The sixth match of the Valley Tournament was due to commence, and as the announcer called the next contenders to the stage, he introduced them accordingly, "In our first corner, we have the Forest Kingdom's very own grand master. As mentioned earlier, he was once a Captain of the Valley; a renowned Guild called the Gray Cranes. In order to open up a new spot on the roster for a new Guild, the Gray Cranes have since disbanded and joined the Guilds of the Snow Lilies, the Green Owls, and even the Golden Roses themselves. It was because of this that the Golden Roses came into fruition. This mage was then appointed as the High Marshal to the Forest Kingdom thereafter! He has joined this Tournament not only to fill the additional spots, but he is also here to claim that Captain's title once again!"
When he stepped onto the ring, he entered with tall elegance. Standing at six-foot-three, he was not only tall but slender as well. His clothes looked like those of royalty fit for battle. The poncho he wore had golden tassels at the ends and was asymmetrical, draping down past his long, lanky arm. The hat on his head was like a large beret, drooping just above his right eyebrow. His hair, which peeked from under it, was blond, and on his face he wore half of a black, steampunk masquerade mask. His pants were fitted and ended with metal pointed sabatons over his dress shoes. He looked like a mixture of a knight and a masker. And if one looked closely, the side where his beret fell, his mask, and the longer side of his poncho were a tone darker than the other half of his body, where the other side of his face and arm were exposed.
"This man has also made a great contribution to the Valley during the Great Magistral War! With as many accomplishments as he has, and being a former captain of a Guild, one would think that there would be no need for him to attend this Tournament. But he insists that he, as well as many others here, should earn the title and that he is no exception to the rules of the Valley. It is for this reason that we have allowed his entry… Now… Valley citizens, if you will help me welcome him. Forest Kingdom's very own, High Marshal… Polaris!!"
The crowd cheered charitably at the man's entry. A lot of his supporters were also from the Forest Kingdom, having made a trip to the Valley just to witness him and Cecillia's matches. The look on his face was the highest form of humility, smiling only faintly and not letting the ego of his reputation get the better of him—like he had practiced the look far too many times. He was composed and stood straightened as he waved an elegant hand to the people of the Valley.
"Valley citizens!" he spoke, "Your welcome is very much appreciated! I am humbled to have so much support from the Kingdom's people. So, it is with that same humble heart that I say to you, I will earn my keep. Just as the same fine warriors participating are today, I am neither above nor below them. We will all give it our best and reach for that Captain's title. And most importantly… I will make sure to give you all a show you will not forget!"
Once again, the crowd roared after his speech. He basked in the role he played.
It was then that the announcer introduced the next contender…
"Our next contender is one of the Valley's esteemed mages. Despite her hailing from a lower-ranked Guild—"
Greed snickered from his seat in the Warriors' Keep when he heard the announcer say that.
"—she has made a name for herself among the Black Wolves. Though she is young, she carries great experience. Experience that has helped her rise to the rank of 1st Ace in her Guild. She also has a lovely tail!—"
When Jo entered from her side of the arena, she scowled, speaking with utter disdain, "The fuck? Who the hell writes these intros?"
"Now help me welcome the young 1st Ace of the Black Wolves… Jo… ANNE!!"
When Jo stepped into the large ring, her Mary Jane shoes clacked one after the other as she positioned herself in a way that screamed utter contempt; out of the other Black Wolves, she was the queen of it. She wore her oversized Black Wolves jacket cozily as she kept her hands in her pockets and proceeded to suck on the blue popsicle in her mouth. She rolled it on her tongue, bouncing back and forth from one snakebite to the other across her lips. Her large green tail whipped once and then remained idle thereafter.
Compared to her opponent, she was nowhere near the elegance he brought to the stage. She was like the raven to his dove.
Unlike many of the Black Wolves, the ones with a slightly better reputation were her and Nash. But there was always that one thing that people tended to focus on over her many achievements…
"This is the first time I've seen her tail up close…"
"Look, it moved! Watch out, if you're not careful, a dragon will come out and get you!" another mocked.
"I heard she's one of the last of her kind… Dragonkin was it?"
"Yeah, but I bet she's the last one left! I haven't seen any other Dragonkin in a long time…"
Her ear twitched to that last comment, but she paid it no mind. She was not raised to be sensitive. However, the one common trait that all the Black Wolves shared was the intolerance of those badmouthing the ones they cared about.
"They're probably all dead!"
When she heard that one, her head whipped around, and the look on her face was that of demonic rage. But when she locked eyes with the one who said it, her expression halted.
"Watch your fuckin mouth, you dirtbag. If I hear you talking shit one more time, I'll shove your mouth in a pile of it. You'll really be talking shit then," Greed said to him.
The male cowered back when he heard and saw him just down the entrance where Jo had come out of.
"So, please. Give me one more reason to do that. I'm looking forward to it," he taunted with a wicked smile.
When Jo found him, she seemed to have softened her glare. "GG…" she said under her breath.
He shifted his attention to her now. "I wanted to see you off on your fight! Now go kick some ass, Jo," Greed called.
Her emerald eyes gleamed as he reflected within them. "Okay!" she said pleasingly, face unashamedly blushing.
Belle scowled at the scene, pursing her lips as she let out an audible hum that the other Black Wolves couldn't help but pay attention to.
"What's her problem?" Star asked.
"She's just jealous," Alice replied easily.
"I AM NOT JEALOUS, ALICE, I AM JUST REALLY FOCUSED ON THIS NEXT MATCH!" Belle shouted.
"Case in point," Alice said.
"Jealowsy…" Star sang blandly.
Belle hissed at them as Greed caught them from his peripheral.
On another note, he had to make sure that while she fought. Her back was protected against all the negativity. That was the reason why he was there. He wanted to witness their faces himself when she showcased her power; they wouldn't be talking that way afterward. There was also no rule stating he couldn't watch the match up top, so long as he did so within the hall entrances to the arena without stepping in.
From other parts of the audience, he witnessed people placing bets on this next match. It should be an easy win. A former Captain of a Valley versus a measly Ace from the Black Wolves—the winner of this match should be a no-brainer. Easy money… So they thought.
The same dice from the beginning of every battle appeared between Jo and Polaris. It rolled… and landed on—
"And looks like we have face one of the di! The Plains!" the announcer proclaimed.
The arena began to shift, and grassy plains and hills formed everywhere. The ground shook all the way to where Greed was, and when the field was done morphing, the stone grounds that used to occupy just ahead were all soft grass, fluttering amiably.
"Alright, folks! These are your contenders, and this is your battleground! So, let the 2nd bracket's matches begin!!"
As he said this, the crowd cheered once more, and the looks on both Polaris' and Jo's faces shifted to focus. He stepped once with his sabaton on the grassy lands before him, and the ground seemed to have shaken like he emitted a powerful aura from that alone.
The air around Polaris rippled, and his aura was not only something that could be felt… it was something that could be seen as well.
"You may just be an Ace, JoAnne, but do not think I will be taking this battle lightly," he said to her hauntingly. "I am fully aware of your capabilities."
She didn't even care to respond as she glared lazily at him with deadly calm.
At this time, his aura burst, and the air cracked like a loud whip. He raised a palm behind him, and the air there seemed to distort. He let it grow until it was the right size, then threw it in her direction. The toss was so intense that when he threw it, one could have replayed it from all angles across the colosseum and felt the same pressure.
The massive blast of distorted air blazed toward her as Jo still stood there unintimidated, hands in her jacket pockets all the while.
It traveled, true to its destination, and the crowd watched intently as the blast was just about to strike her down.
From where Arcane King Daz sat, a similar expression was on his face, the same as Greed—and it was that of a smirk.
It was at that point Greed turned around and threw his hands in his pockets as if already knowing the outcome…
As the blast arrived just feet away from Jo, a trail of shattered ground and flutters of grass sprinkled the air at its wake—like in slow motion.
Her green eyes glowed where no doubt was present. She was sure of herself; her lax nature screamed that sureness. And then, too quick to catch what happened if one blinked, a small shift of her foot was all it took…
The sound of a glacier sounded off, like the breaking and reforming of shattered glass, all in the same.
In an instant, the whole arena just before the audience was encased in ice. The field. The blast, the shattered trail it made. Polaris… everything had become completely frozen.
Gaping mouths rippled across the crowd as the cheers came to a halt. The Valley's citizens could hardly believe, or rather, did not even comprehend what had happened.
That's right… none of you have ever witnessed Jo's overwhelming power. Surprise, bitches, Greed thought, closing his eyes and lowering his head with that same smirk ever present.
When one looked at Jo, it was as if she had barely moved. The only thing she had done was shift her foot outward from her previously pigeon-toed stance.
Though Jo was not the fastest of the Black Wolves, she was the fastest caster in the Guild. And usually, without even lifting a finger or chanting an incantation, she was able to cast a 'small' spell such as this in a matter of nanoseconds. And that was because out of all the mages in the Valley Kingdom, she had the highest magic proficiency ever recorded—aside from Belle, of course.
She had closed her eyes for but a moment, merely to blink. And when she opened them ever so slowly, she let out a cold breath that looked like the chilling steam from an ice dragon. She witnessed the canvas she had painted and whipped her head around toward Greed as she said with nonchalant triumph,
"There, it's done. Wait for me, GG."