**Somewhere between the Ocean and Sky Jurisdictions**
Vast ruins of some old, abandoned construction sites decorated this gray and blue canvas. Scouts of mage bandits treaded carefully throughout the place; no sounds could be heard from their footsteps. They were wrapped in layers of cloth and dressed in black, olive, and gray, scattered throughout them like a painting splatter. Dust and ashes complemented their attire as they carefully trailed through the thick fog that resided there. They were all going in the same direction—and they were after something…
As one of them in the front signaled a halt, they all stopped in their tracks and surveyed the foggy construction area. Sounds of scatter rippled throughout the place and in their ears. They stayed still so they didn't make noise. The sound of scatters echoed from one area to another as it felt like it, whatever it was, had continuously been getting closer to them, and then, all around them at once—out from the fog…
"MEEEWW"
A lone hiss from a catrabbit sounded as it showed itself from the fog. It sat there after its reveal and scratched its ears enthusiastically, completely unaware of the mage bandits that were all around it. One of the bandits threw a dagger at the ground before it, and it dodged, running away after. A false alarm, it seemed.
The one who had thrown the dagger silently went over to collect it. But as he knelt to grab it…
Fwooom! A nearly silent, but quick projectile set off. And all that was left was that same bandit looking up towards the sky and falling back first. His body flopped, lifeless—the first sound they all made since they got there. Just as quickly, before they could all react, the same sounds of small projectiles continued to sound off; this time, in every direction.
The fires rang from all around them, sniping each one down like dominoes. Their bodies thudded to the ground one after another within the fog. And in a matter of seconds, there was only one mage bandit left.
He frantically whipped from one direction to another with a fluster of emotions—confusion to fear. All he saw was the fog. And he was the prey.
"Come out, damn it! Who are you!?" he shouted into the void, "Who are you!?" but no response. He continued to whip around, sweat trailing from the side of his cloth-masked face.
A male silhouette stood behind him from the thick of the fog, his eyes glowing a starry yellow. He clicked a gun right behind the bandit's head, "I'm the fuckin hero, cocksucker."
The sound of a gunshot rang out as the bandit fell to his knees and then flat on the ground. The male twirled his gun and threw it into its holster as he stepped backwards, looking up, like he was facing someone else who was there watching.
"Dope ass line, huh?"
Another male silhouette entered, slowly swaggering from a higher ledge. "That was anything BUT dope. I got goosebumps, and not the good kind,"—placing his boot on a rock and leaning over condescendingly, his face came into view, flashing his round shades from behind—"fuckin' loser."
The fog around them slowly dissipated, as if being uncast—like it had been placed there beforehand.
When it cleared, the male below replied with bitter rage that almost sounded like a joke to the other male who stood over the ledge above him, "Now, you listen here you four-eyed-gas-breathing-dick-vacuum! I was thinking about that line all night! There's no way I couldn't say it in that particular moment! It was perfect! And you're just jealous you're not a wordsmith like I am!" the male below said, wearing a hooded olive poncho with brown leather gear, like that of a hunter.
"What did you call me, you walking-mutated-calcified-discharged-love-child? And you? A wordsmith? Are you so delusional that you think you of all people are a fucking wordsmith? If that's the case, I'm the fucking Arcane King of all Four Kingdoms!" the other male over the ledge said, laughing maniacally—stingingly.
He was a cool-looking male with medium-length blond hair and the tips of them blue. Spiked with a thin, long stray bang that fell over his right eye. Dangling silver sword earrings chimed on his lobes as he fixed his rounded shades with his middle finger in the direction of other male.
His nails were painted each a different color as they shot out of his fingerless gloves, and eyes peeking behind his shades, hinting a color of bluish-white as he stuck out a tongue all the while.
Sporting a thick, heavy-looking coat in a color-block white and blue, he grabbed the edges and shifted it up and down in a proud manner.
They bickered for what seemed like an endless length of time as the fog cleared, revealing the mage bandits scattered all around them at their feet. About twenty of were laid to waste between them both.
"Of all the people that I had to have a joint mission with, it had to be you!" the hunter-looking one shouted.
"You're telling me! Now I have to hear your annoying ass voice the whole way back, too, 'cause you picked up this gig at the Valley Kingdom. Why don't you just stay at the Forest? You Green Owls live there anyway!" the blond and blue-haired one said back as he jumped down from his ledge and met the other male where he was.
"We don't live there, we live in the outskirts of the Kingdom, the Valley is our home, so of course we come back there!"
"Oh, right, I forgot you guys don't even have a permanent station. Guess that says a lot—no one wants you!"
"Hey, don't bring my Guild into this, you prick! You wanna go there? At least we made space for ourselves within the jurisdiction, unlike you guys—forcing your way into an already crowded Kingdom. Where exactly is your guy's castle anyway? At least the Black Wolves figured it out!"
"Silver Sharks are underground, jackass."
"Oh! Perfect place for someone who's going to end up SIX FEET UNDER BEFORE ME!"
"Shut your fucking mouth, you bipolar idiot!"
Barely conscious, a mage bandit lying near them, who hadn't been completely subdued, watched the two males as they bickered back and forth. Thinking they weren't paying attention, he silently crawled over to a gun a few inches away from him and attempted to point it at the two males… but before he could do so, two shots were fired at him.
With a bullet to his head and another to his chest, he slumped back to the ground. Both males had an extended hand out, to each their own. One with his pistol and the other with his hand in the shape of a gun, hissing steam from his fingertips.
"Take it back, asshole," the blond male said seriously to the other male in the olive poncho; both their eyes unwavering from each other as if muscle memory was what did the mage bandit in without them having to shift their attention. "Neither of us are dying. You got that? That's where I draw the line, Rex."
Rex blinked twice obliviously. He sighed and closed his eyes, shrugging with his pistol still in his hand, "Okay, okay… I'm sorry, Snow. I was out of line. Happy now?" he said nonchalantly with hinting cheer lingering in his voice. He opened one yellow eye to him, checking his response.
Snow kept a stiff stare back with his blue-white's. "Whatever, I'll take it." he replied in a more pleasant manner, closing his eyes before blowing the steam off his finger, "Anyway, this was the last of them, you wanna grab a bite at the nearest town? There should be one about two miles from here. You comin'?" he said as he turned around and walked away from Rex.
Rex's star eyes sparkled as he said this, overjoyed at the sound of a hot, steaming meal.
The two of them had joint missions to track down a group of bandits that had been running amok in the Forest, Ocean, and part of the Sky district. It was a tedious mission that Rex had been on since before the whole incident with the Blue Phoenix Knights in the Valley, and one that Snow had taken up after the Kingdom's Guild meeting—the same mission he ditched at the last minute so he could come back to the Valley during its time of need.
They both embarked a day after the whole ordeal and just so happened to be heading to the next checkpoint, which was here—a ruined construction site that marked the borders between the Ocean and Sky Jurisdictions. Though they did not uncover what the bandits were searching for, it wasn't within their agenda to find out. Their duty was only to clear the area and then report back to the Valley.
"You ever wonder what these guys are doing here? Or what they're after?" Rex inquired.
"Don't know. I've been to these construction sites before. There's nothing of value here. But the big wigs from the Ocean and the Valley want the area clear. It's kind of weird, if you ask me… why have us clear an abandoned area that means nothing to either Kingdom?"
"Well they wanted us to report 'who' these bandits are… but each one we've run into has been a different group than the last. There's no connection between these mage bandits and the last ones we took down at other locations… The sense is not sensing."
"You were on a roll before you started speaking brainrot. Now I just want to eat. Let's hurry up and get out of here already, shall we?—" Snow concluded, but was interrupted by something he sensed in that exact moment. Rex had sensed it, too, as they both turned their heads in the same direction behind them.
Their eyes widened to the point of intensity. Though there was no sound, they had known someone else there. Someone extremely powerful, which caused them both to react as frantically as they did.
"Rex."
"I know."
They whispered calmly. Whoever… or whatever was there with them now had enough mana presence to startle them both. And it seemed to be only from one being, perhaps two…
"They're far, but we don't have time to ambush. They most likely already know we're here." Rex said with intense seriousness.
"It's too late for any of that… we're out in the open. Fuck." Snow replied quietly, then shouted to whoever had been with them now in the distance, "Show yourself! Unless you want us to strike first? And let me warn you… You do not want us to strike first."
Both of them readied their stances—Rex with his guns and Snow with large, steam-like gauntlets forming over his fists and forearms.
From a distance, a silhouette formed above a large, rusted steel beam protruding from the ground. It was humanoid, with a thick tail like that of some beast—or dragon… And its eyes glowed a haunting bright emerald green.
Both Rex and Snow noticed the figure's slender shape—a girl, maybe? They were still assessing. Regardless of whether it was human, humanoid, or something else, they were still overwhelmed by the mana presence it had. Sweat trailed down their necks as they bore witness to this anomaly ahead of them now. Snow had shouted his threat, but judging by this thing's aura, this was going to be a fight they were going to struggle with.
As the fog around it dissipated, its silhouette sharpened, revealing its figure more clearly. Rex and Snow positioned themselves once more, about to fight a mysterious, dire opponent—one they knew nothing of… or so it seemed…
"Here she comes," Rex whispered.
The two of them took a silent step back, and they both blinked. That small action alone might have been the single most regrettable thing they both did… because they did not see the next thing coming.
The figure disappeared from the steel beam it had stood on, and, as quickly as they had blinked, it was there between the two of them. Their eyes widened as they turned their heads in slow motion, too late to respond. The reactions on their faces, like horror, as it said, to their surprise just as quickly. "Oh… Hey boys," she said, almost unenthusiastically and her bangs swayed gently from her movement.
To both their relief, Rex and Snow loosed a breath, as if they had just, quite literally, escaped death.
"No way…"
"You're—"
The girl gave each of them their own side-eye. She had a detached expression on her face as she stood up straight from her semi-crouched position, throwing one hand into her jacket pocket and the other taking out a popsicle from her snakebite-pierced mouth in a cool, nonchalant manner.
It was a green popsicle that looked freshly made, matching her emerald green eyes, olive-colored nails, and peekaboo underneath her short black hair. The hood she wore over her head had the infamous black fur trim they both knew all too well. The jacket was dark gray and oversized. And behind her was a small, green backpack with two small dragon wings that shot out from it as she stood with one leg bent and the other straight, leaning on one side.
Her short, black pixie skirt fluttered, revealing the green within it and more of her thighs beneath the black thigh-high tights she wore, ending with black platform-heeled Mary Jane shoes on her feet.
The hint of a wolf logo behind her backpack gave herself away… or perhaps it had been the large, green dragon tail that whipped behind her so casually in their faces. They dared not react to it.
"JoAnne, Ace 1 of the Black Wolf Knights!" they both said, saying her full name and title.
"Ugh… Could you not say my full name? I hate it… And don't shout my title so casually, you don't know who's listening… In and out of the Valley—just call me Jo," she replied in the most disregarding manner, her eyelids were half open as she glanced at them. "Thought you two bozos knew that?"
Rex gave a nervous laugh and said, "My bad, we were just on edge. You hella scared us just now, I thought this mission was about to get a lot tougher. I would have asked for a pay raise when we got back… Phew…"
"Ditto… That was way too unnecessary. You really had to sneak up on us like that, though?" Snow added.
"Didn't realize it was you two, I just woke up from a nap. My senses are a bit off… Sorry," Jo replied with a yawn at the end.
Off… They both thought. Nothing about that interaction was 'off' in the slightest. What she just did—and to them of all people—that was something only a pro could manage.
Jo stood in between them now, only standing at five-foot-three in height. Both Snow and Rex were six feet in comparison to her.
"Anyway… What are you two doing here? Mission? Did I interrupt?" she asked.
"Mage bandits." Snow answered, "And no, we just finished up, 'bout to get a bite… wanna come with? I'll pay…"
"Yeah, come with us, Jo! There's this cozy spot called LeHarla on the way back, I hear they have a great noodle bar there! And… potentially great inns as well… in case we had to stay the night, you know?"
They both shamelessly flirted.
"I just turned eighteen, you two are a bunch of lonely old creeps," she said without a hint of regard as her words shot daggers into them.
We're twenty-six! Snow and Rex thought. Wait, is that too old… girls like this are kinda tricky… It's not like Ophelia or Star, who are only a few years younger… Rex continued to trail off in thought.
"Anyway… Same. I keep forgetting you two report to him as well…" Jo said; her words muffled with the popsicle she threw back in her mouth.
"There's been a lot of sightings and attacks recently. Before this, they were in the Forest Jurisdiction, and then after, they were out here towards the Sky and Ocean Jurisdictions… They all seem different in their attire, but the sightings are happening a little too coincidentally… Snow and I thought its kinda weird we're clearing out random locations, but when you line up all the sightings, it's a little to on the nose if you ask me… Did you know—"
Jo yawned miserably.
"On my very last mission, before I so miraculously swooped in to save the Valley from the perilous Blue Phoenixes, I ran into Greed, Havoc, Code, and… Ophelia!" he said her name with a swoon twirled in his tongue and what seemed like heart shaped eyes, "It was at an abandoned church, and if it was my time to be saved in that moment… By the Keeper—"
"Did you say GG?" Jo perked.
"Huh? Who's GG?"
Jo spaced out in front of him, contemplating to say any more.
"Uh… Jo?"
She didn't respond, so Rex kept talking. "Anyway. Before I went over to save them, I had just cleared up yet another area of bandits! You would not believe how many of these guys were. It was like—"
"Rex…" Snow said as Rex still went on.
"—There were like fifty of them! Fifty versus me… I mean, me is all you need in most situations, but I digress!"
"Rex!"
"—did you know pomegranate juice can help increase sex drive?"
"Hey fuckhead!"
"Keeper, what Snow? I'm talking here!—"
"Yeah, no shit. Your incessant talking put her to sleep… and how the hell did you go from missions to fucking pomegranate? And sex drive? Come on man, she's barely eighteen…"
"Old enough to fuck."
Snow was silent. Disappointed that he had to actually contemplate that shallow statement. He then thought of Greed right then for some reason. "Keeper… they say your friends are a reflection of yourself… is this how I am too? Am I the problem?"
When Rex at last paid attention to Jo, she was passed out with popsicle still in her mouth…
While standing too… they both thought to themselves.
"Hey Jo… Wake up. The idiot stopped talking… Jo… uh… Jo?" Snow shook her slightly from her shoulder at arm's reach. She simply moaned and drool from her mouth.
"Yeah, she's out. Honestly, I don't blame her."
"What the hell do you mean by that!?" Rex bickered.
The two went at it once again as Jo proceeded to sleep where she was, standing completely still.
When the two finally stopped their back and forth, they calmed themselves and exhaled—not having moved since Jo had made her presence known to them…
"Man, all this arguing is making me hungry."
"Same. I'd really love to get going now. I'm really craving some stir-fry. Mmm."
They both salivated at the thought. And then silence struck both of them. None of them moved an inch from where they last were… It was like they both knew something but refused to acknowledge it. If they were aligned on one thing, it was this single thought.
When is she going to unfreeze us?
This whole time, both their feet had been frozen to the ground at the moment of Jo's arrival…
And as the scene expanded, Rex's voice was like a shallow echo in this vast, abandoned construction site.
"So, uh… They say when she falls asleep, you can't wake her until… uh… how long?"
Snow didn't respond.
"We can't melt this ice, can we?" Rex looked around himself and pointed a gun down at his frozen feet, "No, I might shoot off my foot if I try…"
"Rex."
"Yeah, Snow?"
"Please shut up."
***
In the distance nearby, a shadowy figure of a woman walked quietly. There were no sounds from her footsteps, and it seemed she could hide her presence to the point of nonexistence even as she spoke, "So, she's one of those cuties, isn't she?"
She flicked something in the air and caught it, sparkling as it did; an item that these mage bandits had been after… a coin, it seemed…
The mere, almost unseeable flash from the coinlike item made Jo's closed eye twitch as she remained sleeping between Snow and Rex. Still no sound was made as the cagey woman whipped a mysterious, slender tail from behind her—it was metallic like it wasn't originally a part of her. And the colors of her promiscuous outfit matched that of the unconscious mage bandits below.
She moved like she could silence sound itself as she disappeared into the fog, clinking her heeled boots with each unheard step.
"Just you wait," she said. "Riot is coming."
***
**The Valley Kingdom**
Ryo stood above the Valley's massive walls, overlooking the wonderous, vast green fields past them. The shifted tectonic plates, green hills, and pastures seemed to go on forever as he continued to gaze upon the beautiful scenery.
His orange, long, and tied-up flame-like hair fluttered from the gentle breeze along with his Crimson Dragons poncho he so proudly wore. Underneath, his silver armor shone as the sun's rays glinted off it.
Standing here reminded him of that day in his past when he stood in this same spot, except it was evening and it had just been after the Kingdom's Guild Draft where he, Greed, Snow, Rex, and Zeno had been drafted into five different Guilds. This exact place. This is a place he often liked to go, simply to reminisce and calm his mind.
Behind him, a familiar voice found its way to his ears; it was a voice he was all too glad to hear—and welcome.
"I knew I'd find you here old friend." A calm, pleasant-sounding said from behind.
This male was slightly taller, standing at six-foot-one to Ryo's six-foot. His hair was a dark reddish purple, short and unfixed, rustling effortlessly. His eyes were both red and blue at the same time; it might as well have been purple if the two colors had agreed to combine, but they stayed two different colors in both eyes.
His 'robe' was purple, with light blue and gold trimmings, and it was open down the middle, extremely tattered to the point that it was a mere poncho to him now, hanging just below his waist. His arms were exposed, revealing his cut figure and gold armbands that he wore on each bicep. He also had white bandages on his forearms, wrists, and hands, revealing each of his fingers like fingerless gloves. He wore a black cropped vest on the inside and nothing else.
"Good to see you, Zeno! You're hardly in the Valley anymore with all your outbound missions. I'm even surprised to see you back this long without heading out again after the incident six days ago." Ryo replied, glancing back to look at him.
"Well, that was a big ordeal that happened, if it wasn't for that, I'd probably be off again. I had to stay to get caught up on everything—plus two other reasons." Zeno said as he casually made his way next to Ryo, both of them staring out into the distance over the walls.
Ryo watched him as he stood next to him now and paid attention to the bandages he wore, "You weren't wearing those before, are you alright?" he asked.
"Oh these? It's no big deal. I got too close to the Phantomdrakes. For some reason I was extra sensitive to them when I held them off. Not sure why…" Zeno answered. His tone was still calm and pleasant even though he now had bandages on his arms and legs.
"Now that you mention it, you weren't the only one. Some of the citizens that got caught in the crossfire had similar conditions… Like burns almost."
Zeno stayed silent then looked at both his hands before speaking, "If I had to guess, I think it has to do with one's mana aptitude. The lower they are, the more you're affected by the attack… or rather, similar level of attacks for that matter. The Phantomdrakes aggressively drain one's mana, if you have a surplus of that then you should be okay, but if you don't… well… this is the result it seems."
"I hate to think that one as strong as you has low mana aptitude, Zeno." Ryo comforted.
"You are too kind, friend. In all honesty, out of us five, I think I am the weakest—excluding Greed, of course, who is a special case." He said with sarcasm behind his kind smile.
"Now that, I cannot believe." Ryo said, taken slightly aback.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not trying to spur flattery from you, I am just stating the facts. You see—though my aptitude for mana is low, the strength behind each spell cast is doubled. This was on purpose, to make up for my lack of ability. The more you lack of something, the more there seems to be a counter to it… Quite interesting if you ask me. I only found this out after much training. Sometimes they call it awakenings." He paused to smile with closed eyes, "Not that I'm awakened or anything. Ironically only Rex is awakened out of the five of us. Isn't the Keeper a jokester?"
Ryo began thinking of Greed at this time. How he lacked in all things magic and mana, yet he was still so powerful physically. Is that the same counter, or rather, awakening that Zeno was talking about right now? Though it wasn't a magical awakening, it was still something…
He pocketed this for later to investigate for another time, "Well in any case, I'm just glad that you're alright… Say did you hear?" Ryo asked.
"Hear what?" Zeno perked back, then realizing he could only mean—"Oh, if you're implying the Valley Tournament, then yes. Tubolt informed me after the meeting. That's the second reason why I'm still here in the Kingdom, to train even more." his multicolored eyes met Ryo's bright ones and gleamed, "I will be attending."
Ryo's eyes lit up as well. "That is fantastic! This will also be a chance for the Kingdom to see what your Shadowsteel magic can really do!"
Zeno smiled again with his eyes closed. "It makes me happy to see that you hold me to such high regard. Actually, one of the reasons I want to attend is to test my skills. I feel as if I didn't do much during the attack on the Valley. If I could, I would have come much sooner and at more haste. So, this is a way for me to prove to myself and my Guild that I am worthy of being their Vice Captain. I still currently think they don't see me as one even after all this time. I am gone so often anyway, I guess I can't blame them."
"Always so humble. You already deserve the title, and you hardly know it. But go ahead. I hope we get the chance to face each other in the ring if they allow."
Zeno chuckled, "Yes agreed. Though I am highly critical of my own abilities, when it comes to using them against an opponent that I know I can beat, there is no question I will best them."
Ryo's eyes sparked like flames, "Now that is the fire I love to see in others. Humility and confidence put together is a force to be reckoned with, and those are the individuals who will give me a good fight." he raised his fist to Zeno at this time and said, "May the best win."
Zeno caught his gaze with a hint of surprise, followed by a pleasant smile, "May the best win." He said, then changed the topic, "By the way, Ryo."
"Hm?"
"Where has Belle been all this time? she's been quite absent during all meetings and events the Valley has held. Do you know where I might find her?"
Ryo said nothing, as he nervously thought to himself.
"What's wrong?" Zeno asked, observing his friend.
"Don't tell me!"
Ryo whipped his head as if Zeno had somehow found out.
He breathed in and out, then said, "Okay… you got me. You know I am not the best at lying. And because you are one of my dearest friends…"
Zeno replied as if he knew where this was going, "It's okay my friend, I can't blame you."
"That's good to hear… okay, let's say it together so I feel less bad."
"You got it."
"On three… One, two…"
The moment before they both spoke felt like time had slowed. Ryo held his breath for but a moment as Zeno looked at him with determined eyes.
"Greed and Belle are together!"
"I love Belle too!"
They simultaneously said.
"Wait, what?" Zeno asked, as if the whole wall they had been standing on had crumbled beneath him.
Ryo blanked as he faced Zeno. He was in utter shock at what he had just said to him. It was like his internal hard drive was being short circuited and he had no idea how to save face. "Uh… What I meant was… Uh… yeah! You got me, I love Belle too… Um…" he laughed nervously at the end. Just trying to come up with any excuse was eating him from his values and up.
Zeno studied his friend and raised a brow. He knew Ryo so well that what he had just said was no joke and no lie. He was honest to a fault and even he was a victim of his own honesty. "So… Greed and Belle, huh?" he said. A rhetorical question.
"Um… yeah…" he said. Shoot! How do I get out of this one! I'm sorry Greed! He thought next.
"How long has this been going on?" Zeno asked. Ryo couldn't tell the tone in his voice. Was he angry? Sad? Disappointed? He hadn't the slightest clue.
"It just happened. Time had frozen, leaving us all in a stasis we knew nothing about until after. Because when everything happened it was in a blink… the Phantomdrakes gone, the Kingdom in shambles, Belle's Celestial Dome shattering, and Syemore defeated—gone without a trace, with Belle in Greed's arms. The fact that they are together signifies its truth. Belle is quite stern, but she folds for Greed." Ryo said.
Zeno was silent now, as if struck by a powerful spell he did not know how to respond to; shadows formed over his eyes then.
Ryo, flustered, realized he had shared too much. He began sweating profusely and tried to comfort his friend. He most certainly forgot as well how much he…
"That's…" Zeno muttered, his tone hidden along with the shadows in his eyes, "That's…" when he faced Ryo again his face turned back into his pleasant and comforting smile, "That's great news… I am happy for them."
Ryo held his next words, waiting for more.
"Relax. Knowing Greed, he wants to keep this under wraps. He would be hot topic if the Valley truly knew of his deeds. I won't tell a soul. Not even our two other fools," Zeno said reassuringly. "As for Belle… I was just… caught off guard is all. My…" he paused for a second. "Greed surely doesn't know how to take things slow, does he?" his words shaking a bit toward the end.
"Apparently not. They take turns sleeping in each other's quarters every day!" Ryo responded jokingly, unaware of the weight of these words as well.
"R-R-R-Really!? Well now… it seems they're really hitting it off, aren't they!" Zeno had a noticeably forced smile.
"Alright, I think I am done talking for the day." Ryo said. Awareness finally finding him in the maze of his morals.
At this time, he put his hand on Zeno's back as he seemed to break down at the thought of Greed and Belle together… every night.
Out of all that Ryo shared, that had been the news that cracked his perfect composure.
The gentle breeze was comforting to the touch of their skins as the two males continued to occupy this desolate part of the Valley. Way up high where the views were immaculate, yawning out before them.
"You win again, Greed." Zeno said under his breath.
Ryo raised a brow at him, and Zeno displayed his famously pleasant smile back.
"Oh, nothing. I said, 'that's our Greed for you!'"
Sensing his friend's displeasure, Ryo wanted to say something comforting in reply… or perhaps not…
For the rest of the time as they enjoyed the view, he kept his word to himself to say nothing more.
***
**A day later, outside the Valley. Near the Wolves Den**
A group of mage bandit in black armor strolled the green fields near a grove and clearing where the Black Wolves stationed their Den, just past the East Gate of the Valley Kingdom. They were a large group, looking out of place from the serene canvas.
An insanely large one from the group—that seemed to be the leader—commented as he witnessed the mechanical castle,
"So… This is where she lives now."