Valeriana had no new tricks to reveal as the festival drew nearer. Her fight with Corvan would be on the sixth day, so she still had time to train and see what she could do.
She still had Cifaro, though.
But Seraphina told her that she was prohibited from using Cifaro in the fight. She was not, however, to tell anyone she could not use him to physically harm someone. Combat wise, he was fairly useful. He could parry blows as any sword, but in fact, more effectively.
If she was to bring him out for swordplay, she would have to be careful not to harm the guy. Seraphina told her to be wary, though. If Corvan found out she was holding back, it would be undetermined what he would do about it. He might use it against her and fuel his rage. After all, he didn't like being babied.
Her DevDept team was very competent in regards to their work. They asked her to try out the prototypes of the suit she would use and try to maneuver with it on, including the body armor. The purplish-red shade it was complimented her skin-tone quite well--as Leticia commented. It fitted her body like second-skin and didn't suffocate her or make her feel uncomfortable at all. It was stretchable and comfy to the point she wouldn't even notice she had it on.
As promised, it was fireproof.
Her second layer of protection--the arm guards and everything else--were modified.
They came with mild transparency, successfully coated with a hydrophobic layer for protection against water. The surface was smooth to the touch. Its structure promoted mobility, not to mention the lightweight characteristic it possessed. Valeriana would bet the dress she wore before was tons heavier than what she had on now.
Axel had her try out some of the weapons he made to determine what sort she was most compatible with. Her preference pointed to longswords so the master artisan crafted one--a fine piece of art that was simple in design but deadly when put into the right hands. He made it easier to wield using the laws of physics and air friction. As surprising as that was, they had similar concepts pertaining to the sciences she studied back in elementary.
It was still in the early stages, so he was still experimenting with what he could do to modify it. The shape of the weapon helped in the movement of the user, whether it would cut his speed or enhance it to some point.
Axel said he wanted to call it the Empyrean. As cheesy as that sounded, he seemed to be the type of guy who loved clichè names. Ironically enough, empyrean was supposed to contain the purest elements of fire.
He said he had a surprise for her, though. He was still trying to see if it was possible as he didn't want to disappoint anyone else except himself.
Of course, the entire process was full of trial-and-error. Valeriana got singed and almost--she actually did--caught fire one time that she came crashing through the doors to ask for help. Luckily, Conradine was around holding a bucket of water to put her out.
It was three days before the festival, so they spent most of their free time working--crafting. She never really stayed long because of the demand on her time as well, but when she saw them at work, it was amazing.
Usually, they had things ready when she came as she could not afford to wait. But they were already finalizing most of the work, only making minor changes to bring the gears to their best.
To her surprise, the way her team worked was somewhat . . . hands on.
And by hands on that meant they were really using their hands to craft everything. Everything.
"What the heck." Were the words that flew from her mouth when she caught sight of Axel.
She came by for the usual meeting, especially since Sai said he had the general outline of the new version of her suit done.
"Oh, you're here. Should I call Sai?"
"No . . . um, I'll wait. Please continue." She reached for one of the vacant chairs and crashed on it.
His muscles flexed as the palms of his hand steadily worked down on the blade. He made it seem so soft the way he was rolling it out--flattening it against his table like a mass of pizza dough. He occasionally needed the help of his tools to craft the smaller details.
Valeriana watched him work. He the shoved the metal into his furnace and heated it up to thousands of degrees before he flicked his wrist into the air. The molten metal, now practically liquid, flew up like one of Corvan's plasma balls. He then made a motion of spreading out his hands that it was flattened.
"What sort of Power Control is this?" She asked, wondering how he was able to do what he did. "Is this a minor element?"
Axel looked up with a smile, his work continuous. He molded and he crafted, his movements speedy and jubilant.
He really enjoyed what he did.
"Not everyone's fortunate to gain the ability of the Twelve. This is like a branch of the branch elements, it cannot be used for battle."
Valeriana leaned back on her chair as she tried to think back on the books she read. "I learned in PC class about this, I suppose. But I thought . . ."
"The weaker ones cannot bear the weight of the elements." Sai entered the room, his promised product in hand. "To wield them and reshape them upon will requires great strength."
Valeriana shook her head at her own naivëty as she stood to meet Sai. "I never thought of it that way."
"It's because you're surrounded by strong individuals. The Twelve are very blessed to be able to do what they're doing. Their control over the elements is astounding." Axel's eyes twinkled. "Did you just see how Courtney so easily stirred the winds to do her bidding? I would do a million flips just to have the kind of power. But then, I wouldn't be able to do this." He motioned to the object he was crafting.
"Man! Lord Corvan. You see him all the time, right?" Sai whistled, spreading Amaranthine out before her. "Fire loves that guy. They obey him like the prince he is. Not to mention Tamara and Lord Charles!"
The Twelve was surely amazing.
"Tamara controls ice like a master and Lord Charles specializes in manipulating water in its natural form." Axel shook his head with that rueful grin. "Lord Keelan? That guy looks harmless, but when he wants it, the earth becomes as soft as cotton."
They both laughed, making Valeriana smile along.
"Alright, do you think we can start?"
They proceeded with the fitting and Leticia came out a few moments afterwards bearing her armor. She clipped and strapped the gears in place, one around her chest, two for each of her shoulders, elbows, and lower arms. Then two for each legs, knees, and thighs.
"Good! They fit perfectly now!"
The three took a step back, admiring the outcome of their hard work.
"You finally look like a warrior!" Sai clapped. "No offense, but you sort of looked a little feeble before. No worries. You look more like the fifth-ranker now."
Valeriana self-consciously looked down at herself. "Did I really look like that?"
Conradine joined the trio and studied her current appearance. "I am going to confess that I thought you gave off a different vibe with the rumors circulating around you, however, that is clearly not the case."
"To be quite honest, compared to Courtney, your presence is a little weak." Leticia admitted.
"You need to leave an impression. It is imperative to avoid being underestimated. It also helps with the enemy." Axel pointed out.
Zander made his entrance with a decent bang of the door. In his hand, he carried something Valeriana was rather unfamiliar with.
He approached the girl, held out a hand, and said, "Hair tie."
"Ooh." Sai patted his pockets in search for it. "I have it. Made with an elastic rubber covered by the similar fabric that makes up Amaranthine! Wait. Where did I put it?"
"I put a few crystals in, too! Fashionable!" Leticia quipped smugly, pulling out what was asked. It resembled a scrunchie with dots of glimmering beads.
"How did that end up with you?" Sai was dumbfounded. "Give me that!"
"Nuh-uh!" The other girl pulled it out of his reach and threw it to Zander's way instead.
The hair tie landed on his palm and he temporarily entrusted the object he carried before to Conradine. He wound it around his fingers disinterestedly, fished out a comb from nowhere like a saloon hairstylist, and reached for Valeriana's tresses.
The fifth-ranker was confused but made no move to stop him. He yanked off and removed her hair from its high ponytail. Though Valeriana ended up looking like a witch of some sort, none commented on it.
Zander twisted the strands of her hair between his fingers, his comb assisting in putting them together neatly. He then snapped the scrunchie in place and stepped back.
They all smiled.
He took the strange object from Conradine and rested it around Valeriana's forehead.
"A helmet?"
"No. More like a little fashion that doubles as protection." Sai's forefinger flicked. "It won't hurt."
Leticia pulled out a mirror and made her look at her reflection.
Well, she did look like a different person now. Her hair was put up on a high bun. Whatever they put around her head was called, it was nice. The area around a forehead formed a triangle and dipped on a point on the bridge of her nose. It framed her face and accentuated the contours of her cheeks, making her look fiercer.
"Okay. I really look like gladiator now." She laughed.
"And a good-looking one." Axel gave her a thumbs up. "Whatever that is."
"This will be it for today." Zander flicked his wrist. "We will get to the final of all the finalizations to get it ready. Expect the suit will be complete three days before your tournament."
Valeriana took off everything and restored her previous hairstyle. She still had the band practice to go to and her usual inspection of the project assigned to her.
"Oh wait, before you leave. I have something for you!" Sai jumped out excitedly before pulling out a pair of gloves from behind him. "I noticed you really loved gloves, for some reason, so here!"
Valeriana was full of hesitation as she looked down at what he was offering her. "Um . . . what is this?"
"Are you blind? Can't you see they're a pair of gloves?" He jokingly teased. "They're made of a special cloth! Skin-tight, ultra-thin, very pro-movement, and flexible! You won't even feel like you're wearing them and they have grip power, especially when you hold a sword!" He winked.
"Oh, sure . . . thanks!" She accepted.
"No problem, there's more where that came from!" Sai grabbed a whole bunch of them from a corner and shoved them into Valeriana's arms. "You can take the first fifty pairs I've managed to create!"
"I really don't--"
"You're welcome!"
Well. . . everything seemed just about ready for the festival.