Chapter 10: A Fine Tournament
They finally left Mizuho after the twins joined them. Leona had to admit that she felt a little safer having more than just Lucas. Not that she trusted him less, but there was strength in numbers. The twins seemed different. They weren't at all how she had imagined them to be. Of course, they called her beautiful or anything along those lines on a fairly constant basis, but they seemed more jovial, less concerned, well, with her. They were excited about this tournament and she listened to them including Lucas reminisce on the last few times they entered, all losses.
The twins dressed differently. She supposed it should not have surprised her. They weren't going to a formal ball or anything and despite her initial thoughts, they did not dress that way all the time. One of them, which Leona immediately determined was Zeph dressed in a kimono. The haori or the jacket that he wore over everything else started out as light purple from the top and then scaled smoothly into darker and darker shades. It was eye-catching to say the least. Underneath, the kimono itself was a shade lighter than lavender and his hakama or bottoms were the same color. The obi he wore which worked as a kind of fashionable belt, interrupted all the purple fabric with light brown and darker lines that formed decorative triangles on the upper and lower halves. A piece of jewelry which connected one side of his jacket to the other in the front was what he wore for the haori-himo and it was of purple sapphire that gleamed beautifully in the sunlight.
The fabric of his clothing was patterned and richly, Leona wondered why one would want to fight in something so lovely and when she asked, he replied that this was one of his least formal clothing that happened to be in his closet at the time. Apparently, wearing kimonos was a norm for Zeph who had an entire closet filled with them. It was part of the local fashion, but evidentially Eros never had much interest in it. His clothing was what Leona considered "normal" and "modern". He wore dark pants which were rounded at the bottom and then revealed black and gold short boots. He wore a mid-sleeved white shirt underneath a casual one-breasted vest that boasted golden silk lining inside and dark fabric without.
Unlike Zeph who wore his hair in a high ponytail, Eros wore his down not particularly styled in any way. His hair naturally fell down into heavy curls near the bottom and since he no longer had his hair pulled back, the front part of his hair fell over his forehead parted sideways as opposed to the exact center and predictably one side had far more strands of hair than the other in an asymmetrical way. Both boys' hair was long, voluminous and inordinately shiny. Due to its darker coloring it only added to the luster and honestly it began to make her feel a bit self-conscious. Her periwinkle hair seemed not to compare at all to something of their caliber yet they saw fit to comment on her beauty. Was hair included?
"Remember what Sheena said," Leona spoke to Lucas as they took a route that went around the dark forest.
Zeph looked on with mild interest as they mentioned his mother, Eros seemed largely unconcerned.
"I know," Lucas answered, "I'm…just looking for the right moment."
"When? If we keep on like this, we'll reach Sybak before we face any monsters."
"Oh, I see now," Zeph said, "You want to practice. I think that's a fine idea, Leona."
Leona looked over at Zeph with a grateful expression. At least someone saw the merit in this.
"Alright, alright," Lucas said with a sigh, "Let's go find something quickly and—
Lucas paused when he heard Eros pull out his talwar with a sharp "zing".
"Looks like we won't have to look far," Eros commented as he looked towards where a grasshopper like creature was approaching them.
It was only one creature, but immediately Leona drew similarities to the ones Lucas and her had seen in Altamira. It was a pitch black color and it resembled an insect of some kind. Now, however, there were more people with her.
Lucas took the lead and Leona was not at all surprised by this. By then, all three of them had their swords drawn—Eros with his talwar, Zeph with his scimitar, and Lucas with his broadsword. Leona simply went into her combative stance. She was not about to rely on her magic this time.
They made quick work of the monster. Lucas struck out first, the twins flanked it, and Leona threw in as many hits as possible. She went to work as her last training session with her father came to mind and pulled off at least two combinations of swift kicks and near invisible punches that sent the monster reeling. She hadn't even gotten started before the monster was slain. Alone, this battle would have taken much longer requiring more evasive action, but Lucas was able to hold the monster's attention and distract it from their plethora of attacks. It was a no-brainer just as Lucas thought it would be. Leona did, however, begin to rethink her role in the group. If the twins and Lucas were all close quarter combatants, she added little besides more firepower to the table. No one stood apart from the action. By being so close together, they could be knocked out in one fail swoop. She'd probably serve more of a purpose as a magic user…but she'd have to think more on that later. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Lucas once again fell down in obvious pain.
She knew more about Lucas now and she noticed that he was one who liked being in charge, one who liked to demonstrate strength in front of others. So when she saw this, she knew that whatever pain he felt at this point was something even he could not hide. Leona rushed to his side just like before and wanted to hold him closely, but this time he did not tolerate her actions and pushed her away though it was pitifully feeble. It seemed difficult for him to breathe as he gasped for breath and his body trembled involuntarily.
The twins were far more concerned than what she thought they were capable of.
"What is this? What's happening?" Eros asked first to Lucas and then looked at Leona. His eyes demanded an explanation.
"It's…I'm not sure. It happened before—
"That's enough," Lucas somehow managed to say between breaths, but his voice was notably hoarse.
"Isn't that my line," Zeph asked. He sat beside Lucas now. "You stubbornness never ceases to amaze me. Continue Leona. I want to know everything."
This time Lucas made no attempt at stopping her. She felt that she had to say everything and at that moment she felt as if they could ask her anything and she would respond—it was a scary feeling. So she relayed the incident at Altamira and how he refused to let Raine or anyone know even though they were all gathered there for her birthday. She watched as Zeph shook his head slowly. Eros let out a quick breath as if amused by the whole thing. He hadn't even bothered to come down to their level. He stood with arms crossed near her.
"So this happened twice now. Are you waiting for the moment when you can no longer handle it on your own—waiting for the time when you tell yourself 'damn, maybe I should have told someone about this'?" Zeph asked.
Lucas' breathing had returned to more noticeable level and he no longer held his chest. That was where, Leona suspected, it pained him the most. He was able to look at them now fully with an annoyed expression.
"Listen, let's make a deal," Leona said suddenly. An idea had struck her mind. "If we win the tournament, then you have to come back to Altamira with me and let my mom help you."
"Funny, it almost sounds like you're certain that we will win," Lucas said with the beginnings of a grin.
"Of course. Since I'm here, we will, just like you said."
"If it motivates you to fight your hardest, then it's a deal."
"Wait a minute," Zeph asked a bit angrily, "Are we making bets on your wellbeing now?"
"It's the only way he'll do it," Leona said confidently, "All we have to do is win and getting help will be far less of a hassle."
"I don't care," Zeph said heatedly, "Win or lose, I'm going to personally drag you all the way to Altamira kicking and screaming and don't think for a second that I won't or that I'm not capable."
"Geez, little brother, give it a rest. I hate when you get all 'righteous'—it's annoying even to watch. You can't force someone to do what they don't want to. How would you like it if someone did it to you?"
"And you know that I hate when you call me 'little' brother. A few measly minutes apart are inconsequential and negligible as far as development goes."
"Oooh, look my little brother using all those big words now," Eros said with a laugh that was obviously meant for belittlement.
Zeph leaped to his feet very quickly after that and consequentially so did Leona who stood in between them before things truly got out of hands.
"Look, this isn't about either of you, this is about Lucas—
"Who's fine now, by the way," the person in question said rising to his feet. "We should be off before we miss today's departure."
"No," Leona said with furrowed eyebrows, "You are not okay. You haven't been okay since Altamira and the truth is we have no idea what your condition is."
"Well, then, we better win that tournament."
"You better hope that we do," Zeph added who had backed away from Leona's outstretched arm blocking him from Eros. "I meant what I said."
Lucas only gave him a passing look. It was obvious to Leona that he didn't put much stock in the other's words and this received another short laugh from Eros. Leona gave Eros a warning look in which he shrugged with disinterest. Lucas had already started walking and soon the others were as well. Leona used to be the one lagging behind, but now Zeph held that position. When she looked back at Zeph, she found that he was positively fuming. She was glad he did not direct those smoldering embers towards her. She kept her head looking straight ahead from then on. Eros held easy conversation with Lucas mainly focused on his exploits in Meltokio and how since they would have so much time to kill upon arrival, he might go visit certain places. At least now she knew why they'd been in such a hurry to get there and it had little to do with the tournament itself.
Leona quickly grew bored with the topic and by then was not at all upset that Zeph desperately wanted to speak with her despite how overly emotional he seemed.
"Can you believe those two idiots?" Zeph began not at all keeping his voice down, "As if everything is as it should be. Lucas is too stupid to care and Eros is too cold-hearted."
"I'm sure calling them names will make them all the more willing to see your point of view," Leona very nearly snapped at the other.
She wondered if she'd said too much but his eyes grew a little softer. "You're right, of course. But this is so commonplace. It's so typical of them. After a while, it just grates on my nerves." He spoke quieter now so that the other two could not hear.
"But why do you hang out with people that get on your nerves?"
"Do you always get along with people you like?" he answered with a question.
"Well, for the most part, yes."
Zeph smiled at her. "Then you may not know your friends well enough. There will always be something, some small or large thing that you really don't care for."
"No, admittedly, I don't. But that's why I want to call everyone acquaintances until I know them better, but Lucas gets angry when I do that. It's all quite confusing for me."
"Ah, it's not rocket science. Nowhere is there a requirement that you must know everybody well before calling them a friend or that every friend you have is an open book. Friendship isn't based off of rules or logical prerequisites. It's far simpler than that—it's just a mutual agreement that you in some small or large part care about the other. Establishing one is the easiest thing in the world, keeping it is what's difficult."
"In one breath, you've described to me what's been a constant source of confusion for me for some time now. I think I like you better when you're not upset."
Zeph laughed at this. "Well, thank you."
"And is it okay then, that I call you my friend?"
Zeph was only momentarily puzzled by this. "Of course—if I wasn't already."
"Am I…not supposed to say 'friend' out loud?" she asked, "Apparently, I have a lot of these even though I was never informed."
"You have to be the most sweetest, innocent girl I've ever met. Here we are pondering about the meaning of friendship as if it were a foreign, rare thing. In reality, for most people it is a staple part of one's social life. No doubt you were sheltered by your parents."
Leona found herself blushing if only slightly as he spoke of her like that, but it wasn't in the same hot, burning way she'd been blushing before Eros. This, in fact, felt near comfortable and Zeph made no comment on her rosy cheeks.
"Everyone says I was so it must be true, but they're not so sheltering now. My mom actually agreed wholeheartedly with Lucas' plans and she used to flip out if I even thought about playing in the backyard with no supervision."
"And how do you feel about that?" Zeph asked.
"Feel? Well, I've never stopped to notice. It's…just a little strange. I do sometimes feel a bit abandoned, but I know that's silly."
"And now that you're out here actually traveling without your parents knowing exactly what you're doing?"
"It's…kind of fun."
Zeph smiled briefly. "Good. It can be a bit daunting at first, but you're surrounded by people who do care about your wellbeing."
By friends she thought replacing his roundabout description of the kind of people around her. It was a heartwarming realization.
"Have you been to Meltokio before?" Zeph asked her.
"A couple of times when I was younger and Dad took me on a couple of his business trips."
"Then there was practically no time for exploration, I imagine," Zeph replied.
"Not much. It was…kind of boring really."
"Compared to Altamira, of course. Everything pales in comparison to Altamira entertainment-wise. When we get there, allow me to give you a proper tour."
They eventually arrived at the ship's port and in record time despite Lucas' fear that they were taking too long. Evidentially, the interruption with the monster hadn't been too detrimental to their schedule. Leona had been on ships before so she was no newcomer as she stepped aboard. She showed her ticket along with everyone else and was allowed passage to Meltokio.
Lucas spent the majority of his time with Eros much to Leona's relief. She'd been so afraid of being on such a confined area due to Eros' presence that she made doubly sure to be as far away from him as possible. But he'd made no advances towards her. Not in the least. In fact, he barely even looked her way. She was glad, but a little disappointed. She didn't exactly want to be ignored altogether.
Just when she thought she'd spend the long hours of the ride staring forlornly at the swooshing waters of the ocean, Zeph joined her. He seemed in a particularly good mood. Grinning even before she said a word.
"Excited about meeting up with your 'lady friends'?" Leona asked. It was a term she'd learned from Eros.
"I'm not looking forward to that at all, but don't tell my brother, alright?"
"How come?" Leona asked curiously.
"Because it would just be more fuel for ridicule."
"Alright," Leona said after a moment, "But what are you looking forward to?"
"Doing anything besides that. You see, you're here this time. Lucas always tags along with Eros and as a default I tag along with them, but I don't have to this time."
"And that's why you're in a good mood? Couldn't you have just not tagged along with them? No one's forcing you to do it, right? Or maybe I'm missing something."
"You're right again," he said with subtle despondency.
"You know, Lucas calls you two 'libido twins'—
Zeph was already laughing before she finished her question. "Libido twins," he repeated, "It has a nice ring to it."
"But it's not very accurate, is it?"
"When people call us twins, they're not referring to both us individually; they're referring to Eros and his carbon copy, Eros and that other guy. I can understand why. Eros has a way about him that grabs your attention. I've seen the way you look at him—
"I'm not his lady friend," Leona argued.
Zeph grinned at this, "I didn't think so, but even still. He draws you into his world, willing or not, and he manipulates you without your knowledge. He's always been good at that sort of thing. And I, well, I didn't want to be left out. That's how I always wound up trapping myself…"
"There's an easy solution to this," Leona said looking at him steadily now.
"Oh, do tell," Zeph said with feigned enthusiasm.
"Just be yourself. That's what my mom always tells me."
"That's good advice."
"So," Leona said after he said nothing more. "If you were doing exactly what you wanted to do, what would that be?"
"Hah, following your logic, I would not have been on this ship at all. I'd be at home with Mom where she would tell me what to do and I would do it because it makes her happy. We'd spend the whole day talking about her, sparring each other, and she'd dote on me all the while. That would be an ideal day in which we didn't get on each other's nerves and argue only to make up five minutes later. But that," he said changing his tone. She must have had a surprised look on her face. "would make me a momma's boy, a weakling in the eyes of my brother even Dad. Though I admire her immensely, she likes Eros better. Everyone likes Eros better. He's all she ever talks about and he causes her the most stress. There is no place for me except in my brother's shadow."
"That's not true. You're Zeph, a different person than Eros. No one belongs in the shadows. You know the first time I met you two, I was immediately able to tell you apart."
"Yes, I saw you at the party, how your eyes were alight with obsession as you gazed at my brother, but in disappointment when you saw me. I could almost hear you mind saying 'he's just not as interesting…'"
Leona's cheeks reddened with embarrassment. She couldn't rightfully deny him and she felt that the fact that she didn't was quite rude of her.
"You don't have to say a word," Zeph said as she opened her mouth, "Even as Eros can easily manipulate hapless women, I can almost always tell what's on a person's mind. I know I'm not wrong, but your reaction was not unique. It is always the case."
"I'm sorry, Zeph, I did not mean to act that way to you before, but it is certainly a fact that Eros does incite more attention. However, basing one's first impression of another on how a person will ultimately come to think of you is silly. I didn't know either of you quite well and from what I understand you were just copying your brother. How might it be if you were acting on your own accord? People might notice you. Would you be interested in the imitation version of something or something original?"
"What are you saying?" Zeph asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm telling you a solution to all your problems. Be yourself. If we lose this tournament, then drag Lucas down to Altamira like you said. If you think you have the greatest mom ever, than tell her that. If you don't think you have to be intimate with every girl you meet, then don't do it. And if you don't want to hang out with your brother all the time, then find something else to do."
Zeph sighed heavily and then banged a fisted hand on the metal railings they'd been standing next to, startling her. "You're right…once again."
Leona was unprepared when she found herself completely enveloped in a hug. It wasn't a quick, light hug that she might receive from her mother, but it was deep and passionate almost like the ones she received from her father, but this was different. There was a hint of desperation here, gratefulness, joy all bundled together. She'd never before been witnessed to such rampant emotion and it was all quite…intriguing.
"I had no idea my little brother had it in him," said the subtly mocking voice of Eros.
Leona was already trying to escape the other's grasp, but his grip was quite firm. In fact, it was still there when his head turned to look at his brother squarely.
"Why don't you go scram?"
"Oh, but I don't think she likes it much," Eros continued.
Realizing what Eros had been hinting at, he released her sheepishly. "Sorry, sometimes I get carried away," he said to her in low tones so that Eros couldn't hear.
"It's alright," she replied quickly.
"Have you fallen for my brother's innocent charm?—he's really pulling out all the stops now," Eros said with crossed arms
"What exactly do you want? To annoy me to death?" Zeph said heatedly.
"I was coming to check on my dear little brother."
"Then the latter," Zeph retorted. "Well, I'm fine if you wanted to know. Now return to whatever place you were where I couldn't see you."
"You can always see me in your reflection," Eros said with a grin. "In a few hours then," he said as he turned and left them.
"Annoying…" Leona heard Zeph say under his breath.
Leona was glad that the other had left. Perhaps he sensed that he truly was unwanted. Eventually, they returned to their original position and their conversation lulled into a peaceful silence. The entire ride lasted for three hours and a half and had Zeph not nudged her out of her daze, she might not have even noticed the ship had anchored.
Looking at all the people aboard the ship, she wondered if she was ill-packed for her stay in Meltokio. She hadn't planned on doing anything besides attending the tournament, but then she realized that they had quite a few days to kill until the day actually arrived. Perhaps it was tradition that they come so early, but she would rather have gotten the entire ordeal over with. It was good that they were early, but Leona couldn't help but think it had nothing to do with being punctual.
The harbor hadn't been exactly in Meltokio, they still had to walk or take one of the ample carriages that awaited new arrivals. Leona opted to avoid unnecessary walking. She knew Lucas would disagree—he could probably walk in his sleep with perfect direction, but everyone else sided with her. Leona soon discovered why Lucas hadn't wanted to take a carriage—she paid for him much to his chagrin, but she did not make a big deal about it. Carriage rides were cheap anyways.
Zeph was surprisingly amiable around Eros as if they had not gotten on each other's' nerves just moments before. In light of not making the mood tense inside of the even smaller space of the carriage, she made no mention of it. In close proximity, she was able to look at both of them side by side (somehow the seating arrangement had ended up with her sitting next to Lucas and the twins on the other side). Objectively looking, there was nothing dissimilar. No small quirks that made the other obviously different physically. One wasn't a few millimeters taller, one wasn't a bit more muscular than the other, they were perfect copies—an oddity in itself. But their personalities differed dramatically. Could one honestly say that one possessed kinder eyes than the other when they looked the same? It was hard even to logically explain.
Leona was glad when they finally arrived at the city. Lucas got off first and somehow Zeph managed to be the one who helped her down from the carriage—an act that did not go unnoticed by the smirking Eros.
Before they went their separate ways, Eros mentioned the hotel that he had reserved for them ahead of time. It happened to be one of the finest ones in the city, Leona noted. There were two rooms. There would be no contest as to who would get a room alone since there were an even amount of them this time around. Out of courtesy, Leona would be able to choose who would share a room with her and without even giving it much thought, she chose Zeph and received yet another knowing look from Eros. Why did everything revolve around sex with Eros? Without further ado they entered the city and Leona did not see the other two for a good part of the day.
True to his word, Zeph took her on a tour of Meltokio. It was a large city, but in many ways it was small. They spent the most time at the armor shop. Zeph didn't need to remind her that such equipment were important. Now that she was here, she looked at the cloaks that were more her speed. She hadn't imagined that she'd be wearing such a piece of clothing for battle, but they were supposedly guaranteed to increase defense. There was one item called the mortality cloak which she decided to purchase after trying it on. There was definitely some weight to it, but would it actually help her in the tournament? Only time would tell.
The last place that Zeph took her was the Coliseum where the tournament would be held just so she could see the arena she'd be fighting in. It wasn't anything mind-blowing—a large circular enclosed area with a dirt ground, no grass in sight. They sat and watched a few fights and then understood the gist. She decided right then and there that she would be the caster when necessary and close quarters any other time.
The skies were darkening by the time they finished and Leona opted to go back to the hotel. Zeph, however, wanted to visit some other places. Leona didn't even begin to ask where he might go, even she could tell that he was being purposefully vague. So with this, they separated and Leona went off on her own.
She was glad to finally be inside. The cool AC was a welcome change. She set her items in her room immediately and then out of curiosity (or confirmation) she went to check on the room next door in which she thought it would be empty, but in reality there was one occupant.
She could tell who it was instantly from the starkly blond hair. She might have closed the door and continued on her way had she not heard him moaning in his sleep. She did wound up closing the door, but she had decided to step in. She wondered if this was a normal phenomenon. Did her parents engage in such activities? She remembered they were akin to silent statues only their breathing giving away that they were actually alive. She realized that she hadn't really run across much in her reading. Then her mind stopped on one horror story she had read on a whim. But it was fictional. Surely a fictional story would hold no bearings here.
She stepped over to his bedside so that she could get a closer look at him. It didn't appear as if he would be transforming into some monstrosity anytime soon. Instead, it looked all the world like he was having a bad dream. His face was flushed, something that could happen easily on his fair skin and his eyebrows were furrowed. He looked uncomfortable. As an afterthought, she placed the back of her hand upon his forehead and knew from there that his body temperature was at dangerously high levels.
Without further ado, she left his presence to gather rags just as her mother would. She wetted them and then placed them one by one across his forehead. When one would grow too hot, she'd replace it. His condition didn't seem to improve as quickly as she had thought it would so she took the only chair in the room and brought it closer to sit down. It wasn't until the third freezing wet rag that he awoke and it seemed difficult for him even to do that.
"Leona…" he managed to say. His voice sounded weak and worn. "…What are you…?"
Leona placed an index finger to her closed lips and shook her head, but he was stubborn. There was something he really wanted to say.
"Please don't…please don't tell anyone."
Her expression became one of exasperation. His need for secrecy simply wasn't sensible. Why must this be some big secret? Was there something more he knew about this and did it have anything to do with the two incidences before with the dark creatures? He was becoming anxious from her nonresponse and just to appease him so that he would not waste any of his precious energy, she simply nodded.
"Fine, I won't."
After she replied, he drifted off again and she replaced the rag. His fever still hadn't broken. In fact, it took near an hour for that to happen and by that time, it was well into the night. No one had come to interrupt her. Eros was nowhere to be found.
At the very least, Lucas no longer appeared to need her assistance. He seemed more peaceful. She could not determine what had brought all of this on and it was that uncertainty that worried her the most.
When she came back to her room, she found that Zeph had already returned; she could hear his breathing. She realized it was the first time she'd ever had to share a room with someone. She was used to complete silence and her own bed. As she laid in her bed now, she knew it would prove a difficult task falling asleep. That night, she only received four hours of it. All she had done was listen to his breathing and stared at the ceiling upon her foreign bed with foreign sheets.
This night repeated itself all the way up to the day of the tournament in which she'd come back to a feverous Lucas and an already sleeping Zeph by the time she came back to her room, but each day she was able to sleep a little better as she grew used to her surroundings. On the second night, she received adequate sleep for the tournament the next day. It began in the afternoon and by that time, everyone was gathered there in their battle gear.
Tournaments came a dime and a dozen in the Meltokio Coliseum, but this one happened to be one of the biggest especially since the fights wouldn't be one on one.
Lucas, the de facto leader, turned to look at them right before they entered the arena. Leona noted that he showed no signs of his nightly episodes; his pale eyes were clear and it was as if he had slept restfully.
"We'll do what we always do with the first few fights. Leona, save your mana for the latter battles and we'll make sure to give you time to cast. For the last one, Leona you concentrate on their caster and we will the others. If it gets too intense, one of the twins will jump in and help you. Alright, got it, everyone?"
"Aye aye, captain," Eros said with a grin. This only received a weary glare from Lucas.
"Your plan is sound," Leona agreed with him and so did Zeph.
"Good, then let's make this a cakewalk," Lucas finished before turning and then walking out into the arena.
Everyone else followed and the noise level increased exponentially. The announcer revved up the crowd even more causing her ears to become momentarily deaf before the large caged opening on the other side opened slowly to reveal their first fight: a woman and three guys. It was a setup that was very similar to theirs Leona realized with a sinking feeling.
"Let's get this over with!" Lucas shouted his encouragement.
Evidentially, he didn't think this one would be very difficult. For some reason, all three of the boys went for the woman first and Leona decided to cast one of her easier go-to moves.
"Lightning Rod!" she shouted.
She felt the mana shoot from her body and transform into something deadly as it struck the woman down effortlessly. The other three men on the other side had been trying to protect their caster, but the fight with the sorceress was over too soon for that to matter. Lucas and the twins turned their attention to them and Leona knew that this was what he'd been talking about by saving her mana so she allowed herself a brief respite as they finished the rest of them off. The first fight really was a cinch and so was the next one. That time she didn't even bother joining into the fray as it was an almost identical setup to last time. Seeing as Lucas didn't seem annoyed at all, she felt she'd done the right thing. Not until later battles… she kept reminding herself.
The third fight were four water type creatures, one that looked like a seahorse, a larger sea creature, and two starfish looking creatures. Leona immediately grew more concerned, but judging from her companions reactions these were a joke. Leona moved into her fighting stance and decided to contribute if only to move things along faster. Lucas struck out first on the largest creature, the twins took on the starfishes and that left the seahorse for her.
It felt good to finally be using her muscles and despite her initial concerns, her swinging kicks and punches flowed smoothly without much thought. The poor creature was beaten down to a tar against her dangerous spikes and fell into a pitiful heap. It wasn't too much longer before the boys finished off their creature too. They all seemed to be faring well.
Leona grew a bit anxious when four dark, sickly looking monsters made their way into the arena—it looked to be the same monsters one might find in that forest they'd travelled through before.
"Use your magic," Lucas instructed her as the battle began.
She did just this, but she could only cast one move for one enemy at a time. Lucas took on two at once and for a moment, Leona was in awe with his prowess with a blade. He knew how to get their attention and keep it. The twins similarly distracted the other two.
"Starlight!" Leona shouted.
It was a slightly bigger move than Lightning Rod. A bright light shined above one of the creatures that Lucas was facing and then enveloped it in a pure light before dissipating—the monster died instantly. Leona hadn't actually used the move on anything living and she was surprised by how instant the death was. Immediately she felt the absence of her mana and she stumbled forward a little. No, I still need it for the last battle…
"Take them out quickly! Save your strength, Leona."
The twins were dealing with the odd monsters that looked similar to one another. Zeph had been parrying attacks and Eros had been successfully evading them until he was struck across the arm causing a shout from him. Lucas who had already done away with his monsters sprinted over to Eros and made quick work of the one assaulting him. His sword swung true, slicing apart the creature as if it were made out of butter; Leona was glad he was on their side. A vile blood pooled from the remains staining the ground; Leona knew why the arena looked so plain before—it was easier to clean up.
But they weren't done yet. The gates opened again and the ground began to shake as the large creature made its way out. When she heard the cry of an especially pissed animal pierce through the building, she began to tremble unconsciously.
"Is this the last fight?" Leona asked to Lucas.
"Not quite. Second to last. Are you ready?"
She didn't even bother answering him as the battle had already begun. There were two hooded men that came out along with a fully armored dragon. She could tell immediately that the two men could cast magic as they carried with them large scepters. Zeph and Eros went for them first and then Lucas engaged the dragon knight. Leona stood mutely for a moment overcome by the sheer size of the dragon. A moment later, she decided to test the waters with one of her smaller magic attacks.
"Light Ray!" she shouted.
An easily undetectable ray of light shot down from the sky and did almost nothing to the dragon. In fact, it seemed to glance off of its armor. She knew from that moment on that her magic was useless against it and that left her only one option. Her fear mounted as she moved in closer and closer to its deadly weapons, but by then Zeph and Eros had joined into the fray, their tiny blades swinging beautifully through the air—even their fighting style held finesse.
She ran around them and flanked the dragon and began her barrage of assault there. She was pounding him over and over with a plethora of kicks and punches first from the ground and then rising mid-air as she grew more excited and then finishing off with a downward stroke that sent the dragon reeling. It swiped its tail at her but she easily jumped over. She, however, had no time to evade the next tail swipe that ripped through the air towards her and with a shattering blow she was sent flying through the air not of her own accord. She hit the side of the arena and did not attempt to stand up right away.
Pain reverberated through her body and tears sprang unwarranted to her eyes. Eventually, after a moment, she did begin the ascent to her feet, but every bone in her body felt as if it had been caved in. And this was from one hit. She hadn't realized how much time she was taking to recover until Lucas stood over her with a hand held out to her. She took it and climbed unsteadily to her feet. The pain was beginning to subside, but she suspected the throbbing in her head would continue.
"Are you alright, Leona?" Lucas asked without even a hint of ridicule.
"I'll be fine once this is over. I won't abandon you all."
"You can sit this one out if you want. Your safety is more important to me than winning. Besides, I'd never hear the end of it from your mother if I brought you back in pieces."
Zeph and Eros had joined them as well forming a half–circle around her.
"That was a pretty hard hit," Zeph commented, "I thought for sure you were pancake."
"I can do this," she reassured them with finality in her voice.
It wasn't too long before the battle they'd all been waiting for began. The four people who stood before them resembled the same sort of setup as they. One of the opponents wielded an arrow as well as a sword, another was a martial artist just like her, one was a magic swordsman, and the last was the caster who could not only attack but heal as well. They were introduced as Garr, Farah, Rose, and Meredy. They each bowed graciously and though they wore pleasant smiles, she immediately became apprehensive. These were the reigning champions for a reason…
Lucas, as always, went forward first as soon as the match began. He'd marked Garr, the archer swordsman as his opponent. Eros crossed blades with Rose. This forced Zeph to focus on Farah a woman who would probably be better paired with her since they both used their fists. Out of necessity, however, Leona turned her attention to the crafty caster. Meredy was no run of the meal caster. She seemed to be able to use her mana with ease and pay attention to her comrades. Leona found that she could not stop Meredy completely from doing this—it simply took too long to cast one of her light moves and when she did, Meredy would easily evade them. It was frustrating to the point that she knew she could not fight magic with magic.
She took off running towards Meredy who began running as well.
"Two can play this game," Leona thought bitterly to herself.
Even as she ran, she was able to cast a minor fire attack at Eros which completely threw him off guard searing some of his clothing in the process. It gave Rose, Eros' opponent enough time to send a light elemental sword attack towards him cutting through his clothes and skin alike. It might have been worse had Eros not moved back a little. He cried out in pain and Leona immediately felt guilty.
Concentrate…concentrate…
She simply had to reach the fleeing Meredy who had just then recovered Garr's health who had been dangerously close to being knocked out of commission by the ever persistent Lucas. Even Lucas was beginning to look worn out, sweat playing at his brow.
"Stop running!" Leona shouted in her frustration.
This only received a glance from Meredy and she was still just out of reach. Leona's legs pumped harder and harder until she came upon a burst of speed she did not know she had. She was about to cast another fire move but Leona tackled her to the ground and punched her thrice across the face—it was lights out for the poor magical girl. She looked over to her companions who were still fighting. Lucas had Garr on the ropes again, but with unprecedented speed, Garr whipped out an arrow and struck the other clear through the shoulder. Garr had probably hoped to slow down the anxious Lucas, but at that moment he was clearly unfazed, not at all surprised that he was bleeding out from the inflicted wound. Instead, Garr became distracted with disbelief. A single blow later, he was knocked out on the ground.
That was when Leona felt one of her legs being grasped by a hand. Her first instinct was to kick off the foreign object. She struck Meredy under her chin but not before she was able to cast a chilling ice move that rammed into her chest. She lost her breath for an agonizing second as she fell to the ground as well. She was gasping pitifully for breath now; she was sure everyone else was occupied. Then she blacked out.
AN: So, this dragged on for much longer than I thought and I just finished this today! Already starting on the next one. I think it's time I start ending every chapter with a cliffhanger…hmm…Getting to that point where things start to get interesting.
SkyFullOfDragons: Well, thanks for the critique though I do wish you would be more specific. I've gotten comments that there are some OOC elements in the story, but no one has told me where. This is actually my first ToS fic so any advice you can give is helpful.
That is simply my opinion on the matter that a relationship between Zelos and Raine wouldn't exactly be love at first sight. My word is not law so your sister shouldn't feel hurt by that. Due to Zelos' very nature, any relationship he has with another woman would not be easy, at least the ones you want to last. One cannot change overnight. Sheena and Raine can both get pretty violent when they want to be so it's hard to say what would be rockier. All I can tell you is that Raine is a pretty no-nonsense woman who would probably use logic before her heart to determine who she'd spend her personal time with. But this is the world of fanfiction and anything could happen. If you really feel strongly about a pairing, try writing a story yourself. Even if it's not that great in the beginning, everyone has to start somewhere. Like MixedBreedMaiya who started out shaky and only became better with each story. I totally understand what you're feeling when you like a couple and you can't find any fanfiction about it. I usually like the unpopular pairings and wound up writing something myself.
Good luck and try to stay positive. You've gone through some difficult things in life, but I'm sure it's made you a stronger person.
ApplejackFan-Ema: Perhaps I'll see you here again in the future. You don't have to completely adore the pairings to like this story. It's not exactly focused on romance. I have a pretty grand adventure planned.
Keko-the-Hybrid: I completely agree with you! I've finally realized that it's impossible to please everyone. There are far too many potential pairings that would not all comprehensibly fit into this story unless I have all the characters cheating on each other and that would be pretty OOC.
Thanks for telling me about your thoughts on Raine announcing to everyone she was pregnant. I pretty much hinted that she, in fact, tried to keep her first pregnancy a secret and how much of a hassle it was. Why go through all that again? Might as well rip the bandage off quickly instead of slowly. A practical solution in my book. I never thought about it that way, however, that she was trying to take some of the attention off of Leona. It was unintentional on my part, but it certainly fits.
EvaS: It's a Regaine fic not Railloyd since you were complaining about the pairing. I've never looked up the pairing you're talking about, but this site has a very good search engine on it. I'm sure you'll find something you'll like up here…just not from me. Thanks for reading and your support!
MacinJack: You mean you really like reading this? Thank you for the vote of confidence! You're going to be in for a treat with this one. I do hope to arrive at an adequate end to this particular fic.
Yocrazyroomie: Crazy roommate is crazy. Brought a genuine smile to my face, girl.