S A B L E

The roar of the crowd seemed to find its way through the thick stone and cement that laid between them. Sable flicked two fingers up, sending the wooden top splintering into the gray roof. The timber pieces fell down like saw-dust as he got up. Natsu's scarf hung from his leather belt.

Mary was the first to speak up. She leaned against the wall next to the door, her vivid crimson a reminder of her moniker: Bloody Mary. She unfolded her arms and with a stony frown placed her un-gloved hand on his chest. “Where in the hell do you think you're going? We don't have long and you prancing around won't help us if they call the guilds out. We need our leader there. You don't have time to disappear,” she reminded him.

Sable smirked before placing his hand on her wrist. “I know,” he reassured her pointedly. “Trust me, Mary. I'll be back before you can miss me.”

Her face turned red with embarrassment, a secret longing that she believed she was hiding well. Though it was far from it. Before she could catch herself, Sable slipped underneath her arm and pulled the door open. “Just going to check up on the competition. Gen, make sure Ender is prepared. He tends to become sidetracked when he has free time.”

“Roger.” answered Genesis in her soft, obedient voice. “Be safe, Reign-senpai.”

Next he looked over to Vivian. The old witch sat on her broom with the usual dazed expression; Mookey sat next to her. She'd be okay. Mary on the other hand seemed agitated at his leave, which didn't bother him, but did leave a slight want to ease her. With his index finger, he gestured for her to come closer to him. She did as told.

When she stopped, her lips were but a few inches from his own. He smiled kindly before dropping his hand tenderly onto her head. “Be easy, Mary-chan. I'll be back before you know it.”

She grew quiet before nodding and tensing her jaws, her arms coiled around each other as she fixed them back over her chest. “Fine, Reign. B-But you better not be late! I swear I'll gut you if you are.”

Sable grinned at the mild threat before starting to leave. He waved them off with a single arm. “Right, right. Be ready when I return.”

Minutes ticked by as Sable walked by each holding room. Earlier he had applied the scent masking agent from the Council, so he didn't fear being caught. He could sniff out the participants and knew that the Grand Magic Games would be just as hard as he thought. Damn that Marduk for entering, he would prove a impossible hurdle. If he had to he'd push every ounce of his new abilities out to secure a victory against him. Gwen and Aiden were of no consequence to him, though he knew they'd prove … stubborn. Besides his former Vyper guildmates, his interest remained stilled. That was until his steps brought him to the Unity Guild's holding room. He wondered if that silver-haired woman was there.

Before thinking it through he turned the knob to their room and stepped inside. His signature ruby studs hung from his ear as he peered at them, the porcelain-scaled scarf hung from his waist freely. His black v-neck shirt was stylishly torn at the ends, his ripped jeans and boots new and crisp.

“I--,” he uttered. “Have a proposition for you. Hear me out why not?”

Cut looked at the man evenly, her expression unreadable behind the mask.

"You know this guy, C?" Iron asked, lounging on one of the benches. "I didn't think you were into celebreties."

Cut ignored him, and the rest of the people in the room stayed silent, although Vivian gave Reign a soft smile.

"Let us speak in private, then," Cut said, standing up and sheathing her sword. She brushed past Sable on her way out of the room, and a strange feeling of vertigo overcame him as the hallway bent and shifted, only to be replaced by a small, empty room with a single door.

"Nobody will overhear us here, Sable, what did you want to talk about?"

S A B L E

Sable smiled lightly at the youthful man's statement, though inside he wished to raze him. Though he lacked the reason why himself. Something about him just prodded him in the wrong area. Stepping outside after Cut, he gave them all a friendly wave goodbye before following suit.

A fierce sensation took hold. His gut clenched inward before expelling the small breakfast Genesis had cooked. The bile spilled from his throat and onto whatever surface he stood on. He wiped his lips and pulled himself up from off knees with sweat falling from his face.

That damned weakness. He just couldn't get over it. He clenched his jaws hard before snapping a almighty snarl towards the silver-haired woman. Flames spewed off his shoulders and hair, his skin reddening with a visual heat. “Warn me next time!” he growled lowly. “Don't and I'll murder ya!”

Several seconds went by before he composed himself again. His hand pushed his bangs onto his short, maroon hair. He sighed. “I want an alliance. You're an unknown in this game and I need a strong ally to compete with Vyper Bolt and the other guilds. Your magic is nearly as potent as my own and I'd like to use you to further my goals.”

Cut

"No," Cut said shortly, stepping past Sable and opening the door. "You'll get no alliance, because while you're worried about taking out the snakes and the birds, the one who's truly after your head... is me." She stepped into the hallway, leaving the door open behind her. "I made myself a promise a long time ago that I'll pass you, and I'll show you that I can be strong. I gave up everything for that promise." She drew her sword and turned in one motion, pointing the blade at Sable's neck.

"You should be honored. I've dedicated myself, body and soul, to surpassing you. Don't disappoint me during the games." She hovered for another moment, neither her nor her sword moving, then she lunged forward and grabbed his collar, and the room shifted again. Sable found himself back outside his waiting room, staring at three feet of cold, unforgiving steel, and a pair of eyes that matched, then they were gone, and he was alone.

S A B L E

Sable quirked his eyebrow at her quick answer. Not a moment of thought was given and—at first—it pissed him off. His gritted teeth had been a dull blade when compared to his sharp, slanted eyes. They were filled with rage that, on him at least, seemed natural and preordain. Not even a blink had softened his wrath from her, even when her blade was pointed at him.

Fear of weapons had long been buried with him. His strength had transcended such. He knew his limitations and greatness; he knew that no singular weapon would ever bring him to his knees. Nor would some random woman who held a petty vendetta against him.

Her lunge would have been met with a quick counter but the moment he had gripped her arm, the room twirled again. His motion-sickness returned with a nasty punch, causing him to grumble in pain as his legs wobbled. When he was alone he let the pain race out and sunk to his knees. White hot claws tore at his insides but he managed to knock on the door to his room.

Mary and Ender helped him in, their questions were like bombs on a war-torn beach. With a soft chuckle, he fixed his mask on his face and answered. “Its nothing. J-Just a very small inconvenience.”

Marduk

A bead of sweat went down the side of Marduk's face, diverting his eyes away to avoid the stare. Deep down inside, he knew what it meant but avoided it anyways. Instead, he cursed inside his head Those old men better of not said anything Before he could continue he thoughts, he was suddenly dragged around by Gwen. He reluctantly went along, placing his pipe back into his sleeve as she introduced Aiden to a young cute girl. He raised an eyebrow First a mage, now a matchmaker.. Whats next Marduk took the bra and shirt off his head as if it was nothing to him. Years of this had conditioned him to not even bat an eye at this. He remained at the group, his normal intimindating glare which caused more problems than he could count

"Either way, you know I'm in your team Gwen"


Sweat dripped down Reiner's body onto the floor, his fingertips shaking as he listened to Alec's "motivational" speech. His focus was on his training, handstanding on his two index fingers and preparing for the Grand Magic Games. With one major target in mind, Marduk. He had spent this entire time honing and enhancing his Tremor Magic abilities, even gaining a new ultimate spell. One he decided to hide until the moment of truth came along. "If Master Alec promoted Oram, then he had reasons to" He replied to Raven who seemed to oppose the recent promotion.

Aiden sighed as Gwen began to harass another of their younger members, simply flicking off the clothes that landed on him without a second thought before he snapped his fingers. From behind him formed two Guardians of water and ice, which stepped forward to pull Gwen off the poor girl.

"Gwen, stripping is one thing, but you can't keep harassing our younger members, you have to think on how that reflects on the guild." Aiden then turned to Reina, extending his hand in greeting. "Hello Reina, a pleasure to meet you in person and I'm glad you'll be joining us in the games today. And also, don't be too worried about your performance today, as long as you try your best you're sure to show off the guild's strength. Not a single one of our members is an embarrassment . . . well, maybe Gwen every know and then, but everyone else is fine." Aiden said, giving Gwen a smile to show that he was only kidding.

"A pleasure to see you here to Marduk-san, I have someone to introduce to you as well." Aiden motioned for the elder mage to follow him as he walked over to where Xavier was sitting, lost in his own little world as he smoked like a factory in the corner. He looked up once he hear people coming closer, gulping slightly once he saw who they were. These guys are some of Viper Bolt's strongest Mages . . . what do they want with me.

"Marduk," Aiden began, "I'd like to introduce you to Xavier Lyone, a Godslayer like yourself, though his element is some sort of Volcanic Ash. He's a rather strong mage, but he's in desperate need of a guiding hand, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in training, if only for a short while. "

@Vongola_Hasayo

@Phobos



"Ruby-neesan, why don't you come over here and hug me like that?" Avarice said from his seat, jealous that the 'flat-as-a-board' duo were getting all of the attention. With a sigh, he leaned back in the seat, already missing hanging out with Luxuria and Invidia. Not as much with Ira, he was just quiet and didn't do much. But there was no point in complaining now, he had decided to go down this path and he was stuck to it. He was to stay with Sabertooth until the time when the 'big plan' was put into place, a double agent. And while he wasn't having the most exciting time, having to keep himself in control less he kill their targets(which was apparently a no-no in legal guilds for the most part unless the target was really bad), but it wasn't as boring as he thought it'd be. Messing with the loli-duo was always something fun to do, as his speed abilities meant he could play a great many pranks on them and can usually get away with it scot-free.

@Suku
@Masaki Haruna

Nigel sat on a small stool, waiting for the announcer to call out each team by name. His eyes closed, he was in deep...meditation you could call it. In actuality, he was scanning his body for any last-minute errors or inconsistencies that might have popped up. His inclusion by Master Kat in the team that would participate in the Games threw a huge monkey wrench into his plans. Originally, he planned on sitting along with the other members of the guild in the stands and used his nanites to scout on the members of the opposing teams but now, with him an actual member of the team, that wasn't possible anymore.

What came to him as a surprise was that Master Kat delegated Piper to a reserve. He was sure that they would need her long-range firepower if they wanted to gain the upper hand in the team fights. He looked around, searching for her in the guild waiting room.

An hour passed before word of the Grand Magic Games beginning had spread to the guilds. A short but slender man had spoken clearly through the doors, announcing that it was time to move out into the shadows of arch. There they would wait for their guild's name to be called and march out onto the field.

Sable drank the last of the herbal tea that Genesis made for him. It was finally time for it to begin the Grand Magic Games started now. He gripped his hands together and focused pass them to the mother-of-pearl floor beneath him. In a matter of months he had gained strength that he didn't think possible. And now … now he would have to use it against his once-trusted comrades.

His sharp canines ground against each other in a moment of ire. Senseis. Gwen. Aiden. Sairis. Cringle. Marduk … Harpi. Trusted friends and family at one point. Now I must look at them as enemies and adversaries. He stood up from the steel bench and head for the western arches, a unspoken order touched his team as they followed.

Between my training I once thought I couldn't go through with it. That the vision was just that, a silly vision. But along the way with Kyou guiding me, I learned that it was the truth. That they would turn on me … that they would betray me. However long it takes, I will squash them all. And take my place as the strongest wizard. With Kyou's help … I can't fail!

Looking up his eyes fell upon the lit battlefield of the stadium. Just a few dozen feet or so was the roaring crowd, the excited fans that loved to see a good wizard battle. The fanatics. Sable sighed and shook his head as he against the massive sandstone wall. “Don't they ever tire of screaming?”

Mary posed by his side and looked off towards the entrance with disgust. “I can hear a few, Reign screams as well. You shouldn't complain when their screaming to make you happy. Fucking idiot.”

Reign chuckled before directing his voice towards jogging flash of silver. “Careful, Ender. We're not suppose to go out until they call our names.”

The silver haired child paused with evident dismay sucking his teeth. “Yea, I know. Stupid rules, they should really let us go out whenever we feel. We're the ones fighting, right? I can't help being excited y'know, Reign? First time and everything,” clarified the youth.

“That's not the way the world works little brother. Rules are set in place for a reason. Fail to obey them and consequences is sure to follow.” Genesis answered with a stoic expression. Her arms were folded over her chest as he looked on at the other Guild members fill the large area. There was plenty of space for everyone to stay within their own Guild. But he doubted all of them would follow procedure.

Within the next few moments the resounding voice of the main judge filled the arches. “Allllright! Are we ready my sweet ladies and gentleman. My cool kids and gals. We're finally ready to call our competitors out to the field!” The crowd roared once more, their combined might shaking the air and turning into a blare in Sable's ears.

The announcers called out the Guilds one by one, starting the with the former champions: Blue Pegasus. The flamboyant playboys stepped onto the field with a show of stars of dazzling flower giants. Upon standing in the middle of the stadium, a few other Guilds were called out. Soon it was obvious that the remaining guilds would form a circle around the champs.

Upon hearing his Guild's name, Sable stepped out coolly, maintaining a steady gait pass Vyper Bolt and Harpy's Wing. Genesis, Ender, Mary, and Vivan followed suit. Mary was a bit snobby as she passed, flicking her crimson hair as she clacked forwards. Once everyone had been called out, Sable could see around him that Vyper Bolt and Unity had been placed along side each other. Harpy's Wing ended up between himself and Sabertooth. Lunar Wolf was next to Lamia Scale's team and though it seemed like they all had happily practiced this, it was obvious that a tension floated in the air among the Guilds.

The judges let loose a round of claps, melding in with the roar of the crowd. “Alright, let our first round of events begin! Lunar Wolf's: Kuroku vs. Vyper Bolt's: Aiden. Will the rest of the Wizards please leave the area and give room for these two powerhouses!”

Just as soon as the field was cleared, a sphere raised out of the ground. It was about the size of a watermelon and was the smoothest of silver. It floated in the air for a moment. “The rules are simple. Whoever catches the Metallite first wins. Magic is usable and tricks are deserving of extra points. If no one catches it within the 10 minute time-limit, whoever has the most points wins and gives there team 5-points. Let's see you two hustle! Get the Metallite!”

Like a switch, the silver orb shrunk to the size of a golf-ball and darted up into the air, high above the two wizards.

“Alright, let our first round of events begin! Lunar Wolf's: Kuroku vs. Vyper Bolt's: Aiden. Will the rest of the Wizards please leave the area and give room for these two powerhouses!”

Kuroku was taken a bit off guard when he heard his name being called upon by the announcer. He didn't expect to be one of the first contestants in the tournament, but he didn't complain. In fact, it seemed almost seems as if it was an honor to come up first, taking in the fact that it'll be his chance to test his new found powers for real.

"Just catch the Metallite first, huh?" he says to himself calmly, "Hm. This will be easy enough."

The "Dark" Winter Spirit's red coat swishes in the air as the Metallite darts up into the air. Taking no time, he quickly swishes his finger around, with his newly acquired black ice following swiftly behind. The ice then begins to creep up towards his mid arm as he prepares his trick move, attempting to end it quickly.

"Black Ice: Make - Cold Hand!"

He then unleashes a black, icy hand, right towards the Metallite, attempting to snatch it first!

KUROKU STRIKES!

Aiden looked up as he saw that the games where starting and he was up first. With a sharp grin of confidence plastered on his face, he turned to Marduk.

"I'll be back soon enough, so why don't you talk it over with Xavier a bit." He left with a small wave before he walked into the arena, his eyes quickly analyzing his opponent. He'd done some research a few days before on the other guilds and their possible contenders. The man before him was an S-class ice mage, and seemed to have recently learned a new magic type, though the specifications of this 'Black Ice' where not yet well-known, so caution was to be advised. As he stepped up, the Guardians that he'd had restrain Gwen released their charge and followed Aiden into the coming battle.

When the competition was announced and the Snitch Metalite was thrown into the air, neither competitor wasted anytime on going for the silver ball. While Kuroko took a more direct approach, Aiden put his mind to work on a near fool-proof way to win this match. "Fluid Ice Make: Dragonic Ascension!"

Calling out his signature attack, Aiden summoned 6 of his ice birds to fly towards the sphere. Meanwhile, his Guardians took the offensive, one grabbing the other and throwing them into the way of Kuroko's black hand. On contact, the construct would liquefy and condense before exploding outward with some force. Maybe not enough to break the hand, but enough to slow it's ascent and damage it. The other guardian took this opprotunity to charge at the S-class mage in an attempt to latch onto him. If successful, it would transform into a large ball of freezing water, trapping the mage if onky for a moment.

Whether the Guardian succeded or not, Aiden would still continue his assault as a blue magic circle appeared underneath his feet. "Water Dragon's Battering Ram!" The circle would explode with a surge of pressurized water, launching him forward at high speed towards his foe. If Kuroko took the hit, he'd be sent flying acrosd the stadium, but if he tried to block it, the Metalite would almost certainly be Aiden's to capture. Divide his attention between multiple threats and conquer the match as he tries to respond to all of them. Looks like your Black Ice won't be able to help you in this competition, my fellow ice mage.

@Lmpkio

So your trying to make a diversion, huh? Kuroku thinks in his mind as he analyzes the situation, Not bad.

He knew the black hand of his will not reach the Metallite in time and he will cause great embarrassment to himself if he takes the hit, not to mention slowing him down. However, he already had a counter planned.

"Ice Make: Decoy!"

At the last possible second, Kuroku creates an icy model of himself, shattering into a million bits, and creates a huge cloud of snow dust that would restrict the opponent's view for only a few feet. However, just as it shattered, Kuroku made a large backflip over the Water Beam. As he flips, Kuroku makes another attack to shatter the 6 Ice Birds that would've gotten to the Metallite.

"B.I: Make - Lance!"

And with that he forms 6 individual lances, that would shatter the birds to pieces. Right after that he forms three more lances that head straight towards Aiden with lightning fast speed.

But I came prepared. he finishes his thought right after firing the lances.

@Raijinslayer

Aiden clicked his teeth as he passed under Kuroko, canecling the magic as he dissappeared into the ice cloud. As the lances hurtled towards him, he muttered his spell in a low voice before unleashing a stream of pressurized water burstimg from the cloud and spinning around in a tight circle. The high pressure stream cut through the lances with ease, and would do a number on Kuroko if it hit him. Once the attack was ended, however, the water from it began to quickly evaporate, ciating the area in a semi-thick mist.

Unknown to the audience, Aiden had used the water body spell to turn merge himself with the water droplets in the air, allowing him to stealthily move around in it. As such, he quickly made his way to Kuroko, where he seemed to come out of the mist above him as he charged up another attack. As he came down on the Lunar wolf, Aiden's leg was wreathed in a vicious looking twister made of freezing winds and razor sharp shards of Ice.

"Ice Dragon's Blizzarding Step!" He shiuted right as he was about to make contact. Just before he did however, the tornado condensed itself before exploding outward, sending a gale force wind cannon hurtling at Kuroko at near poiny blank and sending Aiden rocketing towards the Metallite, hands outstretched and grin on his face. He still kept an eye out, however, to see if Kuroko would form a counter in time to stop him.

@Lmpkio

The stream of pressurized water broke through Kuroku's lance like nothing as they dissolved away. However, it would just barely miss the Winter Spirit by a feet. It was a pretty close call. He lands on his feet as he looks around for his opponent. He sensed a trick involved and was ready to pounce away if need be. Suddenly, he senses Aiden behind him, wanting to unleash a devastating tornado-like attack at him at point blank. Kuroku knew it... yet also came prepared. He then whispers his move.

"B.I: Make - Homing Missile!"

As the tornado explodes upon him, it would perhaps give a false sense of security for around 2 seconds, until suddenly, out from the cloud, a black, icy missile comes rushing right at Aiden, covering the distance in a mere 3 seconds. This should be just enough time to grab the Dragon Slayer and hurdle the both of them right back at the ground. In addition, Kuroku also blocked Aiden's way to the Metallite as they would pummel back down to the ground.

@Raijinslayer

Aiden was glad he hadn't let himself get too cocky, orelse he wouldn't have been able to react in time to Kuroko's counter attack. As the Lunar mage came his way, he charged up a spell and held it as he was grabbed, then slammed into the ground. Since he was prepared for the attack, if ever so slightly, he didn't suffer any injuries, but his head was a bit fuzzy from the rough landing. Asnhe tried to recover, he unleashed the spell he had been about to use before he got slammed into the ground.

"Weiss Dragon's Trap Sphere!" he called out as he attempted to catch him and Kuroko, though he was a bit slow at doing it since his head was still spinning.

@Lmpkio

Just after landing hard on the ground, he planned to jump right off his rival. It was a good thing he considered that too, because Aiden was going to trap the both of them! As soon as he heard the word "trap", he just barely was able to roll off him before the attack could be sprung. He quickly rolled for 5 times until finally be able to recover into a standing position.

Clever boy. he thinks to himself as he cracks his neck.

Now his head was spinning a bit, but manages to quickly shake it off and run towards the Metallite, with Dark Ice Magic aura flowing from his hands. Now it was his chance to win the round!

He leaps up into the air with all of his might, looking back to see if Aiden was planning a sneak attack. Yet it appeared that he didn't and as a result he snatched the Metallite right from the sky and landing with a silent thump. Kuroku brushes off his robe and flips his hair.

"All too easy." he simply says as he holds up the Metallite for all to see.

@Raijinslayer

Aiden cursed as he saw his trap fail, but before he could try anything else, Kuroko had gotten the sphere. To make things worse, as the Lunar Wolf mage came down, he had an air of arrogance to him and his words that really pissed Aiden off. For a second, he felt his instincts take hold, oushing him to show this cur his place before a dragon, but he squashed the thoughts and feelings deep fown inside of himself. He'd gotten too cocky, and had paid the price. This was only a small delay, and he'd be sure to redeem himself next time he got up. He wouldn't lose so pitifully again.

Swallowing his anger and pride, Aiden got up and walked over to the mage with his hand out in greeting. "Good Match, Kuroko-san." He seemed polite enough, but their was a bitnof a strain to his voice and if Kuroko took his hand, he'd feel Aiden's grip tighten to a slightly painful degree. While he was mostly graceful in defeat, Aiden didn't like to lose.

@Lmpkio

As Kuroku continued to show the metallite to the audience, he sees Aiden get up and walk towards him, showing his hand out and greeting him in a good match. The Winter Spirit shakes the hand with a smile.

"Same goes to you Aiden-san." he replies back respectfully.

Yet as he shook the Dragon Slayer's hand, it felt slightly painful. However, Kuroku just ignored it, understanding how it got to such a degree as he let go politely, nods at Aiden, and heads back to his corner in Lunar Wolf. He had just scored the first point of Lunar Wolf and he did feel proud about it. These powers are going to be most certainly helpful in future rounds and perhaps battles.

(Omg, I didn't mean to put what I said here) (Ignore)

The crowd roar with glee. A part of the crowd seemed downtrodden, surely fans of the Ice Dragon Slayer, the menace beneath Winter's cloak. The Judges were respectively doing a play-by-play and by the time Kuroku had snatched the Metallite out the air, the most out-spoken had yelled with excitement.

"Lunar Wolf has won! Lunar Wolf has won! A smashing start to the Grand Magic Games." he sighed with exhilaration. "Lunar Wolf's Kuroku was exemplar."

"Aiden did well too. We should offer congratulations to the both of them," said the judge of the far right, his arms folded across his chest as he sat in respite.

The first judge nodded. "Of course, for they have both begun the Grand Magic Games!" he shouted once more.

Sable sat in his a chair, his arms folded, and eyes closed as he listened to the outcome. Hearing of Kuroku's victory made him snarl in disgust. He had imagined that Aiden had grown strong been training just as he had, but perhaps he was wrong. Ender driveled with excitement as Genesis sat along side him. Mary was standing near the railing with Vivi floating above them on her broom stick.

"Well that's the end of that. Isn't he the one you told us to watch out for before?"

Sable shook his head and put his facade on. "I jumped to conclusions," he mused with a playful smirk. "Suppose I shouldn't have. Guess the rumors were false."

Ender pulled himself up till he leaned over the railing. " That Kuroku guy was really awesome though, he's my new favorite ... after you, Reign."

"Careful, Ender."

Reign smiled. "I'm happy." he responded to Ender.

After points had been divided between Lunar Wolf and Vyper's Bolt. Lunar Wolf gaining 3 and Vyper Bolt receiving 1 for participation. The battles continued for a hour. The former champs quickly found themselves lacking with the gathering forces and new guild entries. Blue Pegasus was falling behind. Everyone seemed downtrodden as the points stacked up and the pretty wizards were in a saddening 4th place. The next matchup was of Revan and Nigel vs Hana and Jeanne.

"Shall we see what these two powerhouses can do? Revan and Nigel of Harpy's Wing and Hana and Jeanne of Lamia Scale! Come to the field for a battle!"