Chương 5: 5
Loud explosions could be heard all throughout the castle as Natsu and Hogg continued their fierce battle. An entire section of the castle collapsed in on itself as Natsu was blasted out of it, flying straight through the outer rampart wall where he managed to regain his footing, skidding to a stop on the barren earth beyond the castle walls.
'He's definitely stronger than before,' Natsu thought to himself as he saw the figure of Hogg emerge from the collapsed section of the castle.
Seeing Hogg beginning to charge up another attack, Natsu shot back toward the castle. As he ran, a large, dark-purple Magic Circle appeared in front of Hogg that began rotating in a clockwise motion. Once it hit a certain speed, it began firing out a torrent of dark blasts at him.
'Why do all Dark Mages have an attack like that,' Natsu growled internally to himself as he raised his left arm out in front of him and crossed his index and middle finger. "Crash Arts – Crash Barrier!"
The first of Hogg's projectiles made contact with his position, being shattered into cubes and flying off to either side of Natsu. The same fate followed the others as the corrupted Councilman made a strange screeching roar sound in frustration.
"There isn't any point resisting boy," Hogg roared as he swiped his right arm to dispel his attack. "Just die!"
Hogg crouched down on the spot before shooting directly toward Natsu's position, his body becoming coated in a thick, blackish hue, crossing both his arms out in front of him as his muscles bulged even more.
"Darkness Magic – Dark Guillotine!"
Dropping his Crash Barrier, Natsu's right arm exploded into flame as he increased his speed. Orange sparks shot out from his arm as the ground around him cracked from the force of his steps.
Once Hogg was within five meters of him, the flame around his right arm seemed to take on the properties of a wing. The wing continuously shot out orange sparks that, when striking the ground, cracked the ground into cubes.
"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Wing Attack!"
The two attacks clashed, immediately shattering the earth around and beneath them. The area behind Natsu for ten meters immediately was ripped up and converted entirely into cubes. Behind Hogg, the section of the wall he'd knocked Natsu through fully collapsed as debris was hurled backward into the ruined castle behind them.
The two struggled against each other for half a minute until Hogg felt his attack being forcibly broken down.
"What-!?"
Before he could even comprehend it, an orange spark shot through him, shattering his attack as Natsu smashed into him. His body lurched forward, blood seeping from his gaping mouth and nose before he was shot back at Castle Valtheim.
He was struck hard enough to cross the distance between their clash and the castle in seconds, making impact on the fourth floor and causing the point of impact to collapse entirely. Natsu meanwhile continued moving, even as his attack ceased, landing on the ground, skidding for a moment before continuing his sprint from earlier.
Launching himself up into the castle, Crash Magic tore through any section of the building in his way, using any footing he could find to propel himself higher and higher. He passed by Hogg, who was currently rolling onto his stomach in a dazed state, and continued until he shot out of the tallest tower of Castle Valtheim.
"Want a job done … you do it right Natsu," he hissed to himself as he brought his hands together, pressing the tips of his fingers against one another as a small flame manifested itself.
Spinning around, he held the flame out before him as it began to spin in an anti-clockwise motion, rapidly increasing in size until it was larger than he was. Hogg shot out of another part of the roof, clearly in a blood lusted state as he immediately tried attacking Natsu, not realizing this is exactly what the Dragon Slayer wanted.
"Let's see if you can survive this one," Natsu huffed as the swirling vortex of flame was lowered toward Hogg's approaching position. "Fire Dragon King's Searing Cyclone!"
Hogg had no chance of dodging Natsu's attack, unwillingly leaping right into the top of the cyclone, quickly being sucked up into the storm as Natsu tossed it out. The result was rather predictable as the fiery cyclone started tearing around the crater, setting ablaze anything it came into contact with as Hogg was tossed around within the inferno.
The Dark Mage roared in a mixture of anger and pain as the fire continued to wash over him until suddenly, the cyclone performed a rather strange spinning move, lobbing Hogg out of it and back into Castle Valtheim. Along with lobbing Hogg, the cyclone expanded before exploding into a shower of fireballs that rained down upon the entire area.
The result of this was dozens of child explosions going off around the crater, the entire area shaking violently as Natsu landed atop the crumbling entrance to the castle. Panting slightly, he narrowed his eyes as he felt Hogg's Magical Signature moving toward him yet again.
"This guy just won't stay down…"
"DRAGNEEL!"
Natsu braced himself as a bloodied and burnt Hogg emerged from the ruined castle, fists coated in more Darkness Magic. The man launched himself at Natsu's position, spurring Natsu into action as both his own fists ignited with crimson flame.
Leaping backward, he avoided the first punch thrown. Hogg immediately leapt at him again as the pair exchange a rapid series of blows in the air before landing just outside the castle gates. Hogg immediately charged Natsu and attempted a downward strike, only for Natsu to slip around his bulky form, using his left fist to knock his arm aside and delivering a brutal elbow to Hogg's sternum.
"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"
Hogg lurched forward, but attempted to recover by biting Natsu with his maw-like mouth. Before he could however, Natsu spun around on the spot and struck him in the side of the head with a blazing knee to the face.
"Fire Dragon's Blazing Patella!"
Hogg was sent stumbling backward, clutching his head as he dropped to one knee. Snarling like an animal, he tried to launch himself at Natsu again, staggering toward him with another attack prepared.
Before he even made it two steps, Natsu had already struck him in the face. His entire body kept moving forward as he was struck, resulting in Hogg being knocked flat on his back.
Natsu stepped back for a moment, panting slightly, as he took in the sight of the former Councilman before him. The man was clearly furious, growling as his tongue thrashed about, his gaze unfocused due to his dazed state.
"This … can't be … I'm a former member of the Magic Council … Guild Master of Valtheim's Razor … I cannot lose … I CANNOT BE TOSSED ASIDE LIKE THIS! DAMN THAT BASTARD SEIGRAIN, DAMN HIM TO THE PITS OF TARTARUS-!"
Natsu felt Hogg's Magical Power begin to spike and immediately stepped forward. As tendrils started to emerge from the man, Natsu cocked back his right fist and grit his teeth.
"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Demolition Fist!"
Before Hogg could even respond, Natsu's fist smashed into his face. Natsu could feel as his fist sunk into the man's face, knowing that this time, he had well and truly defeated the Dark Guild Master.
The ground shook violently as his fist made contact with the earth. Exhaling some steam through his nose, he retracted his fist, shaking it off to the side as he snarled, flexing the fingers in said fist before turning around and kicking Hogg's body several times.
He then suddenly stopped and turned away, breath slightly shaky as he continued to flex his fingers whilst running his other hand through his hair. After several deep breaths, he began to calm himself down, still flexing his fingers, but in control once again. Exhaling as he looked up at the night sky, Natsu smirked momentarily before shaking his head.
"Right. I'm in Fiore again …"
Turning to look back down at Hogg, his eyes immediately went to his head. Or rather, what was left of it. He'd succeeded in his mission, that was all that mattered. Turning on his heel, he marched away from the body, sensing Erza's Magical Signature up on the ridge line they'd arrived at.
As he walked off, Hogg's body slowly began to rise once again. His body rose in an irregular way, arms limp at his side as he somehow rose using only the soles of his feet to support the rise of his massive body.
Once he was on his feet, he started rushing toward Natsu with a lumbering shamble as Darkness Magic coated his entire form. Before he could reach Natsu's position however, the Dragon Slayer had spun around, a fully formed attack in his hand.
Held within the palm of his hand was a crimson sphere of flame. It appeared small, and swirled and raged as if wanting to be released from his grasp. Without a word, he threw it at Hogg's shambling form, the sphere making impact within moments.
"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Nova."
The attack struck Hogg in the chest, rapidly expanding to cover his entire form. Natsu turned away and continued walking, the attack continuing to expand as Hogg's body was completely incinerated, stripped apart by fire and Crash Magic until nothing remained.
As he walked, Natsu pondered Hogg's final words before his death. More specifically, the person who's name he cursed before Natsu delivered the killing blow.
"Seigrain… Very interesting."
***POTD***
Erza sat on the ridge overlooking Castle Valtheim, her mouth agape at what she'd just seen. It was one thing to hear that he had grown strong enough to be considered S Class, another to actually see it in action.
In her opinion, Natsu destroyed The Cortex. Though she couldn't see the full fight from her elevated position, it was clear Natsu had dominated the fight. Castle Valtheim was in ruins, the surrounding area charred to a crisp.
"Impressive, isn't it?"
Erza flinched, forgetting that Eliza was still there with her. The moment she had felt Natsu and The Cortex's power spike, she hadn't paid attention to Eliza at all. The woman in question merely smirking at Erza's reaction as she surveyed the battlefield.
"Y-Yeah… I can see why you wanted to get me out of there now," came the weak response. "I never thought he'd be this strong …"
Several minutes later, Natsu arrived at her position on the ridge. He did a double take when he saw Eliza standing there, immediately adopting a defensive stance until Erza explained who she was.
"So let me get this straight. You're Elise's Mother … but you're also Elise herself?"
"Close, but not quite Dear. I am Elise's Mother, and I have temporarily taken over her body."
"Let me guess then," Natsu replied slowly. "You're the actual God that represents her God Slayer Element?"
"Correct," Eliza replied, bringing Erza's brain to a screeching halt as she comprehended the fact that there was a literal God talking to them. "Pays to be worldly, doesn't it?"
"Not in all aspects it doesn't," came the curt response. "Why did you want to speak to us?"
"Straight to the point I see. Very well, I'll explain myself," the War Goddess replied easily. "As it stands, I find your existences interesting and decided to meet you both personally. I don't get to converse with mortals very often, so this is rather interesting."
Natsu and Erza looked between one another before looking back at the Goddess who seemed much cheerier now. Natsu's eyes moved down toward her Armor before looking back up to meet her gaze.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Is that real blood?"
Eliza blinked before looking down at her Armor and giggling, shaking her head as it slowly faded away, like it had never been there to begin with.
"No, its fake. I use an illusion to make it appear as real as possible as a form of mental intimidation. Mortals often fear blood, so seeing an entity covered in it is a fear I can easily exploit in battle," Eliza explained. "Part of the Art Of War is to mentally intimidate your opponent, as I'm sure you both well know…"
Both Natsu and Erza shared a nod, having both learned that lesson well over the years. Eliza seemed pleased at their response as she turned around and took several steps away, as if to leave.
"You two amuse me," Eliza giggled as her height began to shrink down. "Perhaps we shall speak again …"
Erza and Natsu watched curiously as Eliza turned back into Elise, the Armor becoming far less extravagant, losing the markings and additions and simply being a bare-bones version of Eliza's Armor.
Turning around slowly, the God Slayer was blushing slightly, giving the pair a half wave and avoiding eye contact.
"Hey guys…"
"I have one question," Natsu responded in a firm, no nonsense tone that had Elise gulp audibly.
"Y-Yeah…?"
Stepping up to her, Natsu placed a hand on each of her shoulders, leaning in with narrowed eyes. Elise almost wanted to back away until his entire demeanor pulled a one eighty.
"So, like, are you a full God like Eliza? Can you do crazy God stuff like blow up planets or time travel?"
Erza snorted, shaking her head as she pulled him away from Elise and bonked him on the head.
"You idiot, you scared her half to death just now!"
"Did not," he snapped back, rubbing his head. "Stop hitting me in the head with your gauntlets on!"
"Elise watched as Erza bonked him on the head again, her lips twitching upward as he comically crouched down and started rubbing his head. She then started laughing, drawing the attention of the pair back toward herself.
"You two are pretty funny, y'know!"
The pair looked between one another and back to Elise before joining in, having a laugh at their own expense. Eventually, after about a minute, they calmed down and Elise responded.
"To answer your question Natsu, I'm not a God. I'm only about as strong as Erza really. I'm technically only adopted as well …"
"Well, you certainly lucked out, didn't you," Natsu smirked as he playfully nudged her. "You got a literal God as a Mother. How many people in the world could claim something as crazy as that?"
"Natsu's right. Her being a God doesn't matter. What matters is that you both love each other, that's all you need."
Elise looked down for a moment, surprised at the words of the two S Class Mages before her. Usually, people made fun of her due to her real parents. It was rather refreshing to have people actually being nice to her.
"Thanks guys. You actually have no idea how much it means for me for you guys to say that…"
"Ah, its okay Elise," Natsu grinned as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're friends now, right?"
"Wait … Really!?"
"You don't want to be friends," Erza asked with a raised eyebrow. "I would think after the three of us just did a job like this, it would have forged a good friendship?"
"Oh shit-Uh-I mean, yeah! I want to be friends," Elise stuttered as she nodded quickly.
"Then its settled! We are now friends," Erza replied firmly, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Now then, as friends, I think we should vote on who has to carry Falk back to Era! I vote that Natsu does it."
"Me too," Elise grinned, leaving Natsu momentarily caught off guard, not having expected the sudden topic change.
"Wait…Huh?"
"Its settled. Natsu will carry Falk all the way back to Era," Erza nodded, shooting an amused smirk in his direction.
"You damn cheeky bitch," Natsu sighed, shaking his head, chuckling in defeat. "Fine. I'll carry him, but you have to stop the bleeding. I'm not getting his blood all over me."
"Fair enough," Erza grinned as she and Elise shared a look and giggled again at his expense.
"I feel like this is gonna be a thing the whole way back, isn't it?"
"Behave and it won't be," Elise giggled as she and Erza moved toward Falk's unconscious form, leaving Natsu to shake his head once again.
Turning to look out at the ruins of Castle Valtheim, his amused demeanor slowly receded as his thoughts drifted back toward more serious topics. From Siegrain, to Eliza's existence and interest in them …
Natsu knew that all these things were undoubtedly going to be part of something much greater in the grand scheme of things. His time in the war taught him that much.
Looking back down to Erza and Elise, he saw that they were barely bothering to patch up Falk, instead chatting away amicably as they began to giggle over something he hadn't paid attention to.
'The doom and gloom can wait,' Natsu thought to himself as he watched the girls perform the worst first aid job he'd ever seen in his life. 'Yeah … It can definitely wait.'
***POTD***
It took the trio three days to arrive in Era, the location of the Magic Council's Main Headquarters. Elise knew her way around, having lived here for over a decade. Erza too knew of many of the important locations a Mage might need to visit.
Natsu merely scoffed at the place.
"What is it Natsu," Erza asked confusedly. "Is something the matter?"
"Nothing. Just the eyesore up there," came the curt response as he motioned to the floating structure situated above the largest building in the city.
"I take it you aren't a fan of the Magic Council," Elise asked curiously, eliciting a snort from the man.
"Recent information I learned about them after arriving back in Fiore has somehow managed to sour an already citrus laced disgust I have for most of them."
"That's…oddly specific."
"Don't worry, you'll see it soon enough for yourselves," Natsu replied as they arrived at the entrance to the Magic Council Headquarters.
A Messenger Frog hurried out to greet them, along with several Rune Knights. The Knights shook slightly as they saw Falk's unconscious and bandaged body.
"I doubt we need any sort of introduction, so, here's one of the leaders of Valtheim's Razor," Natsu said as he lazily tossed Falk on the ground before them.
"And the others," the lead Rune Knight asked.
"Dead."
"Understood. We'll have you wait in the lobby as the Council is informed of your arrival," the Rune Knight replied as they took Falk away, the Messenger Frog leading them into the lobby.
The trio only had to wait around ten minutes before the Frog returned, gesturing for them to follow. They walked down a long-winded corridor, chock full of portraits of old Council Members, until they reached a small platform with a single Lacrima Crystal suspended on a dais.
"Please touch the Lacrima and do not move during the Teleportation Spell," the Frog said as Elise immediately stepped forward, doing as instructed.
Erza followed suit shortly after as Natsu stepped forward and took a deep breath. Placing a hand on the Lacrima, his surroundings suddenly shifted into a space-like environment. All around him were stars as floating platforms slowly moved about around them. Taking his hand off of the Lacrima, he turned and made his way to stand next to Elise and Erza.
Looking upward, he could see them, all ten of them. Outwardly, as his gaze swept over them all, seemingly neutral. Inwardly, he silently pondered the truth that an identical copy of Councilman Hogg was indeed present, appearing almost alarmingly similar down to the mannerisms of the man whose face he caved in not three days prior.
One Council Member his gaze did stop on was a familiar one. Councilman Siegrain Fernandes, twin Brother of a man Natsu swore to keep as far away from Erza as physically possible.
Siegrain noticed his gaze, nodding slightly, a slight upward tilt of his lips which brought one to Natsu's own.
'Keep smirking prick…'
His eyes eventually moved away from Siegrain and finally landed on the Chairman. Now here was a man Natsu had absolutely no ability to get along with.
"It appears all necessary parties are present," the Chairman said as the Councillor platforms spread out around the space before them in what Natsu could only describe as the most useless show of power ever. "By my authority as Chairman of this Council, I hereby call this emergency session to order!"
Chairman Of The Fiore Magic Council
A Stern And Unyielding Leader
Gran Doma
"Excellent speech Doma. Perhaps next time, puff out your chest a bit more and bang that staff of yours, eh? Maybe then you might actually seem a little bit more impressive."
Elise looked like she nearly choked on something, caught between trying not to laugh and being completely gobsmacked. Erza went as white as a sheet as her iris' shrunk to the size of pinpricks as Natsu just insulted the Chairman of the Magic Council so blatantly.
"Natsu Dragneel… I would ask that you tone down your blatant lack of disrespect toward the Fiore Magic Council, but knowing you I sincerely doubt even bribery would achieve such a result."
"What's this Doma? Not going to even address that I'm back in Fiore? I must say, I'm certainly disappointed," Natsu replied as he lazily leaned against the railing of the platform they were standing on. "Six years of you demanding my return, yet your first comment is to bring up my lack of decorum?"
"If it weren't for your ties to multiple international businesses and your diplomatic status within the Scarlione Empire, this conversation would be quite different, I assure you."
"Oh yeah? You mean the kind of conversations you've been having with my Guild Master these last ten years? The kind of conversation where you threaten him with imprisonment and stripping of his well-earned titles," Natsu shot back as three members of the Council actually looked at Doma in shock. "Ahh… I see that wasn't something universally agreed upon?"
"It most certainly was not," a short, older looking man snapped as he rounded on the Chairman. "Is this true Doma!? Have you been using your position to bully Makarov for the last decade!?"
Member Of The Magic Council
Former Member Of Fairy Tail
A Culinary Expert
Councilman Yajima
"I must agree with my fellow Councillor, Chairman," Siegrain spoke up. "The case regarding Natsu Dragneel and Gildarts Clive was closed after the inquiry, was it not? It was agreed upon that no sanctions be levied against Fairy Tail itself, as neither the Guild, nor its Guild Master, were found guilty of giving formal permission for Natsu to embark on the Century Quest."
"Yes-Well I…I believe this is a topic better discussed in a more … private setting-."
"A more private setting, Doma? Is your twelve million Jewel floating palace above the city of Era, accessible only via Teleportation Lacrima keyed specifically to a Mage's Magical Signature, not enough for you," Natsu shot back with a challenging raise of his right eyebrow. "Perhaps you'd like to take this to the Tartaros Guild's Cube? Or perhaps a more exotic locale is to your tastes … like the bathhouse used by royalty, perhaps?"
Elise and Erza could only gape at Natsu now. The absolute venom behind his tone didn't leave any doubt that he had some sort of personal history with Chairman Doma. Some of the other Councillors looked away awkwardly at Natsu's comment. Siegrain merely rested his chin in his right hand, amused. Yajima was glaring at Doma, and the beautiful female Councillor near Siegrain seemed surprised, but also highly amused.
"I think that, for the sake of time, we should temporarily look past any … external conflict, and focus on the matter at hand," Siegrain suggested after several moments. "Time is a rather precious commodity for us all, is it not?"
"That it is," Natsu replied without looking at Siegrain. "I want Master Makarov compensated if Doma abused his position before I agree to move forward with today's proceedings."
"Done," Yajima replied instantly. "I'll not stand to hear any more of Doma abusing his position to bully a Guild Master!"
"Of course you would agree," Doma snapped back. "Being from that chaotic Guild yourself, of course you'll see them compensated-!"
"This isn't about Fairy Tail being my old Guild," the old man shot back. "This is about making right one of YOUR mistakes, Doma!"
"Fine! Can we please move onto the ACTUAL reason for this session!?"
"Yes, I suppose we can now," Yajima nodded as he looked down upon the trio. "Captain Faulkner. As the representative of the Magic Council on this mission, please submit your report of the mission…"
Elise stepped forward, only slightly recovered from Natsu's earlier actions, and began to relay the details from the attack on Castle Valtheim. Naturally, she completely made up how Markus Twinshadow had been killed, not wanting to reveal Eliza's existence, to which Natsu and Erza corroborated her story. It wasn't until they got to Natsu's part in events that the Council seemed genuinely shocked in what had occurred.
"Is this true, Natsu? Did you truly defeat The Cortex by yourself, leading to the destruction of Castle Valtheim in the process," Siegrain asked curiously.
"It is. I had attempted to discern his true identity, in order to inform the Council," Natsu lied casually. "Unfortunately, he had augmented his form somehow and appeared more akin to a Demon than a Human being."
The Council seemed surprised to hear of The Cortex's form, but accepted it without question. The report continued as the Council grilled them over the specifics before retiring to deliberate over the report.
Once they were gone, Erza immediately rounded on Natsu and grabbed him by the coat, shaking him wildly with an almost manic look in her eyes.
"What the hell were you thinking," she hissed as Elise looked about ready to join her. "You could have got all three of us in trouble!"
"I'm not apologizing. Doma is an absolute piece of shit and I hate him," Natsu replied firmly, prompting Erza to release him and huff in annoyance.
"How do you know Chairman Doma anyway," Elise asked, clearly confused. "And why do you hate him so much?"
"I met most of the Council in Scarlione on several occasions. Doma did some shit I'm not impressed with and that's all I'll say while we're here."
The girls could tell the subject was actually annoying Natsu and decided to drop it for the moment. Several minutes later, the Council reemerged again and assumed their respective podiums.
"After discussion over the incident, the Council has come to a decision regarding your execution of the operation," Doma's voice boomed throughout the room.
"Erza Scarlett. Your battle against the SS Rank Dark Mage known as Falk Transil has been officially logged as a success. You captured a high value target alive, if wounded, and ensured that we can extract information from him regarding other Dark Guild activity," Siegrain said. "You shall be paid in full for your efforts, and a further one hundred thousand Jewel for actually bringing him in alive."
Erza nodded, avoiding eye contact with Siegrain as she simply chose to face straight ahead.
"Natsu Dragneel. The Council may not agree with the way you treat us, yet none can deny the results. Upon review, The Cortex was a foe that likely warranted the deployment of a Grand Wizard or Wizard Saint, yet you defeated him alone. Not only that, you also destroyed most of Castle Valtheim in the process, ensuring it is no longer valuable to the Bharam Alliance," Yajima said, clearly quite impressed. "For your efforts at defeating a SSS Rank Mage, a Dark Guild Master … I am proud to say that your role in this matter has been logged as a success with a commendation. In addition to the base reward offered, the Council has agreed to offer a further five hundred thousand Jewel due to your crushing defeat of The Cortex, and the summary destruction of Castle Valtheim."
Gran Doma cleared his throat as he looked down at Elise, almost sneering at her as he began to speak.
"Captain Elise Faulkner. Though you indeed fought against an SS Rank Dark Mage, you failed to capture him alive. This Council could not come to an agreement on if your killing of Markus Twinshadow was necessary, given the circumstances."
Natsu and Erza were both shocked at how harsh they were being on Elise. They were really putting her down just because she killed an SS Rank Dark Mage?
"The mission was completed and logged as an overall success. However, your role in the mission cannot be definitively labelled as such. In light of your already shaky record within the Rune Knights, the Council partook in a vote," Doma continued as Elise hung her head, fists clenched. "In a seven to three split, this Council came to a decision. You shall be paid the base rate offered from the job, and not a single bit more. In addition, you are hereby expelled from the Rune Knights, effective immediately."
Elise said nothing as the Council seemed to almost wait for an outburst from her. Instead, she simply remained as still as a statue, not making a single sound which seemed to spur the whole meeting forward.
"With that, this meeting is adjourned," Doma huffed as he banged his staff on the ground and the Councillors teleported out.
The moment they were gone, Natsu and Erza immediately were at Elise's side. She wasn't crying, but she certainly was far from okay. Her fists shook as she clenched them so hard blood seeped through her fingers, prompting Erza to wrap an arm around her waist and lead her toward the Teleportation Lacrima.
They warped back to the long corridor and were surprised to see Councilman Yajima standing there, a grim look on his face as he stepped toward Elise. Natsu and Erza both moved to stand between them, but Yajima raised his hands.
"I'm not here to cause any trouble for her. I'm positively livid about what has happened to the poor girl, believe you me!"
"I suppose they found a way to get rid of me after all, didn't they, Mister Yajima," Elise sniffed as the old man moved to stand directly in front of her, looking up to see her distraught expression.
"You didn't do a damn thing wrong Elise Faulkner. Don't let anyone, not even the Council, tell you different! Yes, you killed a man. The Magic Council might judge killing harshly, but I know for a fact that you wouldn't have killed him for fun. That isn't the type of person you are, is it?"
"No…"
"No, it's not."
"Yajima," Natsu said as he drew the older man's attention toward him. "Yajima, what the hell is this all about?"
"I can't talk about it Natsu, I'm still part of the Council. Elise can tell you if she wants, but I'm unable to by law," the older man replied as he massaged his forehead with his right hand. "Natsu?"
"What?"
"I'm calling in that favor you owe me. The one from the ball at the-."
"Ichor Palace?"
"Yes."
"What do you want Yajima?"
"I want you to take Elise back to Fairy Tail with you," the old Councillor said firmly, surprising all three of them. "She's a bit of a firebrand, likes breaking things and carries on far too much-."
"Mister Yajima," Elise whined, unable to keep herself from smiling as the old man rattled off as many faults as he could think of.
"Give her a place better than what the Council could provide for her. Someone like her belongs in a Guild, not leashed to this place."
"I would've invited her anyway, regardless of the favor," Natsu shot back as he crossed his arms. "Stop trying to make things dramatic to benefit yourself."
"I'll always do so if it means its at your expense Natsu," Yajima smirked before looking over at Elise. "Go with them. Fairy Tail is a place where you'll find a home, find some friends."
Elise nodded as she knelt down on one knee and opened her arms wide, surprising Natsu and Erza with the rather intimate gesture toward the old Councillor.
"I thought we agreed to no more hugs?"
"You did, not me," Elise giggled, seemingly happier than she had been moments ago. "Now hug!"
The old man rolled his eyes and stepped forward into her embrace, giving the young woman a fair hug before pulling back.
"There! You've gotten your hug," the old man huffed as Elise rose to her feet. "Now, I'd advise you all get going before the last train leaves Era. Otherwise, you'll be stuck paying for an expensive hotel room."
"The man has a point," Natsu agreed before looking down at him with a smirk. "Obviously you'll be hugging your favorite person in the whole wide world, right Yajima?"
"Hug you Natsu? Peh! I'd rather suck a rotten turnip than hug the likes of you."
"Says the literal shrunken, crusty ass turnip," Natsu shot back as the pair shared a grin.
"The next time you come to cause trouble for Doma, give me a heads up first," Yajima replied as the two shook hands. "No matter where I meet you, my heart has to beat faster to compensate for all the stress!"
"Will do old timer."
"Say hello to Maki for me when you get back to the Guild," Yajima replied as he gave Elise one last warm look before turning and walking back down the long hallway.
As they watched him go, Erza couldn't help but look over at Natsu who seemed slightly more relaxed than before.
"Is it going to be a waste of time to ask you how you met Councilman Yajima?"
"Nah, I can tell you that," Natsu replied easily. "First time I met him was at a ball hosted at the Ichor Palace in Scarlione. He was there with Doma, but we actually got along quite well. After that, we'd sometimes bump into each other during certain political functions."
"Sounds like you're a rather worldly guy, doesn't it?"
"Perhaps Elise, perhaps… Anyway, what do you think?"
"What do I think? About what," Elise asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.
"About joining Fairy Tail," Erza said as she moved to stand next to Natsu. "With the two of us, you'll easily get in."
"Are you sure you want me to come back with you guys?"
"Of course we do! You're our friend now, and we're not gonna let a friend go homeless because of that prick Doma," Natsu replied easily. "Right Erza?"
"I wouldn't have insulted the Chairman of the Council when saying it … but yes, I agree. I think being in a Guild would suit you Elise, what's the worst that could happen?"
Elise smiled, sniffling slightly before nodding quickly. Looking back up at the pair, her eyes were glassy, yet she refused to cry.
"Alright, I'll do it," the God Slayer said shakily as she pulled herself together. "I'm going to become a Fairy Tail Mage!"
"That's the spirit," Natsu grinned back as he and Erza shared a look. "Now, we should probably heed old man Yajima's advice and get going to the station. Don't wanna get stuck here for a night, do we?"
"Certainly not," Erza replied as the trio started walking down the tunnel. "I stayed here overnight once and the prices were outrageous!"
"We still have an hour, so if we hurry we can make it to the station," Elise added as they picked up the pace a little, hurrying to the train station.
***POTD***
The trio arrived at the station with several minutes to spare, mainly thanks to Elise's knowledge of shortcuts around Era. Boarding the train, they started making the way toward a compartment as the train pulled out of the station. As they walked past the bar however, Natsu sniffed the air and frowned.
"You girls go on ahead for a sec, I'm just gonna grab a drink from the bar."
"Really Natsu? Can't you wait until we get back home to drink," Erza huffed, shaking her head. "Fine. Come on Elise…"
Erza and Elise continued on, leaving Natsu alone as he sat down at the seat on the far left, out of sight. Ordering something strong, he paid for the entire bottle and filled his glass, eyes narrowed as he continued to sniff the air.
'There…I knew it,' he thought to himself as he smelt the scent of Dark Mages at one of the nearby tables.
Sparing a glance at their table, he could tell they belonged to a Dark Guild. They weren't really doing a good job of hiding it, assuming they even wanted to. They were the loudest patrons there, two already piss drunk as they swayed in their seats.
Taking a sip of his own drink, Natsu blocked out everything else and listened in on their conversation.
"-why we've gotta hurry! We have to search that house up in the Hakamai Mountains for it!"
"We gotta find that stupid thing in two days or else the boss'll kill us," another huffed. "Why's it even matter anyway!?"
"You guys are idiots, or did you forget!? We need that thing for the operation in Clover, remember!?"
"Oh yeah. We were gonna use it to kill-."
"Shut your traps, both of you," one of the sober Dark Mages hissed, his eyes darting around the room. "Do you want everyone to know what we're up to!? Another word and I'll throw you clowns off the damn train!"
The two drunk Dark Mages immediately shut up as their conversation turned to more mundane topics. Or, as mundane as any topic is with Dark Mages.
Seeing that he'd learned all he was likely going to, Natsu finished his drink and made his way down the hall, searching for the cabin that Erza and Elise had taken. He pondered mentioning what he'd learned to them, but ultimately decided not to. Instead, he'd speak with Makarov about it and see what the old man's thoughts were.
"About time you showed up," Erza huffed as he slid open the door to their compartment and entered. "Did you really need to get a drink NOW of all times?"
"I don't see the issue? I was gone for ten minutes at most, wasn't I?"
"That's not the point and you know it! You're technically still on the job until you get back to the Guild Hall and you're drinking hard liquor," Erza replied firmly as she pointed at the bottle in his hand. "Master Makarov has enough problems with the others causing damage because they were drunk, he doesn't need you doing it too!"
"But Erza, I can't get drunk," Natsu replied that had the woman's brain stop momentarily.
"What?"
"I can't get drunk," he repeated with a shrug. "Once I hit sixteen, alcohol stopped working on me."
"Seriously," Erza asked, clearly suspicious until Elise chimed in.
"Funny you should say that Natsu, because I can't get drunk either."
"Really? Since what age?"
"Sixteen," the God Slayer replied which had Natsu dipping his head in thought.
"Maybe it's a Slayer thing?"
"Mother said it was related to my God Slayer abilities, so that could be true. I mean, how much would it reasonably take to get a Dragon or God drunk?"
"Who knows," Natsu shrugged as he plopped himself down next to Erza. "Still interesting though."
"Speaking of interesting topics Natsu," Elise continued. Can I ask you something a bit personal?"
"Depends on what it is," he replied with a smirk. "But go ahead?"
"I'm just curious as to why you're so damn strong for your age?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I mean I'm twenty, right?"
"Yeah?"
"And you're probably around my age, right?"
"I'm twenty-one."
"Right! You're only a year older than me yet you're so strong," Elise said as she seemed to struggle wording what she wanted to know specifically. "I just…I just wanna know what drove you to training so hard you became as strong as you are?"
"Well, it's a pretty selfish reason," Natsu chuckled softly as he looked out the window. "But you'll likely find it out when you officially join the Guild anyway, so I'll tell you.
Elise sat up a little straighter as Erza lazily looked in his direction, curious as to how much he planned on telling the God Slayer.
"When I was younger, around nine or so, I was out in the woods with a young girl by the name of Lisanna."
Erza's eyes widened ever so slightly upon hearing Lisanna's name leave his lips. Every long-time member of Fairy Tail knew how close Natsu and Lisanna were. Not even Erza would have dared separate them, as they were as thick as thieves.
"We were doing typical kid shit, as you do, when we got attacked by a big monster. I did have my Dragon Slaying Magic at that point, but I was about as useful against it as a flimsy stick."
"So, what happened? Aside from getting beaten up by the monster," Elise asked as Natsu shot her a look. "You got beat up, right?"
"Heh. A little. That was, until Gildarts stepped in and beat it in one attack."
"Gildarts? Who is Gildarts?"
"He's Fairy Tail's strongest Mage," Erza chimed in knowingly. "He's been the strongest for at least twenty five years now."
"Seriously? He's THAT strong!?"
"He is," Natsu replied instantly. "Don't let anyone fool you into thinking there's anyone in the Guild stronger than him."
"Not even you?"
"Hah! No, not even me. Though, from what I've heard, some like to think I'm close to him in power. Until I beat him in a fair fight though I don't want to even entertain the idea."
"Wow…"
"Anyway, we're getting off topic. So, I'd been saved by this super impressive guy and shown just how weak and useless I was, right? Well, I decided to train really damn hard and challenge Erza-."
"Wait…Erza? Why Erza?"
"I used to mop the floor with his sorry backside on a bi-daily basis when we were kids," Erza smirked as she playfully shoved him. "He used to have this mindset that throwing himself at me constantly was going to somehow help him grow stronger, ignoring the fact that he never trained during the times he was on his ass."
"In my defense, Dragon Slayers do grow stronger from fierce battles," Natsu laughed, raising his hands in a mock surrender. "My dumb nine-year-old self tried to shortcut his way to success."
"Never worked."
"Nope," Natsu grinned. Even after training for a solid month after Gildarts saved myself and Lisanna from that monster, Erza was just too damn powerful for me."
"So, what'd you do then?"
"Moped."
"…"
"No, really, I did."
"He did," Erza agreed. "It was actually really out of character for him to do that, but at the time the adults just told us he was growing up."
"Technically true-."
"A very slight technicality there," Erza scoffed. "But continue."
"Well, I moped for about a month and didn't fight anyone at all," Natsu continued as his expression slowly became much more stern. "Then, we got word from gramps…"
"Gramps?"
"Master Makarov," Erza answered as Elise hummed in response.
"What did he say," Elise asked, surprised as Natsu seemed to actually seem hesitant to respond for a moment, an almost sour look coming across his features.
"He gathered us all in the Guild Hall," he began, his stare no longer focused, but seeing beyond the girls. "It was raining, I remember Gray was sick that day because he lost his clothes out in the storm. Gramps was wearing his Wizard Saint coat…he hates wearing that, only does at the Guild when its bad news…"
Elise looked over at Erza, surprised to see that she too had a rather saddened look on her face. Whatever was coming, she knew it certainly wasn't going to be good.
"He told us that he'd just come back from the hospital. He said that Mira and Elfman were currently being kept there, Elfman being in critical condition… Then-."
"Then Levy, one of our Guild-mates, and friend, asked about Lisanna," Erza cut in, her voice much firmer than Natsu's as he opted to look out the window with a scowl. "She asked where Lisanna was, since she went with Elfman and Mirajane, since they were siblings…"
It didn't take a genius to realize what Erza and Natsu were getting at, her face paling slightly as she met Erza's steely gaze.
"She was only nine…?"
"Yes."
"H-How," Elise whispered, almost not wanting to know as Natsu's jaw seemed to clench.
"Mira, Elfman and Lisanna were a team. They all use Take Over Magic to, as you can probably guess, Take Over things. Lisanna could do normal creatures. Elfman would Take Over fierce monsters. And Mirajane … Demons."
"Long story short," Natsu continued as he met Elise's gaze. "Elfman got cocky, tried to use Take Over Magic on the creature they had been sent to destroy, and lost control."
"No…He didn't-!?"
"He did," Erza replied grimly. "All you need to know is that no one blames Elfman at the Guild for it. He already paid the price for what he did," Erza said quietly as she placed a hand on Natsu's thigh. "We don't talk about this much, so don't go bringing it up unless someone else brings it up to you first, okay?"
"Of course," Elise replied seriously.
"That is what drove me to running off with Gildarts," Natsu muttered as he drew Elise's attention back on himself. "Lisanna died because there was no one there to save her, like how Gildarts saved us that day. Ten years later, I've come to realize the futility of my thought process, but at the time, I was motivated by a desire to have strength to protect my friends and family."
Elise didn't respond, the mood in the compartment having become quite glum. For her part, Erza could only physically show her support by gently petting Natsu's thigh, also unable to speak on the sore subject further.
"We should be back in Magnolia soon but…I'm just gonna go to the back for some fresh air," Natsu sighed as he rose from his seat and left the compartment.
Erza and Elise simply stared at the door for several moments, Erza eventually sighing and leaning back in her seat, massaging her temples.
"Sorry…"
"No, don't apologize Elise, it's fine," came the soft reply. "Lisanna's death has always been an extremely sore subject for the entire Guild. If I'm being honest, I never brought it up with Natsu since his return because I didn't know how he'd react to it."
"Even still, I feel bad for prying…"
"I wouldn't worry about it. All things considered, Natsu handled the conversation a lot better than I thought. If you do still feel bad about it later, just go apologize to him in private. Just don't be surprised if he tells you not to worry about it."
"Okay Erza," Elise sighed as she looked out the window. "That's Magnolia in the distance, right?"
"That it is."
"Magnolia…My new home, huh?"
"You're going to love it Elise, I promise you. Just try not to become a degenerate like some of the other members of the Guild, please?"
"What do you mean by that…?"
"You'll see once we get there," Erza replied with a faint huff. "I don't doubt you'll see exactly what I'm referring to when we walk through the front doors."
Elise could only wonder what Erza was talking about? She knew Fairy Tail had a rather rough reputation, but surely things weren't THAT chaotic? Right?
***POTD***
As Elise approached the steps to the Guild Hall, she could hear the sounds of explosions going off inside the building. Looking back down at Natsu and Erza, the former was chuckling and shaking his head, and the latter was growling in annoyance.
"Those damn fools," Erza growled as she marched past Elise and toward the entrance.
"What's going on?"
"Just Fairy Tail being its usual self," Natsu chuckled as he motioned for her to follow him inside.
Once Erza pushed the doors open, Elise was given her first taste of a typical day at Fairy Tail…as she caught a chair that was about to hit her in the face.
"You'll need those reflexes here."
"Wha-? Why did a chair get thrown at me as soon as I walked in!?"
"It wasn't thrown at you, I assure you. Someone probably threw it at someone else," Natsu replied as he led her inside and toward the bar.
As they walked, Elise was shocked to see that it was a Guild wide brawl taking place. On one hand, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. But, on the other hand, she felt herself growing rather excited at how wild everything was here.
"I'd advise against joining in, at least if Erza is around," Natsu grinned as she realised she'd been too obvious in her desire to join in, blushing profusely as he led her toward the bar. "Mira? Oi, Mira!?"
Elise's eyes widened as the Mirajane she'd just heard about earlier popped out from behind the bar, a cheery smile on her face, as well as some alcohol for some reason.
"Welcome home Natsu," Mira beamed before looking over at Elise. "Oh, and who is this?"
"This here is Elise, and Erza and I want her to join."
"Really? Both of you," Mira asked, genuinely surprised. "You must have made quite the impression to get the seal of approval from the two of them!"
"Uh, it's a long story," Elise laughed awkwardly as Mira smiled knowingly.
"Its alright. You don't even need Natsu or Erza's backing to join anyway."
"Wait, really?"
"Yep," Mira grinned as she grabbed the Guild Stamp. "Where and what color?"
"Hold on…I get to join, just like that!?"
"Yep!"
"Isn't there any sort of process?"
"Aside from talking with the Master, not really. Though that's really just a formality, since he lets basically anyone join."
"Wow," Elise muttered in surprise before shaking her head, clearing her thoughts. "Uh, right. I'll have a stamp on my shoulder, black please."
"Shoulder and black," Mira repeated as she leaned over and gently stamped Elise's exposed shoulder. "Done and done!"
"Welcome to Fairy Tail Elise," Natsu smiled as the young God Slayer teared up a little.
"Aww! She's so adorable," Mira cooed as several other members began to take notice.
"What's going on over here, eh!? We got a new member," a young woman asked, her voice noticeably slurred as she slid into the stool next to Elise at the bar like a professional. "Another hottie too! Damn, Fairy Tail sure knows how to attract the girls, eh? Or maybe it was our recently returned hunk who brought her in!"
A Member Of The Fairy Tail Guild
Potential S Class Mage Candidate
Fiore's Heavyweight Division Drinking Champion
Cana Alberona
"Its been awhile Cana. Heard about your drinking exploits," Natsu replied as Elise blushed furiously again thanks to what Cana had said. "Lighten up on the flirting with Elise for a few days, let her get settled in, okay?"
"Hmm…Maaaybe," she purred in response. "I'd need a suitable substitute to flirt with in exchange…"
"Or, I could just cut you off Cana," Mira replied sweetly as the drunk seemed to choke on her own spit momentarily. "Your choice?"
"Fine, fine! I'll behave…for now," the voluptuous woman giggled as she spun around in her seat, taking off elsewhere as Natsu felt a light tugging at his sleeve.
Turning around, he looked down at a young, petite, blue-haired woman who was trying to get his attention.
"Long time no see," Natsu grinned as he sat down so she didn't have to strain her neck to look up at him.
"S-Sorry to bother you, Natsu," the girl replied quietly. "I wanted to welcome you back earlier, but …"
"Hey, its alright. Things moved pretty fast that day, and then I was gone the next," Natsu replied as the girl smiled happily in his direction.
A Member Of The Fairy Tail Guild
Fairy Tail's Lead Archivist
Leader Of Team Shadow Gear
Levy McGarden
"So Levy, what'd you need?"
"Huh? Oh, right. I wanted to let you know that Master Makarov has gone to Crocus so you won't be able to see him about that job you and Erza went on-."
"He went to Crocus," Natsu asked, eyes widening slightly in alarm. "Why?"
"W-Well, he went to the Guild Master's yearly meeting," Levy replied shakily, having seen the shift in his demeanor. "Is something wrong?"
"Is Gildarts here?"
"He stepped out for a bit to handle something in town for the Master," Mira chimed in. "What's wrong Natsu?"
"Does anyone have a way to contact Gildarts? Like, right now?"
Before anyone could respond, the sound of someone chuckling from up on the second floor silenced the entire Guild Hall. All the brawls ceased as a sudden tension began to permeate throughout the room.
"Well now, look at what we have here? I heard a rumor that you finally decided to come crawling back to the Guild. Some rumors even said you were S Class material now, the next ACE of Fairy Tail, they said…"
Natsu's eyes narrowed as they locked eyes with a man he wasn't too keen on seeing again anytime soon. The man knew it too, smirking down at him as he leaned against the railing of the second floor.
"My money was on you dying while you were away, you know that? Seems like Gildarts carried your sorry ass for ten whole years!"
S Class Mage Of Fairy Tail
Grandson Of Makarov
Leader Of The Thunder Legion
Laxus Dreyar
"Funny guy, aren't you Laxus…"
"Oh yeah, a real fucking comedian," the man grinned, running a hand through his short, spiky blonde hair. "But I'm beat every time you walk into this damn building-!"
"That's enough Laxus," Erza said firmly, cutting the man off as he lazily looked in her direction. "Don't go starting trouble!"
"Or what? You can't do shit to me Erza, so go back to beating on the weak trash down there like the good little dog you are-."
"Laxus! Stop trying to start trouble just because you know the Master is away," Mira snapped as she glared up at the man. "You should know better!"
"And just who are you to tell me anything Mirajane," Laxus scoffed back. "Stick to being a glorified maid and waitress since that's all you're good for these days."
Many in the Guild were shocked at Laxus' insult. Mira seemed to take it in stride though, her glare only worsening, something he found highly amusing.
"You know Laxus, I thought about you the last ten years," Natsu said idly, all eyes diverting to his position as he slowly started walking toward the stairs.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, really. I thought about you a lot. Doesn't that make you feel real special inside," he continued, everyone else freezing as they saw him clench his fists as he started ascending the stairs.
"Oh yeah, I feel so special being in the empty head of an idiot like you."
"I'm glad," Natsu nodded as he reached the top, stopping only a meter from Laxus as the two men sized each other up. "Because guess what I was thinking these last ten years as you thought I'd have died?"
"What's that?"
"I thought you'd have been kicked out of the Guild like your disgrace of a Father, Laxus," Natsu said darkly as all the veteran Mages gasped in shock.
"Natsu," Mira gasped. "You can't say something like that!"
Laxus stepped up to Natsu, getting right into his face as the pair glared at one another. Laxus seemed momentarily surprised that Natsu didn't back down or try and strike him straight away, simply matching his glare instead.
"It isn't gonna be like how it was ten years ago Laxus…"
"You seem to think that you're something now, don't you? But you aren't. You're still a weak little nothing who'll never amount to anything!"
"What are you? Twelve? Grow up and use a real insult," Natsu scoffed back before reaching out and grabbing the man's shirt. "Or, better yet … Why don't you throw that punch you so desperately want to throw … and find out what happens …"
No one moved as Laxus raised his left fist, coating it in a torrent of yellow lightning. Natsu didn't even flinch as the man threatened to hit him, eye contact refusing to waver so much as an inch.
"Go on. Do it…"
"Natsu, stop this," Erza shouted as she sprinted up the stairs. "Both of you, calm down-!"
Erza was suddenly sent flying off of the second floor as Laxus batted her aside with the fist he'd been aiming at Natsu. Everyone seemed shocked that he'd actually done it as Erza crashed into the bar top, Mira immediately rushing to her side.
"Erza!"
"Stay out of this Erza!"
"You fucking prick," Natsu snarled as he slugged Laxus in the lower jaw.
The man stumbled backward, both in shock and pain, before gritting his teeth and charging Natsu, tackling him.
Natsu didn't hear anything more than static background noise. All he could think of was that Laxus punched Erza and his vision was solely focused on the man as they grappled with each other on the ground.
It wasn't until a firm grip on the back of his head smashed it into the ground, that he returned to his senses. Straining to look up, he saw Gildarts pinning both men to the ground with a frown on his face.
"Would somebody tell me what the hell is going on here," Gildarts shouted, silencing the room. Laxus grit his teeth, his body seemingly de-materializing and reappearing over at the doors to the Guild Hall.
"Screw this shit. I've got better things to do than waste my time with trash like this," Laxus huffed as he left the Guild Hall.
Gildarts released Natsu and dragged him to his feet, a stern look on his face.
"What happened?"
"Laxus and I were having … a moment. Neither of us had actually thrown a punch, until Erza came up to try and break it up-."
"At which point he hit her, right?"
"Yeah," Natsu nodded, looking downstairs to see Erza sitting on the bar as Mira fretted over her. "Someone down there tell you?"
"Gray did."
"Gray," Natsu repeated as he looked downstairs for the Ice Make Mage, noticing that he was standing about half way up the stairs. "Gray, come up here."
"I'm here," the Ice Make Mage replied as he moved to stand next to Gildarts. "That shit was tense man. I can't believe you stood up to Laxus' bullshit like that?"
"Is Erza alright?"
"Yeah. She's just shocked Laxus hit her. She's tough enough to take it, but…"
"She shouldn't have to," Gildarts finished for him. "I'll be letting Makarov know about this incident. Laxus went too far hitting Erza like that."
"I'm perfectly fine you three," Erza said as she came upstairs with Mira. "I've been hit with far worse before, a single punch isn't going to affect me."
"He shouldn't have hit you in the first place-."
"And you shouldn't have been stirring him up, should you," Erza countered evenly. "Though, I can't exactly blame you, since he did start it."
"Listen, all of you. I think its best if we all put this on the back-burner till tomorrow," Gildarts suggested. "I'm covering for Makarov while he's at the Guild Master's Conference in Clover and I've got a fair bit of work to do."
"Can I talk to you first thing tomorrow?"
"What's it about?"
"Something important," came the neutral response that had Gildarts' eyes narrowing slightly.
"I see. I'll be in Makarov's Office tomorrow morning, so come see me then."
"Will do," Natsu nodded as the older man sighed and made his way into said office, closing the door behind him. "What a day…"
"So, we're just not gonna talk about that whole Laxus thing," Gray asked curiously. "Seems like that is a pretty big issue?"
"Can't do much about it without the Master present for it, can we," Erza replied with a shake of her head. "Gildarts is right, we should all just settle down for tonight and deal with it tomorrow."
"Speaking of ending the day off," Natsu said as he realized something important. "I've got to find somewhere to live. I can't risk sneaking into Fairy Hills all the time to stay with Erza, and it isn't right."
"Well, why don't you just buy a new house," Mira suggested. "There's one for sale just down the road from the Guild Hall?"
"Really? Hmm…"
"We should go check it out Natsu," Erza chimed in as they all started making their way toward the stairs. "We might be able to buy it today if we get there fast enough?"
"Assuming I even WANT to buy it?"
"He's totally buying it," Mira giggled as they reached the bottom where Elise was waiting awkwardly.
"I was gonna go up and join you all, but Cana said only S Class can go up there, so I waited down here."
"It's alright Elise, you just have to ask an S Class Mage if you can go up there. In other words, anyone of us bar Gray here since he's not S Class yet."
Elise nodded as the group invited her to go check out this potential House for Natsu, to which she eagerly accepted the invitation. The small group made their way out into Magnolia, wandering down the road until they reached the home in question.
"Are you serious Mira? THIS is the place!?"
"Yep!"
"But this isn't a house … it's a freaking mansion!"
"What's wrong with that," Erza asked, tilting her head to the side, clearly unsure of the issue.
"What's wrong is that there's no way I can afford that!"
"It's around three million Jewel," Mira supplied helpfully as she pulled out the contract for the home from her pocket. "It costs a bit, but it's a wonderful home!"
"Say Natsu," Erza asked suddenly as he slowly turned toward her. "Between myself, you and Elise, didn't we all get over three million Jewel from that job we did?"
"I … suppose we did, yes."
Erza turned to Elise, who seemed to be already understanding what Erza was suggesting, a look of surprise on her face.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Look how big and extravagant it is Elise," Erza sighed as she motioned for her to look at it again. "There's so much room here!"
"But … You realise that you're asking me to buy a house with the two of you, right? Like, you understand that we only met about a week ago … right?"
"I don't see how that's relevant," Erza replied, not even remotely thinking about what Elise just said as Mira giggled and whispered to her.
"You made a good impression on her, so she likes you now. My advice is to just do what she says."
"I suppose we're doing this then, aren't we," Natsu sighed as he turned toward Elise. "If you're uncomfortable doing this, just say so. Its one thing to join the Guild because we want you there, and another to buy a house with us."
"Well…On one hand, it's a permanent place for me to stay, which I've never had before. But, on the other hand, you are right that I have been through a lot recently," Elise muttered before seemingly coming to a decision. "I took a chance joining this Guild, so, why not take a chance again? I'll do it!"
"Then I suppose that settles it," Natsu said as he placed his hands on his hips and looked up at the mansion. "We're going to buy this mansion together."
"We should have enough money left over to buy any furniture we need tomorrow," Erza noted as they all started making their way toward Magnolia Realty. "For now, we can use what I've got up in Fairy Hills."
"I suppose the two of you can go shopping tomorrow as I go see Gildarts," Natsu suggested, the girls rather agreeable to the idea. "Then its settled."
It certainly wasn't what any of them had expected when they started the week. But they certainly weren't going to complain however, as they eagerly discussed potential plans for their new home.
***POTD***
As night fell upon Fiore, and its many citizens retired to their beds for the night, sinister elements had gathered upon neutral ground.
At the heart of this forest, was a central cave-like structure, dome shaped and of a primitive make. It was of no value to modern scholars or the Magic Council, as they believed it to be a mere relic of a bygone era.
But to the Dark Guilds … it contained the future.
For this structure represented the distant past. More specifically, a time when their Lord once roamed Earthland and spread his will upon its ungrateful denizens. It was a site of great importance to the Bharam Alliance.
Three paths had been carefully made that led to the stone structure, torches lighting the way as dozens of robed figures lined them. No one spoke. No one would dare to, lest they be killed on the spot for their heresy.
For this, was a meeting of significant import, as three lone figures walked up the three respective paths. Each varied wildly in appearance, but all three had several things in common.
They were all Dark Mages.
They were all enemies of Fiore.
They all wished to see the return of Lord Zeref.
They were the three leaders of the Bharam Alliance.
The three figures reached the central structure, each standing before a stone dais that bore an ancient symbol. Neither figure glanced at the other, all eyes locked on the dais as is would occasionally glow a blackish-purple hue before fading.
"Valtheim has fallen," a rather elderly looking man muttered, idly tapping his staff on the ground as they continued to look at the glowing dais. "All the evidence is before us."
"You need not state the obvious, we all felt it," a dark-skinned man with unique facial markings replied as he ran a hand through his neat, silver hair.
"That we did," the third, and youngest of the three replied in a silky-smooth tone, a gentle smile on his face. "Which leaves us at a crossroads on the future of the Bharam Alliance…"
"Dissolve the Alliance, return to our own separate goals to revive Lord Zeref…"
"Or, forge a new Geass, and reforge the Bharam Alliance anew," the eldest of the three muttered as a tense silence washed over the room.
Outside, many of the Dark Mages shifted in place. At any moment, they could be asked to attack Dark Mages on either of the opposing paths, igniting a war between the Dark Guilds. Most didn't wish for such a future, seeing it as wholly unnecessary. However, the decision was out of their hands…
"Should we fail to reach an agreement, it could lead to war," the dark-skinned man said as he waved his hand over the dais.
An image emerged from the centre of the dais, showing footage of war between the Dark Guilds as they brutalized one another.
"My faction does not desire a Third Shadow War," the elderly man chimed in, giving his piece. "We have made more progress in the last twenty years with the formation of the Bharam Alliance than any of us had made in the century prior."
"Agreed," the youngest nodded. "Ever since the formation of the Alliance, the success rate of missions has increased by seventy nine percent over a fifteen-year period, following reforms. To break the Alliance is highly illogical."
"We appear to be in agreement then, gentlemen," the dark-skinned man grinned. "However, there is still the matter of the Valtheim situation…"
"Indeed. Its destruction, and the speed at which it had been achieved, caught us all completely by surprise. We've lost a vital pawn in former Councilman Hogg, and Falk Transil being in the custody of the Magic Council is of great concern."
"The matter of Falk Transil can easily be dealt with," the elderly man replied dismissively as he waved his hand over the dais. "I shall send three from my Guild to retrieve him from Era. It shall not be an issue."
"We shall trust you to see it done," the youngest replied with a slight nod. "To send not one, but three of your own Guild to attend to this matter is … most assuring. I trust that your Deputy Commander will be dispatched?"
"He shall, along with two of the Seven Kin."
"Agreeable," the dark-skinned man nodded. "Now, onto the Valtheim matter…"
"Yes. This is the latest from the site," the elderly man continued as the image on the dais showed that it was still on fire, little more than a smouldering ruin. "Gathered intelligence suggests that this was performed entirely by only three Mages."
"Wizard Saints?"
"Doubtful," the youngest sniffed in response. "However, I believe a Grand Wizard Class Mage was involved. Reports seem to suggest that former Councilman Hogg was completely overwhelmed by his attacker."
"Yet we have no intel regarding the identity of the individual?"
"We are still working to gather information," the elderly man replied neutrally. "It is why the retrieval of Falk Transil from Council custody is considered a high priority by my faction. He is the sole survivor of the Valtheim incident, and he alone would possess the intelligence regarding the identity of his attackers."
"Then we must remain wary regarding future operations until Falk Transil can be returned to our custody," the youngest of the three replied as the trio nodded. "Then all that remains is the creation of a new Geass…"
"I believe I have considered a fair proposal that benefits all parties equally," the eldest mentioned as he waved his hand over the dais. "We remove the central guild, increasing communication between the Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros respectively. In turn, we stand to gain more profit, faster intelligence, less risk of an information breach like what we currently face … and most importantly … increased cooperation between our Guilds."
"I see no reason to deny this," the dark-skinned man hummed in agreement. "And, on the topic of dark artefacts?"
"Whoever's territory the artefact is found in is given the right to the artefact," the elderly man replied cooly. "Should one of our Guilds fall, its assets are split evenly among the others."
"I find that to be acceptable," the youngest nodded slowly. "Very well, I accept the Geass."
"As do I."
"As do I," the elderly man said as the centre of the dais began to glow a blackish-purple before fading away.
The glow then started emanating from the three Guild Masters themselves for a moment before fading, signalling the success of the new Geass.
"It is done. We shall meet again under the next full moon," the eldest muttered as he turned on his heel and slowly departed.
The youngest slipped away without a word as the dark-skinned man chuckled darkly, slowly receding into the shadows.
For the Dark Guilds of Fiore, disaster had been averted this night. The will of their Lord had seen the three strongest Dark Guilds agree to a course for their future.
And it was one that they would sacrifice everything for
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