**Previous day. The Wolves Den**
The morning started the same at the Den. The only difference was that Greed had stayed the night with Belle in the Desert Kingdom, and Arabella Housekeeping was now assisting the Black Wolves, so chores around the house were already being taken care of.
Per Code's request to the maids, he would still oversee the cooking once his training with the rest of the boys was done. They could help prepare beforehand to ensure the kitchen and dining area were in order: dishes washed, stoves and countertops cleaned, meats thawed, rice cooked, and other preparations.
After everyone's morning routines were done, all of them made their way to the dining area for breakfast. The time was 0915 when the girls had at last made their way to the dining area as well.
"Hey, why the hell is all the milk gone… again!? Star!" Code yelled in the midst of his cooking as she had just come into the dining area with only an oversized shirt on and nothing else.
"Don't look at me… I get my sustenance from the 'source'. The source being Teddy—"
"Keeper…" he interrupted, not wanting to hear another word. "Havoc!"
"Barkin' up the wrong tree, dude. I'm lactose, remember?"
"Then who the hell is drinking all the milk!? This happens every fucking time! I just got this batch yesterday!"
It had started as a common morning for the Black Wolves. Alice had woken around 0630 to survey the maids and make sure things around the Den were being done adequately. Ophelia woke around 0715-0730ish to do her own workouts in the indoor gym, and Star had barely woken up. The rest of the boys awaited patiently at the dining area, bantering with each other after another good training session.
With chores and house duties now being taken care of by the three maids, their days were more open than usual. So, Code let everyone eat before he called a small meeting between the seven of them.
"Thanks to Arabella Housekeeping, our duties around the Den have been covered. I still want you all to keep your quarters as clean as possible, but now that we have so much free time, I think it's time we took up more missions. We're running short on funds, and we need all hands on deck," he said to the Black Wolves.
To his right, Ophelia had her elbow on the table, wearing only a black, cropped tank top and blue gym shorts with her bare legs and feet crossed.
Next to her was Nash, with his plate empty and his arms crossed and muscles bolstering, leaning back in his chair—wearing a white compression shirt, black pants, and boots.
Brand was on his right, with his black metallic arms and hands folded on the table, listening intently to Code. He had also finished his meal, but one couldn't say how he managed to eat, since he seemed to wear his mask at all times. His attire was the same as Nash's.
At the other end of the table was Alice, who was still daintily eating her meal. She was quite proper in the way she sat and ate, skillfully slicing her medium-well steak with an elegant hand. She was the only one fully dressed and in uniform, with her petite Black Wolves jacket puffed at the arms, a black cropped shirt, a pink choker, a black pixie skirt, pink fishnets, and black combat boots to finish off. Her silky blonde hair was always in pigtails, and she wore a pink bow on each that matched the rest of the pink on her. She had really leaned into the Black Wolves' style.
On her right was Star, who was still ravaging her food. She ate the most out of all of them as she was scarfing down her third plate. Code had always made sure to make extra for her—ironic that he always says Greed spoils her too much… She was barefoot as she crossed her legs widely, ankle to knee—casually wiggling her foot for blood flow.
And next to her on her right and Code's left was Havoc, arms crossed and eyes closed—leaned back in his chair a bit further out with only two of the chair's legs balancing as he kept his leg under the beams of the table for stabilization. Empty plate in front of him and energy drink in hand, he sat there rocking himself as he listened to Code, wearing the same attire as the rest of the boys.
"Kay," Ophelia said lazily.
"I was mainly talking to Raeyn…"
"Oh, she's listening. She's always listening, Codey."
Code nodded as Brand raised his hand to speak, "Will we have designated groups since most of us are not allowed to take on missions on our own?"
Code acknowledged, "Good question. For those of you who cannot, the minimum requirement is that at least one of you be assigned to me, Raeyn, or Nash. With one group having an extra third, of course. Or, if one of us three decides to go on a solo mission, that will leave two teams of three. There can only be one of us out at a time for solo missions, so no doubling soloing until Greed comes back. You got that?"
He faced Ophelia and Nash, knowing full well they were the types to head out by themselves without notice. Code placed his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers over his mouth before speaking again, "The first group will be—Nash and Star."
"Oh, great…" Nash echoed across the table sarcastically, looking over to Star, not even mentally present at the dining table.
"No complaining."
"Oh, I'm not… So long as she can keep her hands—or rather, mouth—to herself…" Nash joked.
"Mouth is Teddy's, Nashhhit," Star responded without looking, scarfing down a chunk of steak.
"Not anymore, apparently," he countered, and she growled in response, to which Nash only snickered and faced his attention back to Code.
Code closed his eyes and sighed, nodding his head at them as he went on, "Next is Ophelia and Brand."
"Oh, robo-boy and me, huh? It's been a minute since we went on a mission together… This should be fun." Ophelia said, turning her head with a subtle, inviting tone to Brand.
He gulped loudly and said, "It's an honor, madam. I will protect you at all cost."
She giggled, "He's so proper it's cute! Okay then…" she said, squinting her eyes at him coquettishly.
He made a grunting noise like he was uncomfortable at the gesture.
"And then the last group will be—Havoc, Alice, and myself," Code said.
Alice's face lit up as she heard the mention of her name on Code's lips. Her and Code, the one she looked up to the most here, aside from Greed. They were to be in the same grouping, going on missions together. She was elated.
"These will be the teams for one week, or two if needed, and then we will rotate. Of course, we can't all be out at the same time. There needs to be at least one group here on the daily. So, for now, my group will stay behind until tomorrow, and then we will switch." Code took a look at them all now as he laid out the ground rules, "No taking on prolonged missions. With the Valley Tournament coming up in a month, we need to make sure we are all here. Plus… Greed hasn't yet decided which one of you will be joining. There must be three members representing the Guild at any time. Since most Guilds have more than one Vice Captain and at least two or three Executives. It is usually them who fill in for their Guild. We… are different, for more reasons than one. For starters, I will not be attending the Valley Tournament."
"The hell? Why not?" Havoc voiced out, propping himself back on all four legs of his previously leaned chair—slamming down his energy drink can.
"Because my reputation is not great with the people. To them, I aided Syemore and the Blue Phoenix Knights in their endeavors, and then was let off the hook like it never happened. Though many of the important figures know why I did it, I still leave a sour taste in people's mouths. Besides," he went on, "I have no interest in becoming Captain or showcasing my skills. And only one Vice Captain from each Guild can choose to decline, so long as the other is going to participate. I have the right to turn it down given my position."
"You really like flexing your Vice Captain power don'tcha? I bet Greed don't even know half the rules your taking advantage of."
"He doesn't. And that's his fault."
"What kind of rigged ruling is this?" Nash asked, arms still folded, sitting there like a large boulder.
"First off. In the Valley Tournament, there needs to be one of rank representing the Guild. We won't be able to attend the Tournament if only a few members are participating. Plus, Greed is technically not an official Captain; he's still a Vice Captain filling in for Asura—for one, he refuses to sign and turn in his Captain's certification to the Valley, so he is technically still only a 'Vice Captain' by Kingdom records… and two, he's stubborn as fuck. If anything, he did this to himself. It was only a matter of time until it bit him in the ass."
Ophelia giggled at that last bit.
"Secondly. His attending this Tournament alone will make him the official Captain of the Black Wolves—without the certification B.S., and will be a way for him to feel like he earned it… in theory at least… Last I heard, he turned down Ryo's invitation when he was here yesterday… Fucking idiot."
Alice had remembered that. She was there towards the end of that interaction.
"In any case, whether he likes it or not, he's gonna have to attend. We also have our 1st Exec and 1st Ace not present… Narrowing it down some more to just you idiots."
The table bickered at him altogether when he shot at them, mainly from Nash, Havoc, Ophelia, and Star, who ironically only heard that last part.
"Alright, shut up… I said shut up!… Keeper…" Code composed himself as he calmed his team.
"On another note, I got word from Jo that she should be back soon, but given her… laidback nature… I'm doubtful of her ETA. She was supposed to return a few days ago… There could be a chance that she doesn't make it back in time for the Tournament at all…" he loosed a tired sigh, "But if she does, I know Greed will want her in the Tournament, hands down."
"Why not just have Raeyn and me attend along with Greed?" Nash spoke up again.
Code faced Nash and answered, "As much as I want Raeyn to attend, she's already disqualified."
"And why is that?"
"Because she's not an official member within the Black Wolves roster, according to Valley Kingdom records… Keeper, why are we such a complicated group…" Code rolled his eyes before speaking more, "Also, she's technically not living. She is conjured with Forbidden magic—"
"Correction. This is her body and I'm just defiling it." Ophelia said cheerfully.
"Who was alive before the spell was cast? You or her?" Code asked interrogatively.
"Me but—"
"Then it's just that. She is conjured with Forbidden magic, regardless if it's her body and you're just taking the wheel." He made his point and went on, "On top of that, if we show up with an unregistered member to the Tournament, we will automatically be disqualified. When Asura recruited her, he wasn't thinking of the rules and regulations of the Valley, so she is a member under the radar with Ophelia standing in as the 2nd Exec… make sense?"
"Then Ophelia, you go up." Nash teased, nudging her from where he sat.
"No way. Count me out. Big crowd, and… it's not really my thing. I'm not strong like all of you… You especially, Nashy," she said so slyly as she looked at Nash's physique. He was a bit vain, so he ate it up and didn't even realize he had gotten played.
"I'm glad one of us appreciates the peak male physique…" Nash said with a heavy breath, holding his head proud as he said it.
"Prime example of unorthodox members in an unorthodox Guild." Code smartly replied, referring to what he had just said about Raeyn and now about Nash and his air-headedness.
"You know it… Hey, what do you mean by that!?" Nash replied obliviously as Code shifted his attention away from him again and back to all of the team.
"Yeah, I don't think any one of us is normal enough to enter at this point," Havoc commented.
"Unfortunately, you have a point, Havoc…" Code responded, "To any case, aside from Raeyn, every single one of you is up for consideration…" he looked at Star, "Star, if you enter, you can't use your demon abilities, understood? Keeper, why am I regretting this as it's leaving my mouth?"
Star nodded eagerly as she continued to ravage her fifth plate.
"Nash, if you enter, you'd better be out of your room by then… your two weeks start next week, and then after that, the Tournament starts the week after, you'll only have a few days to prep. Please keep that in mind if Greed chooses you—which he most likely will because it's the most out-of-pocket choice…" Code spoke again to Nash.
"You have my word. On my life as a man." Nash responded eagerly.
"That leaves the rest of you—Havoc, Brand, Jo, and Alice…"
"I'll pass…" Alice said from the other end of the table, her plate finally finished.
"Oh?" Code's only response.
"I'm not a fighter. My abilities are solely for transportation and healing. What good will I be in a fight?" she went on to say.
"I'm surprised you are ruling yourself out. I thought you wanted to prove yourself to the Black Wolves?"
Alice clicked her tongue to herself. She almost wished she had never said that, as it was brought up yet again; first from Ryo, and now from Code… "I… I just have no fighting experience. And to go against the other Vice Captains… Why would it be me up there and not any one of you? It just doesn't make sense…" Her head lowered. "I will prove myself in other ways. Believe me when I say that I am not ready."
Code pondered at her answer then said, "I understand how you feel… I was not a fighter either when I first started here."
Alice's eyes widened when she heard this. Really? Vice Captain Code, not a fighter at first? It was almost hard to believe.
"It's true. I was one of Asura's first members. After our 1st Exec, it was me, and then Greed. But in the beginning, I was nothing but Asura's taxi… It wasn't until he trained me and showed me how to use my magic in a fight that I started to become proficient in fighting. There's more than one way to win a battle—it's not always a battle of the brawns," he pointed to his head, implying his intellectual way of fighting. "That's why I put you in my group. So, I can teach you. You remind me of myself when I first started."
"Yeah, he was a total girl when he started," Havoc jabbed, cackling.
"Shut the fuck up, dumbass! You weren't even in the Guild yet, how would you know?" Code snapped at him, then calmed down just as quickly. "Anyway, I wouldn't disqualify yourself just yet. This next week, let's see what you can do."
Alice felt reassured; she never once thought that, of all people, she could be one of the frontliners. Though the thought was scary to her, she was willing to give it a shot.
"Our situation is complicated as it is. Though it doesn't matter to Greed whether we attend or not, I want to do this for him. Someone's gotta look out for that dumbass… When he gets back, I'll talk to him about it. And he will make the final decision in the end who will be participating with him."
Code shook his head and covered his face for a second, thinking of what Greed would do, knowing for a fact who his choices would be. He wasn't one to show off himself, but when it came to showing off his crew and his friends, he would choose the flashiest of the bunch—which just so happened to be…
With Jo's unpredictability for when she would show back up to the Den, and Nash's unreliability with his two weeks off and two weeks on schedule, it was a recipe for Greed's anarchic choice.
They all agreed silently after Code shared. And after a few moments of banter, and with the maids—Milo, Ulrich, and Kiki completing chores around the Den, they concluded their short morning meeting.
Two groups set out later that day, around 1200, to take on missions. The first group was Nash and Star, and the second was Ophelia and Brand. The ones left behind to care for the Den today and tomorrow were—Havoc, Alice, and Code.
***
**The next morning**
It was 0700 on the dot. Milo, Ulrich, and Kiki had already woken up thirty minutes before at 0630, starting their morning cleaning and maintenance routines around the Den.
The Wolves Den castle was like a vintage machine. It always needed a tune-up, especially when it had to move.
Alice had woken up at that time too and had just finished getting ready for the day. As she went from room to room in the Den, she found herself getting bored since the three maids had absolved her of all her duties. Code and Havoc had gone off for training as per usual and weren't going to be back by 0900ish, or potentially earlier—they even took Yuna with them.
She had only just become a Black Wolf Knight, and aside from her short lesson with Code yesterday, there already was nothing for her to do around here…
"They really made it so exciting yesterday, but I'm already bored out of my mind… I suppose I could have just slept in… but I can't… My natural clock wakes me by 0630," she sighed, "The other girls aren't here either, seems the missions they all took were overnight outside the Valley."
She pouted as she sat by the stairs facing the wide area leading to the double door entrance. "Ugh… This is so boring!" She said as she stared at the ceiling. "I guess I could just practice that."
At this time, a knock sounded on the doors.
"Now who could that be?" she rose from the steps, "Milo! Kiki!"
No response.
"Fine. I'll open it myself."
When she strolled over to the door and opened it, she was struck in horror at who she saw there… Behind the door, making his way in, was a large man dressed in black armor. He had a hideous face as he looked inside and found her there, trembling at the sight of him. She had known him all too well.
"So, this is where you've been… huh, Room girl?"