Chapter 11: An Impostor
Erza finally came to a stop, halting the speeding vehicle when they arrived at Oshibana station. She shoved the door open and pulled the motion sick Natsu out as well. A good glance around the station showed signs of ruin in it. Rune Knights and guards scattered on the floor with injuries. The surrounding area was damaged and there was a lack of civilians. She spotted Ichigo leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed.
"'Bout damn time you guys got here. The whole place is trashed." Ichigo walked down to the group.
"We came here as fast as we could. Where are the Eisenwald members?" Erza demanded.
"No idea. I just checked up on all the bodies here. Some can be saved, the rest…" Ichigo trailed off, not wanting to speak what could be understood without speech. The group had a collective frown.
Erza steeled her gaze and stood upright. "We must stop them before anyone else is hurt. Let's check out the inside." She ran down towards the door. The group followed. Ichigo shok his head disapprovingly before catching up to them quickly.
Erza busted through the door with the group, only to be greeted by the sight of the entire Eisenwald guild staring at them menacingly.
"Welcome, Fairy Tail flies!" Erigor greeted them.
Erza clenched her fist, hard. "What do you think you're doing? Erigor the Shinigami?"
Ichigo practically busted out laughing then and there. That guy was the so-called Shinigami? This lanky, no reiatsu, sorry excuse for a cliché grim reaper Halloween costume? He was almost insulted. Well… a third of him was almost insulted. Man if the omnitsukido saw this guy…
"We are here to take our revenge. We have been shunned and out-casted by these disgusting excuses for 'light' guild masters. No longer shall we take this discrimination. As you all probably know by now. I have Lullaby! None can stop me now! What do you stupid flies think is in a train station? Broadcasting systems of course!" Erigor laughed.
"Hey! You're the guy that attacked me on the train! I'm gonna have some revenge for that!" Kageyama yelled at Natsu, whose arm was slung over Lucy as he was still out for the count from the car ride. Kageyama fired a projectile of shadow magic at Lucy. Natsu surprisingly caught it.
"Ah, your voice got me back into a fighting spirit. Thanks for that. Now I can really deliver you a solid ass kicking for insulting Fairy Tail!" Natsu's fists lit on fire.
Erigor spotted the orange haired team member though. "Hmm, you must be a new addition to those flies. Oh well, no matter. You are still going to die here anyways." Erigor flew off.
Erza scowled. "Natsu. Gray. You two go after Erigor. Ichigo, please support them. Lucy and I will stay here to deal with the grunts."
Ichigo shrugged. "Sure I guess. I'll make your job a little easier though."
Ichigo formed his bow and arrow. He pulled back the titanic arrow and aimed straight at the middle of the guild members. He let loose the huge arrow, impacting the ground and making it explode. Practically half the guild was out of the fight after that. "Don't take too long."
He, Natsu, and Gray sped after Erigor. Rayule and Kageyama silently followed the two.
"Now then, face your retribution Erisenwald! Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armour"
Erza switched armours into the one she used to fight against Ichigo. The guys in the guild had lecherous smiles. 'He demolished half the guild with no problem… I have to get stronger…'
"Circle Sword! Dance my blades!" She swung the sword in her arms downwards, unleashing the ring of blades at the remaining group. It took out a decent chunk of them. Not enough for Erza though. 'Only that few? How far is Fairy Tail in terms of power?'
Lucy pulled a key out of her ring. "I'll help out!" She summoned Cancer, the crab with a knack for barbering. "Cancer! Help out Erza!"
"Will do Ms. Lucy, ebi." He sped past many members slicing their weapons to useless things. And their hair. Leaving them bald and shiny.
"My hair!"
"My sword!"
Lucy smiled. "You did well Cancer! You can return now."
Erza was impressed. She took a step toward Lucy but she dropped down to one knee, her armour banging onto the pavement.
Lucy panicked. "Erza! Are you alright?!"
Erza pushed the helping hand away, opting to stand up shakily by herself. "I'm fine. The car took too much out of me. We just have to rely on the boys to save the day now."
Lucy nodded. "I hope they will be alright…"
Erza spotted a dark guild member that ran away earlier though. Looks like Lucy would have to chase them down… She was barely keeping her body up. "Lucy, I saw an Eisenwald member run away earlier. Could you and Happy go chase him down please? I will stay here to make sure these guys stay down."
Lucy was surprised she was given the responsibility, but she wouldn't let Erza down. "Sure thing! C'mon Happy, let's go!"
Happy and Lucy ran out the area and Erza finally let her strong façade down. She collapsed onto one knee, the metal armor clanging as her knee hit the ground. Erza was bent over, panting slightly. She could feel some sweat forming on her brow. "Damn… I really put too much into the car. Natsu, Gray, Icihgo… It's all up to you now."
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Karacka ran away as fast as he could once he saw the transformation. His eyes weren't lying. That really was the Titania. 'They really brought along some heavy firepower for just one dark guild… Not to mention that orange haired guy. What the fuck is he?'
He heard thuds and shouts coming from nearby though. And it sounds like Rayule and Kageyama. His curiosity was peaked. Worst case scenario he could just ran again anyway. Best case scenario and he could get some revenge on the flies…
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"Haha! The guild certainly has been quite busy." Makarov responded to the other guild masters.
"Your guild members sure are quite exceptional aren't they?"
Makarov chuckled. "Exceptional at destroying property and costing me tons? Yep!" He took a sip of his tea. "The girls in the guild are quite exceptional too. For different reasons obviously." He grinned perversely.
"Oh Maki-chan, you shouldn't talk about your own guild girls like that." Master Bob scolded.
A flutter of feathers signalled a bird entering through the window. It landed on the table with a sealed envelope in its yellow beak. "Squak A letter for Master Makarov!"
"Hmm?" a perplexed Makarov reached out and took the letter from the beak with the tips of his fingers, careful not to get too close to the bird's beak out of fear of being pecked. He opened the envelope and a small hologram of Mirajane appeared. He smiled. "Ah see, that's one of my guild's finest!"
"Oh she is quite the delicate beauty isn't she?" A bucket hat wearing guild master commented. "Her sweet look reminds me of someone from my own guild, Orihime."
"You'll have to introduce her to Fairy Tail next time then Master Urahara." Makarov smirked.
"I'll find a way." Kisuke grinned, both their faces had a dusting of red.
"Hello Master! I'm recording this to tell you that Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy are going on a job together!" The tiny hologram chirped.
Makarov's jaw almost hit the floor. He lost all colour in his face. It resembled a sheet of paper more than skin at this point. 'Those four… On a job… All together… Oh the horror…'
"Oh and I think Ichigo is joining them too! Erza mentioned his name but I wasn't listening well… Hehe sorry!"
Kisuke almost dropped his fan. He joined Makarov in skin tone. 'Why is he with them…? He was supposed to go solo… Now I'm liable to pay for a share of all the damages too…"
It was a sorry sight really, seeing two guild masters almost start sobbing from the worry of paying bills…
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Erza made her way up to the balcony. She had to address the growing concerns of the people. As much as she hated to do so. She stepped out and saw the large crowd yelling and shouting, she took a deep breath and started her impromptu speech. "Attention citizens! Please leave immediately! We are facing a threat in this train station and they plan to use this station's broadcasting system to play a death song which will kill you if you hear it! Evacuate immediately in an orderly fashion at once if you do not wish to die!"
The part about 'orderly fashion' was promptly ignored, like it always is. The panicked crowd dispersed faster than cockroaches when you turn on a light.
She saw that the people left the station already and she was pleased. At least innocent civilians stood less chance of getting hurt now. But… was it getting breezier? The winds suddenly picked up pace. At first it was nothing more than a breeze, but now the wind was like a blade. Harsh winds blew all around the station. Erza had to squint her eyes to look out, and she saw a wall of wind. 'What the hell is that?'
The dome of slicing wind had covered the entirety of the train station, blocking anything anf anyone from entering or leaving. 'Gray! Natsu!'
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Gray stood victoriously, looking at the frozen statue that was once Rayule. 'Dumb bastard trying to kill the master…' He looked out a hole in the wall that was made earlier, and sure enough, the wind wall was there. How the hell were they supposed to get past that now?
He heard Erza shouting earlier though. Perhaps she had a solution. He ran towards the last place he heard her voice, the balcony. Hopefully Natsu defeated his opponent too. Not that the dragon slayer would be much help in figuring out a way for them to get past. That would require him to use his brain for something other than fighting after all…
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Natsu was getting sick and tired of this guy and his shadows. How hard was it to just stay down for the count? He appeared out of nowhere, perhaps a stray shadow nearby had allowed him the element of surprise. He wasn't even a strong fighter… He was just annoying. Fly this, fly that, legal guilds should perish, and the countless other delusional monologues had left Natsu bored and annoyed. Even his attack pattern was predictable. He'd try to engage in melee combat, which he would fail at, then back off and try to hit Natsu with shadows, which he failed at too. Natsu had tried to knock him out, but he just wouldn't stay down damn it. And he didn't want to accidentally kill the guy with too much power.
Natsu's acute sense of hearing alerted him to footsteps coming their way. He needn't worry though. He heard armour clanking, which signified the one and only Erza Scarlet. Which meant whoever was with her would probably be Gray. 'They both finished their fights just fine, that's good… Now if only this asshole could just stay down.'
Natsu figured he'd end the fight with more than enough force. Sure the guy might get permanent scars, but he wouldn't be dead. And Natsu already tried being nice. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Kageyama wasn't prepared for that kind of firepower. He was just getting used to the dragon slayer's attacks, but this one blew the rest out of the water. 'What the hell…?' He tried blocking it with his shadow magic, but the fire broke through the flimsy barrier and pushed him against the wall, almost knocking him out.
Natsu was about to send a fist into Kageyama's jaw but he stopped when he head Erza. "Natsu! Stop! Don't knock him out! He might be our only way out!"
Natsu let go of Kageyama's collar and let him sink to the floor. Kageyama chuckled. "What makes you think I'm gonna help you flies?"
Erza stomped over, unsheathing a sword and jammed it right next to Kageyama's neck into the wall behind him. "You will dispel the wind wall. If you do not, I will not hesitate to plunge my sword into your heart. Am I understood?" Of course, she wouldn't really do that. She had to get him to do it one way or the other though.
Kageyama gulped, "Sure… I'll do it."
Erza took her sword back, "Good." Kageyama was about to stand up, but Karacka appeared out of the wall brandishing a knife.
Before anyone could react, the knife was already plunged into Kageyama's chest.
Shock and horror painted itself across the faces of the onlookers and Karacka retracted the blade, and started to flee the scene. The shock and horror morphed itself into fury and anger. Even if they were dark guild members, that wasn't an excuse to stab a comrade. Natsu took the most offence with this issue.
He busted through the wall that Karacka fled through, and found the fat weasel desperately trying to phase through the next, but he was just too slow. Natsu caught onto his shirt and pulled him out and shoved him onto the ground. He started a mighty thrashing that consisted of furious punches and devastating elbows.
"That! Was! Your! Comrade!" Each word was punctuated by a strike, landing with keen precision onto Karacka's now bloodied face. The onslaught of blows only ended when Erza grabbed onto Natsu's fist as he pulled back.
Though Erza herself was mad, she wouldn't allow herself or anyone for that matter to go too far. Karacka was beaten unconscious, no reason to keep it up. "Stop Natsu. He's had enough. He's already been knocked out, you might kill him if it goes on. Kageyama's still alive but he's out for the count so we can't rely on him to lift the Wind Wall. Hopefully Ichigo got out before the wind wall was erected. Let's have faith in him stopping Erigor before anything happens."
Natsu jerked his arm back from Erza's grip, huffed a puff of smoke from his nostrils and walked off. He settled back near the injured Kageyama. Nearby footsteps and a flutter of wings alerted the group to Lucy's entrance. She first saw the frowning group, confused at their faces. Then she saw the injured dark guild members and she pieced the puzzle together.
"So can we get out of this place? Or are we stuck here?" Lucy asked, praying for the best yet expecting the worst.
Erza broke the news. "Sadly we're stuck here due to the wind wall. The dome is surrounding the entire station. The only one that made it past quick enough was Ichigo. I just hope he is able to take down Erigor."
"You sure do put a lot of faith in the guy Erza. Back in Galuna, and now." Gray commented offhandedly.
Erza kept a strong front. "He is reliable and strong. Of course I would place my faith in him. He has helped us before, and there is no reason he won't do it again."
Natsu spoke up, "Hey Luce, can't you just like, teleport us out like your spirits. You know, like you put us in the spirit world then summon us on the other side of the wall."
Lucy shook her head, "No I can't do that. The celestial realm is only meant for spirits. For normal humans to enter it would spell trouble. And besides, I don't even know if I can put you in there or summon you back."
Lucy brainstormed for a little bit, then she was struck by an idea. "Wait… Erza, you said it was a dome that covered the station right?"
Erza was perplexed by her sudden outburst, but it seems like she had a possible solution. "Yes, that's the nature of the spell. It creates a wall of wind by accelerating the wind around an area in a dome shape. Why?"
Lucy smiled ear to ear. "Because I have a spirit that can dig us a way out."
-.-.-.-.-
Grimmjow was utterly and thoroughly bored. 'These sacks of shit can't put up a fight at all… Not that I would know since most of them didn't accept the fucking challenge!'
The instant he walked through the doors of the guild he situated himself in a cozy little booth with a chilled drink and issued a challenge to the guild members. All of which were none too happy that a random stranger just walked in as if he had some special entitlement. "Listen you weak little shits! I'm looking for anything strong to fight. If you can give me a good fight, I'll let you have this!" Grimmjow pulled out a sack filled with Jewel and put onto the table for grabs.
In an instant the entire guild was willing to fight with him, one poor sap even tried to punch him the instant he put the money down. A quick dodge and a back hand slap sent the guy through the walls of the guild.
The guild members all started pulling out weapons and had a hungry look in their eyes. They were all about to jump into a fight with the guy before Juvia stood in front all of them. She shouted, "Everyone stop! Juvia is warning you right now! You can't beat this guy!"
A few of the members took those words as an insult. "Eh?! Shut the fuck up you freaky rain woman! Move out the way so I can kill him!"
Juvia still tried to prevent them from attacking, and so did the rest of the elemental four. "Please stop trying! This man took out Gajeel in just a few seconds! Even with his Iron Skin!"
That dampened the morale of the group significantly. Gajeel was their guild's ace, and strongest member. And this guy took him out in a few seconds… What kind of monster did Jose bring back this time?
"How do we know you're not lying huh?"
Jose walked down the stairs from the second floor. "You're welcome to try if you'd like. Any deaths that occur will not be anyone's fault but your own. But be warned, what Juvia has said is the truth. Just look at the sorry state Gajeel is in now. Oh and if you do die, please do it outside, I do not want your blood staining the walls and floor of this marvellous guild."
The silence was deafening… Chills went down everyone's spine. Any man that would walk into a guild so brazenly with such a cocky proposal was either a fool or a monster. Grimmjow was a good mix of both, but the group didn't really know that of course. Still that didn't stop a brave few from trying.
Apparently no one taught them the difference between courage and stupidity though. Getting limbs sliced off and body parts burnt to a crisp was the harsh lesson they had to unfortunately learn at the hands of the sixth Espada.
The infirmary for the guild was quite busy that day. Resentment among the guild members for the Espada sky rocketed that day. And a gut feeling told the members that it would get much worse.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Erigor was quite satisfied at the turn of events. The flies were trapped in the train station and he had a clear path to the guild masters. The flute was safely tucked into his clothes as he flew over. The menacing scythe glimmered under the sun light. The blade dragged in the air, ready to be swung. 'Haha! Those stupid little fairies can't stop me from killing their guild master now! With this flute, I'm going to rule this damn world!'
A slight swish in the air caused him to look back. 'That's strange, that almost sounded like someone travelling in the air… Like I do… No, no, it must be my excitement playing tricks on me. I can't wait to use this little thing on those old geezers.' He grinned and looked back forward only to see a foot impact into his head.
He was sent plummeting straight down, causing the ground around him to crack slightly. Dazed, but still functioning, he looked up to see who attacked him. He saw an orange mop of hair.
"Hello there 'Shinigami'" greeted Ichigo, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Who the fuck are you?" Erigor responded angrily. His head hurt damn it!
Ichigo materialized his bow. "A substitute. And a lieutenant. You're lucky I didn't put too much force into that kick."
Erigor was pissed. "You mocking me you little fly?! I'll kill you!" Erigor flew at Ichigo in a burst of speed, swinging his scythe at Ichigo's neck.
Ichigo dodged easily, and pulled an arrow back. "You're welcome to try."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
[A/N] Cliffhanger! Haha! Sorry folks c:
We're fully into the lullaby arc now, and a little bit on the phantom arc. Things are gonna get more interesting now. Oh and if anyone could helpfully dispense some advice and wisdom on how to write better, be it fight scenes, character development, word count, descriptions, or romance build up, I would greatly appreciate it. After some rereading and comparison of my work to some of the best in the site, I find myself to be too mediocre for my own liking and I'd like to improve it in any way possible.
Some review reviewing to be done~
To Goost: Haha, no worries. I don't really mind spoilers. I hope this chapter was more interesting than the last. Glad you like my pairing for Toshiro. I never really understood the whole Karin thing. For a few reasons really. I don't think Ichigo would allow it, he's a captain that has known her for a solid few hours, and he grew up with Momo. And yeah I am pretty ignorant when it comes down to the Alvarez arc, since I haven't started it :p There's just something about Fairy Tail after the Grand Magic Games that repelled me away from it, whether it be Erza's budding relationship with Jellal or Natsu's with Lucy or the fact that the single strongest spell in Earthland is called Friendship, and it apparently obliterates everything in its path…
As for this story and all my future and subsequent works, I will be working based off some skimming through of the manga/anime and a combination of the wiki articles. I will try and dedicate some time into reading the manga, but for my stories I would honestly prefer it if I could create my own story and twist the plot, instead of following the canon plot all the way. I tried doing it in this story as you can see, with Ur being brought back, Phantom Lord etc. Hopefully you and the other readers will enjoy a fresh twist on the plot.
That being said I of course, won't be completely breaking the plot. I will still be following it, just in my own fashion I guess.
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To Redas: Thanks for the compliments!
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To Winged Serpent Of Light – BOTM : I will! :D
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To HaremLover: I never said Rukia wouldn't be in the story~ and I never said she would definitely be in it~ But as a pairing for Ichigo, sad to say, but both Rukia and Levy are out. And that's final. As a friendly brother-sister type of deal, yes. Romance? No. I don't mind entertaining the prospect of having certain characters like Flare, Cana, Ultear, Yoruichi, and the like being in Ichigo's harem, but for some characters, I won't. In this story, Levy is out of Ichigo's harem. Perhaps in some of my future stories, I'll have one of those, if not both be with him. Even though I am an IchiHime shipper, I don't mind writing an IchiRuki pairing.
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