A man who cannot fathom themselves having flaw
Is nothing more then a man bathed in ignorance.
A man who acknowledges ones own weaknesses
Is a man with possibilities of heroism.
"So… it's about time… when is he going to lift-off so-to speak?" Gray asked.
"Should be any time now, which is why I told everyone to back up." Ragna replied. "His body will sound three loud clicks. Approximately one second after the last click, he will be airborne."
"Do we need to help in any way?" Lucy asked.
"Shouldn't. If he needed help, he would have asked." Ragna replied. "If Erza's expectations of where Tager will hit are right, should be one hell of a show." Erza nodded.
"If he can make it up past the atmosphere easy… what I'm asking of him will be over quickly." Erza said. "Until then we just need to stay out of his way, correct?"
"Yea, that right. Tager! You ready yet!" Ragna shouted.
"Performing final system check for calculated trajectory now. Normally I just shoot straight up then down, so it's taking some time to set the quadrants." Tager replied.
"Well hurry it up, would you?" Ragna asked.
"Your lack of patience is noted…." Tager replied. "Final system check complete. Target locked. Preparing count down." It was time. He clicked once; his body seemed to enlarge slightly. He clicked again; some sort of steam left his body. He clicked for a third time, and he was gone in a blink of an eye. Shot upward like a rocket, soaring quickly into the sky.
"H-he is f-fast!" Lucy shouted.
"A-aye!" Happy added.
"Anyone can move fast with rockets in their feet!" Ragna replied. It had only been a few seconds, and Tager already seemed like a small dot in the sky.
"It doesn't matter… there is no way he could hit the moon or destroy it if he did." Gray said in doubt. Upon hearing this, Erza smiled.
"He doesn't have to strike the moon; his real target is on the way." She said on confidence. In confusion, Gray looked up. Tager shot upward… and upward… and suddenly; an impact sound could be heard. In a brief instant; Tager with the spear seemed to have hit something, and the sky itself seemed to crack. Seemingly just as instantly as he Tager had hit it, the area of the sky shattered… revealing a rather normal looking moon in contrast to the purple one.
"What…?" Lucy asked in confusion. The broken sky's cracks continued to spread and dissolve quickly, returning the sky to a more normal appearance. "The moon wasn't destroyed… but the sky was? What is going on?"
"The Island was covered in a layer of darkness." Erza answered with confidence. "I believe it was caused by fumes created by the Moon Dip. The fumes crystallized and created a thin layer of darkness in the sky. That layer is what made the moon turn purple." Some kind of magical light seemed to swarm and engulf the villagers, and wrap itself around their bodies, sparkling the entire time.
"Whoa…! Such a beautiful light!" Lucy said.
"With the darkness destroyed… the island and all of its inhabitants will return to normal." The bright light flashed, and when it faded… the villagers remained unchanged from their demonic appearances.
"But… nothing has changed at all…?" Gray asked in confusion. Erza's magic triggered, and she returned to her normal armor.
"No... This is their normal appearance." Erza said, stirring up more confusion. "The darkness affected their memory… not their bodies…"
"Their memory…? But doesn't that mean…" Natsu questioned, his voice trailing off.
"Yes… the phrase 'We turn into demons at night,' is incorrect." Erza replied. "They were demons to begin with."
"W-w-what!" Lucy shouted, falling to the ground out of fear.
"F-for real…!" Gray asked a villager; seemingly at random.
"U-um… now that you mention it…" The villager trailed off, but his point was clear; what Erza said was true.
"They all have the ability to transform into humans forms, but the Moon Dip affected their memory, and soon they came to believe that their human form was their true appearance." Erza added to the explanation.
"But… then why were Lyon and his people perfectly fine?" Lucy asked, her confusion growing larger by the second.
"That's because they ARE humans. The memory changing effect seems to only affect demons." Erza answered. "As for the ruins… the villagers couldn't approach it because of the fact that they are demons. People of darkness can't go to a place that contains holy light." As Erza concluded her explanation, a sort of clapping could be heard, as well as a voice.
"Amazing… I guess it was a good idea to leave this in your people's hands…" The voice said. People turned around to see the man that had ferried the Fairy Tail Wizards to the island; who was seemingly lost at sea. Though his appearance was a bit… more demonic.
"OAH! A GHOST!" Lucy shouted.
"A-AYE!" Happy shouted. The two hugged each other out of fear of the man who they thought had died.
"Y-you're that man… who brought us here, aren't you?" Gray asked.
"That's right, it's me! Still alive and still kicking!" The man said out of joy. The village leader took sever steps forward… with a face that seemed to be a cross between confusion and happiness.
"B…Bo… Bobo…?" He said, before a smile grew across his face. "Bobo! You alive!"
"B-but… how!" A villager shouted, shifting his head back in forth between the seemingly dead man and Bo-Bo's grave.
"We demons don't die easily! Can't kill us with a quick stab in the chest! Trust me, I know." Bobo joked.
"But… how did you escape the boat…?" Gray asked. As if on cue, wings sprouted from Bobo's back and he took to the sky, flying with his flapping wings.
"Sorry for not being able to tell you the truth back then." Bobo said while in mid-air. "I left the village because I somehow got my memory back. Everyone thinking that they were human was a little freaky after I learned the truth." The village leader's body seemed to tremble, and soon his body sprouted wings as he flew up to Bobo; his own son.
"Bobo!" he shouted with careless joy.
"I'm glad that you're back to normal, dad!" Bobo replied. They hugged each other out of joy for seeing their family once more. Slowly but surely other villagers took to the sky as well, with similar words of joy that Bobo was still alive.
"Island of demons huh…?" Erza said.
"Looking at them like that… it looks more like an island of angels to me." Natsu said. This actually made Ragna laugh.
"Demons who look like angels… a bit of an oxymoron if you think about it." Ragna said.
"Yes it is… but do you disagree?" Erza asked.
"Nope… not in a situation like this." Ragna replied. "Guess whether your demon or human; as long as you have someone special, nothing else matters in the long run." Erza face turned to one of pain for a moment, but it quickly softened to one of happiness as she began to speak.
"Yea; I agree with you entirely."
-Zalty's Current Position-
"Oh my… guess everything worked out good for them…" Zalty said. Suddenly, a voice sounded from the crystal ball beside him… the voice not too different from Siegrain, the same from the Magic Council.
"It seems that things got a bit complicated… especially with the sudden appearance of that red machine man."
"You saw everything?" Zalty asked.
"Yes, I did." The voice replied. "Why did you restore the village?"
"A quick favor." Zalty replied.
"Oh well… not that big of a deal. Still… Fairy Tail… did a lot better than I expected… I really hope they don't get in our way." The voice said.
"I completely agree… but I'm getting uncomfortable; I'm going to change back now." Zalty said.
"Go for it." The voice replied. A thick dust suddenly filled the air around Zalty, and when it cleared, a rather attractive woman with long black hair and a white robe stood there.
"The plan will begin soon… wont it?" The woman asked.
"Yes, Ultear… indeed it will…"
-The Next Day; Village Gate-
"You… can't accept the reward?" the Village leader said. It was about time for them to leave and the village agreed that it was time to give them their reward. Natsu and Gray were fighting closer to the gate and Lucy was close to them trying to end the fighting. But when offered the reward; Erza immediately declined.
"That's right. Your happiness is all the reward we require." She answered.
"But…" The village leader trialed off and Erza spoke again.
"It's like a told you; the job request wasn't officially accepted. It would be wrong to accept the reward." Erza answered. The village leader smiled in response.
"Then… perhaps you would be more willing to accept it as a token of friendship for saving us, rather as a reward?" He said.
"Seven million jewels! I want that!" Natsu suddenly shouted.
"Same here!" Gray added. However, Erza shook her head, but with a smile.
"It's hard to reject an offer like that… but like I said; it would be wrong to accept it." She replied. "But if you really insist on giving us something, I believe that the additional reward of the Gold Key would do."
"We don't want that!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison; a rare moment indeed.
"I want it!" Lucy shouted.
"Plus if you really want to give away large amounts of money; my friend Tager here isn't affiliated with Fairy Tail, so feel free to make a donation to the 'Help the Metal Man' fund." Ragna said, patting the back of his large companion. This got several laughs, but Erza again shook her head, but kept a smile.
"Sorry, but I believe that would still be pushing it a bit." Erza said.
"Aww hell, looks like you're just as poor as me, Tager. Can't say I didn't try." Ragna said. Tager gave a chuckle.
"I'll survive somehow… I'm not much of a big spender anyway." Tager replied. He glanced at Ragna's left hand and noticed something; the finger that had fallen off yesterday was not only back on, but fully functioning. "Ragna…? How is your hand all fixed up?" In response, Ragna held up his right hand in a fist, and as if on cue, several small tools popped out from between his fingers. What confused Tager was that they were all exactly what one would need to repair an arm like Ragna's. "Where… did you get those?"
"Don't ask!" Lucy shouted.
"Well… all that aside, let us show our gratitude in another way; I would be more than happy to take you back to the dock where we first met." Bobo offered.
"Not necessary… I have my own mode of transportation." Erza replied. She guided everyone to the beach, where there was Bobo's small boat… but right next to it was a large Pirate ship; the same one Erza had commandeered.
"A pirate ship…?" Gray asked.
"Wow! You hijacked it! Cool!" Happy shouted.
"This is starting to seem awfully reminiscent of a bad dream I'd rather not relive…" Ragna said.
"A bad dream?" Erza asked.
"Yea… main reason I bring it up is because it involved a ship like this… and Tager…" Ragna replied.
"Um… I was in your dream?" Tager asked.
"Yes you were… and you were a real dick too. Gave away my immortal soul for a giant tuna fish…" Ragna replied.
"I'm… sorry?" Tager said, still confused. Erza laughed a little to herself; what Ragna was describing seemed very ridiculous.
"I really don't want to ride a pirate ship!" Lucy shouted.
"If you would rather swim, I'll join you!" Natsu offered.
"Not happening!" Lucy replied. After a short time everyone who was going back boarded. As the ship set sail, the villagers bid their farewells to the wizards and wished them the best of luck on their future jobs. Back on a higher elevation of rocks, a bandaged Lyon, along with Sherry and her giant mouse, Yuka, and Toby stood.
"Looks like they are gone…" Yuka said. Tears fell furiously from Toby's eyes.
"I'm… I'm not crying! I swear!' He said, trying to hold back his tears.
"You sure your ok Lyon? He is your fellow pupil, and you two were final starting to get along…" Sherry asked Lyon.
"It's fine. The world isn't that big… I'm sure we will see each other again." Lyon replied. He looked up into the sky for a brief moment. "Hey… Is a guild fun?" He asked simply.
-On the Ship-
"This suuuuuucks…." Natsu moaned, holding his stomach while lying on the deck. "Why aren't we there yeeeeet?"
"We wouldn't be there if we were going to where you left from…" Erza replied. "I'm having the ships captain take a more direct route to Mongolia." Natsu moaned louder… and seemingly passed out.
"At least he will be quieter unconscious." Lucy said.
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
"So, we are stuck on a ship for what seems like an overnight trip; how are we going to spend the time?" Ragna asked.
"We could fish!" Happy suggested.
"I don't have a fishing rod." Ragna replied.
"But couldn't you make one with your ninja-quip magic?" Happy asked; creating his own special name for Ragna's uncanny ability to have random objects appear at random times.
"I have no idea what the hell are you talking about." Ragna denied having such ability.
"Well, it's about time for supper… so we could eat. I have some rations in my cart." Erza, thinking ahead, had stored her rather large crate of supplies on the boat itself.
"Eh, I could cook if it comes to that." Ragna said.
"Yes and Ragna can-" Erza suddenly paused in mid sentence, appearing confused. "Ragna? You cook?"
"Hell yea I do. Something I picked up from my master. The guy is a five-star chief easy, so I picked up a thing or two… it's a bit of a hobby." Ragna answered. Erza was more surprised than anything.
"Well… We have food and a cook; looks like we are set 'till we arrive in Mongolia." Gray said.
"Before that… Tager; did you ever get into contact with Kokonoe?" Ragna asked.
"No, unfortunately. Cross-dimensional walls are a bit too far for the frequency she uses to function. She cut off shortly after I landed and I haven't been able to get into contact with her sense." Tager replied. "She will contact me when she can find the right frequency." Ragna shrugged.
"Oh well; her problem; not mine." He said. "Alright. Someone get me something to work with here! I can't make decent food appear out of nowhere!" A loud sigh was let out by members of Fairy tail.
-Several Hours Later, Sleeping Quarters at Night-
Erza's eyes snapped open. She didn't know why, but something had awoken her. She sat up and looked around the room for a possible cause. It was somewhat mid-sized, but with several beds; despite the fact that there were only three pirates. Perhaps they were expecting to recruit more members? Either way, they had just enough bunks for their entire group and the pirates together; mostly because of Tager, who doesn't need sleep, who volunteered to steer the ship while they slept. Lucy seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Gray was as well, except with a mess made of his bedding. Even Natsu seemed to be dreaming peacefully; despite the rocking of the ship. Happy was close to him sleeping as well. She gave a silent smile and decided to climb out of bed. Maybe a little walk around the ship would help her get back to sleep. She appeared normal, except for the lack of body armor. She instead wore a simple white shirt with frills down the middle, with a small blue tie of sorts at the neck. She started out, but then took a look back, feeling as though something was amiss… and she was right. The bunk assigned to Ragna the Bloodedge was empty.
'I wonder where he is off at… probably just hassling Tager…' She thought to herself. She paid it no mind, no where to run off to in the middle of the ocean. She stepped out from the sleeping quarters onto the main deck. She looked up into the dark but star-lit sky. 'You don't see something like this in the city…' She thought. The moon was out too, with no clouds for miles. It was a beautiful night. She looked back down, towards the front of the ship, and saw a dark figure… or at least one she could see clearly. She approached the figure, and it was quickly revealed to be Ragna, simply standing over the front of the ship, watching the ocean. She walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder lightly. Ragna looked back, surprised that someone was behind him, but he had a soft look on his face.
"Oh… hey." He greeted Erza simply. "What's up? I thought you were asleep."
"I was… but something woke me up… or maybe my body just decided it was time. What about you?" Erza asked.
"Couldn't sleep. About a half hour after everyone was asleep I decided to come out here. Must have been here for an hour already." Ragna replied. "It's something else. A lot different then what I'm used to." Ragna turned and looked back towards the water.
"The ocean?" Erza asked, stepping closer. "You have those where you are from though, right?"
"Yea we have them… not like we can get close though." Ragna replied. "Seither is so heavily concentrated, it kills off all life. It's an invisible gas, so you can see the ocean, but get to close and the next thing you know you're in the grave. This… is really the first I've been able to really enjoy it."
"What about on your way to Galuna?" Erza asked.
"That little trip had a sick Natsu, a tied up Gray, and a giant title wave involved; not much to enjoy." Ragna replied, earning a small laugh from the scarlet-haired woman next to him. "But… right now… it's so quiet and calm… peaceful. You can really hear the sounds of the ocean and see how it moves… I've been on bodies of water before, but this is something else…" Erza smiled as Ragna explained himself. She leaned over the wooden railing and looked onward at the ocean, just as Ragna was. It stayed silent for a time; aside from the sounds from the water in which they traveled on. Erza was the one to break the silence.
"So… you have been here for nearly a week now… what do you think of our little world?" She asked.
"It's one hell of an improvement over my world… am I'm not saying that just because of my rather lengthy criminal record back home." He replied with his gaze still toward the ocean. "Just seems… peaceful. Not a whole lot of that 'Behind the Scenes' stuff that screws people over in the long run. If someone's bad, you know they are bad, and if someone's good, you know they are good. Just seems more… open, you know what I'm saying?"
"Yea… I hear you." Erza replied. "But this world has some secretive dark stuff about it, though."
"Like?" Ragna asked. Erza bit her lip a bit.
"Well… my past for one." Erza said. "You want to hear?" She asked.
"If you're willing to talk; I'm willing to listen. You've been one of the kindest people towards me since I first showed up, so there is no way I'm going to snub you." Ragna replied, turning to face Erza. Person in question smiled for a moment.
"Where I grew up… is a place called the Tower of Heaven… before you ask; the name is an oxymoron. There isn't anything 'Heavenly' about the place." She started. "Not sure where I was born, or who my parents were, and as far back as I can remember I was just a slave working there; building it. Sure I made friends but I was still a slave; having to do as much work as an adult did. One day there was a revolt… and it was successful, guards overthrown, head leaders basically gone. But… someone close to me; like a brother I never had… betrayed us… corrupted by some spirit. He claimed that he would work on the Tower of Heaven himself, and said that everyone would follow him… that was about eight or ten years ago." Erza finished.
"I see…" Ragna said, leaning against the railing. "And what did you do when he said that?"
"I tried to stop him… but that spirit gave him some kind of power… I lost consciousness and found myself in a town near Mongolia." She replied. "I… keep hearing rumors about some kind of tower out at sea… and I know that it's that place… I don't know what to do. My friends… people who I would call family are still there, probably brainwashed by him… I just don't know what to do…" She leaned against the railing as well, her long scarlet hair blocking most of her face.
"Ever… thought about going back? Setting things right?" Ragna asked. Erza seemed to hug herself in response.
"Yes… I have. But... when I do I just get scared… scared of what will happen, what if I cant convince them all to stop… what I might have to do…" She said.
"I hear what your saying… and I would say to avoid the… 'permanent' alternative at all costs." Ragna replied. "But I think if you stick close to what you want… and if you're passionate about it, I believe it will all work out in the end."
"But… I might have to... still…" Erza paused mid-sentence and turned toward Ragna. "Have you ever… killed anyone before?" She asked. Ragna crossed his arms and leaned back a bit more.
"Yeah… I have… kind of hard to lead a campaign against a corrupt government without killing people." He replied. "Some people deserved it BIG time… but others were just innocent soldiers following orders. To be blunt I may kill people but I don't like it… but more often than not if it's a question between the other guy or me… I'm going to have to side with me, understand?" Ragna asked. Erza nodded. "Killing people, even people you absolutely despise, is never easy. I avoid it if I can, but… well, people are stubborn sometimes, you know?"
"I understand that…" Erza replied, not really feeling too much better.
"The way I see it; what's causing all of this is the tower itself. Take down the tower and I think all your problems will solve themselves."
"How would I do it though…? Without… you know…" She trailed off; her point obvious.
"Every tower has a base; take it out and it falls down. If you could set it up so there are little… warnings of sorts, they would evacuate before it came down."
"And how to set something like that up…?" Erza asked.
"Magic seems to be really flashy and easily noticeable… timed explosives could do the trick too if you can sneak your way around the place easily. Hell, hacking at it with an axe usually makes a lot of loud noise." Ragna replied.
"I'm being serious…" Erza sighed, but showed a small smile for Ragna's effort at a joke.
"So was I… except for the axe part. If push comes to shove, you could just kick ass and take names, but knock the people you care about out and taking them out of the tower one at a time by force." Ragna suggested. "They might be a bit shaky when they come to, but I'm sure they would get used to being out of the place eventually."
"But… I don't know if I can face people so important to me alone." She admitted.
"Then don't. No one said that you had to fly in there solo."
"I… don't like that idea. Besides… I'm not even sure if people would be willing to help me out in a situation like that." Erza looked down; sadness noticeable in her voice.
"Well… me for one." Ragna replied. She slowly raised her head and turned toward him. "Like I said; your one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to. Hell if you asked, I could probably take care of the whole thing for you; just would need to know who to off and who to not." Slowly, a smile showed itself on Erza's lips.
"Would you… really do something like that… for me?" Erza asked somewhat hesitantly.
"Hell yeah I would. And I think I'm not the only one too." Ragna replied. "Whether you notice it or not; people like you. And people are willing to do things for people who they like."
"I guess… I just feel that since it's my past… it's my fight, you know?"
"That I definitely understand. But having help can't hurt… as long as you can see past your own personal emotions." Ragna replied. "Tell you what; you cut me a deal, so I'll cut you one. When the time comes to go to the Tower of Heaven, give me a shout. I'll personally make sure everything is set right."
"That's… a very underhanded deal, considering the situation…" Erza replied.
"I recall you making me one about a week ago." Ragna replied. He held out his right hand. "Do we have a deal?" Erza didn't know what to do… she felt hot… nervous too. Not really embarrassed but… it was something she couldn't quite place. Her heart was beating fast… but something felt nice. A comforting nice. Despite her troubled feelings… she made a decision. She reached out her hand and shook his.
"Deal." She replied.
"Well then, I guess that settles that." Ragna smiled. "You going to head back to bed? I'm going to stay out here for awhile longer." Erza smiled back at him.
"No… I think I'll stay out for a bit too… its relaxing." Erza replied. Both turned back towards the ocean. Even though their deal was made, Erza's heart wouldn't stop pounding. She had no idea what it was… but it still felt nice. Suddenly a thought hit her, explaining why… and it made sense. Then another, and more after that, each one connected to the first in some small way. It was like… a plan she had just thought up, entirely based on an assumption she made… and she liked the plan. She thought it was ridiculous and thought it would never work…. But she still liked it.
"Hey… you ok? You seem like your spacing out a bit." Ragna asked, interrupting her thoughts. Quickly halting her thoughts on the matter, she made a decision… to go for broke.
"Yea... I'm fine…" She replied. "I want to talk to you about… you're punishment for when we return to Fairy Tail."
"Not really a pleasant subject…" Ragna sighed.
"I think I can get you out of it." Erza had caught his attention; drawing in his gaze. "But… you're going to have to do something for me, too."
"Something more…?" Ragna asked, but with a joking tone. "Well… what is it?"
"Well… it might not even be bad; you may even like it." Erza added. This further intrigued the Grim Reaper's mind.
"Trading in a punishment for something I might even like…? You now have my undivided attention…"
-Mongolia, Next Day-
"We're back!" Natsu shouted stepping along the street.
"Aye!" Happy added.
"You're just happy to be off the ship." Ragna yawned; his lack of sleep from the night before was catching up with him.
"Doesn't matter!" Natsu shouted.
"All that trouble for a little gold key…" Gray said.
"It was an S-class job too." Happy added.
"It wasn't an official job. The key is enough." Erza replied.
"That's right! No need to complain!" Lucy added, with notable joy.
"You're the only one who gained anything…" Happy said. Lucy kept walking with joy. "….Lets sell the key."
"No!" Lucy shouted. "I've told you before; there are only twelve gold keys in the entire world! They are extremely rare."
"Like that bull and maid…?" Natsu asked in a mocking tone.
"Shut up! If I train myself, my spirits will eventually become stronger than you!" Lucy shouted.
"May I see a key?" Tager; who was at the back of the group, asked.
"Eh? You want to see one?" Lucy asked.
"Yes… spirits being summoned by keys intrigues me... if it's not possible, it's ok, though." Tager replied.
"Oh no, it's no problem at all." Lucy reached into a little bag she had on her waist, next to her key-ring and pulled out a gold key. "Here; it's the new one I got from the job." She held it out to the red giant, who took it in his large hand, trying to be careful not to break it. He held it close to his face and twisted it around, inspecting it.
"Speaking of keys… which one did you get?" Gray asked.
"Sagittarius, the archer." Lucy replied.
"Sagittarius? The one who's head is of a horse but with a man's body?" Gray asked.
"No… one with the legs of a horse but the upper-body of a man…" Lucy corrected.
"Giant octopus with a sunflower face…?" Natsu thought out-loud.
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response…" Lucy sighed.
"Hmm… I can detect some magic in they key... but I can't identify it… besides that and the unusual design it seems like an ordinary key to me." Tager said, handing the key back.
"Oh believe me; they are very special." Lucy said, putting the key away. "Would you like to see me summon something so show you?"
"Of course." Tager replied. Lucy carefully looked through the keys on her key-ring and took one off.
"Open the Gate of the Golden Bull… Taurus!" She swung her key, and a magic seal appeared, and suddenly the ground burst open and a loud 'Moo!' sound could be heard. When the dust settled from the sudden upheaval, a large, well-built and humanoid bull stood. The bull only whore a pair of blue underpants and a belt in the shape of a bull's head. His nose was pierced with a nose ring and also had a bell around his neck. His chest is crossed by a belt with a scabbard on his giant axe.
"I have come at your call, what does your wonderful body need from me?" The bull asked Lucy.
"You never change…" Lucy replied. "And I summoned you to show a friend of mine what I can do. He was really curious." Taurus suddenly appeared a bit… proud.
"I see! Who is the person that you wish to show my power?" Taurus asked. Lucy pointed behind the bull, and said bull turned with something of a grin, expecting someone smaller in size, and was surprise when he saw someone at eye level with him.
"Hello…" Tager greeted, holding out his right hand.
"U-uh… yes, hello!" Taurus regained his composer and shook the Red Devil's hand.
"My name is Iron Tager, sorry to surprise you." Tager said. "So… your a spirit huh?"
"Yes, I am Taurus, the bull." Taurus replied. "It is… rare to meet someone with a matching stature."
"Yes it is indeed…" Tager replied. "Sorry to disturb you."
"No problem at all; a little fresh air never hurt anyone!" Taurus replied. "Now if I'm not needed, I think I will be heading back, good-bye!" And in a flash of light, Taurus was gone.
"Well, what do you think?" Lucy asked.
"It was very interesting. Thank you for showing me." Tager replied. Lucy smiled wide; she loved compliments.
"If you're demonstration is done Lucy, we should get back to the guild and decide on your punishment." Erza said. The somewhat joyous mood died.
"I… completely forgot." Gray admitted.
"I kept thinking that I could over-look your actions, considering the circumstances… but when it comes down to it, the master is the one who has final say. I have no intension on defending any of you… except for Ragna, so you better be prepared." Erza finished.
"Hey! Why is Ragna magically exempt!" Natsu shouted.
"You tricked him into going with you with the ruse of it being a normal job. It is wrong to persecute him for doing illegal actions if he had no idea what he was doing was illegal." Erza answered
"Oh… that's right. Forgot that one too..." Natsu replied.
"Tager gets off scot-free too. He isn't affiliated with Fairy Tail." Ragna added.
"That as well." Erza agreed.
"That's not fair!" Natsu shouted.
"Don't tell me… it will have to be… THAT!" Happy suddenly shouted in fear.
"Shit! I don't want to ever do THAT ever again!" Gray shouted, also experiencing fear.
"What is… 'That'?" Lucy asked.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure gramps will just pat us on the back and say that we did a good job." Natsu said.
"You're… really optimistic." Lucy said with doubt in her voice.
"No… I'm sure THAT has already been chosen…" Erza said… with a bit of laugh in her voice. "I think I'm going to really enjoy watching it." Despite Erza's claim, Nastu kept a smiling face. Though a drop of sweat fell… then another… then several… then too many to count.
"NO! Anything but THAT!" Natsu shouted; now being dragged by Erza.
"Tell me! What is THAT!" Lucy shouted.
"Come on, the sooner you get it over with the better it will be." Erza said. They walked in somewhat a dreary mood… with Erza still dragging Natsu along the way. As they traveled, various townsfolk could be heard whispering to one another… it seemed rather ominous.
"Well… that's not normal… what's wrong with this picture…?" Ragna asked.
"I listened in a bit… it seems that something is wrong at the guild." Erza said.
"Maybe people got so rowdy it just fell apart…" Ragna joked. That joke brightened up the mood a bit…. until they reached the guild… which was lucky to be standing. Shingles were demolished, the sign had fallen, and the majority of the guild was pierced all over by giant metal clubs.
"Our Guild!" Nearly the entire group shouted in unison.
"Who… did this?" Erza asked.
"I don't care who… but what the fuck happened here!" Ragna shouted. They all heard footsteps from behind them and they turned; it was Mirajane.
"Its mortifying… but we were done in…" Mira said as on answer.
"By who…?" Ragna asked.
"…Phantom Lord."
-Town of Oak, Phantom Lord Wizard Guild-
"Oh my… rather successful indeed." Inside the guild itself; which seemed more like a castle, up on the highest level, a man in a purple robe sat. He also had a purple wizard's hat, a white shirt with red pants. He sat reading several papers; a report of sorts. "But… they don't seem to be riled up enough yet…" A knock came from his office's door. "Enter." The man said. A rather scruffy looking man stepped into the room.
"Um… Master Jose… several of the guys were talking and… I think you should see this…" Indeed; the man who was at the desk is the Guild Master of Phantom Lord, Jose Porla.
"What could it be that would require my attention?" Jose asked, annoyed.
"There is this guy… in a black rain-coat because of the rain… he is demanding to see you personally." The thug replied.
"Hmm… rain-coat… well; Juvia is in town so that's understandable. Please tell him that all job requests must be submitted in writing and given to the front desk." Jose answered.
"Well… it's not a job request… but the real reason is the bad vibes he is giving off… plus several of the members are trying to start a fight with him." The thug replied, appearing worried. Jose sighed.
"Sometimes I forget I'm the Guild Master… I feel like more of a disciplinarian… alright; I'm coming down." Jose replied, standing up. They two made their way down toward the main level, and looked toward the center of the guild, and sure enough there was the man in the rain-coat… although it was hooded and Jose couldn't see his face. And like the member had said; several other members were around the guy, and he could tell they were talking crap. But rather than step in… he decided to let this take its course.
"What's with the coat? Your inside so take it off…" A rather large man with an even larger blade on his back said.
"I'm sorry… but this coat is all nice and cool because of the rain; I'm rather comfortable actually." The coated man replied. "At least for now… starting to get a bit stuffy. But it's still fine."
"Did you hear me ask? I'm telling you to take it off… and hand it over!" The large man grunted. "It gets really shitty outside when Juvia is around, and I think that coat can help."
"So you upright mug the first person you see? My my my…You people don't like repeat business do you?" The coated man laughed a bit.
"What the hell did you just say?" The large man replied.
"Oh… I'm sorry; it slipped my mind that your intelligence is lower than a sack of granite…" The coated man laughed again. "Look; I'm here to talk to your master about something; I really don't want to talk to the… 'help,' should I say?" The coated man began to reach into his coat, and showed a bit of what seemed to be a curved knife. "I really would like to avoid trouble… I'm not very fond of fighting."
"Not fond of fighting huh…! Well too damn bad!" The large man grunted in anger reaching for his over-sized sword. "You got one you little piece of shit!" The man was about to swing his sword then the coated man quickly swing his knife horizontally across the larger man's chest. The large man stopped instantly as his large sword seemed to fall out of his hands; his body seemingly frozen in place.
"Hey… hey Mizuki, you alright?" Another member asked. Suddenly the large man's entire body burst out with numerous cut wounds, blood splattering all over the place. The large man, identified as Mizuki; fell onto his back, and many worried looks came from everyone in the room… save the Guild Master himself.
"Don't worry, the man is still alive… doubt he will be moving anytime soon though." The coated man said as he put his knife away. He gave the large man a small kick; person being kicked letting out a loud grunt. "Yup; completely and totally incapacitated by pain…"
"Why you…!" Several of the guild members appeared to be taking out weapons as well.
"Enough!" Jose shouted, freezing everyone in the room with his voice. "You there, in the dark coat; explain yourself at once!" he demanded.
"Finally! Someone with half a brain to talk to… lovely!" The coated man chucked. "I'm here in accordance with the number you did on that Fairy Tail Guild."
"…You're not from the council, are you?" Jose asked cautiously.
"Oh no no no no! No affiliation what's-o-ever! They are a little too uptight for my tastes." The coated man replied, putting up his hands in defense. Jose grinned a bit.
"Well… that we can agree on… now what is it that you found so urgent to come directly to me about?" Jose asked.
"Ah yes… heard a rumor about a job request sent to you to capture someone who is currently a member of Fairy Tail, correct?" The coated man asked.
"Yes… that's correct. What about it?" Jose replied.
"Well… there is someone there I'm after as well… don't worry; it's someone completely different… a certain man to be exact. Me and him have a little score to settle. The guy sort of beat me within an inch of my life and left me to die... and I would like to return the favor." The coated man replied. "I'm perfectly fine now as you can see; and the little beating sort of helped me get a long-time goal accomplished… but it still left a bad taste in my mouth." Jose laughed a bit.
"I have my own personal score to settle myself… who is it exactly that I am currently speaking with?" Jose asked.
"Oh my! Where are my manners? I didn't even introduce myself…" The coated man replied. Almost immediately the man unbuttoned his coat and removed it, revealing that he wore a black business suit with a white undershirt and black tie. His shoes were well polished and black as well. His eyes appeared to be closed, and his hair was short and light green in color. The man reached into the rain-coat as if something was amiss, and pulled out a hat, a black fedora to be specific, and portly placed it on his head, holding it in place. After this was done; the man spoke one simple phrase…
"Hazama; at your service!"
The seeds of darkness were planted by his hand
Again and again; he brought suffering to people
He now is here; with intension to do what he has always done
To cause chaos and destruction; for the simple reason of his own entertainment.