Alix left the clinic and headed straight to school in the morning. She hadn't been in two days after all. She may well go before her duel. Mo was in his fish bowl in her arms floating in silence. It was a peaceful walk. That was until they arrived.
"What in the world happened last night, Mama Wolf?! I woke up this morning and the first thing I hear from the those gossiping ladies that live across from my uncle is that you fought a group of kidnappers."
"I agree with the fool, Mistress. I tend to try not to ask any questions about your business, however this situation is one that deserves explanation. What have you been up to for the past three days?"
Alix sighed in exhaustion, "Of all the days for you two to bother me first thing in the morning." Eric scoffed. "We're bothering you? I just told you that the first bit of news that I've heard about you in about three days is that you fought kidnappers and even needed to go to the clinic afterwards. I feel like that's grounds for 'bothering you." Cas nodded to the side silently agreeing.
Alix rolled her eyes. "Are these two annoying you, Mo?" Mo nodded to Alix in understanding. "I get it, Lexi. I mean, sometimes ya just want to enjoy a nice stroll after a big fight before going to another fight but yer kids won't let us rest." Mo shook his head.
Alix scrunched her face in disgust. "My kids?" Mo chuckled mockingly. "Ya treat them like a pair of grown brats that yer just waitin' to leave and do their own thing but they've got another six years left with ya!" Alix quickly glanced indifferently to Eric and Cas who were still waiting expectantly for her to answer their questions. She sighed in defeat.
"When you're right, you're right." Cas and Eric continued to try to get Alix to spill her business to her like a pair kids asking their mother where she's going on the night of her big date for the weekend. Eventually, they arrive at the school and what a sight to behold.
Students that would normally be in their classes all were instead gathered at the entrance. One of the students saw her approaching and signaled to the others.
"Guys she's here!" Those three words were all it took for a flood of students to surround Alix. They began to bombard her with questions ranging from, "Are you ready to fight Angelica?" to "Were the kidnappers scary when you fought them?" It was really just a bunch of gossip starved teens excited that something this wild was happening in their hometown. Unfortunately for them...
...Alix was incredibly uncooperative. She ever so gingerly leapt over the entire crowd and landed perfectly past them. With her back turned to the crowd she called over her shoulder, "I am in no mood to feed a pack of hungry puppies. Go find your treats from the trash." Then she walked into the school without turning back.
The crowd stood in silence. They were frozen in awe until one student finally spoke up.
"That was kinda hot." The rest of the students slowly nodded in agreeance. "I think we've all discovered something new about ourselves."
...
"LET'S HIT THE STREETS!" The students all rallied together and ran into the streets of Nogreni. They needed to feed themselves just as Alix had told them.
The rest of the day passed rather peacefully, other than Alix getting occasional strange looks from the other students but she didn't let it bother her.
'Time for the battle of a lifetime, Lexi!" Mo cheered but quickly calmed down. 'I doubt it'll be as excitin' as last night. Honestly, I barely care about the duel anymore. I kinda wanna move onto somethin else now." Alix nodded.
"I get it. Though, I should make due on my promises. I also still want to get that annoying flare and her family back for exposing my families wounds to the citizens of Nogreni. My mother even said that people were giving her strange looks whenever she would walk to work." Mo shook his head.
"I get ya." Alix continued to walk through the surprisingly empty streets. She hadn't noticed but there was no one walking around and none of the shops were open.
'Where is everyone?' Alix tried to remember if there was some sort of work holiday today.
"Uuuh, Lexi?" Mo's astonished voice pulled Alix back to reality. "What is i-" She froze both verbally and physically. I mean, what other reaction could one have to seeing a proverbial flood of people standing within Opin Park.
"She's here!" The crowd all turned and cheered once they realized Alix had arrived. "Are they all here for the duel?" Mo asked in shock.
"It would seem so." Alix stared at the crowd surprised. As she walked through the crowd it parted giving her room to walk.
'This is crazy!" She said telepathically. 'I know right! The entire town must be here.! Do they not have to work or somethin'?" Alix shrugged. 'I guess not. How action starved are they?"
Very.
The citizens of Nogreni were very action starved. Nothing this big had happened in their town since the day that Undine School of Mages was built.
Everyone was excited for some real entertainment! Especially with such high class entertainment available. From the distance, Alix could swear that she could hear-
"Ladies and gentlemen! Now the first fighter in this old fashioned home town brawl!" Alix shook her head as she recognized Eric's narration voice now being projected as a battle announcer.
"She's the shining ember of the night. The torch that leads adventurers to safety. The girl that all lucky bachelors desperately hope will agree to go to prom with them!" A group of boy's wearing suits at the side waved as they nervously awaited their opportunity.
"She's the heiress of the Floie family! AAAAAANNNGELICA FLOIE!" The crowd roared. Angelic stood in the center of a large open circle basking the cheers of her fans.
She turned around. She saw her mother standing in the crowd with an unimpressed expression. The look on her face was enough for Angelica to know that she needed to show out in today's duel.
"And now! Just arriving on the scene!" Angelica turned back as Eric gave his next introduction.
"Is she talking to you or that fish in her arms? The dangerous troublemaker that parents warned their kids about. The hero that rescued the daughter of the Crystal Magnoilia Merchantry. A-what?" Cas whispered something into Eric's ear. "Really? Alright, I guess." Eric cleared his throat and continued.
"Sorry folks I'm being told that it's the Crystal Marigold Merchantry but regardless." Eric inhaled deeply. "She's the Mama Wolf that saved me from a friendless school life. The Lone Sorceress of Undine and Mistress to Cas. She's the idol of all commoners. She stands up to all of those arrogant nobles! ALIX DEMINAL!"
"...and Mo." Eric says a bit delayed and less excited.
Right as Eric says her name, Alix enters the improvised stage directly opposite to Angelica. The crowd begins to roar. Alix rubbed her eyes tired. 'This is way bigger than I though it would be.'
She took her spot in front of Angelica. "I bet this must be pretty exciting for you. You get to make a fool of yourself in front of a crowd just like your poor excuse of a father."
"Oooohh" The crowd exclaimed. They were really turning this into quite the event. Alix shrugged. "You're not wrong. My poor father managed to make his face known across the land before his accident. Which is more than I can say for you hometown hero of a mother." The crowd expressed their shock again and Angelica's proud smile dropped.
"You know nothing about my mother." Alix raised her brows. "Exactly my point. I had to dig for information about your mother. Your brother stumbled across the information about my father. What do you think that says about the every waning flame of Floie?"
"Oh damn!" One older man couldn't help but shout. Angelica's face was grim. "Enough of this useless banter! Prepare to fight!" Angelica was ready to rip into Alix. Alix nodded nonchalantly.
"Alright. Let me get him ready."
"Exactly, prepare for your...did you just say him?" Angelica watched as Alix set Mo down in front of her and stood back. "There you go. Now the fight can start." The crowd grew silent. They didn't know what sort of reaction the should have to something like this.
Was she seriously about to have Angelica fight her pet fish?
Angelica's eyes twitched. "Do you take me for some sort of joke?" Her voice straining from the rage that was growing within her. Alix shook her head. "No jokes. I just assumed that someone of your class would prefer to face an opponent in peak condition" Alix revealed her hand that had been stabbed through the previous night.
"Unless you wish to take advantage of the situation to guarantee your victory. Oh, but I do not believe that mommy will be proud of that." Angelica face was quite red to the point that one would believe her a walking cherry tomato.
"I refuse to have my pride spat upon like this. Do you understand the consequences of this level of disrespect!?" Alix tilted her head to the side.
"What? Can you not beat a mere fish?" Angelica glared at Alix for a moment and a thought appeared in her head. A sinister smirk appeared on her face. "Alright then. I'll battle your little fish. But don't you go crying when I eat him as my victory snack. FIsh is a delicacy in this nation as you know.
Eric stood at the side bewildered. 'What sort of fight is this becoming? Did Alix just send Mo to die? Can Mo fight? He seems like he could fight but I've never seen him fight. I've seen him laugh at me so maybe he can fight? Alix said he can talk so maybe fighting is a skill he has as well?' Eric nodded as he convinced himself.
'Obviously Mo can fight!' Angelica returned to her ready position. Eric took one final glance at Alix to confirm that this was happening. Alix nodded indifferently confirming that Mo was indeed fighting.
"All right. Then let the match..." In the middle of Eric speaking the water in Mo's fishbowl lifted out of the water with Mo still inside. The water turned dark and began to move seamlessly making it almost seem still. Mo floated eye level with a shocked Angelica.
"What in Blaze's name?" Angelica questioned.
"...Begin!"