Arc 2: The Valley Tournament
Part 2: Preparations
As we stood at the entrance of this grand, dim-lit room, the man inside at the end of it greeted us. He had brunette hair, and his eyes were a hazy gray color that still beamed even though it was a pure monochrome hue. The smile on his face was gentle and welcoming; there was no hint of status or rank in his presence, as some other mages, whether they were royalty or simply from an established Guild, often did. No. He was just an ordinary person to us, inside this lavishly dark room, in this over-the-top castle.
The inside of this place had gothic features similar to the Wolves Den. It was subtle, but there was also a hint of prestige that had been etched into the walls, something our steampunk gothic castle just didn't have. It seemed more… sleek.
As we remained standing outside the room, the large double doors that had swung slowly open began to close on us, "I would come in now before those doors close… Wouldn't want you getting caught in between." The man on the inside said.
We listened and slowly made our way inside. The room was large in both height and width; the carpet below us was a dark red that trailed all the way to where his gold and black table was, with him just behind it—both elbows propped on it and fingers crossed just below his mouth in front of his chin.
As I looked closer, all the way from the doors to where he sat, large bookshelves were filled to the brim from the floor to the ceiling. Tall, sliding ladders appeared on either side, one at the opposite end of the room and the other closest to the double doors we entered.
Behind the man was a large window, which was basically the entire wall, covered with floor-to-ceiling black-and-red seamed curtains—filtering the light and helping keep the room's dim ambiance.
It took us about thirty silent seconds to finally reach him at the end.
"JoAnne." The male said to her politely.
To his mention, Jo snarked and looked away with her hands in her jacket pockets, "Try again," she said with a bit of attitude, looking at him like he had clearly forgotten an important detail.
Panicked, the male collected himself and said her name once more. This time, less formal, the way she had wanted to hear it. "A-Apologies… Anna… I just wanted to be formal in front of your Captain here."
"Don't bother. He's the last person who cares about formalities." She said, friendlier this time, but with her infamous nonchalant tone after he had addressed her with yet another one of those acceptable nicknames. Was this really how she addressed the Arcane King?
"Ah, yes. I've seen you around before when Asura was the current Captain, but I don't think we've formally met… I am the Arcane King of the Valley Kingdom, Daz. Again, it's a pleasure to meet you at last."
I never got goosebumps or had shivers run down my spine from anyone's presence aside from Asura and one other man. This man—though his gentle nature was radiant —behind it, I could sense a deeper, much stronger power within him. Arcane King Daz… I could tell, even in this first brief interaction with him, that he was worthy of his title. And he was worthy of being the third person who managed to do that to me—a presence that shot fear into you but also commanded respect without even uttering a word.
"Good to meet you finally. Well… you already know who I am, so I guess there's no need for reintroductions," I said, unintentionally speaking to him like we were equals.
He smiled and said gallantly, "Good man! I like that tone. Direct. Unwavering. A hint of nonchalant, but in a respectful way… I've always hated formalities—feels a bit stuffy, if you know what I mean. Asura taught you well."
"Appreciate it" was all I said, letting Jo take the lead here. This was her realm, technically.
The room was slightly awkward after that, as nothing was said. Jo still looked away, completely disinterested, sucking on another popsicle that she effortlessly manifested onto the previously bare stick she held.
Daz merely sat there, beginning to twiddle his thumbs like a patiently waiting child, "So! Uh… Would you two like some tea? Please sit down!" he said awkwardly as he went to grab a kettle nearby, gesturing to the open space in front of him, which had no chairs. "Uh… Sorry, here!"
He snapped his fingers, and when he did, two medium-sized black chairs appeared where there had once been empty space. This guy's mannerisms were like Asura's… an annoying quirk—as if they were only pretending to be meek.
We let ourselves get comfortable and sat across from him at his large, gold-and-black table. He served us black cups and filled them with tea, as if he wasn't the Arcane King, and he was a mere thrall. Gestures like these reminded me of Asura as well. Had he only been playing the part to make me feel more comfortable? I continued to monitor his angle.
"Thanks, but don't you have maids to do this for you? You are the esteemed Arcane King after all." I asked as he poured my cup first.
He gave a gentle grin, "That's what you would expect, yes, of someone like myself. But you see, I wasn't born of Royalty or was regarded as anyone of importance in my lineage…" he trailed off to himself, finishing my cup and then going next to pour Jo's tea, "well there was the first Arcane King of the Valley—the one with the Phantomdrake ability… I think he might have been my great, great grandfather… or was it great, great, great?" he pondered for a second, still pouring, "regardless, even though he was such a figure for the Valley back in the day, my mother and father were only half relatives unworthy of being considered part of the true bloodline. In fact, many of my council, and even Sirus, didn't even know I was related to him until I had officially become the current Arcane King. So, to answer you quite frankly… I was—and am—just a regular mage." He concluded as he finished pouring her cup, ending with one last note, "A regular mage with a big dream."
I leaned back in my seat and just watched him. Everything he was, his slightest movements, the way he spoke. All of it was rooted in humility. There was no ounce of pride in anything he did or said. He really was just like Asura, and it wasn't just a facade.
"How do you and the old man know each other? I recall him talking highly about you sometimes. And I often witnessed my goofy captain talk to you in such a familiar manner." I said casually, grabbing my tea and holding it to my mouth, not drinking it… yet at least.
"Asura? He and I go way back. You can say we started like you and Ryo, except we were part of another organization—not part of the Valley. Then our friendship flourished from there." He replied, heading back to his seat on the other side of the table.
Organization? Could he have been… like me, Asura, and the others? I pocketed the thought for later… "That long, huh? And you know of me and Ryo?" I asked. He even called him by his shortened nickname.
"Yes! Ryo talks about you all the time. He's one of my trusted mages after all."
I said nothing, putting the tea back down without having taken a sip. I glanced at Jo, who just sat there with her left arm sitting on the armrest of her seat, propping her head up in a lazy manner. She hadn't even touched her tea or looked at it at all…
Daz then poured himself a cup from the same kettle, and as he finished pouring, it disappeared into the ethers in a blink, "You don't have to worry… I didn't drug your tea…" he said as he raised his cup and took a sip.
I raised an eyebrow at him, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about. But he read me like a book. I was slick, but he was slicker.
"You're truly his pupil… 'Never trust so easily,' he used to always say… Or rather, the precise quote he used to say was 'just because one is easy to talk to doesn't mean you can trust them just as easily.' Something like that."
I lowered my brow and gave him an approving look, slightly tilting my head upward at the mention of one of Asura's most important lessons.
"So… did I hit the nail on the head?" He said as he put his cup down and took a seat, relaxing in that large black-and-gold chair.
"Spot on, actually," I said, grabbing the tea again and taking a sip this time. Jo, though she seemed like she was disregarding us, had really been watching our conversation intently.
"Now. For the matters I had you come here for, Anna." Daz now focused his gaze on Jo. "How was the infiltration mission?"
Infiltration? I had thought her mission was a simple bandit sweep in the Sky jurisdiction. Jo never shared this with me…
"Well, it didn't exactly go as planned…" She replied like she was bored.
"How so?" Daz asked.
"Because. I didn't get to infiltrate anything. The base was a bust. And there was no Head Officer."
Silence filled the room. I kept quiet the whole time, too, being that this had nothing to do with me. Though I still wondered why I was here in the first place… I continued listening.
"The group you had me follow was indeed the Riot Gang. But the 'hideout' wasn't a hideout at all. Or rather, it probably was one until they found out I was coming."
"You? Found out you were coming? How could that be?"
Daz continued to question. He was right, though; out of many mages, aside from Sensory-type magic users, Jo was excellent at hiding her presence until the last moment. It was a skill she easily picked up after Asura taught her. It only took her six months to learn, whereas most mages who attempt to master it usually take most of their lives just to get it to her level.
"I don't know," she merely said, "unless they have a skilled Sensory type user among them."
"A possibility… but from what it seemed, they didn't just sense you coming and flee. It almost seemed like they knew you were going to be there beforehand. Otherwise, if they truly ran, you would have easily caught up and apprehended them—that I have no doubt." Daz said, going on, "Another reason I chose you, aside from you being highly skilled, to take on this mission—and pardon my next words, I don't mean any offense…" He faced me with cheery closed eyes for a moment, then proceeded to speak to both Jo and me. "It's because outside of the Valley, no one knows who the Black Wolf Knights are. I'm afraid your reputation does not spread any further than Valley jurisdiction—even with the fake Black Wolves activity that happened. Unless that has recently changed?"
I took no offense that we weren't well-known. It sounded more like a compliment to me. However, when Daz brought up the fake Black Wolves again, word might have gotten out past the Valley's jurisdiction. We had apprehended all of the fakes in the Valley that day, but who knows if that was all of them… what did that have to do with Jo's mission, though?
Daz continued, "Even if we didn't capture every single one of the fakes, many of them were mere hired bandits. So even if they were to have seen you, you might have even passed as one of them." he thought to himself for a moment, then asked another question, "How did things end up concluding?"
At this time, Jo took her tea and raised it high. When it was high enough, she began tilting it, spilling the tea to the side. Before it reached the golden table, it froze completely, leaving no drop spilled. When she placed the cup back right side up, the spilled frozen tea sat there sideways, like a decorative piece.
"Like that. 'Tea was spilled,' and then I froze them all." She said as she put her arms on the table now and rested the right side of her head onto them, looking once more like she was about to fall asleep. Her glowing olive-green eyes glittered hauntingly after she said that. She yawned then said, "They were all fodder… not a single Officer."
Daz continued to ponder to himself, beginning to face his gray eyes towards me, "We've spent so many months just trying to track down one Head Officer of the Riot Gang, and yet, just yesterday we had one come knocking at your door…" it looked like he wanted to say more but his eyes just remained on me all the while.
I met him in the middle with his statement, "I'm just as curious as you are if an opinion is what you're looking for." A quiet challenge. I couldn't tell if he was trying to imply something about Drakthor's arrival.
"Of sorts." his eyes had a calm about them like that before a storm… "What did they want?"
"A guy named Drakthor was the Head Officer who led a group called the Nightbanes. They're a faction of the main group you call 'Riot Gang'. They came to abduct one of my subordinates. A young girl with Alternate Space Creation-type magic. They collect rare abilities, apparently." I continued to look Daz in the eyes, unwavering, "Do you know anything about why they would recklessly charge my court for her out of the blue?" a question to answer a question—to balance the scales. The way he blankly stared at me was most definitely a quiet challenge.
"I have no idea." A lie. It was only for a mere half second, but I sensed it. It seemed Jo did as well, but she didn't react. "But I find it ironic, the timing of his arrival. Don't you think it's curious as well…" Not a question. And there was more to his words than he was letting on.
"Didn't Ryo brief you on what I had told him yesterday? Why not also have my subordinate here, who was at the center of it all, and ask her yourself?"
Daz's mouth was covered this whole time by his hands and crossed fingers. His elbows relaxed, but he was studying me with haunting quiet.
"Simple. Aside from Jo's report, you were the one I wanted to see. Didn't Ryo tell you that as well?" He said nothing more and quickly dismissed us, "That'll be all for now, Jo. Thank you for your patronage. I'll make sure you are paid handsomely for this mission."
That was it? We came here for this short meeting, and he's just going to dismiss us while barely answering my questions? Why make me show up to this if this was all it was going to be? No. Something was up.
"Okay. Come on, GG, let's go home. But… can you please carry me on the way there? My eyes are getting heavy."
I nodded, and we got up, heading for the double doors that seemed so far away behind us. It was a long and awkward walk back to the doors. Jo hung on to my arm the whole way, falling deeper asleep with every other step I took.
Daz, of course, watched every step and every movement I made. I could feel his eyes watching me like a hawk.
When we finally reached the double doors, they opened, and the escort mages greeted us. As we were about to take another step outside, I felt a swift breeze that came so suddenly. It only took seconds—or rather, a blink when I barely realized someone was standing behind me.
It was then; Daz spoke from only a few inches away from my ear, "Thank you for walking Anna out. Now, if you don't mind, I have a matter to discuss with you. We're not done just yet."
A slight look of shock overtook me for a mere moment. Anyone who could sneak up on me was a danger, so I did my best to hold my composure in the presence of this serene-looking man looming behind me.
My eyes widened and shot to my peripheral vision where I saw his quiet gaze. That pleasant smile from earlier was gone, and all that was left was an unreadable face upon him. When I looked back to Jo, who was on the other side of me, she had already been fast asleep as she stood pigeon-toed, balancing herself upright while she wrapped her arms around mine like I was her prop.
I then looked over to the escort mages before us; there was about six of them—unnecessarily more than before we had arrived. As I did, they stepped back like they were compelled—like they had sensed something from me then. Was this a setup?
"Captain Greed. If you would be so kind to let my escorts assist Miss JoAnne out, while we continue our discussion, I would be very grateful." Daz reiterated. More stern this time, like he was driving a wedge. He had even used her full name; this was the moment I confirmed that my uneasy feeling was not just delusion.
Right then, two of the escorts attempted to get closer. They inched so carefully while my attention was slightly on the Arcane King. But I darted my eyes in their direction, and they felt the gaze. It was like an aura they had never felt before. Like the door they should not knock on had creaked open ever so slightly.
"Don't you dare step any closer," I commanded.
The escorts shivered and stopped in their tracks, readying themselves to fight me if they somehow managed to get the courage to do so.
"Odd. I had a feeling something was up. Was this what you were planning all along?" I asked Daz while my eyes still shot to his escorts, and while still being wary of his presence.
"I understand how you're feeling right now, but I asked politely. So if you would be so kind as to return that politeness with cordiality, and not threaten my mages…" His aura escalated—a quiet demonstration that shattered mine, "that would be much appreciated."
"You're the ones doing the threatening," I said, my eyes blazing, as one of the mages fell back on his hind, nearly passing out from my burning aura.
"This won't do…" Daz said with calm disappointment.
Then with one mere shove Jo was completely out of my arms; still asleep all the while. One of the escort mages caught her and the other used magic to shut the double doors at the same time.
I frantically chased after Jo, but had been just a second too late. She was already behind the doors. Then a firm hand had situated on my shoulder pulling me back; Daz had grabbed and tossed me back into the room, standing now between me and the double doors.
"What is this all about!? Where are you taking Jo!?" I yelled.
"We're keeping her safe," he said as the locking of the doors echoed, "from you." His tone—low and stern… like he was talking to an enemy.
"What are you talking about? She is my crewmate!" I said with ferocity in my voice.
"There it is," he said calmly, "That same black aura… just like the rest of them." His hazy gray eyes beamed even in the dimness of this room.
"Them?" I repeated.
"I'll get to the point…" He tilted his head down and closed his eyes before looking back at me with those intense gray's, asking a Keeper-forsaken question that gave me chills, "Are you or are you not a Child of the Sins?"
When he said those words, my mind raced with memories that I had pushed deep in the depths of my mind. Thoughts I knew existed, but for some reason, couldn't express. It was like yesterday in the topic Ryo, the others, and I were discussing…
"I want you to think carefully before you answer. Because if you lie, I will kill you on the spot. No apprehension. No Tartarus… Only death will await you."
From someone kind and clumsy, to now someone ominous and threatening—ready to kill at any given moment, the Arcane King stood before me. It was at this moment that I finally understood why he was the Arcane King of the Valley. Why the other Guilds, and even Belle had respected this man.
In his presence, even I hesitated. As if I was in the presence of someone who could very well, for a fact and without a doubt, kill me like he said he would. It was like I was standing before Asura or even that other man.
My mind raced back to a time—a quick flash like a blink—when that same man had nearly killed me and my 1st Exec… and then the memory faded, leaving only the lingering feeling I had from then.
I couldn't get the words out. But this feeling… it was fear.
I shook my head. It was all I could do. Daz glared at me from where he stood. His attire was fairly plain. Standing there now I could see it more clearly. He wore a long, brown trench coat that draped to his ankles. His shirt was a button-up; blue with white vertical stripes, and his pants were white and tapered, with brown dress shoes on his feet. He looked like a completely normal person if I didn't know any better. And yet his presence rivaled—no… it overpowered my own.
"Is that your final answer?" he asked me ominously. The shadows making their home onto his face, and his eyes glowed—piercing into mine.
Nearly paralyzed, I said nothing.
"Okay then." He raised a hand slowly; at the end of it he held a gesture, snapping his fingers. When he did, the floor disappeared completely.
A shifting noise entered my ears for a brief second and then, at this time, the floor was no more, and we both fell into a pitch black pit the size of the entire room. We fell for a good thirty seconds until we finally hit the bottom of the place. Not knowing when I'd land, I stumbled my landing and remained crouched—one knee up and the other down. Daz had landed gracefully, standing upright.
The ground was made of stone, tiled throughout, and I couldn't tell how large the room was or where the walls even were, for that matter. I could only assume that it was the same size of the office we had just came from, but I wasn't entirely sure. The only thing I knew was that we were deep underground now. And when I looked up, I could no longer see the room we once occupied—it was also pitch black.
Daz snapped his fingers again and dungeon torches lit up all around the place. It seemed to be an underground arena of sorts.
"You're probably wondering where we are, Greed." He said through the darkness.
"How could you tell?" I replied sarcastically. Anything to mask the nervousness I felt.
Daz raised his head with a wry a smile, and shadows emitted from his hand, forming that of a large black blade. A blade I was all too familiar with. One I had wielded not too long ago.
"This place is where I will make you talk. This place… will be your reckoning."
He swung the large black blade to his side, revealing it even more. That was definitely it… that was—
"The way that you're staring at this blade—I can tell you've seen it before, or rather… have used it before."
My eyes twitched as the shadows from his other hand swirled and formed yet another of that same black blade. There was now two of them.
"Yes. this… these are the Arc Slayers. Now, Greed… let me see the power of the one who defeated Syemore."