A/N: This fic is set after the events of Fairy Tail, during the 100 Years Quest. I may draw on some elements from the 100 Years Quest manga, especially descriptions of the new continent (Giltena) and the odd character etc. but this fic will contain no spoilers for 100 Years Quest. It has a wholly different plot.
Chapter One
"You sure we've got the right place?" Natsu asked for what felt like the billionth time.
They were presently at the crown of a tall hill, nothing around them on all sides except a grey landscape, brightly illuminated by starlight, that stretched out to the sea. The night was almost eerily still, no mice stirred in the bushes, no owls hooted in the trees. It was almost as though the entire island was waiting with bated breath for what was to come.
"For the last time Flame Breath, yes we're in the right place," Gray replied testily. Natsu turned to him, fist raised, ready to fight but he was interrupted by a familiar no-nonsense voice.
"Enough," Erza said firmly, gesturing towards a sleeping Wendy. It had gotten pretty late and Wendy and Charle were presently curled up on the ground, using Gray's lap as a pillow. "You are sure?" she asked Lucy in an undertone.
Lucy frowned. "The job request told us assemble on the 7th night of the 7th lunar month on the island of magpies. This is the only island that hosts a population of that particular bird. I cross referenced it against four different encyclopaedias. This has got to be it."
The island lay off the coast of the northern continent of Giltena. A singular hill rose from the sea like the curved head of a bird, its sides carpeted by lush greenery that was shaded charcoal by the stars. The summit, however, lay bare and devoid of any vegetation, almost like the bald spot atop the magpie's head. Lucy did not want to admit it but the late hour had her worried too. It was drawing near daybreak and the night would be over in a few hours. If she was wrong then they would have to wait another year to accept the 100 Years Quest. She could not begin to imagine the disappointment on Natsu's face if that happened. She glanced over at the boy who was sitting with an unreadable expression on his face. Nearby, Happy rolled over in his sleep, mumbling something about fish.
Suddenly Natsu spoke, "Happy, Charle, Wendy wake up. It's time."
The others looked around, wondering what Natsu's enhanced dragon slayer skills could have possibly sensed. Gray squinted into the distance but the terrain remained still. Wendy was just rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and asking Natsu what was wrong when he felt it. Magic like nothing he had ever felt before. Goosebumps prickled over his skin and every hair on his body stood on end. The five of them quickly moved back to back into a tight knit circle, all senses on high alert for the first possible sign of danger.
Happy and Charle nervously floated above the humans' heads so they were the first to notice it. A bright green point of light hurtling down from the heavens at an impossible speed. "Above you!" Happy yelled and barely managed to shove Lucy and Natsu out of the way. The light came to an abrupt halt inches from the ground and then floated slowly back upwards to eyelevel.
"Be you the 99th Questers?" it spoke. The voice was a feminine one that commanded absolute authority. Even Erza felt a quiver in her knees at the sound.
"Yo, that's us!" Natsu replied in his usual carefree manner, a thumb pointed towards his chest, "Who're you?" His ability to remain unintimidated by everything was remarkable.
"I am Vega, the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, giver of the Quest."
"Vega? Isn't that a star?" Lucy wondered aloud, "it's in the celestial constellation of Lyra if I recall correctly."
"Oh! So you've got to be friends with the Celestial Spirit King!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Isn't Vega a kind of fish?" Happy asked, his mouth watering.
"That's boga, dummy!"
"Charle, you shouldn't be so mean to Happy-san."
"That's right Charle, he can't help it. Look who raised him."
"You wanna go, droopy eyes?"
"Come at me, squinty eyes!"
"Boys, don't fight! Vega? Aren't you the one from the story of the weaver and the cowherd? What a frightful shame, not to be with the one you love. This is a tragedy of epic proportions!"
"Um Erza-san, please get up."
"Come to think of it, I think I've read that story in one of Levy-chan's books"
"Hmmm fissshhhh." Charle managed to grab a hold of a drooling Happy's tail seconds before he launched himself hungrily at the otherworldly light, a light that was getting increasingly agitated, if the red stressmark that appeared at its side was to be believed.
"Quiet!" it yelled, "I've only got another 45 minutes so listen up!"
"Not our fault you were late," Natsu muttered, put off.
"Hey Natsu, maybe you shouldn't be quite so rude?" Lucy whispered.
The light ignored them and carried on in agitated tones, "I am Vega, daughter of the Heavenly Emperor. Yes, I know Lyra, she is my daughter. No, I am not a Celestial Spirit. No, I am not friends with the Celestial Spirit King, I was there long before he existed and I shall remain long after he is gone. And NO, I am not a fish!" The light flickered pointedly in Happy's direction at the last sentence. Temporary detour completed, the voice returned to its former sweeping tones. "Now, I shall only say this once so listen well. There are but two rules should you choose to take up the Quest. The first, you may never, under any circumstances, speak of the details of the Quest to anyone. The second, only those who sign the contract may proceed with the Quest. Any outside participation renders the Quest null and void. Should one of you lose your life, the other Questers may continue on. Should you all lose your lives, the Quest is reset. If at any point you choose to abandon the Quest, you must drink the Potion of Abdication that is in the vials that have just appeared before you, and your contract will be terminated. The Quest is dangerous, no mortal has completed it for over a hundred years. Knowing the risk, do you still wish to embark on this journey?"
Erza grabbed one of the seven inch-long ampoules of glowing green liquid that had materialised before the group. "We're here," she began.
"Aren't we?" Gray finished for her, a challenging smirk on his face.
"The contract is a blood oath, press a drop of your blood to the sigil before you when you are ready."
The air shimmered as seven fluorescent green sigils took shape where seconds ago the Potions of Abdication had appeared. Lucy nervously watched Erza requip a blade and swiftly slash her palm. Next to her Gray did the same with an ice blade. Natsu savagely bit his finger to draw blood. "I'm getting fired up!" he said, pressing his hand to the sigil. Even little Wendy boldly pulled out a penknife and signed the contract before turning to Charle. Was Lucy the only one with doubts? This quest, a quest even Gildarts had failed, could the seven of them really take it on? Could they finish it? Could they even survive it?
Her mind flashed back to the sea voyage from Hargeon to the island. Her celestial spirit, Virgo, had said something cryptic to her when they were standing on the deck of the ship. "Princess," she had said, "I am forbidden from speaking openly of it but I have a feeling… a premonition that a reunion awaits you on Giltena." She had to have meant Aquarius. There was no way Lucy was turning back now. 'I'm going to press on,' she thought as she pricked her finger with a hairpin, 'because everyone's with me!'
She hurriedly turned to a nervous Happy who was gingerly holding out one paw, the other clamped tight over his eyes. "OK, tell us!" she said as soon as both their sigils glowed, accepting the blood libation, "what's the 100 Years Quest all about?"
Once long ago," Vega intoned, "the Heavenly Emperor decided to bestow upon the mortal races a Great Gift. To choose the guardians of this gift he held a Great Race. The only animal spirits to finish in time were the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig. To each of these spirits the Emperor entrusted a Key. Your Quest is to collect the 12 Keys. Complete this task and the Great Gift will be bestowed upon you. Have you any questions?"
"You said no mortal has completed this quest for over a hundred years," Erza asked calmly, "does this mean someone completed it before that?"
"Once," replied Vega, "once, a long time ago a young man with a rare sort of magic completed the Quest and received the Great Gift. However, he angered the Heavenly Emperor with the way he accomplished the task. As punishment the Heavenly Emperor placed a curse upon him that leached away his sanity until all that was left was the desire to destroy. Indeed, you have all met him before."
"Aconologia," Natsu said grimly.
"Now, wait a minute, how did he anger the Heavenly Emperor?" Gray interrupted. What exactly had they gotten themselves into?
"Be kind and just in your endeavours and examine carefully the reasons you have for undertaking the Quest. That is the only advice I can give you. Now before I go, I confer unto you two Clues. The first, this riddle to find the fastest of the Guardians." A stone tablet inscribed with an unidentifiable script appeared before them. Lucy plucked it from the air gently, squinting at the unknown script, trying to make sense of it. "The second Clue, a location. In Southern Valeria, by the realm of the dead. That is where you will find the penultimate Guardian. Take care, young Questers. May the stars shine upon you and guide your way." Vega's voice faded and the light began to dissipate.
"Hey, wait a minute! We still have questions! What is the great gift? What language is this?" Lucy shouted, but it was too late. Vega was gone and their quest had officially begun.
A/N: Just so you're forewarned, I usually write romance/angst/fluff so adventure is a bit new for me. I wrote an adventure story once, over ten years ago, that's how out of touch with it I am. I have planned out the story and I expect it to be about 17 or 18 chapters. Prepare yourself for a ton of GrayZa and maybe a dash of NaLu (I haven't planned for any atm, but will update the description should I choose to include it).
The quest is very loosely based upon the Chinese Zodiac so if there are any errors please let me know. I will try to minimise the cultural appropriation as much as possible.
Also, I've been studying German for the last three years and no longer remember what English punctuation is meant to look like (Germans use commas everywhere!) so if you notice any mistakes, please do point them out. Same with any OOCness. I will try to avoid it, but some of the characters are a bit hard to write (looking at you Wendy).
This fic will also be crossposted to AO3 (same username) if you prefer that website. Thanks for reading!