Author's Note: The title says it all! Time for an original arc! I know you're all excited for the GMG but there are things that need to be set up and hopefully you'll enjoy the world building involved. Without further delay, on wards!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
Let me know your thoughts! Review!
"You … meanie …" she grumbled with her face buried into a head of silver hair.
"But you look so cute," Mira teased back even as a blush tinted Diana's cheeks.
She didn't reply to that, instead focusing on the scent of vanilla and cinnamon while they continued on their way to Magnolia. As it turned out, Mira had decided to get an entire change of clothes for each of them and made damn sure Diana wore it. Her prayers were obviously not answered since it turned out Mira got her some lacy blue bra and panty set, a black miniskirt to show off her legs, a dark blue, cropped shirt that revealed an embarrassing amount of cleavage and her toned stomach, and lastly some black flats. Her regular clothes was left in a small duffle bag along with a similar bag for Mira's clothes and a large set of bags tied to Romulus' sides for easy carry.
Said Hellhound was bounding across the terrain without a care in the world, following close to the train tracks as a sure guide to reaching Magnolia while the two mages sat comfortably on his back … or at least, Mira was. Diana, being unable to get herself to sit the regular way due to the small skirt, sat with her legs to one side while holding onto Mira this time. Mira herself chose to wear a pair of purple short shorts, black blouse, and purple flats, all coming together with a matching set of black panties and bra. Diana nearly had a heart attack when Mira stepped out of the bathroom in such a scantily clad form though she had managed to hide her blush.
Then they also learned that Romulus was not one to be very tactful, regardless if what he said was a compliment or not. Outright saying that Mira was 'hot as Hell' and that 'he would know' made both girls blush. Diana from second hand embarrassment while looking at Mira which then lead to said demoness suddenly getting shy and running back into the bathroom to get fully dressed. Afterwards they managed to get a pleasant breakfast, even though Romulus kept trying to sneak a bit regardless of the fact that he didn't need any.
Then, they went shopping for some bags to transfer the jewels to so Romulus could carry it comfortably alone with some steel wire and leather cover that Diana used to properly seal the Grimoire before depositing it in her bag along with her jacket and clothes. After all was set and done, the mages hopped onto Romulus and left for Magnolia, making great time. Even at a leisurely pace for him, Romulus easily could overtake the regular trains, and add the fact that he didn't need to make any stops or go around some lakes meant that the 3 hour trip was reduced to a little under 2.
Diana could already tell that they were getting close to the town judging by the smells, mainly the lily fields that surround a good portion of the area. She leaned her head around to rest on Mira's shoulder as she spotted the familiar towers of the cathedral. Soon the rest of the town came into view, Romulus slowing done a bit as he asked them.
"Where to now?" he asked while quickly glancing back at them.
"Circle the town and head for the hills on the west side," Mira answered before Romulus sped up again, using some of the surrounding trees and hills to hide his massive body from view.
"Good idea going around town," Diana commented as watched the landscape go by.
In just a few short minutes they arrived right outside the guildhall without anyone noticing them since Diana asked Romulus to move quietly which proved very simple for the experienced hound. Slowly slipping off Romulus' back and straightening out her skirt to make sure her underwear wasn't visible, Diana started to untied all the bags off of Romulus, Mira soon helping out. Each then had two packs slung over their shoulders, one with their split of the money and the other with the extra clothes. Romulus shrunk down to his pug size and hopped onto Diana's head, getting more than comfortable from his new seat.
"Sure you won't fall off?" Diana asked softly as she glanced up at her hound.
"I have an innate sense of balance," he replied proudly.
Diana just sighed as she opened the door to see that just about everyone was in and all heads had turned to look at them. She instantly felt a blush come to her cheeks as she realized most of the gazes were on her thanks to her rather revealing wardrobe.
"Hey everyone," Mira happily greeted, unfazed by the attention.
"You're back!" was the return chorus as Diana and Mira made their way to the counter where Makarov was sitting with Laxus and Erza.
Diana noticed the look in Makarov's eyes and shot him a cold glare, the old perv paling somewhat as he cleared his throat to get everyone to quiet down.
"Hello ladies," he started as the girls stopped just a few feet in front of him. "So, how was the SS mission?"
"It went well," Mira replied cheerily. "Took out nearly 25 Hellhounds and one special case."
"What!?" several of the mages gasped out, having heard about the mission and the dangers involved.
"25 Hellhounds? Now that is impressive," Makarov said with a grin. "And what about the special case?"
As Mira was getting around to answering Diana felt a slight tap on her leg. She glanced down to see Asuka smiling up at her while glancing at Romulus on her head. Diana smiled as she knelt down while dropping her bags to be almost eye level with the child.
"Hey Asuka," she greeted, having interacted with Bisca and Alzack's daughter a few times but never more than a few words and greetings. "What's up?"
"Is that your puppy?" she asked in a sweet voice.
Diana nodded with a smile before reaching up and plucking the miniature hound off her head before setting him down in front of her. Romulus glanced back at her as if unsure but after a soft nod, got closer to Asuka before sniffing her outstretched hand. The girl in turn giggled before Romulus started to lick and nuzzle her hand, a few of the mages around them cooing at the cute sight.
"… So then as it turned out, there was a Cerberus as well," she heard Mira say.
"A Cerberus!?" Makarov shouted in shock, making most of the mages present look at him in worry aside for Diana, Mira, and Asuka who was currently preoccupied with scratching Romulus on the belly.
"Master, what's a Cerberus?" Wendy asked innocently as she approached the group, the rest of the guild listening in closely since most probably weren't aware of what said Hellhound was.
"A C-Cerberus," Levy started to answer as she paled slightly while most of the guild looked at her now. "If I remember correctly, the original guard dog of the underworld was split into three dogs. Each one was an immensely powerful Hellhound capable of fighting on par with some of the strongest magical creatures around and rumored to be nearly unbeatable."
"That is correct," Makarov picked up for her. "A Cerberus alone could warrant an SS mission and few who've ever faced one have lived to tell the tale. The only known way to fight one is to use highly specialized exorcist techniques or fighting with other demonic entities."
After a moment of silence as the facts settled in, most of the mages turned to look at Mira and Diana since she was standing upright now.
"So … who beat the Cerberus?" Makarov asked.
"Diana did," Mira answered while bumping shoulders with her. "But not in the way you'd think."
"Oh? And why is that?" Makarov asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Diana, making her shuffle on her feet nervously.
"Well … I could have beaten it but …" Diana started in a soft voice, her shy nature striking her with a vengeance.
"But …" Mira persisted as she gave her a sly smile.
"Don't pressure me," she whined at the She-demon only to get a playful smirk back.
"You asked for it," Mira replied coolly making Diana simply pout at her.
Makarov cleared his throat to draw their attention. "But what?" he asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this already.
"I … kept … him," she barely whispered.
"I beg your pardon?" Makarov asked as he leaned closer.
"I kept him," Diana squeaked while looking at her feet.
"WHAT!" several shouts rang out in disbelief making Diana flinch from the sound bombarding her ears.
After some of the noise died down Diana looked at Makarov who looked somewhere between confused and intrigued.
"You kept him … a Cerberus?" he asked again just to reaffirm to which she nodded. "How? Where in fact?"
"Umm …" Diana mumbled as she poked her fingers together before slowly pointing at Asuka still playing with Romulus.
Everyone followed her finger to see the pure white wolf puppy playing with their youngest member, only to give her confused looks. Mira then sighed as she stepped closer and picked Romulus up, much to his and Asuka's disappointment, before holding him in her arms as she looked at Makarov.
"Meet Romulus, Diana's Cerberus," Mira said as if it was the most regular thing in the world.
"EEHHHH!" everyone shouted at the same time as they stared at the apparent Hellhound in Mira's arms.
"That's a Hellhound?" Wendy asked as she leaned closer to get a better look even as Carla sat on her shoulder while scowling at the hound.
Romulus just gave her the canine equivalent of a smile as he leaned closer to try and sniff her while wagging his tail. Wendy then cooed at the adorable display before gingerly petting him. 'That little fur ball is definitely a ladies man,' Diana thought as she giggled at the sight before glancing around, noticing that the other exceed looked a little nervous.
"But I thought Hellhounds were supposed to be scary," Lisanna commented as she got closer before petting him as well.
"That's just his reduced form," Diana said as she opened her arms.
Romulus took the invite and wriggled in Mira's arms for a moment before hopping into Diana's, immediately nuzzling her cheek before giving it an affectionate lick.
"Really?" Wendy and Lisanna asked excitedly.
"Want to see his real form?" Diana asked getting some quick nods from the girls and several other guild members.
"Are you sure?" Mira asked as she glanced at Romulus before looking to Asuka. "He might be a little scary for some."
"He won't hurt anyone," Diana defended as she held him up to her face. "Right?"
"Of course Alpha," Romulus happily replied before licking her nose.
"Did he just talk?" Makarov asked in shock.
"Yeah, he has telepathy," Mira answered.
"That's so cool!" Asuka and Wendy cheered.
Diana just giggled as she hugged onto Romulus while walking back out of the guild, most of the members following along. Once she was outside she walked a slight distance from the guild before turning around to see just about everyone outside looking at her and Romulus. She glanced at him before simply tossing him up, earned a few surprised cries from some of the younger members.
As he started to fall, Romulus became cloaked in his dark purple flames much to everyone's surprise before he landed with a slight boom, the dust and flames dissipating to reveal the full Hellhound. Everyone gasped at the sight of the immense creature that towered beside her, from his glowing white coat to his black eyes with their small white pupils, his paws and tail that were still alight in his flames. As if to inflate his ego even more, Romulus took a deep breath before giving a howl-like roar while torrents of blazing purple flames shot out of his maw into the sky.
"He can breathe fire!?" Natsu shouted in shock as almost everyone's jaws hit the floor, the temperature around them rising abruptly.
After his roar died down Romulus started to nuzzle her cheek again while everyone else stood in shock at the display except for Mira who was giggling at the faces around her. 'You really overdid it,' she thought as she stroked his snout.
'But I wanted to show them how strong I am,' Romulus whined in her head.
'You can hear my thoughts?' Diana asked internally as she raised her eyebrow at the showy hound.
'If it is a direct link with one or two people, yes,' Romulus replied while licking her hand.
'Still … you didn't need to roar like that. They could feel your power the moment you shifted,' she chastised as she scratched his ear.
'No fun,' Romulus whimpered before laying down like a mopey puppy as if his flames snuffed out.
Diana just scoffed at him before turning to the group approaching her after having gotten over the display. It was mainly Asuka hiding behind Mira's leg, Wendy minus Carla who was staying very far from the hound, Lisanna, and Makarov. As they neared Diana kneeled down again to look at Asuka with a tender smile, the girl glancing between her and Romulus.
"Hey Asuka, no need to be scared," she said softly as the little girl drew closer. "He's just a big puppy."
To drive her words home Romulus laid his head on the ground while giving Asuka the wettest eyes he could, the little girl giggling at the display before shyly walking closer. She then slowly reached out with one hand and gently resting it on his snout. His tail started to wag as Asuka got a little more confident and started to pet him in earnest along his head. With Asuka finally breaking the ice Wendy and Lisanna stepped closer as well before petting him along the ears and neck, his tail wagging even more.
"His fur is really soft," Lisanna commented with a smile as she looked over the large hound.
"Yeah and he's warm too," Wendy added as she hugged his side.
'Makes a great little snuggle buddy,' Diana thought fondly as she recalled having the hound cuddle up to her neck during the night spent in Ocir. She could see Romulus giving her a practically smug grin as his tailed wagged even harder.
"You can get on him if you want," Diana offered as she lifted Asuka and put her on the peak of Romulus' shoulders.
The two young mages soon followed with Wendy being directly behind Asuka and then followed by Lisanna. In a few moments Romulus slowly stood back up to his full height, letting the girls tower over the rest of their guildmates.
Alpha, can I take them for a ride?' Romulus asked as he reared his head up with his chest proudly held out.
'Don't drop them or it's your tail,' Diana messaged back before looking at the beaming girls.
"Hey Wendy, grab Asuka and his fur. Lisanna, same thing," she instructed with a slight smirk.
The girls looked at her questioningly but did as they were told. Not a second later Romulus bounded forward for a few steps before leaping into the air as his tail and paws ignited. Then, as if the air had cemented before him, Romulus bounded across the sky as he ascended to greater heights. Even though they rose to a fair distance, Diana could clearly hear the shouts of glee as Romulus ran through the air, a purple pulse firing off his feet every time he seemed to jump.
"He can fly!" Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily shouted together in horror making several mages around them snicker in amusement. Happy then promptly passed out as his spirit tried to escape his body through his mouth, Natsu frantically trying to shove it back in while all the color drained from Pantherlily's body.
"Darn, I wanted to fly too," Mira commented beside her with a cute pout.
"We can always go later," Diana said happily as she poked Mira playfully.
"I'll hold you to it," Mira teased back with a smile.
Diana let another giggle escape her as she turned to look at the other mages, most having their eyes trained on the flying wolf.
"I must say, that is quite the impressive partner you got there," Makarov commented as he watched the hound as well.
"Partner? Hmm … well he is strong and he did say he'll follow me anywhere," Diana mumbled to herself, wondering just what she was going to do about her Cerberus.
Honestly, she'd just wanted to keep an eye on him and thought he would make a great pet, especially since she loved dogs. But now that Makarov mentioned it, having Romulus as her partner really didn't have any down sides. She also had to admit that she liked what she saw in how the slayers interacted with their exceeds. She smiled warmly at the thought before she looked to the gawking mages.
"Hey, I think he can do another ride without getting tired if anyone wants too," she offered.
Several of the mages looked at her, seeming to contemplate the offer but there didn't look like any takers. Or at least, that was until a shy Levy slowly walked towards her. Diana gave her an encouraging smile as the little bluenette walked up to her.
"I-Is it really ok?" she asked timidly.
"Sure," Diana replied sweetly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure Romulus is a ladies man and won't have it in him to say no," she added with a playful tone.
"O-ok," Levy replied as she looked to the Hellhound as it came down on its descent.
It landed at a running pace at one end of the clearing before happily jogging up to Diana's side before laying down again. The moment Diana, Mira, and Levy got a good look at the girls on Romulus' back, they broke out in a fit of laughter. Thanks to their little joy ride, all three girls had their hair disheveled in funny angles even as they all had big and goofy grins on their faces. After getting over their laughter Diana helped Asuka get off while Wendy and Lisanna slide off, giving Romulus affectionate pats on his head. Once the three were clear Levy approached him cautiously, holding her hand out the same way the others had. Romulus sniffed her for a moment before nuzzling her hand as well, the petite girl smiling as she then scratched the top of his head.
"So, are you getting on?" Diana asked softly.
Levy gave a timid nod as she started to climb onto his shoulder, using his foreleg as a stepping stone to comfortable reach. Good thing she was wearing the orange dress with the tights under or she could possibly flashed the entire guild. Once Levy was situated Diana glanced back to see if anyone else wanted to ride but it seemed like everyone else was either too shy of her or Romulus to approach or just didn't want to look like little kids at an amusement park.
'They're the ones missing out,' she thought as she was about to send Romulus off when two rather expected shouts caught her attention.
"Wait Levy, we'll go with you!" Jet and Droy shouted together as then drew closer.
"Nope," Romulus said telepathically at the pair, making them look at him in confusion.
"Why not?" Jet asked indignantly.
"You smell weird," Romulus replied as he glanced at Jet before shifting to Droy. "And you're too big."
The two males of team Shadow Gear deflated at the statements as Romulus leaned his head up to Diana's so they could look directly at each other.
'Why'd you really stop them?' she asked mentally with a tilt of the head.
'They smell desperate for the girl. Can't tolerate such action,' Romulus answered as he reared up before bounding off, repeating the process of jumping into the skies with his paws and tail aflame.
As Diana watched him she could understand his reasoning. In the basest form, Jet and Droy were weak members of the guild vainly trying to cling onto something that isn't there's and never was. Hell she could practically taste the pheromones coming off the pair when they got near Levy … and they wonder why Gajeel gets angry at them so easily. 'Well … it looks like the ladies of Fairy Tail have a new guard dog, literally,' she mused as she glanced at the silent master beside her.
"Hey master," she said gently as he looked at her. "There's something else Mira and I need to talk to you about."
Makarov looked at her for a few seconds before giving a solid nod, showing that he understood the need for privacy.
They then waited for a few more minutes before Romulus arrived with Levy, the solid script mage being in a similar state to Romulus' previous passengers. Once she was off Romulus panted for a moment before jumping at Diana in a purple fireball. She held her arms out as the pug sized wolf landed in her arms, slightly steaming as he cuddled against her chest. 'Little sucker … I know what you're doing,' she thought at him as he looked up at her.
'Yet you do nothing to stop me,' he replied smugly before she adjusted him so that his back was to her with his front legs draped over her arms.
Soon the mages started to enter the guild hall again, each returning to their previous seating as Diana and Mira followed Makarov to the back room. Quickly pausing to give Romulus to Lisanna, knowing that he would be more than happy to be cuddled by the affectionate girl, much to Happy's dismay. She then grabbed her bag containing the Grimoire before joining Makarov and Mira in the back room. Casting a quick spell to lock in any noises, the pair turned to look at Makarov sternly as he sat on his desk.
"Well, what is it you need to tell me?" Makarov asked in a slightly business-like manner.
Diana and Mira shared a glance before Diana rummaged through her bag. After a moment she pulled out the book bounded by dark leather and steel wires. She then placed the bag down before displaying the item to Makarov.
"Master, do you know what a Grimoire is?" Diana asked softly.
Makarov's paling face was her answer as he stared at the sealed book.
"Is that …?" he asked in a low tone.
"Yes … it's why the Hellhounds appeared," she answered.
"They were trying to guard it after an excavation team found it," Mira added.
"And what is in it?" Makarov as sternly.
"A piece of a Devil soul," Diana answered as she glanced at the book. "But I'm not sure which one."
"And what do you plan on doing with it?" Makarov asked.
"Honestly, I would like to decipher it to find out which Devil it is. If the book was discovered, and I have a suspicion that it wasn't on accident, then it's possible that the sight containing the full soul may be compromised," she replied seriously.
"What makes you say that?" Mira asked.
"There are several forms of lock and keys used to seal souls of this magnitude. The split means that either piece taken is useless without the counterpart. The Grimoire is also the only written direction on how to properly release the given soul and access the crypt the other piece is kept in," Diana explained while looking between the two mages.
"So someone found the crypt but couldn't reach the soul so they sent out a team to find the Grimoire," Mira surmised as she looked at the book.
Diana nodded as she looked at Makarov. "I want to make sure the crypt is safe and if necessary, create new seals."
Makarov remained silent for a few minutes, his brows furrowed as he looked intently at the book.
"Very well," he finally said as she looked at the S-class mages in front of him. "It seems that the times are rather convenient so Diana, I will give you a mission that is for you and Mira only."
Both mages stood at attention, waiting for their master to speak.
"Tomorrow is the 3 month period marker for the Grand Magic Games. Track down this crypt and secure it during your training period, but let no one else know of this, even those that come to join you," he said in a low tone.
Both mages nodded slowly, understanding the gravity of the situation. Diana then returned the book to her bag before dispelling the sound barrier.
"Well, time for some announcements then," Makarov said in a suddenly peppy tone as he was walking past Diana.
Just as he stepped beside her she caught his hand going for a spank with a devious glint in his eyes. Before she could react or Makarov for that matter, Mira gave a vicious chop to the top of his head, firmly burying his face in the hard wood floors. Diana looked at Mira in surprise as the demoness blew the steam coming off her hand before Mira gave her a sweet smile.
"N-no … m-mer-cy," Makarov muttered with his face still in the floor.
Diana and Mira didn't really even look at him as they stepped out of the office, leaving the old perv to regain his footing alone. As they walked out they both cooed as they saw Romulus snuggling in Wendy's arms as Asuka petted him, some of the other females also fawning over the adorable Hellhound. The pair walked up to the table where the girls sat, Romulus immediately perking his head up and looking at her.
"Alpha!" Romulus cheered before he hopped into her outstretched arms.
She hugged him to her chest as she sat down at the table with Lisanna, Wendy, and Asuka while she waited for Makarov to arrive for his announcements. It didn't take long for the master to appear, a very nice goose egg forming on his head, as he hopped to his usual spot on the counter to get everyone's attention. After loudly clearing his throat and dismissing some questions about his bump, Makarov spoke in a strong voice to make sure everyone was paying attention.
"Listen up brats!" he started with a grin. "As you are all aware, it has been decided that the guild shall participate in the Grand Magic Games this year. Now, we have finally reached the 3 month marker before the games and so, it is time for each and every one of you to head out for full on training. Gather your supplies, lock up your homes, form teams if you so wish, and be ready to head out by tomorrow!"
The guild started bustling with chatter as the mages formed up or started discussing their plans. With the slight mayhem Diana stood up while glancing at Mira, the take-over mage looking back with serious eyes. They shared a quick nod before Diana collected her bags and started to walk out of the guild. She knew Mira would handle who came along with them while she prepared their route and destination. She slipped out unnoticed before tossing Romulus up, the Hellhound immediately shifting to his true form before laying down in front of her.
'Ready to go?' she messaged him as she tied on her bags to his sides.
'Ready and waiting Alpha,' he replied as he glanced back at her.
"Good," she said out loud as she hopped onto his shoulders with her legs dangling off to the right side. "Head to the south," she directed before Romulus started to run, the terrain soon passing by.
As they moved Diana thought to the Grimoire and the mission she now had. It would be dangerous but hopefully Mira would be able to form an adequate team that could handle the dangers … or at least take care of themselves while she and Mira handled it alone. Still for now she was going to have a long night to try and decode some of the Grimoire in hopes of learning the location or general area of the crypt …
Author's Rant: And with that, things will get rolling. Time to train ... and possible shenanigans