Deception Leads To Death (Open to One)

Leona watched and waited for another spell to be cast in her direction, but instead of a spell the blonde got to see Medeia move towards her. Earlier Leona would have done her best to punish Medeia for the mistake, but at the moment she could not muster enough imagination to seriously begin to fight back. The spell she had been subjected to was a lot stronger than the blonde had imagined because the mental damage had hurt as much as any physical damage the Warlord could inflict on her. When the Ishgar Symposium was brought up the aggressive side of Leona briefly flared up.

"You don't know what I saw at the Ishgar Symposium and it's none of your business!" Leona snapped in a sharp tone laced with sincere anger. In truth her sharp tone was just a cover for her recently reopened mental wounds. It was painfully obvious that bringing up that event had thrown salt on the wound and no amount of posturing could conceal that. Medeia was likely too smart to be fooled by the blonde's amateurish attempt to hide her mental state, but Leona was still angry for that day being mentioned... however, most of that anger was directed at herself for being so stupid as to make the mistakes that led to tragedy.

When the topic of the hand over her skirt was brought up Leona's face turned red and her expression turned angry. Just like last time her anger was genuine and her tone was sharp.

"Why are you asking me? What are you getting out of this?" Leona countered Medeia's question with two questions of her own. Megeara and Tisiphone gently grabbed their summoner's shoulders and gently pulled her back two meters to put some distance between them and the Warlord in case the conversation was just a ploy to get close to the Wizard Saint for yet another attack. Leona did not object to what the Furies did in the slightest because Medeia's words made Leona think.

Leona's problems were by and large a result of that night with Joshua, but her mother deserved some "credit" too. Sophia had wanted to shape her into a housewife and producer of children and readily shot down any attempt by Leona to say otherwise. Joshua had tried to use Leona as a toy to play with until he got bored and wandered off to the next attractive young woman who caught his eye. Both people had tried to use Leona in their own ways and those two were a big part of why the Wizard Saint had such a poor self-image.

Leona kept her left hand on her skirt in case Medeia tried to duplicate Joshua's attempt. She would not put it past the Warlord to try and do that just to get a rise out of her if Medeia deduced that her guess was right. Even though she was wearing bike shorts so that she was covered the Wizard Saint still kept her hand over the skirt because the memory that spurred that defensive measure was a hard one to shake.

[Post Word Count: 518]
[Leona's Word Count: 40,956]
[Total Word Count: 79,188]

There was no effort on the part of the witch to stop the Furies from moving Leona away and she simply allowed them to do so without any fuss. They seemed to be more with it than their summoner at the moment and without orders, it appeared as though they could do little more than just keep Leona away from the Warlord. Of course, if the dark mage wanted to close the gap further, she could have but for the time being, she simply remained where she was, her wings gently flapping to keep in her the air. The tempo of the fight had completely cooled off for the moment and while Medeia still felt anger towards Leona, she was intelligent enough to know when to reign it in. She fully expected things to pick up again sooner or later but Medeia was willing to briefly let things ease. The blonde looked broken mentally and her poor attempts at convincing the angel otherwise had little effect on Medeia. The Wizard Saint was in serious trouble now and it honestly seemed as though she was hanging on by a thread. The holy being could almost smell the scent of defeat coming from the blonde haired woman.

“I am simply trying to figure out what it was that you saw in there.” She replied casually, her expression neutral for the time being. “I am unfortunately unable to see the memories that my spell drags to the surface so I am always left with having to figure it out for myself. There is more here than just the Symposium and I desire to know just what. If I was hazard a guess, judging from your demeanor, I would say that you were approached by an aggressive male, who desired more than just a conversation. I must say that I am surprised that you would allow such a thing to happen to you, given how aggressive and forthright you are, if that is indeed the truth.”Her purple orbs were fixed on Leona’s face, trying to read through the Silver Wolf mage’s attempt to hide the truth from her.

“I always desire to know what makes my girls' minds tick. What it is that brings them joy and great sorrow. There are many who I have encountered in my travels and one way or another, I have always managed to satiate my curiosity. Yet, I confess that a story of a female being accosted by a male is one that I find completely unacceptable. It is a tale that my precious Armina has encountered in the past, one that we both set out to put right. I despise men, Leona, loathe them to a degree that you cannot imagine. I come from a place that was dominated by them and to hear of such things taking place here angers me greatly.” It was the truth and just for once, there was no attempt at deception from the dark haired angel although whether Leona would be able to figure that out was unknown.

(508 Words)
(39100 Med WC)
(79696 TWC)

The two remaining Furies hovered protectively beside Leona, who was still unable to even begin to put up a fight. She should have been trying to hit Medeia with everything she had, but she could not think of anything to use. She had already used most of her big-ticket spells except for Silver Tempest and Razor Tornado and she could not use those without destroying a good chunk of Hargeon Town. In refusing to attack right away Leona might call herself playing for time by talking to her enemy, but talking to the Warlord also gave the latter time to recover and plan her next attack.

Medeia did not seem nearly as interested in the Ishgar Symposium as she did the other incident that was affecting the blonde's behavior. Leona tried to hide her surprise at the accuracy of Medeia's guess as to the nature of the second problem with a flash of anger and an indignant look. What had happened to her was not the Warlord's business and Leona was not going to hand her enemy any more ammunition to use against her than she already had.

"Your girls?" Leona asked defensively, her anger beginning to flare up again. It seemed like Medeia wanted to be the latest in a line of people to use the blonde for her own purposes and Leona would not stand for that. She was tired of being used by other people whether as a high-profile "gofer" or a potential romantic conquest. Leona's defensiveness abated a little as she listened to the Warlord talked and the former learned why the dark-haired mage seemed to have a grudge against men.

Why was she listening to Medeia talk instead of trying to do everything in her power to defeat the latter?

Maybe both of them were playing for time to come up with the idea that would let them win the fight.

Leona was more than a little confused as she tried to figure out whether her enemy was just playing mind games or actually trying to be helpful in an unusual way. The blonde was not in the right frame of mind to determine the truth and was not inclined to ask questions. She was too confused to really think Medeia's words through, so she would take a big risk and let the Warlord talk without interruption. Leona hoped that she would not pay too high a price for that decision.

[Post Word Count: 406]
[Leona's Word Count: 41,362]
[Total Word Count: 80,102]

“When I encounter a lady who attracts my interest, I cannot help but refer to them as my own. Call it a bad habit if you like but that is simply how my mind works. It is not meant as an insult to you and there have been more than a few who have been rather flattered to have captured my eye. I confess that you are the strongest of those who have managed to do so and that is why I have toyed with you for far longer than I probably should have. Against anyone else, I would have simply wiped them off the face of this world for daring to force Armina to regenerate and yet here I am talking instead of finishing you off. You intrigue me and that makes you special, special enough for me not to desire your death, even after what you have done.” She gave so little away as to whether she was being genuine or not, her words sounding as though they were but as always, it was difficult to tell. Any of her words could have been a trap.

After a few moments of pause, she changed tact. “I have been holding back and I know that you have been as well. Either of us could destroy this place if we put our minds to it and make what happened at the Symposium a reality here. It would not be the first time that I have performed such a feat, as though who fought in the previous Pergrande and Bellum battle can attest to. It was I who cast the spell of light that wiped out so many lives. It was I who crippled the leader of the enemy forces and it was I was moments away from claiming her as a prize. None of the mage forces there could do a single thing to prevent it and if pushed into using that spell here, you will not be able to either. A spell created to end worlds and to cast divine judgement on all that its radiant light falls upon. That is the end result of this contest between us, should it continue for too long.” A threat indeed but she spoke in such a way that it sounded more like a fact.

“I am not sure why I am telling you all of this in fairness. Maybe I am feeling a sense of kinship between us, as I can see similarities in our pasts and that is stopping me from unleashing pure hell upon you. My father wanted a similar future for me as your mother does yours. He wanted an heir to the holy throne and looked upon me to provide him with such. Yet, he never imagined that not only would I not do so but that I would fall for someone who was of my own gender. So you see, I understand the situation that you have found yourself in and that is what draws me to you, whether you like it or not.”

(508 Words)
(39608 Med WC)
(80610 TWC)

Leona folded her arms across her chest as a bit of the spark of aggression came back. She listened to the rest of Medeia's reasoning for considering the blonde among "her girls" and kept silent despite her visible displeasure showing on her face and her posture. Sophia had tried to consider Leona her property and that went over about as well as Medeia's presumptuous declaration. Leona did not belong to anyone.

Leona then listened to Medeia discuss her restraint and found the idea of Medeia having any restraint to be ridiculous. Restraint meant attacking just one's target, not killing bystanders for the fun of it or destroying property to make a point. Then again the Warlord did not seem to care about concepts like "collateral damage" and "noncombatants." From the way the dark-haired mage was talking it seemed like she was trying to issue a warning to the Wizard Saint that if the latter continued to resist Hargeon Town's existence might be in jeopardy.

Leona was not sure if Medeia's comment about restraint was a warning or a bluff meant to make the Wizard Saint surrender. The dark-haired mage had already proven that she was willing and able to attack the town's citizens to throw off Leona's mental state, so the blonde could not dismiss the comment as a simple bluff. Despite the risk that the threat was real she could not bring herself to simply give up, not when so many innocent people had died already. Leona also had her pride as the Wizard Saint of Courage: she was supposed to keep fighting no matter what. she faced That went double when her back was to the wall.

The Wizard Saint listened to the Warlord talk about the shared connection of parents wanting their offspring to fit the roles that were assigned to them and felt that that remark was an attempt at manipulation. Any attempt at bonding was doomed to fail by the statement about how Medeia was not trying to crush Leona into the dirt because of their supposed connection... Leona did not respond well to threats that were either implied or openly stated. The blonde was not entirely unsympathetic to what had happened to Medeia, but that sympathy was diluted due to the latter casually murdering the people of Hargeon Town during their fight and her status as a Warlord. Leona was angry about her mother trying to force her into marriage before her life had even started, but she did not take that anger out on innocent people nor did she derive pleasure from killing anyone.

"I'm flattered that you think that much of me, but I can't say that the feeling's mutual." Leona flatly responded. She was not drawn to Medeia in the slightest. Medeia had a beautiful face and an attractive body, but her personality left a lot to be desired. Besides, Leona was a one-woman woman and the one she was interested in was Masha Dymonrel.

[Post Word Count: 494]
[Leona's Word Count: 41,856]
[Total Word Count: 81,104]

A chuckle escaped the witch after Leona replied, with an amused expression crossing the woman’s face. It would be apparent that the blonde’s disinterest had no effect on Medeia whatsoever and if anything, it only caused her desire for Leona to grow. She did love a challenge, so to speak and the Silver Wolf mage was certainly that. No was not an answer that the angel ever accepted and that would not change here, however, it would seem that she would have to become a little more forceful if she wished to finally break the spirit of her opponent. She had caused so much mental damage and yet Leona still remained standing, which was both slightly irritating and yet inspiring at the same time. Yet, she had been around long enough to know that the pleasure she would feel from finally winning would make up for all of the frustration that she had felt so far. The blonde would end up in her arms, one way or another, not just for herself but for her maid too, who would no doubt want to spend some time with Leona herself once she recovered from her injuries.

“I suppose that you leave me with little recourse then. If you will not indulge me just a little willingly then I will have to take you by force. You may have no interest in me yet but that can change and after spending enough time with me, I am certain that I can make you forget all about that girlfriend of yours. Who knows? Maybe once you have been broken and reveal your secrets to me, I will abduct her too and we can have some fun of our own. You are one of mine, whether you like it or not and there is nothing that you can do about it now. Even if you are able to beat me here, I will simply come again once I have healed. You cannot kill me and sooner or later, I will have you dangling upside down again, for the sport of those you claim to wish to protect.”

Taking a breath, Medeia’s form would burst with an angelic golden light, hiding her briefly from view as another takeover began to replace her standard one. The power that flooded through her veins would have been enough to frighten almost anyone and it was a form that very few had even seen the Warlord use. A level that no one had reached and one that only a being who had truly mastered their magic could ever hope to reach. In fact, calling it a takeover was probably doing it a disservice. It was not a takeover, Medeia was simply taking on her angelic form or what she would have been, had her life developed in a different way.

Her eyes blazed with magical power and after watching Leona for a few moments, she would speak again, her tone rather regal now although every syllable was thrumming with magic. “You should have just accepted my offer, Leona, as I doubt that I will be able to hold back my power enough now, even if I did desire it. Hargeon will burn and you will be responsible for another calamity.” She would rotate her shoulders then, briefly basking in the power that her true form granted her, stretching her wings to their maximum.

(564 Words)
(40172 Med WC)
(81668 TWC)

Leona listened to the Warlord outline the consequences for rejecting her and make a remark about finding the blonde's girlfriend and possibly doing unspecified things to her, something which caused Leona to visibly bristle. If this was how Medeia was trying to win Leona over it was not going to work. On the contrary the aggressive talk was driving the Wizard Saint to dig in her heels because there was more than her freedom, her pride, her reputation, and the lives of Hargeon Town's citizens at stake. Threatening Masha would be a big mistake on Medeia's part.

"You sure know how to win a girl over." Leona sarcastically remarked in response to Medeia's description of what would be done to her. She was probably adding fuel to the fire, but it was already too late for holding back what she really thought. She had no intention of submitting to the Warlord because the latter batted her eyelashes, talked about what they supposedly had in common, and made a sort-of demand with the threat of destroying Hargeon Town as the penalty for refusal. Medeia really needed to work on her pickup lines.

After that Medeia put on another impressive light show as a golden light obscured her from view. When the Warlord returned she was sporting a form that was even fancier than her previous form and one that had a larger wingspan too. However, her new form was not nearly as impressive as her hubris. Medeia reiterated the fact that restraining her power might not be something she could do and hinted that the blame for another disaster might be be laid at Leona's feet should the worst happen.

Leona's bravado wavered for a moment as she recognized the other fiasco Medeia was referring to. Her memories of that event that were forcibly brought to the surface by the coffin and she wavered again. She was not sure if she was doing the right thing by willingly continuing the fight after knowing what was at stake and being on the back foot.

What right did she have to gamble with the lives of Hargeon Town's citizens?

Leona tried to rationalize it away by thinking that Medeia would have attacked the town even after Leona accepted the offer just to spite the blonde, but a small part of her was not sure that that would have happened. Leona looked towards her Furies for some comfort no matter how small it was. If she wanted to continue the fight she would need their help.

The looks on their faces showed that they were with her. That was not exactly comforting because they were her summons and only mind control could break their obedience to her, but after everything she had been through up to this point she craved some reassurance that she was not entering what might be the final phase alone. Whatever happened next they would be with her until the end.

Leona took a deep breath and tried to put the memories dredged up by the coffin out of her mind. She did not have a clear plan on how to attack the Warlord, but she had the foundation for an idea. For that foundation she would need another summon. Leona raised both hands into the air and called out an old name.

"GRIFFIN SUMMON!" Leona called out. Moments later a sharp and piercing cry could be heard and the summon in question appeared above Leona and her Furies. The Griffin Leona had summoned was the classic fusion of an eagle with a lion's lower half and the wings of an eagle. It had been years since she had last summoned the Griffin, but catching up would have to wait. She was going to try to use its abilities to turn the tide... failing that she would at least go down fighting.

[Post Word Count: 642]
[Leona's Word Count: 42,498]
[Total Word Count: 82,310]

Spells Used:

There was no reaction from the witch as Leona summoned another creature to aid her in battle. It did not matter how many allies she had now and the angel looked upon both the Furies and the Griffin as nothing more than flies to be squatted. The lust that had for so long been pumping through the holy creature had seemed to have been burnt away, replaced by a cold sense of serenity and grace. She looked at Leona as a mother would a child, knowing full well that it would irritate and annoy the blonde woman but Medeia no longer cared about such things. In this state, she was borderline undefeatable and that was what could be seen in her combat stance now. She was relaxed, oh so relaxed and completely untroubled by whatever Leona was up to. At this point, the Silver Wolf mage could use any attack she wished. It always amused Medeia that her strongest form was almost the antithesis of who she was but the ancient being had been around for so long that she could appreciate the humour of it all. She had been born to be this but had chosen to be someone else. Now, she had the best of both.

The time had come for her to open up her new box of tricks, so to speak and Medeia no longer saw the need to hold back anymore. Leona had made it perfectly clear that she was not going to come willingly and despite the angel’s best efforts, she had failed to convince her otherwise. Nita was just the same and the witch could not help but smile ever so slightly. Both blonde women were incredibly brave and perhaps that was part of what drew the angel towards them. They were the only two mages who had truly given her a decent fight and so it was natural that the now white haired witch would desire to make them hers. There was nothing more irritating for Medeia than not getting what she wanted and she had become oh so used to always getting it.

“Surely spending a little quality time with me is better than having a town be turned to cinders.” The dark mage replied casually, her tone still as regal as before.

There was nothing more to be said for the moment and so Medeia would begin to charge with holy power, before vanishing after a short period of time. Where would she reappear? Right in the middle of Leona and her summons, about to discharge the immense amount of energy that she had built up. There was time to escape but not much and knowing how weak Leona was, Medeia knew that it would be tough for the group as a whole. No more games and no more holding back. She would teach the Wizard Saint about how one's ego could push them into making some incredibly stupid decisions. Just how much did Leona have left in the tank after taking so many hits?

(505 Words)
(40677 Med WC)
(82865 TWC)

Leona took Medeia's latest quip in stride. Medeia knew nothing of what compelled the Wizard Saint to keep fighting in the face of overwhelming power. Ego was a part of it... she could not back down when she was the Wizard Saint of Courage. If she bent the knee to every Warlord and wannabe Warlord who made threats she would have lost her title long ago. She would not have made it this far if she had surrendered to Odhran Aegisbane or to any of the numerous enemies she had faced down over her long career.

Leona was also fighting out of responsibility to her guild, to the people of Fiore, and to Masha. If she had given up as soon as Medeia had made the implied threat their lives might have been in jeopardy because the Warlord had no reason to hold back after getting what she wanted. She probably would have gone after innocent people anyway just to rub Leona's powerlessness in the latter's face.

It did not matter whether her reasons for continuing to fight were noble or selfish. Leona was committed to the fight and she was going to see it through no matter how it went. She had to do everything she could to defeat the Warlord for the sake of everyone in Hargeon Town, in Silver Wolf, and in Fiore.

Leona's heroic thoughts were interrupted when the newly transformed Medeia visibly charged up for something before swiftly pulling another disappearing act, causing the blonde to grow wary. Her mood changed from wary to visibly surprised when a short time the Warlord reappeared in the exact center of the formation of Wizard Saint and summons. That surprise was compounded when her enemy's attack began to take shape.

"GET AWAY!" Leona telepathically ordered her summons before her jetpack flared and she turned around, then rocketed forward and away from Medeia in an effort to try to escape what was coming next. The Griffin flew straight up while Megeara flew diagonally left and Tisiphone flew diagonally right to try and avoid the spell.

That hope was in vain because the spell Medeia used caught all four of them in its radius. Leona felt an intense burning sensation throughout her entire body as she was caught in the sphere of energy and wobbled while flying straight; she wobbled so much that she nearly took a nosedive downward. Her summons were hit hard and she could hear them telepathically describing the pain they were going through as she struggled to stay airborne. The Griffin had been hit the hardest... it was far from her strongest summon and the powerful spell had almost "killed" it in one hit. The Furies were badly hurt but were still able to fight for now.

Leona looked down at her legs and saw that her skirt had taken serious damage. There were numerous marks that looked like burn marks along the hem of the garment, but over half of it was still there. The bottom hem of her bike shorts had been affected and there were burn marks along the legs that exposed a little skin, but there was still plenty of fabric to keep her covered up. As bad as the state of her outfit was the pain in her body was a lot worse... it was an intense burning throughout her entire body that felt like she had spent way too long in the sun and her nerve endings were letting her know that she had been hit with a very powerful spell.

When she finally recovered Leona clenched her teeth in pain before turning to face Medeia, then gave a telepathic command to the Griffin. Her intent was to use his Eagle's Cry ability to try and slow down Medeia enough to come up with another way to fight her.

"Griffin, dive down and use Eagle's Cry!" Leona commanded the summon. The Griffin wordlessly complied and dove downward at Medeia, then used Eagle's Cry to send forth a visible cone of sound that emanated from its beak that was aimed at the Warlord. If the ability hit it would likely only annoy the Warlord, who had grown considerably in power since assuming her new form. It might only be a distraction to her enemy, but as Medeia had shown her after using the coffin spell distractions could make a lot of difference.

At this point Leona would try anything to give herself a fighting chance. She was trying all of this at a point where it might be too late to seriously affect the outcome of the fight, but she was not going to give up. As long as she was still breathing and able to fight she would keep fighting the Warlord.

[Post Word Count: 792]
[Leona's Word Count: 43,290]
[Total Word Count: 83,657]

Summon Abilities Used:

There was something to be said for the summons being able to survive an attack from Medeia at this point and it spoke volumes about both their power and Leona’s. It was a rare sight indeed to see anyone besides the incredibly strong to survive a blow. Still, the angel had somewhat come to expect that from the blonde at this point. She was as stubborn as a mule and the witch could feel the magic power that still surrounded the Silver Wolf mage, which was as potent as ever. A chance for the dark mage to test out her most powerful form was not one that came along often and Medeia decided that perhaps she would do so now. Any spell in her vast arsenal could be cast now and while for the moment, her attacks were still directed more against Leona than the town, that could change in an instant. There were some attacks that could not be controlled in such a way and the only result from one of those being cast was utter destruction. Soon enough, Hargeon would feel the full force of the holy being's power. It was a simple fact now.

The Griffin had taken an immense amount of damage from the looks of it and yet it was coming down towards her, releasing a sound wave of power that was oddly similar to one of Medeia’s own spells. Deciding to test the strength of the creature, she would briefly channel and then release a scream spell of her own, causing it to fly up and meet the Griffin’s in a clash of magical power. The result would be a wave of energy that would fly out in all directions due to the meeting of the spells although Medeia had little issue with evading the blast, dropping a few feet and spinning majestically in an almost dance-like fashion.

In response, she would then cause her hands to become powered by holy energy, resulting in them turning into claw-like limbs, before she would swiftly fly up towards the summon and try to catch it with a close ranged attack. It was an ability that Medeia did not normally use but at this stage, she had no concern about such things. Her claws, unsurprisingly, had a couple of nasty effects and should the Griffin be unable to avoid the strike, then it would feel its physical and magical strength decrease, as well as have some of its health stolen. The claws could also pierce through defences should the Griffin be able to protect itself. Leona’s summons may be of great help to the Wizard Saint but in the eyes of the Warlord, they were simply another avenue to maintaining her own strength.

In the back of her mind, she was already imagining what the end scenario of the contest would be, a distinct image of the town lying in ruins fully formed in her head. It was oh so easy now for her to make it a reality and although she was more than willing to cast the spell necessary, a small part of her sighed, irritated that she had been unable to claim the blonde as her own through different methods.

(536 Words)
(41213 Med WC)
(84193 TWC)

Leona watched the clash between the Griffin's Eagle's Cry and Medeia's own sound-based attack that created an impressive blast. Leona managed to evade it with a sudden drop downward that was short enough to keep her out of reach of the menacing tentacle below, but her evasive maneuver was nowhere as graceful as Medeia's. Medeia was such a showoff.

After dodging the energy blast Medeia attacked Griffin with a claw attack that looked like it would be painful to be on the receiving end of. The summon was hit by it and Leona could hear both the telepathic cry of pain and the one everyone could hear. It was so badly hurt that it looked like a strong breeze could finish what the Warlord had started. Griffin flew away from the Warlord and Leona began to feel desperation clawing at the back of her mind.

She was no longer sure if she could eke out a draw, let alone win this.

Leona was trying to stay strong, but seeing Medeia deal with one of her stronger summons so easily was a bit disheartening. Leona was almost out of ideas and she was out of powerful spells the Warlord had not seen yet. She was starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel and if Medeia looked closely enough she could see hints of desperation on the Wizard Saint's face as the blonde tried to come up with something that could help her hang on a little bit longer. As she thought and thought about the problem the Wizard Saint was reaching a conclusion that she did not like, but it was one that was an unpleasant reality.

She might not have anything left.

Leona took a quiet breath and tried to decide between casting an Air Pressure spell or moving in for a Silver Blade spell. After a moment she decided to play it safe and use an Air Pressure spell before closing in for Silver Blade, Hurricane Punch, or another close-range attack. It might be utterly stupid to get so close to the Warlord in the latter's powered-up state, but the blonde was not sure if any of her ranged spells would cut it anymore. The Air Pressure spell might be the last ranged spell she cast before moving in for hand-to-hand combat.

Leona channeled silver magic into her right hand, then thrust her palm outward and fired a visible horizontal column of compressed air at the Warlord. Medeia had seen the Air Pressure spell several times, so she knew what was headed her way. If it hit it might slow the Warlord's physical movement speed down enough for Leona to possibly get a modest advantage when she decided to close the range and fight up close and personal.

Once the spell was cast Leona could only watch and wait to see what happened. As she waited her right hand began to tremble. She closed it into a fist to try and hide her mental state from her enemy, but if Medeia looked she could see that the blonde was starting to feel the pressure of fighting someone who might be much stronger than her.

[Post Word Count: 526]
[Leona's Word Count: 43,816]
[Total Word Count: 84,719]

Spells Used:

The screech from the Griffin was all that the Warlord needed to hear in order to know that she had dealt a powerful blow. She had every intention of following the creature too as it fled from her, deciding that perhaps another way of destroying Leona’s will would be by seeing her summons be destroyed one by one. Medeia was always looking for signs of weakness and compared to earlier on in the fight, Leona was certainly revealing them now. It could be seen in her body language, her movements, her beautiful face. The Wizard Saint was crumbling before the Warlord’s might and the latter loved it. If she could not claim the blonde woman willingly then she would do it through pain and torment, both mental and physical. Leona would submit to her, sooner or later, it was just a matter of time. The angel would remove every shield and weapon that her opponent had left until there was nothing left but a sense of complete helplessness and Medeia knew that such a fate falling upon a proud woman as Leona, would only make the sensation ten times worse. The Wizard Saint had far further to fall than most.

Her pursuit of the Griffin was prevented for a moment as she sensed a powerful attack heading in her direction. It was one that she had seen several times before and that made it all the more easy to deal with. She could have teleported away or tried to counter it with an attack of her own but now that she was at the peak of her powers, Medeia decided to use another method. Raising her hand, she would cast her ultimate defensive spell, resulting in a shield of holy energy to surround her body, granting her a numerous selection of boosts. Her spell damage would rise, her health and mana would restore but there was something else as well which Leona would soon discover. For as the spell reached the witch and struck her outstretched hand, Medeia would briefly hold it, before reflecting it back towards its caster, causing the ability to fly directly in Leona’s direction.

With her aura now in place, Medeia was protected by one of the most potent defences in all of Earthland and most definitely the strongest that she herself possessed. The level had risen again and Leona would come to understand the countless mistakes that had led to her soon to be defeated. There were some beings that should not be crossed and the angel was one of them.

To give the summons something to think about, she would make three slashing motions with her hand, which caused her to release projectile versions of her claws, which soared towards each one. The effects of them would be the same as if Medeia had stabbed them from close range if they connected.

There were no words from the Warlord though, for the moment at least, allowing her magic to speak for her. Her eyes never left the blonde, watching for any attempt at a reprisal or counter. Medeia fully believed that the fight was over but even now, she was unwilling to take the chance of underestimating her foe. Leona had earned that much.

(540 Words)
(41753 Med WC)
(85259 TWC)

Leona watched her Air Pressure spell race towards Medeia, who countered it in her usual flashy way. She raised a visible shield and caught the column of compressed air in her hand like Leona had thrown a baseball at her. Moments later the Warlord sent the spell back to its source and the Wizard Saint frowned as she deliberately lost a meter of altitude to avoid getting hit with her own spell... that was an unpleasant surprise and if Medeia was paying attention the latter could see it on Leona's body language. Leona's right fist opened back into a hand before she closed it into a fist again and the blonde's breathing was irregular for a few moments before she got it back under control.

The unpleasant surprises did not end there because Medeia decided that Leona's summons were being a nuisance and lashed out at them with an attack that fired images of the claws the former had used to attack Griffin at the summons. Tisiphone and Megeara dodged with ease by performing a graceful aerial spin to the left, but the hapless Griffin was not capable of such aerial acrobatics and had to rely on sheer speed, which was just enough for the summon to avoid taking a hit as the claws passed behind its rear legs. If it had taken the hit Griffin would have not survived.

Leona pulled herself together the best she could and focused on what she saw about the shield. The shield Medeia had recently brought in was a mighty one, but even the strongest defenses had to have a weak point. She was not sure if the shield allowed her enemy to redirect long-range spells or if that was just Medeia showing off her new level of power, but Leona knew that her distance spells might be more of a liability than a benefit at this point. However, she had something resembling an idea.

Could the shield redirect her Silver Blade spell or Silver Longsword strikes?

Leona had nothing to prove or disprove her hypothesis, so there was only one way to find out. She would need to get up close and personal with the Warlord, but it beat casting distance spells only to have them sent back to her. Now another question came up, the question of what close-range method she used.

Did she lead off with Silver Blade or use her Silver Longsword?

Leona figured that she would get only one chance at what she was doing before Medeia adapted and made using the same trick highly unlikely to succeed a second time, so Leona decided to use one of her strongest attacks and attack by closing in and aiming at one of the Warlord's wings with Silver Blade. At this point she was willing to try anything. The blonde put on a brave face and decided to commit to what she was about to do.

The constant flow of silver energy from Leona's jetpack flared into silver angular wings as she rushed forward at the Warlord and stopped at the latter's right side. When she got within range to use the spell Leona jolted to a stop, her legs swinging slightly forward before halting. Leona put the index and middle fingers of her right hand together and tucked the rest of her fingers into the palm of her hand, she then lowered the hand to her right side and channeled silver magic into the two fingers before raising them up and bringing her right forearm in front of her face in preparation for dealing a diagonal left-to-right slash aimed at the Warlord's wing. When the spell was ready Leona made the slash with her two fingers creating a cutting edge of wind that would leave a brief silver afterimage of the slash whether it hit or not.

Leona was about to find out whether the shield could redirect Silver Blade or not. She had taken the risk of closing in with the intent of trying to hurt the Warlord's wing, but if she missed due to Medeia dodging she would be in deep trouble since she was hovering close enough for her enemy to reach out and touch her. If the shield could redirect the spell Leona would be in trouble since she had just used one of her most powerful spells at close range.

[Post Word Count: 726]
[Leona's Word Count: 44,542]
[Total Word Count: 85,985]

Spells Used:

Clearly, Leona had not given up though and as she charged in towards her, Medeia briefly pondered about how to handle the blonde’s latest attack. Surely it could not have been a standard one, as the Warlord had just revealed that she could reflect oncoming attacks, so what was her opponent up to? What power did this latest attack have that could do something about the dark mage’s immense defence? Her instinct cried out that it must have been a shield piercing spell and Medeia was more than willing to trust her own feelings regarding the matter but time was short and the witch did not have the necessary moments needed to negate the spell, not from such a short distance. So, she simply grit her teeth and waited for the inevitable jolt that would soon come, which it did. The attack would go through her shield and strike her wing, sending a gnawing pain through the Warlord’s body, a frown crossing her features but her takeover was not so weak as to break after a single strike and her wing, for the time being, was alright, the damage having been mitigated somewhat. Medeia knew that a shield piercing spell was always weaker and she had banked on that fact. Still, it was a keen reminder that Leona was still in the fight.

The blonde, however, left herself in a rather compromising position and Medeia wasted no time in trying to counter. Her wings would shimmer with golden light, channelling the energy throughout Medeia’s body, before the Warlord would open her mouth and unleash a powerful beam at her foe. It was not an attack to be messed with and should Leona evade it then it would travel onwards for a considerable distance, hitting whoever or whatever it encountered first. There would be little in the way of damage control now, as even Medeia’s weakest attacks now contained the Warlord’s full strength. Her previous threats and comments regarding Hargeon’s destruction had not been mere hyperbole and with the right spell, she could wipe the town off of the face of the map, leaving little more than a crater.

She would spare a glance at her wing then, examining the damage. It had taken a fair hit and the witch could feel her regeneration being affected by the Wizard Saint’s last strike. A draining effect perhaps? Intriguing and an effect that would soon be fighting tooth and nail against Medeia’s considerable health regeneration. She would have to be careful when it came to that wing although with that knowledge in mind, the witch naturally assumed that it would appear to be a weakness, which could be exploited. Would Leona dash in again? That was the question and if so, what would she do about it? For the time being, she would simply watch her attack as it travelled, preparing herself for the Silver Wolf mage’s next attack.

Oddly enough, her frown vanished then, replaced by what appeared to be a smile of approval.

(502 Words)
(42255 Med WC)
(86487 TWC)

Leona had been uncertain if her gamble would pay off, but it been well worth the risk because the Silver Blade hit Medeia's wing and hurt it somewhat. That was the shot in the arm Leona needed to keep herself together in the face of a very powerful enemy who had no qualms about attacking the innocent just to mentally hurt her. However, the boost in confidence would not last long because Medeia retaliated with a beam attack aimed right at her.

Leona used her jetpack to propel herself backwards and diagonally up away from the attack: as she did so it missed her toes by a very slim margin. The Wizard Saint glanced down at the passing beam and knew that her survival would come at a cost to the people of Hargeon Town. She was not happy about that, but at this point she simply could not afford to take too many more hits, so she would just have to accept the cost now and feel regret over it later. Besides, even if she submitted now Medeia would likely kill a few more people just to punish Leona for her "defiance."

Once Leona had avoided the attack she was back at square one when it came to how to attack the Warlord. She only had a few armor-piercing spells and weapon abilities available and once she ran out of those she would really have nothing left. She had already committed to the fight and Medeia had told her what was going to happen, so Leona had no choice but to see this through.

Leona now knew that armor-piercing attacks worked against the powerful shield and that even if her attacks lost some of their power due to the shield's strength they still hurt the Warlord. She could not use her second-most powerful armor-piercing spell Sonic Slash since she was airborne, so she would need to use her long-range spells and abilities such as Sky Champion Rafale's Energy Wave ability or the Scout Laser Pistol's Armor-Piercing Shot. Leona could also try for another Sonic Slice ability if she were feeling bold. Right now she needed raw power more than anything, so she was going to use Energy Wave despite the chance it might be sent right back at her.

Leona maneuvered to match Medeia's altitude and when that was done a violet energy blade flared to life in her right hand. She raised it above her head and swung it straight down, sending out a purple wave of energy in the shape of a crescent aimed at the Warlord's right wing. It was not guaranteed to hit, but if it did it might hurt the wing a little more and give Leona a little more momentum to build on. However, she would need to make good use of her limited supply of armor-piercing spells and abilities because Medeia had already seen most of them and would likely adapt to them after seeing them in action for the second or third time.

[Post Word Count: 502]
[Leona's Word Count: 45,044]
[Total Word Count: 86,989]

Summon Abilities Used:

The distance that Leona had put between the two mages was of great benefit to the witch, giving her the time to raise a hand and reflect the blonde’s latest spell back towards her. At a closer range, it would have been far more difficult but this time around, she had just about the time she needed. The wave would almost bounce off of Medeia, returning at speed in the direction of its caster. A powerful attack indeed and the angel expected that had it struck her wing, it would have done notable damage. Leona had the right abilities to carve through her defences, meaning that the dark mage would have to take a great deal of care in handling them. Yes, her vitality was immense and with the spell power at her command, defeat seemed impossible but if she had learned anything from her previous encounters, it was that her opponents always had one more ace up their sleeve to leave the Warlord with something to remember them by.

The crown that rested on Medeia’s head would briefly glow with energy, before emitting a pulse that would look like a circle which travelled from her position outwards. It was a rather simple looking spell but again, not one to be underestimated and the reason why would become clear. Those who were wounded or cowering beneath her would find themselves being yanked to their feet, slaves to the whims of the holy being. Their eyes would be glazed over, once more forced to obey the woman’s will. With the slightest of smiles, Medeia would make them walk towards Janice, with the tentacle happily scooping up and crushing all those who entered her vicinity. It was an unpleasant sight but what was worse were the sounds. She doubted that the pulse would affect Leona or her spirits due to their strong wills but if struck, they would receive an unpleasant amount of damage.

While this was going on, Medeia would muse about whether the time to end the contest had come. Her ace, so to speak, had not yet been played and she knew that if it was then the end would most certainly come. There would be no one left for her to toy around with in the town, no one left for Leona to defend and no fight left in the blonde’s body to fight the witch off. Nita had survived the attack and Medeia believed that her opponent probably would as well but would she be in a state that she would be even able to submit to the witch? Deep down, she still wanted that. To see the last of Leona’s pride be stripped away, forcing her to admit her weakness and break. Medeia had been so close already but the Silver Wolf mage had managed to stand up again. A sign of overconfidence from her perhaps? Maybe but then again, Medeia had always enjoyed playing with her food and it was such a tough habit to break.

(501 Words)
(42756 Med WC)
(87490 TWC)

When the Energy Wave ability was reflected at her Leona knew she had made a big mistake. She should have stayed in close range and pressured Medeia, but she was not sure if another Silver Blade spell would have been able to hit after casting it right behind the first. She should have went for it because while she dodged the returned violet energy crescent without much effort the Warlord's retaliation hurt Leona in more ways than one.

Leona saw Medeia emit an energy attack that was much simpler than the ones before it. This one did not have flashy effects to announce its casting but was instead a plain pulse that hit the Wizard Saint moments after she had avoided the Energy Wave and was still off-balance. Leona survived the attack, but Griffin did not and vanished with an ear-splitting cry. Megeara and Tisiphone managed to avoid the pulse with a timely burst of speed that took them up and over the attack and hurried to Leona's side once they were safe.

Leona felt intense pain that was almost as bad as the pain from the attack Medeia had used earlier when she had vanished before suddenly reappearing in the middle of the Wizard Saint's group. The pain was affecting her so much that she visibly wobbled with a sharp lean to the left before righting herself; despite that she slowly but surely dipped in altitude because she was unable to focus on staying aloft. Megeara and Tisiphone rushed to Leona's rescue, grabbing her by the arms and lifting her back to the altitude she was previously at before she dropped low enough to be grabbed by the tentacle.

Speaking of the tentacle, a scene of horror Leona had never seen before played out below. People were actually walking towards the tentacle and were being grabbed and crushed by it... it was a disgusting scene with equally disgusting sound effects to accompany it. It would have been bad enough if it were a movie, but movies could not hold a candle to the real-life horror playing out below. She was not sure what Medeia had done, but Leona knew that the Warlord had a hand in the ghastly scene and was equal parts appalled and enraged.

"MEDEIA!" Leona shouted in fury. Medeia had gone way too far. The Wizard Saint's fury was overcoming her better judgment and she could feel the adrenaline flowing freely again as she focused on doing her best to defeat the Warlord before the latter could come up with even more atrocities to inflict on the people of Hargeon Town. Once Leona had regained enough balance to fly on her own the Furies released her... the Wizard Saint had regained physical stability but not mental stability.

The energy being put out by Leona's jetpack flared into silver angular wings before she rocketed towards the Warlord and jolted to a halt when she reached the latter's right side, showing pain on her face during the abrupt stop. Leona quickly prepared a Silver Blade spell and when it was ready raised her right forearm in front of her face, then slashed diagonally downward from left to right with the blade of magic on the index and middle fingers of her right hand aimed at Medeia's right wing. She was not sure if the same attack plan would work twice because her enemy had seen it before and the surprise factor was gone, but she was too angry to care about being clever. The Warlord needed to be stopped now.

[Post Word Count: 592]
[Leona's Word Count: 45,636]
[Total Word Count: 88,082]

Spells Used:

Medeia could feel the anger and rage behind Leona’s attack, causing another smile to cross her features, knowing that her opponent was barely keeping it together. The attack was good but the witch could see it coming, due to how little effort Leona had put into trying to hide her intentions. Medeia already knew how powerful this particular spell was and having already felt it slashing her wings previously, the angel was in no hurry to experience it again. So, she did not and instead dodged the ability, with the blade of wind flying past her and travelling harmlessly away from the Warlord. She was more than happy that the blonde had lost control for not only did it nourish Medeia but it left her foe filled with openings. An angry opponent could be exploited and that was precisely what the witch was going to attempt to do.

Gracefully, she would slide around the back of the oddly attired woman and try to damage her jetpack with a powerful slash of her claws. Turnabout was fair play, after all and the holy being was curious to see just how durable the creation was. If it was anything like her takeover then one slash would probably not destroy it, given how tough Leona was but it could prove to be an effective warning. Medeia had already flown around with the blonde at her mercy once during the fight and the thought of doing it a second time was appealing. Leona did not seem to be in the frame of mind for conversation though, so Medeia neither spoke nor tried to embarrass her further at the moment.

She had learned much about the Wizard Saint during their lengthy battle and the Warlord had no intention of letting that information go unused. Her previous comments had been perfectly genuine and Medeia would go to any lengths in order to claim the blonde as her own. If that was not doable today then perhaps the dark haired woman would have to try another route. There were many ways to break a person and not all of them were literal. The Warlord would have to dig deeper into the woman’s past, find the source of her pain and then exploit it in Medeia’s own delightful way. Her coffin spell had proven that Leona was hiding many unpleasant memories and the angel was just as curious now, as she had been then.

Her thoughts about ending the fight were also continuing to grow in the back of her mind and mentally, she was preparing for it. Leona was clearly not going to do as she desired and so Medeia would have to teach her one final lesson. There were simply times where compromise was the only way forward, yet the blonde seemed completely oblivious to that fact. She would learn the same lesson that Nita had learned, Kensho had learned and every other legal leaning mage who had insisted on getting in her way or interfering with her plans.

(503 Words)
(43259 Med WC)
(88585 TWC)

Leona's Silver Blade spell missed and she frowned when that happened. In the rational part of her mind that was to be expected, but the adrenaline-soaked part of her mind was furious at herself for making a beeline for the enemy instead of at least trying to change her attack plan a little before using the Silver Blade. Medeia did not wait for Leona to think through how badly the latter had botched the attack and struck at the blonde's jetpack, hitting it before the Wizard Saint could react. Leona felt the hit and lurched forward with a momentary loss of propulsion, instinctively reach for her back with her left hand despite being unable to reach the jetpack.

When she recovered from the hit and normal propulsion resumed she regained altitude to match that of her enemy, then spun and faced Medeia. Now that she was jolted out of blind rage for the moment thanks to the strike on her jetpack and the resulting dip in altitude she could hear what was going on below. Before she could think straight Leona blurted out a question.

"What do you get out of killing so many people?" Leona blurted out. It seemed like the Dark mage would kill people for any reason. She would kill because the wind was blowing in a direction she did not like, she would kill because she did not like the temperature outside, or she would kill just because she was bored. Leona was no stranger to violence, but she killed someone only when she had a legitimate reason such as self-defense or in the defense of others, not because she did not like that individual or because she was bored and was looking for excitement.

"What did the people of Hargeon Town ever do to you to deserve this?" Leona blurted out another question right behind the first. She heard the ghastly scene continue below and could barely keep it together. Her conscience was starting to eat her alive and her doubts were starting to bubble to the surface.

The people of Hargeon Town were dying because of her stupidity.

Their blood would be on her hands just like the blood of the people in Felidae City during the Ishgar Symposium.

Leona tried to put on a brave face because she was the one who had chosen to continue the fight in the name of protecting the innocent, but between all she had seen in the coffin and what was going on below that face threatened to turn into a portal to how she really felt. She was virtually out of ideas and her summons could not help her: that was partially because Leona had no meaningful orders to give them and partially because a good deal of their Abilities were ranged and right now ranged spells were not helping the Wizard Saint. The shield Medeia had up was just too strong and Leona had too few spells and Abilities that were armor-piercing.

The Wizard Saint's breathing became irregular as she tried to keep it together. There were no dramatic gasping noises and she was not visibly shaking, but if Medeia looked closely she could see signs that the blonde was in distress. As she hovered in place another thought began to gnaw at her.

She had gotten out of a lot of scrapes in the past, but today she just might have bitten off more than she could chew.

[Post Word Count: 574]
[Leona's Word Count: 46,210]
[Total Word Count: 89,159]

“These mortals mean little to me and killing them does not bring me any particular joy but since you have been so stubborn, I feel as though it is the only way that you might end up considering the alternative to fighting. If I had wanted to simply slaughter them then I would have done it at the start. The only reason that they suffer is because of your own stubbornness, Leona. You can claim to play the hero all you like but the truth is that none of these people would have died if you had just come with me. My interest is in you and only you. I had thought that I would have made that perfectly clear by now. You have wounded my closest ally, fought toe to toe and have lasted longer than any opponent that has dared to cross spells with me. How could I not have an interest in such a unique woman? You are an enigma and are worth the deaths of every person here. Not that you will believe a word I have said.” The Warlord replied, her expression neutral at this stage, floating serenely in the air as she had since activating her final form.

Letting her words settle for a few moments, she would then speak again. “I can see that you are falling apart and I do not desire to break you any further. You are hurting inside, I know that. My coffin spell has shook you to the core and forced you to relive your worst memories. I had honestly hoped that it would have been enough for you to understand your position but it seems not. So, this is what is going to happen. If you do not listen and concede now, I will hit this town with a spell so potent that it will kill every man, woman and child in Hargeon. There is no counter and no shield is strong enough to counter this blow. The heavens will open and all who reside here will be judged by my holy light. You are strong enough to survive but will you be able to live with yourself? Having another cataclysm on your hands?”

There was nothing more to be said and as Medeia waited for an answer, she would slowly begin to charge her powers again, preparing her final technique. It would not be an instant cast though and honestly, she was deliberately slowing herself down. She was going to push her opponents luck and see how stubborn she truly was. There was only so long that she could off for though and should the answer that received not be one that she could work with then she would see about completing the casting. In truth, she had been incredibly restrained in not having used the ability already and Leona seemed oblivious to just how lucky she was. On any other day, against any other foe, the town would have been a crater long ago.

The ball was in Leona’s court now.

(506 Words)
(43765 Med WC)
(89665 TWC)

Leona listened to Medeia answer the first question in a lengthy but informative way. Leona was not sure if all of it was the truth, but she had sense enough to keep her mouth shut and let the Warlord talk without interruption. She did not get why anyone would be interested in learning anything about her beyond her status as Wizard Saint. It was not like she had an abundance of charisma or a mystique that drew people to her, but again she kept her mouth shut because saying the wrong thing could be fatal.

The second statement was a reiteration of the threat made earlier and an elaboration on it. Leona listened as the Furies hovered protectively nearby and knew that this time there was going to be no attempt to rally and fight Medeia. Judging from the Dark mage's tone the blonde knew that the Warlord was willing and able to make good on that threat should she try to make a third attempt at a comeback, so it was time to accept the reality of the situation.

She could not win. Not today.

The reluctance on her face was clear as she began to remove the scabbard containing her Silver Longsword, the pistol belt for the Scout Laser Pistol, and taking Ses Revanche out of her boot. She handed all of those to the orange-haired Fury, who looked at her with visible confusion.

"Here, take these back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall. I can't win today. I don't want Medeia to get my belongings to put in some museum." Leona telepathically explained her reasoning to the Fury. She did not want Medeia to get a hold of her Scout Laser Pistol or Ses Revanche. The former was a high-tech weapon that did not need to fall into the wrong hands and the latter was a weapon that she did not want her enemy to get because of what it could do.

"It will be done. And I am sorry." Megeara apologized for not being able to help her summoner win.

"No. It's not your fault. It's my fault." Leona accepted sole responsibility before the Fury began flying away. Leona turned to Tisiphone and handed off her Argent Gloves to the red-haired Fury. She did not want Medeia to get that iconic piece of gear because it was of emotional significance to the blonde. It had been with her on countless adventures and she did not want the Argent Gloves to end their days in Medeia's possession.

"I will take these to Silver Wolf Guild Hall." Tisiphone said before flying off with the Argent Gloves. Both she and Megeara could be stopped in their tracks before they left Hargeon Town's airspace if Medeia chose to do so. If they were "killed" Leona's gear would be able to be scooped up and shown off as trophies or whatever else Medeia wanted to do with them.

Once that was set in motion there was no more delaying the inevitable. To spare the people of Hargeon Town from further suffering there was only one sensible thing to do... give up now. Leona took a deep breath and faced the Warlord. Leona was about to submit and knew that once she did whatever happened to her was out of her hands. Her fate would be entirely in Medeia's hands.

"You win, Medeia." Leona finally admitted defeat. She had done everything she could think of to win short of using her most powerful spells but had come up short for many reasons. Medeia was just too strong to defeat today, so it was time for the Wizard Saint to accept defeat and stop fighting a losing battle before her pride got anyone else killed.

[Post Word Count: 622]
[Leona's Word Count: 46,832]
[Total Word Count: 90,287]

Watching the Furies briefly, Medeia would consider the possibility of stopping them in their tracks but decided against it. There was no need to do so and the witch had little interest in the equipment that Leona had been packing, at least in the material sense. So, they were allowed to leave, disappearing from the town and off towards their destination. The angel would take her prize, so to speak, in a different form, one that she would appreciate far more than a weapon or two ever could. The fact that Leona was suddenly so willing to relieve herself of her weapons was somewhat of a surprise to the Warlord, half expecting the blonde to simply go for broke. She had been so remarkably stubborn during the contest and Medeia had been somewhat resigned to having to unleash her full potential, however, from the moment that Leona had removed her first weapon, the dark mage felt a sense of elation through her veins, her prediction having been proven wrong.

Her actions had already been a sign of submission and Medeia was already moving towards the Silver Wolf mage when she conceded verbally, a smile crossing her features and the holy energy that she had been building up fading away into nothing. For the moment, she did not undo her takeover, just in case Leona decided to try and pull something. Medeia doubted it, believing that Leona was honourable enough to stick to her word but still, even without her weapons, the blonde was not a woman to take lightly, as the dark mage had discovered.

Once she was face to face with the blonde, she would glance over her rather tattered form and then speak. “You made the right decision, Leona, eventually. Consider the fact that I did not blast your Furies out of the sky as a sign that I mean exactly what I have said. There will be no more pain for the people of this town but believe me when I say that if you try and pull something then I might just change my mind. Do not force my hand.”

After a few moments, she would resume. “Now, I want you to lower to the ground and deactivate your spell, before turning away from me and putting your hands behind your back. This is not something that is negotiable, Leona but I will not hurt you if you simply obey my commands. I am simply preparing you for travel, as we have a fair distance to go but you have my word, for what it is worth, that after tonight, I will let you go.”

She moved in close then, her currently blue eyes looking deeply into Leona’s, her face mere inches from the blonde’s, a chuckle escaping her for the first time in quite a while. “I told you that I would have you in my arms by the time day was over, did I not?”

With that, she would then wait for the blonde to do as she wished, following her closely.

(508 Words)
(44271 Med WC)
(90795 TWC)

Medeia wasted no time in letting Leona know how magnanimous she was in letting the Furies leave "alive" and with the Wizard Saint's possessions. In a way that was true. Medeia was fully capable of killing the Furies and had done so before. Leona decided not to argue with the Warlord's remark and just let it go, instead focusing on the warning that she was given.

"Don't worry about me trying anything." Leona calmly told Medeia that the latter's "fears" were unfounded. Even someone as dumb as Leona knew when she was beaten. If she could not defeat the Warlord with all of her gear, techniques, and spells there was no way in Ishgar she could win now. The Wizard Saint listened as the victorious Dark mage laid out the terms on how they were going to travel and the more she listened the more she knew that she was not going to like what came next. She focused on the last part of the terms and was not happy about what would happen once Medeia was finished with her because it was rather vague; that vagueness was likely intentional to try and frighten the Wizard Saint as punishment for turning down the "offer" that had been made earlier.

For all Leona knew she would be "let go" as a corpse that may or may not be intact.

Still, it beat Hargeon Town being wiped off the map as a result of another act of weapons-grade stupidity on her part.

After the terms were laid out Medeia took the opportunity to gloat and remind Leona of what she had said earlier. Leona wanted to say something in response but exercised her common sense and kept her mouth shut. At least on that topic.

"All right then. I'll go to the ground now." Leona signaled her acceptance of the "terms" and did not bother responding to the gloating lest she say something that got her and everyone in Hargeon Town killed. She began to descend at a slow rate until her feet touched the ground, then dispelled the fusion with Sky Champion Rafale. Once she was back to normal Leona turned away from the Warlord and did as she was told, placing her hands behind her back and waiting for Medeia to do what she was going to do.

This had been an awful day for the Wizard Saint of Courage.

[Post Word Count: 400]
[Leona's Word Count: 47,232]
[Total Word Count: 91,195]

The witch followed Leona as she descended and came to land a few feet behind her, finding it impossible to hide the smile from her face now. Once she came to a halt, there would be a brief flash of light and the angel’s takeover would disappear, leaving Medeia in her human form. She was satisfied with what Leona had said, not detecting any real deceit or in truth, fight from the blonde woman. It truly appeared that at last, the Wizard Saint had broken down, accepting the inevitable. There was courage in that and Medeia had to admit that she respected Leona just a tad more for it. Losing to the witch was no insult and Medeia would not forget their fight for quite some time. Perhaps one day, they would clash again, an encounter that she would look forward to but for today, the fight was over and the angel could claim her well earned prize.

Closing the gap between them, Medeia would snap her fingers, causing her tentacle to disappear after a few moments. Before vanishing, Janice would lower her tip, where her head would be if she had one, as though she was thanking Medeia for summoning her. The angel was still rather bemused about the sentience of her strange spell. On one hand, she behaved like she had just now but other times, there was no reaction at all. An odd creation but one that the witch adored.

Once Janice was gone, Medeia would snap her fingers a second time, summoning a couple of coils of rope that formed in her hands. She could have just telepathically commanded them to bind Leona but after all she had gone through to make the blonde submit, Medeia felt that she should treat herself and so after dropping one of the coils, she would take the other and start to wrap them around Leona’s wrists and arms. Her work was impeccable and while her rope was rather soft, her knots were anything but, making sure that her blonde captive would not be getting out of them any time soon. Her mastery was clear to see or feel in Leona’s case and within a minute or so, the Wizard Saint would be barely able to move her arms at all.

She would then proceed to pick up the second coil, crouch down and perform the same act on Leona’s ankles and legs, getting a rather pleasant view of the woman’s backside, as well as her tattered skirt. The temptation to run her hands down them was incredibly strong and if Leona was listening closely enough, she might just have heard Medeia’s breathing quicken a touch. It had been a long time since she had bound such a beautiful woman herself. Soon enough, the knots were complete and after performing a quick test, the Warlord was satisfied with the results.

All she had to do then was perform the finishing touches and without wasting any time, the Warlord would yank off a few sections of what was left of Leona’s skirt. The reason why would soon be obvious, as she took one strip and tied it around the blonde’s beautiful green eyes, before taking the other two and wrapping them one at a time around her mouth, silencing her for the trip. The latter was probably unnecessary, given Leona’s penchant for not speaking but Medeia did not care. She looked nice with a gag and that was enough for the angel.

With that and without warning, she would whisk her victim into a bridal carry, summon her casual wings and take off, heading for home. It had been quite the day but Medeia could not have been happier. She had come searching for missing playthings and ended up with a beauty in her arms.

How could she not be happy with that?

(642 Words)
(44913 Med WC)
(91837 Final Total WC)