Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been busy with school and I've had writer's block for a while. I was also working on side projects/requests I got so I had to set aside some time for that as well. This chapter will most likely be difficult for me to write because I'm on the verge of being sick.
Anyways, let's get on with the chapter.
…
"No."
His heart slammed in his chest as he shut the door, pressing his body against the door as if the mages outside were trying to force their way into the house. Lloyd and Valeria looked worried as Willoughby blockaded the door with his body, his eyes glancing over at Armanis as he came down the stairs half dressed in black shorts and a grey t-shirt with a faded logo on it. As soon as Wiloughby immediately shouted at Armanis as he came down the stairs, the leader of the rogue mages confused about what was going on.
"We have to leave now! Change clothes if you have to, but leave everything behind!" shouted Willoughby as Valeria and Lloyd nodded, quickly running through the house, leaving Armanis in the hallway, confused.
Armanis didn't even know that Valeria had returned home. He stood there in the hallway, stunned. Willoughby's face was one of fear, determination, and anger as he glared back at Armanis. He had never seen Willoughby so worked up like this. Armanis had to find out what was going on. Willoughby was standing in his way, but the rogue leader was determined to find out what was causing Willoughby so much grief.
"Who's there? Open the door, Willoughby. I want to see who's at the door." said Armanis firmly as he took a step forward.
"Shut up and get back, damn it!" shouted Willoughby, his face red with anger, the emotion completely taking over his body.
Armanis took a step back, genuinely frightened by Willoughby's sudden outburst of emotion. Armanis shook his head slowly and ran to get dressed, leaving Willoughby behind at the door.
"Open the door immediately!"
Things had sped up. Willoughby couldn't think straight as he stood at the door, his chest heaving for no apparent reason, sweat pouring from his body. But he couldn't help it! They were at the door. They wanted to take away everything he had. They were the enemy. Willoughby muttered to himself, any passerby thinking he had lost his mind. But the voice from the other side suddenly brought him out of his thoughts. Willoughby looked up and adjusted his glasses, a slight smile coming to his face as he opened his mouth to speak.
"According to the law," he said, smiling to himself as Valeria passed him, dressed in new clothes. "I do not have to open the door for anybody unless on official kingdom business or an officer of the law. You see, I have done nothing and I do not intend on-."
There was a sound from the other side of the door, a soft sound like the voice of a child and Willoughby was thrown back, the front door exploding into pieces, debris flying everywhere as the rogue mage skid across the hallway into the dining room. The Fairy Tail mages stepped into the house, immediately fanning out to search the building, Wendy standing in the middle of the hallway, her face serious as Willoughby coughed and tried to stand, Valeria helping him up.
"You were wrong. We are officers. We are officers of the Fairy Law," she said as Willoughby stood up, brushing himself off.
Willoughby trembled as he looked at the destroyed front door, looking at all the cracks in the wood and debris on the ground. He pushed Valeria to the side and started walking towards Wendy, the rogue mage looking directly at her, tears falling from his face as he stood right in front of her.
"W-Why are all of you the same? Even in the long years you were gone, you still haven't changed!" wailed Willoughby, falling to his knees and sobbing.
Valeria and Armanis were standing near the back door when Willoughby suddenly started to sob, all the mages standing near him shocked. Willoughby had never shown any emotion besides indifference, so when they witnessed Willoughby actually crying, they were incredibly worried. Wendy seemed to be frozen in place as well, the cold look on her face instantly dying away, reaching her hand out to Willoughby.
"I will not allow you to hurt him any longer!"
The booming voice was recognizable by only the rogue mages and Wendy withdrew her hand just in time before the hallway's wall suddenly exploded, Willoughby being shoved back by a strong hand as the dust quickly settled, the muscular form of Lloyd taking up most of the hallway. He held a shield in his left hand that was a metallic gold color, many deep scratches in the metal. Lloyd glared at Wendy from behind his shield, only the top of half of his face visible.
"You won't be able to hurt my friends any longer. King's Field: Blockade!" he shouted as several swords shot up from the ground and walls, completely blocking the hallway.
Willoughby didn't say anything as Lloyd hoisted the rogue mage up onto his shoulder before Armanis opened the back door.
"Run!"
…
Their escape into Magnolia's countryside had been uneventful as nobody was patrolling the countryside. While they attempted to leave Magnolia the group discussed their plans for after they escaped. Willoughby had fallen asleep by then and the decision was made to once again live on the road. During the entire run the group couldn't stop thinking about Willoughby. They were worried about him. The group was closing in on the city's exit when suddenly a sword hit the ground in front of them. The group immediately split up, Lloyd looking in the direction the sword came from.
"You won't get farther than this."
Everyone stiffened when they saw the Titania walking towards them, clad in her famous Heaven's Wheel Armor, two swords in her hands as faced them. Valeria pointed her spear at her and Armanis drew his sword and the two were about to attack when Lloyd stepped forward, holding his hand out towards Armanis.
"I'll take her. I don't have any patience for this anymore," he said seriously as he took Armanis's sword in his right hand, his shield in the other.
Willoughby was passed to Armanis who placed the body on his right shoulder, moving back to give Lloyd space. Valeria grit her teeth as she guarded Armanis, her entire body alert. Everybody knew the risks. The Titania was not one to be fooled with. Lloyd seemed to sense their fears and he smiled as he raised his shield, pointing his sword at Erza.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hold back at all," he said as he charged forward, roaring ferociously.
"Blumenblatt!" shouted Erza as hundreds of swords appeared around her, every single one of them flying towards Lloyd as he charged, wearing no armor besides his breastplate and his shield.
The hail of swords struck with incredible force, but Lloyd charged on, the shield acquiring a few scratches. The Pride Slayer smiled as Erza charged forward to meet him in direct combat, her swords slamming against his shield.
"This is the shield that withstood a thousand lions!" he shouted as he raised his sword to attack Erza. "This is the sword that slew a thousand lions*!"
He slammed it against one of Erza's swords, both blades shattering as they clashed against each other. As metal shards flew everywhere, Lloyd acted quickly. He knew surprise and quick movements would be the things to win the battle. He wasn't strong enough to challenge Titania in brute strength. He smashed the shield in her and as she was thrown back, he grabbed her other sword, slashing her with it as she fell, using his greatest strength to send her smashing into the ground**.
The attack didn't do enough damage, Lloyd turning to run with the rest of the group as Erza struggled to get up, only disoriented by Lloyd's attacks. Wendy had no doubt alerted the rest of the guild, but she didn't know if they would figure out that they had managed to slow her down. They were fast and they disappeared from Erza's sight in just a few minutes. She narrowed her eyes as they disappeared. Whoever they were, there was more to them than just killing and plundering. Perhaps she and the rest of Fairy Tail had underestimated them.
Somewhere far from Magnolia
It was pure luck they had managed to escape. Lloyd's distraction of Erza allowed them to actually make it out of the city because Fairy Tail's concentration on the many houses in the city and because they had been distracted by the happenings in the large wooden house they thought had been abandoned. They had from the city of Magnolia and they didn't look back until they reached an abandoned quarry, the group stopping to rest there.
Armanis sat on a block of stone, thinking. Willoughby had woken up and was sitting on a broken log, Lloyd and Valeria leaned against the rocky walls of the quarry, Armanis observing the group. Morale looked low, especially to Valeria and Willoughby. Armanis sighed as he straightened his back. He had been traveling with his friends for a very long time, but he had just realized that he knew very little about them and what drove them. He glanced at Willoughby and he stood up, clearing his throat.
"Well, I think everybody here knows what we need to do," he said as everyone looked at him.
Nobody said anything. Willoughby looked up at Armanis, he appeared to be completely awake, a first for him. He adjusted his glasses and seemed very calm as Armanis looked around the group. Valeria's face grew red as Armanis looked at her. He glanced at Lloyd who gave him a nod.
"I'm sorry for being such a nuisance," Valeria blurted out suddenly, everyone looking at her. "I shouldn't have run off like that. You guys were worried sick and I didn't know what I was thinking."
Willoughby frowned as Armanis and Lloyd gave him a questioning look. He stood up and shook his head, Valeria looking at him in surprise. While Valeria had been missing, Willoughby had told Armanis and Lloyd inconsistencies in Valeria's behavior. Willoughby looked her in the eyes.
"That wasn't your fault. That night I sensed something different about you. It was a feeling that I occasionally felt from all of us, including myself. However, that night it was more obvious. I never felt it more strongly than I did that night. Whatever you did, it wasn't you doing it." said Willoughby seriously, everything getting quiet as he did so.
"I refuse to believe that you endangered the group by acting rashly that night. It just isn't you, Val." said Lloyd firmly as she hugged him, Armanis nodding his head and clearing his throat.
"Anyways, we need to get stronger. We ran from an enemy." He glanced at Willoughby. "That can't happen again, ever."
"What do you suggest we do? We're pretty much wanted criminals. Nobody will ever hire us." said Willoughby as everybody nodded their heads.
Armanis smiled. Willoughby had brought up a valid point, but Armanis had been thinking about this idea for a very long time. It was to make their connection as a team official.
"I say we form an official mercenary group, a guild if you want to call it that, and take down any enemy who comes our way. We'll strive for danger. We'll risk our lives every day. Isn't that the adventure we wanted?" asked Armanis as Willoughby immediately stood up.
"Count me in," said the rogue mage with the glasses. "I don't fancy dying, but I'd rather die trying to get stronger and having an adventure than be taken as a criminal."
Valeria and Lloyd joined in soon after that and it was official. They were now The Rogue Crew.
Fairy Tail
Everybody seemed to be down in the guild. As everyone gathered in the main hall, you could feel the depression. Rumor had it that the attacker of the guild had escaped and those who had been responsible for the death of Hiro was traveling with them. The Grand Magic Games were the last things on their minds as Makarov took the stage, observing the members of his guild, a big smile on his face.
"Alright, you brats, listen up! I know we've hit a new low recently, but that won't stop us from becoming the number one guild in Fiore again!" he shouted, people murmuring as he continued.
"I know that all of you are restless because of what recently happened, but we're going to have to shift a majority of the resources we have towards something else." said Makarov as a cry of protest came from the group of mages.
The most vocal was Atlas, the slowing mage who had lost his partner, Hiro, to the rogue mages. Also angry were Ichiro and Shizen who had been attacked just a few days before. Makarov waited for the cries to die down before continuing. It broke his heart to have to shift away from catching those responsible, but this had to be done first.
"We will participate in the Grand Magic Games in order to win our title back! I'll be creating a special group to hunt down those responsible for the attacks on the guild with Atlas in charge of it." said Makarov, everyone nodding in agreement and voicing their approval.
"We won't let our guild fade away and we certainly won't let them think we're soft! We're Fairy Tail! Now go out there and let's get them!"
Near Crocus
The winds made the air at the top of the mountains frigid, but Zeref didn't mind. He liked the look of the city of Crocus and the huge stadium before him. In just a few months the stadium would be packed with people who would no doubt cheer for their favorite, Saber Tooth, to win once again. However, Zeref was looking forward to something else. He looked to his left to see his companion, Acnologia, observing the scene before him, growling softly.
"She's quiet resilient, isn't she?" asked Acnologia, obviously amused.
"…Yes. It's astounding how good she really is. I didn't know somebody like you could approve of a human's actions." said Zeref snidely as Acnologia growled.
"Do not forget you were the one who changed me. Still, I am impressed by her."
Zeref looked up at the sky and thought for a quick second before crossing his arms, looking at the very tip of the golden palace of Crocus. He would have smiled, but he decided against it.
"You may be impressed, but I am not. Perhaps your years as a dragon have made you forget how we humans really are."
Acnologia let out a snort and then a deep rumbling that Zeref knew was a laugh. He gave Acnologia an annoyed glance as the dragon king spoke responded to him.
"If you think you are a human, you are sorely mistaken. Someone of your strength has risen above those of men and dragons, for you are a god among dragons." rumbled Acnologia as Zeref shrugged at his words.
Perhaps there had been a day where he would have loved to hear such a title given to him, but now he was not so sure that was what he wanted. He hated to admit it, but he wasn't truly awake. Still, he knew one thing for sure: the Dragon King Festival would take place soon and when it did, the entire world would tremble as he walked the earth as a god among dragons whether he wanted to or not.
Three months passed since Makarov delivered his speech. The Rogue Crew worked furiously as they went on adventure after adventure, taking down monsters, sparring each other, and even hunting for treasure. Their strength grew rapidly and so did their bonds. Meanwhile, Fairy Tail trained, but in a different way. They managed to awaken the Second Origin, allowing them to attain a new level of magic. However, they did not know that the tournament they were about to participate in would be a collision of misfortune and adventure.
…
They stood outside of the stadium, watching as everybody went inside, excited to see who would be the strongest guild. Once the last person had entered the stadium did they walk towards the entrance. It had been a hard three months of countless battles and life threatening situations. However, it was worth it. They were stronger than they could have ever hoped to be and a new level of confidence had been found.
They were halfway into the stadium when Lloyd suddenly stopped to glance over at Armanis. They had all acquired new outfits, but Lloyd sensed something truly different from Armanis.
"What are you so afraid of?" he asked as Armanis glanced at him and smiled.
"I'm not afraid. I'm excited," he said confidently as the group continued, entering the stadium together.
But in truth, he was afraid.
…
Quite a chapter here and I did not expect it to rely so much on the main characters. We did get to see Zeref and Acnologia again, but not many OCs. I apologize again for that. I'll be using OCs more often in the next chapter. I was originally going to have Hisui make another appearance but I'm saving that for later.
References: *This might confuse people because how it came out. Armanis's sword isn't special in any way. It's a generic sword he bought at a shop. Lloyd is just invoking one of his attacks, Sword of the Lion
**You have to understand that Lloyd is trying his hardest right now. You also have to take into account that Erza hasn't really fought anybody in a very long time. Also, she doesn't know much about The Rogue Crew at all. They're not infamous enough to be known so she sort of underestimated them. It wasn't much of a victory for Lloyd though because Erza was far from being taken out of the battle. All they could do was distract her long enough to get a far enough head start on her.
I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please drop a review! Thanks and I will see you all later. FF
