Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
It ended up taking Natsu and Zeref ten days to reach Shalir. Traveling by foot was rather calming for the black wizard, and a nice change of pace for Natsu who was tired of taking trains and boats everywhere. While it had not followed Zeref's anticipated plan of taking only a week to arrive, the delay was expected. Not only had he stopped continually to work with Natsu more on growing his power, they had also been delayed in another town on their way north. Natsu had been at a restaurant, eating food quite rapidly while Zeref had been avoiding the public eye, resting in an alley nearby. When Natsu had vanished from sight, it did not take Zeref long to locate the dragon slayer in the town's local holding cell, imprisoned for not only refusing to pay for his food, but also for starting a brawl with one of the other patrons of the restaurant. Luckily, the dragon slayer was friends with their emperor and he was able to be freed, but the dilemma had delayed their travels for a day while the release paperwork was finalized.
Shalir was still a growing town, looking slightly smaller than Magnolia was. A few stores lined the streets they walked in, leading to a main intersection that would lead them either towards the guild that was housed in the city, the homes for most residents, or towards inns for visitors to stay in while they passed through. Natsu glanced at each building with interest, his gaze flickering over each of them as he walked side by side with Zeref.
"If we continue traveling straight, we shall reach the guild we are searching for," Zeref told Natsu when they paused at the main intersection, seeing people walking by on their way to and from work. Only a few people traveled towards the inns, considering it was not a tourist town, but many were moving towards their homes and the shopping district behind Zeref and Natsu. With it being midday, it was not surprising that the first shift employees were now trading out with their replacements at the stores.
Natsu frowned at Zeref's instructions, glancing over towards the inns on their right. "I guess. I was hoping to grab some food before we head into a fight, I'm starving. Besides, something over there smells really tasty."
Zeref sighed, having realized during their travels just how much the dragon slayer loved food. "How about we set this up as a job for you, Natsu?" Zeref stated, trying to get him to focus on the task at hand. The dragon slayer glanced at him with a frown, confused as Zeref continued to explain. "I wish to hire you to deal with a rebellious guild in this area. Return to me when you've completed your task and as your reward, I will treat you to the largest dinner you can eat at your choice of restaurant in Shalir."
Natsu slowly began to grin at Zeref, now looking eager to continue forward. He moved without another prompt from Zeref, towards the guild. "Alright, that sounds like something I can look forward to. I've been itching for a real fight since we started traveling, and it looks like I just might find one here."
As Natsu came closer to the guild, however, he froze, his eyes widening. "This smell…it smells like a…" he began, while Zeref nodded towards him.
"Dragon? That is not surprising, considering who was sent here to deal with this problem." Zeref commented. Natsu glanced at Zeref in surprise, who only smiled in return. "Irene Belserion is likely the owner of the scent you are detecting, and I would not advise on antagonizing her. Her past troubles her greatly, and unlike me, if you push for answers she will likely attack in anger."
Natsu nodded, looking wary as he gazed over towards the guild hall. The building was rather run-down, made of wooden walls with a door painted light green. Above the door was a sign, with a symbol of a crescent moon encircling a star. "So, this is the Crescent Cloud guild you kept talking about." Natsu commented, gazing up at the building.
Zeref nodded, aware that it did not look like much. Zeref had stopped paying them for their services before he had left earlier, due to a dilemma with the leader of the guild. She had demanded an increase in pay for their services, insisting that they were just as valuable, if not more valuable, than Zeref's own personal guard. At the time, it had angered him that someone would speak so rashly to him, thus he had taken away the money they wished so dearly to obtain. Now, they were revolting to try and gain that money, leaving Zeref left to clean up after their mess.
"So, why haven't your generals dealt with them yet?" Natsu asked, seeing Zeref shrug, unconcerned.
"Politics. Any action taken against a legal guild must be done with permission from myself. It was meant to avoid the pointless wars that your nation fought when wizard guilds were first becoming popular," Zeref explained.
Natsu nodded, smiling over at the door. "Alright, so do I have permission to break in and beat the crap out of these wizards?" he asked, glancing over at Zeref.
The black wizard couldn't help but smile slightly in amusement, nodding towards the dragon slayer in response. Natsu smirked as he sent his fist flying into the door, breaking it off of its hinges and sending the door bursting into the guild itself, colliding with tables and a few members seating within. "Hey, you guys are the wizards of Crescent Cloud, right?" Natsu demanded, seeing the faces of the wizards present turning towards him. "I'm here to send you a message from your emperor. He says to stop fooling around and get back to work!"
Zeref was right by Natsu, but he supposed the dragon slayer's words be be effective nonetheless. It was amusing to watch the lesser wizards of this guild attempt to take down the dragon slayer, throwing all kinds of magic at him. Requip magic was popular in this guild, as revealed by a small team of wizards battling with various swords against Natsu. When one was knocked out of their grip, another would appear and they would continue to battle, while another wizard utilized guns magic to add in ranged attacks behind them.
Natsu was grinning as he dodged their attacks, blocking some of them before unleashing his own flames against the members of this guild. "I think this calls for some uncontrolled magic, right Zeref?" Natsu asked, glancing back at the black wizard. He shrugged, aware that their empire had plenty of funds to rebuild if the fire wizard destroyed too much in his attack. "Then in that case….Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" With those words, Natsu sent a massive orb of fire into the next group of oncoming wizards.
A water wizard attempted to put out the flames, throwing a massive wave against the attack only to watch as her water evaporated away before even touching Natsu's attack. Steam rose in the guild hall, blurring the vision of the wizards who still remained standing for battle. Natsu's next attacks were physical, sending his elbows and fists flying into the closest wizards near him before they could recover their sight.
"I thought you said this would be a challenge." Natsu commented, glancing back at Zeref who shrugged. He had thought it would be, but it seemed as if some of the guilds had grown weaker in his absence. He would have to remember to tell Invel to schedule extra training for some of these smaller guilds that seemed to be lacking in the strength that the Alvarez Empire was known for.
When the last wizard had fallen, Natsu and Zeref stood among the injured bodies of the wizards around them. "I do not tolerate revolutions or rebellions in my kingdom," Zeref stated, talking to them for the first time. "Such acts remind me of war, and as such, I dislike them immensely. If you do not enjoy living under my rule, you are free to leave for another country. So long as you remain one of my subjects, I shall lead you as I see fit. If you disobey me again, I will personally be the one to punish you, and I promise you, I will not be nearly as merciful as my friend has been."
Natsu glared at the wizards within, turning to leave with Zeref. Standing at the door, however, was a woman with long red hair tied up in braids, with a massive hat covering the top of her head. "I see you've returned from your long absence, Emperor Spriggan. Is this a new toy for us to play with?" she commented with a small grin.
Zeref glared at her, not in the mood for her antics as he pushed her aside to leave. "I would not speak of Natsu that way, Irene," he warned, seeing her gaze flicker over to the boy who was studying her carefully.
"So…you found another dragon slayer." Natsu commented as he focused on her. "Tell me, what happened—" he began, but Zeref cut off his words with a harsh look.
"Natsu, remember my warning," he said quietly after a few tense moments, seeing Irene frown in confusion between the two.
The enchantress shrugged after a few moments, moving to join the two as the left the guild. "Well, I suppose having help won't hurt too much around here. As long as he pulls his own weight, I won't object. Besides, it isn't like he could surpass either of us in strength."
Natsu glared at her, clearly disliking the woman's attitude. "Don't underestimate me…I've got plenty of strength and I'll show you just what I'm made of if you keep talking down to me like that."
Zeref stood between them, shaking his head. "Enough, both of you. Irene, if you continue to antagonize him, I shall take away the gift I gave you so long ago," he warned, seeing the woman look haunted at the thought, glancing away. "Natsu, if you continue to threaten Irene, you will be facing an opponent even stronger than any you have fought against thus far. She is the only wizard I've met who claims to have the power necessary to destroy Acnologia, so tell me, do you wish to battle against someone who may actually be able to remain true to that assessment?"
The fire dragon slayer stared at her with wide eyes, shocked by the revelation. "Strong enough to….defeat Acnologia?" Zeref nodded, running a hand through his hair in irritation. "I…I guess I have a lot to learn, then. It seems like your dragon trained you well, otherwise you wouldn't be that powerful," Natsu said cheerfully, seeing Irene's expression turn harsh as she glared at him.
"You know nothing of my past or what I've gone through. Say another word about it and I promise, I will end you regardless of what his majesty wishes."
Zeref glared at her harshly, raising his arm only for her to step back fearfully. "Irene, that is enough!" he ordered. "Now, tell me before I lose my patience. What are the other guilds up to in this area?"
The woman nodded, agreeing to his request while avoiding Natsu's gaze. "They…they were following the lead of the guild you stopped here. I don't think they'll be causing us trouble again. Brandish was just waiting for your orders to finish her dealings with the guild in Lograin, and I was on my way to secure this town until you returned. It seems as if you arrived a bit late to be of much use to us, sire."
Zeref nodded, unconcerned. "Tell Brandish to hurry and deal with the others. Whether you like it or not, Natsu is training under my supervision. He will have your respect, and you will cease in this foolishness of yours. Do I make myself clear?" Zeref stated harshly, glaring over at Irene.
"You are training him? Don't tell me you are being foolish enough to replace me. You will never stand a chance against the black dragon without my power," she insisted, glaring at her emperor with anger in her eyes.
Zeref returned her glare in kind, with Natsu watching them go back and forth, unsure of if he should join in. "Acnologia is not our concern. In fact, I have a different task in mind for you. I need someone to keep an eye on my bookshelf, and your eye magic would be the perfect way to do so."
Irene looked even more upset now than before, no where near ready to back down. "I see how it is, with this friend of yours. You've grown soft, letting emotions cloud your judgment just as I knew they would when we went after Ishgar to obtain Fairy Heart. To be honest, I expected this to happen from your feelings for your former lover, not for those of a new one."
Zeref's eyes flashed red at her insinuation, his anger reaching its peak as Natsu stared in surprise at her comment. "Wait, go after Ishgar? Isn't that…that's what the other guys called my home…you were planning a war against us?" he demanded, turning towards Zeref.
"Irene Belserion, consider yourself relieved of your position among the Spriggan 12. From this day forth, you are no longer welcome in my empire. I do hope you enjoy the reward you've received for angering me," Zeref told her, waving his hand over her figure. "Consider yourself lucky that I am with this friend of mine," he stated, mimicking her pervious tone. "Without him, I would not have shown you any form of mercy."
Natsu was still focused on Zeref, too focused on the black wizard to see the transformation occurring to Irene. The woman was vanishing in a cloud of smoke, her body returning to its true form as Zeref removed his spell from her. Behind him stood a massive dragon, one which he ignored as he turned towards Natsu. "You tricked me. I helped you restore peace to this empire of yours…just so you could destroy my home. I guess you really are the type of wizard everyone says you are," he stated darkly, looking quite enraged. "In fact, I'll show you right now what happens when you mess with a member of Fairy Tail."
"Natsu…do you truly wish to fight me? You know I will not stop you. Perhaps you have grown strong enough…strong enough to destroy me," Zeref spoke softly, seeing the dragon slayer hesitate for a moment, flames still dancing on his fists. That hesitation did not last long, however. Natsu's expression hardened, his glare growing even fiercer as he sent his fist towards Zeref.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, sending the black wizard flying back into the body of a familiar dragon. Irene was still here, flying forward to defend Zeref from the dragon slayer.
Zeref saw this, his eyes widening in fear at the idea. "Irene, I order you—" he began, but the dragon let out a chuckle of amusement.
"I am no longer your subject, correct? That means I no longer have to follow your orders. I shall show you your mistake, and end this boy before he becomes a true interference to our plans," Irene stated, her voice now a bit deeper and more raspy in her true form.
Natsu was staring at her with shock on his features, seeing a dragon in the city. "You…you were a dragon this whole time?" he stated, glancing over at Zeref who was getting back up to his feet. "Well, I guess that means I have even more of a reason to fight. I'm gonna make you tell me where Igneel is, and once I'm done with you, I'm stopping Zeref before he comes to hurt any of my friends."
So, there's a ton of snow where I'm at right now. No school, which means I have time to write a bit more this week than usual! I hope you enjoyed this chapter (sorry for the cliffhanger). Feel free to review and tell me what you think!