The X803 Ishgar/Othrys Annual Tournament

Opening Ceremony
"Hello citizens of Ishgar!" called the announcer. "Today is the first ever Ishgar/Othrys Annual tournament! And I'm sure it will be a sight to behold, on par with the Grand Magic Games! Hosted by our generous new allies in Othrys, their King, Typhos Saturnalia, will now lead the progressions."

The young king stepped forward from his balcony. He was wearing his formal attire, his battle armor. Joining him were his two bodyguards, Noah and Altar, as well as his sister, Proserpina, and her bodyguard Vega. Other people watching from his booth included, surprisingly, Aether Cade, former guild master of Dragon Gunfire, his mother Miriam, and Jason Gaebolg, the young king's half brother. As the three were all citizens of Ishgar, Typhos had hoped it would further his goal in brokering peace between Ishgar and Othrys. "Greetings!" he exclaimed through the microphone lacrima. "I welcome you to my country. I would just like to state how pleased I am that so many of you have decided to see this spectacle of mine. I hope that our two civilizations can live in peace, now that we are rid of the dreaded Svartalfar. Now, let the games begin!"

"Now, first it's time to introduce the mages competing on Othrys' side," continued the announcer. "We have, in ascending rank based upon their role in this country's military, the World Scorcher Ragna, the Undetectable Largo Doomkaiser, Air God Velocity, Blue Devil Alexius, and the Demon of Destruction Jaco! This sure is an interesting lineup of mages indeed!"

It most certainly was. None of the mages representing Othrys looked human. The five mages sat down in their seats near the edge of the arena, crossing their legs. They all looked calm, and collected, except for Velocity, who couldn't keep still.

"I should be down there," said Adze from the Othrys half of the spectator stands. "Why wasn't I chosen to represent us!"

"Because Adze," said Librum, "you're only ranked ninth. These are our top five commanders."

"Yeah Adze," said Reaper, "I'm ranked sixth, and you don't see me complaining about it.

"Besides," began Haven, "I prefer assured victory over possible any day. If we lose this tournament, Ishgar might think we're weak and invade. Our past would give them justification for doing so. I wouldn't be surprised if this is why they agreed to the tournament in the first place."

Adze was fuming with rage. "What do you think Manos?"

Manos looked at Adze, then at the others, and began to speak so quickly and incoherently that no man on earth could have possibly understood what he was saying, then he suddenly went silent, stopping in the middle of his sentence.

"This is why no one likes to talk to you," said Reaper.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, lord and ladies, kings of all corners of the world, let me introduce you to the courageous mages who will fight in the name of Ishgar. In no particular order, lets hear it for the gorgeous and ferocious master of the lion dogs, The Flash Tactitian Samarra Inari!" The crowd went abalze with roars of excitement. Many a man and woman knew of the accomplishments of Samarra, her guild and, so to say that tehy were thrilled to personally witness her in action would be an understatement.

"Next up, the man who's pressence lights up the room, the flower graced by the sun and stars, Koma Inu's own Golden Knight, I give you Kazuki Hinata!" Once more, the roars of the crowd thundered through the arena, for while his name may not be the most famous one, his position in the famous Koma Inu and the fact that he had been chosen to represent Ishgar in this tournament was enough to instill hope and excitement to the crowd.

"Now, raise the volume for the next chosen champion of Ishgar, the one who fell from Heaven and never looked back, the one who plunged into depths of... perversion? Why is that even a good thing? Anyway, I present to you, the guild master of Libertus and Angel of Havoc, Pharzuph Vaccaro!" Again, there seemed to be no end to the thrill that surged through the gathering, though the side of the arena which housed the Othrys citizens hardly gave more than a half hearted vague clap of the hands and it seemed like the natives of Ishgar only were excited by his presence due to the guild master title he was noted by. "It seems like I'm rather unknown still, though, I'll give them all a taste of my power. Though unfortunately for them," Pharzuph thought as he turned his head in the direction of his future opponents, "They'll be getting more than a taste." He mused with a smirk visible on his face.

"I think this will prove to be quite the show, my dear gathering, so give me a thundrous applause for the static woman which is sure to send exciting chills down your spine! Now give it up for The Herald of the Skies, Caiera Bronzhardt!" Not wishing to disappoint, the crowd once more let out a cheer which seemed to rumble the air, and claps which sounded like repeated thunderclaps.

"And last, but most certainly not least. one of the freshest of the Lion dog pups, let me introduce you to the... To the... How do I even pronounce this? Skele-punisher? No wait! Give it up for the Skele-PUN-isher, Asher Segenam" The reaction wa rather mild, as if the applause was more out of courtecy rather than actual excitement. Not that it seemed to bother the man in question, as he leaned back in his seat with a wide grin. "This should be good."

Jaco saw Caiera across the field. He scowled at her. They had come into conflict before, but their battle had been inconclusive.

"What's the matter Jaco?" said Velocity with a big grin, "normally you're more composed than this."

"He's met this woman before," said Alexius. "Caiera Bronzhardt. I recognize her magical energy."

"Her power is impressive," said Ragna. "All of them are."

"Of course you'd say that Ragna," said Velocity, "you're the weakest one among us."

"Calm yourself Velocity," said Largo, "you shouldn't forget you're not the strongest one here either."

Velocity looked at Alexius and Jaco, who both scowled at him. "My apologies. I got ahead of myself."

"Whatever," said Alexius. Jaco just grunted. Velocity sighed in relief. Jaco continued to scowl towards Caiera.

Samarra looks across at her team's competition, a bit intrigued by their "other worldly" look and offputting expressions. she could sense the magic power coming from them and knew this would be a rough tournament, but equally exciting. She turns to her teammates beside her and figures she better see how they are feeling, "So you guys ready for some fun? Our opponents seem a bit serious don't you think?"

Kazuki looks around the vast sea of people in the stands, the energy they had almost tangible as they showered the groups in praise. The feeling of an immense pressure&mdash;both to perform well in front of the people who came out to watch and the dominant magic power coming from the opposite side of the arena&mdash;was both terrifying and exhilarating, though such a rush of emotions was none too surprising to the young man. He was determined to win, both for his guild and his family, as nothing would make him happier to fill the guild with pride and keep his family happy and healthy. I only wish they could see me... Well, Satomi, if you're somehow watching, I would appreciate any good luck you send my way! He thinks, and though he knows it's probably not real, he feels as though the sun shines just a bit brighter on the battlefield. When Lady Inari turns and asks the two questions, he nods. "I look forward to facing off against our opponents. I have been waiting for the opportunity to prove my worth as a mage of your guild, and I hope this can be my chance." His smile is bright and warm, not unlike the very sun that gazed down upon them. He plays with the key chain that is currently wrapped around his wrist, listening to the small chorus of voices that encourage him. Well, three of them encouraged him, the fourth was just really looking forward to seeing if his current opponents bled red and hearing how loud they screamed. He fought the urge to visibly recoil at her graphic description of what she predicted might happen when she stabbed them, shutting off the telepathic communication he had set up between himself and his Spirits. If not for the fact that he would need her at top energy later, Kazuki would have assumed she would appear in front of him to tell the whole world about her sadistic plans, though even she knew that keeping her energy high was the most important thing if she were to be able to help him later. "Don't be alarmed by a scissors-wielding woman around my height with purple hair. She means you no harm." ''She means her opponents a hell of a lot of harm, though. The rule was not to kill, but will I get in trouble if she maims them?'' Kazuki wonders though he assumes better safe than sorry. "On account of this scissor-wielding friend of mine, is maiming the opponents against the rules? She's a... She's brutal in battle and I would like to avoid any complications so I don't spoil the good Koma Inu name or the relationship Ishgar and Othrys has managed to make after their war."

Samarra thinks back to the rule announcement prior to this opening ceremony, placing her finger on her chin as she reflects. She turns to the familiar face of Kazuki, always in awe of his drive and dedication to the guild and its reputation, speaking with a calm tone, "Well the only rule that was address was 'no killing', so I am assuming serious injuries are allowed as long as the heart is still beating...so I would say maiming isn't against the rules here, as I am sure our opponents will take full advantage of, so I see no reason why we should sacrifice our offensive power as well. But I think it would be the noble thing of us to not be the first to attempt such a deed." Her thoughts turn to the ruthlessness of her opponents and their positions as war commanders, thinking they probably don't think of such actions threatening the peace of Ishgar and Othrys ties like Kazuki or her other teammates do. ''They are probably just here to win by any means necessary...well that's not going to happen, because this team here is one of astounding mages who's strength is second to none of Ishgar. We will prevail here!'' Samarra thinks to herself, excited to cheer on her fellow teammates to victory.

Kazuki nods. "Whether or not my opponent ends up maimed is dependent on how eager Scorpio is. I would never mortally wound them unless they provoked me to, but she doesn't care much about being noble. I apologize in advance for any gruesome display she may create." He lightly touches the key ring, telling Scorpio the news through their telepathic link, to which she hums in content. The fact that he can practically see her lips pulling apart in a teeth-baring grin as she views one of her weapons is something that worries him slightly, and he quickly tells her that killing is absolutely out of the question, no matter what his opponents did in the battle. She whines about him being unfair and that it was simply her instincts to protect her caster when danger arose, to which he rolls his eyes, telling her the only thing she wants to protect is her ruthless reputation. She laughs, the sound filling him with both dread and excitement. Whether or not he liked her methods of battle, he had to admit she got things done and having her on his side was something he was more than thankful for. "Anyways, how are you guys feeling in terms of the upcoming battle? I hope the intimidating aura they all have is not too offputting to you. If I didn't have Scorpio around me all the time, I don't think I would be able to stand it!" He laughs as said Spirit goes off on him about being disrespectful, promising to smack him upside the head when she showed up later.

Typhos turned to his cousin from his booth. "You must be torn between who you want to cheer for Aether. You can't decide between rooting for your birthplace, or rooting for your family."

"I chose Ishgar when you decided to hold this tournament," answered Aether.

Typhos feigned surprise and sadness. "Cousin Aether, so rude. Anyways, it doesn't matter who you cheer for. Othrys will come out on top."

"If I'm not mistaken, Dragon Gunfire beat your army last time."

"What do you think we do? Lay on our asses all day? No. We train every day, honing our skills and increasing our power. That's why it only took an army of 6000 to bring Ishgar to its knees. Dragon Gunfire was just lucky they only encountered my commanders, and at a much lower level of power than they are now. Speaking of Dragon Gunfire, how come none of the members of your former guild decided to take part. I would think they'd have the confidence."

"The last time we fought it was for vengeance for the destruction of Nidavellir. They don't want to accidentally kill a commander and get disqualified."

"You should know better than anyone else dear cousin. You can destroy their body, but you can never kill a member of the Legion Under the Black Sun."

The First Round: Velocity vs Caiera
"Alright ladies and gentlemen! It's time to get this show on the road! The primary order for the Othrys team is Velocity, followed by Largo, then Ragna, Alexius, and finally Jaco!"

"Now our two competitors will hop into the ring!"

Velocity got up from his seat and walked to the arena. He turned to Othrys side and pumped his fists into the air. The Othrys spectators roared in approval, with Velocity hamming it up.

"He's showboating again," said Largo.

"It doesn't matter," said Alexius, "as long as he defeats his opponent he'll be fine."

"What do you think Jaco?" asked Ragna.

Jaco grunted it response.

"I see."

Meanwhile, Caiera hovered down from where she sat, landing softly down on the battlefield without a word, simply glancing at the huge audience. And then she met Velocity's gaze with a cold stare of her own. She means business. "I suppose before the battle begins, we should become acquainted at the very least. Hello, my name is Caiera, it is nice to meet you.", she said, almost with a sly tone as the corners of her lips rose into a barely-visible smirk of sorts. The other members of her small guild watched discretely from the audience, all of them calm and collected, none of them doubting her capability.

Meanwhile, from the top of the stadium on its roof...three anonymous figures made themselves hidden as they observed the build-up to the fight. A man with similar features to Caiera, dark skin and white hair, looked almost anxious. His two accomplices, a brunette and a pinkette, looked on, curious.

"You're that chick that fought Jaco before right?" said Velocity smugly. "Well, I might not know anything about your friends who're participating, but I know plenty about your magic. And in contrast, you don't know anything about mine.  My name is Velocity, commander of the 3rd cohort of the Legion Under the Black Sun, but you can call me Air God." He said this with a slight bow, as if he was a stage performer.

"Barriers have been provided by Librum of the 10th cohort of the Legion Under the Black Sun, and reinforced by Justu Shiki barriers provided by Aether Cade!" called the announcer. "Now let the battle begin!"

A small pulse could be felt in the arena suddenly. Only those with complete mastery over Air Magic could feel it, and even then, only Velocity knew what it was. He had sealed off the arena from any external source of air. In approximately five minutes, his opponent would have nothing to breath. He had casted the spell Air Dome. And that was if she stayed stationary for entire fight. Velocity planned on having her move around plenty. He made a wide grin as he beckoned his opponent to come towards him.