Staring out at all the sights of Crocus in an attempt to keep her mind off of her rolling stomach, Lucy couldn't help but frown as a few unpleasant memories came to the forefront of her mind. This was hardly her first time traveling through the capitol of Fiore, as she had been through the city of flowers quite a few times when she had been working under the Heartfilia institute, but this was the first time she had ever had a chance to just enjoy the sights of the city without worrying about who her target was. Not that she had much time to enjoy them in the end, her stomach and her worries of the upcoming tournament saw to that after all.
Lucy hadn't been all that surprised when the Master chose her and the rest of her teammates as representatives of Fairy Tail for the Grand magic Games, as they were one of the more destructive groups Fairy Tail had to offer, but she had been curious as to why some of the stronger members hadn't been considered. But in the end, it really didn't matter why their Master had made his decision, they were the team that was representing Fairy Tail, and they wouldn't fail to give their all in the coming fights, no matter what was expected of them.
Lucy was drawn out of her thoughts then when Gray and Wendy both groaned almost in sync, almost as if they had pre-planed for it. "Gah, even after all this time, I'm still feelin' it from that whole "Second Origin" thing." Gray complained as he massaged the back of his head, Wendy sighing as she placed her hands on her knees.
"Y-you don't think that Jellal and everyone lied to us, do you?" The young dragon slayer questioned, both Lucy and Tiria shaking their heads in denial.
"Nope! Big sis Lucy and I went through the exact same thing back at the…that place. So we know exactly what it looks like to have your Second Origin unlocked. Right sis?" Tiria answered as she turned to Lucy. Even though the water dragon slayer hadn't been chosen as a member of the team, Tiria had still chosen to accompany Lucy and the others in seeing the city.
Lucy nodded in agreement to Tiria's words. "She's correct, the unsealing of a Second Origin is always accompanied by pain…although I can't explain why Erza was so unaffected." Lucy admitted before she and the rest of the group turned their gazes upon said crimson haired mage, Erza simply crossing her arms with a huff.
"Honesty, its pathetic that you all have been so beaten by a little soreness. To be a true mage one must be able to deal with any annoyances!" Erza declared as from where she was checking over her cart of luggage, Gray and the others sighing at the ease of which she was moving.
"You know, I bet that she's had her Second Origin from the very beginning." Gray mumbled.
"Statement of agreement; based off of all known records, this unit would concur with the previous statement." Artemis agreed, the Machias remaining in her Exceed form so that Lucy could conserve her magic for the coming tournament.
"Eh, who cares about Erza being Erza, I'm more interested in this huge city!" Natsu shouted as he grabbed Lucy's hand. "We should go exploring! Come on Luce!" he continued, but before he could take off the voice of Makarov interrupted.
"Hmph, so you all finally made it. Took you long enough." The guild master complained as he and some of the other members who were not taking part approached. "I took care of all the entry paperwork for Fairy Tail already, so I expect all you youngsters to show me and the rest of Fiore the power of Fairy Tail!" He finished with a laugh.
Unfortunately, the Masters speech had drawn the attention of the people around them, the civilians present laughing for an entirely different reason. "The power of the always last place guild? Why would anyone want to see that? The best guilds like yours can do is just make Sabretooth look better!" One person from the crowed mocked, a not too insignificant portion of the group laughing at their words.
"You wanna say that again?" Natsu threatened as he took a step towards the gathered onlookers before Erza stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Enough Natsu, it would serve no purpose to get angry at them." Erza chided, the Guild Master nodding his head in agreement.
"Anybody that wants to laugh, let 'em. We will simply have to prove them wrong." Makarov continued as the crowd began to disperse, apparently loosing interest in their talks. "Listen up all you brats, I've got 30 million Jewel- I mean, it is up to you to prove once again just what guild is number one in all of Fiore! The way things are now, not one of us is worthy of facing the first master, who saved our lives! And I expect you to change that!" He continued, Lucy and the others staring back at him with looks of conviction on their faces. "Now then, the competition begins tomorrow, but unfortunately they refused to give any information on just what kind of competition it will be."
"Eh, that's weird, didn't Fairy Tail take part in the games before? How does no one know what we're gonna be doin'?" Natsu questioned, Bisca and the other members who hadn't been on Tenrou looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"They change the games every year in order to keep things interesting. And well…we've just always had bad luck when it came to what events we were a part of." Bisca explained as she shook her head.
"That just about matches up with all the records I looked up before we got here. There hasn't been any consistency in what events are chosen, at least as far as I could tell." Levy added, Natsu just shrugging before grinning widely.
"Eh, whatever. We'll just have to play it by ear then! Can't be much worse than any job we've been on! I just hope I get to take part in the fighting games!" The fire dragon slayer said as Levy pulled out a pamphlet of some kind.
"They gave us this rule guide when we signed you all up for the tournament." Levy explained as she opened it up. "It outlines the rules for this year's games. Basically, it boils down to three major rules. One: that guild masters can't participate. Two: that the rules for each game will be explained just before the match starts to prevent cheating. And three: that all teams that are participating in this years game need to be back in their assigned hotel rooms before midnight." The script mage finished to the confused looks of those gathered around her.
"That…is an odd stipulation." Erza admitted.
"It must mean tonight, right? Perhaps they will be hosting an entrance ceremony or some such grand gesture?" Carla added.
"Eh, who cares? If we've don't gotta be back till midnight, then we've still got plenty of time to explore everywhere!" Natsu shouted, followed shortly by an "Aye!" Of agreement from Happy, Erza grabbing the pamphlet from Levy and reading through it herself.
"…It appears that we have been assigned to the in Honeybone for the duration of our stay." Erza muttered as Tiria, Wendy, and Natsu gathered in front of the requip mage with their best wounded puppy expression. "And I suppose that so long as everyone returns well before midnight, it is not too much trouble for us to explore the city for a time." Erza finished, having been soundly defeated by the pleading looks of the others.
"Yay! Come on Big Sis Lucy, lets go exploring!" Tiria shouted as she grabbed one of Lucy's hands and tried to lead her away, only for both to be stopped when Natsu grabbed Lucy's other hand.
"No way Luce's hangin' around you! I already called dibs on her!" Natsu growled out as he tried to drag her in the opposite direction, Tiria giggling strangely at his words.
"Oh, silly Natsu, you can't call dibs on people! That's just silly! Besides, everyone can tell that my big sis would rather spend time with me than someone like you. Right Lucy?" Tiria retorted, her smile looking strained.
Lucy for her part remained absolutely still, her instincts warning her that any sudden moves, any unexpected words, could result in an attack. Like she was trapped between two predatory animals both vying for the best cut of a steak.
Fortunately, the situation was resolved when Wendy stepped up to Tiria's side and cautiously tapped her on the shoulder. "U-umm…Tiria? I-I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me? We haven't had much of a chance to play together and I just thought you might wanna come see the palace with me…and…" Wendy trailed off, Tiria starring at her with a look that Lucy couldn't quite place, before grinning widely and throwing her arms around Wendy.
"Oh, of course we can go together! I'd love to explore the city with you and Carla!" Tiria exclaimed before she pulled away and turned back to smile at Natsu, who was looking particularly smug for a reason that Lucy was unaware of. "Well then Natsu, I'm leaving Lucy with you. Please make sure nothing happens to her ok? Not a hair out of place…really, or I'm going to be really upset with you." She finished sounding deathly serious by the end.
"Your just mad because I won…Ya, ya! I got it!" Natsu dismissed as he once again grabbed Lucy's hand and started to drag her away, Artemis and Happy following after the two dragon slayers.
"Remember! We must all be back at the Honeybone by midnight! And there will be punishments for anyone who fails to arrive on time!" Erza warned, Lucy waving her hand in acknowledgment as Natsu dragged her around a corner and out of sight.
"Finally! If we've only got a few hours till this whole thing starts then why waste them just standin' around talkin'? Right Luce?" Natsu asked as he grinned widely at her, the blonde dragon slayer smiling just as much in response.
"I suppose exploring is a better idea than just waiting. And this will be the first time Tiria and I have had to just see the city of Crocus without being on a mission." Lucy admitted as she turned her gaze to the celebration that was going on around them for a moment before once again looking back at her boyfriend, an even wider smile on her face. "Well then Natsu, any ideas on what you want to do?" she asked, not really expecting him to have much of an idea- he just wouldn't be himself if he actually did plan something- but asking anyway.
And sure enough, the fire dragon slayer simply grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Nah, I just figured we could just explore and figure things out from there. There's gotta be something cool to do in a city this big right?"
"I think so, and that's why I had Artemis look into things for us to do. Artemis?" Lucy agreed as she turned to the disguised Machias nodding in confirmation.
"Proud declaration: Indeed, I have studied all known maps of the capital and complied a list of all major landmarks. I will now begin route guidance…In fifty meters, please turn right." Artemis said as she started to walk off, the other three following after her.
The city was, as its title implied, a truly beautiful place to be. with rows upon rows of flowers lining the streets. Vendors were selling street food, which the four mages stopped for nearly every time in order to try out all the interesting foods brought to the city due to the tournament. They toured the various sights, such as the castle Mercurius or the sight of the very first guild founded in the nation. But it wasn't long before the sun set on the four Fairy Tail mages, signaling that the time they needed to return to the inn was fast approaching.
However, before Lucy could bring up the need to go back, the sound of a commotion drew their attention.
"Hey! It sounds like someone's throwing down over there!" Natsu shouted as he gestured down the street, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Now that's got me all fired up! You can't have a festival without a good fight after all! Come on Luce, lets go see who's fighting!" He shouted as took off in the direction of a particularly thick crowd.
"Aye! This is what I'd expect with so many guilds from all over Fiore gathering here. Wait for me Natsu!" Happy shouted as he flew off after the fire dragon slayer.
"…Obvious statement: Mistress Lucy, I have calculated with a near ninety percent accuracy that Mr. Natsu will be joining the brawl within the next two minutes. I would recommend that we reposition ourselves in order to mitigate the resulting collateral damage." The Machias said, sounding almost resigned, Lucy laughing and nodding her head in agreement.
"Of course, he will. He is Natsu after all." Lucy agreed as she began to walk in the direction of the crowd. However, she practically froze after walking no more than a few feet towards the crowd. "…It can't be…this smell is…"
"Concerned question: Mistress? Is there something wrong?" Artemis asked as she began to scan the surrounding humans, none of who were paying any attention to the two of them.
"…Artemis, get ready for a fight, but don't reveal any weaponry until I tell you to." Lucy ordered; her tone suddenly deadly serious as she began running in the direction that Natsu had gone. Her dragon slayer senses had picked up on a pair of particularly unique scents, smells that reminded her of her mother but were diluted somewhat, scents that were very similar to her boyfriends and the rest of the slayers of Fairy Tail.
There were two dragon slayers in the center of the crowd, two unknown slayers that Natsu was charging at head first.
Artemis, her eyes flashing red as she drew on more energy from the Gem of Thunder in order to prepare herself for combat, leapt up onto Lucy's shoulder in order to gain a better vantage point of the coming battle, the sound of gears echoing from within the false Exceed as she readied herself to return to her natural form. Lucy for her part paid little attention to the furry form that was now riding on her shoulder, her attention solely focused on getting to the center of the crowd. Unfortunately, the crowd appeared to be pretty tightly packed and therefore difficult to walk through. So, if she couldn't move through the crowd, she decided she would simply go over them.
Pouring magic into her legs, Lucy took two more bounding steps before crouching low and leaping into the air. Her draconically infused muscles launching right over the crowd, causing more than a few people to cry out in surprise as they noticed the blonde flying overhead. From her new vantage point, Lucy could see Natsu standing opposite of two men slightly older than her, one blonde with an arrogant smirk on his face while the other one was black haired and appeared entirely disinterested in what was happening.
The moment she cleared the crowd the two strangers, both of whom were giving off the scent of dragons, quickly noticed her leaping over the civilians. Both pairs of eyes widening slightly at the likely unexpected sight, but neither moving as she slammed down next to Natsu.
"…Heya Luce, decided to drop in and have some fun too?" Natsu eventually asked, the fire dragon slayer sounding out of it despite his attempt at humor.
"Someone has to keep you from destroying too much of the capital, we do have a lot of outstanding bills after all." Lucy replied, attempting to add some humor herself, despite never taking her eyes off of the two new dragon slayers.
"Woah babe, that was a pretty cool entrance!" The blonde one commented with a cocky grin that was so similar to Natsu's that Lucy had to take a moment to confirm that her partner was in fact standing next to her. "What's a hottie like you doing hangin' around a loser like Natsu Drag-…hang on a sec, this scent…A dragon slayer?!" He continued before finally noticing Lucy's similar scent. The other dragon slayer having already turned to give Lucy his full attention.
"…I don't recall Fairy Tail having yet another female dragon slayer besides for the Maiden of the Sky." The black-haired dragon slayer commented as he studied Lucy, Natsu growling a challenge as he stepped forward.
"Ya well, maybe we just didn't feel like tellin' everyone about us." Natsu snarled back, feeling that his comeback was kinda lame but needing to say something to the two jerks.
"…Whoa, she's really pretty." A new voice breathlessly declared, Lucy finally noticing the two Exceeds that were standing at the feet of the two dragon slayers, both of whom were staring up at Artemis.
"Fro thinks so too!" the green Exceed added, although he didn't really look like he was all that impressed from what Lucy could tell.
But Lucy's attention was draw back to the two humans when Natsu continued. "So, who the hell are you two?" He asked, a murmur passing through the crowd at his words.
"Seriously? What kind of country hick hasn't heard of the twin dragon slayers, Sting and Rouge of Sabertooth? Their the reason that Sabertooth became so strong after all!" Someone commented from the crowd. Not that any of the four slayers bothered to see who it was.
"…Sabertooth, huh." Natsu muttered as the blonde one stepped forward, a cocky battle-sure grin on his face as she gazed at the two of them.
"Well, this is just perfect. Hey Natsu, rumors are that Fairy Tail's gonna be wasting its time and entering the games again this year too. You and blondie here gonna be on the team?" He questioned, Natsu glaring back in response.
"Maybe, but what do you care?" The fire dragon slayer returned, the grin never leaving the blondes face.
"…Acnologia, the last known dragon attacked you guys right? And even with all the slayers you had on that stupid little island of yours, you couldn't even defeat the one thing your supposed to be able to? You two should just give up on your magic for failing that badly." The blonde slayer taunted, both Natsu and Lucy tensing up at his words and the challenge they contained. "You know, I used to look up to you back in the day. While Rouge here was always into Gajeel."
"…Do not try to imply that I was romantically interested in the man. I was simply interested in him due to sharing dragon slaying magic." The now named Rouge refuted, his eyes still trained on Lucy. "And I recognize you as well. Lucy of Fairy Tail, once known as the Elvish Sniper….to think that you were trained in dragon slayer magic as well yet never used it, how disappointing."
"…Oh ya! I remember reading a few things on the sniper chick at Fairy Tail! So that's you huh?" The blonde, who was likely named Sting based off of the comment from the crowd, shouted as he laughed. "Man, you must have pretty pathetic slayer magic if you had to rely on something else to fight! No wonder you all couldn't beat Acnologia!"
"You bastard! You take that back! You've got no idea what Luce had to-!" Natsu stated to shout before Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder.
"…That's enough Natsu." Lucy quietly ordered, though inside she was seething. "They have no idea what they're talking about so there's no point rising to their bait. There's no point listening to the boasts of slayers who've yet to see what Acnologia can do."
"It is irrelevant that we haven't seen it or not. True dragon slayers like us aren't gonna lose to a single dragon." Rouge denied quietly, Sting sneering as he leaned forward.
"We third generation dragon slayers are just that good compared to the rest of the trash." He bragged, all four Fairy Tail mages blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar term.
"Third generation? What's that?" Happy questioned, one of the Exceeds laughing at Happy's confused face.
"I can explain. You see, unlike Natsu and the others who were raised by dragons, or dragon slayers who got their magic from a Lacrima, Sting and Rouge were raised by a dragon and have a dragon slaying Lacrima in their bodies! They're the absolute strongest dragon slayers around." The brown furred Exceed bragged before turning to Artemis. "So, did'ya like my explanation Ms. Pretty Kitty?"
"…Tense acknowledgement: It was adequate." The Machias quietly replied as she continued to observe the situation, awaiting the signal to open fire.
"The strongest dragon slayers, huh?" Natsu repeated, now looking somewhat nervous. "Hey, as fellow dragon slayers, answer me somethin'. Did your dragons disappear in the year 777 too?" He asked, Sting's grin growing wider in response.
"Well, in a manner of speaking…sure."
"…I will give it to you plainly. The dragons who taught us our magic, were then slain by our own hands so that we could become true dragon slayers." Rouge calmly explained, a look of absolute rage spreading across Natsu's face in response.
"…You bastards murdered your own parents?" The fire dragon slayer roared as he stepped forward, fire already coating his fists. "That's it! Let's go ya bastards! I'm gonna wipe those arrogant looks right off your fac-!" but the rest of his threat was lost when an immense magical pressure began to crash down on everyone gathered.
For Sting, Rouge, and the gathered civilians, the magical energy felt like they were standing on the edge of a thunderstorm of apocalyptic proportions, the tranquility right before world shattering violence. But for Natsu, the magical energy was…well, intoxicating, the same feeling of magical energy that he had felt Lucy unleash right before the two of them unleashed hell on the Master of Grimoire Heart. The magical energy that had only made him fall more in love with her.
And sure enough, when Natsu turned his head to stare at his partner he wasn't surprised at all to see arcs of pure magical energy racing across his girlfriend's body. Her eyes, already having taken on the more draconic slit look that they did when she was using her chaos dragon slayer magic, were filled with a cold rage that Natsu was beyond thankful wasn't being directed at him.
Natsu fully expected for Lucy to rush forward, to start the brawl to end all brawls, but to his surprise she instead starting walking forward slowly, almost casually. The crowd, having been thoroughly disturbed already by the feeling of death being so close, took a step back with every step she took, but still Lucy didn't take her eyes off of the two arrogant dragon slayers.
It wasn't long until Lucy reached her destination, to stand mere inches from a now somewhat uncomfortable looking Sting, as she peered in at her fellow slayer. Natsu having to fight off his natural instinct to get the bastard as far away from her as possible. "Y-yea? What's wrong, elf chick? You wanna throw down too?" Sting challenged, clearly confident in his ability to defend himself.
But Lucy did not reply immediately, instead choosing to just study the dragon slayer across from her. she looked at his head, his eyes, and his fingers to confirm what she suspected. And finally, she listened, her enhanced hearing easily picking up on his heartbeat. a beat that, while somewhat fast, lacked any of the force behind her own.
"…I can accept your arrogance, your pride, at being a third-generation dragon slayer." Lucy eventually declared; her voice low but still loud enough that every dragon slayer present could hear her. "But to lie about killing your parents? To claim you've done the unthinkable and to be proud of it? That's something you've got to pay for."
"…Oh yea? Let's see you try." Sting returned, his own body beginning to glow with white magic while Rouges was covered in shadows.
But to the shock of everyone present Lucy instead stepped back, the chaotic magic arching of her body fading to nothing. "You will pay for those words, but not here…No, when I tear you apart with my own two hands, I want the entirety of Fiore to see you lose." Lucy continued as she turned away and started to walk back in the direction they had come, Artemis leaping up onto her shoulder as the Machias continued to glare at the two slayers. "you can look forward to our fight, Sting and Rouge of Sabertooth. Because I'm going to show you two just what an actual slayer of dragons is capable of."
Not much going on this chapter but setting up future conflicts and getting ready for the tournament. Life's still a little too chaotic for me to promise a normal release schedule but hey, at least it didnt take me six months to get this one out! Until next time!