Lina ran into the clearing, readying a spell. She needed to lure her assailant out of the trees so she could get a clear shot. And, you know, avoid setting the whole forest ablaze.
"Hold it right there, Lina Inverse!" the haughty voice of Naga the Serpent echoed over the clearing. Lina took this as her cue. She skid to a halt.
"Flare arrow!" she shouted, letting loose her spell.
"Freeze arrow!" Naga countered, lobbing a spell of her own. They collided mid-air with an explosion that echoed throughout the clearing. Lina brought up her hands to shield her face. Bits of debris rained down on her.
"Now, now, Lina. Don't you think it's time you gave up this piddling squabble? You know you don't stand a chance of defeating me." Naga laughed that irritating, overconfident laugh of hers.
"Like fun I will!" Lina cast her eyes around the clearing, eventually landing on a large boulder, collecting moss by the riverside. Perfect! "You'll pay for stealing my precious chocolate cheesecake!" She broke into a run, making a beeline for the boulder.
"Bomb Sprid!" Lina tossed a spell behind her, and leapt over the boulder, falling out of sight. The ball of energy slammed into the ground in front of Naga, kicking up clumps of dirt. One fragment hit its target. Naga stumbled, just barely failing to remain on her feet.
"It's not my fault if you don't finish fast enough,"Naga insisted. She spit out a few blades of grass and began pulling herself to her feet. "Besides, I only had a taste."
"You ate the whole thing. I only got one bite." Lina huddled behind her boulder. While she fumed, Naga chanted a spell.
"Bomb di wind." A mighty wind welled up in front of Lina's boulder, pelting her with the rocks it blew up. Lina bit her lower lip and tried to ignore the pain as she waited. The two combatants held their position for several agonizing moments.
"Well, are you ready to surrender yet?" Naga strolled up to the boulder and leaned over it. Lina's foot shot upward, connecting with Naga's jaw. Naga fell over, landing flat on her back, limbs sprawled. Lina took a moment to catch her breath and gloat inwardly. Take that! Nobody steals food from Lina Inverse and gets away with it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it. Rising with arms outstretched like a vampire from its coffin. Naga was still conscious. Still? Was she even human?
"Lina..." Naga knelt, bringing one hand flat onto the ground. "Behfis bring!"
A hole dug itself directly below Lina's feet and she plummeted towards the bottom. She landed with a thud and the irritating sound of Naga's laugh.
"Lina, watch out, you're losing your touch. It's a wonder how you've even managed to become my greatest rival." From the bottom of the pit, all Lina could see was the sky above, and Naga, standing at the edge of the pit, holding her hand to the side of her mouth as she laughed. Ooh, Lina was going to wipe the smirk off her face if that was the last thing she'd do. She cast a levitation spell and lifted herself out of the pit.
"I am NOT your rival!" Lina said through clenched teeth. Naga ran after Lina, readying another spell. Lina did the same, finishing first. She launched her Elmekia Lance towards Naga's head. Naga ducked left, the spell flying harmlessly over her head. Lina retreated to the river. Naga released her spell.
"Van Rehl," she said, threads of ice shot out from the tips of her boots, snaking their way towards the river. Lina was caught with one foot in the water and was quickly frozen in place. She turned to face Naga, a look of murderous intent on her face. Ignoring her frozen foot for the time being, Lina brought her hands together and pulled them apart, a bright red ball of energy forming between them.
"You wouldn't..."Naga stopped her pursuit abruptly as she reached the riverbank. Lina simply grinned and released her fireball. Naga's eyes widened. She quickly began casting a counterspell.
"Break!" Lina issued the command when the fireball was equidistant to herself and Naga. The fireball split into six fragments, scattering in all directions. One landed on the frozen river, thawing it enough for Lina to free her foot. Another connected with Naga, singeing her cape and coating her with a healthy layer of soot.
Naga's fists shook. She resumed her chase. Lina led her upstream, jumping from rock to rock, trading spells as they went. Lina tossed a flare arrow, but Naga leapt over it. She countered with a freeze arrow, but Lina deflected it off her dagger.
"Face it, Lina. You owed me that cheesecake. Remember the time you spent weeks avoiding me just so you could keep some treasure for yourself?" Naga landed on a rock. She let loose a freeze arrow, turning a corner of Lina's mantle into an ice cube.
"For the last time, there was no treasure!" Lina shouted. "And besides, how about the time you burnt down a whole inn just to get my attention?"
"That's different. No need to dwell on such ancient history, is there?"
Lina responded to this with a Flare Lance. It hit its mark just as Naga leapt for another rock. It exploded on contact, knocking Naga into the river. She landed face up with a particularly loud crack. Naga began pulling herself to her feet. Her eyes met with Lina's as she managed to sit. She looked up. Lina stood perched on the very rock Naga had been aiming for, grinning menacingly.
"Digu volt." Lina fired off her spell at point-blank range. Magnified by the water around her, Naga was paralyzed by a powerful jolt of lightning. She fell backwards into the water with another echoing smack.
"You're so mean, Lina." Naga floated in place, twitching. The rock holding her in place gave way, and Lina watched her float downstream, until the river carried her around a bend and out of sight. Dusting herself off, Lina turned to face the other direction. Heaving a satisfied sigh, she walked confidently forward.