Geoffrey's Legacy
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).
"I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." - Margaret Thatcher
Chapter 10.
(Crocus, Kingdom of Fiore - Two hours after the incident at the Magnolia Town subdivision)
After seemingly walking around like a recently beheaded chicken with no sense of direction, Huiqing, noting that her forehead was rather warm and her face had a faint layer of perspiration covering it, focused her attention on the imposing building which loomed ahead of her: the Phantom Lord subdivision building in Crocus, one of the first to be established after Jose Porla attained the status of Guild Master. It was designed to have an appearance that took and combined multiple elements from Fiore's Royal Palace and Phantom Lord's Headquarters Building. By all rights, it should've looked absolutely terrible, but Jose was able to make it work. Heck, Jose could probably wear the silliest baby or toddler outfit and make it work for him.
The subdivision in Crocus was one of the most important Phantom Lord extensions. Firstly, it served as a boot camp and training ground for Rune Knights, with the Rune Knights requiring a minimum of 13 months before basic training was passed and providing those new recruits with the physical and emotional experiences that came with fighting a magical individual who fought with the intent to severely injure or kill, and secondly, it served as another line of defense for Fiore's Royal Family in the event that the kingdom was divided by a potentially destructive civil war or invaded by an external force. If the subdivision were to ever go down, the annual production of Rune Knights would fall by approximately 35%.
Yes, there were boots camps which produced sizeable numbers of Rune Knights all over the Kingdom of Fiore, and some even being stationed in the neighboring countries, but the subdivision in Crocus produced the most out of all of them. The Rune Knights produced by the Crocus subdivision were also the most fearless, disciplined and powerful - the ones produced anywhere else didn't even come close. The master of the subdivision was a perfect example - he was a potential candidate for the title of Wizard Saint and despite having already been a Rune Knight prior to Jose becoming Phantom Lord's Guild Master, he decided to train himself in the subdivision, becoming considerably powerful, especially for a Rune Knight who were usually useless pushovers who couldn't even put up a decent fight against mere A-Class Mages, and a good friend of Jose in the process.
In regards to the earlier events of the day, Huiqing didn't feel bad about conceding defeat to Laxus, despite the fact that she was well within her rights to fight back and take him down with extreme prejudice. Becoming a S-Class Mage meant you had to anticipate the aftermath of the battles you partook in, usually to ensure that your opponent wouldn't succumb to possibly fatal injuries, and know which battles were and weren't worth fighting. She could've fought Laxus in the subdivision, but the building and much of the surrounding area would've been heavily damaged, and there could've been many casualties resulting from missed attacks. Also, it probably would've been shut down if it wasn't worth repairing and multiple other factors could've resulted in the fight ending with a pyrrhic victory.
The eighteen year old didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, even to those who had wronged and greatly belittled her, but she hoped that Laxus was punished in some shape or form for his reckless actions which could, depending on how Master Jose reacted to the news of the attack, cause a guild war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. The loss of his S-Class status would probably be damaging enough. The grandson of Makarov Dreyar was, even at his age, was an extremely prideful person and his ego wouldn't be able to take the shame of having his status stripped away from him. Not only that, but thanks to who Laxus was, it would be gossip all over Fiore within a week and eventually, spread to across the world. Although Huiqing had met Makarov and she expected, from her impression of him, to give Laxus a light 'slap on the wrist'. As strict as the old man was, Laxus was his pride and he had spoiled him way too much when he was younger.
She was brought out of her thoughts as a couple of Rune Knights, presumably off duty since they weren't decked out in the usual armour, dashed past her in some sort of competitive race to get somewhere before the other did. With her attention now on the things around her, Huiqing's heart skipped a beat as her nose as assaulted by a variety of flowery scents, many of which she'd smelled before: jasmine, lily of the valley, sweet alyssum, and scented primrose. There was a reason why Crocus was known as Flower Blooming Capital, and why it was one of the biggest tourist attractions in Fiore, behind Hargeon Town, Zentopia Church, Magnolia Town, and Akane Beach.
Crocus was situated within a vast valley which was surrounded by a variety of mountains of small-to-mid height, housing mostly mildly prominent hills, and there was a river close, with some isles in its largest part, flowing in a similarly small gorge, which has woodland on both of its sides, occupying the westernmost part of the valley. The river had to be cleared by a designated group of Rune Knights, every now and then, thanks to family of particularly troublesome beavers who would build their halt the flow of most of the water. The particular species were protected by the king; anyone who killed one could be punished with a really long time in prison, since the species were endangered. Breeding and cloning programmes were being considered, although many considered them unethical, to raise their numbers and drive them any from an endangered conservation status.
Being the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus is the largest populated area in the country, with a vast amount of buildings set in a circular formation as far as the eye can see, with the right part of the town being placed on the edge of a small crag; such part seems to be surrounded by walls topping the crag itself. The buildings, possessing bright facades and towers with extremely pointed tiled roof jutting upwards, are lined up the stone street's sides, some of which are pretty basic, while other, more elaborated ones consist of very large, circular mosaics made of wide, flat stones, which bear floral.
The central part of the town has a large, round lake; in its center, linked to the surroundings by a pair of bridges, sits Mercurius, the King of Fiore's palace. On the mountains to the west, on a large, cylindrical stone formation, is the arena - currently under construction as per order by the King - for the upcoming Great Magic Games, the Domus Flau, linked to the town by a long, curved bridge made of stone, possessing several towers. The Grand Magic Games were to start sometime in the next few years and it was to allow people to find out which guild was Fiore's strongest guild, and people had no doubt that furious contesting between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail would occur during the games.
Huiqing walked over a food market stall and, with a kind smile on her face, asked for a few bananas and paid with necessary amount of jewels as the owner of the stall got wanted she wanted, placed them in a small plastic bag, and handed the bag to her. Thanking him, she walked off and continued on her way to the subdivision building. As she went to pull out the clump of bananas, Huiqing noticed the sizeable magical signature that was right behind her. She had barely noticed it before, but now that it was up close, the magic individual now stood out like a tall person in a crowd of really short person. She also noted that the signature was dark, not like Jose's, but more like it was empty and dull.
She turned around to see a thirteen year old kid trailing behind her. He paused at a good distance of 14ft away and remained where he was. She noticed that his eyes and hair were the same colour as Gajeel's own, although his hair was probably a few shades darker, but that difference was barely noticeable. For someone who had lot of magic power, enough for many to give him a wide berth including passing Rune Knights, he was remarkably skinny - under-fed and definitely underweight. It was clear that his clothes, if they could even be called that, had been worn for a long time and were on the verge of falling apart. He could also be considered cute, if one ignored his red eyes and tattered clothing, and if he filled out, would probably have ladies falling for him when he was older.
With wide eyes that expressed his silent pleas, the boy made a gesture of twisting something and then raising his hands to his mouth. Immediately realizing what he wanted, Huiqing produced a full bottle of mineral water. Unscrewing the cap and handing it to him, she watched as he took several greedy gulps - stopping for a moment so he could breathe. "You can keep it if you want, it's clear that you need it more than me. If you don't mind if asking, and if you're capable of answering, what's your name. I'm Huiqing, Huiqing Jiao. Of course, it'll be fine if you don't want to tell me" Huiqing said, tossing the cap to him and giving him a warm smile, and much to her delight, the thirteen year old boy give her a small smile in return.
"Thank you, Huiqing, I'm R-Ryos." He stammered, a hint of pink staining his cheeks as he screwed the cap back onto the bottle and stuffed it into his tattered clothes. Huiqing wanted to do nothing more than engulf him in a hug that would last for all eternity. He was so cute, especially with that blush. Ryos shifted nervously as the eighteen year old stepped closer to him and she immediately stopped in her tracks. Even though he was only thirteen, she could see that his eyes carried some weight and guilt to them, and the last thing she wanted to do was scare him away. Although she wanted to ask why he was under-fed and supposedly wore one set of clothes, another part of her pushed towards asking Ryos why he had such a large amount of magic power and whether he wanted to come with her and join Phantom Lord. Before she could, he said, "Excuse me... do you know someone called Gajeel Redfox."
Gajeel? What did this kid want with Gajeel, although given their identical eye colour and similar shade of hair, Huiqing believed that it wouldn't be too farfetched to believe that he could be the Iron Dragon Slayer's younger brother. Although Gajeel would've said whether he had a sibling wouldn't he, unless Ryos was a 'long lost' sibling. She cocked her head to one side, part of her hoping that this little kid might be his younger brother, "I know Gajeel. He's a good friend of mine, uses Iron Dragon Slayer which looks amazing in action, and he's normally at the Phantom Lord subdivision in Oak Town. Is there something you want with him? I could easily contact him as I have a Communication Lacrima Crystal."
"No, thank you. I've already met him. I wanted to tell him something, but he quickly snapped at me. Can I tell you something else and, um, is he always, um, that impatient?" Ryos asked, his cheeks flushing as he looked down at the ground. Huiqing give him a pitying smile - he'd already gotten the 'Gajeel' treatment. The fourteen year old never had much patience, but she didn't think he'd snap at someone who was younger than him. Perhaps he was hurt over the fact that missed out on an opportunity to fight one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail. She hoped he'd grow out of being impatient with people 24/7, but that was also what made him stand out. A giggle slipped past her lips, "Yeah, he's always been like that. He's gotten better about it, but I think a recent event caused him to be moodier than usual. And of course, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
Ryos walked over to her and gestured - asking for her to lean closer to him. She did so and when he whispered what he wanted to tell her, Huiqing widened her eyes and looked him over. No wonder his magic power was so big, Gajeel's was exactly the same. The eighteen year straightened up, covered her mouth and gasped. "I think it'll be best if you come with me to the subdivision that I'm about to go to. We'll get you settled to the life of Phantom Lord, then we can go and transfer you to the subdivision in Oak Town when you're ready. I'm sure Gajeel will be... surprised." She said, smiling at her near slip up. Delight wasn't in Gajeel's vocabulary, but glee and surprise was. On the other hand, Master Jose would be more than ecstatic to have someone like Ryos in Phantom Lord.
"You go on ahead. There's something I need to do first." Ryos said. Enveloping Huiqing in a mass of shadows, he transported them directly outside the subdivision that she'd been heading to and then darted away. She stumbled at the unnatural feeling of moving without being able to see and leaned against the front doors of the building to recuperate. Shadow travelling was cool; faster than other methods of conventional and magical transportation, but she never wanted to experience that feeling again. Her stomach was doing jumping-jacks and she had to inhale massive lungful's of air to fight down the urge to empty the contents of her stomach all over the street. Ryos would be a nice addition with Phantom Lord, and like with Lorraine, she was sure he would balance out Gajeel's rough personality and attitude.
Once the nauseous feeling passed. she opened the giant doors, walked through, and was greeted by the elaborate interior of the Crocus subdivision. It resembled the interior of the sub-building in Oak Town, but it had two giant statues at the other side of the room. The gold statue on the left was Geoffrey, the founder and 1st Guild Master of Phantom Lord, and the statue on the right, which had been crafted out of platinum, was Jose Porla. On the right side of Jose's statue was a staircase that led to the second floor, and the master's office was located between the two statues. The office door was remarkably simple, not as flashy as the statues or the rest of the guild which was lined with old, expensive paintings, and sliver pillars.
"Hey, Huiqing, I didn't expect to see you so soon? Did you miss me, or did something drastic happen to the subdivision building in Magnolia Town?" A voice called out and the eighteen year old turned to see who had spoken. It was an older woman, in her early twenties, and she stood at 5'7ft, had fair skin, bright blue eyes, and dark hair which was set in a ponytail. She was dressed in a black shirt, a beige trench coat which fell down to her knees, smart trousers, and black trainers which had a white base.
This twenty-two year old was Masika Shakeel, a longtime friend of Huiqing and fellow attendee of the Academy For Aspiring Mages, occasional model for the Sorcerer Magazine, the second-in-command of the Crocus subdivision, renown S-class Mage who had been given the title of Phantom Lord's Electromagnet, and advisor to the master of the subdivision.
"A bit of both, more so inclined towards the latter. Still, it's good to see you again, Masika. I've got some news for Balderich - Laxus Dreyar got all 'high and mighty' and demonstrated his one-man army capabilities on the subdivision that I was in charge of. Anyway, is Balderich in his office?" Huiqing asked as she captured the other mage in a hug.
The brunette returned the hug with equal vigor and when she released Huiqing, she said, "It's good to see you too, and Balderich is in his office. He's just come back... well, I wouldn't say 'just, more like three hours ago, from a meeting with his old Rune Knight squad-mates. I think he's currently working out in there, but there'll be no harm done if you go in whilst he's exercising. Once you've broken the bad news to the old man, fancy having a spar? We haven't had one for, what, four months?"
"I'm all up for a spar, I hope you've gotten better 'cause I've learned a few new techniques and I haven't had a chance to use them in combat, and Balderich isn't an old man. He might be significantly older than us, but he's only fifty-one years old. Come on, Masika, cut him some slack - you can call him an old man when he's in his sixties." Huiqing chided, eliciting several laughs from the brunette who smiled cheekily, "He's old enough to be someone's grandfather and most of his hair has greyed, therefore he's an old man. Granted, I wouldn't say 'old man' to his face, but you get my point. And I can't wait to see what you have in store for me, I hope it provides a decent challenge to my Electromagnetism Magic."
"I'm sure it will." Before heading towards Balderich's office, Huiqing exchanged a high-five and another hug with Masika. On her way to the office, she passed by and greeted several Phantom Lord mages, even kindly turning down one who presented her with a bunch of flowers and enthusiastically asked her to go out on a date with him.
Stopping outside the office door which was always unlocked, she twisted the handle and pushed so she could enter, and was greeted by an unoccupied oak table. Glancing over the right side of the room, she saw Balderich in his personal gym - the man in question was laying on his back, sweating like pig in the blazing sun, and raising a lengthy dumbbell away from his chest and into the air.
For a man in his early fifties, and someone who started their life as a Rune Knight, Balderich - who was only wearing jogging shoes, tracksuit bottoms, and gym gloves - was impressively built - more so than the likes of Laxus Dreyar and Gildarts Clive, the latter of the two already being well-known for having muscular build, an absolute necessity so he could handle the immense recoil produced by his Crash without dying because his organs had imploded and his bones had shattered like glass.
Whilst Rune Knights could produce and possess incredible amounts of magic power - with a sufficient amount of time, dedication and hard work - unlike mages, they didn't know how to improve their musculature with magic, and it became impossible to learn once they were almost forty. His biceps were scarred and massive; almost disgustingly so, his chest was unbelievably firm, and distractingly firm eight pack abs were visible on his abdomen - flexing and tightening each time he raised the dumbbell.
Crinkling her nose as the intense smell of sweat lingered in the air and invaded her nostrils, Huiqing cleared her throat to get his attention, although she was sure that he was more than capable of holding a conversation while doing his exercise - he often did the former whilst battling with others. Balderich placed the dumbbell to rest, slid out from underneath the bar so he wouldn't hit his head upon sitting up, and then gulped down half of his protein shake in a manner that would remind anyone of an incredibly thirsty animal.
Wiping his forehead with a tissue to clear it of sweat and make himself more presentable, Balderich slid into a tight shirt that did nothing to hide his muscular physique. Pulling his gym gloves off, he focused his soft gaze, one which held back and almost hid his years of intensity and wisdom, on Huiqing, "Huiqing, my dear, it's a pleasure to see you. How are you and what may I do for you?"
The eighteen year chewed on her lower lip, "I'm sure you know about Laxus Dreyar, the grandson of Makarov Dreyar? A few hours ago, he burst into the subdivision that I was in charge of and stated, after incapacitating several mages whom I am responsible for, that he would eventually become Fairy Tail's next Guild Master. He was angry about how much influence the subdivision had over his guild."
"And he said that his Fairy Tail would be different - only those who could give him a decent fight would be accepted into guild, it would once again be the pride of the Kingdom of Fiore, people would go back to respecting and fearing his guild, and Phantom Lord would know what it's like to be 'pushed into a corner' when he's in charge. There wasn't much damage done, but I ordered the dissolution of the subdivision. I wasn't going to risk having him come back and attack again... do you think I did the right thing?" She inquired, feeling slightly nervous.
Balderich was furious, but he did an excellent job of preventing his face from showing his rage. It would be unprofessional of him to lose his cool, but Laxus Dreyar was an arrogant young man who needed to receive a harsh lesson in humility and be set straight. Master Makarov's grandson notwithstanding, he shouldn't be allowed to go scot free after attacking an integral part of Phantom Lord. Makarov, bless his old heart, would be lucky if Jose didn't decide, however illegal and justified as it may be, to go to war.
He softened his gaze by a fraction as he sighed and dragged a hand through his greying hair, "You did the thing that any smart commander would've done. Followed your brain and looked out for those who look up to you instead of being prideful and putting their lives at risk. This is... distressing news, but I doubt Jose will take it well. He's got enough things to worry about. I'll be informing the Magic Council about his transgression, Laxus will receive some form of punishment. I'll pity him if that strict young man, Lahar, ends up being involved."
"Understood, sir, and I agree - he might be slightly older than me, but that stare of his is quite intimidating. Also, is it okay if I stay here? I might stay permanently, if you'll allow me to, or go over to the subdivisions in the northernmost part of Fiore or Oak Town. And I'm going to have a fight with Masika later, interested in having a watch?" Huiqing inquired.
She watched Balderich as he smiled which made the few age lines on his face stand out. He clapped his thick, calloused hands together as he chuckled, "Is it okay if you stay here? Of course, my dear girl, you're always welcome here! You're a member of Phantom Lord, you'll be welcome to stay in any of the subdivisions. You're - taking an overdone page from Master Makarov's book here - family, and I'll certainly watch your fight. I might even challenge you myself. I haven't had a scuffle with anyone for quite a while. Just make sure you fight each other out the back, several mages have forgotten to take their fights outside, and I've had to have the subdivision rebuilt."
"Of course, sir." Giving Balderich a smile, Huiqing left his office and waltzed her way over to Masika who was levitating four metal cups around her raised hand, rotating in a full circle. Every now and again, she sped up how fast they rotated around her hand, then she would form a small ball of bluish-white electricity - no bigger than a golf ball and toss it into one of the cups. Upon seeing Huiqing approach, she sat up in her chair and manipulated the cups into travelling back to the tables that they'd presumably initially been on.
"How'd it go with Master Balderich? What's gonna happen to the 'Thunder King of Fairy Tail'?" Masika asked, standing up as Huiqing got closer. They were about to fight, so there'd be no point in them sitting down if they were just going to get up a little later. The former master of the subdivision in Magnolia Town shifted her weight from one foot to the other and hummed, "Balderich said that he'd be reporting to the Magic Council, informing them on Laxus's actions. That really strict Rune Knight Captain, Lahar, might get involved. If he does, then I don't see Laxus getting a light 'slap on the wrist and a mere warning' kind of punishment."
"Lahar? Shit, he's the sort to demand that Laxus should have his S-Class status taken away from him. The others, especially those who wouldn't be so keen to get on the bad side of Makarov and Fairy Tail, might go with a lighter punishment. Anyway, moving on from the subject of authority figures without any balls and a spine, are you ready?" Masika asked, eliciting a nod from Huiqing as they walked over to the large front doors of the subdivision. The doors, courtesy of a magical helping hand from Masika, opened without being touched.
Despite having seen and fought against it, Masika's magic, Electromagnetism Magic still excited her. There was just something about the essence that flowed through most of existence going up against electromagnetism which, amongst many other things, accounted for almost all physical phenomenon observable to the unaided human senses. Electromagnetism Magic, despite the mere facts that people believed because they were unable or simply too stubborn to think bigger - only being able to manipulate metal and a bit of electricity - was one of the most powerful and versatile abilities in the magical world.
Then again, depending on how smart the user was and how familiar they were with their magic, any form of magic could be considered as being a versatile sort. Master Jose's Shade could be employed at close to medium range, but it could be used as long range if Jose wanted to use it in such a way. Shade could be used to overwhelm the target through sheer numbers, employed as a high-risk distraction if Jose was ready to use his fists in a fight, or used in a stealthy manner. Shades didn't make much noise - could be willed to be completely silent if necessary - and their colour scheme meant they were practically invisible at nighttime areas that lacked artificial lighting, plus, someone who was killed by Shades could sometimes look like they'd been killed with something different.
Take Iron Dragon Slayer Magic for example, even though Gajeel seemed more intent on relying on brute force over anything else, could easily be used in a variety of ways. The ability to create what seemed like a protective skin-like layer of iron could be used in a way which meant that attacks were largely focused on Gajeel, allowing any companions to eliminate those attacking him with little resistance. Projectile based techniques meant that Gajeel, despite the fact that he was more of an 'in your face, break your nose and knock out your teeth kind of fighter', could harass enemies whilst keeping himself away from any immediate danger. Lastly, his enhanced senses brought up a whole new load of potential battle strategies and tactics - hunting a target and remaining on track.
Being so caught up in her thoughts, Huiqing almost failed to notice that Masika and herself were outside the subdivision, standing in the backyard - something that each subdivision had, except for the one in the cold north. Pretty flowers didn't mean much when the cold, snow and ice were going to quickly kill them. The northernmost Phantom Lord subdivision just settled with dozens of snowmen, arctic fox pets, hills of compact and hard snow, the occasional day of ice skating, snowboarding and snowball fighting, trenches made from ice and snow, a giant bronze statue of Jose holding an ice cube, and several ice sculptures.
"Huiqing, are you ready. The rules are the usual: no killing each other, fight with everything you've got, and the fight is over when one of us is knocked out, is sufficiently injured to the point where neither of us can continue, or has conceded defeated." Masika called, alerting the eighteen year old to the sizeable crowd that had gathered to watch and place bets. Just as he said, Balderich was watching, and Huiqing noted that she could feel Ryos' magic power - faint as it may be, but still big enough, due to the distance between them - moving along the outskirts of Crocus. Balderich must've noticed the magic power as well, because he curiously raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked of in the direction where Ryos was moving. One quick glance at Huiqing and he already knew that it'd be nothing to worry about.
(Back in the Phantom Lord subdivision in Oak Town)
Gajeel narrowed his red eyes as Jose Porla's face, complete with one eyebrow raised, appeared on the other side of the Communication Lacrima Crystal. Somehow, despite the fact that he wasn't wearing anything on his head, Jose's face was entirely cloaked in darkness. It didn't bother him. If Jose wanted to lurk around in a really dark basement as if he was the monster that 'regularly' haunted the dreams of young children, then that was his business. Besides, Jose - when not in enraged, psychopathic murdered mode - had lots of weird quirks. The Iron Dragon Slayer guessed that lurking around in basements might just be 'his thing'.
"Hmmm, it's not often that one of my mages contacts me. Bah, I guess I'm missed. What's the occasion, Gajeel, has something dramatic happened?" On the other side of the lacrima, Jose had a partially lost expression on his face as he waved a hand and delivered his inquiry. Gajeel twitched, annoyance starting to flow through his veins, as the other spectating mages shifted away from him - like they were afraid that Jose's temper would explode and affect them through the lacrima. He growled through his teeth which were almost grinding against each other, "A few hours ago, Laxus Dreyar attacked the subdivision in Magnolia Town. Huiqing conceded defeat, not wanting to put anymore lives in danger, and ordered the shutdown of the subdivision. According to her, he said the Phantom Lord would soon know what it's like to be pushed into a corner."
Gajeel held the lacrima out at arms length as a multitude of emotions flickered through Jose's darkened face, making it almost impossible to determine exactly what he might be thinking. Anger, which was definitely from the audacity of Laxus Dreyar; disappointment, which was probably due to how one of his top mages conceded defeat to the aforementioned S-class Mage; pride - perhaps Laxus was the son that Jose wanted but never had - and surprise, he might've thought that Makarov had a tight enough leash on the grandson to stop him from doing anything unimaginably stupid and reckless. There were more emotions, but they passed too quickly for Gajeel to get a good read on them. And to his surprise, although it shouldn't really be considering Jose's unstable and unpredictable nature, the Guild Master of Phantom Lord didn't react in a way that they'd all expected him to.
The forty-five year old man moved his shadowed face away from the lacrima, allowing Gajeel to see the near imperceptible crinkle of his eyes and his pearly white teeth which indicated that he was either smiling, grinning, or snarling in a very un-snarly manner. "How unfortunate, this is quite a considerable setback for Phantom Lord, but I suppose it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. Balderich, this master of the subdivision in Crocus, has already informed me that he's going to notify the Magic Council about this incident. You need not worry, hehehe, Laxus will definitely get a substantial punishment, something like 'guild arrest' or losing his S-class status, and I assume that various sanctions might be dumped onto Fairy Tail - potentially limiting the amount of jobs that will be available to them for the rest of this year and next year. Until next time, ja!"
As the snap of a finger was heard, accompanied be the grin on Jose's face growing even bigger until it was practically splitting his face in two and his outline being enveloped with his magic power, the image through the Communication Lacrima Crystal suddenly gained multiple hairline fractures, went fuzzy, and then returned to the usual clear state of the device. Gajeel snorted as he heard Totomaru, Bose and Sue let out breaths that they'd been holding since Jose's face had appeared in the lacrima. He pocketed the lacrima and, with a wide smirk plastered to his face, turned to them, "Gihihihihihi, you pansies, I can't believe you were holding your breaths. Even if he did react violently, it's not like he would've been able to do anything through the lacrima. Still, that went better than I expected, I actually thought he was going to flip out and declare war, even through guild wars are illegal due to the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty - don't give me that look, I only just knew about that since last week!"
Boze snickered, faking a cough as Gajeel glared at him, but ended up causing pain to flare up in his sternum. Sue's mouth twitched as she gave the dark-skinned man a glance, making sure that he wouldn't double over and end up having a coughing fit. As Aria started crying and calling things 'Sorrowful!', somewhere in the background, Totomaru allowed fire of varying colours to dance around his fingertips as he said, "So, Gajeel, what are you and Lorraine going to do, of course, once she's fully recovered. Go on a monster hunt? Scare away some thugs who are harassing a small town? Retrieve an artifact for somebody?"
Gajeel grunted in response, withdrawing a piece of paper that he'd kept within his clothes and held it up to show to the others. "Hn, nah, I took this before we departed for the subdivision in Magnolia Town. A couple of dark guilds, nothing major but a cause for concern, have set up residence in the forest near the northern outskirts of Hargeon Town. A dark guild extermination job - payment is 337,000 jewels. I doubt they'll cause us much trouble, the Magic Council barely knows anything about them, and I think the authorities in Hargeon Town would be more urgent if they were exceptionally dangerous dark mages."
A/N: And here's Chapter 10 after some delay. The following chapters should bring back the action and get more exciting. Also, imagining that a live-action Fairy Tail movie was made, I'd like to know what your dream cast for each member of Fairy Tail.
Also, don't forget to favourite, follow and review.