[There isn’t any more time for worried questions, though, as the Nuckelavee’s shriek brings her back to the danger of the moment. Pulling herself out of Hubert’s grasp, she is able to raise a barrier again, properly grounded to not send her flying like when she’d been first caught by surprise, but not as strong as the one from while Hubert first conjured the shadow horse. This one barely holds itself together in face of the first charge, and it will be a matter of seconds before the abomination breaks through.]
[In those seconds, Leslie’s mind races. She could continue to use abjuration, with the barriers she knows how to make, but that would at best delay it until she exhausts herself. She doesn’t know whether Hubert will be able to stand back up. She doesn’t know if the shadow horse is even alive. And, except maybe for some members of the Coven, she doesn’t even consider the idea that people outside of the Mirrorbound would proactively help her, so she doesn’t imagine the possibility of the night watch coming to save them. She can’t only defend.]
[She’s been taught how to defend herself with a weapon, but aside from the dagger, she hasn’t brought anything with her. The road where they fell is not full of obvious improvised weapons, either.]
[She could reach for her limited knowledge of the other schools of magic, like how she caused the Nuckelavee to stumble from ice evocation, but she doesn’t think that she would be able to actually stop it with those kinds of tricks.]
[Aside from abjuration, she’s been studying enchantment with Corrin. At first, she focused on enchantments that lasted for a long time but took a long time to prepare, like the chain in Edelgard’s birthday present, but Corrin has also taught her shorter boosts that can come from the school. Things that could be used alongside the sword lessons from both Corrin and Byleth. But she still doesn’t have a weapon to channel it through that would be long enough for her to face the Nuckelavee. Something longer....]
[She likely would never have tried it if she were entirely thinking clearly, but the Nuckelavee smashes the barrier with a swing from its sword and there is no more time to think.]
[Leslie reaches up behind her head to pull the deep green ribbon in her hair out of its bow, the two braids it had tied around behind her head falling down as it comes free into her hands. With a flick, she snaps the ribbon out to its full length. It stays extended flat as she brings it up, made solid by the magic now running through it. She spreads her feet without thinking about it into the stance her two teachers had drilled into her and brings the now hardened ribbon up in both hands to block the Nuckelavee’s sword.]
[Leslie winces as the force of the blow pushes down on her injured ankle, barely managing to keep one eye open, but both the ribbon, magically enhanced, and Leslie, who also has about three different enchantments running through her right now, do not bend under it. There’s a creaking sound that she’s pretty sure is from the ribbon, as strange of a sound that is to come from such a thing, and even enhanced by magic, her arms tremble, but she’s stopped it.]
[Leslie had trouble at the time not being grumpy as both Byleth and Corrin gave her advice in their own ways that boils down to accommodating for her size by using her opponent’s strength against them, but in this moment, she is not thinking of her frustration at not growing. She tilts her magically hardened ribbon such that the Nuckelavee stumbles forward at the sudden lack of resistance and its sword slides off.]
[She pivots on her good leg and (”They need to be beheaded. They won't stop otherwise.”) swings overhead toward the neck, pushing a second enchantment through the ribbon to sharpen it. Though its stance remains broken, it brings its own sword up to meet.]
[Leslie has never tried to hold five different enchantments at once and use the lessons in the use of swords and face a real armed enemy and do all of this with an injured ankle. A lot of things happen at once.]
[There’s a crack as the magic through the ribbon is not enough against a real sword and it breaks into two pieces. One end initially goes spinning off, but soon reverts to its normal form as it is caught by the wind, flapping uselessly as it is caught on an empty laundry line; the end in Leslie’s hand retains its form a little longer before it is once again a normal strip of cloth again, flopping in her hand. The Nuckelavee’s sword is at least pushed back, the force enough to drop the abomination to the ground from its unsteady footing. Leslie’s own legs also give out underneath her as her magic gives out and she is once again flung backward, though not so far this time, landing on the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her.]
[At this moment, both Leslie and the creature are on the ground, placing a short pause on round three. The Nuckelavee, however, looks like it will be able to recover and stand to its feet first, its fall less damaging.]
no subject
[In those seconds, Leslie’s mind races. She could continue to use abjuration, with the barriers she knows how to make, but that would at best delay it until she exhausts herself. She doesn’t know whether Hubert will be able to stand back up. She doesn’t know if the shadow horse is even alive. And, except maybe for some members of the Coven, she doesn’t even consider the idea that people outside of the Mirrorbound would proactively help her, so she doesn’t imagine the possibility of the night watch coming to save them. She can’t only defend.]
[She’s been taught how to defend herself with a weapon, but aside from the dagger, she hasn’t brought anything with her. The road where they fell is not full of obvious improvised weapons, either.]
[She could reach for her limited knowledge of the other schools of magic, like how she caused the Nuckelavee to stumble from ice evocation, but she doesn’t think that she would be able to actually stop it with those kinds of tricks.]
[Aside from abjuration, she’s been studying enchantment with Corrin. At first, she focused on enchantments that lasted for a long time but took a long time to prepare, like the chain in Edelgard’s birthday present, but Corrin has also taught her shorter boosts that can come from the school. Things that could be used alongside the sword lessons from both Corrin and Byleth. But she still doesn’t have a weapon to channel it through that would be long enough for her to face the Nuckelavee. Something longer....]
[She likely would never have tried it if she were entirely thinking clearly, but the Nuckelavee smashes the barrier with a swing from its sword and there is no more time to think.]
[Leslie reaches up behind her head to pull the deep green ribbon in her hair out of its bow, the two braids it had tied around behind her head falling down as it comes free into her hands. With a flick, she snaps the ribbon out to its full length. It stays extended flat as she brings it up, made solid by the magic now running through it. She spreads her feet without thinking about it into the stance her two teachers had drilled into her and brings the now hardened ribbon up in both hands to block the Nuckelavee’s sword.]
[Leslie winces as the force of the blow pushes down on her injured ankle, barely managing to keep one eye open, but both the ribbon, magically enhanced, and Leslie, who also has about three different enchantments running through her right now, do not bend under it. There’s a creaking sound that she’s pretty sure is from the ribbon, as strange of a sound that is to come from such a thing, and even enhanced by magic, her arms tremble, but she’s stopped it.]
[Leslie had trouble at the time not being grumpy as both Byleth and Corrin gave her advice in their own ways that boils down to accommodating for her size by using her opponent’s strength against them, but in this moment, she is not thinking of her frustration at not growing. She tilts her magically hardened ribbon such that the Nuckelavee stumbles forward at the sudden lack of resistance and its sword slides off.]
[She pivots on her good leg and (”They need to be beheaded. They won't stop otherwise.”) swings overhead toward the neck, pushing a second enchantment through the ribbon to sharpen it. Though its stance remains broken, it brings its own sword up to meet.]
[Leslie has never tried to hold five different enchantments at once and use the lessons in the use of swords and face a real armed enemy and do all of this with an injured ankle. A lot of things happen at once.]
[There’s a crack as the magic through the ribbon is not enough against a real sword and it breaks into two pieces. One end initially goes spinning off, but soon reverts to its normal form as it is caught by the wind, flapping uselessly as it is caught on an empty laundry line; the end in Leslie’s hand retains its form a little longer before it is once again a normal strip of cloth again, flopping in her hand. The Nuckelavee’s sword is at least pushed back, the force enough to drop the abomination to the ground from its unsteady footing. Leslie’s own legs also give out underneath her as her magic gives out and she is once again flung backward, though not so far this time, landing on the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her.]
[At this moment, both Leslie and the creature are on the ground, placing a short pause on round three. The Nuckelavee, however, looks like it will be able to recover and stand to its feet first, its fall less damaging.]