War For Underworld

The Daughter of Earth, Stella

Medina

When Stella first unleashed the spear, Medina believed the woman to be inept with the weapon, being that it was originally a bow. She was prepared to fight an archer, so on the one hand, her plans crumbled, yet she believed Stella thought less of Medina and Ilia's ability if she was going to not fight at her best.

Turns out Medina was right that Stella had underestimated them but was wrong about her skill with the spear.

Nursing a chin that had Stella's boot kick it a moment ago, Medina watches as Ilia chases down a retreating Stella. The two women taunt the other with twirling weapons as Stella advances up the long staircase from the first floor to the fiftieth. She shakes off the pain and grabs her sword, rejoining her apprentice in the fight. Stella continues to back up, fighting Ilia for the upper ground. Seeing Medina come close, Stella throws out her hand; from it, a black burst shoots out. Medina tries to deflect it with her sword, but the strange art wraps around her blade and heads straight for her arm. Once it reaches, the limb suddenly feels painful, heavy, and unresponsive, no matter what Medina tries. She's lucky to still hold her sword but unable to prevent Stella from kicking her back down the steps.

Jaymes, Kirito, and Asuna said Stella's abilities "separate mind from the body." She thought it was a long way to say she's been paralyzed, but the fact she can still feel her arm and the metal hilt of her sword says otherwise. She can move it a bit, but her thoughts delay the movements. It hurts like hell, too.

"Come on, Medina." Switching her sword to her left hand, Medina calls on the wind arts to propel her up to the second floor, ahead of Ilia and Stella. Stella reacts by using the bladed end of her spear to push Ilia to the side while using the blunted end against an attacking Medina. The young apprentice rejoins her mistress, resuming the two-sided attack by Ilia and Medina. Stella backs up towards the set of stairs that lead to the third floor, holding her spear steady as she glares at Medina and Ilia.

"I must say, I'm impressed with your skills. To stand against an Integrity Knight twice and live is no small feat. Eydis herself was a tough opponent when I encountered her."

"So it was you who captured her?"

"It was." Stella waves her hand, forming eight wind elements under herself that launch her up a couple of floors. Medina and Ilia are right behind her, though it is Medina who joins Stella on the ninth floor of the palace. "It took more of my ability than I expected to put her down, and it seems the same is of you."

Medina hides her smirk as she tests her dominant hand, feeling the response of her muscles return to normal and switches back to it. "Aye. This battle is lost to you, Stella. You'd find me and Ilia are not easy to beat."

Stella scoffs and narrows her eyes as a set of feet land behind her. She fires another blast of the weird power at Ilia, but the girl dodges it and circles around to Medina's side. She shoots another, this time hitting Medina's leg. Like it's sealed to the floor, her legs resist motion with the rest of her body while feeling like a hundred whips struck her at once. Stella takes the time to launch herself higher in the castle.

"Medina!"

"G-go! Don't let her get away!" Ilia obeys Medina's commands, shooting off after Stella. In the meantime, Medina bites her lip as the pain continues to shoot through her, cursing her luck. As boastful as she spoke against the daughter of Terraria, Medina truly hopes she and Ilia can come out with the victory.