Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Malba.
February, x782.
The train ride to Malba took nearly an entire day. During the trip's duration, Alfonzo Knocked out Natsu at least four times. And the reason was simple, he was just too noisy. Even with his severe case of motion sickness, the first thing he did every time he woke up was to start shouting. Whether it was at Alfonzo for knocking him out or to complain about how sick he felt, he seemed to be incapable of doing it quietly.
After finally reaching Malba, Alfonzo dragged the still unconscious Natsu off the train. Then, while staying out of the Straus siblings sights, he used a weak electrical shock to wake up the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Not before stuffing a muffin in his mouth, though.
"*Sigh* I don't know what kind of miracle it was that they never noticed us." Alfonzo muttered while he watched Natsu eat the muffin with gusto. "It's a good thing I never taught Mirajane [Magic Power Detection]. Otherwise, we would have been caught long ago."
On the other hand, Alfonzo also refrained from using [Magic Power Detection] to track the siblings. Although Elfman and Lisanna probably would not have noticed anything if he did, Mirajane's sensitivity to magic power is higher than theirs, so she might have noticed it. And sense everyone in Fairy Tail is familiar with Alfonzo's magic power signature, she would have definitely recognized him in that case.
"Hey, their moving." Natsu said quietly, finally understanding that being too loud will get him knocked out.
"Then, we need to start moving, too." Alfonzo replied, moving in the same direction as the siblings.
Like that, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna made their way through the city, booking rooms in a hotel at their destination.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Natsu followed them from a distance. They, too, booked a hotel room, with two beds, at a hotel different from the Straus siblings. They did, however, choose a hotel with a view of the other hotel's entrance.
That night, Alfonzo and Natsu took turns watching the other hotel's entrance, with Natsu taking the first shift. To Alfonzo's surprise, Natsu did not do anything to blow their cover while he was on watch. Instead, he somehow managed to fall asleep.
"*Sigh* I should have known he wouldn't be able to just sit still for that long." Alfonzo muttered to himself after waking up and seeing Natsu sleeping in a chair near the window closest to Mirajane's hotel.
Dragging Natsu to his bed, Alfonzo used [Magic Power Detection] with the lowest output he could manage. When he noticed that the three siblings were still sleeping, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he took a case out of his luggage, carried it over to the chair Natsu was previously occupying, and took a seat.
"Now, I guess I should find a use for this." Alfonzo said as he opened the case.
Inside the case was his no longer useful Automail left arm.
After scanning the arm for exactly how much of each metal was present, Alfonzo made a couple of designs in his head. Then, he started disassembling the arm. First, he removed the metal sand container from the upper arm. Then, he modified its shape. In the end, he turned it into a small waist pouch that he attached to his belt.
With Space expansion sigils and weight reduction sigils, the metal sand container was no heavier than a coin purse.
After that, he removed the spiked rope concealed in the arm's forearm and set it aside.
As far as the remaining materials went, Alfonzo stripped them from the adamantite frame, putting the bearings used for flexibility in his luggage. Then, he started manipulating the adamantite to create the frame for a set of gauntlets.
These gauntlets would only cover just as much as the wrappings he usually wore around his hands, wrists, and forearms. Then, he added the necessary weight reduction sigils. After that, he coated the frames with the orichalcum, making sure to leave a space in the right gauntlet for the spiked rope to be stored while adding a suitable number of space expansion sigils.
"I should probably do the same thing to the left one, too." Alfonzo muttered as he put the finishing touches on the right gauntlet. "Although I don't have the materials to make a rope for it, yet. It would be pretty bad ass to have my own version of the ODM Gear."
Like that, Alfonzo continued working. Eventually, just as Alfonzo finished, the sun began to rise from the eastern horizon. Unfortunately, Alfonzo had to break his habit of getting in some light training first thing in the morning when leaving Magnolia this time.
It wouldn't be good if they lost the Straus siblings while he was training. And he didn't trust Natsu enough to let him tail them without being nearby in case he did something stupid.
So, instead of going to the courtyard to train, Alfonzo ordered some room service. By the time the food arrived, Natsu was just waking up. Then, after they both ate, they noticed Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna leaving the hotel.
"Let's go, Natsu." Alfonzo said, taking note of the direction they traveled in.
With that, the duo dawned their cloaks and hats. Then, they quickly left the hotel and caught up to the siblings. After a walk through the city, they saw the siblings enter city hall.
"Do we have to wait again?" Natsu asked in a whiney tone after he and Alfonzo found a place to watch the entrance to city hall without drawing attention to themselves.
"Did you think we'd follow them into city hall?" Alfonso asked while rolling his eyes.
"I mean, anything is better than waiting around like this, you know." Natsu argued. "Besides, if I sit still for too long, I fall asleep."
"I noticed." Alfonzo said, rolling his eyes again.
"Ooh, I know!" Natsu exclaimed happily. "I just had a great idea!"
"For some reason, I seriously doubt that." Alfonzo said exasperatedly.
'What was I thinking bringing this hyperactive pyromaniac with me?' Alfonzo thought to himself exasperatedly.
"Anyway, let's hear it." Alfonzo muttered while glancing at Natsu.
"We should have a fight until they come out." Natsu said as if he just had the world's greatest idea. "I mean, we're both really sensitive to our surroundings when we fight, right? That means we won't miss them when they leave."
*Smack!*
"I thought you said you weren't stupid." Alfonzo said, sounding tired as he slapped Natsu upside the head. "If we were to fight in the middle of the city, the destruction would be insane. On top of that, as soon as Mirajane and the others left city hall to see the commotion, they would recognize our magic immediately."
"Oww! You could have just said no." Natsu said while rubbing the back of his head where he was hit. "You didn't have to hit me."
"Yes, I did." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "I had to reinforce the point."
Like that, the duo continued to wait and bicker, which made the hour long wait feel much shorter than it actually was. Then, when the Straus siblings eventually came out of city hall, they resumed their trailing.
This time, the siblings ended up leaving the city. Following them from a distance, Natsu's nose started twitching.
"It smells like a strong beast is nearby." Natsu muttered. Then, he looked up into the sky. "And the clouds are moving ominously. I really have a bad feeling about this."
"She probably took the Beast King Subjugation quest that was on the S-Class board." Alfonzo muttered as if he didn't already know which quest she took. "I didn't know the location, though. Otherwise, I would have driven here and left you behind."
'Those clouds look just like what I remember the sky looking like when the anima gate opened.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he glanced up at the sky. 'As long as Lisanna doesn't get hurt, there's a good chance that she won't be pulled through it… I hope.'
"What?" Natsu exclaimed in response. "Why would you do that?"
"Because there is no way I'm taking a chance that you would puke in my baby." Alfonzo said in a matter-of-fact tone.
With some more banter along the way, Alfonzo and Natsu noticed that Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna came to a stop. So, they found a good vantage point and watched them make their final preparations.
"Okay, you two." Mirajane said sternly. "I'll take care of the fighting. You two watch from a safe distance. And make sure you pay attention. Even though we all use different techniques, seeing how I fight the Beast could be a good experience that will help you improve."
"Okay, Big Sis, I'll pay attention." Elfman replied.
"Yeah, we'll get stronger so that you don't have to worry about us so much." Lisanna said, pumping her fist energetically.
IN response, Mirajane allowed a gentle smile to grace her lips. Then, she rubbed Lisanna's head affectionately.
"Silly girl, I'm your big sister." Mirajane said. "I'll worry about you no matter what. But I'll still be happy if you get stronger so that you can protect yourselves better."
Meanwhile, from the place where Alfonzo and Natsu were watching from.
"I didn't know Mira could smile like that." Natsu said with a disbelieving expression on his face. "Now that I think about it, I didn't know she could smile at all."
"Haha.. I know what you mean, Natsu." Alfonzo said with a chuckle. "But her smile is really pretty. Plus, it suits her better than her usual resting bitch face."
As Natsu nodded in response, he and Alfonzo both saw Mirajane's eyebrow and lips twitch.
"What's wrong, Mira?" Lisanna asked, tilting her head to the side.
"I don't know." Mirajane replied. "But I felt like someone was thinking something rude about me. On top of that, I got the urge to punch Natsu for some reason."
"Why are you always so mean to Natsu, Mira?" Lisanna asked with a pout.
*Roar!*
Before Mirajane could respond, a loud, bestial roar could be heard from not too far away. A few moments later, a large creature with long, thick arms, sharp claws, thick red and green fur, sharp fangs, a white mane, and golden horns approached from ahead of the siblings.
"Alright, you two." Mirajane said as she flared her magic power. "Get back and enjoy the show. [Take Over: Satan Soul]."
With her chant, Mirajane was engulfed in dark flames. Then, as the flames flickered out, she was once again revealed. However, this time her appearance had changed.
Mirajane's hair spiked up wildly, she grew a pair of bat like wings, and her attire changed. Now, wearing a very revealing maroon swimsuit-like outfit that exposed most of her breasts and abdomen, she also wore thigh-high , high heeled boots of the same color with black and gold accents that exposed her thighs as well.
On top of that, her forearms down to her hands changed in form, growing larger and were covered in golden gauntlets with long claws. And rounding out all the changes in her appearance was a long, black tail and patterns on the left side of her face, over her left breast, and on her exposed thighs.
As soon as Mirajane's transformation was complete, she spread her new wings and flew toward the Beast at break-neck speed.
From there, a battle that shook the landscape occurred. While the Beast only used its powerful body to fight, Mirajane used not only her trained martial arts, but she also threw around dark magic spells that changed the landscape whenever the Beast avoided them.
The fight went on for nearly two hours. And although Mirajane was never in danger of losing the fight, it was clear that the fight was taking a toll on her. On top of the Beast being more durable than she expected, she had to defeat it without killing it. Although killing it would be much easier, if she did, Elfman would not be able to take over its Beast Soul, making this trip pointless.
Eventually, however, Mirajane was able to knock the Beast unconscious. Though almost all of her magic power had been used up, causing her to revert back to her base form as soon as the battle ended.
"Okay, *Pant* Elfman, Do it. *pant*" Mirajane said, trying to regulate her breathing.
"Okay." Elfman said nervously. Then, he approached the downed Beast with unsure steps.
"Come on, Elfman, you can do it." Lisanna cheered from behind.
A few seconds later, Elfman reached the Beast's body. Then, he placed his hands on its chest.
"[Take Over]." Elfman chanted as the Beast's body began to glow.
A few moments later, Elfman was also covered by the glow. Then, when the glow dispersed, the Beast Mirajane had knocked unconscious, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a new Beast, that somewhat resembled Elfman, was standing where Elfman once stood. This was naturally Elfman after taking over the Beast's soul.
"*Roar!*" Elfman roared as he raised his hands that now sported sharp claws.
"Elfman, you did it." Lisanna cheered as she ran toward her older brother.
In response to Lisanna's cheer, Elfman turned around. However, when he did, Mirajane immediately noticed that something was wrong. She saw that his eyes were filled with cruelty and the thirst for vengeance.
"Lisanna, stay back." Mirajane said while she, who was already closer to Elfman, took a step in front of Lisanna. "Elfman isn't in control right now. The Beast has control of his body."
"But how is that possible?" Lisanna asked with a hint of horror in her tone. "What happened to big brother?"
Although Elfman was significantly stronger than he was in the canon, he still had the same weak will that he did before Lisanna's presumed death. So, just like in the canon version of events, he was unable to subdue the Beast's soul when he performed his [Take Over].
"The Beast's will overwhelmed him." Mirajane said, transforming back into her [Satan Sol] form. "I'll have to either knock him out or keep him occupied until he can regain control."
1/2
Thanks for reading, I hope youenjoy the story.
Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Malba.
February, x782.
After using her [Take Over: Satan Soul], Mirajane charged at Elfman, intending to subdue him long enough for Elfman to take control over his magic. Unfortunately, Mirajane was very low on magic power. So, unlike the fight she had with the Beast, this one was quite one-sided.
'Damn it, If I had let Natsu come with us, things wouldn't be so bad.' Mirajane thought to herself as she flew into the air to avoid an incoming slash of Elfman's claws. 'No, there's no point thinking like that. Right now, the only thing I need to focus on is keeping Elfman and Lisanna safe.'
With that thought, Mirajane charged down toward Elfman once again. She had to keep Elfman engaged, otherwise, he would more than likely target Lisanna. And at this point, Lisanna was simply not strong enough to deal with Elfman when he was like this.
With her hands covered in [Darkness Magic], Mirajane evaded another slash. Then, she unleashed a barrage of punches on Elfman's chest and abdomen. Unfortunately, with her low magic power reserves, she was unable to deal much damage. Instead, her attacks seamed to anger Elfman even further.
*Roar!*
Elfman roared as he raised both arms over his head. Then, after locking his fingers together, he swung his hands down, aiming at the top of Mirajane's head.
Luckily, Mirajane was fast in her [Satan Soul] form, Effortlessly, she dodged Elfman's attack by flapping her wings and flying backward. However, just as she was about to charge back in, she was blindsided by Elfman's tail and sent flying through the air before slamming into the ground with violent force.
With the Beast's instincts in control of the body, Elfman did not miss the opportunity his sneak attack provided. With great speed and powerful footsteps that shook the ground, Elfman rushed toward Mirajane, who was struggling to stand with a bit of blood dripping from between her lips and bruises on her torso.
"Mira! Look out!" Lisanna shouted, worried for Mirajane's well-being.
Instead of panicking, Mirajane raised her right hand in Elfman's direction, causing a demonic rune to appear beneath him.
"[Darkness Stream]." Mirajane chanted.
As soon as the chant ended, a stream of dark energy rose from the rune beneath Elfman, engulfing him and putting a stop to his charge. Meanwhile, Mirajane was struggling to even keep her eyes open at this point. She was already low on magic power. And using a spell as powerful as [darkness Stream] did not help her current situation.
A moment later, just as the stream of dark energy was about to stop, Mirajane's [take Over] also ended. She had used up so much of her magic power that she couldn't even maintain her [take Over] spell.
However, just before the darkness energy dissipated completely, Elfman, even more enraged than before, charged out of the stream. Then, when he was close enough, he swung his arm, slashing Mirajane across the abdomen and sending her flying through the air.
"Mira~~~~!" Lisanna shouted as she rushed toward Mirajane's landing spot.
Meanwhile, from their vantage point, Alfonzo and Natsu were ready to make their move.
"Alright, Natsu, let's go." Alfonzo said. "This has gone on long enough. Hopefully, this will teach her that she's not invincible."
"Yeah, let's go." Natsu said as he dashed toward the Straus siblings.
Just as Alfonzo and Natsu started to move, Lisanna reached Mirajane, who was barely conscious. On top of that, her left arm was bent in a strange direction and blod was leaking from her abdomen.
"Mira, are you okay?" Lisanna asked as she knelt in front of Mirajane.
"What are you doing here?" Mirajane struggled to say. "Hurry up and get out of here."
"No, I won't leave you behind." Lisanna said, shaking her head vigorously. "Besides, Big Brother Elf won't really hurt us, you'll see."
With that, Lisanna stood up and turned around before walking toward Elfman with her arms spread wide open.
"Lisanna! What are you doing?" Mirajane shouted as loud as she could. "Don't go near him, he's not himself right now!"
Ignoring her sister's warning, Lisanna continued walking toward Elfman.
Elfman, on the other hand, after landing his last attack landed on Mirajane no longer felt threatened. So, he approached Mirajane and Lisanna slowly. However, the Beast, that was currently in control of the body, felt insulted when he saw that there was not an ounce of fear in Lisanna's expression as she started to approach.
"Come on, Elfman." Lisanna said in a soothing tone. "We both know that you're stronger than this. And we have no doubt that you'll be able to complete the [Take Over]. You just have to believe in yourself the way we believe in you."
Eventually, Elfman and Lisanna were standing in front of each other, staring into each other's eyes. While Elfman's eyes were void of emotion, due to the Beast's influence, Lisanna's were filled with love and trust. Unfortunately, that would not be enough to turn the situation around, this time.
In the next instant, a glint of cruelty flashed in Elfman's eyes.
"Lisanna! Run~~~~~!" Mirajane shouted with all her might after seeing the cruel glint.
Unfortunately, Lisanna could not react fast enough to evade. By the time she was ready to move, Elfman had already lifted his right arm and swung the back of his massive hand at the side of her head.
Seeing the entire scene in slow motion, Lisanna felt not an ounce of fear. Instead, she only felt sadness that she could not help her brother regain control.
In what felt like an eternity, Lisanna watched as the massive hand approached inch by inch. However, instead of feeling fear, Lisanna felt hope. Because in her sped up perception, she saw a black, metal rope with a spike on the end flying toward Elfman's approaching arm. And just before it could hit her, the rope wrapped itself around the arm, snapping taut in an instant and killing the arms momentum at the same time.
At that point, Lisanna's perception returned to normal. In the next instant, she was lifted from the ground. A moment later, she, along with Mirajane was carried away from the battle.
"Natsu?" Lisanna asked with confusion in her tone. "What are you doing here?"
"Alfonzo and I came here to make sure you three were okay." Natsu replied as he put Mirajane and Lisanna on the ground again.
While Lisanna was perfectly capable of standing on her own, Mirajane, thanks to the magic power exhaustion and her injuries could only sit on the ground and look back in the direction they came from.
What Mirajane saw was Elfman struggling to free himself from the metal rope that was wrapped around his forearm. At the other end of the rope was Alfonzo pulling on the rope to hold Elfman in place.
"Come on, big guy." Alfonzo said with a smirk. "I'm really disappointed. You're supposed to be the man of your family."
In response, Elfman growled angrily as he stopped pulling on the rope and decided to charge at Alfonzo instead.
Instead of facing the enraged Elfman head on, however, Alfonzo sidestepped the charge at the last moment. Then, as Elfman passed by, he swept Elfman's legs out from under him while retracting the metal rope into his gauntlet.
"Boom!*
"Olé!" Alfonzo said as Elfman slammed face first into the ground.
*Roar!*
*Bang!*
Furious, Elfman slammed a fist into the ground as he quickly got up and turned toward Alfonzo.
"Come on, Elfman, this isn't you!" Alfonzo shouted. "What happened to the man I know. The man that would never hurt his sisters? You're not a beast like this thing that's controlling you!"
Seemingly, Elfman did not hear what Alfonzo had to say. Internally, however, Elfman was struggling against the will of the Beast. Every word Alfonzo spoke resonating with him.
"You're kind to those who deserve it, Elfman." Alfonzo shouted once again as he dodged a claw swipe from Elfman. "And if you can take control of this beast, you'll have the power to protect what's precious to you."
*Roar!*
In response, Alfonzo was forced to dodge even more frantic attacks. Still, Alfonzo knew he was getting through to Elfman. The struggle in his eyes was growing in intensity with every word.
For the next few minutes, Alfonzo continued evading Elfman's attacks while taunting and tripping the Beast. At the same time, he also tried getting through to Elfman with his words. Over time, he could see that his methods were working. The fact that Elfman almost hurt Lisanna playing a significant role as well.
'Good, he's slowly fighting back.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'But I need to finish this before he runs out of magic power. Otherwise, the lessons won't hit home as hard. He needs to defeat this thing with his own will. Otherwise, he'll be scared of it like he was in canon.'
While Alfonzo as thinking, Elfman lunged at him, claws aimed at his heart. Then, at the last instant, Alfonzo ducked the attack, moved forward, and wound his gauntleted right fist back.
"Now, it's time to wake the fuck up, Elfman!" Alfonzo shouted just before throwing a punch at Elfman's face. "Stop acting like a little bitch! It's time to show the world that you're a real man!"
*Bang!*
'Damn it, I just fucked up…' Alfonzo thought as his fist landed on Elfman's face.
Elfman staggered back several steps after receiving Alfonzo's punch before falling down on his back side. Unlike every other time he fell, Elfman did not rise immediately. Instead, he rolled around on the ground while cradling his head in his hands.
*Roar!*
*Bang!* *Ban!* *Bang!*
Eventually, Elfman rolled over onto his hands and knees. Then, he started repeatedly banging his head on the ground, causing the ground to tremor with every strike. After doing so a dozen times, or so, Elfman's face was covered in his own blood.
Meanwhile, both Mirajane and Lisanna were in tears seeing the state their brother was in. At the same time, Natsu was clenching his fists, hoping that Alfonzo would succeed in bring Elfman back.
"*Roar!* That's right!" Elfman said in a much deeper, more bestial voice than usual. "I am no beast! I'm a real man! And I will not forgive you for hurting my sisters, Beast!"
*Bang!*
With that declaration, Elfman slammed his head into the ground one more time, crushing the Bests will in the process. Then, he stopped moving. After a moment of inactivity, Elfman rolled over onto his back. At the same time, his body began to reduce in size. Then, after a few seconds, Elfman was in his normal appearance, blood still covering his face, while staring up at the sky.
"Haha! I knew you were no bitch." Alfonzo said with a smile as he approached Elfman.
In response, Elfman could only smile back weakly. He was on the brink of magic power exhaustion, so even that small act was laborious.
"Elfman!" Lisanna shouted as she ran toward her brother.
A moment later, Lisanna jumped on top of Elfman and hugged him tightly with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry… I almost… hurt you… Lisanna." Elfman struggled to say.
"No, you don't have to apologize." Lisanna said with tears streaming down her face. "I'm just glad you came back to us."
Not long afterward Mirajane, with Natsu's assistance, walked over to the group as well. Once they were close enough, Natsu sat Mirajane down next to her siblings. Like Lisanna, she also had tears running down her face. Unlike Lisanna, whose tears were from a mixture of happiness and relief, Mirajane's were a combination of guilt and relief.
"I'm sorry, Elfman." Mirajane said through her silent sobs. At the same time, she gently caressed Elfman's cheek. "If I hadn't been so arrogant, you would have never been put in such danger."
"Big Sis… Lisanna…" Elfman said, also feeling guilty for making his sisters worry.
While Lisanna cried loudly and Mirajane sobbed silently, even Elfman felt a few tears start to drip from his eyes as well.
"Well, it looks like everything ended well." Natsu said while wiping his eyes and turning away from the rest of the group.
"It's okay to cry, you know." Alfonzo said with a smile while patting Natsu on the shoulder.
"I'm not crying!" Natsu protested loudly. "It's just some of the dust that got kicked up during the fight got into my eyes."
At that moment, Natsu felt the hand on his shoulder start to grip it tightly. Thinking that Alfonzo wanted him to admit that he was crying, Natsu started to speak once again.
"Seriously, Alfonzo I---." Natsu started to protest even more strongly.
Before Natsu could finish, however, Alfonzo dragged him next to the Straus siblings. When they were as close as they could be, Alfonzo released Natsu. Then, he slammed his hands on the ground.
"[Metal Magic: Adamantine Sealing Barrier]." Alfonzo chanted.
In the next instant, Alfonzo, Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna, and Natsu were covered by a dome of Adamantite with thousands of sigils carved into it. And every one of those sigils only had one purpose, to block the transfer of magic power.
'Shit!' Alfonzo cursed internally. 'Why is it happening right now? If this doesn't work, Elfman's gonna die. He doesn't have enough magic power to live through this.'
Just before Alfonzo dragged Natsu over to the others, he felt something pulling at his magic power. And when he looked up to the sky, the direction his magic power was being pulled, he acted swiftly.
In the sky was a large, swirling vortex that was drawing in ethernano and magic power from the surroundings.
'Fucking anima gates.' Alfonzo cursed internally. 'But then again, Mystogan is probably nearby as well. I wonder if I can catch up to him and get him to join the guild right away? Probably not. I don't even know how close he is to everything. Whatever, he'll join eventually. Hell, he even makes S-Class this year in the Canon timeline.'
2/2
So, I went out for a few drinks last night. And it definitely did not turn into anything mroe than a few drinks... But for some reason, definitely not because I drank almost a whole fifth of whiskey by myself, I woke up with a hangover and I started writing later than usual. So, to my patr3ons, be patient. I will be up to 5 chapters ahead again before the end of the day.
Check out my patr3on at:
https://patr3on.com/SixthSense1029
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story.
Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.