The ring of steel upon steel echoed throughout the cavern, as Erza's blade met with those of six Resistance fighters, the former managing to easily overpower the latter and send their owners flying across the field, tumbling into the path of a certain fire wizard. "Roar of the Fire Dragon!" A blazing inferno engulfed the soldiers in front of Natsu, causing them to scatter and roll on the ground, in a desperate attempt to quench the flame. Icicles lanced out and shattered against the few who escaped, knocking them back further yet. Those who had managed to escape not only the fire, but also the relentless assault of Erza's dancing blades and Gray's dangerous shards of ice, were quickly dispatched by a combination of powerful blows from Loke's fists and Lucy's ethereal whip. As the last fighter was downed, his great sword knocked cleanly out of his hands by Natsu's flaming fist, a tall figure, armored in white, stepped into the arena.
"Interesting", Levail nodded, his white armor gleaming in the dimly lit cavern. "You do, indeed, seem to be who you say you are." Erza's sword disappeared in a bright dazzle, as she strode over to him confidently, folding her arms in front of him with satisfied expression. "However, be that as it may, the story of your arrival from another world...forgive me but it seems quite unbelievable."
"It is as they say Levail", a great voice boomed from the corner of the cavern, as the emerald dragon from their initial encounter with the Resistance, moved in with a great stride, his head barely clearing the high cavern ceiling above. "They speak truth about this 'other world'. It is legend amongst my kind." The dark-skinned man, Levail, stroked his chin contemplatively, as if vexed by this sudden information, before his clouded expression cleared into one of pleasant welcome.
"Very well. We will take you up on your offer", he said to Erza, holding out his hand as a sign of agreement, which Erza shook readily. "Welcome to the Resistance."
"Previously, our lands also had wizards of immeasurable number", Levail explained to the team as he led them down a series of corridors, cut deep into the side of a massive mountain. Upon their arrival, the team had explained the circumstances of their sudden appearance at what had turned out to be the entrance to the Resistance headquarters, where they were met by the Resistance's vanguard themselves. This was initially met by disbelief, founded upon the theory that the team were spies of the Order, as well as the fact that they were accompanied by a Wyvern Scout from the Barracks. However, their demonstration of their powers to Levail inside a cavern, against some of the Resistance's best non-magic users, led him to the conclusion that their seemingly implausible account was completely true; they were adept users of magic, possessing power that simply couldn't belong to the Black Alliance.
"What happened to them?" Lucy asked, inquisitively.
"They were persecuted, and still are: tracked down and captured by members of the Black Alliance, and held in lacrima cells. They're unable to use magic there without risking their lives, as well as those of the people locked up with them." A grim expression settled upon Levail's silent features, as he recounted the events, and recalled experienced of his own. The conversation lapsed, the group falling into an uncomfortable silence, as they walked on past the corridors.
"So is that how you knew we were wizards, then?" Gray hazarded, wishing to change the subject of conversation.
"Indeed", Levail nodded. "If you were truly part of the Alliance, the only magic you would possess would come from your weapons, or it would be Black Dracanei magic. Also, even if the Order did, somehow, possess mages as powerful as you all", he gestured to the team, "they would not send them on a simple scouting mission. We're here." Levail led them inside a small room, where he flicked down a black lever. The whirring of moving metal rose to a mellow drone, as the room began to move upwards, elevating the team past thousands of tons of dark mountain rock. Finally, the team emerged from the small room, having reached its maximum height, onto a smooth ledge of gray marble.
Beyond them was truly a sight to behold. Lustrous pearls of light beaded the streets of the city beneath their feet, and far beyond, the light from the lacrima orbs illuminating the spectacle with incredible radiance. Rows upon rows of white stone created a mesh-like formation around six massive crystal bulwarks that rose up into the cavern ceiling, glittering with the captured light from the lacrima around it. Upon closer inspection, the criss-crossing of the marble structures revealed crowds of tiny people, forming clusters around some, whilst others on strange crystalline vehicles swerved past them, making their way across the elaborate series of gridded pathways that led to holes in the cavern wall. "This is the shopping district. It is where our citizens gather to buy materials found throughout the mountains, and the small clusters of jungle within the range" Levail announced proudly, with a flourish of his cape, as he led the team down a series of carefully carved stairs in the mountain. "Directly beside it is our residential district", he pointed to a doorway in the wall of the leftmost cavern, lined with glowing sapphire. "however I'll introduce this to you later on. Directly ahead is our destination: the palace. Our queen would wish to meet you directly."
"Your queen?" Gray questioned.
"The rightful ruler of Drakonia, before the Black Alliance's tyranny erupted throughout the continent." Levail's chin jutted downward in obvious displeasure at the recollection of their enemy. "She appeared to us during the brink of a war between humans and dragons some years ago. It was then that the Order of Humanity was the most powerful, and they sought to exterminate all dragons, before our Queen stopped their plot and united our two races. Now, they have undone everything she has achieved, which is why we must retaliate. Step aboard."
The team, now at the bottom of the staircase and on one of the outmost streets of the Resistance's city, stepped toward a large horizontal crystal, with identical engravings every few inches upon its surface. "They're handholds", Levail explained patiently, as he deftly manoeuvred himself atop the front of the crystal, placing his hands within what had turned out to be grooves in the crystal, rather than engravings. Erza, with a confident stride, leapt upon the crystal and slid her hands into the ridges with a fluid motion. Natsu was eventually dragged onto the crystal at the insistence of Gray and Lucy, and finally a timid Dolby approached the crystal, looking nervously behind him.
"Worried about Al?" Lucy asked kindly, holding a hand out to Dolby, to help him get up.
"It's the first time we've been apart since we met", his bottom lip quivered, as he nervously pondered the fate of his friend.
"Your friend will meet us at the place we're headed. I had Vireon,the dragon you met eariler, show him" Levail called from the front of the crystal. Dolby's eyes lit up at the thought of being reunited with Al, and leapt onto the crystal with as much enthusiasm as Natsu lacked. "Ready all?" Levail called, tapping the front of the crystal once, causing it to shimmer with an expectant ruby light, levitating a foot above the ground.
"No-" Natsu started, before Gray clamped a hand upon his mouth.
"Go for it, before he tries to get off!" Gray called urgently.
"You won't escape this, Natsu!" Erza said to the fire wizard, as she pinned his flailing legs, whilst Gray restricted him in a headlock.
"Step on it!" Lucy called, tying Natsu's arms behind his back with her Celestial whip, as Dolby ducked and screamed, narrowly avoiding a stream of fire which came from an indignant Natsu's mouth.
"Let go! Happy!" Natsu called instinctively for his partner's help.
"Happy isn't here to save you this time, firehead", Gray grinned, as he helped Lucy pinned Natsu's arms further behind his back.
Levail looked at the spectacle behind him with an astounded curiousity, and growing amusement, smiling as he thought to himself: So these are the people that are going to change this world? Their energy infectious, Levail spurred the crystal on with newfound enthusiasm. "Next stop on our list: The Emerald Palace!" However, despite his announcement, nobody seemed to take note of the palace's unusual title, too busy having fun stopping Natsu from getting off the crystal, or too busy attempting not to throw up, if you happened to be Natsu.
A/N: Really sorry about the exceptionally long delay for writing this one, guys. I do still intend to update regularly, however schoolwork and several recitals/productions are really taking a large chunk out of my time. Still, I do hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it: it's a refreshing break from homework and rehearsals.