Chapter 108: Bound By The Enemy!

"Ladies and gentlemen...I hope you enjoyed your pre-festival events.. because now it's time for the most pivotal day of the Grand Magic Games! That's right, it's what everyone likes to call... Swing Day!"

Reiss and the others immediately covered their ears as the crowd exploded with cheers. "W-wow! They've never been this loud like...ever!" He shouted, trying to have his voice heard over the audience. "What!?" He failed obviously, but that just made this moment even more intense and amazing as he looked around. "I hope Ilaria and Tyson handle this pressure."

"I'm your host, Chapati Lola! Now, it's been made apparent that the third day has become a strategically important day for the competitors. Day four and five it's a downhill run to the finish line, but day three determines if you receive the head start you're looking for! Now, because of this new found information, we've created an event based on it, and it'll take teamwork to succeed!"

"Teamwork?" Reiss questioned.

"That's right! This next event requires you to pair up with your opponents, and you'll have no choice since you'll be chained to them! Welcome to the third event: Pandemonium: Chain Race!"

"Chain race?" The question was followed by a rumbling and a loud sonic like sound. "First, we like to thank Blue Pegasus for letting us borrow their flying ship, Christina! Christina will be taking our competitors to the open field where we have planted the course. A course built completely out of lacrima!"

"An entire course?" Reve asked. "Who would shed out that kind of money even for the Grand Magic Games?"

"You'll have to thank our Council Chairmen for that! Kemuri himself! Now, once you arrive to the course, you and your opponent, or should I say partner, will be met by the course itself; a large lake to begin, followed by a tall forest, an open plain and finally, the lone mountain peak at the end. Each area will hold an S class monster. Defeat it, and move on to the next area until all four areas are completed. All of this has to be done while chained to each other! Once the last monster is defeated, it's a sprint to the finish and yes, every second counts, so even though you're chained together, it's whoever crosses the finish line first!"

"Sounds simple enough." Kuro Chi of Quatro Cerberus admitted. At that second, he found his right wrist in a cuff, the chain trailing all the way to who seemed to be his partner. His eyes followed the chain, slowly widening to their peak once he realized who he was chained to. She stood there, examining her own cuff before turning her sights to Kuro Chi himself. "Oh...I'm partnered with the Ace, Evanee. I don't know a thing about her, but she's definitely menacing. This might be a clear win for us. I just have to beat her across the finish line."

"Each chain is ten feet in length." Chapati announced as the others became cuffed to their partners. "Your partners were randomly selected after diving you up by top five and bottom five to make it as even as possible based on rankings. So here are your competitors for this event!

Kuro Chi of Quatro Cerberus and Evanee Carlisle of Twilight Zone!"

"Let's go Evanee!" Twilight Zone shouted in unison.

"Oi! She can't do it without you, Kuro!" Bacchus added boisterously. "Show her how wild you are!"

"FOUR!"

"Captain Olivia Vardalen of the Council and Chiara Taranto of Black Phoenix!"

"Let's go Chiara!" Asuka shouted, waving frantically at the young girl. Wendy furrowed her brows. "She looks like she's my age, and she's competing. I'll watch her closely."

"Empyrean Dawn's Firenze and Sabertooth's Sting Eucliffe!"

"Now that's a tandem!" Orga laughed. "Sting and a criminal? I have to see this!"

"I don't trust it." Minerva murmured, giving Firenze a look. "I probably should have taken this event."

"Cana Alberona of Fairy Tail, and Ilaria Verdone of White Eclipse B!"

"Ugh." Cana groaned as the rookie smiled brightly. "Let's do this!"

"That's going to hamper Reve's ideal though." Tyson said to himself. "Even if she finished before Cana, she won't be that far behind, so finishing first makes Cana second. Nine points isn't a deal breaker for Fairy Tail since they're in first.."

"And finally! It's Reve Volver of White Eclipse A, and Miya Crosse of Mermaid Heel!"

Reve examined his wrist with a grin on his face. "So what's this? A new recruit? Or were you just help for hire so Kagura could feel better about her decaying guild?"

She kept herself turned away from him. White hair tied into a flared out tail thanks to a crazy hair accessory in the back, her eyes bordered between grey and blue. A petite figure but she wielded two blade — both sheathed by her waist side. She wore a non traditional purple and red kimono that stopped just above her knees, her black knee high boots covering the rest just like her black sleeves underneath her kimono. "Watch your mouth." She finally addressed him. "I've been told what your foul tongue said about Arana and my guild. I wanted to slice down the pompous Neanderthal who dared to do such a thing, but unfortunately we have to be paired together. But be forewarned..." She cut her eyes to him, glaring. "...If we do meet in battle, I will do exactly that until you apologize one hundred times over."

"All the same, just simply varies." Reve said short and simply. "Huh?" She responded, confused. "All the same, just simply varies." He repeated, sliding his hands into his pockets as he waited for everyone to aboard Christina. "I've heard the same concept, just in different words and tones. Oh Reve, I'm going to take you down! I'm going to make you pay! They all sound the same. And here I was truly hoping Kagura found someone unique. Don't be surprised, but I actually want Mermaid Heel to thrive. I want every guild to, just so you all can be at your grandest peak when White Eclipse destroys everyone. But for now, a newcomer's ambition should be a decent substitute for that."

"Ugh...whatever!" She scoffed, turning away from him as the two were the last pair to enter the ship. "All aboard.. Men." Ichiya sung before taking off to the starting location. Once there, the pairs stood before Mato the pumpkin headed host as he called for the first pair.

"Everyone understand the rules, Kabo? Alright then. Our first team up is... Captain Olivia and Chiara! Black Phoenix and the Council, Kabo!"

"Unfortunately we're the test dummies for this event, but that's no reason for us not to finish with the best time." Olivia told Chiara. The little girl would pretend to not listen, shuffling a pinky through her ear the entire time as she and Olivia stood at the edge of Christina over the giant lake as Mato kept his hand raised. "Once the free fall to the lake begins, so does the timer, Kabo! Ready?"

Chiara looked down, noticing a giant shadow in the water just waiting it their arrival. "That must be the first S class monster. But since it's heavily reliant on water, I can take it out instantly."

"And..Go! Kabo!"

And just like that, Olivia and Chiara were off, diving towards the giant lake head first. On the way down, a giant fin appeared above the surface before diving back down. "A shark? That things huge." Reiss pointed out from the stands. Asuka the grinned, thumbing her nose in confidence. "No sweat. Chiara is about to carry this, because her magic fits so well for this course."

"Can you make a path to the bottom of the lake!?" Chiara yelled to Olivia. "Are you giving me orders?"

"Just do it and we'll be outta here in no time! Hurry!" She yelled once more, and after a bit of hesitation, Olivia followed suit by using her free hand to reach for the belt around her waist. In one of those pockets, she pulled out a set of miniature bombs and tossed them straight down. Once they broke the surface of the lake, they exploded, creating a hole in the lake that only lasted for a second. A second was all Chiara needed as they dove directly into it, flipping at the last second and using the water around them to cushion their fall just before landing on the ground. A deep breath and Chiara was able to place a palm on the ground just before the water closed on them once more. That's when Asuka continued.

"She has the magic for this, because the best way to take out strong monsters is to take away their habitat. We go monster hunting with Chiara all the time because of this. They call her the Problem Child, but just simply know her as the Natural Disaster! Do it Chiara!"

"Earthquake!" She bubbled out from underwater and suddenly the terrain would split in half by a giant fissure she created. Rumbling occurred, and following, the lake drained almost immediately from it. All that remained in that area was a soaked Chiara and Olivia, and the S Class shark flopping about with nowhere to swim. "Finish him!" Chiara barked. Olivia sucked her teeth at the order, but she knew she had no other choice if they wanted to proceed. Once more reaching into her utility belt, Olivia pulled out three miniature bombs, and launched them right into the shark's mouth.

"That'll definitely do it. Now run." She told Chiara, already sprinting towards the lake's edge. Chiara blinked but immediately followed after being pulled. Seconds later, she found herself just on the outside of a powerful explosion. "Whoa! Those bombs are strong to be so small!"

"They're potent." Was all Olivia added as the two continued on.

Chapati: And just like that in less than a minute, Chiara and Olivia have completed the first trial!

"So what is that council woman? A bomb mage?" Selene asked. That's when Crisdelin laughed from her seat. "Don't be so nearsighted. The bombs are just the beginning. Olivia...has no magic ability of her own."

"Huh?" Cygnus cocked his head to the side. "Then how is she even allowed to compete?"

"Because. She has no magic abilities, but Olivia's magic container is probably the largest in Fiore's. She has magic..."

"...it just doesn't have any form." Cygnus finished, coming to revelation.

"Right." Crisdelin turned to them with a snarky gaze. "So that utility belt filled with magic items, is a bottomless threshold for her bottomless magic container. Kemuri gave those items a bit of an upgrade and ta-da! You have the impregnable Olivia Vardalen."

"More importanly..." Xavi spoke, squinting at the lacrima screen that showed Olivia running, peering really hard at her soaked chest until Vivi covered his eyes.

The duo moved on to the next area. A forest, filled with trees that nearly reached the sky. It seemed endless, but as Chiara and Olivia ran through it, having to stay together so their chain doesn't get tangled within the trees, a shadow quickly darted through the blanket of trees, catching their eye. "I wonder what it is." Chiara pondered as the two kept running. "Whatever it is, we have to defeat it before we hit the plains." Olivia replied. "Then why are we still running?"

"Killing two birds with one stone of course." Olivia remarked as the shadowy figure darted past them once more. "Whatever it is, it's fast. We need to attack precisely, or we'll waste time."

"Council captains are scary." Chiara huffed before creating a magic seal before her. "Flash Flood!" She screamed, and suddenly, the sky above them was darkened. Following, a powerful rainfall appeared, covering the entire forest.

"So she is the one who started the rain in the preliminary round." Jaxon noted, watching her closely. "Really?" Cygnus chimed in. "That's shit was powerful. It was so annoying. That little girl is packing some powerful magic then."

"I could have used a warning." Olivia complained with a huff, trying her best to focus through the downpour that was already up to her ankles. "I'm not here for your well being." Chiara chirped back. "I'm here to win. I'll be crossing the finish line first once we make it to the mountains. Now, on your left!"

Olivia's eyes widened, turning to her left as she reached into her utility belt to grab a handful of dust. She quickly tossed it in the air just before the shadowy figure launched at her, revealing to be large leopard like beast. The dust in the air would sparkle, then explode in its face. A loud, pained roar released, but the beast wasn't done just yet. Through the smoke, a giant claw reached for Chiara, causing her to freeze in shock. Just before the beast could reach her however, Olivia intervened by stepping between them, catching the claw with both hands and using the leopard's momentum against itself — flipping it over on its back. "Now to finish—"

She didn't even notice the chain rising above her head, only when her arm started to go up with it. That's when she looked up, only to watch Chiara slam her right knee into the throat of the beast for an immediate finish. Olivia didn't have words. No one outside of Black Phoenix did. Tristan merely sighed. "I told her not to use finishing moves, and what does she do?"

"To be fair, she didn't use it on an actual person."

"Did she just finish someone!?" Cygnus yelled, nearly choking on his words. "Something...but yeah. That's no ordinary kid." Takeru said stoically. "She's been through some stuff."

Seconds later, they duo reached the end of the forest and into the plains as Chapati marked their time at just over two minutes. Reve looked up at the timer, staring at it for passing seconds as the two continued on. "Two minutes and seven seconds, and they beat the first obstacle within seconds. Really setting the bar high."

"Oh? Is the great smart mouthed gunslinger getting nervous?" Miya asked.

"Yeah." He admitted, causing Miya to grin his way inquisitively. "I have some no name chained to me, and our opponents are actually making good time. I'm trying to watch the time and predict how much you're going to hold me back so I can know how much effort to put into this event to win it."

She blinked a few times before gaining a reddened visage — embarrassed yet angry. "Me!? Holding you back!? Oh I hope we're next so I can show you! Ugh, Men are so rude!"

"Says the woman that tried talking down to me before I told her the truth." He fired back, keeping his eyes on the clock. "Two and a half minutes now. The plains are a long stretch. And not a monster in sight yet..."

It was true. Chiara and Olivia were sprinting through the open plains without a monster in sight. Their eyes continued to shuffle around, waiting for something to appear. Nothing on Olivia's part, but it was Chiara that felt the rumbling from below.

"It's beneath us." She said, catching Olivia's attention. She nodded, slowly reaching into the pocket of her utility belt. As she then felt the rumbling beneath her, Olivia pulled out a coiled red whip. At that moment, the ground broke apart, causing the two girls to be lifted into the air. "A mole?" Olivia questioned. "A giant one!" Chiara shouted, already conjuring another magic seal. "But we have to keep it above ground so...Tornado!"

Chiara then threw her hands down, pointing towards the giant mole where the eye of the tornado would begin. The two landed, and the mole went flying, spinning within the massive tornado that Chiara created.

"She's pretty amazing." Cynthia admitted. Wendy nodded once in agreement. "Yeah..."

"Got anymore bombs on you?" Chiara asked in a snarky tone. Olivia rolled her eyes, but instead unraveled her whip and latched onto the giant mole with it. Holding her own against Chiara's tornado, which caused the Problem Child to look on impressed — jaw agape. With a powerful pull, Olivia yanked the mole from the tornado and slammed it into the ground viciously.

"Whoa-oh! They are moving!" Orga pointed out. "I can't tell who's the muscle here!"

"It's Olivia, obviously." Crisdelin chimed. "That little girl may have some powerful magic, but Olivia is the work horse here. And in this final stretch, she'll prove it."

"Four minutes." Reve looked on, never even watching the event, and Miya took note of that.

"You just going to stare at the clock and not watch how they perform?" Miya asked. "I don't need to watch their performance. I already know I'm better than the both of them combined." Reve replied without hesitation. Miya clenched her jaw, tapping her arm with her unchained hand. "You know, I thought just hearing about you was horrible, but the more I speak to you, the more I hate you."

"Hate sits on a thin line." The gunslinger chimed.

"What's that mean?" She asked. And for the first time, Reve turned to her, mesmerizing her with sapphire colored eyes. "Make sure it remains hate, and don't fall for me. I don't need it."

"...You're such a cocky little...—"

The active duo now began climbing the mountainside, pushing as fast as they could. It was a straight climb up with their final obstacle waiting at the peak. Hindered by the inability to boost their speeds, Chiara and Olivia's time boosted to the seven minute mark. Once they reached the peak however, a powerful roar caught them off guard, sending them flying off the peak and skidding down half of the mountain. "Sheesh! What was that!?" Chiara asked, gritting her teeth as she and Olivia finally halted. "I didn't get a good look, but I saw claws. Come on! We've lost time on this skid back."

They climbed again, hitting the nine minute mark before the roar happened again. This time, Olivia pulled out a staff from her utility belt, extending it and slamming it into the ground to keep her and Chiara from flying off the mountain once again. Once the roar stopped, the girls were able to put a face to the threat, a giant wolf with fangs hanging dangerously from its mouth. Olivia planted her feet, removing the staff from the ground as Chiara charged forth with yet another magic seal. "Fog!" She shouted, and on command a large cloud covered the entire mountain peak.

"Great, now I can't see." Everyone groaned in a variation of the sentence. Inside the fog however, Olivia charged with her staff, spinning in her hands which created a current of lightning around it. The wolf struck first, but the council captain dodged it by strafing to the left. With a clear opening, Olivia jutted the staff into the wolf's neck, causing a powerful shock to surge through it and immobilize the beast. From there, she headlocked it, and flipped it over her hip effortlessly, nearly landing on Chiara. "Hey! Watch out..." Chiara's eyes widened. Olivia used her own fog for cover, and the Black Phoenix rep never saw her stuff those mini bombs in the wolf's mouth. Before she could move, the exploded before her, causing Chiara to scream out in pain.

"Oh man!" Xavi laughed, causing a few of Black Phoenix to look his way. "Olivia is as devious as she is gorgeous. I love it!"

Crisdelin only smirked as Olivia now dragged Chiara to the finish line. She would cross it, leaving Chiara exactly ten feet away as she sat there regaining her breath.

"And Olivia has set the mark with eleven minutes and thirty two seconds! But Chiara has yet to finish!"

"Chiara!" Asuka yelled from back in Crocus. That's when the rest of Black Phoenix joined her in chorus. Slowly she opened her eyes, coming to and remembering where she was — crawling to the finish line ten feet away until finally...

Olivia kicked her away before passing through. "What...?" Chiara stammered. "Why?"

"Nothing personal." She spoke, standing before the finish line. "But you know the rules. Our times are still separate. So of course I'm going to want to keep your time running."

"That's not fair!" Asuka shouted. "It's totally fair!" Crisdelin mocked in her voice. Asuka turned her way, glaring. Chiara stumbled forward again, and finally after a few more times, Olivia removed her foot from the Problem Child's head, allowing her to cross the finish line. "And finally! Chiara's time is recorded at fourteen minutes even!"

"She held him down for two and a half minutes." Said Jaxon, somewhat disgusted. "I guess thats the game though. I'm sure Reve has something similar up his sleeve."

"Alright. Up next is Kuro Chi and Evanee Carlisle!" Mako announces as the two walk towards the edge of the ship. Kuro looked down, noticing the long drop into the refilled lake as the lacrima reset the damage done by the first two competitors. "I'm a Water God Slayer, so you can leave the first obstacle to me." He proudly said to her. That's when Evanee looked his way with a disgusted look, shaking her chained arm loose to signify that she was disgusted to even be paired with him.

All eyes were on the team though, mostly because they wanted to see what the Ace of this new guild was made of. And as Mako shouted "and go" the two plummeted to the waters...

Only for a large sea monster to rise above the surface, swallowing them whole —

Two lumps running down the throat of the beast and into the belly.