Under Attack
Things were quite uneventful for Darren, Team Natsu and Sheena as they walk through the forest and make their way to the Magic Council ship. Darren mostly spends the time away by explaining to Team Natsu and Sheena about what he remembered when he first arrived to Earth Land, as well as his own world and what he and other people usually do back there. They were intrigued to learn that the world Darren came from is quite similar to Edolas, and that they mostly perform their everyday duties with something known as 'technology'.
"Sooooo, the name of the world you came from is called 'Earth'?" Lucy asked.
"Yes." Darren replied.
"Are you sure it's not Earth Land?" Wendy asked.
"Yes! I've double and triple-checked that it's NOT Earth Land! Sheesh!" Darren cried exasperatedly as it is the umpteenth time he has made this confirmation with the members of Team Natsu.
"So if your world is called Earth, does that mean your world is just a rock?" Erza asked with her fingers placed at the bottom of her chin.
"Well, technically yes." Darren said.
"That's pretty boring." Gray remarked with an arched brow.
"And all along, we thought New York City is some place in Edolas." Natsu said as he scratches the tip of his nose.
"Huh?! How do you know that name?" Darren asked Natsu incredulously.
"Oh, that's the name of the place Doris says she's from." Natsu replied.
"Why didn't you tell me that back then?! If you had, I would have already regained my memories sooner!" Darren cried.
"Hey, we have to keep a lot of the information on you guys anonymous, ya know?" Natsu shrugged.
"What other places do these people say they are from?" Darren asked.
"Vladivostok."
"That's in Russia! A country in my world! What else?!"
"Paris."
"France! Anywhere else?"
"Chennai."
"India! Some more?"
"Bremerhaven."
"Germany!" Darren sighs as he turns his head away and rubs his temples. "Man, I feel like playing a game of 'Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?'." He looks up and turns his head around. "And how much longer do we have to walk through this forest? Every single tree looks the same! Is this even a naturally grown forest anymore? This feels like a sick joke of a Kaizo game designer's dungeon!"
"Whoa, Darren! Calm down. I haven't seen you this paranoid before." Sheena said as she followed him from behind.
"How can I calm down?!" Darren cried exasperatedly as he turns to Sheena. "This is exactly why I hated National Service back in my country! I should be at home right now, playing Overwatch, eating potato chips and watching anime!" For a brief moment, he holds up his scabbard and flashes a huge grin. "At least I have this katana though! I've always dream of holding a Japanese sword!"
"Japanese? What's that?" Sheena asked in confusion.
"Someone's going through puberty." Happy whispered to Carla as they walk.
"I'm 20 years old!" Darren snapped at Happy.
"I hate to break this fascinating conversation but we're here." Erza said bluntly as they step out of the boundaries of the forest.
Darren and Sheena widen their eyes in awe as they see a large light blue ship with white highlights in the distance. In front of the end of the ramp that leads to the entrance of the ship are three Rune Knights, armed with spears and dressed in light blue robes, white pants and black shoes. Two of them are also wearing white hats, but one of them isn't and he has bluish gray eyes and long dark purple hair which the tips are tied up with a yellow ribbon.
The purple-haired man slightly turns his head and sees Team Natsu standing in the distance. "Fairy Tail! It's good to see you again!" The man said.
Erza gestured Darren and Sheena to follow them. They walk over to the ramp to the ship and Erza reported to the man, "We have found the person we are looking for, Lieutenant Lowell."
Lieutenant Lowell turns to Darren and Sheena. "I thought you said person and not people." He said.
"Oh no, I do have magic inside me." Sheena said to the lieutenant before gesturing to Darren. "This is the person they are talking about."
"Who are you exactly?" The lieutenant asked Sheena.
"A companion of his." Sheena answered, placing a hand at the right side of her hip.
"Yeah, well, we'll explain later but let's say things happened and she ended up having to travel along with us." Lucy explained to the lieutenant.
The lieutenant nods his head to Lucy before taking out a scanner. Erza moves out of the way to allow the lieutenant to walk up to Darren. "Hold still." He said. Darren obliged and watches the lieutenant scan his body from top to bottom. A few seconds later, the lieutenant stood up and turns to Erza. "Yup. This person has no traces of magic inside him." He confirmed.
After Erza nods her head to him, the lieutenant turns back to Darren and extends his hand. "What is your name?" He asked.
"Darren Leong." Darren replied.
"Nice to meet you, Darren. My name is Lieutenant Yuri Lowell. I know you're still feeling a little confused of your current situation, but I can assure you that you're safe as long as you cooperate with us." The lieutenant introduced himself with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Lowell." Darren said as he shakes his hand.
"Lieutenant Yuri Lowell! Have they arrived back yet?!" A voice barked.
Everyone turn their heads up to the entrance of the ship to see an old man who wears glasses and black robes, staring down at them in annoyance.
"They're here, Councilman Ragou. They have just returned with our main priority." Yuri replied.
"Good! Now hurry up and get back inside so that we can return to Era already! And I hope Fairy Tail here didn't cause any ruckus back at Underwood! Sheesh!" Ragou scoffed at them before turning around and heading back inside the ship.
Yuri sighs heavily before turning back to the others. "He's been acting like that ever since you guys were in Underwood for the last 24 hours." He explained.
"Ugh, what exactly is wrong with that guy?" Natsu pouted with his arms folded. "I know we cause trouble all the time, but he really pisses me off."
"Wait, you guys cause trouble?" Darren asked questioningly.
Lucy chuckled nervously. "We'll explain."
After everyone get inside the ship, Yuri ordered his men to fly off and set course for Era. Meanwhile, Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu went inside a large resting room where two Rune Knights stood outside and guard the door. Darren and Sheena sat beside each other on two wooden chairs. Lucy and Wendy sat together on a bed at the left side of the room. Happy and Carla sat on another bed at the other side while Natsu, Gray, and Erza stood in front of Darren and Sheena. As they rest, Team Natsu took the time to explain Darren and Sheena about their story. Of how the guild was first founded, and how they got their reputation as the number one and most powerful guild in all of Fiore…and how they are also the most infamous.
"So let me get this straight. Natsu once burst into the Magic Council Fiore Branch Building for trying to rescue Erza while she was being put on trial," Darren said. The members of Team Natsu nod their heads. "And then when you guys won a competition known as the Grand Magic Games, you guys got into trouble when Natsu stole the King's clothes and disguised himself as the King of Fiore during the banquet?" They nod again. "And then the following year, Natsu melted the arena and burn the clothes of several people who were just there to participate or watch the Games," They nod once again. "And then Natsu set the King's palace on fire just to announce your guild's revival?" They nod their heads one more time.
"Well, I gotta say…" Darren widens his eyes as he bellowed, "With such a bad conduct like that, it's no wonder why the Magic Council shows scorn towards all of you and sent one of their members to monitor you!"
"Who saw that coming?" Lucy deadpanned as she asked her fellow guild members.
"Yup." Natsu responded as he, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy and Carla raise their hands.
"Huh?! How can you guys be so casual about this?!" Darren asked incredulously.
"And I thought Phantom Lord is even worse." Sheena murmured.
"Hey! Don't compare us to Phantom Lord!" Natsu muttered. "Our guild may be seen as troublemakers, but they on the other hand, are a disgrace to all guilds across Earth Land."
"Indeed. After what they did to us years ago, they will forever serve as a warning about a guild destroying itself over spite and envy." Erza added solemnly. Sheena frowned and lowers her head after hearing those words.
"Sheena?" Darren asked his friend in concern.
"Ahem." Natsu coughed. Darren turns back to the Dragon Slayer who stares at him solemnly as he places his hands on the sides of his hip. "But now, there's something else Wendy and I want to talk to you about, and it's regarding your sword."
"My katana?" Darren asked in confusion.
"Hai." Wendy said. "That sword…when Natsu and I felt it with our dragon senses…we could also feel the presence of our guild's founder, Mavis Vermillion." Lucy, Gray, Erza, Happy and Carla gasped.
"Wendy…Natsu…are you sure?" Lucy asked.
"No doubt about it." Natsu responded.
"Then that means Mavis isn't entirely dead after all!" Gray said.
"But how?" Erza added.
"Umm, what are you guys talking about?" Darren asked, perplexed by the ongoing discussion.
"Darren, you said that you woke up with this sword beside you, right?" Natsu asked.
"Yes." Darren nods his head.
"Maybe…" Wendy frowned. "Is it possible that while in death, Mavis bestow this weapon on you during your arrival to this world?"
There was a moment of silence in the room, before Darren burst out laughing.
"Sorry but if you guys are saying that I'm a Superman or Luke Skywalker, then you are-"
BOOM!
Everyone in the room scream when they felt a huge explosion that cause the entire left side of the ship to shake and rumble, and causing everyone except Happy and Carla to fall onto the floor.
A moment later, Erza sits up from the floor and cried, "Everyone! Are you alright?!"
"Mm fineh…" Natsu responded, but his voice is muffled.
"Yeah, I'm good." Darren replied as he gets up, kneeling down on a single knee and placing a hand on his wooden chair.
Lucy moans as she lifts her head up. "I'm al…right…" She trails off when she finally opens her eyes and looks down. She drops her jaw, realizing that her breasts are pressed onto Natsu's face as he lies below her. Lucy screams in horror as she quickly gets off of Natsu and wraps her arms around her chest. Natsu, still oblivious, takes the moment to catch his breath.
"Well, that was awk…ward…" Darren trails off when he turns his attention to Erza, who is still sitting on the floor with her legs spread out. Erza frowns at Darren for a moment before looking down to see what he is staring at. She drops her jaw in shock and quickly places her hands down on her skirt to cover up her underwear.
"I totally wasn't expect-" But Darren soon gets cut off when Erza looks up and shot a cold glare that instantly sends chills down his spine.
"Ever do that again and I'll shove my sword down your throat." Erza said darkly. With his eyes wide and his body trembling, Darren responded to her with a slow nod.
"What the hell just happened?" Sheena asked as everybody gets up from the floor and stand back up.
"Only one way to find out." Natsu whirled about as he, Gray and Wendy rush to the door.
"Sheena, we could use your help." Erza said to Sheena.
"Sure thing." Sheena shrugged.
"Lucy, Happy, Carla, stay here with Darren." Erza ordered her teammates.
"Am I really just going to stay here?" Darren complained. "I can fight too, you know."
"Yes you can, but the fighting skills I taught you are only for self-defense. This is actual head on combat!" Sheena replied.
"What's the difference?!" Darren cried incredulously.
"Swing your sword at me." Sheena said flatly.
Darren narrows his eyes at her before grabbing the hilt of his katana. But as soon as he tries to pull it out from the scabbard, Sheena slaps his hand off from the hilt and gave a light punch to his chest. Darren yelps as he backs away and rubs his chest.
"You're not ready, Darren. So just stay here with Lucy and the exceeds." Sheena said to him.
"But I-" Before Darren could protest, he cuts himself off when Sheena pouts and jabs a finger at his face. She points her finger downwards, gesturing him to stay put. Darren groans and rolls his eyes in response. As Darren sat back down on his chair, Sheena and Erza turn around and leave the room, joining Natsu, Gray and Wendy into battle.
"Don't worry, Darren. You still got us." Lucy smiled. Darren turns to her and sees her now sitting at the right side bed with Happy and Carla.
Darren sighs heavily before asking the three, "Got any clue who would come and attack us?"
"Probably the Abbey." Lucy said solemnly as she folds her arms. "Ever since people of your kind showed up, they too suddenly made their appearance known across Earth Land. According to the Magic Council, they have already invaded some of the towns in the southern part of Fiore and form a territory of their own."
"The Rune Knights did try to fight them back, but the Abbey continues to invade and conquer more parts of Fiore even as we speak." Carla added.
"It feels like Alvarez Empire all over again." Happy said grimly as he shudders.
"There had to be a reason why they would suddenly appear, and around the same time I showed up in this world too." Darren said as he adjusts his glasses.
"That's exactly what we are wondering too." Lucy said.
In the hallway at the left side of the ship, Yuri and six Rune Knights stare in horror as they see the sharp tips of several large harpoons pierced through the metal walls. They stumbled as they now feel their ship being pulled.
"Lieutenant Yuri Lowell, what is going on?!" Ragou cried as he hastily walks down the hallway, looking extremely flustered.
"What does it look like, Councilman?!" Yuri shouted at Ragou as he and his men regain their balance. "We are being attacked! Stand back!"
"How dare you raise your voice at me?! I was just asking a question!" Ragou yelled at him angrily. As Ragou continues his rumblings, Yuri rolls his eyes before turning to his knights and gestures two of them to escort the councilman to safety. The two knights gently grab Ragou's arms and take him away despite his protests to release him.
Yuri turns to the remaining four knights with him and unsheathes his sword from his scabbard. "All units! Prepare to engage in battle!" He commanded.
Outside of the Magic Council ship is another ship flying alongside it. It is larger in size and has several harpoon cannons lined up in a vertical row at the starboard. The sides of the ship are colored white with yellow highlights. Its large sails are also white and each has a symbol plastered on it. The symbol is yellow and resembles a combination of a crescent and a three-pointed star.
The knights operating the cannons watch the Magic Council ship being slowly pulled towards their own ship. The knights are dressed in white metallic helms that conceal their faces. They wear short white capes, white long-sleeved leather robes with yellow highlights and blue bands around the top of their long white and yellow gloves. They also wear black pants, white long legged boots and silver metallic sabatons to protect their ankles and feet.
Another knight approaches the starboard and stood alongside the cannon operators. His appearance is distinguishable from the other knights. He wears a white conquistador helmet and a gold mask with a teal visor and a black breathing apparatus around his mouth, concealing his face. He is also dressed in a gold suit underneath his white armor with blue highlights. On the center of his armor is the yellow symbol plastered on it and has a double-edged naginata attached onto his back.
"Sir, we have secured the enemy ship." One of the regular white knights said to the knight in gold. He has a long blue feather at the back of his helmet to be identified as a squad leader.
"The magicless human is somewhere on that ship. Find him, and eliminate all who stand in our way." The knight in gold boomed in a deep, distorted voice.
"Yes, Mala Makra sir." The squad leader said with a solemn nod. He turns to the other knights and ordered, "Everyone! Arm yourselves and prepare for battle!"
The regular knights pull out their swords from their scabbards at the side of their hips while the squad leader holds out his hand and magically summons a spear.
When the Magic Council ship is now right beside their ship, Mala draws out his naginata. He and the squad leader aim their weapons at the Magic Council ship while the other knights stand back. They fire two blasts of bright magic at the ship, damaging the walls and creating an opening.
When the smoke is cleared, Yuri and the Rune Knights look up to see their enemies standing right in front of them.
"Praetors…" Yuri uttered.
"MOVE!" The squad leader yelled before he and the praetors climb over the railings and leap into the enemy ship. Most of the praetors proceed to fight against the Rune Knights while seven of them turn to their right and enter deep into the ship.
Yuri tries to stop them but two more praetors quickly place themselves in front of him. Yuri snarled at them before the praetors run up to him. One of them swings his sword diagonally at Yuri. He quickly holds up his sword to block the attack and pushes the praetor away from him. The other praetor delivers an overhead strike with his sword. Yuri quickly moves to the side and thrusts his sword into the praetor's abdomen. After stabbing him, Yuri kicks the praetor off from his sword and turns back to the other who swings his sword horizontally at him. Yuri retaliates by doing a backwards somersault and kicks the sword off of the praetor's hand in the process. When Yuri lands back down on his feet, he swings his sword diagonally and slashes the praetor, who collapses onto the floor in defeat.
Yuri turns his head and watches three of his men being easily taken down by the other praetors. The last Rune Knight gets stabbed at the side of his gut by the squad leader's spear. The squad leader removes his spear and kicks him to the floor. The Rune Knight looks up and helplessly watches in fear as the squad leader walks up to him.
"No!" Yuri shouted as he tries to help his fellow knight. But two more praetors place themselves in front of Yuri and swing their swords down at him. Yuri quickly holds up his sword and blocks their combined attack. The squad leader holds up his spear and lunges it down, stabbing the Rune Knight through his chest.
"Dammit!" Yuri cried as he watches his fellow soldier die.
"CIRCLE SWORD!"
The squad leader looks up for a brief moment before a circular blast of white magic comes flying towards him and strikes him and two other praetors standing behind him down.
"What?" One of the praetors said as he and the other turn their attention away from Yuri and see Erza, now dressed in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, standing in the distance. While they are distracted, Yuri takes the opportunity to deliver an attack of his own.
"SEVERING FANG!" Yuri shouted in rage as he pushes their swords back by leaping into the air. The impact of his push sends the two praetors flying into the air. While the three are in midair, Yuri swings his sword downwards, creating a curved blast of white magic and strikes the two praetors with it, sending both of them slamming down onto the floor. Yuri landed back down safely and looks down at his fallen Rune Knights. He closes his eyes for a moment to give a silent prayer before looking back up at Erza, who stood boldly while holding her two winged swords in her hands.
Both of them gave each other a nod when suddenly, another wave of praetors leap into the ship. The squad leader gets up and orders them as he aims his spear at Erza, "Everyone, take them down!"
Sheena suddenly runs past Erza and over to the squad leader. The squad leader watches dumbfounded as Sheena places her hands on his shoulders and jumps into the air. She looks down at him and places a paper onto the front of his helm. Sheena lands back down on the floor behind the squad leader while he tries to get the paper off of his helm but to no avail. She leaps back, landing beside Yuri, and swiftly made several gestures with her fingers and more papers magically appear all over the squad leader's body.
The papers illuminate in purple light before they explode and create a huge cloud of smoke around the hallway. The other praetors cough and look around, trying to regain their vision and find their enemies. However, Sheena runs over to one of them and did a flying kick to his head. Shortly after her feet touch the floor, Sheena did a somersault and places her hands on the ground. She did a handstand, performs a twirling kick and knocks out several praetors around her.
Erza and Yuri also take the opportunity to swing their swords and take down the remaining praetors. When the smoke is cleared, all of the praetors are defeated and Erza, Yuri and Sheena stood together back to back.
"Phew, that was easier than I thought." Sheena smiled as she stretches her arms.
"Look out!" Yuri exclaimed as he sees Mala Makra jumping over to their ship. As Mala prepares to swing his naginata down at them, Erza and Sheena quickly run away to their left while Yuri goes to the right. They turn back to Mala as he lands and slams his naginata down on the floor.
"You had to jinx us, don't you?" Erza chided Sheena as she gets back into her fighting stance.
"How would I know there's one more?!" Sheena snapped at her.
Mala stood up and turns to Erza. "So, you must be Titania." He said.
"Glad to know that I'm a celebrity within the Abbey as well." Erza smirked at him.
Mala turns to Sheena and said, "Judging by your outfit and your fighting skills, you are from Mizuho."
Sheena gasped in shock. The mentioning of her hometown has caused the color on her face to drain. "H-h-how…do you know?" She asked with her voice trembling.
Mala finally turns to Yuri who is also in his battle stance. "And you are Lieutenant Yuri Lowell."
Yuri widens his eyes upon hearing his name. He glares at his enemy again and asked, "How do you know my name?!"
"Let's see if you are truly worthy of your rank." Mala said. He crouches down and holds his weapon up to the level of his head, getting into his fighting stance. Erza and Yuri yell as they charge towards him, but Sheena stood where she is, still frozen in shock.
When they are near and swing their swords vertically at him, Mala stood up and blocks their attacks at the same time with the blades of his naginata. He did a swift twirl, causing Erza and Yuri to back away from him. Mala turns to Erza and twirls his double-edged naginata around, delivering a series of diagonal strikes at her. Erza manages to block every attack he throws at her. But the strength and impact of every strike Mala delivers cause her to back away. Mala manages to knock out one of Erza's winged swords from her hand. After he delivers another diagonal strike at her, Erza quickly grabs the hilt of her remaining sword with both hands and blocks his attack. The two stayed in a brief stalemate until Yuri runs up to Mala from behind.
Mala briefly turns his head to see Yuri thrusting his sword at his back from behind. Mala quickly backs away from Erza and jumps into the air, performing a backwards somersault over Yuri. Yuri stops and lowers his sword before Mala lands back on the floor.
Yuri turns around and swings his sword horizontally at Mala. Mala blocks the attack with the hilt of his naginata. He aims his naginata at Yuri's midsection and thrusts his weapon. Yuri parried and deflects Mala's naginata to the side with his sword. Yuri counter thrusts at Mala, who turns to his right and the attack missed. Mala performs a diagonal downward slash. Yuri swings his sword diagonally upwards and their weapons clash.
"Is that the best you can do?" Mala asked as he and Yuri stayed in a stalemate.
Suddenly, Erza runs up to Mala, holding both of her swords again. She swings her swords diagonally downwards at him. Mala dodges her attack by leaping away from her and Yuri.
Mala suddenly gave a hard pull of the hilt of his naginata, separating the two halves of his weapon into two swords.
Yuri and Erza stare in awe for a brief moment before the latter turns back to Sheena who is still standing there in shock.
"Come on Sheena! Snap out of it!" Erza shouted at her. But she fails to get any response from her.
"I was expecting more from the both of you." Mala said mockingly to his enemies as he gets into a fighting stance with his swords.
"Just you wait." Erza growled as she looks back at him. She and Yuri yell furiously as they charge at him once more.
"How on Earth Land did the Abbey find us?! And I thought this was going to be a simple escort mission!" Ragou cried exasperatedly as he sat at his desk while his two escorts leave the room.
"Stay in here, councilman. And don't leave." One of the Rune Knights said firmly to him before closing the door.
Shortly afterwards, the Rune Knights get into their battle stances with their spears as they see a group of seven praetors making a turn at the end of the hallway.
"Where is the magicless boy?!" One of the praetors demanded as they hold up their swords.
"We won't tell you anything." One of the Rune Knights replied.
"So be it." The praetor responded. "Attack!"
As the praetors charge towards them, Natsu suddenly appears behind them as he skids through the floor. With a fiendish grin on his face, he slams his fists together and crouches. "Hey guys." He announced. The praetors stop and turn around to see Natsu doing a running jump as he pulls back his right fist which is engulfed with fire. "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"
Natsu flies over to the praetors and easily took down three of them with a single punch of his flaming fist. After Natsu and the now unconscious praetors land on the floor, the dragon slayer grins as he turns around. "I took down three."
The remaining four praetors run up to Natsu, preparing to attack him with their swords.
"ICE MAKE: FLOOR!" Gray suddenly shouted as he slams his hands onto the ground, creating a large layer of ice across the floor. Natsu jumps away to the side and all four praetors to slip and fall as the ice form beneath their feet.
"Four for me." Gray smirked as he places his hands on the sides of his hip. Natsu turns to him and growls.
"SKY DRAGON'S WAVE WIND!" Wendy cried as she swings her hand and creates a tornado at the praetors, including those who are unconscious. Gray steps aside as the tornado sends the praetors flying towards the wall and slamming them against it.
"And seven for me!" Wendy said cheerfully with a wide smile.
Natsu and Gray frown at her in a mixture of shock and disappointment as they said inside their heads, 'Damn you, Wendy…'
Erza swings her right winged sword vertically downwards on Mala, who quickly blocks the attack by holding up his left sword. Erza attempts to swing her other sword horizontally at the side of Mala's torso. However, Mala quickly blocks the strike with his right gauntlet. He pushes Erza's left sword away and thrusts his right sword at her midsection. Erza leaps back to dodge his attack and Yuri runs past her.
"AZURE STORM!" Yuri shouted, swinging his sword vertically twice and firing two magical blasts at Mala. Mala twirls his swords around to deflect the blasts. After the blasts dissipate, Mala swings his swords horizontally at them.
"DESTRUCTIVE FIELD!" He boomed as two horizontal waves of explosions erupted from the floor and head towards Erza, Yuri and Sheena like a tidal wave. Yuri turns around and grabs hold of Sheena while Erza stood in front of them and swings both of her swords in a delta formation.
"TRINITY SWORD!" Erza shouted, firing two curved magical blasts that formed a giant V towards Mala's attack. The two magical attacks collide, creating a large cloud of smoke that consumes the hallway.
Yuri coughs for a moment before nudging Sheena's shoulder. "Sheena! I don't know why you are spacing out all of the sudden, but I need you to pull yourself together! Help us out!" Yuri shouted in her ear.
After finally regaining her senses, Sheena shakes her head and looks back at Yuri dumbfounded. Yuri sighs in relief. Yuri turns his head around and sees Mala running up to Erza and swiftly knock both of her winged swords out from her hands. Erza gasps as Mala proceeds to thrust his swords at her midsection.
Suddenly, Sheena appears between them and swiftly grabs Mala's wrists, stopping him from stabbing Erza by only a few inches. Mala turns to Sheena in shock and the woman growls at him.
"I will not…let anyone get hurt!" Sheena yelled furiously. To the surprise of Mala, Erza and Yuri, Sheena gave the knight's arm a twist, tosses him to the floor and slams him down on his back.
Mala quickly recovers from the blow and rolls away from Sheena and Erza. He gets up from the floor and holds up his swords. But to his surprise again, Sheena magically summons her paper and throws it at his chest.
Sheena charges towards the knight and Mala prepares to swing his swords horizontally back at her. "DESTRUCTIVE-" Before he could finish announcing, Sheena jumps into the air, performs a somersault and delivers a downward vertical kick onto his head.
Mala stumbles backwards after Sheena kicks the top of his head and lands back down on the floor. Sheena suddenly charges up to him and performs a series of horizontal kicks across his face. After deliver one last kick across his face, Sheena yells as she thrusts her fingers onto the paper on the chest. Sheena leaps away and Mala gasped right before the paper explodes, sending him falling to the floor on his back. When the smoke is cleared, Sheena turns her head back at her opponent lying on the ground.
Mala groans as he gets up from the floor and holds up his swords, getting back into his fighting stance.
"I will not…lose to-" Mala is interrupted when a praetor leaps into the ship and swings what appears to be a large demonic claw down onto Sheena. Sheena leaps back from the praetor in time before she brought it down onto where she originally stood, leaving a huge mark.
The praetor gets up and turns to Sheena, Erza and Yuri as she stood in front of Mala. She is dressed to the other praetors, but with different colors. She wears a short blue cape, grey long-sleeved leather robes with yellow highlights and blue bands around the top of her long grey and yellow right glove. She wears a silver metallic gauntlet around her right forearm, black pants, grey long legged boots and silver metallic sabatons. Unlike the other praetors, she doesn't wear a helm, revealing her face, gold-brown eyes and her long black hair tied to a wide and messy braid. But what is most distinguishable about her is that her entire left arm was huge, long and goes all the way down to her lower legs. The arm has jagged edges protruding her fingers and forearm and it is colored black on the exterior and blood red underneath.
"What is this?" Erza uttered as she, Sheena and Yuri gaze at the praetor's demonic claw in awe.
"I don't need your help, Velvet Crowe!" Mala yelled as he lowers his swords.
"I was getting tired of watching your ass kicked by these scoundrels." Velvet replied as she turns to Mala. She snorted before finishing, "And you call yourself a captain." Velvet turns her head back to Erza, Sheena and Yuri, who all get back into their fighting stances.
"I would fight with you, but our time is precious." Velvet deadpanned. She curls the sharp fingers of her demonic arm into a large fist before turning to the wall and throws a punch at it, creating a huge opening that leads to the engine room.
"Let's go find the magicless man already!" Velvet barked at Mala before the two run their way into the engine room.
"Magicless man?" Sheena uttered as she, Erza and Yuri widen their eyes.
"They are after Darren!" Erza yelled in alarm. "STOP THEM!"
Before Erza, Sheena and Yuri could enter through the opening; Mala turns around, swings his swords horizontally at the ceiling and shouted, "DESTRUCTIVE SLASH!"
Two strong gusts of wind slash at the ceiling. It is followed by several explosions at the ceiling, which causes a pile of debris to fall in front of Erza, Sheena and Yuri and block the opening.
"This way!" Yuri yelled. The three turn to their left and run down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Velvet and Mala make their way to the other side of the engine room. Velvet punches her demonic fist through the wall again and created another opening, leading to the hallway at the other side of the ship.
Natsu, Gray, Wendy and the two Rune Knights run down the hallway until they see Velvet and Mala Makra heading to the door that leads to the room where Darren, Lucy and the exceeds are taking refuge.
"They are trying to get to Darren! That's why they are here!" Wendy cried.
"Come on!" Natsu yelled before he, Gray, Wendy and the knights dash their way over to the two.
Velvet kicks the door open to their room, startling Lucy, Darren, Happy and Carla. As Velvet and Mala nonchalantly walk into the room, Lucy jolts up from the bed and grits her teeth as she draws out one of her Celestial Spirit keys.
Velvet and Mala turn their heads to Darren, who holds up his scabbard and firmly grasps it. Despite their size, Happy and Carla place themselves in front of Darren, trying to protect him from the praetors.
"That's him." Velvet said, narrowing her eyes at Darren.
As she and Mala approach Darren, Lucy shouted as she swings her key upwards, "I CALLED UPON THEE-"
Within a second, Velvet swiftly charges towards Lucy and grabs her raised arm with her demonic claw. Lucy cries in pain as Velvet tightens her grip.
"Please…don't waste my time." Velvet said icily with a mixture of anger and irritation.
"Lucy!" Natsu cried as he, Gray, Wendy and the Rune Knights enter the room. Velvet whirls about and tosses Lucy over to them. Lucy screams as she is thrown through air and Natsu catches her in his arms. As Natsu skids through the floor backwards, Gray, Wendy and the Rune Knights run past him and Lucy.
The Rune Knights aim their spears at Mala and charge towards him. Darren watches as Mala turns around and swings his right sword diagonally, breaking the tip of one of the knight's spear. He swiftly thrusts his left sword at the knight and stabs him through the chest. Darren froze in horror as he watched a man being killed in front of him.
As the other knight runs up to him, Mala delivers a massive kick to his abdomen. The knight yelps in pain as he backs away. Mala removes the sword from the knight's chest and swings both of his swords vertically at the other knight, slashing his body from top to bottom.
As both Rune Knights collapse onto the floor, Gray yells in rage as he charges towards Mala and swings his ice sword horizontally at him. Mala Makra holds up both of his swords diagonally to block his attack.
Wendy jumps into the air and generates wind around her feet. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy exclaimed as she did a continuous somersault towards Velvet. Velvet swings back her right arm, withdrawing a long sharp blade from the bottom of her right gauntlet. She swiftly holds the blade in front of her face and blocks Wendy's attack as the Dragon Slayer swings her feet down on her weapon.
Wendy leaps back and while in mid-air, continues to do a few twirling kicks at Velvet, who blocks her attacks with her blade. Velvet swings her demonic claw at Wendy and grabs her leg, much to her shock. Velvet yells as she turns and swings her claw down, slamming Wendy onto the floor and causing her to cry in pain.
"Wendy!" Darren and Carla both cried in horror as they watch the young girl getting hurt.
Mala lets loose a series of strikes at Gray, who can barely keep up with him to block his attacks with his ice sword. However, Mala manages to thrusts his sword and slashes past Gray's right shoulder. Gray cries in pain as he lowers his sword and grabs his shoulder wound. Mala takes the opportunity to deliver a massive kick to his chest which sends Gray falling to the floor on his back.
Lucy throws her whip at Velvet and wraps it around her right arm. Velvet turns her head to see Lucy pulling her whip to restrain her while Natsu charges towards her with a flaming fist. He lets out a furious yell as he pulls his flaming fist back.
Velvet responds by ducking down and sliding her leg across the floor, sweeping Natsu's feet off from the ground when he got near her. As Natsu falls, Velvet jumps through the air and twirls several times before landing in front of Lucy. Lucy gasped as Velvet swings back her right arm, pulling the whip out of her hand. As the whip loosens around her right arm and drops onto the floor, Velvet approaches Lucy with a cold glare.
Darren gasped as he sees Lucy backing away from Velvet in fear. Happy and Carla flies up to Mala and grabs his arms. But Mala easily swings his arms and tosses the exceeds away from him. Darren turns back to Mala as he approaches him with both swords in his hands.
"Your friends are pathetic and useless, just like you. But you come with us; we will not only spare your life, but also make you a far stronger person than they ever were." Mala said.
Darren rolls his eyes and chuckled nervously. "If you are going to use the Darth Vader dialogue on me, no thanks. I'm better off with them." He replied to Mala.
"Fine." Mala boomed. He holds up one of his swords and prepares to deliver a downward vertical strike at Darren's right arm. "Perhaps cutting off your arm will change your mind!"
"Aaaahhh!" Darren cried as he turns his head away and holds up the scabbard in front of him right before Mala swings down his sword on it.
To the surprise of everyone present in the room, the scabbard briefly illuminate with bright white light and the clash created an impact that sends Mala flying through the air and across the room.
"What?!" Velvet turns her head for a brief moment before Mala collided against her and they both drop to the floor.
Natsu growls as he gets up from the floor.
"Lucy! Stand back!" Natsu yelled at his friend. Lucy obliged and runs away while Natsu places his fists in front his mouth. His cheeks enlarge and he blows out a large and powerful blast of fire at Velvet and Mala while they are down.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu bellowed. The blast sends Velvet and Mala flying through the doorway and crash through several walls. They were then thrown out of the Magic Council ship and crash through the side of their own ship.
The two praetors crash into the engine room of their ship and slam against the main engine. This causes the engine to malfunction and several explosions began erupting around their ship.
Back at the Magic Council ship, Wendy cried as she rushes over to Gray's side, "Gray!"
Gray kneels on the floor in pain as he grabs onto his shoulder wound. Wendy gently removes his hand and places her own hands onto his wound. She closes her eyes as teal light illuminates from her hands and Gray's wound closes up.
"Are you okay, Darren?" Happy asked as he and Carla flies up to him.
"Y-y-yeah…" Darren struggled to say, still feeling traumatized by his encounter with Mala and witnessing the death of two Rune Knights in front of his eyes.
"Darren!" Erza yelled as she, Sheena and Yuri entered the room. They see two Rune Knights lying dead on the floor. But thankfully, Darren is still alive, along with the rest of Team Natsu.
"Where are the praetors?" Yuri asked.
"We defeated them." Lucy replied.
"We totally kick their ass-WOAH!" Natsu gets cut off when their ship rumbled and tilts to the side, causing everyone to yell as they stumble over.
"Are we going down?" Lucy asked as everyone regains their balance.
Natsu tilts his head to the side and sees both the Magic Council and Abbey ships heading towards the ground through the several holes he had created. He turns back to Lucy and replied, "Yes. We are."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone present in the room suddenly scream in terror as they latch onto whatever is beside them and hang on for their dear lives as both ships tilt to the side and plummet through the air.
A few moments later, the Abbey ship crash onto the ground and slide through the forest along with the Magic Council ship still latched onto its starboard.
After a minute had pass, everyone present in the resting room cough heavily as the thick smoke around them dissipates. Erza gets up and looks around. "Is everyone alright?!" She asked in alarm. Darren, Sheena, Yuri and Team Natsu got up as well.
"I'm fine." Darren responded.
"Me too." Natsu said.
"So am I." Lucy added.
"I'm good." Gray said.
"Same." Sheena said.
"I've been through worse." Yuri replied.
"We're good!" Wendy cried as she, Happy and Carla raise their hands, and paws.
Erza sighs in relief and leans against the wall beside her. "What a day." She muttered.
"LIEUTENANT LOWELL! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" A familiar voice shouted.
Yuri groans and rolls his eyes before turning his head. Behind Darren were several gashes on the metal wall that formed during the crash. Everyone in the room could see Ragou standing behind the wall through the gashes as he bellows at them.
"FAIRY TAIL! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! ALL OF THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF YOU! AND YOU TOO, LIEUTENANT LOWELL! YOU SHALL HOLD RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS TOO! HOW ON EARTH LAND ARE WE GOING BACK TO ERA NOW?! YOU GUYS BETTER THINK OF SOMETHING-"
As Ragou continues his mad rumbling, Erza and Yuri pout and turn to each other.
"FAIRY TAIL! LIEUTENANT LOWELL! RELEASE ME THIS INSTANCE! HOW DARE YOU TIE ME UP LIKE THIS?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I'M A MEMBER OF THE MAGIC COUNCIL AND I CAN CHARGE YOU ALL FOR THIS!"
As Ragou continues shouting in rage while being tied up to a tree, Darren, Sheena, Yuri and Team Natsu walk away from him and the crash site, continuing their journey through the wilderness on foot.
"Now that's something we should have done earlier." Natsu grins in satisfaction as he places his hands at the back of his head.
"He can go ahead and charge us if he wants. We're used to it anyway." Erza said with a smirk while Yuri unties his ribbon, letting his long dark purple hair flow freely down to the middle of his back.
Yuri huffs and said as he puts away his ribbon, "And this is why I hate the magic council."
Meanwhile, after managing to escape before their ship crashed along with the Magic Council ship, Velvet and Mala are resting at the other side of the forest. Velvet yells in frustration as she slams her demonic fist against the trunk of a tall tree. Moments later, her demonic arm transforms back into a normal human arm, wrapped with several bandages.
"I can't believe we would lose to them!" Velvet shouted. She pulls back and lowers her fist as she turns to Mala, who is currently sitting and leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree with his hands clutching the sides of his head and helmet.
"No! We couldn't have failed! We couldn't!" Mala cried, trembling in fear. "She's going to punish me! I know she will!"
Velvet glares at Mala, not caring about the pathetic display her fellow praetor is displaying right now. Suddenly, she felt her lacrima ball vibrating inside her pocket. She gets it out and activates it.
"Sir." Velvet said flatly.
"Lieutenant Crowe, have you and Captain Makra captured the magicless boy?" The man at the other side of the line inquired.
"Unfortunately, no." Velvet said reluctantly. "We failed to capture our target. Fairy Tail was with him."
"I see." The man replied, his voice filled with disdain. "Return back to HQ immediately."
"Yes sir, Commandant Alexei." Velvet replied before deactivating her lacrima ball and putting it away. She lowers her head and grits her teeth as she clenches her fists tightly. "Damn you, Fairy Tail."
Sovereign: I would like to thank aquabluey for reviewing, SkylarDahElf for favoriting and Crimson-Tuna-Sub for checking out my story! Thanks guys! This will be my last story update of 2018. So to everyone, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year, and see you all again in 2019! :D
Chapter Updated on 16th January 2019