count: 5,818/10,000]

-Lycan Woods, one hour and ten minutes later-

Once the trio had fought their way out of the last werewolf ambush Leona had remained silent so that she would have an easier time listening out for anything that could mean the approach of werewolves. She had heard nothing that sounded like trouble so far, but she was going to remain vigilant until she, Amanda, and Ancient Knight were out of Lycan Woods and far away from the place. She was not going to truly relax until she was in Magnolia Town and standing outside Amanda's house.

"Are we almost out of here?" Amanda asked Leona, interrupting the latter's thoughts.

"We're almost out of here. It's just a little bit further." Leona assured the other blonde before going silent again to listen out for werewolves who might be setting up an ambush. So far she had not been hearing anything that indicated they were in danger and neither had Ancient Knight. However, just because they did not hear anything did not mean that there was no danger.

Leona, Amanda, and Ancient Knight continued to walk in silence until Leona saw the end of the path she had taken to get into Lycan Woods to start with. It was only 100 meters away from where she was now and that sight gave Leona hope. If they kept going at their current pace the trio could get out of here in as little as another twenty minutes or so... provided that they were not attacked by werewolves, that was.

"There it is! That's the way I walked through when I first walked into the woods!" Amanda informed Leona, breaking the silence that had prevailed since the end of the last ambush. The Wizard Saint remained silent as she continued to lead the trio out of the woods. The lack of opposition was starting to worry Leona, who had expected the werewolves to make one last ambush to keep the trio from escaping. So far she had heard nothing from them, but she was not going to hang around and let them catch up.

The Wizard Saint continued to lead the group towards the exit while looking all around them for trouble as she walked. She looked forward and noted that the trio was now a little over fifty meters away from the exit. There was still plenty of path left to walk, so Leona kept going, guiding the trio towards the way out as she continued to look around for trouble.

The group reached the fifty-meter mark and soon passed it without incident, a small accomplishment that brought Leona little comfort. In her opinion their progress had been a little too easy, but Leona kept her thoughts to herself and kept walking. As she walked she listened out for anything that could indicate danger, but she only sound she could hear was the sound of the group's footsteps on the path. She was not sure how long this state of affairs would last, but she was not going to complain... in less than twenty more minutes of brisk walking the trio would be out of Lycan Woods and on the way to Magnolia Town.

"We're getting closer to the exit, everyone. Stay alert and keep your eyes open. Be sure to listen for anything out of the ordinary as well. If you see or hear anything strange don't hesitate to point it out." Leona said to Amanda and Ancient Knight. She was sure that neither of them needed reminding of the need to stay vigilant, but she still gave the reminder because with the exit to Lycan Woods so close by it was easy to lose focus on their surroundings. Leona herself was starting to lose focus from a combination of fatigue and the exit being in sight, so her words were meant to remind herself as well as Amanda and Ancient Knight.

After giving the notice Leona went silent again as the trio continued to move towards the exit to Lycan Woods. The exit was not too far away now. All they had to do was keep moving and stay aware of their surroundings a little bit longer and they would be out of the woods both literally and metaphorically.

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[Total Word Count: 6,526/10,000]

-Lycan Woods, twenty meters from the exit-

The trio of Leona, Amanda, and Ancient Knight were only twenty meters away from the exit to Lycan Woods. All they had to do was keep going and they would finally be out of here, but that was going to be complicated. The trio had heard howling not too far away from here ten meters ago and Leona suspected that an attack was imminent. She needed to bring in some backup. Leona paused at roughly the twenty-meter mark to begin bringing in a few summons for help.

"Leona, what's going on?" Amanda asked the Wizard Saint. Leona did not answer the question. Instead she set her Silver Longsword on the ground and raised her hands into the air, channeling magic into her body before calling upon Tempest Avian.

"TEMPEST AVIAN!" Leona called out. Moments later the rotund metallic owl descended from the sky in the center of a tornado and eventually landed to Leona's left. Once Tempest Avian was on the ground Leona channeled magic into her body again and raised her hands into the sky to call upon Sky Champion Rafale.

"SKY CHAMPION RAFALE!" Leona called out. Within a few moments of being summoned Sky Champion Rafale appeared and flew through the air until he landed in front of Leona. Tempest Avian and Sky Champion Rafale were a good start, but she needed a ground-based summon to help her and Ancient Knight on the ground. Leona knew just the summon.

"GUARDIAN LION!" Leona called out, summoning the metallic lion in anticipation of one last battle with the local lycanthropes. The metallic lion was sitting on all fours in front of her when he appeared, but he soon rose to his feet on her right. Leona reviewed the three summons she had brought out and was satisfied with them. They were three of her strongest summons, so they should be more than enough to help her contend with any werewolves who decided to attack the trio on their way to the exit.

"All right guys, here's what's going on. I'm expecting us to be attacked by werewolves on the way out of here, so if they show up I'll need your help to fight them." Leona gave the three summons a brief rundown on what she had brought them in for. She then pointed her left index finger towards the exit to show the trio of summons where the group was going. Finally she picked up her Silver Longsword and faced Amanda.

"I brought in the summons to help us get out of here, Amanda. With all the howling from nearby I'm expecting a fight with the werewolves some time soon." Leona finally answered the other blonde's question. The moment Leona answered the question more howling sounded from nearby, prompting Amanda to look around her. As if anticipating Leona's command, Tempest Avian took to the air while Sky Champion Rafale brandished his energy blades and Guardian Lion looked all around him.

"They are nearby. Get ready!" Ancient Knight advised Leona. Within moments the howling sounded again and several large and muscular werewolves rushed out of the deep woods and blocked both ends of the path, forcing Leona, Amanda, Ancient Knight, Sky Champion Rafale, and Guardian Lion into a rough circle with Amanda in the center. Leona looked towards the exit and saw eight werewolves standing on the path.

"Ancient Knight, how many werewolves are in front of you?" Leona asked her companion.

"Eight." He answered with one word.

"Same here." Leona informed him. She was glad that she had called out the summons when she did because it was unlikely that Leona and Ancient Knight could have protected Amanda from eight attackers pressing from each side. It was still going to be a tough fight even with Tempest Avian, Sky Champion Rafale, and Guardian Lion helping her, but Leona was slightly more optimistic about her chances of victory with the summons out.

Leona watched as the werewolves in front of her began to move in at once, using the tactic of splitting up into groups. Three of them began to loop around to Leona's left, two of them moved down the path towards her, and the last three looped around to Leona's right, forcing her to split her attention three ways. The Wizard Saint could not recall them showing that behavior in the past.

"They are splitting up into three groups!" Ancient Knight informed her about what was happening on his end. Leona did not like the sound of that. His attention was going to be split three ways as well.

"Guardian Lion, go help Ancient Knight!" Leona told the metallic lion. He snarled and hurried to Ancient Knight's side, leaving Leona and Sky Champion Rafale to protect Amanda. Tempest Avian was already in the air and was flying two meters above the group, so he could help protect the group from the air.

"Get ready, everyone!" Leona said to Amanda, Ancient Knight, and the summons as the werewolves began to close in.

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[Total Word Count: 7,366/10,000]

Moments after Leona issued the warning to Amanda, Ancient Knight, and her summons the werewolves were upon the group. Ancient Knight and Guardian Lion began to fend off the werewolves attacking them while Leona and Sky Champion Rafale contended with their opponents. Tempest Avian hovered overhead as Leona quickly raised her left hand and prepared a Wind Blast spell, then fired it at the two werewolves charging down the path.

The spell hit the werewolves and knocked them onto their backs, giving Leona a few moments to prepare a Silver Revolution ability with her sword before the three werewolves making a beeline for her got within melee range. When the Silver Revolution was ready Leona warned Amanda to get back before she got caught in the ability's radius.

"Amanda, get back! I'm about to use Silver Revolution again!" Leona warned the other blonde.

"OK!" Amanda said. The blonde backpedaled away in a hurry, giving Leona plenty of room to use the Silver Revolution. That was good because the delay caused by giving Amanda time to get out of the ability's range let the werewolves close in. They were so close that Leona barely had enough time to use it, but she managed to start spinning with the Silver Longsword held out. She spun in place for five full revolutions, managing to hit two out of the three werewolves and killing them instantly with deep cuts to the torso.

The third werewolf had seen what was coming and jumped out of the way just before the Wizard Saint could hit it with Silver Revolution, but she had more than the lone lycanthrope to worry about.

"Leona, to your left!" Amanda shouted a warning. Leona looked left and saw that the two werewolves she had knocked down with Wind Blast had gotten back to their feet and were within two meters of her. Leona spun to face them and heard a loud yelp from her left. She briefly glanced left and saw that Sky Champion Rafale had killed one of the three werewolves, which was lying on the ground with a deep X wound extending from its shoulders to its hips across its torso. She saw that Sky Champion Rafale's energy blades had cut deep into the beast.

Leona faced straight ahead again and heard Tempest Avian ask for instructions.

"What do you need me to do?" Tempest Avian telepathically asked her.

"Use Steel Flechettes on the two werewolves charging towards me! Don't worry about hitting me!" Leona telepathically replied. She watched the werewolves close in as she leaped backwards two big leaps to give her airborne summon a little more space to use his Steel Flechettes and reduce the risk of him hitting her. Leona's feet had just touched the ground from the second leap backwards when a rain of steel projectiles riddled the backs of the two enemies in front of her, causing them to yelp in pain, but not scoring a kill on either of them.

"LEONA, TO YOUR RIGHT!" Amanda shouted another warning. Leona faced right and saw the werewolf who had avoided her Silver Revolution ability charging at her. The Wizard Saint turned to face the oncoming enemy and waited until it was in melee range before stepping forward and slashing it across the chest with a two-handed diagonal right-to-left slash. The slash connected and cut the beast from its right shoulder to its left hip, but the slash was not a one-hit kill. The werewolf made eye contact and snarled at her before lunging at her with its arms outstretched and its hands grasping for her shoulders.

Leona waited until it was close, then stepped forward and thrust the sword at its torso. The blade punched through its heart for a killing blow. It yelped in pain and she pulled the sword out before its body hit the ground.

"LEONA, TO YOUR LEFT!" Amanda warned Leona. Leona turned left and saw the two werewolves wounded by Steel Flechettes rushing at her again, running side-by-side towards her. The Wizard Saint raised her left hand and prepared an Air Pressure spell. When the spell was ready she cast it, firing a visible horizontal column of compressed air that hit the werewolf on the left in the skull. The spell hit it with such force that the lycanthrope yelped in pain before tumbling to the ground.

The werewolf on the right reached Leona and swiped at her face with its claws. She ducked under the swipe with timing that was so close she could feel its hand pass by over her hair. Leona quickly stood up and stabbed at its chest, but it jumped back just in time to avoid the sword and waited until she pulled the sword back to her before lunging at her with its hands outstretched. Leona sidestepped left and avoided the lunge.

"Tempest Avian, Use Hurricane Shot on the werewolf in front of me!" Leona telepathically ordered Tempest Avian. She stepped a single step back as the werewolf recovered from the lunge and turned to face the Wizard Saint. Leona took another step back and watched a green ball of wind magic slam into the beast's back, causing it to yelp in pain. It turned its head skyward towards the source of the Hurricane Shot, giving Leona just enough time to sprint towards it with her Silver Longsword held in a two-handed grip.

When she got close she drew the sword back, then made a lunging stab for its chest. The werewolf looked down and made eye contact when the blade punched through its chest, hitting the heart. In its last moments the werewolf grabbed for her shoulders, but Leona stepped to the right in time to feel its hands brush the top of her left shoulder before it collapsed to the dirt and expired.

With the sounds of battle coming from all around her Leona hurriedly turned the werewolf over to get her Silver Longsword back. She had just flipped it over onto its back when she spotted another group of five werewolves charging down the path towards her. She had better hurry and retrieve her sword or she would be in trouble.

[Post Word Count: 1,030]
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As the quintet of lycanthropes charged towards her Leona hurried to retrieve her sword. She grabbed it with both hands, planted her right foot on the dead werewolf's chest, and pulled up on the grip. The blade moved a little, but it did not move enough to free it. She needed a little more time to retrieve her weapon and get ready to fight the new group of enemies.

"Use Steel Flechettes on the five werewolves headed towards me!" Leona telepathically instructed Tempest Avian to lend her a hand... or wing, whatever the case might be. After giving the command she pulled up on the sword with all her might and this time freed it, staggering backwards a few steps before regaining her footing. She turned left to face the werewolves and saw a rain of Steel Flechettes pepper their backs and punch through the top of one werewolf's skull for an instant kill. That left four werewolves to oppose her.

"Leona, more werewolves are attacking from behind!" Ancient Knight warned Leona of more incoming lycanthropes. She turned to face Ancient Knight and Guardian Lion, who had finished all but two of their previous opponents. The two werewolves had joined with a new group of seven werewolves who were approaching the knight and the mechanical lion. She hoped that they could hold on while she took care of the werewolves on the path.

"Leona, to your left!" Amanda reminded the Wizard Saint of the incoming threat. Leona turned left and faced the four remaining enemies, who had split up into teams of two. One of the teams was heading right for her while the other team was looping around to her right. They were trying to catch her between them in a pincer movement.

Leona calmly stood her ground and prepared a Silver Revolution ability; it was ready moments before the enemies got within range of her. When the werewolves were too close to dodge Leona used it, spinning five full revolutions with her Silver Longsword held out. All four werewolves were hit in the torso with the ability and were cut deeply, killing all of them instantly.

With that threat taken care of Leona turned to face Amanda, who was running towards her.

"WEREWOLF BEHIND ME!" Amanda shouted a quick warning. Leona saw the lycanthrope who was only a few steps behind Amanda and let the other blonde pass, then quickly stepped between Amanda and the werewolf. Leona took a single step towards it and thrust her Silver Longsword at its torso, piercing its heart for an instant kill. Leona withdrew the sword from its body and looked towards Amanda, who was obviously frightened but was otherwise none the worse for wear.

"Leona, are you OK?" Amanda asked the Wizard Saint.

"I'm fine, Amanda. Are you OK?" Leona asked the other blonde. Amanda nodded nervously.

"I'm fine, Leona. I'm more than a little scared, but otherwise I'm fine." Amanda answered. Leona looked around her and saw that Ancient Knight and Guardian Lion were holding their own. She also saw where Sky Champion Rafale had disposed of his enemies and had went to join the other two in fending off the new group. Things were looking up for the Wizard Saint, but she would not relax until she and Amanda were safely in Magnolia Town.

Amanda suddenly jabbed a finger towards Leona.

"BEHIND YOU!" Amanda shouted. Leona spun to face a werewolf who had somehow gotten past Tempest Avian. The Wizard Saint should have known better than to let her attention wander in the middle of an ongoing fight. She channeled magic into her left fist and quickly performed her Spinning Backfist technique using that fist. To her surprise she managed to hit the werewolf in the side of the head and sent it staggering back a few steps.

Leona pressed her advantage and stepped towards the beast, thrusting her Silver Longsword towards its heart. The blade hit the target and inflicted a lethal blow. The werewolf fell to the ground in defeat and Leona turned to face Amanda.

"Thanks for the warning." Leona thanked the other blonde for the timely warning that allowed her to face and dispatch her attacker.

"It's no problem. I'm just glad that-" Amanda started to speak before Leona saw a flash of gray fur two meters behind the other blonde.

"Amanda, behind you!" Leona issued a warning of her own as she stepped forward. Amanda turned around and screamed when she saw the incoming werewolf. The Wizard Saint stepped in front of Amanda and confronted the beast, who forgot all about Amanda and eagerly went after the new potential meal.

Leona watched it lunge for her and she sidestepped the oncoming beast, then took a big step towards it while it was recovering from the lunge. She stabbed at its heart with a sword thrust using both hands and hit the heart, killing it instantly. It fell to the ground and did not move again.

"Thanks for the save!" Amanda thanked Leona for the warning and the rescue. Leona looked around her for any more werewolves and did not see any just yet, but she had not seen the last two werewolves until it was almost too late. She needed to pay better attention to her surroundings.

"No problem." Leona replied laconically. She looked towards the fighting going on a short distance to her right and saw that Ancient Knight, Guardian Lion, and Sky Champion Rafale were winning the fight. Three of the werewolves the trio were fighting had already fallen and Ancient Knight had just finished stabbing a fourth werewolf through the heart while Sky Champion Rafale slashed at a werewolf who had jumped back to avoid the summons' energy blades. Guardian Lion was busy battering another werewolf into submission with his heavy metallic paws.

Leona continued to remain close to Amanda and look for more enemies while her summons fought off the other werewolves. She was not seeing any more werewolves approaching, but that did not mean that there were not any lurking nearby waiting for their chance to strike. She was not going to let any more werewolves slip up on her if she could help it.

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-Lycan Woods, twenty-five minutes later-

Once the dust had settled Ancient Knight, Sky Champion Rafale, and Guardian Lion had defeated all of their opponents while Leona and Tempest Avian had stayed where they were to protect Amanda from any werewolves who had managed to slip by the trio. No werewolves had slipped by the trio and to Leona's surprise no more lycanthropes had shown up once those in the last wave were defeated. She had expected the werewolves to make one last effort to overwhelm the group, but she was not going to stay here and tempt fate. While she had emerged from the fighting unharmed she was a bit tired and would gladly avoid another big fight if one could be avoided since any delays could bring more werewolves charging towards the group.

"Is it... is it over?" Amanda asked Leona. Leona looked around her for any lone werewolves making an attempt to sneak up on the two blondes and did not see any. She did not hear any howling nearby nor any rustling of bushes. Once the Wizard Saint was satisfied that they were safe she turned her attention to the other blonde.

"I think the fighting's over." Leona said warily. Amanda looked around them before facing the Wizard Saint.

"Can we get out of here now?" Amanda anxiously asked Leona. Before she could respond Leona heard footsteps behind her and spun around to see Ancient Knight, Sky Champion Rafale, and Guardian Lion walking towards her.

"We should get out of here before more werewolves arrive." Ancient Knight suggested to Leona. Leona made eye contact with him.

"All right then. We're going to leave now." Leona said to the knight. She then turned around to face Amanda.

"We're going to set out for Magnolia Town now." Leona informed Amanda before going over to the nearest dead werewolf and wiping the blood off of her Silver Longsword. Amanda smiled widely.

"Great! I can't wait to get out of here!" Amanda said. Leona silently faced forward and took the lead while Tempest Avian and Sky Champion Rafale flew overhead to watch for trouble from the air. Ancient Knight and Guardian Lion brought up the rear of the group as the group moved towards the exit to Lycan Woods.

-Magnolia Town, ten hours later-

When Leona reached the outskirts of Magnolia Town she dispelled her summons since the extra security was no longer needed. Now it was just Leona, Amanda, and Ancient Knight. Amanda took the lead as the trio walked into Magnolia Town.

"I'll get us home. I know the way from here!" Amanda said. The blonde began walking forward while Leona and Ancient Knight followed her. Leona was glad to be out of Lycan Woods and was glad to be away from all the werewolves. She was especially glad that she had managed to bring Amanda to Magnolia Town alive and unharmed.

-Outside Amanda's house, one hour and fifteen minutes later-

It had been a slow trip through Magnolia Town because both Amanda and Leona were tired, but now they were standing outside the door to Amanda's house. Ancient Knight stood nearby as Amanda knocked on the door and the door opened. Meredith was on the other side.

"Amanda! You're back!" Meredith exclaimed.

"Yeah, I survived my unintended detour thanks to Leona and her summons rescuing me from Lycan Woods. If it hadn't been for them I'd still be sitting in a tree in Lycan Woods without my iLac and unable to do anything but to wait for the werewolves to climb up the tree." Amanda reported.

"I'm glad that she got there in time to help you out of that grim situation, Amanda. Now go inside. You've had a rough day." Meredith said to her younger sister. Meredith stepped aside and Amanda walked into the house while Leona watched. Once Amanda was inside Meredith spoke to the Wizard Saint again.

"I'm glad that you were able to save Amanda, Leona. Saving Amanda means a lot to me." Meredith said to Leona.

"I'm just glad that I could get there in time to rescue her." Leona replied. In between the werewolf encounters and the lack of up-to-date information on Amanda's condition and whereabouts Leona's job was a bit difficult. The werewolf encounters could not have been helped, but the lack of up-to-date information was entirely Leona's fault. From now on she would carry her iLac so that she could get up-to-date information from clients as needed.

"I am too, Leona. Hopefully Amanda won't get lost in Lycan Woods again because that place is so dangerous. The next time she gets lost in there might be her last and I don't want to lose her." Meredith expressed the hope that her younger sister would not get lost there again. The brown-haired woman then smiled at Leona.

"You must be tired from the trip. Would you like to come inside and rest for a few minutes?" Meredith asked Leona. Leona shook her head.

"No thank you. I've got to get back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall." Leona politely turned down the offer. Meredith's smile did not waver when she heard the Wizard Saint's answer.

"All right then, Leona. I won't hold you up any longer. Thank you so much for rescuing my younger sister from Lycan Woods! See you later!" Meredith thanked Leona for her time and effort, then waved goodbye to her. Leona waved back and Meredith shut the door. With that Leona turned around and began the long trip back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall with Ancient Knight walking at her right side.

[Post Word Count: 934]
[Total Word Count: 10,366/10,000]