LEONE’S PLOY

"Word of advice, go all out and finish this quickly" Leone said as he entered the ring first, before him stood a creature, four time his size, a wyvern, a young one, it had a crazed violent expression...

Leon smiling took out a majestic looking sword,

"Is that ... the Durendal?" Ann asked eyeing his sword.

"It seems as though it is, our friend has been treasure hunting I see." Allen answered observing Leon.

Leon in a swift manner sprinted towards the beast, who barely had time to react, approaching underneath it, he struck the sword in one clean slash cutting through the beast. As the creature backed up bleeding, Leon pressed on slicing apart first the tail that attempted to slam into him then the clawed wings as the creature tried to take to the sky. As the beast let out a desperate roar of fire, Leon walked right through slicing off the creature's neck.

Moments later with a thud the giant lizard fell to the ground. Its head rolling away as the crowd of spectators cheered, Leon wiped his blade and walked back toward a smirking Allen and Ana.

"Less than two minutes eh..." Allen remarked as he stepped in the ring.

The corpse of the beast was taken away as another one took its place.

Allen not wasting anytime charged in at it, the creature reciprocated sprinting at the assassin.

It was in mere seconds that Allen was standing behind the creature, most of the crowed could not keep up with what had happened, but Ana and Leon smiled, As Allen had jumped over the monster's head running across its back, stabbing it with knives at different lengths, and finally coming to a halt behind it.

It was as though even the Wyvern hadn't noticed entirely what had happened as it swung the tail at Allen who easily dodged while chanting. In mere moments the sky darkened, and countless bolts of lightning descended striking the blades that were stabbed into the creature, one after the other so that soon it lay dead as well while still being struck by the chain lightning. Allen raised his hand, and all his stabbed knives made their way back to him ceasing the maelstrom.

"I believe that was a minute less than the time you took," Allen said patting Leon's back

" Barely." Leon said through gritted teeth, the spectators were roaring with excitement at the spectacle that had just unfolded.

Ana walked gracefully towards the ring, the Wyvern that came to challenge her was larger than the ones before, it did not possess the crazed expression as the ones before it did either.

"Is that a class B" Allen inquired ...

"I thought I only asked them for Class D ..." Leon answered "I think they want the show to last longer, or at least see the creature beat Ana" Leon continued as his voice broke up, he was bellowing with laughter now and Allen joined in. They diverted their attention towards the ringleader who was looking at them an eyebrow raised.

"It's sad actually," Allen said, "but only fair to challenge her with stronger ones."

"I know what you mean ..." Leon answered as they set their eyes on their third partner, who only stood there so that both the Wyvern and she gazed at each other. The Wyvern slowly approached her maintaining eye contact as Ana looked at it, her lips curling into a smile.

The Wyvern realized the danger, but it was too late, as before it had the chance to back off Ana was standing on top of it, her thin blade piercing into the middle of its eyes, jumping off swiftly, she landed on her feet, gracefully turning around and walking towards her friends, as the Wyvern stood there, dead without realizing it, completely intact and not a wound to show...

"That was barely fifteen seconds ...." Allen said ... as Leon simply shook his head.

...

The three were in the bar again. "So, we never found out what the plan B was..." Ana asked pouring the others a drink,

"Oh, I think I have an idea..." Allen answered, as he put on his thinking expression, "you plan to unleash a Wyvern… an A class?" I continued inquisitively.

"Close but not quite, An S class would be my guess" Leon answered smiling.

"AN S CLASS... HAVE YOU GONE INSANE!" Ana's was almost yelling again. "IT WOULD TAKE ALL THREE OF US BRING ONE DOWN AND THAT TWO WITH A LOSS OF A LIMB OR TWO, AND YOU ARE LEAVING IT TO KIDS"

"Ah, calm down will you Ana," Allen spoke, "Where did you get the creature ..."

"All in due time my friends, all in due time... for now let us catch up, what have you been up to Al, and you Ana?"

...

Kai found himself standing near the village, he felt rested, and all his wounds had healed, the jewel was the real thing. He could see people gathered around a rock formation... on top of which was Cyer. Before he could come to any conclusion, he saw Cyer sprint towards him, at an unreal speed, blazing through the horde of men that surrounded him. More kept showing up, climbing from underground dwellings.

"No time to explain... this was all a trap, we need to get out of here..." Cyer spoke as he got nearer to Kai, who trusting his companion immediately started moving as well.

"Well look at what we have here, I leave you alone for a few days and you have a whole tribe chasing you down," The voice had come from the sky... Ken had finally arrived. Descending with a gust of wind to keep the chasers back.

"Ken! you are back," Kai yelled with joy,

"We don't have time for reunions," Cyer voiced in, the moment he did the entire sky glimmered.

"What was that ...?" Kai asked,

"A barrier ... we are trapped in until the caster is slayed, or we break through ..." Ken answered...

"Can you break through?" Cyer inquired,

"Well, yes but we will need sometime ..."

"And that we do not have."

...

Allen and company sat having dinner, as a few on lookers gazed at them...

"So, they are the assassins everyone speaks of?" a hooded figure asked another ...

"Yes, they are true beasts... that kill with a smile, the monsters have slain so many, yet they are as lighthearted as children... you can never see the bloodlust in their eyes until it's too late they say."

...

Allen glimpsed at the on lookers and smiled, "may we help you, friends?"

The hooded figures quickly diverted their gaze...

"Ah, rookie assassins" Ana said, the voice came from right in front one of them, Ana was sitting at their table as though she had been there all this time.

"Fresh meat, come to find us, did you?" Leon whispered in the ear of the other, as Allen walked in close,

"Now now guys, don't tease my fans please" he said laughing.

"Your fans, please ..." Leon began,

"Err..." the hooded figure began... "You are right we are new assassins, and well we heard about you and coincidently found you here... I can't tell you how much an honor it is"

"Yes yes... it's always amazing to find fans, now then what can we help you with?" Ana's voice was sweet and kind...

"Well, we are from the Black flame, and we heard stories about you ... could we... ask for a firsthand account?" the hooded young assassins replied, daringly ...

"The black flame ... isn't it that guild we were assigned to that one time, to help retreat?" Ana looked at her friends.

"Ah that reminds me of the contest I won." Leon answered,

"You won? ... It was a three way tie you moron."

"Now now... let's not get in a fix over this, I think I remember it well, young ones we shall comply with your request. After all being an Assassin, we can't all be famous."

"It was many years ago..."