Chapter 17
archive4465- Oh you know, general laziness, will for writing other stories surpassing this one, and school life. You know, the usual.
Matthew Cruz- No, he's not going to be fighting at all. If he is, it'll probably be in a fighting style similar to V from Devil May Cry 5.
As for Ragna's Black Beast form, I'll see if the consequences of doing that are not too dangerous for it to be done.
Vacarria- I thank you for that praise.
BulletstormX- When it becomes relevant for him to do so. So, probably next chapter I think. (At the moment, anyway.)
Fiore
"They can't save them." Thought Ragna as he saw Wendy, Chelia, and others trained in the more traditional ways of healing were trying to heal those that have sustained injuries in the battle with the Black Beast. Some would be healed, having not been bitten or taken injuries from the Black Beast or its remains, but others. The vast majority of injured will die. Either their wounds were too severe to be treated in time or had wounds caused by the remains. As such, they're beyond saving and the best they could do was making their remaining time on Earthland with as much comfort as they could possibly give.
They didn't know it, but remains, much like the Black Beast, were able to prevent any wounds caused by them from being healed. Even the most potent healer Ragna knew, Celica A. Mercury, was unable to heal such powerful wounds. The only known survivor of a fight with a remain was his master, Jubei, and that was only because of the timely assistance of the Alucard family, a family of vampires.
And since there isn't any Alucard around, there was no hope for the people that got bit or scratched by a remain.
"Except me." Thought Ragna as he looked at his leg, seeing it had been completely healed, which astounded him. Even though he had the Azure Grimoire, he still should be dying from the wounds caused by the Black Beast, yet he didn't feel anything. He felt normal and completely fine.
He chalked it up to the true blue. It must have nullified the properties of the Black Beasts attacks, allowing him to heal. Looking at it, he wondered what else it could do.
Not only could it give create a small Black beast head, giving him a new move to use, it also healed him far better than his original Azure Grimoire ever did. It shocked him, but he wasn't complaining.
He's just wished he could heal the other's though. Even from where he was, some distance away from the medics, he could hear the groans and suffering of those that are having their doom come slowly and painfully. Clenching his fists, he soon left, not wishing to hear anymore.
After some walking, he could hear some whimpering. Stopping a bit, he looked to where the sounds was coming from. Finding it in a busted up café with half of its roof caved in, Ragna walked in and found Meredy crying, sitting in a corner, wrapping her arms around her knees, which were pressed hard on her chest, while Jellal was knelling next to her, comforting her as best he can.
Feeling sorry for Meredy, Ragna walked in, causing Jellal to look at him, sorrow written all over his face.
"It's about Ultear, isn't it?" Asked Ragna as he looked at Jellal, who simply nodded.
"She saw her death." Said Jellal. "It…shock her to the very core." Having been there, carrying her away, Ragna could get it.
"Mind if I…?" Asked Ragna.
"Not at all. She needs all the friends she can get." Said Jellal. "I know Juvia and Fairy Tail would help her in this time of need, but considering we're wanted criminals…" Ragna nodded in understanding before walking over to Meredy, who was still crying her eyes out. Kneeling on her other side, Ragna placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stiffen.
"Meredy, I know what you're feeling." Said Ragna as he sat down next to her, looking at her and seeing her peek an eye out towards him. "I know what's like to see people you care about die right in front of you." He remembered how Lambda first died, taking a hit from Terumi that was meant for him. "And I know the pain and loss of losing loved ones, especially those that have taken care of you for a good portion of your life." He then remembered losing Celica, both past and recent. "It hurts. A lot. Even more so when you witness it yourself." Seeing her tear up more, Ragna tightened his hold on her shoulder. "But you shouldn't let it control your future." He then sighed, thinking on what else to say. "It's okay for you to…mourn their passing and even get vengeance for them, but you shouldn't let it consume you. Speaking from experience." Sniffing, Meredy looked at Ragna fully.
"What do you mean?" Asked Meredy, voice hoarse from crying.
"I'm not saying you'll go crazy with grieve and try to bring that Black Beast back from…wherever it came from." Said Ragna as he looked at Meredy. "I'm saying you might end up not caring about your life. Get reckless as a result. You might end up doing something that will cost you a limb or worse…cost your friend a limb or his own life." He then tilted his head towards Jellal, who kept silent, allowing Ragna to do this.
Meredy sniffed at that, looking at Ragna with quivering eyes.
"And why should I care about my life?" Asked Meredy. "Ultear is the reason I'm still here in this world in the first place. And now she's dead. Without her…I got nothing else to live for. She made this life of atonement bearable. But now that she's gone, I don't know if I have the strength to keep going on without her."
"You got Jellal to help you." Said Ragna, pointing at Jellal. "He's in the same boat as you, living a life of atonement and full of regrets. And you got me. You might not know it, but I got a lot of regrets too. I did a lot of stupid things before I grew up. I have to live with it all, but I still fight on and live my life. Because to do anything else is an insult to those I love and care about, especially those that haven't given up on me during my worse moments." He then gave Meredy a sad smirk. "And I think you have people like that too." Meredy just looked to the ground.
For a moment, Ragna thought that he didn't make any progress with Meredy and that he might have actually made things worse, but then Meredy looked up at him and smiled.
"I guess you're right." Said Meredy with a sad smile. There were new tears flowing from her eyes, but she was at least smiling again. "Besides, I don't think Ultear would be happy with me if I just…gave up on everything we fought for." Ragna just smiled at that.
"Heh, you and me both." Said Ragna before looking at Jellal, who nodded appreciatingly at Ragna. "If you want, I can leave you two alone. Or I can stay and be around you guys for a little while longer."
"Thanks, but I think its better if you leave." Said Jellal as he stood up and helped Meredy up once Ragna let go of her. "The more you're gone, the more people will wonder where you are and start looking for you. And we must leave. There's still evil around."
"Got it." Said Ragna. "Just take it easy for a few weeks. Losing Ultear…must be hard." Jellal would have argued, but one look at Meredy, and he nodded in agreement.
"Understood." Said Jellal. "Stay safe, Ragna. Just because that beast is gone, doesn't mean its effects aren't still around."
"How can I forget?" Asked Ragna as the two left, raising their hoods so that they can obscure their faces. "There are reminders everywhere."
Kagura
"I don't understand why he's not getting any better." Said Wendy in tears as she looked at Elfman, who was laying on a blanket that served as a makeshift cot. The man was struggling to breathe, and his wounds caused by the Black Beast's remains were getting worse, spreading towards healthy tissue. The wounds they were speaking of were around his right arm pit and it was already beyond saving. At least in anything non magic related.
At and around the arm pit, the skin and flesh were all black and was spreading all over Elfman's right arm. Soon it'll spread to the rest of his body and they won't be able to save him. Despite the insistence of some to amputate the arm in order to prevent further infection, Wendy and several others denied such an act, believing that they can fully restore Elfman's arm with Wendy's and Chelia's sky magic. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, all they were doing was just delaying the spread of the infection.
Seeing Wendy fail again, caused Kagura to sigh and walk over to the young girl, heart churning when she saw that she was crying over her failure to save Elfman. Along with her was Lisanna, Elfman's other sister, crying as well, holding her brother's other hand, hoping that her brother can be saved.
"Wendy, isn't it?" Asked Kagura as she knelt down next to Wendy, looking at the girl with sympathy. "I'm sorry. You've tried your best, but whatever that monster did to this man prevents us from healing him with magic. I'm sorry to say, but amputation of the infected limb is the only way to save his life."
Upon hearing that, Wendy and Lisanna shook their heads, denying what was necessary to save Elfman's life.
"No, we can't do that!" Yelled Lisanna, stubbornly holding onto the hope that Elfman can fully recover from this and that they don't have to resort to such an archaic method to keep him alive. "We can still save his arm. We can…"
"We can't save it in time." Said Kagura firmly, but with as much sympathy as she can muster. "If we want to save your brother's life, we must amputate his infected limb." Lisanna wanted to argue, but came up with nothing. She tried to think of a good excuse. A good reason to prevent Elfman from losing a limb, but couldn't. When she realized this, she teared up, knowing what must be done to save Elfman. Looking at Lisanna with sympathy, Kagura then looked at Wendy, who was also tearing up.
"You both don't have to watch this process." Offered Kagura as she looked at both of them, knowing that watching such an act will be traumatizing for both individuals, especially Wendy. "I'll go get a doctor that can do this alone. Perhaps that…"
"I'm afraid that such an act will have to be done with Wendy present." Said an elderly woman's voice as a woman with pink hair and red eyes walked before the three girls and sick man, looking stoic, seemingly unfazed with all the suffering around her. "The process of amputating a limb is a painful process. And I need Wendy with me in order to lessen the pain that he'll take during the process. One wrong move and Elfman will die of blood loss." She then knelt before Elfman and brought out a bag, likely containing medicinal equipment and surgical equipment. "I don't have any anesthetics. They were used up to patch those facing similar symptoms to Elfman. So, I need Wendy's Sky magic to act as an alternative." She then brought out a large saw, perfect for cutting Elfman's flesh. The woman then turned to Lisanna. "You don't need to stay if you don't wish to." Lisanna, however, shook her head.
"No, he's my brother. I refuse to not be here while he's undergoing a painful procedure." Said Lisanna with conviction. "He needs all the support he can get and I'm going to give him that." The woman, staring blankly at Lisanna, just sighed, saying something about stupid humans before beginning the procedure. Right before she did, she looked at Kagura.
"If I'm correct, you're skilled in gravity magic, yes?" Asked the woman. Kagura, dreading what the woman was going to ask, just nodded. "Good. I need your help as well. We need to restrain Elfman and your magic will be ideal in doing so. If he thrashes around while I'm cutting, he might cause me to accidentally cut a major artery. And we'll have to start all over again. So, unless you like more blood to be spilled more than is necessary, help me with this." Kagura, sighing at the request, just nodded and began to cast a gravity spell on Elfman, preventing him from moving at all.
Satisfied with this, the woman began to search Elfman's arm for healthy and infected flesh. After finding that the poison had nearly reached his shoulder blade, the woman brought out a thick set of rope and tied it two or three inches above the infected flesh, careful not to touch any of it. Tying the rope as tightly as she could, she then put on some surgical gloves and mask before placing the saw on the healthy bit of flesh that was about to be infected by the position of the Remain. With a sigh, the old woman began the procedure of amputation.
To give Elfman credit, he didn't scream out in pain for a straight three seconds. He tried to move away from the pain, but Kagura's gravity magic was keeping him in place, preventing him from moving, allowing the woman to do her job.
Lisanna, meanwhile, was scrunching her face in misery and concern as she watched her brother struggle against Kagura's magic. It hurt her that her brother was suffering so much and that he'll have to live with only one arm for the rest of his life. It also hurt her that their older sister wasn't here to provide comfort like she was doing right now. Where was she? She should be here, with her family in this trying time? Justifying it in that she was likely looking for them or was injured, Lisanna looked at her brother and held his healthy arm, providing comfort as best she could.
Wendy, a bit scared at seeing Elfman bleed so much and said blood was being sprayed all over the place, still kept strong and used her magic to lessen the pain that Elfman was feeling. Yet, despite her best efforts, the pain was still unbearable and Elfman was still screaming out in pain. They should be fortunate that Elfman was low on Ethernano to use his magic, a result of facing the Remains, otherwise this would be near impossible to do with him transforming into different forms.
Two more minutes of cutting and screaming, the woman finally managed to cut the limb off of Elfman. Watching as the limb rolled a bit, spilling black blood all over the ruined floor around them, the woman stared at the limb in disgust before bringing out some bandages and began making a tourniquet around Elfman's shoulder. What left of it there was. Upon seeing this, Kagura stopped casting her gravity magic, allowing Elfman to move again. Not that it mattered, the pain was so great that Elfman was knocked unconscious.
After finishing, the woman sighed and removed her surgical mask.
"I'm sorry for doing this, but this was necessary." Said the woman as she looked at the limb, stunned at how black the exposed flesh was. It had only been under three hours since the Black Beast had disappeared, yet the flesh was already as black as night. Whatever injured Elfman, also injected him with a very potent venom. One more potent than anything she had seen in her entire life. "I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he'll make a full recovery. You all can observe him if you want." Upon hearing that, Lisanna teared up and began to hug her brother.
"I'm so sorry, big brother." Said Lisanna, her tears splatting themselves on Elfman's chest, which was rising up and down, indicating that he was alive. Seeing this, reminded Kagura of her own brother and herself. Her heart tightening at the memory of her brother, Kagura looked at the woman, who just looked at the sight with pity.
"I want to." Said Wendy, tearing up as well, but staying strong. "But I need to heal others of their afflictions. They're getting worse and I need to help them." Wendy was about to get up, but the woman stopped her.
"Don't bother." Said the woman as she looked at Wendy with sympathy. "The others are beyond saving. This man was the only one that we can save." Upon hearing that, Wendy widened her eyes in shock and horror.
"No! It can't be!" Yelled out Wendy in denial as Kagura widened her eyes in shock as well.
Meanwhile
"Frosch not feeling well." Said a green Exceed in a pink frog suit as it was being held by Rogue, who was tearing up. No longer was Frosch's fur a bright green. Now it was a dull green and has black marks all over his scleras'.
If one could avoid looking at the two in sympathy and horror at the little Exceed looking so sick, they could see that he had a sizable hole in his pink frog suit, where a hole of similar size was made in his flesh. Flesh that was now all black and was spreading all over the body. It had been given to the Exceed by a Remain while Rogue had been busy taking care of several others. The Remain managed to stab Frosch with a sharpened tentacle before it was driven away by Sting, who had noticed the Remain going for Frosch.
And, few hours later, Frosch was getting worse. His fur was dropping. His breathing was getting shallow and his eyes were constantly losing focus. Any medicine they gave him that was specifically made for toxins weren't working. Even Chelia tried her best to heal him, but all it did was momentarily stop Frosch's pain before it began anew. Now, with all their options spent, the only thing they could so was comfort Frosch.
"Frosch. Everything is going to be alright." Said Rogue, eyes tearing up and voice all cracked up. Even as he said those words, he knew he was lying. "We're going to get you something that'll make you feel better. Just hold that."
"Frosch wants…to." Said Frosch as his eye lids began to slowly close, something that caused Rogue to hold his breath in horror. "But…Frosch…can't…" Frosch's breathing then began to go even more shallow as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"No stay with me, Frosch." Yelled Rogue, hyperventilating. He can't lose his Exceed. He just can't! He had been there since his adolescent life. He remembered all their good times they had together. How Frosch would always lift his spirit up when he became disgusted with how Sabretooth was run with Jiemma, their former guild master before Sting took over, in charge with his innocence and cute apperance. He also remembered how he comforted him when he lost to Gajeel in the final match of the Grand Magic Games. He just can't die! He was so pure and innocent.
"Frosch…want…too…" That was the last thing Frosch said before the light in Frosch's eyes went away and he closed them forever. It was then that the black veins began to spread all over Frosch's body, completely turning the Exceed's body into a black mockery of what he used to be. The only thing that wasn't black was the Exceed's pink frog suit. Rogue, upon seeing this, couldn't help but shake in shock and horror.
"Frosch…" Said Rogue as he tried to deny what he just saw, shaking Frosch's body in a vain attempt to wake him up. "Frosch…wake up." He then began to shake the body even harder. "Wake up, Frosch! Frosch! Frosch!" The Shadow Dragonslayer continued to shake the body of his friend as he yelled his name, trying to get him to wake up. No matter what he did, however, he couldn't wake his friend up. It'll take his other friends, Sting, and Yukino to bring him out of it.
That wasn't the only death, however. All over the ruined remains of Crocus, the people wounded by the Remains were dying, their bodies' completely turning black as they did so, as it to confirm their deaths to their mourning loved ones. As people began to cry out for their dead loved ones and comrades, one man was walking toward his guild. One man, who was used to death.
Meanwhile
Ragna
"Damnit." Thought Ragna as he heard people crying over their dead guildmates. All around him, he could see people crying over the blackened corpses of the deceased. He didn't need to be a genius to know that the dead bodies were from people that died from wounds caused by the Black Beast's Remain minions. "There are a lot more dead than I thought. If only I stopped it in time. If only I figured out that Hazama was behind all this. Then maybe I could have prevented all of this."
But, despite beating himself over that fact, Ragna knew that there was no possible way that he could have known that Hazama was behind all this. Sure, there was the Arakune-like blob and those man made out of Seithr, but none of that pointed to Hazama, who was more a sadistic killer out for thrills, rather than an intelligent evil mastermind. Well, he was intelligent, but not to the point of making multi-layer plans. It was too boring for someone like him.
Unless…he wasn't alone on this. That someone else was pulling the strings.
Racking his mind on who knew how to manipulate Seithr and how to manipulate it to make an Arakune-like clone and some men made out of Seithr. He racked his mind of all the people he knew, their motives and personalities along with their status, when he remembered one person. One person, who had the knowledge to manipulate Seithr, intelligence and patient enough to make multi-layered plans, as well as having the personality to do something like unleashing a Black Beast on a populated city.
"Relius" Thought Ragna as he turned his hands into fists, remembering the madman. Though he never actually thought much of Relius when he first met him, too busy focusing on other things like his friends, his goals, and Terumi, he knew that he was a manipulative man that didn't give a damn about other people. All he cared about was his vision of a perfect civilization. And he'll do anything to achieve it.
He was basically Terumi, if one had taken out all of his sadistic tendencies and replace it with cold hard logic. The last time he saw Relius was back at his world when they, along with a handful of others were in an artificial construct, created from the souls of countless individuals. They fought, but the man soon left after he won against him, telling Ragna to fight Izanami, a goddess of death in his world. That was the last time he saw him and it left a lasting impression on Ragna.
If he was here, in this world, that would be beyond bad. With his knowledge of Seithr and intelligence, he could be a dangerous individual in this world. And with Hazama at his back, with the Susanoo unit of all things, they were a power pair that they needed to find before they could do some damage.
"Got to find Makarov." Thought Ragna as he continued walking. "If Relius is here with Hazama, we need to stop them before they accomplish…whatever they hell they want."
Meanwhile
Location unknown
"Hmm…I had thought the Black Beast would inflict more damage on the guilds in Fiore. It seems that the part that comprises the body doesn't know the full extent of its abilities." Said the cloaked man as he spoke to himself in a room filled with the men that had attacked Ragna and Jellal during the Grand Magic Games.
"Who cares." Said Hazama as he smiled at the cloaked man, the Susanoo suit no longer on him. Now that it was gone, it was revealed that Hazama was a man with short green hair with a black suit and hat. His brown dress shoes making a clinking sound as he moved towards the cloaked man, his eyes closed, somehow making him more terrifying. "We now know for certain that there was a Black Beast in this world. We just need to find it in the present and get it to go kill everything here."
"Easier said than done." Said the cloaked man as he looked at Hazama. "We first need to figure out what happened to it in the first place. Even the black dragon of the apocalypse or the one called Zeref couldn't have destroyed the Black Beast at the height of the power. It's simply too powerful for them to take down. Not without causing so much destruction in the world that it would be impossible for it to remain as pristine as it is now. Once we figure out how it disappeared, we then can figure out how to bring it back and to ensure that it doesn't happen again." Hazama sighed at that.
"Ugh…fine." Said Hazama. "Just as long as we have some fun along the way. After all, the journey is as important as the ending."
"Don't worry, Hazama." Said the cloaked man before removing his hat, revealing blond hair and a golden opera mask that hide his upper face. "We'll get some fun along the way. In fact, I've already made some arrangements for you to have some fun. One of our informants have recently inform me that the Dark Guild Tartaros is planning on activating the Face weapons in Fiore. No doubt in some vain attempt to bring back their…'god'. Also, of no doubt, they'll fail and the Face weapons will be destroyed. That cannot happen. I need those things for my research into nullifying Ethernano based magic. Its not essential, but it's always good to have an insurance policy."
"So, you want to make me to eliminate them?" Asked Hazama, opening his eyes, revealing them to be golden with a very feral look within them. "Relius, my boy, you shouldn't have."
"If you wish." Said Relius with a wave of his hand. "Just as long as you keep one of their elite members alive. I want to study these Etherious demons and how this Zeref managed to create them. I also need one of the Face weapons intact. I trust you can do all this."
"Of course!" Said Hazama with a big smile, closing his eyes in amusement. "I can spare one or two demons for you. After all, being a guild, they must have hundreds of members. More than enough for me to have my fill." Thinking of ways to break these demons, Hazama then began to leave, humming to himself.
"Hmm…now that is done with, let's make preparations to leave for the north." Said Relius. "Let's see if the rumors of the eight-headed dragon are what I think they are."
