NS: Alrighty, now we gotta jump forward for a bit. If you wanna know what happened between last chapter and this one, read the latter half of Nakama United, Chapter 20 through 22.
UO: For a time frame this is two days after Chapter 22
"Speech"
Text
Thoughts and Flashbacks
Inner to outer
Dopant/Rider/Super form
Skill/Technique/Magic
Chapter 4: Rolling Around the Capital
August 21st X784, about 12PM
Friedrich leaned his head against the train window, idly watching the countryside roll past. Not even three hours back and I'm already on the way out again…
Flashback
"So let me get this straight," Makarov began, addressing the gathered group. Other than sheer exhaustion, they looked fine. Friedrich hovered in the back, unsure of what he should do. "You not only found that Captain Skyler was not only supplying these drugs, but was also building these ships that could outclass anything our military and our magic can produce."
"Correct," Drew answered, nodding, "The drugs destroy people's lives, while the ships are technology that's at least two centuries ahead of anything here. Yuzan must have a lot of money and materials to create them."
Makarov hummed. "Something like this should be brought to the attention to the King. But considering that you just recently went through such an ordeal, I believe its best to wait until you're back to 100%."
"I'll do it," said Friedrich, raising his hand, "I didn't really spend too much stamina and I don't sleep much anyway. I can relay the information."
Looking around the office, he could see that decision was a sound one to everyone in the room. Makarov nodded. "Very well. As it happens, Team Shadow Gear has a quest in Crocus. You can accompany them. The rest of you, take the next day or so to recover. You earned it. Dismissed."
The team quickly dispersed from the room. Drew grabbed Friedrich's shoulder. "If I were you, I'd get one of the other Riders to go with you. Call it added security."
Friedrich hummed in acknowledgement as he scanned the guild hall. One thing he noticed was the lack of the Aura Team. "Yo, where're Ash and his…lot?"
Cana stopped her drinking long enough to answer. "Max and Brock took a mission out of town. Ash is with Anabel and May training, and Misty and Dawn haven't come in yet."
Friedrich sighed. That meant most of the Riders were unavailable. Then he snapped his fingers as he remembered one more person. "Oi, Gajeel! You up for a mission?"
The iron dragon slayer looked around as the man called his name, and grinned. "Unlike Salamander, I didn't get a chance to show my stuff. I'm more than ready."
"What was that?" growled Natsu, only for Drew to grab him.
"No, you've already done enough. Use today and tomorrow to get back on your feet," He ordered. He glanced to the side at Lucy and Erza. "Or perhaps spend some time with your ladies."
Natsu grumbled, but one look at his partners and his face brightened as they beckoned him over. Taking their hands, he rushed out, with Lucy screaming at him to slow down and Erza giggling like mad.
Gajeel tsked. "Those three act so lovey dovey, it makes me want to vomit."
Friedrich snorted. "Now watch as you do the exact same thing when you find someone."
FHG
Present
"Friedrich?" Levy's voice cut through his musings.
He turned away from the window, blinking. "Yeah? What's up?"
"Just wondering if you were hungry, we're still a couple of hours from Crocus."
Friedrich hummed. "Depends on what you got."
Levy took a seat across from him. "You know, before Drew and his friends came to us, we never heard of different worlds. I always thought Fiore was big. But the way you speak, we wouldn't be the largest country on your…old homeworld.
Friedrich nodded. "Correct. 17 Million is about the number of people in our country's largest urban area. And that's spread out among three different states."
"Was what Drew said true?" She asked.
"I dunno, what'd he say?"
"That you've been to the moon? That you have technology that can find things in an instant? That you can cure diseases?"
"Ah, right," he said, nodding slowly, "Yes to…most of that. Though I come from a time that's a decade ahead of his. Technology only got better, especially on the communication front. We've got ways to talk to people in real-time on the other side of the world. I remember when a friend of my mom's talked to her mother in Israel, when we were still in the US. That's our country, of course."
Levy's eyes shone in excitement. "Your country sounds so cool."
Friedrich grunted. "We have our moments, some good, mostly bad. Just remember, not everything is black and white." He glanced over her shoulder, causing the bookworm to follow his gaze to the dragon slayer seated a little way down the car. "Sometimes all you need is the right person to bring it out."
Levy's face turned slightly red at his teasing smirk and turned back around. "Um…what are you going to do in the capital?"
Friedrich reach into his jacket and pulled out a file folder. "Makarov wants this delivered to the king. It's stuff from our previous mission. I dunno if I'm supposed to keep quiet on the details or not…how big are you guys on confidentiality with your missions?"
"Most of our missions are normally translation stuff, with some combat mixed in," Jet spoke up, "Levy here's a genius at translating runes. So if you got something to tell us we can keep a secret."
Friedrich shrugged. "Alright then, take a look at these." He handed the files to Levy, who put on her wind reading glasses. Instantly the papers flipped by, all of them turning over in only a few seconds. "Oh yeah, I forgot those were a thing…damn, I really want a pair of those. They hard to come by?"
Levy didn't answer as she scanned the files. Her eyes went from to curious to surprise to horror as she read the detailed notes and pictures. When she finished, she slowly took her glasses off. "What the heck…is all of this?"
"Those were weapons and illicit substances found in our world," answered the man simply, taking the file back, "As it stands, the ones from that area are completely out of commission, but I don't think anyone who was there believes that was all of it."
"What do you mean?" Droy asked.
"I mean, Captain Skyler was a distributor, which means that someone had the means to give it to him in the place. In addition, if they had a navy, there are definitely ground forces and possibly air forces. We need to warn the military and probably the monarchy directly."
The three mages nodded in agreement at the addition to their mission. Two hours later, the train pulled into the station, freeing the team of five. Standing aside to let a gagging Gajeel stumble off the train, Friedrich gazed out over the city in curiosity. It was large for a medieval town, with many stone and wooden buildings grouped close together. Seems like a fire hazard, he thought. Standing out in the middle of town of was a large brown stone castle that reached several stories tall.
"That's Mercurious, the home of the Fiore Royal Family. It is one of the tallest structures in Fiore," Levy explained. "Though I doubt it compares to some of the buildings your world has built."
Friedrich scratched his cheek unconcernedly. "Well, different places are gonna have different standards, so comparing them isn't that important. Anyway, is our job there?"
"No, we're going to see the Rune Knights. They found something in a recent expedition that needs translation." She explained as she led the group a more upscale part of town.
As they walked, Friedrich scanned the townspeople they passed. While there was the normal smiling faces among the populace, there was an underlying nervousness and tension, and everyone was sticking close to each other.
"You notice it too?" asked Gajeel.
"Yeah, something's got the populace spooked," replied Friedrich, frowning, "Reminds me of Acalypha Town before I liberated it."
"What'd you do there?"
"Some guild got a hold of three of the Gaia memories and basically ruled the town. I liberated it and that guild of those. I think they're hiding something."
They eventually reached the Rune Knights barracks. It was a smaller castle settled near the upper class district. Huh, realized Friedrich, Kinda looks like Central from FMA.
Levy walked up to one of the white armored guards. "My name is Levy Mcgarden of Fairy Tail. I was requested for a mission along with my mission," she explained, handing one a note. One of them motioned them to stay put while the other went to get their leader. Moments later, the guard returned with a new person, a slim man with his black hair pulled back in a small ponytail. He was dressed in a light blue robe with a matching cape.
His serious demeanor softened at seeing Levy. "Ah, Ms. Mcgarden, how are you doing today?"
"Captain Lahar! I didn't expect you to come meet us!" exclaimed Levy. She waved her arms behind her. "You know my team, Jet and Droy. Also with me are Gajeel Redfox and Friedrich Holmgardt. Guys, this is Captain Lahar of the Rune Knights Custody Enforcement Unit
"So you're a cop?" asked Friedrich.
Lahar cleared his throat. "Policing does fall under our purview but we're more about capturing dangerous mages. Come with me I'll show you to the scrolls we want you to translate."
The group of five quickly followed the captain into the barracks. As they walked, they all noticed that the knights regarded the group with some trepidation. Eyes narrowing, Friedrich sped up to walk alongside their guide. "Alright, what's going on? Everyone here is on edge, like the civilians in town."
Lahar closed his eyes in resignation. "I must admit, you came in at a bad time. You see, the last two weeks or so, some of our officers were attacked and left in a coma."
"A coma?" Gajeel asked. "You guys are supposed to be the toughest people outside our guilds. What could knock someone out like this?"
"I honestly don't know," Lahar admitted. "We have some suspicions. Rumors are suggesting this is the work of those mysterious Dopants."
Friedrich hummed. "If there're no other possible explanation, that seems pretty likely. If it's been happening to your men one by one, then it's probably not an illness. Speaking of which, I've got a file for you to take a look at."
Lahar glanced around the hall. "Not here, we can talk in the library." The group picked up their pace and headed towards said library.
An hour of explaining everything to the captain, Lahar was holding his head in shock. "This…goes beyond small scale attacks.. This feels like an invasion!"
"It is. However there is no way this was all of it. My guess is they got a base somewhere else and we can't find it yet." Friedrich theorised.
"If this is true, then the king must be informed," Lahar concluded. "Do you have reason to believe someone got a hold of these…Gaea Memories and are targeting the Knights?"
"Yeah. Someone must have a grudge to go after you stuffies," grumbled Gajeel, only to be smacked by Levy's handbag.
"Gajeel knock it off!"
Lahar paid him no mind. "Look, I only paid for your guild to do some translations, but, we don't have a time frame for when they need to be done. I'll give you permission to look for whatever is causing these incidents. Just stay out of trouble. Heaven knows more than one person wants your guild disbanded."
"You make that sound like we're only known for blowing stuff up, gihi," chuckled Gajeel.
"Your reputation precedes you, unfortunately. Anyway, take as long as you need to. Feel free to talk with some people about the expedition that found these." Lahar ordered before leaving briskly.
"So what do we do now?" Droy asked.
"We investigate, starting with infirmary. If they are all officers then we might be dealing with a serial criminal," Friedrich told him. "Gajeel come with me."
The dragon slayer grunted and followed the traveller. "What do you think we'll find?"
"If we're gonna figure out how to stop this, we need to look at the victims. That's how these things normally start."
"And that means the infirmary. I can smell it from here," Gajeel told him, leading him down a hallway. They found a door with a green cross with guards posted in front of it.
As they approached, the guards crossed their weapons over the door, barring their path. "Halt! State your business!"
"We're here to examine the latest victims of the recent attacks and to try and figure out their source."
The guards glanced at each other for a moment, brows furrowed, before addressing them. "You may enter, but surrender all weapons beforehand."
Shrugging, Friedrich pulled out his knife and handed it over, while Gajeel reluctantly surrendered Redemption and Condemnation. One of the guards nodded and pushed open the infirmary doors.
The room was quiet with the nurse trying to make the injured comfortable. Three women and two men were laid up in bed, completely motionless, their eyes wide open and staring.
"Well…they're definitely not just sleeping," Gajeel observed uneasily.
One of the nurses noticed them and frowned. "All of them were found like this. From the look of them, it seems like they got caught in a scuffle, but no one else was noticed nearby."
Friedrich approached the bed closest to them. Scanning the mage's body, he noticed something dark imprinted on his forehead. Peering closer, he realized that the man had been tattooed with a square of ones and zeroes. A quick check confirmed that each victim carried the same mark, albeit with different numbers. "What are these all about?" asked Friedrich.
"These?" the head nurse pointed at the tattoos. "They all have them. Someone wanted them to suffer. But why attack them like like this?"
It wasn't anything physical, Friedrich realized. Whatever was attacking them was stealing something in their minds. But what could they be? "I see. Do they have anything particular magics that would make them dangerous?"
The nurse waved her arm to the man on the bed. "Jason here could manipulate matter and cause explosions, Cherami's skill with a rapier is well-known even in here. Colleen could stretch her body into various shapes, Victor could transform into birds and Brittany specialized in healing magic."
(A free cookie for those who can figure who I'm referencing)
Friedrich hummed. "Right. I guess that would make some sense. Those are some pretty abilities if used right. I'm guessing that they did, if they were prominent figures in the Rune Knights?"
The nurse nodded. "They were all ranked officers, though not terribly high up."
"Mmhm…that tells me that whoever targeted them would've been an equally low-ranked combatant," he muttered, mostly to himself, "Otherwise they would've been more confident in taking on someone stronger. Well, at least it's a starting point; thank you." Nodding appreciatively, he turned and walked out of the room, Gajeel following behind him after retrieving their weapons.
"So, anything else stand out?" Gajeel asked.
"Some. The zeroes and ones tell me that whatever attacked these knights had to do with data. Information. Just spit-balling here, but given the state those guys ended up in, it could be that their knowledge was downloaded out of them."
"Down…what?"
"Right, wrong time period. On our world, we have these things that can store massive amounts of information. In book terms, it's printing a book into a new, blank one and taking it for yourself. Well, not exactly like that, but close enough. In this case, whoever took that data most likely has access to their skills." Friedrich paused. "Well, that guess is a bit shaky, but we might as well be prepared for that to be the case."
"And the comas?"
"The feedback probably was too much for their minds and they knocked themselves out to prevent their minds from snapping. That, or there's so little information left that all they have is basic involuntary muscle memory to stay alive." The man took a deep breath, his expression darkening. "If it's the latter, then someone's in for a world of hurt."
The two mages reached the library to see it a complete mess. Books and papers were strewn about and Levy looked ready to snap. Evidently, the book worm had spent a lot of time fruitlessly scanning the books. "This stupid scroll makes no sense!"
"What's wrong?" asked Friedrich.
"These stupid words!" she slapped the table, careful not to touch the parchment stretched out in front of her. "They look like they were written with a mirror! Everything is backwards!"
Friedrich raised an eyebrow and walked over to peer at the scroll, only to deadpan. "Well no wonder you're having trouble; you're not reading it correctly."
Levy blinked "Huh?"
"Yeah, I know this language. Not the meanings, but I know how to read it. You don't read it left to right, you read right to left."
"Right to left?" Gajeel asked confused, "What kind of writing does that?
"First off, plenty. Second, the language is Hebrew, the language of Israel and my religion, Judaism. This is the language our texts are written in. Can you write these down?" He asked Levy.
He cleared his throat and pointed at the first word. "Okay… "In the time before our time, Seven Angels descended on the Land of Fiore. Blessed with Divine energy, they sought to teach those with similar gifts to protect their land in their stead. When the time came to pass on their mantles, they declared only those who passed a test of worthiness shall unlock untold power. The Seven Angels created Seven temples, one for each Warrior. The-" Friedrich broke off, eyes widening. "The Tundra Wolf sits atop the Mountains of the Snowy Sun. The Soaring Eagle nests in the Forest of the Ruby Trees. The Fisherman's Ship shall be found in the Forgotten Ocean. The Two-Faced Swan lies on an Island Beyond the Horizon. The Dove of Renewal sleeps in the Jungles of Protective Beasts. The Starry Princess sleeps under the Oasis of Seven Waterfalls. The Dragon Prince awaits in the Earthen Mines."
Levy finished writing it and sat back in her chair. "What does all of this mean?"
"It's talking about Natsu's group. Look, Tundra Wolf, Soaring Eagle, Starry Princess, Dragon Prince…those are all their epithets. The Seven Angels might be their previous wielders."
"What about me?" Gajeel grumbled.
"You're there, as the fisherman. I think. It could be something similar, but my knowledge of Hebrew ain't the best. Only one I don't get is the Dove of Renewal. Might be a clue to whoever the last Rider is. Even then, we probably won't get it until they're revealed."
"And these temples?" Jet asked.
"Beats me. Maybe Drew and the others will know," said Friedrich, scratching his cheek with a shrug, "The way they're described sounds like a clue to their location. I mean, Snowy Sun? Oasis of Waterfalls? Sounds like the usual cryptic riddles that make total sense once you figure 'em out. But, y'know, I'm no good with this world's geography."
"Right…so, did you find anything about the attacks?" Levy asked changing the conversation.
"Just that the victims all had strange tattoos. Something or someone wanted their knowledge through any means."
"Considering that the Rune Knight captains are some of the strongest mages in Fiore's employ, their magic must be really strong," Levy deduced. "They would be perfect targets for anyone wanting to steal knowledge"
"So how would we know who else would be targeted?" Droy asked.
"Every military should have a record of who's in their ranks. Their names, their families and in this case their magic," Friedrich explained, "So we need access to the archives or their records."
As if sensing their thoughts, Lahar reappeared with a, "How are you all doing?"
Levy's face brightened. "It's going well, we believe we've found a new language and it's possible that's why the scrolls couldn't be read correctly. Friedrich here helped translate this one."
"Incredible!" Lahar exclaimed astonished, "A lost language that no has even heard of before? This is amazing! Do you mind if I make a copy of these when your done?"
Friedrich glanced at the scroll in Levy's hands. "I…don't think so, not all of 'em, at least. But we might have a lead on the other thing you want us to investigate."
"You do?" asked Lahar, suspicion showing on his face at the inquiry.
"Yeah. There are gonna be more attacks if we don't stop this. We need to figure out a list of potential victims, which means we need a list of what the attacker wants."
Lahar hummed. "Its normally against policy to allow someone that close to these records for obvious reasons. But if they are using them to target our men, then we need to know who else is at risk. Come with me. Leave the scrolls, they aren't going anywhere."
The group of five followed the captain out of the library and down to the end of the hall. Opening the door, they heard someone run into the door. Looking at the person on the ground, they saw red headed man in a plain gray military outfit. He had been knocked down and lay sprawled on the floor, a large welt on his forehead as he groaned.
Levy gasped. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?"
The man rubbed his head and glanced up to see the script mage hovering over him. He blushed slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm f-fine."
Lahar sighed. "This is Squire Sora Mickelson. He recently came on as a recruit, one of our brightest mentally. Sadly he's not up to taking outside missions yet.
Even as he spoke, Sora scrambled to his feet, saluting hurriedly. "Captain Lahar, sir! I didn't expect you here! Is there something going on?"
Lahar waved his hands to the team of five. "These fine mages are investigating the recent attacks on our Squad captains. They'll need access to our records to figure where the culprit might strike next."
"Anything to help, sir. Whoever this is needs to be brought down!"
Lahar nodded and glanced at the mages. "Take your time and please don't destroy anything. There are records going back hundreds of years." The captain left the group to their advices.
Sora looked nervously at his new companions, bobbing his head. "Um…hi there, I'm Sora. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm Levy, this is Jet, Droy, Gajeel and Friedrich." The boys all grunted or waved to him.
"So, what are you trying to find here?" Sora asked.
"We need to keep this investigation under wraps, bookworm," Gajeel grunted.
Levy smacked him across the back of the head with a small scowl, before smiling at the man and explaining, "We're looking for people that might be targeted for their magics. So, we need to search all the captains and squads."
Sora nodded eagerly. "Right, let me show you to the relevant files!" He quickly dashed over a bookshelf and pulled over a ladder.
"Do you have this place memorized?" Friedrich asked intrigued.
"Kind of. I've been here two months," Sora said climbing the ladder. "It helps that I have Mind magic, really helps with the filing."
"Oh yeah?" asked Friedrich, grabbing one of the scrolls Sora handed down. "What made you want to join the Knights?"
Sora paused in grabbing a book. "I…want to raise money for the orphanage I grew up in. Even if I don't make it to a squad, I want to feel useful to the military. I mean my Mind magic isn't so useful in a Guild right?"
"Maybe you just need the right one." Levy offered helpfully. "I'll admit, my magic Solid Script isn't the most glamorous, but in a pinch it's helped our team a lot."
Sora smiled weakly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ms. Levy."
"So what can your Mind Magic do?" Friedrich asked
"I can scan things and memorize what they are. It gives me almost perfect recall," Sora explained proudly. "Not so good at fighting, but numbers and paperwork? I'm your man!"
"Photographic memory." Friedrich hummed appreciatively. "It's definitely a useful magic for your line of work. But even your thinking is one dimensional. You could use it to develop your repertoire further than most mages."
"Really?" Sora asked excited.
"Friedrich here got all of us to expand how we use our magic," Gajeel explained. "He thinks you can expand it to incorporate other things to your nerd power."
Sora looked away. "As much as I want to, there are so many more powerful mages. Not to mention people with more money."
"You do realize talk like that can make you a prime suspect as well, right?" Friedrich pointed out.
"What!?" everyone gasped.
"The captains are in their position due to skill and more than a few jewels passed around. You being a low ranked soldier, plus access to the archives puts you in a spot many will exploit to see this come to an end."
"You think I attacked them? No way!" Sora denied, waving his hands desperately, "I was still here on at least two of the nights. And despite what some of the other Captains think of me, Cherami and Victor are my friends. I would never attack them!
Friedrich sighed as the young man flailed about animatedly and dropped a book. "Yeah yeah, I know you're not him. Otherwise, you would have tried something right now. Plus I don't see the device that creates these monsters."
"You…know what creates these things?"
"They're called Dopants. We've fought several before; if we're gonna stop the next attack, we need to know who the target is. We should narrow it down to people with particularly potent magic and those with promotions in their sights or recently got one.
"Why those three?" Droy asked.
"Cause whoever is attacking these people might have a vendetta against them," he replied, shrugging, "It's the only lead we've got for now."
For the next few hours, all of them pored over the books, looking for anything that would attract a Dopant. Most were dismissed for having too low magic to be worth anything, not in the age bracket or were rank and file workers.
Levy sighed and cracked her neck. "I didn't think our military was that large."
"Our military is much more complex and larger. You would not believe the work that would go into firing a tank round," Friedrich grunted, "So, we have our four potential victims." He said holding up four pieces of paper.
"Matthew Joestar," Levy read the first name, "Squad Lieutenant, fast track to captain. Potential to be a Colonel…Comes from the Joestar family… Manifests spirits from tarot cards to aid him in fighting."
"It wouldn't be him," Friedrich replied. "It's a family thing, which means that there's no way he could've gotten a Gaea Memory, as they only started showing up recently."
"Right. Also, he's never picked on the lower ranks, something he drills into his squad," added Sora.
"Next is…Piccolo Sabat. Martial artist, use Ki based magic." Gajeel pointed at the paper.
Friedrich blinked, opened his mouth, paused, and closed it again. I'm starting to think someone's fucking with me.
"Possible, but he might sense the attacks. Also he's still in the enlisted ranks with a promotion exam scheduled soon," Sora pointed out.
"Then we have…Armin Grelle. Tactical genius. He's only been here a few months, but he's been talked about getting an officer commission," noted Jet, glancing down at the page in front of him.
"Last is…Stephanie Clyne. A healer, specializes in shield magic. She's been promoted twice in the last three years."
"So who would be the target?" Droy asked.
Friedrich hummed. Of the four potential targets, three were mages. Looking over the list again, he made a decision on who to protect.
"It's Stephanie. Her shield magic would add defense to their repertoire. None of the others have defensive magic."
Before they could continue, they heard panicked screams. They rushed out of the room and down the hall to where the sounds were coming from. They eventually found a training ground with multiple knights sprawled out unconscious and covered in cuts and group looked up to see a blonde man in a brown jacket wielding two swords desperately fighting the intruder. The creature a lanky green monster with a large, round, dark blue and green crystal for a head, inside of which gleamed a multitude of eyes. Its body was a dark purple, with glowing knobs across its chest and red stripes lining its torso.
"HAHAHAH!" cackled the Dopant in a mechanical voice, "You think you can lead anyone? You can't even beat me, Globemaster!"
Levy gasped. "It's the Dopant! We need to help them!"
"Way ahead of you, shrimp!" Gajeel told her, slipping on his rings as he ran.
RAISE ANCHOR!
"Henshin!" he shouted, flipping his belt face plate and thrusting his grey ring over it.
ARGO! SETTING SAIL!
Now clad in his pirate armor he pulled out Condemnation and fired a shot. The bolt briefly staggered the dopant and caused him tumble back.
"What the…YOU!" the Dopant snarled pointing at Argo marching across the field, Friedrich in tow.
"Yeah, me!" Argo answered. "You're looking at your worst nightmare, punk!"
"A Kamen Rider!" Globemaster growled. He glared down at Armin who was holding his stomach. "I'll deal with you later!" Turning his head towards Argo. He growled. "You're a little far from Magnolia, Rider.
"Yeah, well we go where we're needed," Argo grunted.
Lahar. who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, gazed at the black clad Rider. So that's a Kamen Rider. The Magic Council have it out for them for some reason. He narrowed his eyes at Levy and her group. Its strange though, they only show up where Fairy Tail is involved.
Before Globemaster could continue, Friedrich whipped a long nail out of the inside of his coat and hurled it at the Dopant. It vanished with a crack and the monster yowled with shock and pain, reeling back as the spike smashed through the front of his round head.
"You think you can take me?!" Friedrich boasted.
"So what if you can hurt me. The knowledge that comes from all you Rune Knights shall be my saving grace! Here's a little something from that rubber girl." His right arm extended out of his elbow much to everyone's surprise. He snapped it behind his shoulder and flung it forward. "Jet Bazooka!"
The arm snapped towards Argo at a rapid pace. He cross his arms and grunted as the fist pushed him back. "That the best you got? Have some of this!" He raised Redemption, sending a powerful current through it. "Iron Dragon's Lightning Cutlass!" He fired off a powerful electrical wave at the Dopant. To their shock, the Dopant took the hit, the lightning dancing across his flesh harmlessly.
"HehehHAHA!" Globemaster laughed. "Your magic is no match for mine. I have taken the knowledge of all my victims and made them my own. That Rubber magic is pretty handy against a Lightning- OOOF!" His tirade was cut off by a metal pole rammed into his stomach.
"How about some blunt force?" Argo growled.
"That's…not gonna work fully," Friedrich grumbled, as the pole was bounced back from the elastic dopant.
"Blunt force won't work on rubber, you fool!" taunted Globemaster, bending and stretching his body bizarrely.
"It's not like rubber doesn't have downsides!" said Friedrich, deadpanning, "Levy, cool him off!"
"Right!" called the bluenette "Solid Script: Ice!" Raising her pen, she drew the word in the air, turning into an icy blue. Then she flung her arm at the ground, the word blurring and flattening even as it whitened. Frost spread out from the word, shooting across the floor and coating the ground under Globemaster's feet. Caught off guard, the robotic Dopant slipped on the ice before toppling onto his back and, unable to stop his forward momentum, crashing into several boxes. "Well that's one way shrimp," Argo joked, getting her to pout. Before anyone could react, the boxes exploded.
"Grr…Persistent I'll give you that. But with the magic I've acquired, I will be unstoppable!"
Friedrich deadpanned. "Seriously? You're like a three on my threat radar. You've gotta be the most inefficient power copier I've ever met, and I'd know! I'd let Argo here handle it alone, but I want your Gaea Memory intact."
"You're not getting mine!" snapped the Dopant. "I bought these fair and square!"
"…These?" The man's eyes narrowed. "You got more than one Gaea Memory in there?" Slowly, Friedrich grinned widely, making everyone around him back away, and cracked his knuckles. "Oh, buddy. Now I gotta get a look at 'em!"
Globemaster sweated at the hungry look in his eye. "NO! I only got one Memory! All the magics were taken from the Rune Knights!
"Pity," Friedrich sighed, "You really ought to learn the difference between one powerset and another. For instance, this is magic. Command V."
He vanished from the Dopant's sight, only for a foot to suddenly smash down on his back, slamming his round head into the floor again. "Now…tell me where on your body you inserted the Memory."
Instead of answering, feathered, raven wings burst from Globemaster's back. "Never!" As he flapped his wings, the wake was powerful enough to knock Friedrich back.
Even as he stumbled back, the monster shot up into the air and streaked out the door. Before he could use his speed magic to run after it, the doors slammed shut from the slipstream. "Damn it, I was so close to getting another one!"
Lahar approached the two carefully. "So, you're the mysterious Kamen Riders. I must say, I never expected someone like Levy or yourself to be associated with them."
"Yeah well, there's more to this than meets the eye," Friedrich told him, "We need to talk to Armin. Can you get us a private room and tell as few people as possible what we're doing?"
Lahar nodded and walked over to the fallen Knight and helped him up. "Sergeant Grelle, are you okay?"
"Yeah, but damn it, he ruined my exam!" Armin grumbled. Friedrich frowned and tilted his head, filing those words away for later.
"Your wellbeing is more important than your exam. The fact that you stood up to something even captains have a hard time fighting will be a credit to your promotion. Come, we'll discuss what happened in another room.
Armin nodded and headed towards the infirmary, the Fairy Tail mages in tow. When they got to the room, Lahar turned to the mages. "I presume you know something about these…Dopants?"
Friedrich nodded and pulled out the files from the Skyler mission. "Yeah, we've had more than a few run-ins with 'em. Not only that, but they're involved in some pretty bad shit."
Lahar looked at him skeptically and took the files. A few minutes of scanning the notes later, he clenched his fists, teeth gritting as his anger simmered. "Captain Skyler was a decorated officer, but for him to fall so far as to deal with these types of weapons…abhorrent. And these narcotics would have ruined Fiore within weeks. The King must be told: this is a national crisis. Rest assured, if you can solve this issue now, I will be your ally against the Magic Council if they ever turn against Fairy Tail. Now, I believe the only weapons that can consistently destroy these things are…Kamen Riders?"
"Correct, something that only a few of us can become," Levy explained, "Most of them weren't available, Gajeel here was the only one ready to travel. However, I think Friedrich and him are enough to take this one down."
"Considering the weak energy the guy was giving off, I share your confidence," Friedrich told her. "But I'm more concerned with saving the Memory, which means I should be doing some of the damage.
"But we can't stop this, until we know who we're dealing with," Gajeel pointed out.
"Indeed," Lahar concurred. He turned to Armin, who had been bandaged up. "Can you tell us about what happened?"
Armin looked down at his bandaged arms. "I was sparring with one of the trainers, it was one of the final parts of the exam to determine if I was going to be promoted."
"A trainer?" asked Friedrich, "Who?"
"Colonel Ackerman. Nice man but a bit gruff. He's trained most of us in the advanced course."
"It wouldn't be him," Lahar explained. "Other than the fact he was on a mission for the first four attacks, he was the one who struck first against Globemaster."
The man nodded. "Alright, that rules him out."
Sora raised his hand. "Um, I might have an idea." Everyone turned to him and he blushed. "It might seem silly now, but Victor and Cherami were gushing about a promotion exam two days before they got attacked. Now that I think about it Jason just got promoted as well."
"Once is random, twice is a coincidence, three is a pattern," realized Friedrich. He glanced at Lahar. "What about the other two?
"They all got promoted because of their skills and recent tests," the Knight gasped, "That means we are looking for someone passed over or mad at their success."
"So, how do we narrow it down?" asked Droy.
"Lahar, what's the class structure like?" inquired Levy, "And the promotions, how do they work?"
Lahar hummed. "There is typically a three year program for officers, where the Knights are trained in different roles or just general studies. Depending on how they do in their classes and the needs, they can be added to the ranks. The five victims plus Armin were part of the advanced class, most of whom are already in line for Captains and Majors."
"What about the enlisted men?" Friedrich asked.
"They are afforded the same opportunity to become officers but they must test into the school or get a recommendation from a senior officer. Most enlisted don't rise higher than Sergeant."
"That narrows it down. Probably someone who was overlooked," postulated Levy, "The question is how do we draw them out."
Friedrich hummed, his eyes fixing on nothing as he though. "What indeed?"
Armin raised his arm. "I have something. My attack occured because I got selected for a promotion. Everyone in the barracks knew I had it today. Maybe if another promotion were to occur, we could draw the perp out."
"There is one issue though, the next person eligible for a promotion won't be ready for at least two months without a field promotion.
"But the person doesn't have to know that." Gajeel pointed out. "We just need the bait."
Everyone slowly turned to Sora, who felt everyone's gazes and started to sweat. "W-Why is everyone l-looking at me like that?"
Next Day
Sora gulped as he stood on the training field, waiting for his tester. "A-Are you sure this will work?"
"If there is one thing I know about the barracks, is that nothing gets their interest like gossip," Armin told him. "It will get to the person we need."
"B-but why me? I've got nothing to contribute to him."
"But our foe doesn't know that," Friedrich pointed out. "Whoever is stealing this is only interested in promotions. Which means he's jipped about something."
Sora nodded and held up his sword shakily. A few moments later, Gajeel, who was sitting behind a crate of of spears heard footsteps coming from the building. "We got incoming."
"Any idea who?" Levy asked.
Lahar watched the only entrance to the courtyard. Out of the doors came a lanky blond-haired man in a grey knight's uniform. "Hikaru Frandring."
"Hm?" Friedrich grunted.
"Hikaru Frandring. He is the son of a local Count. However, he's never been promoted."
"Does he deserve it?" Levy asked.
"No, at least when it comes to missions. He was due for a hearing into his promotion soon," Lahar revealed, "But his conduct wasn't the best. Back Talking superiors, harassing some of the recruits, that sort of thing."
Hikaru approached the trembling record keeper with a cocky smirk. "Sora Mickelson, what a surprise. I didn't think a homeless cur like you would be officer material."
"W-what can I say? I think I impressed some important people."
Hikaru frowned. "But that's the thing. Why would lowlifes like Cherami and Jason get promoted? They've never done anything in life to get their promotion."
"That's not true. They've done so much for the Rune Knights," Sora defended.
"Not that, you dumb orphan! Their families!" Hikaru snapped, "Their families are not important in the grand scheme of things. They're all commoners! They contribute nothing."
"Are you serious!? demanded Sora, suddenly snapping straight up, his stutter gone, "They do all the hard work! And those that enlist willingly put themselves in danger to protect everyone, from the orphans to you pompous idiots."
Hikaru chuckled sinisterly. "You see, that's where you're wrong. Only the rich should succeed where the common folk fail. With the amount of money our family has, I could have been a captain."
"If that's the outlook on life you have, it's a wonder you got in at all," Friedrich spoke up, stepping away from his cover, "You folks are the first line of defense for your King, and you're focusing on status? Get the actual fuck out of here with that bullshit!"
Hikaru noticed Gajeel walking towards him from behind a door where he was scouting the courtyard and scowled at the guild stamp. "You're from Fairy Tail? Of all the guilds, they sent the most destructive guild here?!" He scoffed in disgust. "Bah! Not a single one has a family name worth licking my boots."
"Just because we're orphans doesn't mean we don't have family you bastard!" growled Levy. "We don't abandon each other! We don't care about where we came from, we're Nakama! Something you clearly don't get!"
Hikaru scoffed. "Nakama? Just a gathering of rats too weak to go where they want out of fear."
"Even a group of rats can bring down countries," retorted Friedrich, "Just because they're beneath your eyes doesn't mean you can underestimate them. Everyone in Fairy Tail could bring you down, you sanctimonious sack of shit."
His flatly delivered, yet vicious insult made the arrogant knight practically convulse, face twisting with fury. "You dare think a lowly guild is better than me?" Hikaru roared, his body twitching madly.
"Dare?" asked Friedrich, his blue and green eyes flashing dangerously, "You wanna talk about dares? How dare you go around spouting off about money being more important than skill? How dare you insult every single person you work with and not even look one iota ashamed of it? It takes quite a bit to make me wanna hurt someone, but congratulations." He took a deep breath, looking disgusted. "I now officially hate your goddamn guts."
Hikaru growled, his hand and eyes twitching like mad. "You can hate my guts, but we know who has the power here!" He plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out a dark green, familiar USB.
Friedrich shook his head. "I knew it. Only someone as scummy as that would turn on his comrade."
Sora gasped. "Hikaru what are you doing?"
The nobleman grinned manically. "This little thing cost so much, But it was worth it. By eliminating my competition and taking their powers, I can take my rightful position as leader of the Rune Knights! Then I'll destroy all the mage guilds, starting with Fairy Tail!
"You're…the dopant? How could you!" cried Sora desperately
Lahar growled at the revelation. Up until now, he didn't have a probable cause to arrest him. Now that he had it, he could take action. "I've heard enough," he announced, making everyone start in surprise at being reminded of his presence. He stepped forward and pointed at his soon-to-be ex-subordinate. "Private Hikaru Frandring, you are under arrest for assaulting seven members of the Rune Knights and consorting with known conspirators against the crown! Surrender yourself and we may go lenient on you!"
Hikaru's temper reached a boiling part. "You think you can stop me!? Think again!" He grabbed the memory and pressed the button.
GLOBE
He raised it to the side of his head, where a Living connector appeared, and jammed it into the black tattoo. The energy coursing through his body broke his it into multiple cubes. They broke apart, shifting from humanoid to mechanical before reforming completely into the dopant."With the powers taken from my former Knights brethren, I will destroy you all!"
Friedrich grinned, while Gajeel pulled out his Rider Ring. "Make sure that memory stays intact, I want it."
"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel waved him off, "Just let me get my licks in."
RAISE ANCHOR!
"Henshin!"
ARGO! SETTING SAIL!
As the black magic circle descended on the dragon slayer, Globemaster clanked his hands eagerly. "Such power! When I destroy you, I will gleefully use that to take over Fiore!
"Over my dead body you punk!" Argo yelled loading up a dagger into Condemnation. Iron Dragon's Lightning Cannon!", He charged up his lightning magic and pulled the trigger. The hammer came down and fired it at a high rate of speed. It struck the Dopant's shoulder getting him to gasp in pain.
"Damn it! Let's see you try to get me in the air!" He shouted. Two black wings sprouted from his shoulder and flew higher. Argo growled and pointed his gun at the roof, before firing its hook the edge of the roof. He pulled himself up onto the roof and fired of another shot. Globemaster laughed as he dodged the shot.
"Hehehahah! Such pathetic power won't stop me!" He dodged another shot before stretching his arm towards the Rider on the roof. The pirate barely dodged out of the way. The Dopant looked at the ground and grinned. "You left your friends wide open!"
GLOBE! MAXIMUM DRIVE!
The Dopant's head suddenly sank deep into his torso with a disturbing crunch, and then expanded, leaving him as a giant sphere with legs. He dropped to the ground and revved up, creating a wild ball, before barreling towards the mages.
"Watch out!" yelled Friedrich, yanking Lahar out of the way. Jet and Droy dashed away, Jet using his speed to pull Droy after him. Levy tried to run, but her feet slipped on the dirt and she fell with a thud, her he She could do nothing but watch in horror as the dopant barreled towards her and covered her head with her arms.
CLANG!
Levy heard a loud impact and then a grunt, making her peek through her arms. She gasped to see Argo had somehow teleported in front of her and stopped the rolling Dopant dead in his tracks, the ground beneath him torn up from the spin.
"Gajeel!" she cried out.
The Rider grunted, bracing the sphere with his shoulders. "You alright, shrimp?"
"You dummy, I should be asking that!" Levy scolded.
"Gihi, this Rider armor's strong, it was able to take that Lightning Dragon's attack. This is nothing!"
"Gah! Damn You!" Globemaster roared, mad having his momentum being cut off like that. Argo grinned behind his helmet before heaving the Dopant up and throwing it away, making him yelp as he crashed and rolled uncontrollably. This allowed Levy to scramble away, while Globemaster.
She reached where Friedrich was as he glanced at his knife. "Can we do something to help Gajeel?"
"Well, let's think," he grunted, pulling out his weapon and idly twirling it between his fingers. "What do we need to do to keep him from rolling around. After that, we gotta see how skilled he actually is with all those magics he stole. From there, I SHOULD be able to make something to counter it."
"He's been able to fly with those wings and stretch out his arms. But it looks like using his wings takes a lot of effort," Levy observed.
"Alright, so he's not great at flight and he'd only use that to make a getaway. But, since he's been exposed, he's cornered. He's not gonna stop until we're all silenced, before we can tell anyone else."
Around his left kidney, the Parasite stirred. …Tattletale.
He blinked, looking down at his side. "…Really? Alright."
"Huh?" Levy asked confused.
"Nothing. Just…got something good." Friedrich refocused on the Dopant. "Alright…how's much is he really packing…?"
Levy watched as Friedrich gazed at the Dopant. He charged back across the field at Argo, waving his spindly mechanical arms wildly and rolling. Being spherical, he was able to use all four limbs to attack, stretching and lashing out with them erratically, making them swivel and slide all over his rounded body. The Dragon slayer grinned as he focused his magic around his body, his armor subtly expanding and shining.
*CLANG!*
The arms struck Argo's sides, getting a distinctive clang from the impact. Frustrated, Globemaster reared his arms back and attempted to punch Argo again. "Good luck getting through my dragon scales. It can take the heat of a furnace!
"Intriguing! It seems there is more to your magic than meets the eye. I will enjoy taking that from you!" Globemaster screamed reaching to grab his head.
"Over my dead body!" Argo snapped knocking him to the side and firing off another shot.
He's stolen and learned five different types of magic, Friedrich mused. But he's not using all of them, only relying on Elastic magic. Judging by his earlier attitude, he believes all he needs is strong magic. Strong magic needs a strong will. Different magics need many different mental viewpoints. Does he know that? Possibly. Absorbed knowledge. Magic requires ethernano. He must know that. Gaea Memories give enhanced Ethernano reserves? Unlikely; they were not created in this world and wouldn't take magic into account. Fact: Gaea Memories distort a person's mind and cause them to act irrationally. His eyes narrowed. Make him angry and exhaust himself. Likely sore about how he can't use the other magics. Obsessed with being superior. Remind him that he's not.
Taking a deep breath, he let the power fade away and opened his eyes. "Heh. So it comes down to that old plan?"
"What old plan?" Levy asked.
"Hikaru may have stolen the magics, but he has no skill in using them," Friedrich explained, grinning, "With his superiority complex combined with the Gaea Memories distorting his emotions, the plan is simple: make him angry by bringing up his lack of skill and he's gonna make mistakes."
"Any ideas?"
"Yeah, just watch." Friedrich told her. He pointed his knife at the dopant and called out, "Hey! Ball-boy!"
The Dopant's eyes swiveled about under the glassy surface of his spherical head to fix on him. "You'd better not be talking to me, wretch. Not with that tone."
Friedrich scoffed. "Oh, and what're you gonna do if I am? Show off all the magics you stole? Oh wait! You can't even use them all. You don't have the mental fortitude to use them. I guess your family's money can't buy experience."
"My family…!" snarled the monster, "A peasant like you…doesn't have the right to mention them!"
"Get bent," he grunted back, "If your family is the kind to condone the shit you've said, then they're lower than the mud at the bottom of a well. You said that no amount of skill can make up for being born into the wrong family? Well, too bad you've got neither of them, you demented, self-righteous sack of shit!"
"How dare you speak like that to me!? I bet you won't be so cocky when you're as dumb as a carrot!"
"Better than an amoeba like you, fuckwit!"
"Oh that is it! I was saving this for Sora! But now I'm gonna steal everything you know!" His claws glowed and he leaped at Friedrich.
"LOOK OUT!" Levy screamed. But it was too late, the claws clamped down hard on the traveller's head. The traveller took the hit with grunt, but stood his ground, glaring back from between Globemaster's fingers.
"Now, let's see what you've got!" cackled the dopant, his eyes glowing madly. His arms shifted to grip the sides of Friedrich's skull and lifted him into the air. A spot between his eyes began to glow, before a beam of light shot out, striking the man in the forehead.
Friedrich cried out in pain as what felt like thorny roots burrowed into his mind, digging deeper and deeper. Memory after memory flashed to the forefront, the agony spiking as it then became 'frozen,'
"Heheheheh…I'm gonna take my time~" The dopant chuckled. Without even looking, a large, broad shield swung out of nowhere, several shots bouncing ineffectively off it. "You'll get your turn, Rider."
Lung roared in fury at him-
He leaped up into the air, bouncing from wall to wall as blades sprange from-
A confident smirk, that goatee, the self-assurance-
A fifty foot wall of water-
Ideas for a replacement heart, which could keep blood flowing at a constant pace without pumping.
The thorns slowed slightly. "What…?"
Missiles after missiles. A jetpack that utilized hypersonic soundwaves and electromagnetic forces. Guns. Guns. Guns. Guns.
"What are these-?"
Armor that dwelt inside his body. It was alive. Constantly growing, constantly being improved. A Portal to punch through dimensions and find other worlds.
"What is this?!" yelled Globemaster, growing angry, "I can't understand any of it!"
Friedrich groaned in pain, feeling like his head was being slowly impaled on a rusty spike. Nevertheless, he tried to focus on the Dopant's face. "You…an' me…both…!" he gasped.
"No, no…these wonders! I must know more! Give me your secrets! Give them to me!"
A ball of darkness with five red eyes. So many! I see! I see!
He smirked, with a great deal of strain. "What, you think you're the first person to copy magic? As if! You're nothing but a second-rate hack if you can't even use the things you steal! I've been at this business for ten years! You're way too early to even think of copying my-!"
The roots bored deeper and deeper, all the way to the very core of his mind.
A pair of green eyes glared back.
"Get out."
With a scream of terror, Globemaster released him and rolled away, spinning and flailing wildly. Friedrich collapsed to his knees, gasping, seeing stars and clutching his splitting head. "Fuck…! Hurts!"
The dopant however looked to be on the verge of a panic attack. "WHAT…WHAT ARE YOU!?"
Friedrich's slowly staggered to his feet, breathing raggedly as his vision cleared, still holding his skull. "I…am Friedrich Holmgardt! That's the only thing you can get from me!"
Before Globemaster could even comment, Argo was on him, pummeling him into ground. The Rider was having a blast knocking the Dopant round, using his Iron Club spell to smash him into the wall and sending him careening all over the field helplessly. The monster wailed and flailed his rubbery limbs, but now they were ineffective, missing terribly. Then he stabbed the dopant with his knives creating multiple gashes in the glass orb before pulling on his pistol to charge up his finisher.
"Hold it, Argo," grunted the older man.
The Rider paused and glanced at Friedrich. Globemaster's head was cracked, his chest was bursting with electricity. The Dopant's eyes started leaking hydraulic fluid. "Oh thank y-you! You saved me from this-GAH!"
Friedrich stamped on him, pinning him to the ground "I didn't stop him to save you. I stopped him for your Gaea Memory," he grumbled. He held up his hand and twisted the ring upon it with a click. A red, flame-like aura sprung up around it. "This will hurt," he announced flatly. Then he plunged his fingertips into the glassy orb, cracking the surface and punching through circuitry, eliciting a screech of agony. He rooted around inside for a moment, until his fingers closed around the now-familiar shape of a USB, then wrenched it out. Looking at it, he nodded in satisfaction at the dark green color and the G emblazoned on it. However, he did not click the button to transform the Dopant back, stepping off and backing away.
"Alright, you can finish him now," he said idly, tucking the Memory into a pocket.
Argo laughed, pulling out his finale ring held it over his Hand Author. "Well, thank you kindly!"
VOLLEY! AT THE READY! READY! AIM!
Argo charged up his gun, creating a large ball of Electricity. "To Davy Jones's Locker with you!" he announced.
FIRE!
"LIGHTING PURGE CANNON!"
He pulled the trigger, sending his magic and Guardian power into the gun, focusing it into a single point. As more power was poured into the focal point, a sphere of energy expanded in front of the muzzle.
"NOOOOOO!" howled Globemaster as the lighting bolt raced closer to his panicking face. The bolt impacted between his eyes and blasted a hole through his head. The opening sparked once, twice, then showered with light. The wound expanded before it glowed and the monster's body exploded into flames.
"Heh, the seas are mine!" Argo boasted twirling his flintlock and holstering it.
"We're not on the seas," grumbled Friedrich, massaging his temples.
Lahar walked over to the explosion site and sighed. "Such a waste of talent." He muttered placing the handcuffs on the unconscious Hikaru. He turned to the others. "Thank you. But how do we get the magics he stole back?"
Friedrich grinned and tapped his head. "Don't worry about that. I got it all taken care of."
Back in the infirmary
Victor groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "What...What happened?" The memories of his previous attack made him shoot up. "Where is that bastard!?"
"Calm down, Victor," Lahar told him gently. "The person who did this has been defeated and been brought to justice.
"What about our magic?" asked Victor impatiently.
"I don't think you need to worry about that," Lahar explained motioning around the room. All the other victims had been brought back to the waking world and looked none the worse for wear.
"I didn't think Mr. Friedrich could help, but you look like you weren't hurt at all!" Sora exclaimed from the other side of the bed.
Victor glanced at him and smirked. "You helped us, kiddo?"
"You and Cherami are my friends," Sora spoke gently. "I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't do it alone."
Victor smiled and rubbed the archivists head. "You did good, kid. The Knights could use more like ya."
Sora beamed, before heading over to Cherami. Lahar shook his head and left the infirmary. Out in the hall, Lahar pulled reached into his pocket, pulling out a large sack of money. "Here we are, the payment for not only doing your official mission, but also compensation for your contribution in taking down the Dopant menace. On behalf of Fiore and the Rune Knights, I thank you for your service and wish you the best on your future quests."
Levy took the bag and bowed. "Thank you, Lahar. We'll be in touch." The rest of the team bowed or waved then headed out to the train station.
"Gihi, not bad for a book mission," Gajeel laughed. "You alright shrimp?"
Levy pouted. "Gajeel…" her pout softened. "Thank you." She turned to Friedrich, "Both of you."
Friedrich waved her off. "No problem. You helped me more than you know. I got to copy every bit of magic that that scumbag stole, plus I got ahold of a new Memory."
"By the way…" Jet began. "What caused him to go nuts at the end?"
"Yeah, he looked like he saw a ghost," Droy chimed in, "We thought you were done for, but something scared the crap outta him."
The man's blue and green eyes narrowed. "Ah…something like that did happen, didn't it? My memory's not so great after he got too deep into my mind…"
He struggled to remember, but all that came to mind was agony as what felt like roots pierced had pierced his memories. For a moment, it felt like something was there, on the tip of his tongue…
"...Yeah I got nothin'," he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Sorry."
Levy smiled gently. "We'll figure it out."
Friedrich hummed. "Maybe. Still, if it's something that could scare a maniacal Dopant, I'm not so sure it's something worth remembering."
Team Shadow Gear looked at each other nervously as they continued towards the station. As they walked, Friedrich happened to catch Levy and Gajeel walking a little bit closer together. He shook his head and smiled, satisfied that another mission was successful. But something still bugged the traveller. What did scare the dopant so much? As far as he knew, nothing in his memories should have proved so terrifying…
FHG
NS: Hm...in the end, a really lackluster fight, but honestly I couldn't think of much else.
UO: Considering we're using this as a set up for other things it's to be expected. Anyway don't count on this being updated for a while, we need more story progress in Nakama. Speaking of, REVIEW BOTH OF THESE YA JERKS! Anyway next time would be after Oracion at maximum.
NS: As always, if you have any questions or comment
