The Hunt For The Tome (Nymara)

-Hargeon Town, 12:32 P.M.-

Dressed in her green, white, and gold outfit with black bike shorts on underneath the skirt and Argent Gloves on her hands, Leona also carried her Silver Longsword in its scabbard on her left hip and her Scout Laser Pistol in its holster on her right hip. The Wizard Saint was walking through the sunny streets of the town for the first time since her loss to Medeia... she was apprehensive about doing that because she was not sure how Hargeon's citizens would treat her. She was expecting to be met with contempt at best and anger at worst after what had happened during the fight with Medeia when the purple tentacle was grabbing and crushing people and she did not think to do anything to stop it because she was so focused on trying to pull out a last-second win against the Warlord. Thinking about that mistake made Leona recall the sounds of people being crushed in perfect detail and her guilt flared up again before she regained control of her emotions.

Maybe today would be different and she could be a hero instead of an accidental destroyer.

Leona was in Hargeon Town because she had heard rumors of a group of mages looking for a tome that was said to contain numerous spells that were so powerful and dangerous that they could destroy entire cities if any of them were cast. It went without saying that something of that nature needed to be kept out of the wrong hands because that much power would inevitably be abused. Leona was not tempted to appropriate the tome for herself and use its power in a desperate bid for revenge against Medeia because as much as she detested the Warlord she was not going to destroy everything she was sworn to protect in pursuit of her goal. However, she arguably did not need any spellbook to level cities because she tended to cause calamity just by showing up and trying to save the day... what happened during the Ishgar Symposium and in Hargeon Town was proof of that unfortunate tendency.

As she walked Leona noted the reactions of the people around her, which were not what she had expected. Quite a few of Hargeon's citizens appeared to view her as a hero instead of as a villain, especially the younger people around her age. Quite a few young men were drawn to her beauty and she quickly noticed that their eyes lingered on her chest when they approached and her backside when they passed by. The Wizard Saint's appeal was not restricted to young men because some young women eyed the blonde with interest and attraction as they passed by: at least three of them brought out their iLacs to take a picture of Leona's face before scurrying off in excitement with their prize. Having other young women look at her was an uncomfortable reminder of how Medeia had looked at her, but being admired for beauty was better than being reviled and seen as persona non grata.

Older people too regarded the Wizard Saint as a welcome presence because none of them gave her a dirty look or made reference to the fight with Medeia, but some of them could not quite get her name right. Leona heard herself be called "Leena", "Leanne", "Lenora", "Leonora", and even "Leanna" as they passed by and spoke those names in what sounded like a tone of respect, if not reverence. Those people would be better served by finding someone else to transfer their respect to, but Leona would not complain. Hearing that some people still had a positive opinion of her was something she needed to rebuild her self-esteem, which was slowly coming back after her most recent stay on Lion's Island.

Leona hoped that today she could keep rebuilding her self-esteem and validate the locals' belief that she was a hero. But before she could do that she needed to find somewhere to begin her search for the tome and those who wanted it. Hargeon Town was a bustling place and she had no idea where to begin looking, so she moved at a slow pace so that she did not miss any clues.

[Post Word Count: 706]
[Leona's Word Count: 706]

Leona walked through Hargeon Town at a reasonable pace so that she did not alarm its citizens or miss any potential clues. Her mind went back to the clash between her and Medeia and she wondered why she had not received any negative reactions from the townspeople. Perhaps they figured that she had done the best she could to salvage a bad situation but had been unable to claim a victory. Or maybe Hargeon's citizens really were angry with her for what had happened to their town but were too afraid to speak out lest Leona decide to permanently silence any naysayers on the spot.  

The Wizard Saint would do no such thing. She was not going to silence critics with fist, spell, or weapon just because she was not showered with praise. Hargeon Town's citizens had every right to be angry with her and had every right to voice that negative opinion without fear of retaliation. Besides, if Leona went around killing her detractors she would be no better than a Warlord.

However, Leona was not encountering any critics... everyone around her seemed to welcome her presence.

As she walked deeper into the town Leona spotted more young men looking at her as she passed by and heard some of them wishing they could get a date with her. A few of them brought out their iLacs and took a picture of her face and sprinted away before she could react just like the young women from earlier. She even heard one unfortunate youth get slapped and berated for looking at her after his eyes had lingered on the Wizard Saint's chest and backside a bit too long for his girlfriend's liking.

Just like earlier more than one young woman had found Leona to be attractive... quite a few of them looked at her with obvious approval and a gaze that lingered on her body a bit longer than it should have. She also drew a lone detractor who loudly asserted that her sizable chest was a product of implants instead of nature, but Leona did not bother to counter the claim that was obviously motivated by jealousy. No one else voiced a complaint about her figure, so she let the matter drop and did her best to ignore the glances of young men and young women who were clearly attracted to her.

That state of affairs continued until she saw a commotion in the distance and was snapped out of her mild embarrassment. Dreading the possibility that Armina and Medeia had returned for a second round, the Wizard Saint shifted from a leisurely stroll to running as fast as she could go to get to the scene before lives were lost due to her slowness. Once in motion the people of Hargeon Town appeared as a blur to the blonde as she hurried towards the area where the action was.

She hoped that she was not too late to save anyone.

When Leona finally arrived where she saw the commotion she spotted a crowd gathered around a female mage with red hair that was vaguely reminiscent of Masha's and a strange-looking creature that resembled a cat but boasted several differences from the ordinary housecat, the most prominent of which was the presence of wings. The red-haired young woman was standing not too far away from a building of some sort with a sizable hole in the wall, but the structure itself was thankfully still standing. The blonde looked at the redhead and glanced at the unconscious person lying at their feet, then folded her arms across her chest and made eye contact with the young woman.

"I'm Leona Jarnefeldt. What's going on here?" Leona briefly introduced herself to the other mage before asking an important question in a tone that was calm but still indicated a desire for an explanation. Despite how things looked the Wizard Saint was not going to assume the worst and start the conversation with a hostile tone or with weapons drawn. There were no fatalities that she could see and the property damage did not look to be too extensive, so there was no need to go in ready for a fight like she had done with Armina. However, she hoped that the redhead had a very good explanation for what had happened because the scene looked more than a little bad for her.

[Post Word Count: 732]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,438]
[Total Word Count: 2,418]

Leona kept her mouth shut and her ears open as she listened to the redhead state her membership in Fairy Tail and explain the situation she was in... or try to explain, anyway. The Wizard Saint got the impression that the unconscious man was part of some shady dealings that the redhead had interrupted, but the young woman's explanation was not the best because it was missing some key details. That was when the cat-like creature stepped in and began speaking to the Wizard Saint on the other mage's behalf.

It was much more articulate than the Fairy Tail mage and filled in some missing details like what the building behind the redhead was and what might have prompted the man to pay the building a visit. After that explanation it gave her a gesture of respect, one that Leona accepted with ease despite her discomfort deep down inside. The blonde felt that she was just a paper tiger who was propped up by a fancy title, but she needed to be a hero the public could look up to despite her high-profile failures and personal flaws.

"It's nice to meet you too." Leona told the orange cat-like creature in a to-the-point manner with complete sincerity. Her social skills were not the best and anyone who knew her for any length of time could testify to that. Still, she was pleased to meet the polite and articulate creature and it had provided her with much-needed clues about what was going on so that she did not attack an innocent mage based off of a misunderstanding. Reining in her desire to avoid a repeat of the clash with Medeia by being aggressive from the get-go had paid dividends in more ways than one, but one of the chief benefits was not alienating a potential ally. Another one was not drawing the wrath of Serilda Sinclair, Mythal Ragnos, Mura Kensho, "Lady Akemi", or a combination of the aforementioned individuals down on her head.

Leona listened to the redhead and the creature talk back and forth about paying for the property damage and heard about someone named "Lady Akemi", a name the blonde was not familiar with. She let the conversation continue without her input and eventually got some confirmation that the rumors that had prompted her to visit Hargeon Town might have some truth to them. The redhead then stated that she was in town to investigate the same rumors that had drawn the Wizard Saint here... once that statement was finished Leona finally spoke.

"I'm in Hargeon Town because I heard rumors about the same sketchy business you're looking into and wanted to see if there was any truth to them. I was looking for clues when I saw the commotion and hurried over to see what it was about." Leona stated the nature of her business in Hargeon Town and what had led her to the redhead. If the Fairy Tail mage really was investigating the same rumors the Wizard Saint was looking into perhaps the two could work together. Leona would gladly lend the redhead a helping hand if it meant preventing another tragedy from befalling Hargeon Town. However, she would wait and see if the other mage had any inclination towards joining forces before making such an offer.

[Post Word Count: 550]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,988]
[Total Word Count: 3,644]

Leona heard the redhead introduce herself as "Nymara" and the cat be introduced as "Ser Lucky" and finally gained names to put to their faces. She also heard the proposal that the two mages and the cat work together to investigate the rumors and put an end to whatever shady business was going on in Hargeon Town. Since the blonde had a special interest in protecting this town and also wanted to make up for what had happened during the fight with Medeia the Wizard Saint was going to accept Nymara's help to improve her chances of avoiding another catastrophe.

"Sure, Nymara and Lucky. I'd be glad to work with you to stop the plan before it comes to fruition." Leona accepted the offer to join forces with the duo with complete sincerity. She was not doing it for a public relations stunt... she really did want the help because she was far from the most intelligent or observant mage around. That was why she partnered with Samira on jobs of special importance such as the one in Iceberg where they had to stop a giant ice creature before it could destroy a village they had been hired to protect. The teal-haired mage was intelligent, patient, and observant and she always seemed to have flashes of insight right when they were needed the most. Samira was also no slouch when it came to combat because she could call upon a variety of powerful summons with diverse abilities such as Kukulkan the giant flying snake and a few others Leona could not readily recall the name of.

When asked if she had heard any particular details about the rumors that had brought her to Hargeon Town Leona unfolded her arms and shrugged her shoulders.

"I haven't heard anything more than the rumors you two have heard. I didn't hear any specifics like the name of the tome, the names of anyone looking for it, or anything to add to what little we know." Leona confessed that she had no new information to add. She glanced at the library not too far away from them and gave serious thought to Nymara's suggestion that the trio comb the building for clues before going anywhere else. The Wizard Saint thought that the redhead's idea was a good one because it was a logical place for the tome they were seeking to be hidden. Perhaps there was a hidden section of the library in which works too dangerous for the common person to get their hands on was kept.

"I think we should start at the library too, Nymara. I'm thinking that there's more to it than what's on the surface." Leona seconded the Fairy Tail mage's idea. Unless Lucky had a better suggestion the Wizard Saint was willing to go along with the redhead's idea because of how logical it was. That might make the Wizard Saint look lazy or make her look like she was a subordinate of the redhead's, but the blonde knew that she was not the sharpest tool in the shed and needed help with some of the finer details of an investigation. Nymara and Lucky would be a big help in that regard, but they seemed capable of holding their own in a fight too, so Leona might not have to worry too much about the pair.

"I have quite a few exploits worth talking about, but they'll have to wait, Nymara. I might tell you some once we stop the shady business that's going on." Leona confirmed that she had exploits that provided plenty of material for stories but politely suggested that telling them be put on hold until the business that had brought the trio here was taken care of. Leona hoped that the redhead would not be too upset by that idea because the blonde got the impression that the Fairy Tail mage held her in high regard. The Wizard Saint did not want to disappoint the other mage by showing who she really was, so the former would have to act like she had a working brain and pay attention during the search of the library... and not hesitate during combat if any came up.

[Post Word Count: 700]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,688]
[Total Word Count: 5,197]

As Leona ascended the stairs that would take her to the library she saw how terrible a shape the library was in. In addition to the terrible state of the door Leona also noticed that the library was a treasure trove of books and scrolls that all appeared to be older than she was. She kept her thoughts to herself as she and Nymara heard the voice of Lucky, who she spotted nestled in a corner of the structure and getting a head start on the search for the tome. The armored feline opined to the pair that their search might not be a quick one, a fact that the Wizard Saint could not dispute.

She thought she saw what was left of some scrolls and books that were best described as "well done", but it took her a few seconds to actually see them thanks to her natural night vision needing time to take effect. When it finally took effect and cut through the darkness the blonde refrained from commenting on Nymara's jest while crossing her arms over her chest to look at the roasted remains. She hoped to find a reasonably intact title page, a fragment of a book cover, anything that could tell her what literary works had met an untimely and fiery demise. However, her effort bore no fruit because the flames that had consumed them had done a good job of destroying any identifying features.

Leona looked up again and heard Lucky make a few suggestions to the pair concerning what to focus their efforts on finding. His suggestions were reasonable ones and the blonde did not see any fault with his logic. Wanting to chime in with her opinion, Leona thought her words through for a few moments while looking at a shelf that had caught her interest. When she was ready to speak she faced towards Nymara and Lucky... she was not sure if they could see her clearly, but thanks to her natural night vision she could certainly see them.

"Lucky makes a lot of good points. If I had to make a guess I'd say that the group would want to get their hands on some powerful destructive spells with dramatic and flashy effects. Spells that could cause an earthquake, summon a huge lightning storm, summon an enormous tornado, anything that could create a display that's about as subtle as a bull in a china shop. Something that demonstrates both the possession of power and the will to use it. Something that commands fear and respect in equal measure." Leona started giving her take on the matter in a fashion that was much more articulate than her usual manner of speech. She was not sure if she was only talking that way to try to impress her companions or if her brain was actually working today, but she was going to roll with it.

"I might be wrong, but I'd think that most rituals and curses take awhile to prepare and quite some time to begin using. I'd also venture to say that the rituals and curses with enough power to be worth using have difficult prerequisites that need to be met first. Those prerequisites might be the usage of rare ingredients, being able to perform the ritual only on certain days or nights, needing the users to possess specific personal characteristics such as having been born on the night of a full moon, or even more requirements than what I listed. I'm no expert on the subject matter... if either of you two can fill in the gaps or offer a reason as to why the criminals might be searching for something other than spells I'm willing to listen." Leona opined, adding the possibility that her modest knowledge could be totally wrong and indicating a willingness to hear what Nymara and Lucky had to say should they want to offer a rebuttal to anything she had said.

"I'm going to start searching the library now. If you find anything out of the ordinary or want to talk about anything I'll be over here." Leona announced while standing on the left side of the library in front of a wooden shelf almost twice her height. She picked a random book with a black cover and silver lettering on the spine, gently pulled it out to avoid kicking up too much dust, and opened the cover before starting to read it. Within a few pages it became clear that the book she was reading was a guide on how to create potions that changed the octave range of one's voice. The blonde frowned and closed the book containing information of questionable use, then gently placed it back on the shelf before finding a slender one with a red cover and faded black lettering with a faded silver outline of a heart.

Leona opened it and skimmed a few pages to learn that she was reading a book on the creation of love potions. The Wizard Saint closed the book and put it back without comment. She was about to reach for a third book when she noticed something that had eluded her until now and that something was a sensation reminiscent of a gentle wind circulating throughout the area. Abandoning her place at the bookshelf, Leona moved slowly and followed it to the best of her ability until the sensation grew stronger.

"Nymara, Lucky, are you feeling this wind too?" Leona asked them while looking in their direction. Closing her mouth and opening her eyes, the Wizard Saint turned away from the duo and began examining the area, looking for anything that stood out like a book that seemed way out of place, a scroll that jutted off of its shelf a bit too far to be natural, or a hidden button concealed beneath a scroll. She did not find any of those oddities, but she did spot something that was not usually found in a library in the far corner of the room. Two things were immediately apparent... it was large and it was covered, but it took getting within three meters of it for Leona to finally get enough information to offer a guess as to what it might be.

"Could this be a... mirror?" Leona asked her companions while pointing to the mystery object with the index finger of her right hand in an effort to direct their attention to it.

[Post Word Count: 1,072]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,760]
[Total Word Count: 7,016]

Leona listened to Nymara and Lucky talk between themselves while looking at the recently uncovered mirror and thinking back on Zupazu's Executioners, the demon-worshiping cult who had given the Wizard Saint her knowledge of rituals. She did not know the inner workings of the cult and did not want to, but from harsh experience she learned that all of the sacrifices she had found draped across cult altars had all been young women her age or in their late teens... none of them were younger than eighteen or women over forty. Leona also surmised that the cult abducted virgins for their sacrifices, something that sounded like a trite plot point from a cheap horror movie but a detail that had cost many young women their lives.

When asked about what she was sensing from the mirror Leona responded.

"I didn't sense anything special from it, Lucky. I just noticed how out of place it was. You normally don't see mirrors of that kind in libraries." Leona admitted that the fact that it was here that had caused her to point it out, not something unusual such as a magic signature. That statement might ruin the perception of her as an experienced mage wise in the ways of magic, but it was better to admit it now than be revealed to be a fraud when she could not keep producing astute observations or believable hypotheses when they were needed. As she waited for an answer from Lucky the blonde watched Nymara go up to the mirror and felt a sensation of magic that filled the entire room. In addition to that the room began to morph from an old and obviously neglected space into one that was beautiful and exuded class.

Leona was visibly entranced by the chandeliers on the ceiling, which looked much fancier than the ones she had seen in Haunted Castle. She also gazed at the floors made of carefully selected marble and the walls covered in what looked like gold leaf. If Lucky and Nymara looked towards the blonde they could easily see that she was entranced by the luxurious features of the room. It was safe to say that she had never seen anything like it in her life.

Looking away from the extravagant new trappings the space had taken on before her awe at them made her look sad in the eyes of her companions, Leona chose to address Lucky's point, which had suggested that the elaborate protection of the room was put in place for a reason beyond showing off the builder's mastery of magic and their taste for expensive decor.

"I think Lucky's onto something. Whoever built this place wouldn't have gone to all this trouble if there wasn't something worth concealing here." Leona seconded Lucky's statement. Seeing that Nymara was distracted by whatever she was seeing out of a window, the Wizard Saint calmly walked over to it and peered out to see that she and the others were not exactly in Hargeon Town anymore.

Leona was about to comment on the odd sight outside the window when Lucky diverted her attention with a remark about another unusual sight. The blonde turned her eyes towards what had prompted Lucky to speak and noticed that he had spotted a book positioned on top of a podium like it was just waiting to be taken. Leona also noticed symbols that she had never seen before decorating the podium, but she did not have long to ponder their significance because her eyes were soon drawn to statues of knights that were considerably larger than the suits of armor on stands she had seen back in Sombras Manor some time ago. They were also in possession of an assortment of weapons that looked battle-ready, which were a far cry from the dusty old collection pieces displayed in Sombras Manor.

Before the Wizard Saint could make a comment the lighting of the room changed from a normal color to a shade of blue that bathed the space in an unearthly light. The statues also came to life right as a voice challenged the trio to prove their right to claim the book. Leona put her right hand on the grip of her Silver Longsword as two of the statues moved towards her, but she quickly realized that her sword had no chance of punching through the solid armor of her opponents. She would have to use her magic to deal with the towering menaces.

Leona quickly raised her right hand and pointed the index finger at the knee of the advancing suit of armor wielding a two-handed sword with a blade that was almost twice as long as Leona was tall. She prepared a marble of silver magic and fired it at the armor's right knee, hitting it and producing a sound of crumpling metal complete with visible crumpling at the joint. The statue stumbled for a moment before regaining its footing and marching on, but it resumed its advance at a slightly slower rate than it had started the fight using. The other suit, which wielded a sturdy-looking shield, marched past the "injured" one and stopped in front of it, then lowered the protective slab of metal to block any further attacks the blonde might make.

This was going to be more challenging than she thought, but at least she knew how to fight back against the animated suits of armor.

"I don't know what magic you can use, but if it's not very strong against metal you should attack the joints." Leona calmly suggested to Nymara and Lucky. That might have been obvious advice, but she was trying to take the initiative for once. A mage of her caliber was supposed to lead and inspire others, not be useless and force them to do all the work like she had done at the Ishgar Symposium.

[Post Word Count: 980]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,740]
[Total Word Count: 9,502]