**A week after Greed and the others' departure**
**Ocean jurisdiction**
A girl in a bikini lay stretched out beneath the sun.
She lay on a reclined beach chair as she rested comfortably without a care in the world. Her sunglasses nearly fell as she snored and woke herself up, drool lingering on the side of her cheek.
"Mmma! What day is it!?"
"Miss Jo… you've only been sleeping for thirty minutes… Surprisingly," a blue Spirit God the size of a plush said to her.
"Keeper Nyx…" she muttered, throwing an arm over her face and turning, flopping her large dragon tail afterward.
"Yeah… Anyway, now that you're awake, it's best we take care of the mission at hand before—" he nearly blinked if his hollow sockets would allow, only to see Jo… "Sleeping… She went back to sleep…" and he sighed.
From the shore before them, an assortment of giant tentacles spewed out.
The people on the beach screamed and scattered as it appeared, while the blue Spirit God, Nyx, merely threw on its sunglasses and sipped from its drink.
A head of a beast showed from the ocean, eyes as large as boulders, letting out a screeching roar.
The tentacles rampaged the place as sand shot up into the sky with each slam.
One of them grabbed onto the girl's ankle…
"Uh… Miss Jo!" Nyx said uneasily when he saw.
Without warning, the tentacle pulled and she flew with it, whipping her wildly in the air.
"Miss Jo!"
The beast drew her in and dangled her high above its head, slowly bringing its mouth to the surface. It was a beak at first, but when it opened, the mouth split into four different sections, revealing a much bigger mouth with rows and rows of daggered fangs the size of machetes.
"Miss Jo, please wake up!" he witnessed the beast release her ankle from its grasp and she began to fall, "Now!"
The wind howled as she dropped and then…
CHOMP! Gulp…
Nyx sunglasses nearly fell off his face when he witnessed the monster completely swallow her.
The beast screeched and its tentacles swung wildly again, like it was celebrating the meal it just had.
People continued to run and panic as the beast began to make its way onto shore, dragging its massive body upon the sands of this once utopia.
But just as it managed to get all of itself on land, it stopped, and it gagged…
It gagged again. And again…
It screeched again but this time, not out of victory. Out of agony.
Without warning, it froze over. The ice spread even over the sand as the beach was now turning into a barren of ice.
Nyx sighed deeply to himself, somehow holding all their belongings with its tiny body. "Always with the theatrics…" he complained.
From a random part of the beast, a small crack sounded, followed by the bursting of a person-sized 'door' from its frozen carcass.
The silhouette of a girl revealed as she sauntered out with her hands on her hips, visibly irritated. "Ugh… so gross… I just bought this bikini too… Now I'll never get to show GG…" she found Nyx yards away. "Why didn't you wake me!?"
"I DID WAKE YOU!"
"Obviously not, useless Spirit God."
"WHY IS THIS MY FAULT!? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WOULDN'T WAKE UP!"
"What good is our contract if I'm always the one doing the heavy-lifting?"
"I EXPLAINED THIS TO YOU ALREADY SINCE THE DAY WE FIRST CONTRACTED—"
Jo's short attention span had drawn her to a frightened citizen just a few feet away, flailing in the sand. Her upper torso was underneath, and her legs were up in the air, struggling to get out.
She grabbed her ankle and pulled her out with a decent amount of effort. And she fell to her hind when she was finally free.
"You okay miss?"
The girl coughed out sand and tried to shake off as much of it off her as she could—to no avail.
"I-I'm fine! T-Thank you…" the girl said. She was brunette with piercing red eyes, and she had a distinct pin of a wolfdog logo on her head… it looked almost like Yuna…
"Anyway, you should get going. Grade 1 beasts like that shouldn't be arriving anymore now that I'm here, but this place is no longer habitable."
The girl didn't reply. It was almost like she was conflicted about something. It didn't take her long to merely nod, turn around and leave shortly after.
Jo only watched her as she did. "Fuckin' weirdo."
"Miss Jo, the W.M.A. are here, we should get going," Nyx said.
She then cast an ice mist that shrouded her tail and once it had situated, the reflections off the ice particles hid it as if she didn't have one. They need only to not pry and it wasn't too obvious.
"Let's go," she replied. And they were gone from the scene as quickly as the W.M.A. had arrived.
***
With her beach trip being ruined, Jo and Nyx had retreated to a nearby town by the sea.
She took out her comm and summoned a digital scroll, effectively submitting her missions complete. When the eterna had manifested, it was about forty-five-hundred eterna.
"Huh? Did they short us?"
Nyx observed the mission rewards, and it clearly stated nine-thousand eterna, yet they had only gotten half…
"Yeah… This is highway robbery! This has to be some mistake!"—he looked for the account to see who posted the mission—"Anonymous… Of course!"
"Isn't this illegal? There has to be some way to retrieve the rest of the funds. I need to buy a new swimsuit."
"This isn't time to be thinking of your next beach outfit! We were just robbed after completing the mission to exterminate that Grade 1 Kraken! That is no small feat, mind you!" Nyx lectured.
"That's easy to say when you did jack-shit." Jo effortlessly countered.
"IT WAS A FIGURE OF SPEECH!"
Jo ignored him and clicked on the profile again, studying the picture with her emerald eyes…
She tilted her head and pursed her lips as she stared at it for a long while. And then when she tilted her head some more, her eyes widened and said, "Wolfdog!"
"Keeper, you are so easily distracted… where is this wolfdog so I may behold its fluffiness—"
"No, dingbat,"—she pointed to the profile picture, and it was a logo of a sideways wolfdog, that at first glance, resembled another misleading logo—"Wolfdog."
"What does this have to—"
"That girl at the beach I pulled out from the sand had that same pin in her hair… I knew there was something off! She was the one who posted this mission. We need to find her and get the rest of our eterna."
"Not a bad plan, but where do you suppose we'll find her? It's been an hour since you defeated that monster and we came here to avoid W.M.A. She must be long gone now…"
"Hmm…" they both pondered.
At this time, a friendly voice interjected. "Hello! Uh… you're JoAnne of the Black Wolves, are you not?"
Jo looked at him disgustedly and said, "Ugh… to you? No. Buzz off."
The young male chuckled nervously as his hanafuda earrings clacked and he started scratching the back of his head. "Sorry… I just couldn't help but notice another Ace from the Valley! My name is Nolyn, 1st Ace of the Snow Lilies. We entered the Valley Tournament together a few weeks ago. I understand if you don't remember me though… I was among the vanished and didn't even get to participate in the tournament."
"Oh, so you're useless too."
"Miss Jo! That's rude!"
Nolyn chuckled nervously again. "That's a fair assessment… Had I been more aware, I would have not been taken… But that is the past now, and I intend to make up for my weakness from that day. I recently completed a mission to exterminate a Grade 1 Tyrannosaur and came here to recoup and collect my mission rewards, but I only received forty-five-hundred eterna… the rewards stated nine-thousand eterna…"
Jo's ears perked when he said that. "Wait, what did you say, 'earrings'?"
"I said I just completed a mission to exterminate—"
"I heard all that… I meant about the eterna."
"Oh, right. I think it's best if I just show you my mission scroll."
He pulled it out and Jo scrolled to the account and found the profile picture.
Sideways wolfdog… Him, too, huh? She narrowed her eyes to him, and he blushed and looked away. And Tyrannosaur? That's not easy to take down, even with my magic… The Kraken I took down is fodder in comparison to that thing. Just who is this meek loser?
"Looks like we were both duped by the same person," she showed him her mission scroll and pointed to the anonymous account that posted it.
"I see… that's quite the observation! I'm so glad I ran into you here, JoAnne!"
"Would you stop calling me by my full name? I fuckin' hate it… and the sound of your voice is irritating, so if you wouldn't mind shutting up, too, while you're at it, you'd be doing my ears a favor."
"Keeper, Miss Jo please be more cordial to your fellow Valley knight! He just gave us a big clue! If he was affected too, how many others have been?" Nyx confronted.
Jo sighed objectively and glanced at Nolyn. "Did you happen to see a girl about yea-high, brunette, red eyes?"
"I did not, unfortunately…" Nolyn replied disappointedly.
It was at that time, they both got an update from their mission scrolls. It was from the anonymous poster…
They both scrambled as they read the message.
If you have received this message, then that means all Aces have successfully completed the first half of this mission.
All Aces? Jo thought.
"First half…?" Nolyn muttered.
In addition, those of you who finished first probably noticed the pay cut from the mission reward. Please note that this was on purpose, and by no means a refusal to pay on my part—
"Definitely seems like it, bitch."
"Miss Jo!"
I apologize for the smoke and mirrors, but this was the only way to gather strong Aces from the Valley to assist the Ocean's princess at this time.
"Ocean's princess?" Nyx repeated.
"Shh, I'm reading." Jo shot back, to which Nyx's forehead tightened in response.
The next phase of this mission is to have all Aces meet at the Ocean's capital in the Sunlight Zone. From there you will be given further instructions and afterward—the rest of your eterna. Thank you for your cooperation in the aid of the Valley's ally—
"Blah, blah, blah… Let's go," Jo said disinterestedly.
"Miss Jo!"
"Keeper, what Nyx? Must you whine about everything?"
"I was going to say—shouldn't you change first? You're still in your beachwear…"
Jo looked down and her new bikini was full of dried slop from the Kraken from earlier. It was only then she felt completely revealed in front of this newcomer.
She scowled at him and said, "The fuck are you lookin' at pervert!?"
Nolyn blushed and waved his hands in front of himself, averting his eyes all the while. "I-I-I'm sorry J-J-J-J… I mean, um… what did you want me to call you? Heh…"
Jo froze him and began walking off.
"Miss Jo! Unfreeze him this instant! … Miss Jo! MISS JO!"
***
**Hours later. Sunlight Zone. Ocean Kingdom**
Jo, Nyx, and Nolyn had made it to the Ocean's capital.
The city was a beautiful, mechanized haven that differed nicely from the Valley's futuristic-steampunk vibes. Projection screens filled the walkways wherever they went, constantly running the Kingdom's pride and joy sport—Boko.
Assortments of street vendors filled this part of the town. The main colors—white, blue, beige—everywhere they went. The sounds of seabirds rang constantly in the skies, and the smell of the ocean filled their noses everywhere they went.
It was a pleasant contrast to the bustling streets and crowds of people. If one were to compare, the Ocean was arguably bigger than the Valley.
The three of them stood before a grand staircase that seemed to go on forever. It was a light beige, and the metal appeared to resemble coral the further up they looked.
"Keeper, I hate stairs…" Jo complained.
"Would you like me to carry you up?" Nolyn offered.
"Ew… don't touch me."
Nolyn's spirit was crushed after that.
"Nyx. Carry me."
"Miss Jo, I will do no such thing. In fact, it just so happens to be my recuperating time… So, I will see you…"—he looked Jo up and down—"when I feel like it…"
"Hey!"
And he was gone.
"Stupid, useless Spirit God…" she grumbled.
She looked at Nolyn who was meek as ever, then looked down at her short, black bodycon dress under her Black Wolves jacket.
Of course this was the only other thing I packed…
"You." She demanded.
Nolyn perked nervously as she started talking to him.
"Walk ten paces ahead of me and never look back."
He gulped.
"Got it?"
"Aye…"
They both made their way up the grand stairs and entered through the massive gates. They were guarded, but they immediately let them in without question. They didn't even need to provide their mission scrolls. It was like they were already known…
They were now in the inner courts of the castle. This looked to be like the Arcane King's castle back in the Valley, except this one was taller and surrounded by swirling blue and white metal that resembled banners and massive ribbons.
The court was large but not overbearing. And in the middle were three other mages—each in different uniforms—standing in the center, waiting.
They were all from the Valley as well…
From Jo's left was a male with a flashy coat of blue and white color block. He looked like he was wrapped entirely of bandages—literally from head to toe—save for his brown messy hair and his blue eyes. Silver Sharks 1st Ace, Otto.
In the middle was a golden night with half a helm on his face from the nose down. He had long black hair and was tied to a ponytail that still managed to drape down to the back of his knees, along with his sheer cape with a golden rose logo embroidered on it. Golden Roses 1st Ace, Metal.
And next to him was a girl she had never seen before. She had round glasses and short green hair. She was in a black oversized puffer jacket with the numbers '0' and '1' on the arms, a yellow skintight tracksuit, and black high top sneakers. And on the back was the logo of a wasp.
When Nolyn and Jo made it to them, Nolyn made his way next to Otto and Jo to the other side, purposely avoiding him.
"Ah, it's good to see you all here!" Nolyn said but was pleasantly ignored.
The only one who acknowledged him was the girl Jo now stood next to. She eyed her unashamedly as the girl felt her gaze.
"Oh, hello! … Uh, my name's—"
"Don't care," Jo said blandly. "You're from that new Guild, Yellow whatever, right?"
"Yellow Jacket Knights—or Yellow Jackets for short, yes."
"What kind of Grade 1 beast did you defeat?" she asked. Straight to the point, as if she was gauging her ability through conversation alone.
"Umm…" the girl hesitated. She seemed uncomfortable about something, but Jo didn't care.
"Well?" Jo pushed.
"A Grand Oculus Fiend…"
Jo's eyes twitched when she heard that. And in an instant a flood of suppressed memories flashed before her eyes. Ones of her old home. Her sisters. Greed.
The thought came so suddenly, she didn't even realize she was spacing out.
That's when the girl hugged her.
Jo was stunned.
She darted her eyes to her and said, "The hell are you doing?"
The girl retracted herself, her hands still at Jo's side. "Sorry. I just had a feeling saying that monster's name was gonna trigger something in you… So I didn't want to say it…"
She had a 'feeling'?
"I know you didn't ask, but my name's Kayya. If you need anyone to talk to or use for any reason… I'm here."
Jo was caught off guard with the girl—Kayya's kindness. And that hug she gave her… it felt like—
The double doors of the Arcane King's castle opened and their attention shifted.
The person who walked out was an ironclad woman in black and green. There were slits in her armor that revealed parts of her skin, and her hair was short and silver. There was no expression on her face—cold and stoic as she counted them all with her gaze alone.
Reminds me of Raeyn… Jo thought as she challenged her watch.
The woman made her way at the center of them and didn't speak for a few seconds. It was like she was testing the air with them now in it.
"So, these are the Aces from the Valley who responded to the call?" she finally spoke. She sounded exactly like how she looked.
Each of their eyes met her. Each with a different expression on their faces.
The air was thick with an odd kind of feeling. Slightly awkward and slightly anticipating for the purpose of their gathering.
Zero fear was present.
It was then that the one in the middle—Metal raised a golden clad hand toward her and said, "The rest of our eterna, if you would." A command.
The woman looked at his hand and then back to him almost disgustedly, clicking her tongue.
They stared at each other endlessly, and a different type of awkward silence emerged.
One could hear the sound of distant clicking clocks as they stared… glowered…
Then.
In an instant, both drew their weapons and they clashed in a blink of an eye.
The guards reacted, but the woman halted them. "No. This one wants to fight? Then I'll give him one.
She flipped the weapon she somehow drew from the ethers and faced the tip of it inches towards the ground. It was a large claymore with vine-like designs on the pommel and on the blade itself. She guided her other arm to it and made a fist right next to it, pulling away shortly after. And once she did, another claymore was in her other hand. This one had different designs and patterns on it, but it still followed that same vine-plant theme the other one had.
Opposite from her, Metal had drawn his long sword. The pommel and hilt were of gold make as he positioned it next to his head with the silver blade pointed at her.
He said no words as he patiently waited for her to make her next move.
The woman inhaled deeply and loosed a sigh. And seconds later, she bolted toward him with furious speed.
Jo and the rest of them moved out of the way as they were seconds—inches away from clashing again.
But that's when the double doors opened once more and a girl's voice echoed throughout the court.
"Rina. Stand down."
When the woman heard that, she instantly withdrew, leaping away from Metal.
Metal didn't retract his stance. Instead, he focused on this mysterious girl who just arrived.
"Eterna." Was all he said as she met his gaze.
She was probably in her early twenties. Brunette. Red eyes. And that wolfdog pin in her hair…
"It's her!" Jo said and Nolyn reacted from where he was. But just as they were about to make their move, she clapped her hands once and they were all still. Only ringing in their ears was left as they threw their hands up to their heads.
What? What is this?
"I'm sorry… I just needed to prove a point."
After she said this the ringing stopped and they could all finally move.
"This was the only way to get the attention of some of the Valley's strongest," the girl said. She wore a long gown with a visible bodysuit on the inside, legs revealed, white stockings… it resembled a wedding dress, of sorts… "I had originally planned for Captains or Vice Captains… But none seem to respond to the call."
"The Valley has been busy with their own problems…" Metal interjected.
"I understand," she said as she clenched her hand. For a brief moment, Jo saw a gleam from her ring finger, and it looked like a very expensive diamond the shape—again—of a wolfdog… What had been the significance of that?
"I had to improvise and go with the next best. And what better than the strongest of the Guilds than their Aces?" she went on, "Once again, I am sorry for the hidden agenda. But the Ocean needs assistance with an important matter. A matter that with more help, could grant us victory."
"Why not ask your own Aces. The Ocean has their own Guilds, too, no?" Jo asked.
When the girl saw her, she hesitated for a moment as she studied her. "The Ocean's Aces are dead."
Their eyes each flashed as she said that.
She continued, "The Arcane King is currently at the Island Kingdom protecting its citizens from the attacks of Leviathans…"
"I'm sorry, did you say Leviathans—plural?" Nolyn asked.
"Yes."
They each hesitated when she said this. To face a Grade 0 beast is rare, but to face multiple Grade 0 beasts—especially of the same kind—was almost unheard of.
"Ever since the Apostles came and took one of our Zion Orbs, our barrier has been down and we've been in danger of an impending attack from the Leviathans… we had hoped to deal with the matter later, but we didn't expect a declaration of war…
They each recalled Pride's entrance at the Valley Tournament. But judging by the conditions of the Ocean Kingdom, it seemed they got off on far less fatal terms… it seemed.
"Because we have lost so many mage knights to the Leviathans, when the Apostles arrived, we had no choice but to submit willingly… and it's because of that, that we need the Valley's aid more than ever." She steadied her breathing. "I promise I will pay you the rest of your eterna—I will pay tenfold—just please,"—she bowed—"please lend us your strength!"
They were all silent for a moment. Then Otto asked, "If the situation is so dire, why the ruse?"
"Because otherwise, you would not come…"
When she said that, Jo felt an odd presence. She looked to Kayya next to her and she looked almost in tears after she had said that. It was as if what she said was deeply personal and not meant for the matter at hand…
Jo stepped forward and continued walking.
When Rina saw her, she whipped her head to the girl as if she was pleading to react, but she simply nodded her head and allowed her to come.
By the time Jo had made it to her, she was only feet away from her now, "Three things—and after that we will aid you."
The girl held her stare in a respectful manner and silently agreed.
"Number one—we require our eterna first before we offer assistance. Consider it a labor fee for giving us the runaround."
The others focused, liking that first condition.
"Two—what is your name? All this talk about 'help us', but who are we working for?"
The girl closed her eyes and smiled faintly. "That is fair,"—opening her eyes again—"Not many know my position after all… unlike the Princess of the Valley, Belle, I am no SS rank mage, but I am still a princess. Princess of the Ocean, Astrid. But please, just call me Astrid—no formalities."
Jo silently huffed at the mention of Belle. It was enough of a delay for Astrid to say, "By the way… you looked very pretty in that swimsuit earlier."
She blushed and made an odd face, looking around at everyone else there to make sure they didn't hear that. They most definitely did.
Jo closed her eyes and cleared her throat before asking her final question, "And three—"
She opened them again and held a strong solemn expression on her face as Astrid met her with a serene one.
"What's with the wolfdogs?"
Astrid chuckled and adjusted her diamond wolfdog ring. The matching pin seemed to flicker from the sun as well. "My fiancé gave me this."
"Fiancé?"
Astrid giggled at the thought, recalling memories that seemed forever gone.
"Aye…" she replied as she looked very fond of Jo's uniform.
From behind, Kayya peeped so loudly that it got Jo's attention. She still wasn't sure what that girl's magic was, but it seemed she could read very intuitively into others' emotions.
From that reaction alone, she began to connect the dots. And it hit her like a tidal wave…
"No fuckin' way… Don't tell me your fiancé is—"