Chapter 38...
"Continue patrolling the valley, then afterwards I want any Earth-Land Mages that are still conscious to be hooked up to the Nex. Finally, as soon as the last group comes through, we will commence preparations for the invasion. That is all!" The Erza lookalike ordered her troops.
"Yes ma'am!" The soldiers saluted and began marching away from the barracks. The red head turned and headed towards a large tent. She went inside and in it was a restrained Erza who was blind folded. Her lookalike just scoffed.
"You look tired. Shall I unshackle you and prepare a bed for you?" She joked.
"I'd much rather be with my comrades in the dirt thank you very much." Erza retorted.
"Cheeky. I must say, in almost every aspect, you look quite similar to me." She yanked her hair to get a better look at her. "What's your name?" She asked.
"Erza...Erza Scarlet of Mermaid Heel." She said
"Hmm, I think i'll call you Scarlet. Simply because we share the same name.
"Nani?"
"My name is Erza Knightwalker. The strongest warrior in the kingdom."
"Kingdom?" Erza was confused. She pushed her away and just circled. "Tell me..Scarlet. Do you have any idea whom you are dealing with?"
"At the moment, a coward. If you think I'll help you with anything you're planning-"
"We don't require your assistance other than fueling the Dorma Anim. Anything we learn along the way is a bonus." She continued to explain. "You see Scarlet, we are from another world that is a..flipside to Earth-Land. Our world is called Edolas."
"Edolas..?" Erza repeated.
"Our world is dying. Magic is becoming more scarce for the kingdom, and people have been fighting among'st themselves for it. We all had but given up, but then discovered a vast new world that was brimming with magic. Your world." She smiled. "So that is why we are here, Scarlet. We will be taking this world's magic and putting it to better use than you ever would."
"You must really think..you'll get your way with our world." Erza said.
"Hm? If you're referring to Earth-Land Wizards, we have made adequate countermeasures."
"Your countermeasures will do you little good."
"And yet, here we are." She raised her arms. "I'll think you will find that even people who can't use magic like a wizard are not to be underestimated."
"Then why haven't you begun attacking?" Erza asked.
"Preparations. Once the final force arrives, we will begin. Guards, take the prisoner back to the cells!" She called out. Two men then came and unshackled her and dragged her back.
"It won't be long now. Soon, we will have a world of magic." She smiled.
Natsu and Treya were peeking over a bush. They were close to the complex and were staring at the front entrance. Only two guards were patrolling back and forth.
"I see two." Natsu said narrowing his eye. "But I smell five. They're probably cloaked or something...along the outside of the walls." He looked hard, and he noticed a three blurs that were just standing against the wall. "I've never seen invisibility type magic."
"No my mate. The flow in their magic feels similar to a device. Whatever they are wearing, it clearly is giving them the ability to be transparent." She corrected him.
"...(Sigh)." Natsu sounded annoyed.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I wanted to avoid it, but looks like we're gonna need to kill them." He furrowed his eye.
"It is unavoidable. If we are to get in, those three would be hindrances by the time we could render them unconscious."
"The thought had occurred." Natsu said.
"You need not dirty your hands with the blood of-"
"No. I'm gonna do it." He untied his jacket and put it on, He then pulled the hood over his head and summoned his sword. "Knocking them out is going to be difficult enough when they're so close to the-"
"My mate.." Treya interjected. She put her hand on his cheek and turned his head toward her. "..You do not need to justify it. Why do you think they are wearing anti-magic armor? They are soldiers prepared to fight wizards." She noted.
"...You know sometimes I wonder if my reasons for doing what I do is just a way of justifying the way I do things. But then I remember that even the world isn't a nice place. Don't worry Treya. I don't do these things only to hesitate at the moment." He said turning back to the entrance.
"I was not doubting you."
"It's alright Treya. Doubts are what let me keep my humanity alive. But then again, i'm just crazy." He smiled. "Lets do this."
"I'll get the ones along the wall." Treya began to leave, but was stopped by his hand grabbing her shoulder..
"Try to keep the body count low. The element of surprise is what i'm banking on." He stated.
"I know. I'll move when you do." Treya nodded and sneaked away to flank the three invisible guards. Natsu went in the opposite direction. The two guards were just standing there looking out.
"See anything?" One of them asked.
"No."
"It's too quiet. I expected there to be at least a little resistance after earlier."
"I think it's a waste we let those Earth-Land wizards just sit in the Nex all day. Especially that one that looks like captain Knightwalker."
"I know what your thinking. Knightwalker would bleed you like a faucet the second you even suggested that."
"Oh, c'mon you want a peek too don't you?"
"Yeah whateve-" Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by two sword slashes that took their heads clean off in the blink of an eye. Then suddenly they burst into flames and they were seared through their armor. The flames vanished and the only thing that remained was a small pile of black ashes on the ground. Natsu whipped his sword and sheathed it horizontally.
"Intruder!"
"Quick we must-!" The three cloaked troops were attempting to raise the alarm but a green blur zipped past them and tagged them all on the back. Bluish crystal shot out of their chests and their hearts were skewered at the end.
"Uugh.." They dropped one at a time and bled out into pools of their own blood. Treya then turned to Natsu who had come over. They dragged their bodies back into the tree line.
"What about the other two?" Treya asked.
"What about them?" Natsu said and just walked back towards the fence. Treya looked hard and she saw two burn marks on the ground where the two guards were. "..Not a trace left. I see why The One-Eyed Dragon is feared by dark mages." She had to admit. She heard the rumors, but to see it actually happen was definitely more believable. She rushed to Natsu's side and they hugged the wall untill they reached the entrance. Natsu peeked out and he looked around. He saw about fifty troops walking around the base. They kept coming in and out of the tents and small buildings.
"This base is definitely a staging area...the question is, what are they waiting for?" He waited till no one was looking and they sneaked inside and got behind one of the tents that was against the walls.
"I saw some strange containers that were holding people just beyond that barracks." Treya said.
"That's probably where they are."
"You neglected to mention who we are looking for." Treya realized.
"Erza, Kagura and Mira." He simply said looking out.
"...How did they get wrapped up in this?" Treya had a ton of questions.
"Wrong place, wrong time I think. Ultear told me they were out hunting monsters for some cloning machine used for training."
"The only thing out this far is Wyverns and Thornbacks."
"For the weaker members."
"Oh."
"Well anyway, after the princess told me she wasn't going to do anything about it, I though it would be best to get down here as quick as I could." He said. "The only thing they can understand is how vulnerable they make themselves."
"I'm assuming we are going to deal with this army at some point? They can't just sit on their-?!" She suddenly stopped talking and they heard a person in the tent they were behind.
"How much longer till the last regiment comes through?" Erza's voice suddenly said.
"Erza!?" Natsu widened his eye. They peeked through the gap in the tent.
"About ten minutes from now Captain Knightwalker."
"As you were." She left and Natsu and Treya looked at each other.
"That sounded like her." Natsu noted.
"No." Treya narrowed her eyes. "She smelled of blood. The smell Erza had was different. I also do not sense magic from her, other than that spear she was holding."
"A lookalike?" Natsu guessed.
"Coincidentally, but that was not the Erza we know." She said.
"Sounds like they're planning something big." Natsu said and looked around. "Lets see if we can get to that barracks." Natsu nodded in the direction.
After a few minutes of carefully well timed sprints and hiding, the two had arrived at the barracks and peeked out from behind a few crates away from it. He looked around carefully. Treya tapped his shoulder and he looked in the direction she was pointing out. His eye widened.
"What the hell are those?" He whispered. He saw the warehouse that had the slots for something large, the something's' was there. They were massively large, armor plated, mechanical dragons.
"Imitations. How sickening." Treya said disgust. "They have the nerve to make these..things, look like a dragon?!" She clenched her fist.
"Trust me Treya, we're gonna trash everything here, just as soon as I find out where they're keeping prisoners." He calmed her down.
"..That was unlike me. Forgive me for losing focus."
"Ahh, its nice to see you make expressions. I get to see a side of you I never did before." He said while scanning the barracks in front of them.
"W-what are you saying my mate? We are in a the middle of enemy territory. Saying such embarrassing things-"
"You lost the right to say that when you pinned me down and made out with me." He dead panned.
"Uugh. That's not fair my mate." She pouted.
"On the contrary, i'd say i'm more fair than your average human...Well, with a few screws loose that is." He bobbed his head slowly considering it. "I really should talk with Mindy about this. I think i'm at the point where I won't be able to distinguish killing someone as a joke, or something serious."
"Tis' better she doesn't know if you ask me." Treya said drooping her head with a sigh.
"If you say so." Natsu said looking around one more time. "Okay we're clear." They proceeded to the barracks and got to the side and was looking for a window. The outer wall was a grey-ish metal and he saw a window. Treya hoisted him up and he took a look. There weren't that many guards. Maybe three or so.
"I only count three." Natsu said.
"Three? I thought that there were hundreds? Treya asked, confused.
"I thought that too." He then hopped down and then proceeded at the end of the building. Natsu and Treya then hugged the wall again and a soldier was approaching them from the other side. Natsu raised his hand to tell Treya to not move. The solder had walked past them and his back was facing them. Natsu then sneaked up to him and raised his arm. He tapped his shoulder and the soldier faced Natsu.
"You see anyone suspicious t'night? No? Okay."
"Who-!?"
Natsu sarcastically said, then slammed his elbow right in his face, effectively rendering him unconscious. He then dragged him behind the barracks, out of sight.
"This is some tough armor. I barely put a dent in it." Natsu noted from the dent in the front part of the helmet.
"A dragon slayer's strike is equivalent to enough force to shatter boulders. This armor was designed to take that much force." She noted.
"So the princess's soldiers would be useless then. They'd just get mowed down." He stood up and looked out. "I really hope the guys we're whacking aren't important. We need to find the holding cells quick."
"You know it had just occurred to me."
"What?" Natsu turned to Treya.
"Well if they were keeping prisoners, it would have to be a heavily guarded building or location. Not to mention, those three are S-class mages. Are they unable to breakout themselves?" She asked.
"At a guess? Probably something suppressing their magic, like a cage or something. But then again, this is assuming of course they're still alive." Natsu said. "What's that?" He saw a device that was similar to the looks of a generator. It glowed green from lacrima, and large cables were running from it, to many of the other tents and structures.
"Looks important." Treya said.
"You thinking what i'm thinking?" They both looked at each other.
"Leave this to me." Treya said and dashed over to it and hid behind another stack of crates. Natsu watched as she slowly circled the generator. She was looking for any structural weakness.
"This is somewhat intriguing. This is a lot more advance than anything I've seen." Treya noted. She reached into her kimono and pulled out a piece of paper. It had a magic rune on it. She attached it to it and raised her index and middle fingers. "Set." She said and it suddenly started glowing. She then dashed back to Natsu and slid to a stop.
"What did you put on that thing?" He asked with a curious look.
"An E.E.R." She said quickly.
"A what?"
"Something I had prepared for in case I had to take more drastic measures."
"Drastic meas-!?" Natsu didn't know what she was talking about, but his mind was suddenly preoccupied with what happened next.
(EXPLOSION!)
The generator had been blown sky high and a tower of smoke could be seen in the distance. A fire broke out and Natsu was coughing from inhaling smoke. He had planned on destroying it, but he did not expect Treya to put such a destructive piece of paper on the now smoldering pile of scrap.
"(Cough),(cough)! What the hell was that?!" Natsu turned with a tick mark.
"Explosion Enchantment Rune. It takes about a day before it's ready, but it's capable of putting up quite the show-" She began to explain in a calm fashion.
"Never mind that! Lets hide!" They ran away from the crater and guards were swarming towards the commotion.
(EXPLOSION!)
"What was that?" Erza exclaimed.
"Sounds like an explosion." Mira figured.
"Perhaps they are under attack?"
"What's going on out there?!" A guard outside called.
"The Charging Station is completely blown to smithereens!"
"What!? HOW?!"
"I don't know! Captain Knightwalker wants everyone to report in!"
"Understood!" The guards scrambled to wherever it is they were being called, leaving the cells unguarded.
"What do you think is happening out there? Do you think someone is coming to save us?" Kagura turned to Erza.
"I don't know. But we better be ready just in case." Erza said standing up.
"First thing i'm going to do when I get out of here is blow this camp off the face of the earth!" Mira declared.
Outside, Knightwalker was standing in front of the crater that was remnants of the charging station. About twenty guards were lined up behind her as she paced back and forth. Knightwalker just glared at the ground. She knew that they were having some malfunctioning equipment when they were setting up, but an explosion? This was clearly far from a mere technical problem.
"It is clear to me we have a saboteur in our midst! I want you all to be searching, and report back ANY thing that looks out of place! I want head count of all outside patrols! King Faust must not arrive when we are in a state of chaos and ruin! And if none of you bring me back something good, an intruder is the last thing you'll have to worry about! Now MOVE OUT!" She ordered coldly.
"Hai, Captain Knightwalker!" They all saluted swiftly. They dispersed in seconds, not wasting a moment.
"Hmm.." She furrowed her brow. "Sergeant!"
"Yes captain!" One of them came up.
"I want you to take five other men and do a quick search of all entry points. Someone was able to get in here, I want to know from where."
"At once, Captain!" He saluted and began his task. Knightwalker then whipped her head toward a tent as if she sensed prying eyes on her. She stared for a moment but then decided to move on. Natsu was eyeing her from a tent they hid in and he had a narrowed look.
"That was close." He said and turned back to Treya who was sifting through a pile of papers.
"Looks like a map of the encampment." She noted as Natsu came up to look. "They said Charging Station, this thing." She pointed. "And this must be where they're keeping prisoners." Treya said looking at the building on the map.
"Hope you're ready for a fight." Natsu smirked.
"I'd worry more about our enemies." She acknowledged with a smile of her own. They both headed out the tent and headed for the prison.
"There! Intruders!" No sooner they headed out, ten guards were already upon them from the front.
"Hmph." Treya scoffed. She charged forward ready to go on the attack. "I'll open you a path." She said to Natsu. "Crystal Dragon's Spinning Edge!" She whipped out two curved blades of crystal on both of her arms and spun like a top right through all of the soldiers, cutting and knocking them out of the way in a spiraling fashion. "I'll hold them here, go get them!" She shouted.
"Thanks!" Natsu ran past her. He was almost to the area where they were keeping the prisoners, but there were at least thirty guards in front of the place. And at in the front was Knightwalker. She was smiling and had her spear at the ready.
"I knew you were planning to free prisoners. Sorry, but you'll be joining them real shortly." She said confidently. Natsu came to a stop and he was getting surrounded by the guards. He just stood there while they were pointing their weapons at them.
"Thirty guys, huh? Don't you think that's a bit much for little ol' me?" He slightly grinned.
"That's your problem." Knightwalker scoffed. They all raised their shields up and their weapons at the ready.
"Okay fellas, we're gonna play a friendly little game called 'Bite The Dust'. Since it's your first time playing, i'll let you guys go first." He smirked.
"Take him!" Knightwalker ordered. They all charged him at once. Natsu waited till they were all close and he clapped his hands.
"Azure Dragon's Blast Wave." He simply said. A flaming blast wave erupted from his body and all the men who were hit got sent flying away, scorched. A lot of them hit the tents and they caught on fire. They're armor did them little good, for the attack had blown off helmets, chest plates, grieves, and pretty much any thing they had to protect themselves from magic attacks.
"N-nani!?"
"The..armor didn't even protect us!"
"No way!" They all were shocked.
"Oh yeah I didn't explain the rules." Natsu chuckled slightly. He then turned to Knightwalker and she was sporting an irritated look. "Oh did I forget to mention? Your armor won't do that much good against me. My magic destroys other magic, so your chances of protecting yourselves from me have just gone from zero to non-existent." He explained with a hint of mockery.
"Quite the attitude Earth-Land wizard. I see you require special attention." She said pointing her spear. "Melforce!" Her spear flashed and it's appearance had changed. Suddenly a shock wave blasted towards Natsu. His eye widened. He raised his arms in defense and the attack blew him back a few feet. "Sylfarion!" Her spear changed and she vanished. Natsu was surprised again and he just barely summoned his sword in time to block the spearhead that was just barely grazing his neck. He brushed her off but she vanished again.
"She's just like Erza in her Flight Armor!" He thought. Her speed was comparable to the red head's armor. But it was different with a spear. She was probably faster.
"Explosion!" She shouted as she appeared behind Natsu and an explosion engulfed them both. The smoke slowly cleared revealing Knightwalker. She was thinking she probably blew him to bits. "Guess you were just a big mouth after a-?!" Her eyes then widened and Natsu was holding the spear from the shaft while still standing in his original spot. The ground was now turned to a large crater beneath them.
"So your spear changes form and each form serves a purpose, eh?" He said with his hood blown over revealing his pink hair and eye patch.
"Ergh!" Knightwalker changed her spear to Melforce and another cloud of dust from the blast kicked up. Natsu slid back to a stop as well as Knightwalker.
"Heheheheh." Natsu snickered.
"What is it you find amusing?" Knightwalker demanded.
"You fight like someone I know, without hesitation. If I didn't know any better, i'd say you were trying to kill me." He smirked.
"What a coincidence. You happen to remind me of someone who's a coward and a cad, but without cowardice." She recalled. "What is your name Earth-Land Wizard?" She asked.
"Natsu Dranigon. Just a wandering mage. But if that's too much of a mouth full, you're more than welcome to call me Natsu." He propped his sword against his shoulder.
"Hmph. As far as i'm concerned, the only name that i'm going to refer to you as is prisoner! "Blue Crimson!" She shouted and her spears doubled. She whipped them in an X shape and a trail of ice and fire shot towards Natsu.
"I'll take the flames, but you can keep the ice!" He said dodging the ice and inhaling the flames. Knightwalker's eyes widened.
"He's eating the flames?!"
"Thanks for the snack lady." Natsu wiped his mouth.
"I see. Earth-Land magic is a lot more complicated than I thought." She raised her spear and it shined. It changed form again. "Gravity Core!" Her spear emitted a black sphere of gravity that grew and enveloped the area in another explosion.
"What is going on out there!?" Mira could feel the whole prison shake.
"I think your twin is fighting someone Erza." Kagura heard Knightwalkers voice just outside the door down the hall. After that, it was just explosions and the sounds of battle.
"Sylfarion!" She vanished and began speeding around Natsu. Her after images kept surrounding him. Natsu held his sword in both hands and just closed his eye.
"Don't think about the speed, anticipate where she'll strike." He told himself in his mind. He then felt her to his left and he swung down in that direction. The ground was destroyed, but she evaded it. "Tch, just barely nicked her." He said in annoyance.
"Melforce!" She appeared above him. He couldn't dodge, so he just took it head on. He jumped towards her and slashed the shock wave in half.
"Azure Cleaver!" He yelled and passed through it unscathed. Him and Knightwalker were close now. "You're wasting my time." He said right before they passed each other.
"You arrogant punk! I'm going to bleed you when I get my hands on you!" She declared and landed. Her spear changed to a spear head with a barrel at the end. "Cannon Shot!" She fired a purple beam up at him. He blocked with his sword, but he was engulfed in an explosion. "Sylfarion!" She shot up toward him in a burst of speed, intending to end it with a lounge. "You're mine Earth-Land scum!" She declared. Natsu had emerged and he felt the full impact of her Sylfarion spear gouging his left shoulder.
"GAAAAGH! SHIIT!" He bellowed in pain. She cracked a smirk. He then grabbed her arm and tightened his grip much to her shock. "You happy now?...Cause that's all i'm giving you!" He slammed his other fist to her abdomen.
"..GAAHhh..!" She felt like the wind was knocked completely out of her and her grip on her spear weakened.
"I can't afford to be held up by you...not now." He told her before they hit the ground. He yanked it out and and threw it away. He burned the wound closed with Heavens Fire while panting. "Damn...she's feisty, i'll give her that." He gripped his shoulder. He walked away but stopped before turning back to see Knightwalker crawling weakly towards.
"No...I..cannot..permit you to get..." She was crawling towards him until she was about six feet from him. She glared up at him as if he was the worst guy in the world. "You won't get away with this..my king will claim this world..for all citizens of Edolas."
"Your king? What makes you think I care?" Natsu glared back at her. "You take my friends prisoner, i'm kicking your ass. End of story." He said turning and heading towards the door.
"No!" Knightwalker grabbed a knife from her belt and charged him. He turned around and punched her right in the face. She was knocked out cold before she hit the ground.
"Even as tenacious Erza." He shook his head in disbelief. He tried to open the door but it was locked. "Aw fuck it." He kicked it off the hinges and sent it flying down the hall, knocking out two guards that were in front of it. He winced as he walked on in. "Oh she is so gonna owe me big for this." Natsu said to himself. He walked down some stairs at the end and he came upon a bunch of prison cells that were were lined up.
"..This is messed up." He said looking at all the people he saw that were naked and chained up. there was probably at least a dozen people down there. He looked and he grabbed the bars of the prison cell.
"Iron. Good." He summoned his sword and unsheathed it. "Hah!" He slashed it in an x shape and the bars dropped like an unhinged door. He then walked up to the person chained up. He bent down and he examined them. He put his finger on their neck. He lowered his head slowly. "...Damn." They were dead. He got up and sighed. He walked out and continued walking down the sells. He was beginning to wonder if he was too late.
"Who's there?" A familiar voice called out.
"It might be an enemy Mira." Kagura whispered.
"Or it could be someone else." Erza also said.
"Like who?"
"Army maybe?"
"Who knows? If it's that guard again I swear...i'm gonna beat his face to black and blue." Mira said in an angered tone.
"...Yep. They're still alive" He deadpanned and walked over to the cell.
"Well who is it!? I know you're in here! If it's Erza's twin or one of those tin men you're not gonna stick me back in that machine with out losing a few teeth!" Mira yelled. The person was approaching the cell and they braced themselves.
"This might be our chance. On three we'll jump him when he opens the door." Erza whispered.
The person then revealed himself as he walked in and faced them.
"...!?"
"..!?"
"..!?"
"Yo." He said blandly. The three's jaws hit the ground in shock.
"N-NATSU!?" They all shouted in unison.
"Nice to see you too." He said while sticking his finger in his ear from their sudden outburst.
"Natsu...What are you doing here-?! What's going on, was that you out there?!" Mira exclaimed.
"Yeeeeah, the land lord was very stubborn about people visiting, but we talked it out like adults...with sharp pointy objects." He groaned. "Stand back. I'll get you out." He said to them. He slashed the door open in a similar manner from the last cell. It fell and they all got out. "Hold out your arms."
"Bu-but..you'll see them." Mira blushed a little as she covered her chest.
"Mira, I feel like i've been skewered into next Monday, the longer I wait, I don't think i'll be able to cut it cleanly." He said annoyed.
"Make it quick.." She hesitantly said. He slashed them off and the cuffs that were glowing had then stopped.
"Hell yeah!" She ripped the chains off like they were nothing and smirked.
"Next." He said and slashed the cuffs off Kagura.
"It's good to see you again." She bowed and moved away.
Erza smiled and held out her arms. Natsu slashed them in half."Thank you Natsu." She glowed and she was in her usual armored outfit. "I got some clothes for us. Natsu, we're going to change, can you turn around?"
"Yeah whatever, make it quick. Treya's out there fighting." He fell to the wall and sat down looking away from the three.
"Treya's here too?" Mira asked as Erza handed her clothes she re-quipped.
"Yeah." He answered while examining his stab wound.
"How did you find us?" Kagura asked while slipping on a shirt and buttoning it.
"Funny story. You actually were first found by the the princess of Fiore, and she sent me to take care of this little problem. An army swarming the country from out of nowhere is apparently very bad. I met Treya on the way here and we came to get you." He just looked up at the ceiling. "That reminds me...you see a prisoner here by the name Arcadios by any chance? He's part of the army." He remembered.
"No. They only kept wizards here as far as we know." Erza said coming over to him. "They've been using us to milk our magic and transfer it into something called a Nex."
"Nex? What's that?" He looked up at her.
"I don't know. They never really let us ask questions." She said. "I have never seen an army like this before. They keep getting more reinforcements from the mountain."
"The mountain?" Natsu repeated.
"They keep coming out of there. There were hundreds at least swarming the camp." She recalled.
"Yeah I saw... Natsu made a look of confusion."But where are they?" He thought out loud.
"Done!" They said and walked over to him.
"So now what?" Mira asked. She was wearing a black leotard and a black boots. Kagura was wearing a green turtle neck and blue shorts.
"Now, we gotta get outta here...?" He got up and looked around the prison. "But i'm going to free some of these people." He said.
"We'll give you a hand." Erza said and summoned a sword.
"..Then lets do it." Natsu said and the four then began to free the prisoners.
Hope it was good! Happy Thankgiving!
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