Chapter 4- Subjugation

Many men who boast about the size of their member exaggerate. Whether it's too conceal a truly small pecker, or in a vain attempt at impressing women, many men do it. But men like Leman boasted and had the size to back it up. And so Tabitha, the whore, was finding out as she backed up into it. Leman was loud in many things, but not in his feral intercourse, he compensated by having a tankard of ale in his mouth which every so often spilled a small cascade onto Tabitha's naked back.

Letting out a small grunt Leman extracted himself from her and shot his load onto her messy back, coating it in a vile mixture of fluids. She bit her lip and pretended it was just like any other job, but it was difficult when she knew he'd killed three other prostitutes who hadn' pleased him. She got herself up on her knees and turned to face him, placing an arm beneath her breasts to give them more volume as she stared at him lustily.

"Will that be all?" Leman looked at his manspear and gripped it in one hand. After several seconds he frowned and looked back up at her, baring his teeth.

"Get the fuck outta my sight, ya dumb cunt!" She scrambled out of the room gripping a small cloth over her nakedness, leaving Leman downing another tankard of mead. His head swirled a bit but he managed to get himself off of the bed rather easily, before stumbling to his chair across the room. It was the hospital room of the guild hall that they'd occupied, but Leman had been using it over the past week as his personal brothel. But so far he'd been severely dissatisfied with Magnolia's whores, and he'd even killed a few of the very inexperienced ones out of frustration. He began to fumble with his breeches, thinking of the Fairy Tail women they had in custody.

They all seemed attractive, and had spirit to boot. Raping them might be fun… But Leman remembered how stern Fraki had been about their treatment. Which pissed him off further since Leman knew that Fraki hadn't so much as touched one of the whores. Maybe he was stealing the wizards for himself? It would explain how obsessed he was with the purple haired girl. When Leman thought about it he realized in the week that they'd controlled Magnolia he'd been the only member of the pack to do any fucking. He knew why of course. Torvald probably couldn't get his ancient cock to stand at attention, Ragnar was probably a eunuch, Fraki was too busy pining over that one captive girl and Søren, being a virgin, was obviously afraid of women. In fact, Leman realized without really thinking, it might be a good idea to go and taunt the boy about it. Being drunk, he had no better judgement anyhow.

Leman shambled around a tad before he managed his way into the main hall, taking in the sight around him. It was how it had been for a week, with icicles hanging from the ceiling and the entire floor being coated in snow. A wall of kegs of mead and ale sat by the door, they had been brought up with the whores steadily over the past week. Speaking of the whores, Leman cast his gaze to the stage area of the guild hall. The curtains had been replaced with icey bars, and behind them sat dozens of women, shivering and miserable. He grinned at that. Suffering of weak pups always entertained him. Torvald and Ragnar were sitting at the bar as usual, Fraki was probably in the library where they'd imprisoned the wizard women, and Søren… Søren was by the whores, talking to a pretty blonde one that was at the bars. With a wolfish grin Leman made his way over to the boy.

"So you're interested in the whores after all, huh?" Leman jeered, laying an arm on the hunched boys back.

"She's not a prostitute, she's just a villager who was brought up when you demanded more women yesterday," Søren spat venomously.

"Now, now," Leman chided. "Are you tryna make me mad?" He dug his elbow into Søren's back slowly. The girl behind the bars backed away slowly, tears building up in her eyes. From across the hall Ragnar finished his drink and patted Torvald on the shoulder.

"Trouble's a brewin'," he said dismissively as he strode out of the hall. Torvald sighed, having already come to the same conclusion. He used his staff as crutch to get off the barstool he'd been sitting at, and began to hobble through the snow.

"Say, what's her name?" Leman slurred as he wrapped an arm around Søren's neck and pulled him to his feet. He held him there tightly, grinning like a madman.

"Lia," Søren replied, shaking in rage. Leman laughed like a seal, and pulled the bars open.

"Lia, what a nice name! I should probably take her for a spin then, huh?" He shoved Søren to the ground and wrapped his enormous palm around her bicep. She cried out quietly, but didn't bother putting up a fight. She knew better than that after what had happened to the three who had. Søren growled and clenched his fists beneath their gloves.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her…" Søren murmured. Leman stopped for a brief moment and looked back at Søren.

"I won't, if you fuck her." Søren scowled stood up. Leman began to laugh again, squeezing tighter on Lia's arm and cutting off her circulation. "Oh Søren, you're such a weakling!" He barked, gripping his side as he laughed. Søren was quaking, and his icey blood was boiling.

"Leman, put the girl down!" Torvald roared as he approached. Leman immediately ceased his laughter and glared over at the old man. He scowled but kept his grip on Lia.

"Hey old man, you defend the kid a lot, got a thing for diddling lil boys?" Leman growled with the spite obvious in his voice. Torvald leered back and held the base of his staff to Leman's crotch.

"If you don't put her down and leave Søren alone, you'll never be able to 'diddle' again." Leman tossed the half clothed girl into the snow and trotted off angrily. Søren smiled at Torvald but the ancient man simply frowned at him.

"We're bad people, Søren. You'd do well to remember that. After all, you were the one who butchered those soldiers at the steps," and with that Torvald slowly struggled back towards the bar. Søren crouched down and gripped Lia's hand, smiling comfortingly at her. She managed a weak smile back at him, but it was insincere.

"Hey, Søren, I don't think you're a bad guy," she said to him softly. His smile quickly curved into a frown as he helped her to her feet.

"Thanks, but I really am an evil person," Søren chuckled. It was the harsh reality of his world. He'd been in the pack as long as he could remember, there wasn't another life for him. He helped her back into the prison, and smiled at her wistfully as he froze the bars into their proper place.

"Søren, you'll keep visiting me, right?" Lia asked as he began to stride away. He nodded and made his way across the hall. Torvald, who was watching the whole thing unfold gripped the handle of his tankard and chewed the tobacco leaf in his mouth. He sincerely wished Søren's life could've been better, but unfortunately his life was linked to Torvald's and Torvald's life was one of tragedy and loss.

"Hey, they finally sent some fucking men," Ragnar announced, re-entering the hall. By 'them' he meant the magic council, which meant there were Rune Knights outside the ice wall. Which meant it was Torvald's job to deal with them. Torvald ran a hand through his beard and once again hauled himself out of his barstool strenuously.

"Yes, I expected them much sooner," the old druid said with a slight cackle as he hobbled out of the hall and into the open air. It was snowing, as usual, and the cold wind cut through the empty streets like a dagger carving through ivory. Around Torvald all of the snow began to fall more slowly, until it held still in the air, unmoving. Water from icicles ceased to drip, and few animals that dared dart through the empty alleys halted entirely. Standing at the top of the stairs, Torvald cast off his great cloak of bone and wood, leaving his decrepit and wrinkled body exposed to the elements. The runes that ran along his form glowed with ancient power suddenly, and began to surge with magical power. His crooked back righted itself, and he stood at his full height as the skin returned to cover his bones. His aura became icy, and his eyes blazed with pale blue light.

The now muscular elder looked down from the large hill he stood atop, across Magnolia and over the wall to where the Rune Knights had become entrenched. Their anch flags flew high and waved proudly. Torvald scowled and looked to his fist which was coated in magic.

"You upstarts dare call yourself rune knights? You have no knowledge of true runic power!" He bounded off and down the staircase with incredible speed, a layer of ice quickly forming beneath his feet which he slid along. A hole in the ice wall melted for him as runes began to glow in the air around his form, spinning and turning. He jumped into the deep snow outside of the city and quickly scanned the enemy. There was a massive grouping of tents about a kilometer out, but before him were several trenches dug into the snow filled with the council's soldiers. He stuck his palms into the air, and in front of them runes began to dance and sway, before being etched into the dirt walls of the trenches. Out in the distance, one enormous rune beneath the tent city formed in the snow and began to glow.

"Feel the true strength of the words of the first men," Torvald whispered.

Just Outside of Era, at the Same Time

"Something's wrong," Ultear said suddenly. Her previous estimate of them reaching Era in four days was horribly wrong due to Natsu's leisurely pace, and unfortunately they were already several hours late for the meeting of the Ten Wizard Saints. But now…

"What's happening?" Meredy asked. She hadn't seen Ultear look so nervous in a long time. Though neither Natsu or Meredy knew it, Ultear had already been to Magnolia and back again, in fact she'd spent several minutes in the time anomaly witnessing Torvald make short work of the Rune Knights. She cupped her face with one hand in shock.

"Something's gone wrong with time, hasn't it?" Meredy asked. Ultear nodded slowly, still processing everything that had happened in her mind. Natsu looked at Meredy inquisitively, as if asking for an explanation. "When an anomaly in time pops up Ultear can feel it. She can also send an astral form of herself into it to observe what's happening." Natsu mouthed his understanding and looked to Ultear.

"Well, what is it?" Ultear looked about and raised her hood. Meredy followed suit. "You guys need to start fucking talking, you're freaking me out," Natsu said angrily.

"We'll explain it in the city, come on," Ultear commanded. Natsu nodded and began to walk towards the walls of Era. The magic council's home city was very well protected and it would've been hard to get in under normal circumstances, but using Natsu's influence as a guild master and his need to attend the meeting got them past the perimeter with very little screening. As they began to make their way down the crowded paths, Ultear stood closer to Natsu to speak to him quietly.

"A group of foreign ice mages have captured Magnolia and are occupying it." Ultear had expected Natsu to freak out or declare he was 'fired up' as the old natsu would have done. But he simply gritted his teeth and growled lowly.

"When?" Ultear gulped, a little afraid to answer.

"Last week." Natsu realized that this meant that the strange moments when Ultear would sort of zone out over the last week had all been caused by this.

"But you didn't investigate sooner?" She shook her head and bit at her lip. Natsu looked up at the mesa at the center of the city, and the building atop it.

"Little anomalies pop up very often, and ultear can feel them around the entire world. She can't go check every single one of them," Meredy said in Ultear's defense. Natsu sighed and calmed down a little.

"I'm gonna have to take the train back, aren't I?" Ultear and Meredy looked at each other, surprised. That was their intention but Natsu seemed to pick it up very quickly. Natsu exhaled and held up his fist. "Alright, I'll do it! I'm fired up!" The two girls smiled at the words. They were iconic and with his track record of constant victory, they inspired a great deal of hope in the two convicts.

They turned into a side street to cut their way towards the train station, but something unordinary was waiting at the end of it. Less of a thing, it was someone in particular.

"Ah, Master Dragneel, I'd been hoping to see you here!" Proclaimed a looming figure. Jura Neekis stood with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. "You were late and we started without you, but it appears luck is with me today! I would consider this meeting a failure if I didn't get to face you!" He opened his eyes and looked down the hall, and sweat dropped when he saw that the salamander was gone. He spun on his heel and watched Natsu stroll out into an empty square.

"Sorry Jura, I'm busy!" Natsu called over his shoulder. Jura gaped. Natsu was almost at the mouth of the next alley he had to take, when a column of stone shot up and blocked his path. Nonchalantly, he turned and stepped towards another alleyway, but once again Jura blocked his passage.

"Jura… I'm seriously not in the mood…" Natsu growled. Jura smiled smugly.

"Well then you'll have to fight me if you want to get out of here, I've been looking forward to this for months!" Natsu let his backpack and bedroll slip off his shoulders. He had to get back, which meant he had to make this quick. His fists pulsed with fire as he made his way towards Jura. The stone wizard lashed out with a large fist of stone which collided with Natsu and sent him flying back into a wall. Natsu smashed into it and tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.

"What's he doing, he could've dodged that?!" Meredy shouted angrily. Ultear watched Natsu as he rose slowly, and as he moved his legs into a wide stance.

"He was gauging the density of Jura's rock…" She breathed. Jura frowned as he watched Natsu form a strong base, assuming that he'd have to defend against a powerful flame breath attack. He quickly raised several stone walls in front of him as he heard Natsu yell.

"ROAR OF THE FLAMING LIGHTNING DRAGON" An enormous beam of powerful magic collided with the stone, the lightning chewing through it so the flame would have a path in which to move. Jura gasped and raised his arms in front of him to bear the brunt of the fiery onslaught. He began to slide back along the masonwork, grunting as the power pushed into him. It was something much beyond the level of what he'd expected from the Salamander. Jura decided he would have to fight with his full power.

He never got that chance. As the flame subsided, Jura regained his vision of the battlefield only to see Natsu soaring towards him, his arms crackling with fire and lightning. "ELBOW OF THE FLAMING LIGHTNING DRAGON" Jura had no time to prepare any defense whatsoever. The attack collided with him, creating a shockwave and sending the stone wizard into the ground with tremendous force. He shouldn't have underestimated Natsu… Natsu collapsed to his knees in front of the unconscious Jura, huffing loudly and making every effort to fill his lungs with air.

Ultear rushed forward to check out the full extent of the damage. Natsu was badly bruised where the stone had struck him, and Jura…

"Y-you're gonna havta carry me to the train…" Natsu managed in a few stammers. Ultear nodded and placed herself beneath his arm, lifting him quickly.

"You were amazing back there," she told him as they made their way into the now open alleyway towards the train. Natsu managed a weak smile but shook his head.

"I had the element of surprise, he totally would have beaten me otherwise." Meredy giggled. She had never known the old Natsu, but from what she'd heard this new one was quite a bit different. "Anyway, hopefully I can regain some magic power before I end up in Magnolia."

"Your guild mates are in the city, hiding albeit but they're there," Ultear assured him. "Unfortunately we can't be there to help, but if time starts to work against you I think I can be of some aid."

"Thanks, Ultear," Natsu said. "Good luck freeing Jellal." They approached the train, which was leaving for the city closest to Magnolia in a few minutes. The lines had been understandably closed down since Magnolia's occupation. Natsu gulped afraid of the train ride that was about to ensue, but the idea that he was about to fight some powerful opponents got him fired up.

"I can't legally see you guys at the guild, but if you ever want supplies or want to pop by for a visit send me a message and I'll meet you in the wilderness or something," Natsu said to his new friends as he took weak steps up the stairs towards the train. Meredy smiled and waved.

"We'd love that!" she said happily. Ultear nodded.

"Good luck, Natsu."

A Small Shack on the Outskirts of Magnolia

"They fucking destroyed the rune knights! How the hell can we possibly win?!" Macao roared as his palms slammed into the table. Around the table were some of the other male members of Fairy Tail, not the bulk of them unfortunately. None of them had any idea where any other wizards were currently, except the women who were trapped in the guild hall.

"Nothing changes!" Alzack responded angrily. "We've been planning this escape for a week! It's their only chance!" He glanced around at the others, most of whom nodded agreeingly. Alzack looked off to the corner of the room where Warren sat in a chair, his fingers pressed to his temples.

"They're being watched, they'll give me the signal as soon as the guard leaves," he whispered. Over the past week Warren had been in contact with the hostages, and the two groups had collaborated on a plan to retake the city through Warren's magic.

Warren stood up and turned off the link. He figured it would be awhile before the guard left, so he'd check in after a brief fifteen minute period. He would do so in intervals to make sure everything worked out.

"We don't even know their magics, this seems a bit risky…" Wakaba muttered from his seat, before taking a long drag of his cigarette.

"One of them can manipulate wood," Jet noted. "So as long as we can get him in the cellar where there's only cobble and one or two beams of wood it won't be a huge problem."
"But he wears armor made entirely of wood, which means he always has a source," Warren corrected. He glanced out the window, and though it was mostly covered by snow there was a small patch through which he could see the frozen guild hall.

"We'll get you all out," he whispered.

"Who is he?" Kinana whispered to Laki. They were in the library, where every shelf had been manipulated by the man sitting far across to form an immense cage for the women. He hadn't mistreated them. In fact, he had barely spoken to them. He'd even cast out one of his comrades who had wandered in in a drunken stupor shouting about wanting to fuck them all. But none of the girls understood him. Besides Laki.

At the moment he sat, scribbling in a small journal. Very rarely he looked up at the ceiling, and would cast a few quick looks around the hall as if he was nervous about something.

"I grew up in a small merchant town," Laki breathed. She hugged her knees tightly and bit at her lip. "My mother was an evil woman. I don't know why my father married her. She beat me and my brother, and always argued with my father. He was a freight ship deck hand, you see, and we didn't have much. My father was always out on shipping voyages, and my mother took those opportunities to let my brother and I know how much we'd ruined her life…" Laki began to sniffle slightly as tears slid down her cheeks. She could hear the shouting, the breaking of glass and the thumping of wood.

"I was beat a lot as a child, and I remember I would spend hours thinking of horrible ways to kill my mother. She was a monster. She constantly invited other men into the house to fuck her, I guess my father wasn't good enough for her. Those fucking perverts… One of them groped me once, until my brother stepped in…" Laki's fingers dug into the skin of her legs as the memories came back to her.

Small Merchant Town, Several Years Ago

"Don't you fucking dare touch my sister!" Laki's brother shouted. He swung a wooden pole at the man's arm, which instantly buckled under the force. The stranger howled in agony and held his bruised arm. Laki moved to stand behind her brother, whimpering. Their mother's brown eyes filled with fire as she pulled a bottle of wine off the counter.

"You little shit, you ungrateful parasite!" Laki backed away but her brother held her ground. Their mother shrieked in a fit of rage and brought the bottle down onto the adolescent boy's head. The added liquid increased the force of the swing, and the glass shattered loudly against his skull. He flopped to the wooden floor loudly, like a sack of lard being tossed out of a boat and onto the pier.

"And you!" Laki's mother yelled, focusing in on her daughter. "You're a little cunt, you know?!" The man beside her snickered as he cradled his injured limb.

"Leave… her alone," Laki's brother huffed from the ground. He painstakingly pushed himself up ever so slightly and looked at his mother in the eyes, blood pouring down his face from the wound atop his head.

"Laki, go to your room!" Her mother commanded. "Your brother and I need to talk." Laki cried and scrambled up the staircase, quickly slamming the door behind her. She scampered under her bed and covered her ears, but she couldn't block out the noise. The sounds of loud impacts and thumping, the shouting, and the laughing. The laughing was the worst part. How could someone enjoy inflicting pain on their own creations?

After what had seemed like an eternity, the door opened slowly. Laki watched her brother shamble in, bleeding and panting. His bare chest was covered in scratches, bruises and cuts. His eyes were blackened and his nose was bent once again. He closed the door, and immediately flopped to the ground. Laki crawled towards him, a roll of gauze in one hand a cup of water in the other. She always kept her first aid supplies under the bed, since this was by no means a rare occurrence.

"Don't worry, big bro, we can go see a healer tomorrow when Momma's out at the market…" She poured some water onto one of the corners of her dress and dabbed at some of his wounds with the wet cloth. He sat up with a light groan of pain as Laki wrapped the gauze around his waist, stemming the bleeding from his cuts. Beneath them they could hear the grunting, shouting, and metallic squeaking that meant mother had already gotten to work with her new lover.

"I fucking hate men, they're lowly perverts who're no better than animals," she whispered in a seething spit. "I want to lock him in an iron maiden and roll it down a waterfall!" Her brother looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"An eye for an eye makes the world blind, Laki." Laki frowned and kept working. He was always the voice of reason, even when he should've been the heated one. "I can start working with dad next year, and I'll save up all the money I can to get us out of here."

Laki stopped suddenly, and sat back. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Please, brother, don't leave me with her." He stared back at her and embraced her. She cried silently as he held her, holding on to her only caretaker tightly. "I'm scared."

"I know," he said back quietly. "But we only have to endure it a little longer. The job is dangerous so it pays well, I should only have to work a few months before we can run away. I feel a bit bad about leaving father, but with us gone he should come to his senses and divorce that vile woman." Laki nodded as they let each other go. It only took her a few minutes to finish up treating her brother, and afterwards she picked up her knife and began whittling a block of wood father had brought her. Her father's company mainly shipped lumber from Fiore to other countries in Ishgar, so he always had pretty kinds to bring to Laki.

Her brother sat on his bed across from her and watched. He was clumsy and had never quite worked out how to make anything from the wood. It comforted him to see his sister focusing on creating art, and not plotting how to murder their mother.

"I don't want you to go," Laki told her brother as they hugged. They were standing on a pier beside the ship her father and brother were about to set out on. She was terrified. Being alone with her mother for a month meant she would be beaten countless times, harassed even more so, and she would have to bear all of that by herself.

"I know, and I wish I didn't have to… Here," he dug into his pockets and pulled out a small necklace. It was carved intricately of wood, but was still rough and jagged in certain spots. Laki looked up at her brother in shock.

"D-did you?" he smiled and nodded.

"It's obviously not as good as any of your creations, but whenever you get lonely or scared hold tightly to that and know that I'm with you." She looked to the necklace and back to her brother, sobbing. With a slight grin he hugged her once more.

"Hey, get up here already, we're waiting on you!" Laki's father shouted from the ship. He looked exactly like her brother, but older. They had the same purple hair, the same face, the same brown eyes, and the same caring personality. Laki wished they could always be with her. With a wave, her brother ascended the gang plank up the ship and disappeared in the small crowd that was gathered at the railing. She felt a hand lay itself on her shoulder forcefully.

"Alright. Little skank, here's the deal," her mother said venomously in her ear. "We're going to be together for awhile, so that means you have to be on your best behavior." Laki nodded slowly. It was going to be a long month.

"I'm am so sorry, Miss Olietta," the black clad man said from the doorway. Laki pressed her palm over her mouth and fought to hold back her scream. Her mother, on the other hand, grinned wildly.

"Oh, that's such a horrible tragedy! I do expect I'll receive double the death benefits, since my poor son and beloved husband both perished?"

"Quite right, ma'am. It'll be delivered within the week." With a bow and tilt of his hat the company man left their house. Laki still couldn't understand it. Attacked by raiders? Killed? Who would raid a logging vessel? Laki fell to her knees as the world around her spun. She held tightly to the wooden necklace, hoping and wishing that it had been some sort of mistake. She didn't want to be alone.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Her mother exclaimed. "I couldn't divorce that miserable troglodyte, the whole town would fucking shun me! But now he's gone, one of you stupid leeches is gone, and I get money to boot!" She glanced down at Laki and her smile immediately faded. In a quick motion she swept her hand across Laki and scooped up the necklace, cackling as she tossed it into the fireplace.

"NO!" Laki screamed. But she couldn't get herself to move. It was like she was frozen.

"Now, what to do with my other precious little parasite," her mother pondered as she drew a knife from behind her. "Oh, she was so overcome with grief at her family's death, that she took her own life! What a calamity!" Laki gritted her teeth and threw herself at her mother with a snarl. Take by surprise, her mother buckled and fell to the floor.

"You fucking whore!" Laki shrieked as she pulled the knife from beside her mother and rammed it into her mother's abdomen. Laki's mother let out a blood curdling scream, but that didn't stop Laki. She stabbed, and stabbed, until her mother lied before her disemboweled. Laki stared down at her handiwork without any sympathy in her eyes.

Looking over at the fireplace, all Laki saw left of her brother's necklace was a pile of ash. Sighing, Laki stood up and tossed the knife down. She would have to clean herself up, and then run. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was no longer able to stay.

Fairy Tail Library, Present

"I'm not sure who it is, to be honest. He looks just like me, uses the same kind of magic I do, and knows me. It's either my father or my brother, but they're both supposed to be dead." Her relative closed his notebook suddenly, and without saying a word stuffed it into one of the bookshelves before he slowly trotted out of the library.

"Warren," Kinana whispered. "Warren, you there?" They waited a few moments in silence, and after a minute or two the man in question crackled into their heads.

"Alright, we're getting ready on our end. You guys know what to do." The transmission ended. The girls all looked to the red crystal that hovered over their cage, which disrupted their magic and kept them breaking out of the cage. Kinana's arms glowed purple with energy. She began to pant, mustering the power to conjure up the corrosive poison. She had never been able to keep the venom flowing through her for this long, but everyone was counting on her, so it was necessary. She clutched the bars, which began to steam. The fibrous wood slowly burnt and faded under her grip, surrendering to the harsh acidity of Kinana's venom. It wasn't a huge opening, but it was big enough for them to get through.

Kinana was the first to slide out of the cage. She was weak and exhausted, but she managed to raise a hand towards the red crystal. A ball of venom soared from her palm and slammed into the gem, chewing through the hard surface quickly. It sparked and fell to the ground, shattering into millions of grains of red. Kinana collapsed with a smile on her face.

"Great work," Bisca said to her in congratulatory voice. Some of the women approached her and picked her up, while Laki and Bisca strode towards the exit of the library. Bisca requipped to her shotgun, while Laki readied herself for when they opened the doors.

The doors swung open, slamming against the stone walls at the side of the hall. But nobody was waiting for them. Bisca looked at Laki nervously and then back out at the hall.

"I guess we better get going." The group took off down the dimly lit hall, churning through the snow. They had to find the man who controlled the snow and distract him.

"Trying to run away?" From a doorway beside them, the wood began to twist and contort as a huge figure pushed his way through. "I figured as much," he sighed as he cracked his knuckles. "But please don't forget that I beat you all last time."

"Everyone, run! I can handle him!" laki shouted. The man chuckled lowly, and surprisingly, took a step to the side.

"If that's what she wants, then you can all go. No tricks, no gimmicks. I just want to fight Laki." Bisca looked into Laki's eyes, and as the purple haired girl nodded Bisca signalled for the rest of the party to move on. They rushed past the two quickly, but before crossing into the next room Bisca hung back. She didn't want to leave Laki.

"Who are you really?" Laki asked as she struck a fighting stance. The man reached for his helmet and pulled it off, casting it to the ground. It wasn't the first time she'd seen his face, but it was the first time she'd seen into his eyes. And that's when she realized who it was.

"Wood-make wave!" A large running path of sharp wood ran towards Fraki, but he stood his ground. It parted before him and ran off beside him, not moving.

"Is that all?" He asked. Laki roared and swung her arms in an X shape. A large coffin of wood encased Fraki. But it had no effect. The wood liquified and fell to his feet.

"You always did favor the iron maiden, sister. I'll never understand why. Wood-make, hammer!" An enormous block of grey wood spiralled towards Laki. She quickly raised a wall of her own wood but it was splintered as the grey block pierced it, impacting Laki in the torso. She cried out and rolled backwards through the snow.

"We were transporting ironwood that day," Fraki stated as he began to approach his sister slowly. "I found it fitting that my wood make manifested as ironwood." She looked up at her brother with disdain and fury in her eyes.

"What have you become! Where'd all that 'eye for an eye' shit go!" Fraki frowned as he loomed over his prone sister.

"In time, you'll understand." He extended his hand to her. "Get up. You can join us." Laki slapped his hand away and slowly stood herself up.

"Like hell I'll join a bunch of savages! This guild is family! I won't let you harm any of us!" Fraki bared his teeth and growled.

"I made a promise to father that I would protect you! This fucking guild can't!" Laki chuckled and readied to continue fighting.

"You are not my brother!" Fraki scowled.

"Whether you accept me or not, I am going to fulfill my promise to our father!" Bisca bit her lip. She knew it wasn't her right to barge in on a family matter, but Laki certainly had the disadvantage against Fraki. None of her attacks could work in the slightest.

"Wood-make, cleaver!" Fraki let out an enormous grey blade that swept towards Laki. She rolled to her side to dodge it but she found herself lying in a puddle of liquid wood. Fraki smirked as it began to wrap itself around her.

"Bastard!" She shouted. Fraki began to tighten his fist, and the wood creeping around Laki tightened as well. She let out a cry of pain, which caused Fraki to hesitate momentarily.

A gunshot sounded. A bullet cracked into Fraki's back, but was stopped by his armor. Bisca smiled as the HE round burst, surrounding Fraki in the plume of an explosion.

"Are you okay?!" bisca called to Laki, who was now free of the wooden bonds.

"Yeah, I'm glad you stayed," Laki murmured graciously as he got to her feet. "Fairy Tail wizards are stronger when we stick together."

"When you disturb a proud and tall ironwood tree, you disturb the snow that rests atop it as well," a voice said from the smoke. An enormous cloud of snow flew out of the smoke and slammed into the two women, flinging them across the hall.

"What the hell…" Bisca muttered, winded, as she slid to her rear against the wall that she'd hit.

"I've mastered several magics during my time in the pack, my newest is snow shield," Fraki boasted. "Of course it's only a defensive magic, but I'm sure you two know how painful iy can be."

Laki looked at her brother with fear, something she had never pictured herself doing in a thousand years. How would they be able to defeat him?

"There are men in the guildhall, and women in the guild hall, all of whom are Fairy Tail," Torvald complained as he strode past a frozen Ragnar. He had detected the commotion later than he would have liked to, so the men from fairy Tail had breached their preliminary defenses and entered the guild hall. It was a shame, but no matter, it was still a manageable situation. He hobbled across the main hall, heading towards one of the side passages. Søren was fighting a crowd of the weaker women, and it's for that that the men owed their ability to enter the hall in the first place.

Torvald sighed. It was his duty to protect Søren, and even though he loved the boy it didn't make it any less a chore. Time was frozen once again. It was strenuous for Torvald to use these words several times in a day, but what needed to be done needed to be done.

"So you're the one…" Came a voice from behind Torvald. Torvald cracked a wild grin and turned around to face her.

"Ultear Milkovich, I've heard of you. You and your friend Azuma interest me greatly." Ultear stood before him and frowned, not knowing how this strange man had known about her, or her former guild mate. "You two use arc magic, do you not? A lost art that is. The magic of the first men, arc magic is." Torvald breathed and leaned on his staff. "Tree Arc, and Time Arc, I do believe. Wonderful magic, those are. I can perform both, of course, but only a pale reflection of what you're capable of…"

Ultear crossed her arms and glared at the old geezer. "How do you know about Arc magic?"

"My dear, that's what I wanted to ask you… Arc magic was one of the first variants of the one magic for arc magic was the magic that the nomadic first men learned. It was taught to them by nature itself, and refined to be used in conjunction with the world around us. So let me ask you, who taught you that magic?" Ultear wasn't sure how this man knew so much, but she didn't feel in the mood to answer his question. "Oh dear, you seem to be angry. Perhaps you dislike my mistreatment of time? Ah well, you're merely a projection so it isn't as if you can do anything about it…"

"But I can unfreeze someone to fight in my stead," UItear parried. Torvald cackled and glanced around.

"My Word Arc magic may not be as powerful as any of the specific arcs, but I can use my Drain word to weaken any wizard and their magical power. I don't think this guild hall has any Arc users, so you're out of luck!" Ultear smirked and snapped her fingers. Behind him, Torvald could hear snow crunching lightly underneath quiet steps. He turned around, and found himself looking at a short girl with purple hair.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked. She looked up and her eyes glazed over with a black coating. Torvald's smile dropped as purple venom coated her hands. "Ouroboros…"

"What the hell?" Søren looked up with dismay. Torvald's time magic had stopped, but he had no idea why. Had someone defeated him?

"Alzack, Macao, Wakaba! You guys go ahead, we'll deal with this guy!" Jet ordered. He turned his focus to the women who were previously distracting Søren and signalled for them to get out of the guild hall. Søren stood before them, gnashing his teeth angrily and visibly shaking.

"You fucking bastards!" A large storm of snow and ice blades erupted in a maelstrom around Søren, flying across the room and shattering against the walls. Max erected a wave of sand that held back the brunt of the attack, but for the most part it had little effect.

Droy tossed some seeds into the snow, but nothing happened. He tried again but it was like his magic had stopped working.

"Ha! You can't grow weak plants like that in my snow! Only the strongest ironwood trees can stand tall in the glacial north!" Søren bellowed from his position amidst the storm.

"Shit, what're we gonna do?" Jet asked. Max grunted in annoyance, not seeing much hope in their current situation.

"I don't know," Max responded. "Where the hell is Natsu when you need him?"

Leman was drunk again. It was a dangerous time, but that didn't dissuade Leman from indulging in worldly pleasures. Speaking of pleasures… Leman glanced around at the women he'd beaten at his feet. He could fuck any of them he wanted, but he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with Fraki. The Fairy Tail harlots had tried to escape, so he taught them a lesson. Glancing at the cage of whores, Leman set his eyes on the one that Søren had taken an interest it.

He smiled and approached her slowly, watching as her eyes filled with fear. He liked knowing that he had that kind of effect on people, it gave a high that no herbs or booze ever could. He kicked down several of the ice bars and gripped her arm once again.

"Hey, you got some nice meat bags, bitch. Maybe I'll use those…" Lia grimaced and turned her head as Leman's alcohol tainted breath wafted into her face. Leman shoved her to the ground. He fumbled with his belt, but he hadn't even unclasped it when the doors behind him slammed open.

"Hey you, get away from that girl!" Leman looked over his shoulder and blinked to see if he was seeing correctly. A man with a cigarette and another with a silver S.

"Ah, more Fairy Tail wizards! Hopefully you guys give me a better fight than the last bitches!" Macao and Wakaba took a few frightful steps back as Leman began to grow in size.

"Taste the fury of the wild north! Take-Over! Feral Soul!" Leman's hands grew and sprouted massive claws. His back hunched over and his neck widened. His teeth grew out and became razor sharp, and muscles rippled along his form, doubling their previous size.

"I take it neither of you have ever fought a bear?" Leman asked, before he charged.

The train had stopped just outside of Magnolia at an emergency station. Natsu sprinted across the snow in the direction of his guild. He was still a bit motion sick from the actual ride, but he had no time for that. He had to get back to save his friends. He refused to lose anymore of the people he cared about. From the walls of the city, Ragnar stood tall and gazed out across the snowy plains. He saw the flaming figure making moving at an incredible pace and smiled.

"Yes, Dragneel. I've been expecting you…"