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Chapter 2
Elsewhere another pair of dragon-like wings flexed. The wingspan alone distinguished the owner from Natsu – never mind the metallic black colouring or the small iron studs littered across the edges in between 3 razor sharp metal spikes, evenly spaced along the top of each wing. Gajeel sighed as he rolled his shoulders; his foes lay fallen at his feet, as he turned they began to disappear into dust slowing dispersing into the air.
"Weaklings." Gajeel huffed; demon hunting just didn't give him the same thrill anymore, there was just no challenge in hunting down three new demons barely formed. They didn't even have any control over their magic and Gajeel barely had to resort to any of his more advanced moves deciding to fist-fight his way to victory. As he turned away he came face to face with a large white-winged ebony cat that hovered close by; sword and guard up.
"Well that took no time at all" Panther Lilly muttered as he lowered his buster sword and looked around in slight disbelief.
"Hmph can say that again" Gajeel replied, Lilly, noted how disappointed the iron dragon looked - this had been the third mission in a row which had been 'too easy' by the man's standards. Granted anything that didn't leave him in a hospital was too easy so Lilly wasn't going to complain.
"I'll have to have a few rounds with Salamander if I'm gonna get a proper workout, Gihi" Gajeel suddenly grinned to himself, the prospects of a decent fight putting him in a terrifyingly good mood. Lilly simply sighed; of course, he wouldn't stay down for long, the Exceed allowed his body to shift into his smaller form and began drifting in the direction of home.
"Let's go then; Mira promised there would be a new delivery of kiwi today." Both Lilly and Gajeel took to the sky and in the direction of home. It wasn't long before the two soon entered a friendly, but by no means gentle, race to see who would make it to the guild first. Taking advantage of the changing air currents Lilly gained a small lead, using his more flexible body to move with the air, but it was a trivial thing to the wings of a dragon. Strong muscles contracted, shooting Gajeel forward and in front of an unhappy Lilly.
Before the Exceed could attempt a comeback the race was over with Gajeel crashing through the guild's main door, narrowly avoiding a collision with several other guild members, before landing rather roughly in the middle of the hall. Lilly floated by soon after, humoured by the fact no-one had even batted an eyelash; this was Fairy Tail after all, it took more than an almost-crash landing to cause a scene.
The place was rowdy as ever; people were talking, drinking, flying, brawling and everything in between. As Gajeel dusted himself off and made his way to the bar, he noted the fire dragon slayer being lectured by a pissed off Erza – clad in her standard (or casual? Gajeel wasn't sure) armour. Her wings were a combination of various sword-like feathers sharp and poised for any unfortunate soul who wandered too close. They were flared out in anger as she scolded Natsu for yet more damage done to the building. Only when he saw her pointing to the ceiling did Gajeel notice the gaping hole in the roof from where Salamander had decided to nosedive into the guild. He grimaced; Natsu would be too busy fixing that under Titania's watchful glare to have any kind of brawl with him – not that that had stopped him before.
Gajeel ordered his usual drink from the bar and watched as Mira turned to grab a glass. As soon as she turned her back, Gajeel heard the tell-tale noise of Salamander and the Ice Princess trash-talking - in front of Titania no less, earning yet another metal-clad scolding from the woman.
"Dumb-ass'" Gajeel sneered. He briefly considered not perusing his goal of kicking their collective asses. Two on one would definitely give him the challenge that he desired. But with Erza's continuous surveillance it was more likely he would get his ass kicked for causing a fight. In spite of this, the itch for a good brawl outweighed any common sense he had. Slamming back his drink and Gajeel began to make its way towards the heated argument still occurring between the three winged ones.
Lilly continued to sit happily munching on kiwi and chatting to the ever smiling demon-winged barmaid Mira, their conversation had inevitably turned into a gossip session about the occurrences that had occurred while he had been away. He interrupted briefly to question where he partner was storming off to; upon realising it was to his inevitable doom Lilly merely continued his pleasant conversation with Mira. One day the man might learn not to pick a fight but today was clearly not that day.
However before Gajeel could even make it half of the way there, a low cough caught his sensitive ears. A swift glance at the end of the bar showed an apparently sleeping Makarov, crossed legged on the bar top and a large wooden staff in hand. The guild master was a short elderly fellow, and while his bee-like wings and sleepy posture may fool some people; Gajeel, unfortunately, knew better. With an overdramatic sigh, he redirected himself to sit on the closest barstool to the snoozing master and waited for what he knew would be a day-ruining conversation.
After a brief moment Makarov apparently 'woke up' and smiled at the scowling man, impervious to his moody temper "How'd the mission go?" He innocently asked.
"Too easy, they didn't stand a chance, Gihi" Gajeel allowed himself to grin back at the master before his gaze darkened. "Cut the crap old man, what's happening now?" Gajeel's gaze moved upward and focused on the ceiling, something big was coming he could feel it in the air.
"I was hoping you could answer that for me." Makarov paused and looked up alongside the iron dragon; the hole Natsu had conveniently provided allowed them to see the gradually darkening sky. Blue's mixed with orange as the sun began to set - sadly such beauty was lost on the two men who spoke of more sinister things.
"The council have reported a huge surge in demon sightings, but few attacks – it's like he's being picky about who they go after." He continued, keeping his voice low in an attempt to not to draw too much attention.
A moment of silence passed as Gajeel offered no input to the master's statement. As Makarov realised Gajeel was actually refusing to speak on the subject in their current environment, he decided they should move to his office where they could discuss more freely. As they slipped out of the guild hall Makarov noticed a few of the more nosy members taking a keen interest in their movements. 'No wonder Gajeel elected to stay quiet' Makarov mused, appreciating the man's consideration, this was not a matter for his family; yet.
As they both entered a small but cosy looking office, the master repositioned himself cross-legged on his desk, while Gajeel leant against the far wall deep in thought. After a long pause, Gajeel spoke up. "Jose hasn't contacted me in a long time. Last I heard he wanted me to 'build up trust' while he attempted to plot with Hades and Ivan" Gajeel said while Makarov let out a sigh in response.
"I imagine he will want an update soon" Gajeel added, almost reluctantly.
"He will know that we know about his movements, he isn't exactly subtle" He resisted the urge to groan in despair. The master felt helpless; there must be something they were missing. "What about the demon dimension?" This had to be their end goal, Makarov was certain, demons craved power and that was the biggest source of it. As an added plus Jose had always been vying for the attention of the larger more powerful demons; what better way to get it?
"Nothin' so far" Gajeel replied, equally frustrated at the lack of information. "Sorry old man – they've been limiting contact, might be getting suspicious" Gajeel offered a rare look of sympathy – he knew the stakes here, a lot of humans/winged could get hurt if they failed to stop whatever they were plotting.
"Can't say I'm surprised, demons aren't known for their trust and companionship." The pair sat again in silence before the master spoke up again "I'm sending you to where most of the sighting have occurred – let Jose know we've given you a patrol area for a few months as a sign of trust, maybe he'll get you involved in whatever they are searching for." Makarov nodded to himself
"Is this an actual sign of trust?" Gajeel ventured, his hands sure as hell weren't clean but this was the second chance that could save him from the edge. So what if he was a little hopeful?
"I've trusted you from the start, brat. Forgiven, however…" Makarov's voice faded, the threat clear as the wrinkles in his skin.
"Whadda 'bout Lilly?" Gajeel asked, slightly uncomfortable with the death glare coming his way. Saying that he was also concerned for his cat's safety – sure the badass feline could easily take care of himself, but he wasn't about to go get him mixed up with something he shouldn't be involved in.
"Take him if you wish; you can split up the area observe more of it while giving him the space to get out should things turn hairy. He would be a useful messenger as well." At Makarov's reply, the tension was gone but not forgotten. Gajeel grunted in response and turned to leave; somewhat disappointed that his brawl would have to wait. As he prepared to leave Makarov spoke once more. "Gajeel… Take care; things are going to get harder." The old man was staring upwards now deep in thought when he heard the door close. "Damn brat…" He muttered to himself.
Gajeel took a moment outside the office door – he looked down at his fellow guild member's and felt a slight pang of guilt (yes the big bad iron dragon felt guilt). The feeling did not last long, now was the time to do some right, not sit in self-pity. Deciding not to waste time he stormed past the bar grabbing Lilly by the scruff of his neck before further storming out the main door. Along the way Gajeel spied an opportunity for a bit of tension release, slamming Natsu's face into the plate of flaming chicken he was gorging on (He probably deserved it, Gajeel justified). Laughing as Natsu screamed threats to his backside; Gajeel spread his wings and headed home.
The Exceed; clearly unhappy at being treated like a ragdoll, struggled out of Gajeel's vice like grip to fly alongside him. "Mind telling me what the rush was? I was rather enjoying my kiwi juice." Panther Lilly huffed; annoyed their break was cut short.
"New mission, we're going on a month long patrol" Gajeel replied rather bluntly his facial expression giving nothing away to the flying cat.
"Any more detail?" Lilly ventured as Gajeel landed on the rocky outcrop of their home, Lilly followed closely behind as they entered the cave watching him with every predatory instinct he had as Gajeel stuffed extra clothes into a duffel bag dumping it by the entrance to their humble abode (or as Lilly likes to call it their 'scrapyard')
"None you need to know. Be back later." Gajeel left without a second thought leaving Lilly to himself. Panther Lilly stared after him for a while before walking to his "bedroom".
Their home was a large cave in a cliff side which overlooked a valley. The cave itself was loosely divided into typical rooms, while the door was a gaping hole; Gajeel conjured a metal sheet to cover it during the cold night. Currently, it was currently left open due to the summer winds keeping the place plenty warm and no demon was stupid enough to come wandering into "dragon's lair" as Gajeel liked to put it. Said 'lair' was basically an open plan flat, they had a functioning kitchen, bathroom and lighting courtesy of the magic of course. Gajeel's bed lay at the back of the cave and was an unruly mess surrounded by several piles of scrap metal which he claimed were 'sorted'; although by what Lilly would never know. Fortunately, it was relatively contained around his space – many an argument between dragon and Exceed led to an understanding of sorts in regards to his excessive hoarding.
Lilly's smaller bed; which lay to the left side of the cave, however, was pristine; his few belongings were kept on either the side shelf or the set of draws nearby. All kept in a military standard condition of course. When it was clear Gajeel would be longer than an hour, Lilly decided to make sure they were prepared for their patrol. Grabbing a few pairs of spare shorts, he proceeded to re-sort the bag folding everything and ensuring they would have everything they would need; Gajeel never was one for proper planning.
The little Exceed wasn't stupid; he knew Gajeel was working on something for the master. He didn't know what or why but that was to be expected. Gajeel wasn't going to involve him if he didn't need to be involved. The Exceed let out a sigh as he zipped up the bag. "I've got a bad feeling," he muttered to the open room.
Gajeel sat on the cliff edge above their cave, overlooking the valley. He tried to be patient, but with nothing but the wind to keep his company, it didn't take long before he felt antsy. He was thankful for the quiet evening to a degree, the warm air helped calm him and made it easier to focus on the task at hand - he had a part to play after all. A slightly flicker to his right told him it was show time, turning towards a holographic image as it began to form Gajeel maintained a stoic front. After a few seconds, a clear thought projection of a tall slim man in a rather jester-like get up appeared; thin black bat-like wings sprouted from his back.
"Ah, Gajeel wonderful to see you!" Jose grinned as his dark eyes gleamed demonically; his red pupils studying the man in front of him. Gajeel felt the hairs on his neck stand on end, instinct shouting that something was wrong; clearly, something had put this guy in a good mood.
Gajeel grunted in response, waiting for whatever instructions the malicious man had for him.
"Chatty as always..." Jose's face fell slightly at Gajeel's lack of enthusiasm, still, he wasn't deterred. "Well, I won't waste your time. I'm sure Makarov as spotted our movements." His lips curled back to form a cruel grin. "Tell me… what are his next steps?" He practically purred like a rattlesnake before it struck you down.
Gajeel weighed up the form in front of him for a moment, Jose must have discovered something; he was grinning like Mira when she had blackmail and a reason to use it against you. "The Fairies are all in a panic. They're spreading themselves thin trying to find what you're looking for." Few white lies were sure to stroke the demons ego after all the feeling of being powerful was all they craved. "I'm going on patrol where the sightings have been, been told to find out what's going on" Gajeel continued – he grinned evilly as he spoke. Oh, he knew how well he played the part of the villain.
"Really? All on your own? He must really trust you!" The man grinned chuckling Gajeel practically heard the glee in the madman's voice. "I shall not waste this opportunity; you will cover our tracks keep Makarov from suspecting anything, soon we shall be more powerful than ever!"
Gajeel maintained his stoic appearance; it was time to get some answers. "Found the damn door? The hell you even looking for now, then?" Gajeel said as he tried to look uninterested while keeping his ears sharp.
"Why, the key to it of course!" Jose proudly announced.