Deception Leads To Death (Open to One)

Honestly, Medeia did not expect her blood wave spell to hit and so was not overly surprised that she failed to make contact. It had been little more than a diversion anyway and with her empowering spell active, she was already beginning to repair the damage that Leona’s previous spell had done. It would not be instantaneous though and was more regeneration than healing so for the time being, her midsection was still susceptible, much to her annoyance. First her shoulder and now her body? Medeia was clearly falling back into her old habits and underestimating her opponents again, a fact that she was now becoming aware of herself. She usually did take a hit or two in her battles and the majority of the time, it was because of the simple fact that she believed that her enemies were not in her league. Such was the level that she was at now, one that very few could match. As far as she knew, there were no mages who walked the darker path who were anywhere close to her, a viewpoint that she greatly enjoyed.

Another attack was soon heading in her direction but this time, Medeia was prepared for the speed of it, performing a beautifully executed barrel roll that allowed her to dodge the attack. She could once more feel the power behind it though as it flew past her though, fully aware of just how potent it was. The blonde was certainly not fooling around and considering the amount of psychological damage that the angel had inflicted upon her, it was of course natural. That was what the dark haired witch had wanted from the start. To see the Wizard Saint stripped of the emotional armour that she had wrapped around herself. That had been more than achieved now and the Errings Rising Guild Mistress loved it.

As a counter, Medeia would raise a hand to the sky and after a few seconds, a peculiar kind of rain would slowly start to fall from the sky. What made this so special? Well, it was a deluge of liquid gold, meaning that if Leona was unable to escape the range of the attack then she would soon enough be covered in the liquid, hardening until she became little more than a statue. Yet, that was not all and soon enough, the sounds of screaming would be heard as well, stemming from any mortal who was still in the area. It was an attack that damaged anyone in its range and the witch cared not for those who were caught in the crossfire. Like most spells belonging to the witch, there was always a part of it that was directed towards ensnaring rather than outright killing but this one was rather cruel for how long could a human survive encased in such a heavy metal without oxygen? It was as much a torture device as anything else and in that moment, Medeia was just in the mood for such a spectacle. Leona might be able to escape its wrath but just like before, could she help anyone else or would she fail again?

(524 Words)
(32432 Med WC)
(65200 TWC)

Leona watched as Medeia gracefully evaded her Hurricane Shot with a swift motion that suggested flight came as easily to the Warlord as breathing. The Wizard Saint wished that flying was that easy for her. One would expect a Wind mage to be able to fly without any issues, but for some reason Leona was a Wind mage with a fear of heights that kept her from getting the experience necessary to be a flying ace.

Medeia retaliated for the Hurricane Shot by conjuring an unusual rain that Leona had to evade, if only because she had no idea what it could do. She got clear of it but looked at her left arm and saw a drop sitting on the forearm. She poked at it and soon deduced that the rain was gold in liquid form.

What was the Warlord up to?

The screaming below distracted Leona, who looked at Medeia for a moment before swooping down to try and save someone from the mayhem. Leona had to carefully regulate her flight to avoid slamming into the ground and doing Medeia's work for her and by the time she got to ground level to survey the situation the awful truth slapped her in the face when she laid eyes on a person who had been unable to get to shelter in time. They were a golden statue and from Leona's perspective they looked like they had raised a hand to appeal to her for help, help she was too late to give. The Wizard Saint's failures came roaring back and the adrenaline hit her like a punch to the head.

Once again she was too late to save the innocent.

Leona bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood and dispelled the Tempest Avian fusion, losing the metallic wings and red beret and assuming her normal form. With the taste of copper lingering on her tongue Leona then raised her hands to the sky and channeled magic into her body before calling out the name of the summon she wanted to fuse with.

"SKY CHAMPION RAFALE!" Leona called out. The summon obliged, appearing out of thin air and landing beside the Wizard Saint before brandishing his weapons, two violet energy swords.

"What do you need?" He asked her.

"I need you to fuse with me. I need your wings." Leona said to him, her right hand curled into a fist.

"Got it." He said. In a synchronized motion Leona and Rafale crouched down and leaped straight up into the air in a smooth motion. The pair froze in place for a moment before Leona glowed silver and emitted a bright burst of silver light. When the fusion was over a visible silver tornado emanated from her position... if Medeia were to be caught in it she would suffer no harm since it was only an effect of the fusion. Leona landed on the ground with a green and gold winged helmet on her head and what looked like a jetpack with a few vaguely wing-like protrusions on her back.

Leona jumped straight up into the air for a second time and engaged the jetpack, causing a visible blast of silver energy to emanate from between the protrusions. The blast became a steady flow of visible silver energy as she quickly gained altitude. It might have looked like Leona was in danger of burning her own legs from the exhaust, but the energy gave off no heat, so she was perfectly fine. If Medeia looked she could see that the Wizard Saint's teeth were clenched and her right hand was formed into a fist. She could also see the dried blood where Leona had bitten her bottom lip for the second time in the fight.

Leona reached Medeia's altitude and kept her distance from the Warlord while hovering in place. The latter had wanted to get close to the Wizard Saint earlier. She would soon get her wish, albeit in a way she might not like.

[Post Word Count: 668]
[Leona's Word Count: 33,796]
[Total Word Count: 65,868]

Summons Called:

There was little in the way of movement from Medeia as Leona transformed with another of her summons, seemingly unflustered by the sudden change. She simply remained where she was in the air, her wounds slowly healing thanks to her regenerative abilities. It was a testament to Leona’s damage output that it took this long for the angel to heal and Medeia was curious to find out just what this new summon could dish out. It was obvious that Leona was going off the deep end again, so to speak and the witch merely smiled slightly at the sight. The blonde woman’s expression was an open book, while her clenched fist and bleeding lips were telling signs of how she was feeling. The dark mage’s last attack had done precisely what she had wished for it to do, that being to rattle the psyche of her opponent once again. The result pleased the Warlord immensely and as she took a moment to look over Leona’s new form, she mused to herself whether it was time for her to activate one of her own forms. Yet, there was a part of her that just did not feel threatened enough to do so. It took a great deal for her to need to transform these days as her base form was so strong.

“That is quite the outfit.” She remarked casually, her voice seeming to have become serene again although that was no more than just a front. The witch was more than just slightly annoyed at this point and every look and movement would give the faintest touch of that feeling. An aura of anger was beginning to surround the Warlord, as her powers in that department began to make themselves known. “Shall we see how long it takes for it to end up in tatters like your old one?” There was a trace of a threat behind her words and it would be meaningless for her to try and hide her irritation now.

It was then that she made up her mind and her body would suddenly become enveloped by a purple coloured light that briefly hid her form from view. Her hair and eyes turned a blazing purple hue while her wings became far more pronounced, matching the colour of her hair, with almost tear like markings travelling down not only them but her face as well. She gained a new dress as well, which was about as revealing as her previous one. To finish off her ensemble was a dark purple lipstick, giving her the overall look of a creature that belonged in another world, which was not all that far from the truth.

When the light faded, Medeia would become visible, stretching her wings as though they were rusty. This was not her most powerful form but it was the one that she used most often and the one that she had become known for. Hell, even that magazine had managed to take a snapshot of her using it, which she had charged them a heavy price for.

“Come then, my beautiful blonde nemesis, let us take this fight to another level. I would hate to defeat you before I could see everything you can do. I can sense your rage from here, so go ahead and unleash it, otherwise I might keep attacking the locals instead or perhaps I will have them take their own lives instead. Such a task would be a mere trifle with my powers.”

(582 Words)
(33014 Med WC)
(66450 TWC)

"I'm sure you'd enjoy finding out." Leona dryly to retorted Medeia's jab about the durability of her outfit with an attempt at a retort. It was far from the wittiest comeback, but Leona was never known for having a quick wit. With the adrenaline flowing through her body it was harder than usual for her to come up with anything resembling a clever retort.

Leona picked up on the tone of her opponent's words, but she did not care how the Warlord felt. Medeia had killed too many people in sadistic ways and the rain attack was the one that made the Wizard Saint lose any concern for her opponent's life or her feelings. Leona had a lot of blood on her hands from all of the enemies she had killed over the years, but she never dragged out killing someone for her own satisfaction. While she could not deny that she got an adrenaline rush from fighting someone she never killed for the fun of it.

For a moment Leona wondered if all Medeia was going to do was give more verbal jabs, but the Warlord then briefly disappeared in a light that was some shade or hue of purple. Leona could not nail the precise color down, but it was definitely purple. The light covered Medeia before the latter emerged a few seconds later with a dramatically changed appearance that came with a fancy new dress. As Medeia issued her challenge The Wizard Saint wondered what new powers this form had... there had to be something to it other than a cosmetic change if Medeia went to the trouble to change into it.

The Wizard Saint heard the challenge and felt the adrenaline surge again. Her recent failure to save the people from the rain attack was eating her alive and Medeia's latest threat against the people of Hargeon Town was enough to prod Leona into action. The Dark Mage had proven that she was capable of making good on said threats and the Wizard Saint could not dismiss the latest one as a bluff. As if responding to the blonde's mental state the visible energy from her jetpack turned from a steady stream into angular silver wings that were nowhere near as perfectly formed as Medeia's. Leona then drew her Silver Longsword and twirled it around in her right hand.

Leona then charged towards her enemy with the Silver Longsword ready to strike. She knew that charging towards Medeia was not the best of ideas because Medeia could cast a spell while the blonde was heading towards the Warlord, but she could not let the latter have the time to carry out her threat. Leona was about to engage in a close-range fight that would be more than a little risky.

[Post Word Count: 464]
[Leona's Word Count: 34,260]
[Total Word Count: 66,914]

It would not be a lie to say that Medeia found Leona’s angry phase to be rather attractive and her lips turned upwards in another smile as she watched the blonde. She could feel the rage radiating from her opponent and it was increasing her own emotional state, amplifying what she felt. It was a natural effect of one of her slayer magics and the Silver Wolf mage truly was doing precisely as the dark mage wished. The Warlord wanted Leona at her angriest, as only then could Medeia defeat her at her best, not to mention the fact that it was a rather easy way for her to exploit her opponents weaknesses in such a state. She also found it rather pathetic that so many mages refused to use their core emotions in battle when it gave them so much strength. Instead, they would use the same old fighting for honour or to protect people which frankly did not cut it with the witch. Fighting without emotion was like fighting with only one arm.

She was expecting an attack but to her surprise, Leona went for something as simple as a sword charge. How unexpectedly simple although Medeia mused that perhaps the blonde has completely lost her mind at this point. The witch could only imagine the state of her by now although it was an image that she quite enjoyed thinking about. Still, the witch had no intention of being impaled by her opponent's sword and so flew up and over Leona, her more powerful wings making it so much easier now to fly. Using her takeover felt like she was unlocking the chains to her powers, so to speak and now she could access her full strength, well, almost. Could Leona push her into using her most powerful takeover? That was yet to be seen.

“You are so unbelievably sexy when you are angry.” She teased, her voice a little deeper due to her takeover, her lust for her opponent now unable to be hidden. “I have the perfect cell for you back at the guild, one where you can rant and rampage as much as you want. That is the fate of those I take an interest in, Leona, I keep them and do whatever I wish to them. I confess that I have never played host to a Guild Mistress before but I am sure I can provide all the entertainment that you might require. Who knows? Maybe I will let the town live if you come with me willingly?” She had already posed the possibility earlier in the conflict but the repetition was deliberate, now that there were more deaths on Leona’s conscience.

Summoning an item that looked like a long leash with a collar, Medeia would spin it around like a lasso and then hurl it towards Leona. She doubted that it would make contact but that was not the purpose. Medeia was simply trying to degrade her opponent even further. “I think this collar will suit you quite nicely.” The witch uttered as she cast her spell.

(515 Words)
(33529 Med WC)
(67429 TWC)

Leona involuntarily shuddered when Medeia stated the former was alluring when she was furious. Since she had recently deepened her commitment to Masha Leona should have been more comfortable with other females being attracted to her, but the blonde still had a few hangups stemming from living in a conservative desert village the first sixteen years of her life. That was not Masha's fault, though. The blonde would have to work through those hangups if she survived this battle.

Leona listened to Medeia's offer of "hospitality" and was not amused by it. The Warlord tacked on the generous offer of possibly permitting Hargeon Town's citizens to remain alive if Leona voluntarily went with her. That was an offer the Wizard Saint could refuse. She had no guarantee that Medeia would keep her word and the blonde was not going to stand down only to see the Warlord kill everyone anyway... Leona would not put that sort of thing past her opponent.

She watched and waited for the next spell to be sent her way, but instead Leona saw Medeia summon an unusual item. Leona could hardly believe that the Warlord had actually summoned what looked like a leash and collar set. Well, after everything Medeia had done up to this point she could believe it, but actually seeing it was what had thrown her for a loop. Medeia had merrily skipped past the wannabe "lion tamer" role and was going for something else entirely.

Leona, not wanting to get caught by the audacious "weapon", quickly darted backwards and out of range of the snare before it could wrap itself around her. Once safely out of range the Wizard Saint propelled herself violently upwards until she reached Medeia's level, then came to a halt and began to hover. She hovered in place for only a moment before darting towards Medeia with her Silver Longsword ready to be used when she got within range.

The Wizard Saint was likely wasting her time and energy trying to get within range of the Warlord, but she could exploit that. Should this attempt fail she would try another time or two to get close, then used a ranged attack, most likely Sky Champion Rafale's Energy Wave. Leona was no master of planning, but from time to time she could come up with a different tactic on the fly. Whether or not the new tactic worked was another matter altogether, especially when going up against someone as intelligent as Medeia.

[Post Word Count: 414]
[Leona's Word Count: 34,674]
[Total Word Count: 67,843]

A chuckle escaped the witch at her opponent’s discomfort, amused beyond belief at just how uncomfortable Leona could become by a simple flirt. It was becoming more apparent by the moment that the blonde was clearly still rather new when it came to the world of love and romance, with there being almost a sort of naivete that was pouring out of her opponent. Toying with Leona was such fun and Medeia was uncertain as to whether she would ever get tired of it. Her desire to get under her fellow Guild Mistresses skin was insatiable at that point and it would be as if every word she spoke from that point would directly be trying to achieve that. The Warlord’s speech had always been a powerful weapon of hers and over the long years of her life, she had come to master it. She could not remember the last time that a foe of hers had been able to remain cool and collected when fighting her.

When Leona came in again for another sword strike, Medeia smirked slightly and evaded the attack once more, using her wings to raise herself above her foe again. She could feel the anger in the attacks of her opponent but the odds of her being struck by such a simple attack was slim. The angel was agile enough to dodge such strikes with relative ease, especially in the air. She would speak at that point, once more prodding at the blonde’s sensitive mind. “You must have something more than that left to use, Leona, I cannot believe that you think that such a simple attack will work against me. Are you simply so angry that your mind no longer works properly? Perhaps if you had fought with such vigour earlier, you may have saved a few more lives.”

Flapping her wings, Medeia would unleash a counter attack of her own, that being a barrage of razor sharp, purple coloured feathers that would soon be tearing down towards her opponent. As always with Medeia’s spells, there was a nasty side effect and should Leona or for that matter, anyone else who might happen to be struck, then they would find themselves becoming rather overcome with anger, desiring to lash out at anyone close to them. It was a spell that brought pleasure to the witch and she used it rather regularly when attacking groups, as the carnage that occurred was a quite lovely source of nourishment for her. As her attack rained down, she would speak a second time, her powerful purple gaze staring directly into the eyes of her enraged foe. “I promise you that if you try one more sword strike against me then I will have you in my arms and I guarantee that you will forget all about your girlfriend.”

Was it a bait or was she becoming flustered by the pressure of Leona’s close ranged attacks? There would be little in her body language to say for certain but there was one actual fact. She wanted the blonde, more now than ever.

(513 Words)
(34042 Med WC)
(68356 TWC)

Twice Leona had tried to get within sword range of Medeia and twice the Warlord had darted out of reach, prompting an insulting question from the latter about the Wizard Saint's mental state and lack of versatility when it came to attacking. Leona wanted to fire back by asking if Medeia knew how to fly in any direction other than up and away, but that could backfire terribly, so the blonde kept her mouth shut. Her mental state did not allow her to come up with clever retorts at a moment's notice, so her weapons and spells would have to speak for her.

Leona observed Medeia fire an attack that reminded her of Tempest Avian's Steel Flechettes abilitiy. The blonde easily darted away from the incoming spread of purple feathers and faced the Warlord. She wanted to ask if the Warlord had difficulty aiming all of a sudden because of the attempt to hit the Wizard Saint with a spread of projectiles, but again she decided against it since she could not properly express her contempt for the enemy mage.

When it came time for the Wizard Saint to respond the visible energy from her her jetpack flared and she quickly gained altitude until she matched Medeia's. After hovering for a few moments the Wizard Saint needed to choose the manner in which she responded to her enemy's attacks. She could either use Sky Champion Rafale's Energy Wave or she could use Sonic Slice. Leona wanted to use the former to play it safe and save her energy for the critical stage of the fight, but Medeia had proven adept at dodging and the blonde was sure that the fight had already entered a critical stage since her enemy had transformed.

Leona put away her Silver Longsword and a violet energy sword formed in her right hand, the blade flaring to life. The energy coming from her jetpack flared into angular wings as Leona rocketed towards Medeia and slightly to the left with the energy blade held out at an angle in an attempt to cut her enemy as the blonde passed by. Leona had aimed her variation of the Sonic Slice right at Medeia's midsection since center mass was the easiest place to hit... in theory. The Wizard Saint was trying to use the speed of the ability to compensate for how predictable it would make her.

The Sonic Slice sent Leona speeding along a straight trajectory, which despite the speed Leona was moving at was an easy one to predict and avoid. It could be endured if Medeia's defense was strong enough to withstand it. Even if the attack hit the Sonic Slice would not be nearly enough to defeat Medeia, but it would send the message that Leona had quite a few options when it came to dealing with her enemies.

[Post Word Count: 474]
[Leona's Word Count: 35,148]
[Total Word Count: 68,830]

Summon Abilities Used:

It did not seem as if Leona had paid much attention to the Warlord’s previous threat and as the blonde Wizard Saint came in again with another close ranged effort, a frown crossed Medeia’s face. It irritated her somewhat to have such a pigheaded opponent but it did also make the blonde more attractive in the eyes of the dark mage. How many humans were even able to defy her at this point in time? She could probably count them on hand and to find such a stout foe as Leona was tantalising. It would only make her eventual victory more enjoyable in the end and the after party would be one that neither her nor Leona would probably forget although for different reasons.

Tapping into her blood abilities, she would create a blade of her own, one that was dripping with blood, blazing with flames and gave off a rather unpleasant aura. Given her distaste for close ranged combat, it was not a spell that she used all that much but there was little other option and she had not brought her preferred blade with her, the rapier of devotion. It was a weapon that harnessed three of the Warlord’s elements, even if the third was a little more difficult to detect. That would only be felt should she actually manage to strike Leona with it.

Having to respond quickly, Medeia would lean backwards, using her wings to keep her steady as the blonde would hopefully go over the top of her due to the momentum of her attack. It was incredibly close and for a moment, the witch thought that she had actually been hit. She could see the anger and rage in the eyes of her opponent as they briefly crossed glances and for a moment or two, the angel was tempted to try and pull Leona into her arms again.

However, she expected that her foe would be expecting that and so instead she lashed out with her blade, trying to score a hit on the Silver Wolf mage as she went over her. Medeia was not the greatest swordswoman though and her attack would not be expertly performed but given that it was powered with all of her spell power, it would deal heavy damage if it struck. There would also, as usual, be an after effect and should she be successful then Leona would find herself fighting against a sudden burst of anger, increasing what she already felt. Such were Medeia’s gifts and the dark mage was more than willing to use them. The blonde could become as angry as she wanted for it would only aid the witch in the end.

As she lashed out, Medeia would speak once more.“For someone who claims to not have any interest, I cannot help but think that deep down you want to get up close and personal with me. All you have to do is admit it and we can end this right now.” Every word she spoke was simply an attempt to confuse her opponent more, with the Warlord knowing that there was always a good chance that she might just fluster her gorgeous foe again.

(531 Words)
(34573 Med WC)
(69361 TWC)

Leona's variation of Sky Champion Rafale's Sonic Slice missed due to Medeia's agility and flexibility, but the Wizard Saint was more surprised by the Warlord's attempt at retaliation. The Warlord had actually tried to cut her with a sword as the blonde passed by. Leona had taken a cut to her left leg because once she had committed to the Sonic Slice she was locked into a straight line until the ability had reached the end of its range and she felt the blood run down her leg when she stopped. Leona's flight faltered a bit and she lost a bit of altitude at the end of the missed Sonic Slice due to the pain of the cut she had received, but she soon recovered the altitude and recovered enough focus to hover as she turned to face her enemy, reached down, and felt the blood on the fingertips of her right hand.

The blonde felt a surge of anger as she glared at Medeia. Leona had entered the aerial phase of combat with something resembling a plan but had gone way off course. She had intended to strike at Medeia's wings to try and force the Warlord to the ground, but that had not worked out because Leona had gotten sidetracked trying to hit Medeia herself. To get her rudimentary plan back on track the Wizard Saint would need some help from her summons, specifically the Furies.

Leona raised both hands into the air and began the chant that would bring her most powerful summons back into this world.

"O THREE SISTERS OF UNRIVALED MIGHT, GRANT ME YOUR POWER IN THIS FIGHT!" Leona chanted aloud to complete the summoning. Medeia had already dealt with the trio earlier, so their arrival would likely not be a surprise to her. What might be a surprise was how Leona planned to employ them this time.

Just like last time the three summons arrived in a giant tornado that had originated from Leona's position. The tornado would not harm anyone or anything due to it being an effect of the summoning. Megeara, Alecto, and Tisiphone arrived and formed up in a triangular formation around their summoner, who hovered in the air with her arms folded over her chest while she thought of a way to employ the Furies.

Unlike the last time they were used they might be best employed as a distraction so that Leona could move in for strikes at Medeia's wings. Or if the Wizard Saint wanted to mix it up they could be the main weapon while the blonde was the distraction. She would have to decide how to use her summons and decide quickly because Medeia was not likely going to just sit back and let Leona's move go unanswered.

[Post Word Count: 462]
[Leona's Word Count: 35,610]
[Total Word Count: 69,823]

Spells Used:

There was a pleasing smile that crossed Medeia’s face as Leona resummoned her Furies, a group that the dark mage had already defeated once. She was hardly intimidated by them and instead, the witch simply looked them over once more. To find herself facing four women instead of one only caused her to feel more invested in the fight and one look at her face would tell Leona exactly what would happen to her summons should Medeia win. They would be turned into the Warlord’s playthings, puppets on her string. The Warlord had toyed with summoning herself in the past but had abandoned the magic over time. The idea of forming a contract did not suit her, as she demanded total control over her peons, not a give and take kind of relationship. Armina was the surest example of that, for although she was free to do what she wished when alone, as soon as Medeia appeared, the maid would become subservient, just as the elder angel liked it.

Leona did not launch an attack though and instead made the unusual gesture of simply folding her arms and staring at the Errings Rising mage. With her own previous attack hitting, Medeia knew that the anger must be reaching boiling point within the beautiful blonde and so she was slightly surprised that she did not attack straight away. Just what was she up to now? Did she want Medeia to attack first? A curious idea and as she briefly pondered her options, her eyes would briefly fall upon Leona’s rather tattered garb, her lust clear to see and it was that emotion above all others that convinced her to bring back a previous attack of her own.

Snapping her fingers, Medeia’s old friend, Janice the Tentacle would burst out from the ground beneath Leona and her Furies, moving quickly upwards in an attempt to grab hold of either Leona or one of her summons. That was about the limit of the creature's abilities but perhaps she could be enough of a distraction to help the Warlord out or if she was lucky, embarrass Leona even more if Janice was able to rip off more of the blonde’s clothing.

While Janice would hopefully give the group something to worry about, Medeia would take a breath and then unleash a powerful purple sound wave that would head towards them. An immobilising spell like most of the angel’s, it was not one that anyone would want to be struck by but with so many targets, the odds of hitting at least one were fairly high and with Janice around already, it would give Leona something to think about.

(444 Words)
(35017 Med WC)
(70267 TWC)

Leona was about to commit to the plan of using herself as a distraction while the Furies formed most of the striking power when Medeia took action. That action took the form of a large purple tentacle erupting from the ground and moving towards the Wizard Saint and her summons. Leona had a worried look on her face when she saw the attacker from below... she had no idea how Medeia had made that happen and she really did not want to know.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Leona telepathically ordered her summons while Leona herself rocketed upwards to avoid the tentacle's embrace. The Furies darted away from it diagonally, leaving streaks that corresponded to their hair colors in the air. Leona quickly ascended and thought she saw it scrape the bottom of her right boot as she got out of the way. What she did know was that had she been a few seconds slower in escaping it might have wrapped around her legs. What would have happened had she been caught was something that was best not thought about.

Leona breathed an audible sigh of relief and was about to make quick plans to have Alecto go on the attack when her summons warned her of another incoming attack in the shape of a visible wave of sound. The Furies darted diagonally upwards and got clear of the new attack while the blonde followed suit a second later, pulling off another narrow escape by a slim margin. She had cut it so close that she almost slammed into Megeara, who had held her arms out to keep her summoner from slamming into her.

When Leona recovered she turned to face Medeia and felt a new wave of anger wash over her when she made eye contact with her enemy. Since her attempts to close in on the Warlord had been unsuccessful she would settle on alternating between having the Furies attack and attacking herself. It was a "plan" that might qualify as ill-conceived, but the blonde was not thinking straight because she was angry and she was running out of ideas. Leona led off by channeling silver magic into the palm of her right hand and when the spell was ready casting an Air Pressure spell, sending a visible silver horizontal column of compressed air aimed at Medeia's right wing.

Leona was not sure if the Air Pressure spell would hit the wing, but she was trying to buy time while she came up with a plan that was more detailed than "Send the Furies at Medeia and hope for the best." In order to buy that time she needed to convince Medeia that the blonde was still fighting and was not going to give up any time soon. However, the Warlord was smarter than the Wizard Saint and might pick up on her blonde foe's frustration before deftly dismantling the rudimentary plan with her intellect and agility.

Leona had to try, though. She had too much at stake to simply give up just because her opponent was smarter and faster than her. The Warlord was threatening both innocent people and a place that was personally significant to the Wizard Saint, giving Leona no shortage of reasons to hang on in the face of daunting odds.

[Post Word Count: 548]
[Leona's Word Count: 36,158]
[Total Word Count: 70,815]

Spells Used:

Her tentacle had a fairly long duration so Janice still had her uses, even after her surprise attack was finished. She would remain rooted in place, attempting to stretch out and grab anyone in reach, whether it be Leona, one of her Furies or just an innocent who got too close. The area around it was the tentacle’s territory and it would be defended. A diversion of the angel’s own and one that her opponents would have to keep an eye on, lest they wish to find themselves in Janice’s slimy grip. The thought of having Leona in its clutches was rather amusing for the witch and she smiled at the thought.

The blonde, however, was most certainly not smiling and Medeia could feel the anger radiating from her like an aura of heat. It was just lovely and the devourer of anger could not help but open her mouth slightly, in order to taste the rage of her opponent. To those watching, it would look like a red stream of magical energy, going from Leona to the angel. There would be no damage, as it was not a spell as such, instead just a natural ability of the slayers. The taste would simply drive the Warlord onwards, increasing her desire to anger her foe more, not to mention what else she would like to do.

An attack would come hurtling in her direction and while Medeia was able to get out of the way for the most part, she felt a sharp pain in her right wing nonetheless. Her gaze would briefly turn to discover that she had been caught in the right wing, a nasty graze that left a rather ugly cut behind. Her smile became a frown and she had a few hairy moments as she tried to regain her momentum in the air. That cut could become a problem and the Warlord was wise enough to understand what Leona was up to. Leona no doubt wanted the battle back on the ground and Medeia was uninterested in that for the moment. As always, the fight would be on her terms, if she could help it.

She was annoyed enough to attack fairly quickly in response, creating a group of bloody clones of herself, each weidling the same weapon as she was. They were hideous creations, dripping with blood and no sooner had the angel summoned them, each one would fly off towards an opponent. One for each of the Furies and the fourth towards Leona herself. They did not have unlimited range though and if they were unable to reach then they would simply explode, damaging the area around each one.

While all this was going on, her tentacle would still be lurking beneath the battle, waiting for her chance to latch on to an unsuspecting target. The fight was becoming a little more complicated now, which the dark mage had no issue with.

(488 Words)
(35505 Med WC)
(71303 TWC)

Leona's attack with the Air Pressure spell had managed a partial hit, but Medeia's reaction to it was good enough. Even a grazing hit had managed to give the Warlord a bit of trouble and wipe the smug look off of her face, which was good. The bad news was that Medeia had likely figured out the point behind targeting the wings and was going to do her best to keep that from happening again. Leona would have to keep going after her enemy's wings if she wanted to start turning the tables on her enemy.

In the meantime Medeia responded to the hit on her right wing by conjuring and sending out four clones of blood made in her image. Leona was visibly repulsed by the sight of the bloody clones because of what they were made of and how appropriate it was for Medeia to be their "mother." The Warlord had a beautiful face and attractive body but an ugly personality. She also seemed to crave blood, so it was only fitting that her "creations" be made out of the substance.

"Avoid them!" Leona telepathically ordered her summons to try and evade Medeia's latest attack. The Furies rocketed straight up into the air and Leona observed that the clones followed their movement, which meant that the one heading straight for her had homing capability as well. The Wizard Saint would need to evade her pursuer, but heading for lower altitude was not a good idea because that tentacle was still there and she did not want to get anywhere near it lest she get snatched out of the sky. The only direction left to go was up, so up Leona went.

She followed the example of the Furies and went straight up into the air, then did a 180-degree spin and turned to face away from Medeia before flying forward, silver angular wings flaring to life as she tried to evade her pursuer. She glanced up and saw the trio move right as well before splitting up... Alecto went straight up while Megeara and Tisiphone continued flying to the right. Leona glanced behind her and saw the clone that had come after her was hot on her heels... it was time to do something about it.

She put a little more distance between herself and the clone, then did a sudden turn and faced it. She raised her left hand, channeled silver magic into it, and cast a Wind Blast spell at her pursuer. The Wind Blast hit the clone, but the outcome was not what Leona had expected. She had cast the spell with the intent to push it back and put more distance between them, but the clone had exploded, coating the Wizard Saint with blood.

Leona was visibly disgusted by that unexpected outcome, but she had bigger things to worry about when she felt herself grow weaker and wobbled in the air for a few moments before she managed to regain stability. Her face showed a mix of disgust and pain as whatever was happening to her started to affect her. She looked up and saw how her Furies were faring.

The hapless Alecto had taken a hit because she too was coated in blood and was barely keeping herself airborne, but Megeara and Tisiphone were faring a lot better. They were engaged in a complicated maneuver where they weaved around one another in a spiral as they flew to the right. The clones followed their movements perfectly and the chase continued for a few seconds more until Tisiphone and Megeara gradually tightened the spiral to the point they were almost touching each other as they flew. The clones followed the tightening spiral to the last movement and the Furies then performed a movement where Megeara flew into the space left by Tisiphone's sudden dash forward.

Their pursuers slammed into each other due to being unable to match the timing of the Furies and exploded on contact, leaving the latter unharmed. They rejoined their sister Alecto, who had regained stability but was obviously struggling to stay airborne... the pained look on her face told everything. Leona looked back at Medeia and waited for the Warlord's next move.

[Post Word Count: 702]
[Leona's Word Count: 36,860]
[Total Word Count: 72,005]

Spells Used:

It was quite entertaining for the angel, watching as Leona and her little group of summons tried to escape her clones. She gave them credit for their maneuverability and raised an eyebrow as two of the Furies managed to evade her clones altogether by having them clash against each other. It was quite a spectacle and she actually deactivated her blade so that she could clap, which might have sounded genuine if it were not for the fact that it was so slow in pace. A glacial clap that was as mocking as it possibly could have been. Still, only two of her opponents managed to escape and Medeia smiled as she watched both Leona and Alecto become covered in the divine liquid. It was no standard blood that drenched them either and as they weakened, Medeia felt herself become stronger, with her wounds beginning to heal, as well as mana stores starting to regenerate. To a keen observer, it would be simple as to what was happening, as her wounded wing would look a little more whole. If Leona sought to ground her, it would be more difficult now.

“Why do you look so disgusted? Surely a killer such as yourself would be used to the sight of blood by now.” A simple taunt but one that was again prodding at the blonde’s increasingly fragile temperament. “Do not worry though. There will be far more of it shed by the end of this if you continue to be so difficult with me.”

Underneath them, Janice would continue her vigil, looking for the slightest chance for her to grab hold of someone. If she had an expression, it would be one of animalistic hunger, desiring to wrap herself around one of the beauties above her. The chance had almost come when Alecto had descended but much to the annoyance of the tentacle, she had regained her balance. Still, it was a reason for optimism and the time for her to disappear had not yet been reached.

Medeia would briefly ponder her next move, her gaze switching from one opponent to the next. Alecto was the obvious target but she would obviously be defended by the others and so Medeia decided to use a spell that she had used before. Summoning her powers of sand again, she would create a storm that would cover the area around the combatants, not to mention the ground below. It would bite and gnaw against all those caught but more importantly, it would make it more difficult to see.

That was what the witch hoped for and as she drew her foul sword again, she would briefly disappear, before reappearing behind the wounded fury, attacking with a powerful slash from her weapon. It could be dodged or evaded like any other attack but with the sandstorm, the draining effects of the clone and Janice waiting below, the Fury would have a great deal to struggle against. Medeia could have just tried to wipe them all out together but she was in no hurry and would take her time.

(513 Words)
(36028 Med WC)
(72528 TWC)

"Everyone's a critic." Leona said aloud in response to Medeia's mocking slow clap. Leona thought that the display of precision flying by Megeara and Tisiphone was impressive. She had no idea her Furies could do that, but then again they were not being hamstrung by Leona micromanaging them into the ground. The Wizard Saint had given them a simple order and they had performed it to perfection.

Now the Wizard Saint was facing Medeia, who had made a jab at Leona's reaction to being coated in blood from the clone's explosion. The blonde was not amused at what had happened to her and was not amused by the jab. It was true that she had killed before and it was true that she was no stranger to the sight of blood, but she did not get enjoyment from killing someone. She also did not seek out people to kill for the fun of it.

"You already enjoy shedding blood, so I don't see how that's a problem for you." Leona delivered her attempt at a clever retort. Leona got the impression that Medeia's tone was one reserved for use when speaking to a misbehaving child. The blonde suspected that the Warlord was not concerned about her welfare in the slightest and was just trying to get a rise out of her. If that was the case Medeia had certainly succeeded.

After that the Warlord conjured a sandstorm that obscured the blonde's sight and Leona had to get as far away from it as she could, so she flew diagonally up and away from it while telepathically ordering the Furies to get away too. Unfortunately for the Wizard Saint she could not see her summons, so she had no idea if they were clear of the storm or not. As she tried to get clear herself she felt the remaining sleeve of her outfit top being worn away and felt the sand biting her face and exposed skin.

When Leona finally got clear of the sandstorm by flying diagonally up and out of it she looked at herself and saw that the remaining sleeve was gone and the edge of her skirt had been gnawed on but not seriously damaged. Again she was thankful that she was wearing bike shorts underneath the skirt to avoid suffering insult to injury. After seeing the extent of the damage to her already damaged outfit Leona tried to get a glimpse of her Furies, but the current weather made it very difficult to see them. In between trying to shield her eyes from the flying sand and the low visibility seeing them was not going to be easy.

In the meantime she heard one of her Furies scream in pain and that prompted the Wizard Saint to get a move on. Leona flew above the sandstorm so that she could see which one it was and possibly go to her aid. As she flew she felt weak again and wobbled in mid-air... Leona visibly struggled to maintain her current altitude and paused while her body trembled before regaining her balance and continuing to fly straight in search of her summons. Eventually she saw the Furies bursting out of the sandstorm with Alecto bringing up the rear. The blue-haired Fury was sporting a nasty gash that likely came from an edged weapon and looked like she was on death's door.

The quartet met a safe distance above the eye of the storm and looked down into it in an effort to be ready to dodge when the next attack came their way.

[Post Word Count: 596]
[Leona's Word Count: 37,456]
[Total Word Count: 73,124]

There was a flash of delight in the eyes of the witch as her blade made contact with Alecto, taking some joy from the situation. Yes, to harm such a beautiful creature was rather sinful but was that not what Medeia was all about? There had been a time where she had not actually enjoyed the thought of shedding blood, where she had considered it beneath her to engage her foes in such a barbaric and human way but her time in Earthland had changed her in that respect. Her encounters with the many mages who walked the planet had given her a new sense of appreciation for violence and now, she quite liked it. The Fury she had struck would barely escape her storm and as Medeia waited, immune from the effects of her own spell, she would watch her opponents from within it, her sharp slayer sense honed onto them.

There were many spells that she could have used to continue her assault but as she glanced at Leona, noticing the latest damage to her clothing, Medeia would smile and start to distort the sand around her. She would cause it to take on the form of a colossal sand cyclone and send it towards the foursome. Again, they would probably be fast enough to escape its wrath but the angel was not yet done, her eyes turning to watch the wounded Fury, who was barely hanging on. She was a tempting target and so Medeia would deactivate her blade spell and instead bring back her purple bow, sending a flurry of heart shaped arrows that would head towards the group as well. The arrows would have no issue handling the cyclone and if her opponents were not careful, they could be hit by a nasty combination.

As for her, she would simply watch her attacks as they travelled, feeling the effects of her previous clone spell as it healed her wounds. She felt great and to have such a long and stimulating encounter was rather refreshing for the witch. In truth, this was probably the longest fight she had been in against another mage and she was relishing it. Such a duel was one that she had thought would never happen, due to her overwhelming power and so to encounter Leona was nothing short of a miracle. Still, it did give Medeia pause for thought. Were there others out there who could actually challenge her? A tantalising question and one that she hoped to answer one day. She would scour this world, finding those who could actually face her in battle. With any luck, they would be as delightful as Leona but hopefully have just a little more charisma than she did. Any amount would be an improvement.

Turning her gaze to the ground, she would note the casualties of the conflict so far, a look that showed nothing in the way of empathy. The people of this town were just pawns, to be used as she saw fit. If a few of the ugly ones died, what difference did it make?

(515 Words)
(36543 Med WC)
(73639 TWC)

Leona and the Furies were watching for Medeia's next attack and when it happened it came in the shape of an impressively large cyclone that was made of violently whirling sand.

"Get out of the way!" Leona telepathically ordered her summons. She watched as Tisiphone and Megeara helped Alecto get clear of the incoming cyclone and started a diagonal upward descent herself when the trio was just about to get to safety. Leona was almost clear of the incoming attack when she heard a whistling sound and turned around to see an arrow headed right for her. Reacting on instinct, Leona dropped diagonally right and felt a biting wound on top of her right shoulder before feeling a warm sensation. Her Furies got the worst of the sudden attack because all three screamed at once and lurched forward before flapping their wings again.

Alecto was already badly hurt and the latest attack she had suffered had almost did her in. She was hanging onto her sisters, who were using their shoulders to support her as they flew and were struggling a bit themselves after being hit by an attack they were unable to see and avoid. Leona was not sure how much more the blue-haired Fury could take before she was "killed" again.

Leona had not seen the source of the attack and was thus unable to effectively retaliate. Her Furies were being worn down and so was Leona herself, who had to hover for a few moments to avoid falling directly down from the weakness that had been affecting her after being coated in blood. While she hovered she clutched her right shoulder with her left hand: the cut from the arrowhead had drawn blood and exposed part of her right shoulder.

The Wizard Saint was not sure what she could do to retaliate against Medeia, who was using her superior intelligence and powerful long-range magic to keep the blonde off-balance while remaining safe. Leona had already used most of her powerful spells and Medeia knew what to expect from them, so the latter was avoiding them. The spells of Wind Strike Magic she had not used already were not powerful enough to really hurt the Warlord, so they were not worth using. She might have to break them out anyway because she had to do something, anything, to fight back while she was still able to.

The trouble was that she could not see Medeia to attack her.

Leona was not going to waste magic power if she did not think she had at least a reasonable chance to hit, so she decided to hold off on casting a spell... this time. However, her frustration over how things were going was starting to mount. She had let herself deviate from the plan to attack Medeia's wings because the Warlord's taunts and jabs had made Leona want to punish such remarks by attacking her enemy's body. Now the fight was harder than it could have been because she had not used Silver Blade on one of Medeia's wings while it was still something of a surprise, but hindsight was always 20/20.

Leona took a quiet and shallow breath that was interrupted by the pain and looked out for Medeia's next attack. The next time her enemy attacked the Wizard Saint was going to fire back. She had to start trying to retaliate before she began a downward spiral of negative emotions she could not pull out of.

[Post Word Count: 578]
[Leona's Word Count: 38,034]
[Total Word Count: 74,217]

The screeches from her foes were like music to the ears of the witch, telling her all that she needed to know about the success of her previous attacks. She could smell the blood stemming from Leona, causing her eyes to dilate slightly, a delightful scent that drove her onwards. Every sensation felt so much stronger when she was in her takeover form and her desire to cause more harm was growing. She believed that she was slowly whittling down her opponent, both physically and mentally although it was not a process that would seem to be completed any time soon. Leona was tough, with stamina that very few mages were capable of, a tank if you were. It did not seem to matter how many cuts that Medeia delivered, as her blonde rival continued to fight on. Perhaps it was a sign that the witch needed to turn up the heat and start tapping into her more powerful abilities. At the very least, they might just be able to irritate the Silver Wolf member even more so, pushing her further to the brink mentally.

It was that thought which caused her to raise a hand to the sky and after a few moments or so, the ground below her flying foes would turn black, taking the form of a square shaped area of darkness that would then start to rise up, taking the form of a coffin that would try and ensnare the foursome. It would rise quickly, before eventually sealing off at the top, leaving those unable to escape trapped in what would be a pitch black box. It was only then that the true effect of the spell would take place, as the individuals would start to feel their darkest and most unpleasant memories be pulled to the surface, as the curse magic would attempt to infect their minds, torturing them, bening them. It was a spell that could only be cast by a mage with the malice to inflict great harm, as a weaker minded mage would simply be too cowardly to cast it. It was a spell that it was in Medeia’s top ten spells and those forced to suffer it would come to curse their own lack of speed and awareness. A torture device more than a spell, where emotional damage was the aim.

Medeia would simply watch from her position, her wings beating gently to keep herself steady, watching to see whether her enemies were swift enough to escape, a smile again crossing her features. The sandstorm surrounding her would fade away at this point, revealing her once more, which was acceptable. It had done its job and if necessary, she could use it again in the future. For the time being though, she was simply content to wait and see how many of her opponents would survive. Alecto was obviously on death's door and Medeia doubted that she could survive such a spell, as for the others? Well, she expected Leona to, although the witch was amused by the notion of just what would happen to the already rattled mage’s mind if she was caught.

(523 Words)
(37066 Med WC)
(74740 TWC)

Leona was starting to feel the effects of her most recent wound to her shoulder as she searched for Medeia. The blonde was still unable to see her enemy to try and hit her, so she did her best to stay mentally alert so that when she finally spotted Medeia she could try and cast a spell. That was easier said than done... the cut on her shoulder was hurting badly and in between the pain from that and her frustrated mental state her focus was not what it should be.

Leona's lapse in focus got her in trouble when she failed to notice a large black square beneath her feet until she happened to peer down when the weakness hit her, causing her to wobble and double over, nearly turning upside down in the process. It was only thanks to that "fortunate" occurrence she saw what was coming and finally mustered a response. She was not sure if she could escape the coffin that was heading for them, but her summons could.

"GET AWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" Leona telepathically instructed the Furies to get out of range of the trap. Leona herself began to fly upward as her summons flew upward and away from the coffin moments before the lid came down, stopping Leona in her tracks and trapping her within it. All she could see was darkness.

At least she was not afraid of the dark.

Leona fruitlessly punched at the side in front of her for three punches before stopping and wondering what was going to happen to her from here. She wondered if it was going to sink into the ground and bury her alive before the slow and inevitable death from oxygen deprivation or if it was going to stay right where it was until she died. Leona did not know and all that she could do was wait for whatever was going to happen to happen.

That resignation lasted up until the memory of the event that caused her fear of heights came to mind with perfect clarity. Leona saw herself dangling upside down from a very high place while facing the ground below, the only thing keeping her from a fatal fall being her brother holding her by the ankles. The memory was so clear that Leona found herself screaming for several seconds before she finally managed to calm down enough to stop herself from screaming more. Her stomach was still turning flips, though.

Leona stomach was still churning when another memory came up and that memory was of being bitten on the leg by a rattlesnake in Desierto and falling onto her backside out of surprise, then scrambling away from it once she realized what had happened. She was looking directly into its eyes and started trembling and sweating while feeling short of breath. A wave of weakness inspired by the event that gave the blonde her fear of snakes hit and it was all she could do to breathe enough to keep herself conscious.

After a few moments the weakness faded and she could breathe normally, but her heart rate was still up from the memory of dangling upside down and the memory of the rattlesnake bite that nearly killed her and her hands were still trembling. Leona had to breathe in and out several times to steady her hands and by the time she did another memory was dredged up, this one of a particularly vicious argument with her mother Sophia about what her life was going to be like when she got older. Her mother wanted her to marry and have children while Leona wanted to travel. In her mind her mother was angry and glaring at her like she was a disappointment.

"SO ALL YOU WANT FROM ME IS GRANDCHILDREN, HUH?!" Leona started shouting in a blind rage. She balled her hands into fists as the adrenaline took over.

"YES, I WANT GRANDCHILDREN! I WANT YOU TO BE SAFE AND PROTECTED BY A HUSBAND WHEN I'M GONE! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME, LEONA?" Sophia's words echoed. Those words only fueled Leona's anger.

"WHAT ABOUT WHAT I WANT, MOTHER? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE?!" Leona continued to rage against her mother and her mother's plans.

"I MIGHT BE YOUR CHILD, BUT YOU DON'T OWN ME! YOU DON'T OWN LEONIDAS EITHER!" Leona shouted. She could still see her mother's angry reaction to her words. Sophia was so furious that she was drawing her right hand back for a slap... her arm was raised halfway in the air and her hand was open.

"SO THAT"S THE ONLY WAY YOU KNOW HOW TO RESPOND TO ME, HUH? DO YOU THINK SLAPPING ME WILL SHUT ME UP?" Leona asked her mother. The Wizard Saint was deep in the grip of rage and she was biting her bottom lip for the third time today. She was too angry to care, though.

"QUIT BEING SO DEFIANT!" Sophia shouted back. At that point the memory ended, but the anger did not. It was still flowing through Leona as she was trying to get through the conflicting emotions. A few minutes ago she was fearing for her life and a few minutes later she was so angry the only way she could communicate was by shouting. It was all confusing and Leona was not sure how to cope with her buried feelings.

[Post Word Count: 906]
[Leona's Word Count: 38,940]
[Total Word Count: 75,646]

If she was honest with herself, Medeia had not expected that Leona would have been the one to be captured inside her spell but it was apparent that the blonde was on the edge at this point and so perhaps the witch should have. The Silver Wolf mage would be in for a horrible experience and the Warlord could not help but smile slightly at the thought. It would reinforce every negative thought that Medeia had tried to instil into her and the dark haired woman could not help but wonder whether her opponent would survive such torture. Whether she did or not, the angel would be ready to continue the battle and if it was the latter then Medeia would claim her foe as hers. It would be a pleasant experience for the witch but for Leona? It would make every humiliation that she had experienced so far feel like nothing. The blonde would not be able to walk anywhere without people saying that she had been taken by the dark witch, as so many had been before her. Never had the purple eyed guild mistress captured someone so strong though and that would be new for her. The thought was tantalising to say the least.

For the time being, she had the Furies to deal with and in order to keep them busy, the angel would once more raise her summoned bow towards them and open fire. Her aim was good, even in the air and given how weak Alecto was, the angel was eager to finish her off. They were nuisances for the most part although rather attractive ones and Medeia did feel a slight pang of guilt that she had to destroy them. The thought from earlier on in the fight returned to her regarding taking their key for her own, once Leona was defeated and the angel mused about doing just that. Perhaps she could have them dance for her in the guild hall or something. They would certainly make lovely entertainers, after all.

As she continued to fire, the dark mage pondered to herself about whether Armina had completed her regeneration yet. The process was an incredibly painful one and Medeia knew that her maid was going to be a pain to deal with for a whole. Her guard was most definitely going to be staying in their quarters for a while, whether she liked it or not, for the process was potentially dangerous for all those involved. A crazed Armina was not a pleasant sight and the elder angel knew that she would probably have to use her more creative forms of binding to keep her still. It was the only way though as leaving her to her own devices would be a poor decision and one that Medeia refused to make. One fact was clear though and that was that Leona would forever be despised by Medeia’s beloved maid although the witch doubted that Armina would learn anything from the experience. She never seemed to, no matter how many fights she lost.

(510 Words)
(37576 Med WC)
(76156 TWC)

Leona was still in the grip of rage stemming from the memory of a particularly intense argument with her mother. She was incensed that her mother had already planned Leona's "future" out for her without bothering to get the latter's input. That "future" was one that consisted of getting married and having children. No travel, no adventure, nothing but being trapped in the home of her husband and cooking meals and caring for children whenever she was not busy having more.

That was not what Leona had wanted for herself.

Leona's hands were tightened into fists as she tasted the blood coming from her bottom lip. She was not her mother's property and she had made that clear multiple times. Sophia Jarnefeldt was a stubborn woman, but she had not counted on her daughter being equally as stubborn.

Leona continued to feel anger as a new memory came flooding back to her. Now she was back in her home village in Desierto and she was facing Joshua Hamlin, who had backed her up against the outside of a tent and was reaching out for her right leg. Leona knew exactly what was going on.

This one was back from when she was sixteen years old and at a village banquet that was being held to celebrate some occasion in Nebdoui.

Leona watched the past repeat itself as Joshua reached out for her right leg and let his fingers brush against the hem of her skirt. She felt the material begin to be slowly displaced as his fingers moved across the front of her right leg. She yelped and swatted his hand away with her right hand, feeling intense discomfort as her face flushed red.

"Please don't touch me there." Leona made a firmly worded request. Joshua only smirked at her as he grabbed her right wrist with his right hand and gently pulled her away from the tent, then placed his left hand on her back. Leona thought that he was going to try and dance with her, but that idea was quickly proven wrong when she felt his hand suddenly drop down and squeeze her backside.

The surprised Leona yelped and jumped forward, causing Joshua to laugh at her.

"Please don't do that. I don't like it." Leona made another firmly worded request to the dark-haired young man. Joshua did not listen at all. Instead he maneuvered her against the tent and when her back was to it reached for her chest. Leona's protests were ignored and his hands touched her breasts, sending the embarrassed blonde into a rage.

"DON'T TOUCH ME LIKE THAT!" Leona shouted and raised her right fist, punching Joshua in the right eye so hard that it turned black. He screamed and Leona punched him in his left eye for the same result. She followed up with a punch to the stomach and that was when the memory ended.

When it ended Leona involuntarily wrapped her right arm around her chest while her left arm reached down and her left hand gripped the hem of her skirt to keep it down. The blonde looked down into the darkness and her faced burned red with rage and embarrassment. That fateful night was the one that started all of her adventures because she was exiled due to beating up Chief Elijah's son, but it was also the source of her body issues because of how she had been touched. They were why Medeia's taunts about the state of her outfit and how much skin was visible had made such a mark on Leona.

While Leona suffered inside the coffin her Furies were doing all they could to hang on. Medeia had fired more arrows at them and while Megeara and Tisiphone had managed to dodge with expertly timed upwards barrel rolls that saw the arrows pass under them Alecto had taken another direct hit due to being unable to maneuver fast enough to dodge. The blue-haired Fury was barely alive... she was breathing heavily and needed the support of her sisters to even stay aloft. One more hit and she would be "killed" for the second time in this fight.

While the Furies clung to life Leona was deep in the throes of another memory, this one of the Ishgar Symposium. The blonde's mouth hung open as she watched each and every one of her numerous failures at that event play out in front of her. The shame of that day overwhelmed the rage generated by the memory of how Joshua had fondled her and she looked down in silence, feeling the guilt and shame wash over her with the same intensity it had on that fateful day.

So many innocent people had died because of her.

They were dead but she was still alive.

How could she even begin to make up for something like that?

Leona remained silent as she felt the guilt and shame continue to eat at her as the memories played over and over in painful detail. She desperately wanted it to stop, but it was not stopping. As she thought about the symposium her mood began to take a nosedive... it combined with all of the other bad memories she had experienced to form a weight that was almost too heavy for her to bear. That weight was slowly crushing her and it looked like there was no end in sight.

[Post Word Count: 900]
[Leona's Word Count: 39,840]
[Total Word Count: 77,056]

Outside the coffin, Medeia would continue to amuse herself with the Furies. Alecto was becoming weaker by the moment and the Warlord was ready to eliminate her from the fight at this stage. It did not seem that she had anything left to give and the witch was soon tapping into her powers again, this time channeling the powers of sand in order for her to unleash one of her many types of roar attacks. It would travel quickly towards the Furies and although it could only strike one of them, Medeia was fairly certain that it would be enough to finish off the weaker Fury if it hit, which was her intention this time around. She desired to at least remove one of them from the fight before her coffin spell ended and that was only moments away at that stage.

As a matter of fact, she was actually slightly surprised that Leona had not managed to fight out of it, telling her all that she needed to know about how it had affected her fellow Guild Mistress. It was the perfect spell for breaking down the stoutest of her foes and the blonde had certainly proven to be classed as one of those. The angel could not help but ponder as to just what it was that Leona was seeing and she sighed slightly regarding that lack of knowledge. It was the one true weakness of the spell and Medeia would no doubt now have to try and figure out just what her opponent had seen. She reckoned that something regarding the Symposium was a given but everything else? Well, that was quite a mystery to the witch. Just what other horrors did Leona have hidden away? Medeia wanted to know.

She took a moment to once again glance down at the town below her, the damage beginning to take its toll due to the ferocity of her previous attacks. There were more than a few bodies at this time and as she looked up, her keen sight caught many fleeing people at the edge of her vision. Clearly, they were well prepared for such an event although that was to be expected, given the previous attack on Hargeon. The locals must have been used to fleeing for their lives by now and for a moment, the witch considered going after them but eventually thought against it.

The reason why would soon be obvious and a large crack would appear in her coffin, starting from the bottom and making its way up. It was time for her coffin spell to end and now the curious mage would have to wait and see as to just what was left of Leona mentally after it. Given all of the mental and physical torment she had taken so far, the angel would not be stunned if the blonde was well and truly done but given how tough the Silver Wolf mage was, the Warlord was not going to underestimate her. Not this time.

(502 Words)
(38078 Med WC)
(77558 TWC)

While Leona languished in darkness the situation outside was getting worse for the Furies. Medeia had fired at the trio with another attack that featured sand as a prominent element. Megeara and Tisiphone evaded it with ease, but the hapless Alecto who had already taken so many hits could not endure the Warlord's latest attack. Alecto was hit by the attack and vanished from the world with a scream, leaving two Furies left. Without the blue-haired Fury they could not use Triad Beam, their combined attack that was as powerful as it was flashy.

Inside the coffin Leona continued to hope for an end to the torment she was going through. She had been shaken and stirred by the recall of her worst memories and was not sure how much longer she could handle it all. Leona knew that the images were just images from her past, but the emotions and pain they had brought her were very real. She had weathered a range of conflicting emotions from fear stemming from her fears of heights and snakes to rage at her mother's "plans" for her life, emotions that gave way to rage and embarrassment at how Joshua Hamlin had fondled her when she was sixteen and ending with guilt and shame over what had happened at the Ishgar Symposium.

Leona had experienced some of the worst moments of her life in rapid succession and was still trying to get over them, which had left her oblivious to the fact that the coffin was starting to give way. When it dramatically burst Leona fell for a few meters before snapping out of the malaise brought on by her mental trauma and rocketing upwards to avoid being grabbed by the purple tentacle still waiting below. Once she had gained altitude and started to hover Megeara and Tisiphone rejoined their summoner; the orange-haired Megeara hovered at Leona's left and Tisiphone hovered at Leona's right.

Leona looked for Alecto to join her sisters, but when the blue-haired Fury did not arrive she knew that the worst had happened. That added to her already bad mental state because the Furies had been counting on her to lead them and Leona had failed to do so. Dodging did not win battles by itself... dodging had to be paired with good counterattacks in order to win. They had taken many attacks from Medeia without even dealing one in return.

If the two remaining Furies were looking for instructions from Leona they would not get any just yet. She was in such a bad place that she could not think straight. Leona looked at Medeia and tried to think of a way to attack her enemy, but the blonde was just not able to come up with anything.

Besides, she had tried almost everything already and Medeia had endured it all.

The physically and emotionally damaged blonde hovered in place without giving any orders. Her Furies were restless, but Leona was too out of it to care. She had put on a brave face to try and hide the damage being in the coffin had done, but if Medeia looked she could see Leona's left hand hovering protectively near the hem of her skirt, a subconscious response to her memory of what Joshua had done to her. As she hovered her eyes also flickered between "brave face" and an expression of guilt as she thought about what she had done wrong at the Ishgar Symposium, another clue that despite not having any physical harm done to her inside the coffin the blonde was not all right.

[Post Word Count: 598]
[Leona's Word Count: 40,438]
[Total Word Count: 78,156]

The effects were clear to see and Medeia smiled as she gazed at her opponent, who seemed to be struggling to keep up her facade. It was obvious that Leona had been hurt mentally by her coffin spell and as the witch’s eyes fell upon her left hand, clutching her skirt and keeping it down, the cogs began to turn in the angel’s head. It appeared that the blonde had found herself up close and personal with someone before or at least, that was how it seemed and it did not take a rocket scientist to reason that the experience must have been unpleasant. Was this encounter why Leona struggled so much on a social level and why she was so reluctant to express herself? They were intriguing questions and the Warlord was curious as to discover the answers. Her coffin spell was one of the most potent that Medeia has, one which she only cast when she truly wanted to make her foe suffer or at least shatter their ego. It appeared that it had certainly done the trick here and the fact that Leona made no effort to attack her in return only seemed to confirm that.

Moving a little closer to the seemingly stunned blonde, Medeia would take the opportunity to speak, stretching her wings as she did so. “I can only imagine what you saw in there but whatever it was, your resolve to fight seems to have withered away to nothing because of those memories. No doubt you saw yourself helplessly watching as the Symposium incident took place, watching as all those poor cat people were blasted into oblivion. Yet, what else did you see? What is it that is causing you to become so defensive all of a sudden and why is your hand hovering as though someone had placed their hand up your skirt?”

After leaving the questions to hang in the air for a few moments, she would continue. “Do all of your emotional insecurities revolve around simply an encounter with someone that you did not want to put their hands on you? Is that where this all stems from? It would explain an awful lot and why perhaps that your interest seems to be in other females…”

She was, of course, merely assuming but from the evidence provided to her, Medeia thought that it was a decent guess. The angel did not say any more at this point, leaving Leona to drown in her own misery and sorrow, her prying probably doing nothing to help ease the blonde’s torment. To see the Silver Wolf mage so utterly broken brought a sense of amusement to the blonde but it was not entirely a positive sensation. If her hunch was right then she knew someone incredibly close to her who had experienced the exact same event and not just once either. There was more than reason as to why Medeia wiped out her kin. Not simply because what they had done to her but what they had to Armina, while the elder angel had been sealed away.

(514 Words)
(38592 Med WC)
(78670 TWC)