AN: Here's the third chapter! What's Arya's job offer and where did Gajeel and Lily head off? What's happening to Natsu? Find out in this chapter!
Natsu woke up in a familiar room. The smell of healing potions and a familiar person caught his attention. Natsu thought, 'That's right, I went to Poluchka's.'
He remembered leaving the house and limping his way to Poluchka's. Of course, the old wizard was angry for disturbing her sleep but she was also shocked to see the fiery Natsu Dragneel that weak so she took him in. She gave Natsu some painkillers and a cooling potion to cool down his body temp. After taking those and a few healing magic from Poluchka, he finally fell asleep.
"I still don't know what's going on with you." Poluchka said looking all groggy. She brought out a lot of books on her table. Natsu's condition puzzled her. She never had someone with that high of a body heat all of a sudden. When Natsu appeared on her doorstep, Poluchka offered to help him get on the bed but she even couldn't touch him because of his body heat. Natsu had to drag himself to the bed. After giving Natsu the stuff that he needed, she went on looking for information about what was bothering Natsu but she couldn't find anything. "But anyways, how are you feeling?"
"Much better. Actually, I feel really fine." Natsu stood up and he didn't feel anything. It felt like it was all a bad dream and nothing happened. "This is weird Polka-san."
"Poluchka." She looked slightly irrated but she still handed him a bottle of cooling potion. "This is the potion you drank to cool your body temp. You can keep it so you can drink some when it happens again."
Natsu smiled and said, "Arigatou Pokka-san!"
"Poluchka. Anyways, if you're that stupid, I think you're back to normal."
"I wonder what happened to me. I never felt that pain…so that's what if feels like…getting burned." Natsu looked down at his body thinking maybe there were burnt marks or anything, but there was nothing. So what was it really? "I felt…I felt…that heat came from Igneel for some reason."
Poluchka just watched him silently. She was still figuring out what happened to Natsu. He was totally different from last night, all weak and in pain but now she can truly see that he's back to normal. "I don't like this feeling."
"Hm?"
"The feeling of not knowing. Your case is like a puzzle that I have to solve." Poluchka handed him out a lacrima from her pocket. "This is a communication lacrima. If anything happens, contact me immediately."
Natsu was shocked at this act of kindness. He pulled out a big grin and said, "Arigatou Poluchka-san. I knew I can count on you."
"Tch. Don't thank me. It seems like I have something new that I have yet to discover. Sudden extremely high body heat….you sure you didn't experience anything else before that?"
Natsu nodded sideways and remembered something, "Oh Poluchka-san, promise me one thing."
"This better be important."
"Please keep this a secret. I don't want anyone to worry about me. Please." At this, Natsu bowed. He deeply cared for his friends that he didn't want anyone of them to worry.
Poluchka grunted, "Hmph, as if I'll see anyone here. I hate humans. You have nothing to fear."
"Thanks, Poluchka-san."
Poluchka let out a tiny smile that he got the name right finally. "Go back to your guild. Makarov might not like it you slacking off."
Natsu nodded. "I will. See you next time!" He waved and left at her house.
'Makarov,' Poluchka thought, 'You better keep an eye for your kids.'
Back in the guild…
Erza thought, 'Arya Wellington….I can sense she has a lot of magical power. Why does she need us?'
Master Makarov added to her introduction, "The Wellingtons own a fishery in a small fishing town, Aberdeen, down south of Magnolia. Her family is quite famous."
Happy cheerfully said, "Does that mean you have a lot of fishes?"
Charles smacked him at the back of his head, "Don't say stupid things like that."
Arya just smiled sweetly at the two exceeds and said, "Yes we do have a lot of fish. You'll be able to eat a lot of fish once you go to our town if you accept the job. Aberdeen has the best catch in the country…well, we HAD the best catch…" the tone of her voice suddenly changed to a sad tone.
"What's the job offer anyway?" Gray asked.
"Well…" Before Arya continued, the door of the room suddenly opened with a loud band. It was Natsu who came and he yelled, "What's the mission?! Mira said you guys are going on a mission! I want in!"
Happy cried again but this time it was tears of joy as he flew to his partner, "Natsu, where have you been?"
"Yeah Natsu! Leaving Happy all of a sudden without saying anything. What happened?" Lucy scolded. But deep down inside, she was glad that he's fine. She might go ballistic if he didn't show up by the end of the day.
"I'm so sorry Happy. I couldn't sleep so I took a walk but I got lost." Natsu pathetically lied.
Gray seemed to bought it and said looking all smug, "See? He must've set fire on his own brain cells and got lost."
"What did you say perverted ice princess?" Natsu clenched his fist up to Gray's face. Gray did the same then Erza stop the both of them.
"Stop it you two! We have a guest here." Erza did not buy Natsu's lie at all but she wanted to get down to this Arya business fast. "Natsu, this is Arya Wellington, our client." They slightly bowed to each other before Erza urged Arya to continue.
"Aberdeen was blessed with lots of fishing resources. Our economy relies heavily on the fishing industries. But now, slowly, more and more fishes are vanishing. We don't even see dead fishes on our lakes and oceans. They're just gone. Fisheries are closing down and our fishery is one of the last few remaining but all of us combined don't sell enough to feed the town."
Wendy commented, "That's sad. What happened to the fishes?"
"I don't know myself. But there were eye witnesses, saying that it was..it was.." Arya started to tremble, "A sea dragon."
"A sea dragon?" Eveyone was caught by surprise. Dragons were believed to be extinct although dragon slayers continue to look for their parent dragons. This got Natsu and Wendy to listen more carefully.
"Yes, or that's what the fishermen call the beast. They described it as a beast with a body of a snake and a snout, eyes and claws like a dragon. Unlike the dragons we see in books, this one has no wings. It is as long as travelling from Magnolia to this guild."
"Natsu-san," Wendy whispered to her fellow dragon slayer, "Is there a dragon like that?"
Natsu thought for a while then answered, " Igneel said there are different types of dragons. It is possible a dragon like that can exist. I want to ask him if he knows Igneel."
"And Gradine."
"So this why I ask this guild specifically and asked for the three dragon slayers," Arya said, "to confirm it really is a dragon or not. Master Makarov wanted more people on the team because there are rumors of dark guilds surrounding Aberdeen. I guess this is for your own safety as well."
Gray pumped his fist in the air, "Dragons and dark guilds, this is getting exciting."
Erza said, "So what do you want us to do with the dragon if ever?"
Natsu said in a serious tone before Arya could answer, "We're not going to kill it if it's really a dragon. We're gonna talk to him. All dragons are nice and friendly, Igneel taught me that."
Gray protest, "But Natsu, remember Achno-" Erza cut him off before he mentioned that dreaded dragon's name.
"We'll trust you Natsu. But if it harms a human being, we won't hold back."
Natsu looked at Wendy first as if waiting for her to agree. She nodded and so did Natsu.
Lucy thought to herself and shuddered, 'What if it's not a dragon? Why am I on this team?' She let out a sigh. 'And Natsu's not telling me something.' Like Erza, she didn't believe that his lie and wondered where he went. 'But I guess I have to save that questiong for later.'
Erza said to Arya, "If you accept these conditions, we'll aceept the job."
Arya thought for a while then said, "I understand. Just make sure our waters are safe."
All this time, Juvia was hiding behind a pillar in the room stalking Gray. 'Huhuhuhu…Gray-sama is going away with my love rival and a beautiful girl. Juvia wants to go with him.' She silently thought as she bits her collar to prevent her from crying out loud.
Arya then gave instructions for the team. She said that since she needs to run some errands, she'll go ahead to Aberdeen. The team will meet her tomorrow at her house and stay there as long as they get the job done. As soon as she was done, Arya bowed and said, "Thank you very much for your time. And excuse me for now. I need to get going soon."
Erza bowed and said, "We'll see you then tomorrow." They all waved and said their goodbyes are Arya left.
Master Makarov cheered the team, "Yosh! Get that 30 million jewels!"
That caught everyone except Erza in surprise, "30 million jewels?"
The old man nodded, "Yes, that's the deal we talked about beforehand. I guess she forgot to mention it."
Natsu said, "Yosh! I'm getting fired up!"
"Aye sir!" Happy flew beside him.
"Yosh! Let's get our fishing gear ready!" Then they ran out of the guild.
"Didn't they just hear that the town lacks fish?" Charles commented. "Hay, let's go pack Wendy."
"Sure Charles." And they left as well.
Lucy thought happily, '30 million jewels, how many years worth of rent is that?... Oh no, how about Natsu's party. I got to tell Mira about this.' Lucy left the room as well.
"Yosh, I'm going to warm up for tomorrow." Gray left the room too. (Juvia: Gray-saaamaaaa! Don't leave meeeee.)
It was Erza and the Master left in the room.
"This mission is not only for the money." Erza wasn't asking the old man. She was already stating it as a fact.
"I am worried about the dark guilds around that area." Makarov said, "They say the posses Zeref's power."
"Zeref?" Erza wanted nothing more to do with that man. He possed his beloved friend, Jellal, and turn his life into a mess. He also called on Achnologia and almost killed them. She truly despised the black wizard.
"I don't know the details so that's why I want you guys to investigate and be observant. If Arya didn't come here, I would have sent you guys there myself."
"Speaking about her, she is suspicious. I sense a lot of magic from her but it doesn't seem like it's from Zeref."
"She is suspicious. Not knowing about the beast itself but able to describe it with so much detail. It's either she's a liar or she's telling the truth or she has seen the beast herself."
"So this is a gamble for the 30 million jewels and the investigation of the dark guilds."
"Yes. And knowing that it might be a dragon, the dragon slayers won't refuse this job. But still, I have my doubts…so you better be careful." He let out a sigh. His children's safety is his top priority but he can't sit back and do nothing if Zeref is on the loose. "Go and rest now Erza, tomorrow will be a long day." Master Makarov told his best wizard in the team.
"As you wish Master," With that Erza walked out. She thought, 'Maybe I should warn Jellal about this.' Erza and the group recently met him and the guild he had formed, Crime Sorciere, a guild dedicated to wipe off all the drak guilds, along with Meldy and Ultear. 'But I don't know how to contact him.' She felt a little pain in her heart as she noticed how much she misses him. She just sighed and smiled, "I just hope you're doing your best out there Jellal so I should too."
Meanwhile…
Lily asked his partner, "Are you sure we should go ahead and not tell this to Natsu and Wendy?"
The iron dragon slayer just said, "If we go back to Magnolia, it would take a day and another to go there. This cruddy town is too damn far but good thing it is near from our last job."
They were both travelling in the woods. Gajeel smirked as he finally reached the end of the road and read a signboard that says, "Aberdeen."
Lily said, "This is the town where the guy at the bar said." Apparently, Gajeel and Lily had a job at a town nearby Aberdeen and the news of a dragon in the waters were started to spread in that town. Gajeel became curious and decided to go here once the job was done.
"Metalicana, I'm coming for you."
