Journeys of the Dreamer: Nakama United

by UnitedOsprey1991

Family is Stronger Than Blood. What is Man? What is Magic? In Book 2 of the Journeys Series, the Guardians head to the Land of Fiore. But in the world of Magic, its the march of technology that threatens everything. The Guardians must enlist the help of the famous Fairy Tail guild. Can they find the guardians in this world? T. Read Riders of Aura first. Pairings inside.

38. Legendary Resolve

OSPREY...SWOOOSH

UO: Temple Time

Lucy: *Struggling into a costume* Damn it Hiro, why?

Lisanna: *In a similar costume* You look sexy, that's why.

Lucy: I wasn't complaining about that, just the level of me losing my clothes.

Drew: *Looks at 100 Year Quest* Yeah, sometimes Hiro can be a biiiit much. But this is a good way to get a canon form for you Lis.

Lisanna: Better than how I got it.

UO: Alright let's go.

Gajeel: UO here doesn't own us or Pokemon. Otherwise, I'd be a dad by now!

Everyone: WHAT!?

UO: Oh joy

"Speech"
Text
Thought and Lyrics
Super Mode/Belt/Monster
Attacks/Spells/Techniques

Chapter 38: Legendary Resolve

Same time As the Riders entering Temple of the Argonauts, Miracle Eye Headquarters Late Afternoon October 9th X784

Yuzan took a wobbly step forward, her body aching with pain. Her slow rehab had progressed nicely, but without a proper healer, she had to do it the normal way.

"Stupid no good non-Rider!" she grumbled. "That bastard should see how he likes it when he can't walk!"

"Still struggling, General?" Paul mocked. "How the hell did you become one if you're laid up like this?"

"Watch it! I was carving up armies before your world even existed! I also wouldn't be talking! You're gonna have that nice little scar for a very long time!"

Paul winced as pain shot through his chest. "We underestimated him!"

"We? I was fine until he decided to save the Riders!"

Their bickering continued back and forth until the lights in the room they were in flickered then snuffed out.

Adolphus, having heard the argument and came into the room, looked around as the lights vanished. "What is going on?"

(Play AFO's Theme)

"Our leader...has graced us with his presence. Please, come in," Yuzan motioned as she struggled to kneel.

Aldolphus walked over to the two as the air rippled in front of them. Then it split horizontally, like an eye, revealing a dark red background. Three figures stood on the side of a large throne with a demonic devil like figure.

"YUZAN, WHAT IS [YOUR] STATUS?"

The blood mage winced. "I have had drawbacks! The Riders are gaining strength more quickly than I imagined.

"Is that why you're so wounded?" Matthew, the figure to the devil's right spoke.

Yuzan looked away. "These...weren't caused by a Rider," she admitted shamefacedly

This made the devil narrow his eyes. "What could possibly harm [you] this horrifically?" He looked at Paul. "And Paul, [I] believe Answers are warranted."

"Both...of our injuries...were caused by the same man, a man named Friedrich Holmgardt."

A loud breathing echoed through the halls. The mechanical nature of the breathing indicated it was a machine doing part of the breathing as a hulking figure stood up to the portal. "Friedrich Holmgardt…*Khuuuu….Khuuuu* That is a name we haven't heard of in a long time," Malachi mused.

"You know of him?" Paul asked.

"Tell us, what this man did…*Khuuu* ...perhaps he is not the man we knew."

Yuzan spoke first. "I had ambushed three Riders coming home from a mission, and had almost killed one of Zodiac's Riders when he appeared out of nowhere and paralyzed me. Then when they came back, I almost had them again but then he countered my Rider kick with some sort of energy based attack that basically crushed my leg.

"As for me, I fought him after I encountered the Lightning and Water Guardians. He created a magic out of nothing and almost pierced my heart. As it is, I could have ended up like you Malachi...no offense."

"*Khuuu*...None taken…Friedrich is a formidable opponent. *Khuuuu*...if he is allied with the Riders...then he could be training them."

"But it doesn't mean he's fully aligned with them," Junko spoke up from the left. "Perhaps, he can be persuaded.

"Indeed. General [Yuzan,] General [Paul.] You are to attempt to turn him. If he fails to cooperate, [Erase his existence.]

The two Dark Riders nodded and the portal disappeared, allowing Adolphus to breathe. "What the hell is he?"

"He is the Lord Puppetmaster. The true master of darkness. His real name is only to be spoken in private," Yuzan told him. "Now, is there anything to report?"

Aldolphus nodded. "My spies have seen several Riders heading towards the deserts of Minstrel.

"The fact that they are out there means there's a possible temple there. Aldophus, do we have anyway to get to them.

"As a matter of fact I do, we have several crews willing to go after them," Aldophus said as they prepared to depart.

Meanwhile, in the dimension of the Puppetmaster, Matthew glanced at his master. "Isn't Friedrich your former assassin?"

"[Indeed]. But something happened. Either he [Lost] his memory. Or [That man] is a fake."

"What do we do then?"

"We must [Prepare for any condition]. If he is our [Comrade] We must make him remember. Otherwise, [He shall burn like the rest].

"Indeed Khuuu...but will Yuzan, be Khuuu able to turn them?"

"[This is why} Contingencies are in place, should she fail and fall to them."

"Then by your leave, Khuu I will begin my troops training."

The Puppetmaster waved him off as their comrades departed to wherever they were.

Temple of the Argonauts, the same time

The group had entered the temple after floating or flying over to the giant door. As they sat down, they observed the vast. The room itself was a dusty brown, the result of being under the sands for thousands of years. The ruins were cracked and worn, but much of the writing was legible through the now lit torches. In the center of the room were five statues, depicting different monsters, ranging from a snake like humanoid to a large lion. Off to the sides and on different platforms were five different doorways, with one already open to their left.

Lucy looked around amazed at the architecture. "It's amazing. An ancient culture did all of this?"

"I'm more surprised that it survived this long underground," Drew wondered. Spotting a larger engraving he grinned. "Here we go, Levy, Gajeel, I think we can figure out what to do here.

"More of that gibberish?" Gajeel grumbled as they walked over to the pillar.

"It's fascinating how different languages work. Who knows what else is here from Drew's world?" Levy wondered, as Drew pulled out a large scrap of paper.

"Well then Anthropology might be up your alley. It's the study of how people develop, where they migrate and even the evolution of languages. As for this, thank you Friedrich for the translations."

Levy and Drew placed a large piece of paper and rubbed charcoal on it before beginning to decode it. "So Drew, are you a big fan of history?"

"Yeah, well compared to most people. I like the facts and figures of history. Course, history is up to the interpretation of the person reading it. What we're doing is closer to archeology, the study of ancient human history. Anthropology is more cultural, biological and linguistic development. We have hundreds of different dialects, with many more endangered and extinct."

"What about animal bones?" Gajeel wondered. "Dragons and the like."

"That's Paleontology, and while we don't have dragons, paleontologists look at these huge creatures that died out millions of years ago called dinosaurs. They dig them up and then study how they lived before they died. As for metals and other stuff, those fall under geology. So if you want to know what a specific metal or rock is, you go to them." Drew grinned as they worked on the letters. Once finished they stood up. "Alright folks, gather round I only want to say this once!"

The rest of the group walked over as Drew held up his notes. "Alright, so if this is written correctly, what this says will probably tell us what we're in for." Clearing his throat, he began. "To unlock the five anchors and descend to the testing grounds, one must prove you can fight without your senses.

In the Room of Sight, one must combat their foe when the very sight of it will end in your demise

In the Maze of Smell, find your hidden foe when your foe knows your every move

In the Tunnel of Echoes, seek the anchor while being unable to speak your thoughts

In the Jungle of Taste, fight your way through, while your stomach betrays you

And in the Hall of Touch, the path to victory must be found while defeating an untouchable beast

Natsu tilted his head. "Fight without senses? What the hell does that mean?"

"Hell what are these anchors?" Gajeel grumbled.

"Senses means our five main senses, Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste. My guess is that each room will open once we clear the previous room. The anchors are probably those statues," Drew pointed to the giant statues in the middle of the room. "Those are probably the mini bosses. So guess we need to start with the open room."

"What is this test ya'll talking about?" Tobias asked, scratching his forehead

"So...you know these armors we have?" Anabel asked the taller man. "Each of us has multiple forms but in order to get our final forms, we have to visit these temples and beat the spirits of the previous wielders."

"Ah, and wha' about this treasure?"

"Only when we beat it does the wielder get them and only them," Ash answered.

"Definitely somethin' to tell the boss."

"Quit your stalling and let's go!" Gajeel demanded heading towards the first open chamber. Entering the room, they realized it was pitch black, with hardly any light in the room, a feature fitting for this type of test.

"Dawn, can you give us some light?"

The blue haired mage nodded and closed her eyes. Slowly, her body began to glow a pinkish white, illuminating the area around them. Placing her hand down on the ground, she sent a wave of light through the room. It revealed gaps in the floor, with paths branching off to the sides and eventually across the gap. Along each path there were brackets for torches.

"Well, this is one way to solve this room, the torches here probably light up the path," Misty pointed out.

"I wouldn't put it past them to be a temporary solution, alright." Drew snapped his fingers and ignited his hand. "Three paths, three groups, one goes with Dawn, one goes with me, one goes with Natsu," the dragon slayer igniting his hand too.

"Why three groups?" Lucy wondered.

"Pick up anything that isn't in the vault, these dungeons have some secrets, right?" Drew wondered as he led a group with Anabel, Ash and Levy. Natsu led Lucy, May and Lisanna while Dawn escorted Tobias, Gajeel and Misty. As Drew led his group to the side of the room lighting up, above them, the ceiling was beginning to wake up.

"Here we go," Drew muttered, spying a slime covered chest. As he picked up the chest, Levy stepped forward and stepped in something next to it. "Agh!"

"What happened?" Anabel asked.

"Whatever's on the chest got on my shoes! Damn it!"

Drew picked the chest and opened it revealing some gold and a couple of golden camel charms. "Not bad." He said pocketing it.

Tobias was watching Levy freak out and watched the ceiling. Seeing a shadow move, he flicked his hands to summon a magic card and threw it.

"SCREEE!" A loud cry echoed through the chamber as the card struck the shadow and embedded itself into the wall.

"What the?" Drew wondered as he looked at what Tobias hit. It was a large bat, slowly dying from the magic card implanted in it.

"Best not let yare guard down," the card mage advised.

Drew looked at the beast and then up into the ceiling. Increasing the power of his flames he held up to see it crawling.

"Are those...Bats?" May shivered.

"An entire colony…" Ash replied. Said bats all tilted their heads and looked down at everyone.

"Guys...I don't think they're happy we're here!" Lucy screamed as the flying mammals spread their wings and began to divebomb them.

"GET TO THE DOOR!" Drew called out, conjuring two fireballs, and hurled them at the remaining torches. As he said this, everyone with guns pulled out their weapons and took aim at the dive bombing animals. The hall echoed with gun fire as multiple rounds turned them into paste.

Natsu blasted several of the tiny bats into leathery bits of confetti, the blast cone from the shotgun helping them clear a path forward. Lucy flung her whip around above their heads, but the bats were too fast and quickly tangled themselves in her hair, which freaked her out. "Get them off!" She yelped, wildly snapping her whip around. Her ensuing panic caused her to flail around and forget where the edge of the walkways were. Her foot caught the edge and she began to fall over. "AHHH!" She screamed as tilted over, gravity taking hold, only for Lisanna to edge to grab her hand, the Animal soul mage almost going over herself until May grabbed her waist.

"Hang on, Lucy!" Lisanna called out as the two mages pulled her back.

Natsu, hearing her screams, took a deep breath. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROARRR!" The dragon slayer unleashed a white hot flame that burned through the bats harassing them, while swirling harmlessly around the girls. The bats screeched as they painfully burned to a crisp. He rushed over and with one arm pulled them back. "You guys alright?"The girls nodded as the noise echoed through the chambers. "Stay down, I got you covered!" He told them as they carefully made their way across.

Drew fired off multiple rounds, each shot finding its mark while he spun to find more targets. As he fired, he directed Anabel and Levy across the path. As he swung around, several bats dive bombed from behind in an attempt to knock him off. Only for a purple shield to appear and cause them to splat into it.

"Thanks for the cover, Ana!" Drew called out, before shooting several bats coming up behind her.

"And that's the favor returned," the empath giggled, tossing her chakrams and slicing through the crowd above their heads.

Meanwhile, Levy was furiously writing her Solid Script at the thinning hoard. However, her small stature was being easily overwhelmed and pushed back. Gajeel saw this, blasted the bats nearest him with electricity and snapped over to Lily. "Lily, get the Shrimp!"

"On it!" The black cat replied, spreading his wings and jetting over. As he flew, Levy backed over the edge and began to fall. He caught her just as she let out a scream and flew her over to the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Gajeel!?" Levy gasped.

"Gihi, watch your step!" He grinned as he fired a shot from Redemption, before picking her up with one arm and rushing for the door.

With the amount of firepower being pumped into the bats, a path eventually opened up enough to get everyone across and next to the door. Drew motioned to Natsu as they stood in front of the group. As one they took a deep breath and unleashed a torrent of flames across the room and above the ceiling. Whatever was left of the colony was burnt to a crisp, their screams echoing through the room.

Drew coughed and looked over the edge. "Well...that was something," he said, walking back to the frazzled group. "Everyone good?" He shouted, his hearing still ringing from the multitude of echoing gunshots.

They all looked at the Guardian and nodded before they fixed themselves up. Opening the door, they came upon a large circular room surrounded by torches with four large mirrors on top of four central pillars causing light to shine through the room. As the last of them entered the door slammed shut startling everyone.

"What do we do now?" Lisanna asked after everyone calmed down as they looked around the partially lit room

Drew was thinking about the clue from the main room. Sight that will end in our demise...demise…

"I don't know why, but this room reminds me of Perseus, you know with Medusa and everything," Misty wondered.

Drew snapped his head up. Demise! Medusa's vision can turn us to stone! Outloud, he muttered. "Close your eyes."

"Huh?" Gajeel wondered.

"Close your eyes and keep them closed!" Drew ordered shutting his eyes. Everyone immediately did so, while the Guardian turned to the Aura Riders. "Can you all sense something?"

Ash and Anabel, who were better trained in Aura sensing, combined with the empath's ability to see sound, swept the area. As they looked towards the altar, a loud hissing sound echoed through the room. Slithering out of the shadows, though they couldn't see it, was a green woman with red eyes. The top of her hair consisted of several very dangerous snakes all hissing angrily at the intruders. She was topless, her breasts covered by layers of darker emerald scales Where her legs should have been was a long snake tail that was easily six feet long. In her hands was a large bow.

(Picture Medusa from DOTA 2)

"Wellll, look who deccccided to join mee?" The woman hissed. "A bunch of children and their dumb petsss.

"A Gorgon. Greaaat!" Drew groaned, grabbing his sword

"What's the problem?" Lily asked, flying close to Gajeel.

"Gorgons, though very beautiful, can turn their victims to stone via eye contact. Hence the part of the riddle that said sight can kill us," Drew explained. "Would not be surprised if she's got some nasty venom!

"Oh figured me out already? Well letsss ssssee what you have, Argo!" She shouted hoisting her bow and firing at the iron dragon slayer. The arrows bounced off Gajeel's armored skin as he hugged Levy. The Goron hissed and slinked in the shadows. Everyone began to look around frantically.

"Keep your eyes closed, ears open! Ash, you guys can see her right?" Drew asked.

"She's fast," Anabel relayed. "But she's still kind of big." Hearing something race through the air she brought out Royal Circle and swung upward. The metal swords connected with two arrows that were deflected harmlessly into the air. "She's got arrows, keep your guard up!"

"How? We can't see a damn thing?" Gajeel snapped.

"Your skin's fine, it's the rest of us that can't get hit!" May yelled back.

"Guys, calm down!" Drew snapped.

"Oh Pleassse, do continue!" The gorgon mocked. "It will make so much easssieer to hunt you down."

Drew pulled out Brave and fired behind Lucy making the gorgon hiss in pain. "Watch it! You could have hit me!" Lucy moaned.

"I didn't. Ash, Ana just keep tracking them. Natsu, Gajeel we're gonna need your Dragon ears!"

The dragon slayers concentrated their hearing, listening for the slithering beast or the snake heads of her hair. Gajeel aimed Redemption behind a pillar and pulled the trigger. A large electrical beam shot through the chamber and destroyed the pillar. It connected with the gorgan, but unknown to them, she had summoned a large shield that while absorbing some of the blast caused some of her skin to burn.

"Damn you...go my precious babies!" She ordered. Her snakes slithered out from her hair and angrily chased after the group.

Hearing them slither close, Misty swung her trident and stanned one of the snakes in the head while firing off a water blast to keep them back. Lisanna quickly unhooked her scythes and spun around rapidly, the sharp blade slicing their heads clean off. She backflipped over their heads and fired, their heads exploding into paste. The gorgon glared and slinked back into the shadows.

"Fucking, we can't do anything if we're running around like Salamander in a Library!"

"Shut the hell up, metal brain!"

"Both of you shut it!" Ash growled, making them calm down. He turned to Dawn. "Dawn, how much time do you have on Safeguard?"

"I think I got...Five minutes right now. I've been meaning to work on it. You think we can kill her in that amount of time?"

"We won't know till we try. Do it!" Drew ordered.

The Light mage nodded and clapped her hands. "Safeguard." A blue mystical veil sweeped the room, encasing Dawn's friends.

"What was that?" Tobias wondered.

"It's Safeguard, one of Dawn's support abilities. As long as it's up, we can't be affected by abilities that slow our ability to attack. Paralysis, sleep and in this case stone," Drew said opening his eyes. "We have a limited time for her stare to not affect us!"

"Then I better make ssure you don't sssurvive it!" The gorgon growled, her bow primed to fire multiple shots.

With their vision temporarily protected, Anabel quickly leaped in front of the group and deflected the arrows away. From behind them, Ash and Misty quickly charged in towards the snake woman, their weapons drawn. The gorgon smirked as a green shield popped up in front of her, blocking the attacks

"Gooood luck piercing this ssshield!" She mocked as they tried to break through.

"We just need to overwhelm it!" Drew said rearing back and firing several bolts of fire in her direction. "Natsu, let's get some more heat on this!"

"Got it! FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" The white hot flames scorched a trail towards the snake woman, the Lightning and Water Guardians leaping out of the way. The flames surrounded the shielded woman, cooking her like an oven.

"Damn YoUUU!" She shouted, her snake hair catching fire. The shield flickered, not that she noticed. Someone did, however and her lack of awareness proved costly.

SQUELCH

"GAHHHHH!" She screamed, her eyes gushing blood. Gajeel, having seen an opportunity, charged in with his skin a metal grey to protect against the heat. With a swipe of Condemnation, the blade sliced her eyes out.

"Heh, no more statues for you!" Gajeel grinned.

The gorgon withered in pain and fired a large snake out of her hand. The snake flew fast through the air and in an unfortunate circumstance found Lisanna's arm. She screamed as the snake bit down, the venom beginning to coarse through her veins as Safeguard had dropped mere seconds before.

"Lisanna!" Natsu called out, before being belted by arrows.

"I can ssstiill hear your pathetic sssccreams. That girl has 15 minutes before my poison reaches her heart. You better come finnnnd me before ssshe expirrresss!" She giggled as she crept back in the shadows.

"Get back here you bitch!" Natsu snarled, charging at her.

"Natsu! Don't fall for this!" Drew ordered as he fired into the shadows .

Dawn tried to rush over to the white haired girl, but multiple snakes coming out the shadows forced her to leap back, the gorgon realizing she was the biggest threat to her survival.

As Lisanna lay writhing on the ground, panting and groaning with pain, she could feel the icy poison coursing through her bloodstream, throbbing with every beat of her heart. She gasped, feeling like it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. This…this isn't what I wanted when I came back! she thought desperately, I wanted to stay with Mira and Elfman this time!

Suddenly, the darkness cleared above her, and she found herself gazing up at a low-hanging, though somehow not too bright, sun.

[Apex.]

As that single word, loaded with meaning, was beamed into her head, her body began to tingle, power thrumming through her skin, her muscles, her bones. The pain from the poison began to ebb away, and somehow, she could feel her body fighting it, the cells themselves rebelling against their own destruction and forming antibodies.

She gasped, oxygen flowing through her body as she coughed, vomiting out what was left of the venom out of her lungs. Recovering her wits, she looked at her arm where the fangs had gone in and saw only two punctures where the bit occurred. Standing on shaky legs, she watched as the gorgon was chased out of the shadows by Natsu and Gajeel.

"Your wasssting time, chassssing me. You don't want your friend to diee?"

Natsu growled, only for Drew and Gajeel to hold him back. As Drew prepared to fire again, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Adjusting his aim, he aimed to the gorgon's left. The gorgon reacted accordingly and slithered away from the blasts.

"Your as blind asss me, and my eyesss are no more," she taunted.

Drew smirked and holstered Brave. "I don't miss that badly."

Before the gorgon could ask, two scythes pierced her chest. "GAHHHH!" She screamed. She tilted her head. "Y-you...are still alive…"

"Should have made sure I was dead. I've had a pretty good record of coming back from the grave," Lisanna said, pulling her scythes out. Blood squirted out of the wounds as she collapsed her snakes screeching as they died.

Gajeel walked up to her, shaking his head in pity. "What a waste," he muttered, pulling out Condemnation and blasting her head off.

Now that the battle had ended, Dawn rushed over and scanned her. She gasped as she waved her arms over her body. "I-impossible...there's no trace of venom anywhere...she shouldn't be alive!"

Happy and Natsu rushed over and hugged her. "I thought I lost you again," the dragon slayer told her, kissing her possessively.

Lisanna broke away from her boyfriend "I thought I was dead too...but something, I think it was the sun, showed up and suddenly it's like my body...fought and defeated a poison."

"That had to be your Bud!" Anabel snapped her fingers. "That same sun appeared when I got my Astral Manipulation ability. But what did she mean by fighting the poison?

"No freaking way," Drew shook his head. "I think I know what happened. Your body developed antibodies to the venom. For all intents and purposes you're now vaccinated against something like this from happening to you again."

"Anti what?" Gajeel asked, tilting his head in confusion, Natsu and Happy doing the same.

"You remember the whole thing with the vaccines I was harping on?" Drew asked. "What they do is train your body to detect the various viruses and develop countermeasures. Things like white blood cells which are special virus battling cells.. These are called antibodies and somehow Lisanna is able to do that for venom and poison."

"I think it was called Supernatural Cells...or something like that," the animal soul mage said, walking over to the defeated Gorgon. "Now, let me see if I can do this, if she was still alive it would be much harder to take over. Animal Soul: Conscription!" Placing her hands on the body, their bodies glowed white, her magic overtaking the gorgons body. As the spell continued, the gorgon's body began to disappear and Lisanna's body began to change. When the glowing died down, it revealed the white haired girl now had a long green scaly tail with silver and purple streaks that made it look exotic. It easily reached seven feet from the tip of her tail to where the scales ended just below her belly button. Other than scales of a similar color that extended halfway up her shoulder to a pair of claws where her hands were, she had nothing on for her top half. Something the boys noticed and looked away, making her pout.

"Guys, you don't have to look away!"

"Sorry little lady, I was taught to be a gentleman, especially one as young as yall," Tobias said tilting his hat to hide his embarrassment.

"Yeah, don't want Mira to kill us," Drew mumbled. "Besides, unlike May, you may not appreciate anyone not your boyfriend seeing you like this.

"I'm not that bad," the brunette pouted. "So what can you do in this form, Lis?"

"I think I have the venom. Hang on," she turned and spat at something green at a pillar. It fizzled as the now acidic liquid ate through the column. "Acid spray is nice...I wonder. Lucy, can you come here for a moment?"

The blonde walked up, tilting her head in confusion on what the white haired mage wanted. Lisanna closed her eyes and then snapped them open, her pupils becoming silts. In less than a second, the blonde turned into a stone statue, though somehow she still looked gorgeous.

"Um...Lis you can turn her back right?" Natsu asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I can turn it off and on, if I need to," she giggled as she deactivated her eyes. "Gotta talk to Evergreen about that."

As Lucy returned to normal, she pouted. "You could have warned me, I would have given you a better pose."

Lisanna giggled and slithered towards the group. Natsu unwrapped his scarf and held it up to her. "Here, it's temporary for a top, but this could fit."

"Thank you, but it's yours, you keep it," Lisanna insisted gently pushing the scarf back. "Besides, I'm gonna be in this form a while, just to get used to it."

"Alright, um, let's get back to the center of the temple. Maybe we can figure out where to go next," Drew said, rubbing his head as they walked, flew or slithered back to the center of the temple. Once they reached it they watched as one of the statues on the center platform glowed and then disintegrated while below and to the left of them, the second door of the five opened. With determination, they entered the room.

Upon entrance they found themselves staring over a huge labyrinth maze. Torches lined the top of the walls, while a huge jewel provided a reddish hue to the room. On the side was a set of stairs that led downward.

"A maze…" Dawn said aloud.

"Way to play into the myths," Ash concluded.

Drew approached a small plinth in the middle of the platform. "Once you enter, one can not leave until you reach the center and kill the beast within," he said aloud, "The Minotaur."

"Wait...like Taurus?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, he's a Greek legend. Half man bottom, half bull top. He would hunt and kill sacrifices in a maze like this. He can probably sniff us out."

"So we just need to kill this thing right?" Gajeel nodded and started climbing down the stairs. "Lily, make sure we can see it coming."

The black cat nodded and flew over to the walls. However, the moment he reached the border, he stopped abruptly. "What the…? There's some sort of…invisible wall here, above the regular ones," he reported, feeling the barrier with his paw.

"Smart on the scouting, and smart on the creators to think of it," Misty nodded as they descended down the stairs.

"So how did the Minotaur story go?" Levy asked as they entered.

"So, the Minotaur was a product of an affair between the queen of Crete and a bull the king that they were supposed to sacrifice. After Crete defeated Athens, a city state at the time, they decreed they would send 7 boys and 7 virgin women to be sent into the labyrinth and eaten by this beast," Misty explained, making everyone squick out at the thought of bestiality and human sacrifice. "Prince Thesus was one of the sacrifices, and with the help of a maiden who'd been sent with him and some string, he found his way through the structure, killed the Minotaur, then made it out."

"You would know this myth, considering Theseus is the son of a certain water god," Drew smirked.

"I'm more connected than you think," Misty winked.

"So if we need directions," Tobias wondered, flicking a card out and placing it on a corner. "My cards can tell where we've turned. Heck I can turn them different colors at junctions."

"What can these cards do?" Natsu wondered

"Now, don't you know the saying a magician doesn't reveal their secrets? You'll find out," Tobias tipped his cap as they trudged in.

As they walked, Dawn glanced back at Lisanna. "Are you sure you're alright? Snake venom isn't exactly something you shake off."

"I'm fine, Dawn," Lisanna waved off, slithering along. "But thank you."

"You know, Natsu's team doesn't have a proper healer," Dawn realized. "I think me and Tori can expand your training on it.

"Considering who's on the team, I might take you up on it," the animal mage giggled.

Drew shook his head. "She's got ya there, Natsu." Which made the dragon slayer pout.

After several more twists and turns, Drew held his arm up. "Hold on. Hey Lisanna. Do you have a snake tongue?"

Lisanna stuck her tongue out, revealing that it was now forked. "Yeah, why?"

"Snakes have something in the roofs of their mouths called a Jacobson's organ. Essentially they can taste different airborne chemicals or smells by tasting the air. Maybe you can "taste" our opponent."

Lisanna nodded and flicked her tongue out of her mouth. She could definitely taste the various smells from her friends, from the smoky charcoal that Natsu gave off, to more pleasing scents from the girls such as vanilla from Lucy, blueberries from Dawn and even a noticeable scent of lavender from Anabel, committing all to memory. As licked the air, from behind the group, large thuds began to shake the room, getting closer with each repetition.

Everyone turned to see a fearsome sight stomp into view. Standing a good 10 feet tall, as tall the walls around it, was a monster with a large brown bull's head, with white horns and a golden ring in its nose. The rest of the body consisted of rough leathery skin with human-like skin and muscles, which ended with powerful looking legs. In its arms was a large battle axe that was as big as he is. It let out a loud roar as it leaned down to and swiped the ground, ready to charge. "That thing is horrible!" Lucy panicked, summoning Mutsuraboshi.

"Don't stand there, open fire," Drew ordered as those with guns began to fire. The bullets connected but the shots ricocheted off its hide as the beast charged forward cracking the floor with each stomp. Anabel and Dawn's Reflect Screens did little to slow it down as they shattered with no effort. The charging beast forced the group to split up and leap out of the way. Gajeel however couldn't get out of the way fast enough as he turned his skin to metal. The Minotaur tackled him and slammed him against the wall.

"You think you can beat me, you overgrown hamburger?" he shouted, slamming his fist into the beast's head. The monster reared back, ready to gore him when three red cards struck its shoulder and exploded. The explosion forced the beast to drop Gajeel who transformed his arm into a kunai and sliced its thigh before rolling towards Drew and his group.

The beast roared as the two groups ran away from him before chasing after Tobias who looked like he would rather not be there. As he ran, he felt two arms grab him and pull him into a wall. The beast went storming past, unaware his quarry had disappeared.

Tobias turned his head to see Misty removing her hands from his shoulders. "Thanks for the save, Red."

"No problem," Misty replied. She stuck her head out of the illusion created by May and saw the beast had wandered off seemingly unaware of their presence. "Alright, we need to think strategically here, Tobias, how do your cards work?"

"My magic is more explosive and transportation focused. If need be I can teleport to another card or even remotely set them off. No offense to y'all I don't think any of us here can take them down by ourselves."

"Yeah, the boys are in one group," Dawn noted. "Just like the myths I suppose. Lis, can you sniff them out?"

The white haired mage stuck out her tongue. "The maze might be large, but there should be paths that can get us there...wait…" she flicked again. "Guys! It's coming back!"

They turned around to see the Minotaur glaring angrily at them. Lisanna took a breath and spat out some acid. The wide spray landed in front of the beast, melting and softening the ground enough to get the beast to fall through with an angry, shocked bellow.

Tobias threw a card at a wall and opened a portal. "Come on!" he ordered as he motioned the group in. As they did, Lucy turned back to see Lisanna staring the beast down. "Lis! Let's go!"

"I can take it down, I just need to get its eyes!" she called back. Before she could look up, the beast had crawled out of its pit and set its sights on the snake girl, charging with a mad gleam in its glowing red eyes. As Lisanna prepared to attack, she felt Mutsuraboshi wrap around her and yank her, hard, through Tobias's portal and into a hallway further away.

"Lucy, I had him!" the white-haired mage protested.

Before Lucy could respond, the Minotaur roared and tore through the walls forcing the group to flee again. Tobias leading the way. As they ran, they passed by the cards Tobias had set. "Follow me, I know where to go!" the older man shouted as they turned a corner, weaving through the endless maze. Behind them, the Minotaur crashed through the walls, charging down the hallways and forcing them to pick up the pace.

Lisanna flicked her tongue and snapped to her right as they came to a junction. "This way!"

"Lis! The exit is this way!" May screamed pointing the other way as they followed her.

"Trust me!" She called back as she slithered down the hall. Seeing no alternative, they rushed after their friend. The beast followed them with increased rigor, the walls shaking with each stomp. The animal mage looked over her shoulder and saw their opponent on their heels, ready to swipe at them. She looked at the walls above before she ducked around the corner, her companions following suit. The beast slid and was ready to charge again. It didn't take more than a couple of steps before off the top of the walls, Gajeel leaped down and kicked it in the head, knocking it aside and making it falter. The minotaur roared in pain as Natsu and Drew leaped off and launched several rounds from their weapons, with enough force to cause it to stumble back. As it struggled to gain its balance, Ash was already behind him and with a quick slice, cut open a large wound across its legs, effectively hamstringing it. The beast roared in pain as it collapsed to the floor, blood gushing from the sliced tendons.

Lisanna moved and closed her eyes. She tilted her head up, then snapped them open, revealing her serpentine gaze. The beast roared in pain as its skin hardened to stone, cracking and bleeding as it struggled to move, before finally going still. With a roar, both dragon slayers leaped up and brought their weapons down, slicing through the now petrified beast before it toppled over and crumbled to dust.

Misty looked at the snake girl as she breathed out. "You smelled the boys, and you lured them over here. How did you know they would do something like this?"

"I didn't...I just followed my tongue," Lisanna flicked her tongue in response, "And I know Natsu."

"When that thing was following you guys, we managed to climb the walls and these two," Drew thumbed the dragon slayers arguing over who got the kill. "Were able to sniff you out. Friedrich would be amazed at this use of your new powers. Come on, we should be getting back to the center room. And for the record, Natsu got the last hit!" He shouted back as he took out a notebook. Natsu laughed as Gajeel pouted. As he went to argue about the first room, Drew cut him off. "Lis got the death blow on the Gorgon," he said, further riling up Gajeel.

"OH COME ON! I blew the bitch's head off!" Gajeel whined.

"She would have died anyway," Drew argued back as he wrote down the battle results.

As they left the room, Tobias had to ask. "How many fights have you kids been in?"

"Too many to count...I will say, before we burned the rest, Gajeel got the most of the bats.

"And keeping track?" he asked, watching the dragon slayers stare each other down.

"More to keep the stories straight. By my nature, I'm a historian and I want it written down so people can learn about us," Drew answered, writing it down before closing it and opening another book. "Journals too, for first person accounts."

Approaching the center room, they watched the Minotaur statue crumble away and a door underneath the platform open up. They made their way to the door and gaze upon what they saw. It was a large cavern with sheer scale walls that extended to the ceiling. Below them was a large lake of water, the light bouncing off it and giving the walls life.

"What's a pool doing here? This is a desert right?" Levy asked.

"Well there are wells that water can collect underground," May pointed out.

"And if this is the Sound test, they did a good job with it," Drew said as they headed down the stairs.

"What do you mean?" Happy asked worried.

"Sound needs air for you to speak," Drew explained. "We can't rely on verbal communication without microphones built into our rebreathers. On top of this, not all of us have Water armors or forms that allow them to fight effectively underwater. Natsu has his Water Sapphire, I have Pisces and Aquarius, Lucy has Aquarius. And Misty is the Water Guardian."

Misty smirked as she slipped off her shoes. "Well, I guess this is as good as any to show this off." With a graceful leap, she dove in. Moments later, she breached the surface, but her body had changed. Gone was her tank top, being replaced by brilliant amethyst scales that covered half of her chest. Her hair, a brilliant reddish orange normally, was now a striking magenta, half of it floating behind her. Decorating her arms and upper body were tiny gems that gleamed from the light being reflected around the room. As she dove back in, it revealed her legs were now a dark purple tail, with a long dorsal fin that went from her the base of her spine to her caudal fin.

Drew watched entranced by her form and chuckled as she surfaced. "I remember the episode your sisters forced you into a mermaid costume, guess your Epithet makes sense now."

Misty giggled. "This is part of my bud. It seems like if I allow it, my body adapts based on the water I'm in." She looked at her hair and pouted. "I wish this hair didn't remind me of my sister Lily."

"Could you try to change it?" Ash wondered as he knelt down to feel it, being surprisingly soft to the touch.

Misty took a few strands and concentrated. The hair in her hand went from magenta to a more purplish blue closer to Dawn's hair shade. "I think as long as it's wet I can."

"Getting off track here, so we need seven rebreathers…" Drew began

"Six," Lisanna said as she slipped into the water and came back out, sporting a pink tail where her legs would be.

"...six...that works. You two scout ahead, we'll get ready to dive," Drew ordered.

The two girls nodded and dived down into the depths. As they dove, Misty's body began to give off a faint glow, which she noticed and increased the power to it. It shined enough that she could see several feet in front of them, which without the light from above was really dark, almost pitch black. Descending further, she and Lisanna could see a tunnel that wasn't very wide, perhaps twelve feet across, enough to get everyone through but it would be a tight fit.

Lisanna tapped her shoulder to get her attention. The animal mage pointed up to signal she was gonna surface, then pointed at her ears. Misty felt them and saw that they had started to grow into fins, presumably to create something akin to sonar. Along her arms, fins had started to form, up to her elbows, the color matching her tail. Rather than be freaked out, Misty was curious at how her body was adapting so quickly as she sliced through the water. Putting that aside for now, she followed Lisanna up and came ashore. They observed that everyone had changed from their exploration gear into their swim trunks or suits, with Dawn and May showing Levy, Tobias and Gajeel how to use the rebreathers. The mermaid noted with great delight that the brunette had changed her suit, now sporting a strapless dark one piece with cutouts along her ribcage, showing off her voluptuous body.

Putting aside thoughts of how hot her girlfriend was, she turned back to Drew and pointed to the other side of the lagoon. "There's a cave about thirty to forty feet below us. The water's almost pitch black and the tunnel is wide enough to let us swim through one at a time," Misty explained, "We need Dawn and Anabel to help with the lights.

"How long can we stay under?" asked Levy.

"Friedrich said that we can probably do two hours," Drew replied and glanced at Anabel. "You gonna be okay underwater?"

"I'll be fine, thanks for the concern," the empath smiled.

The fire Guardian nodded and motioned to the Riders. "Alright, advice is simple. Stay close, stay near the light sources and keep an eye on the air," he instructed, pulling out his phone and pressing the Pisces button. Natsu pulled out his Sapphire ring, Lucy took out Aquarius's key while Gajeel pulled out a ring with a cylindrical gem on it.

STANDBY: PISCES

SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!

RAISE ANCHOR!

"HENSHIN!"

COMPLETE!

DRAGONFORCE! WATER! BUBBLE BUBBLE FLOW, BUBBLE BUBBLE CRASH!

SUMMON: WATER-BEARER

NAUTILUS SETTING SAIL!

As the belts echoed through the chambers, the Riders bodies glowed as their armors reformed. Drew became a large dark blue diving suit, with large metallic fins up his arms and boots. His mask was similar to a stormtrooper's helmet, with a breathing apparatus connected to a tank on his back. Attached to the tank is a small rotor that would help him propel through the water, and two miniature harpoon launchers were located on his wrist.

"Zodiac: Pisces Form."

Natsu's magic circle covered him up in water as it fell over him. When it drained away it revealed a sapphire blue figure. The back and front of the helmet broke away, revealing the same glowing substance that made up his other dragonforce forms, only these flowed like water throughout the body. His faceplate remained the same sapphire blue gemstone from his Water form but now it was sharper, more refined

"Kamen Rider Draco: Dragonforce Sapphire."

Lucy's form became a light blue, skin tight armor that left little to the imagination. Interlocking fish scales of a similar color littered her body, from her feet to her collar bone, looking incredibly tough like a tunic, yet flexible to allow for swimming. Her chest had more of the same scales, but mixed together with a material that looked like kevlar. On her feet were two light blue flippers, which combined with the scales, made her look like a blue version of Misty's current form, something that Draco appreciated as he blushed behind his helmet. Along her arms were two tubes that connected to her shoulder to allow for water attacks. On her helmet were two metal ears and a large mask that went around her mouth and nose for underwater breathing.

"Kamen Rider Pleiades! Aquarius Form!" she shouted. "This form looks great. You didn't have to do this, Aquarius."

"Yeah, well I can't have red hogging all the glory!" The water spirit grumbled. Lucy grinned, remembering the talk they'd had before the mission and the making up they'd gone through. Hopefully, Lucy thought, this continued

Meanwhile, Gajeel had undergone a drastic change. His armor's color went from a steely grey and black to more naval blue. On his legs were a pair of fins that looked like a boat's rudders, along with two miniature rotors that, combined with the larger one on his back, potentially gave him propulsion. His helmet resembled an old diver's mask, with large, glowing gold eyes underneath a wire mesh. Along his wrists were two sets of three miniature tubes.

"Kamen Rider Argo! Nautilus Form!"

Observing the new forms, Zodiac nodded with approval. "You guys look good. Alright, stay close, Misty you lead. Dawn, Ana try to stay near a group of three. We don't know what's down there. And if it's dark, you will get disoriented.

(Play Ocean Hunter: Stage 3-1 OST)

Everyone nodded and, save for the Exceeds and Pikachu, they all entered the water before diving in. Misty's body gave off a brilliant light as she led the way, her companions evenly spacing themselves out as the water darkened. Lisanna, who was in the back to help stragglers, watched as Pleiades struggled with her new armor's leg movements. It seemed like underwater, her legs were meant to come together like Misty and Lisanna's mermaid forms. As this was her first time doing such movements, she was tiring out quickly, due to her legs not being used to the movements. Swimming close, Lisanna tapped her shoulder. The armored rider looked at her and smiled sheepishly behind her mask. The white haired girl, sensing it, smiled in return and took her hand, allowing her to slowly match her movements. They swam towards the entrance, where everyone was waiting for them.

Once everyone was set up, they entered the tunnel one at a time, Misty in front and Dawn and Anabel evenly spread between them. While the tunnel was wide enough to let them in, the tunnel seemed to go on forever. Those who weren't used to diving so long were worried that they were gonna run out of air or if they were going in the right direction. Before the thoughts of panic could consume some of them, they finally opened up into a much larger chamber. While still dark, there were small gems of light above the surface. Misty pointed up to a gem close to her and Ash and Anabel followed her. Reaching the top, they found an air pocket, which the two Riders quickly lifted their masks.

"That tunnel...was long. Holy cow," Ash breathed.

"Are you alright?" Anabel asked.

"Yeah." He checked the air meter. "I think we have about an hour and a half of air. It took us 10 minutes to get through that. We should try to find that monster before too long." He said putting his mask back on and diving in, his girls following suit, Misty quickly bringing the other back to the air pocket.

Zodiac and Levy were the last group to depart the air pocket before they split up with the light sources. His suit had a flashlight that he used to great effect as he scanned the cave walls. Tobias helped slightly too with a limited set of light cards that he dropped along the walls.

Levy observed the walls and noted the architecture still stood even thousands of years underwater. She also observed that life had taken over the caves. To think that life can thrive underwater in complete darkness for so long. And all of this ancient history! It's a shame that it's sunk here. As she observed Zodiac's light on the walls, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another light. Huh? Is that the others?

Levy swam over to Zodiac and tapped his shoulder, pointing at the light source. Zodiac looked towards it and suddenly memories of a similar situation but with less threat to his own life.

"Oh shit!" He thought frantically, pulling Levy close. He aimed a harpoon right below the light and fired, the projectile hitting something meaty. The light swung around revealing a giant golden angler fish, looking extremely pissed at him. Tobias seeing this flung three cards at it before swimming towards the Guardian who pulled him close and quickly sped up.

(Switch to Ocean Hunter: Boss Music)

The cards did nothing more than annoy the fish as it charged the three.

Anabel snapped her head in the direction they went. Misty caught her glance and frowned. Before she could ask, the empath pointed to her back then in the direction she was facing. They watched as Zodiac was jetting very fast away from a large and very pissed off fish. The mermaid raised her hands and fired a Bubblebeam. The large stream of bubbles connected with the fish, which flinched and turned its sights on the mermaid. Misty grabbed Anabel and began to swim away, knowing they weren't in a position to take it down.

As Zodiac slowed down, he turned to his companions and noticed Levy's face turning blue. Somehow during the panicked retreat, her mask had slid off, probably from the sudden change in direction.

Shit. Drew thought as Ash and Lisanna swam up to him. Drew pointed to Levy and then pointed to the air pocket. Ash grabbed the blue haired mage while Lisanna quickly dove further down towards the cave floor. With the lack of light, it was difficult for her to spot it, her eyes not as adapted as Misty's.

Up in the air pocket, Levy breached the surface and gasped out heavily.

"Levy, you alright? What happened?" Ash asked frantically

"I...I was trying...to slow the fish down...with a spell...he caught up to us...briefly and the impact shook it off. I tried to hold on…"

"Alright stay here," Ash said. "We'll come get you when we find your mask!" He said before diving down.

Meanwhile, Lisanna was growing frustrated at her search. Damn it, why couldn't it be brighter. I can't find it down here! She snapped her head around again and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of blue that stood out against the walls. Quickly swimming over, she found the mask lying on a jutting pillar, overlooking an abyss. She smiled and grabbed it. As she did so, the water around her started getting brighter. Thinking her friends were behind him, she turned around and came face to face with the giant fish. Before it could attack, Draco rushed in and slammed Urvan's head into its side. Then, using the momentum of his attack, bounced away and swam towards Lisanna, before firing a bolt of concentrated water at their opponent.

The fish roared in pain at the impact and opened its mouth. Several smaller, similar looking fish spewed out of its gaping maw, swarming towards them. Draco swam in front of Lisanna and poured more energy into Urvan. Pulling the trigger, he fired a large shockwave which cut through the fish and water before striking the larger target. This only seemed to piss off the mama fish and before Lisanna could react, she found herself in Draco's arms sprinting away.

The large fish roared as it gave chase, only to run smack dab into a larger wave of water. It snarled and turned to see Pleiades raising a large jar above her head and swirling it around her, sending a large wave towards her opponent. It connected against its face, making it flinch back. This allowed Zodiac to fire several harpoons from behind. The spears struck the body drawing blood into the water. Swimming up in front of the fish was Argo who pointed his wrists at the fish's face. Out of the tubes came a set of six torpedoes three from each side. Four struck the fish, causing massive explosions that shook the room while two went into the sides and destroyed the walls behind it. The combined shockwaves destabilized the walls and began to collapse the ceilings.

Zodiac watched the collapse and waved his arms to swim towards the entrance. Argo though remembered that Levy was still in the air pocket. Swimming over to Lisanna grabbing the air mask, he bolted towards where Levy was treading water. Surfacing, he saw the panicked look on her face.

"Shrimp! Calm down!" He tried to placate her.

"This whole cave is collapsing and I can't breathe underwater!

Argo held up her mask. "Got it right here! Hang on tight!" he exclaimed, pulling it over her head. Just in time, the ceiling above them began to crack and fall. Seeing this, he pulled Levy tight against his chest, pumping energy into the propellers on his legs. Looking around in the dimming light, he spotted a bright beacon and began swimming towards it.

Misty and Drew were waiting for Argo to grab Levy. They knew they were running low on time, so Misty turned up her luminescent as the ceiling collapsed all around them. Finally, she spotted a dark shape barreling towards them, the falling debris reflecting off the light shining through the water. As they got closer, out of the darkness, their opponent, bleeding profusely, appeared behind them and opened its mouth wide. The water was rapidly pulled towards the behemoth's mouth as if it were a vacuum. Argo felt himself being pulled back and poured as much as energy into his propellers as possible.

Seeing them struggle, Zodiac pushed off from the wall and aimed his harpoons at the fish. Remembering what killed it in the game he'd played, he aimed not at its head, but at the lure, and fired. The harpoon struck true, piercing and shattered the glowing organ. The fish let out a pained scream as it slowly began to sink. Zodiac swam over to Argo and Levy, all three swimming towards the hole where Misty waited, before racing into the tunnel. As they entered, the ceiling collapsed behind them covering the hole completely.

(End Song)

A tense swim followed as they swam through the tunnel. While the Riders were fine underwater, Levy was still in a panicked state, her oxygen levels reaching a low level with warnings starting to blare in her mask. Soon enough, they were out of the tunnel and met their companions who looked relieved to see them. They all surfaced with gasps of breath, some quickly unclipping their masks and swimming ashore.

Happy flew over happily and hugged Lucy who powered down as she crawled ashore. "You guys are alright! All that shaking scared us!"

Lucy giggled a little hysterically and hugged the feline. "Don't worry...we're fine." She watched others crawl on to the shore and started to catch their breaths.

"Is...everyone alright?" Drew said as he slowly evaporated the water off him." He got tired grunts of confirmation as he sighed. "Alright ten minute break, then we can go after the other rooms."

"What...the hell was that?" Tobias asked.

"Charbydis...an angler fish who could suck in victims," Drew answered.

"I was gonna say, that looked like the fish from Ocean Hunter," Ash agreed, rubbing Misty's tail as she laid on him.

"Wait, Ocean Hunter?" Lucy asked.

"One of many games that exist in our world. Charybdis is the boss of a very deep trench. And... Well you saw what kind of damage they can do."

"You're telling me!" May shivered.

"Be thankful it wasn't Kraken- a giant Squid -or Leviathan, a giant shark."

"Either way we could have taken him down!" Natsu boasted.

Lisanna smiled from her position in his arms. The animal mage hadn't changed yet, making her feel like an actual mermaid princess for a moment. Reluctantly, she tapped his shoulder. "As much as I like this, I can move on my own" As she said this her legs transformed from her fish tail to her snake one.

Natsu put her down and took his scarf to wrap around her neck. "I heard snakes can't regulate heat well. So use this to warm up."

Lisanna beamed at how sweet he was being. Lucy cooed at the sight of them, then blushed when she felt part of the scarf wrap around her. "Two heat sources ought to be good!" Lisanna chirped, making the blonde's face go scarlet.

Levy would have commented had Gajeel not picked her up and put her on his shoulder. "Put me down!" She said with little heat.

"Juuust makin' sure you don't get eaten by a fish, gihi!"

This made the Script mage blush but instead of fighting she just snuggled into him making the pirate rider blush back. "Thanks!

Before more commentary could be said, Drew got them to move up the stairs and if they wanted to change back to their other clothes they could do so. Entering the main room, they saw another statue glow and disappear, with a door above them opening up. Entering the door, they came upon a large circular room with a surprising amount of shrubbery and green grass in an otherwise inhospitable environment, presumably fed by the waters in the previous room. The walls were also different, appearing a healthy green, contrasting the weathered appearance of the temple. In the middle of the room were a series of large bushes, laden with healthy yellow fruit.

Drew took one sniff at the air and sneezed, letting out small flames from the burst. "Crap, pollen!" He wheezed, putting his bag down and starting to search through it.

"What's wrong?" Tobias asked.

"He's got allergies to pollen and it's messing with his breathing," Misty explained as Drew pulled out an inhaler.

"Like Ash's seafood allergy?" Levy asked worriedly as he placed the red tube against his mouth and squeezed, taking big breaths to inhale what's in it

No, his allergies aren't that dangerous, and they only flare up during high pollen times in the , he still gets them pretty hard, so he takes over the counter medicine," May assured them as she approached the wall and swiped it. "And judging by the pollen, these plants have been producing a lot."

"That's right!" A male voice spoke up, startling her. Spinning around, she saw five men in togas, all bearing identical creepy smiles, rounding the corner from a line of bushes. "Our beautiful plants have been beautifully kept just for the right people to try them!"

Natsu grinned. "Alright, I'm starving!" The flame dragon slayer grinned taking the offered fruit and scarfing it down. Gajeel, seeing his fellow slayer eat, grabbed a couple and munched happily, feeling elated at finally getting some food.

As the men offered the fruit to everyone, May cautiously inspected it. It reminded her of a jujube fruit from the Mediterranean. However…something about it was giving her bad vibes. As she looked closer, she noticed something off. While the fruit was edible, the skin looked off, almost as if it were bruised. Her botany knowledge and her sudden curiosity at what the fruit could do, allowed her to see what the fruit could do and what she could use. The fruit in front of her was sending alarm bells ringing through her brain.

"Miss, are you going to eat that?" The man asked.

May looked around the room and saw that aside from the dragon slayers, no one had eaten it. Primarily, because they were still weary of the fruit, but also Drew was watching her reaction, which was also stopping her partners. "Can you prove this fruit isn't dangerous?"

The man's smile dropped slightly. "O-of course, it's been cultivated by yours truly!"

She shoved the fruit in his face. "Then eat!"

"N-now...im sure i've had my fair share. P-please, I insist."

May smirked and brought it up to her face…

*Squish*

"W-what are you doing!?" The man screamed as the fruit pulp fell from her hands.

"Next time you try to give us narcotics, don't attack someone who knows botany!" May growled.

"Narcotics?!" Lucy screamed, dropping the fruit, followed by everyone else. Drew glared at the nervous man in front of him and pulled out Osceola.

*BANG*

The man fell dead, a gaping hole in the middle of their head.

"What the hell?!" demanded the coherent mages, "He was being nice!"

"These guys aren't friendly," May said seriously, Mori in her hand. "They are called Lotus Eaters. Those plants created a narcotic effect to induce apathy, lethargy and possibly death. If the dragon slayers don't eat another they should be able to overcome it. However," she pointed her sword at the man in front of him. "Until then, they're gonna be guarding these fruits!"

"Right, girls, take care of the Eaters," Drew ordered placing his hand on Leonid.

*CLANG*

He deflected a sudden swing from Urvan and punched Natsu. "Ash, Lucy, help me out with Gajeel and Natsu here!" he called out, turning to face the Dragon Slayers.

"Don't hurt our Fruit!" Natsu growled, his eyes dull.

"Natsu, I told you your eating habits would get you in trouble," sighed the fire Guardian, kicking the slayer away. Meanwhile, Gajeel tried to strike Drew from behind, only for him to freeze and slammed against the wall.

"Geez Gajeel, you really have too much iron in your diet," Misty grumbled, her bloodbending allowing her to feel the concentrated metal in his bloodstream. The dragon slayer shook his head, stood up and charged her with Condemnation drawn, only for Ash to zip forward and block him. "Ash I had him!"

"He's also Lightning; in case you forgot, water and electric types don't mix!"

"Oh shut up, this isn't a Pokemon battle!" She snapped, firing off a bolt of water from her hand and slamming into Gajeel.

"Still not disproving my point," Ash said, firing lightning off, hitting Gajeel again.

"Who asked you, mouse boy!"

"Fish girl!"

"Momma's boy!"

"Mermaid runt!

They went back and forth zapping and drenching with each attack. Eventually, Drew had enough.

"WILL YOU TWO SAVE YOUR FLIRTING FOR LATER?" He snapped flames igniting around him. "I'd rather not have to explain to Tsuki if you killed Gajeel over this!"

The two Guardians looked over at the fallen dragon slayer, who was a smoking, unconscious heap. "Whooops?" The two said sheepishly.

"My god, you two are the worst!" Drew groaned, kicking Natsu in the head casually. "Is everyone else almost done, cause my urge to burn this place to the ground is rising by the second!"

May was using her vines to wrap and strangle one of the men with her vines. "Good here!" She said, throwing her opponent into the bushes and then flinging Razor Leaves at them.

Lisanna was watching her opponent melt into the acid of her spray, Anabel providing a barrier against whatever trickery he was using. "Anabel, you can finish this right? I need to go get Natsu!" She asked as she slithered towards the dragon slayers. Watching Natsu try and attack Drew, she quickly snapped forward and wrapped her serpentine body around the dragon slayer. While not as long as most snakes, she was still long enough to restrain the drugged dragon slayer. "Easy, Natsu!"

"My fruit!" He grunted trying to shake her off. Her snake form had added a lot of extra muscle, which made it hard but not impossible to throw her off. "Get off me!"

Lucy rushed over and fired Mutsuraboshi to wrap around the two of them. She scanned the room. "Dawn! A little help here?"

The blue haired healer had finished stabbing her opponent through the chest. "Coming!" She cartwheeled over to the struggling dragon slayer. 'Alright, let's see if we can't lift this. Heal Bell'' She waved Myrtenaster in the air, creating a large mystical bell. It began to chime sending a pleasing melody through the air. The noise reached the dragon slayers whose eyes slowly returned to normal.

Natsu blinked as he regained his bearings. He looked down and saw Lisanna's snake body and Lucy's weapon wrapped around him. "Um...this is a bad spot to be kinky, you two."

The girls slapped his shoulders. "We were trying to snap you out of this hypnotic spell!" Lucy told him irritably.

"Not that it would be fun," Lisanna wondered, getting her partner's eyes to blank out. "What? My sister dresses and acts like a dominatrix. Do you expect me not to pick it up?"

"Um...maybe?" Lucy answered hesitantly.

As the threesome recovered, Gajeel groaned. "Damn I feel like I got hit by a Thunderbolt."

"You kind of did," Ash chuckled sheepishly. "And you got hit by water too. I figured you would be able to handle it."

Drew rubbed his eyes. "Dawn can you heal Gajeel. May, are the rest of the eaters dead?"

May was about to say something when she backflipped out of the way and flung a sharp vine into the last man who had tried to swipe at her. "Yeah, we're good!" She took the opportunity to swipe some of the fruit for further research.

"Alright, I'm gonna burn this room down, go wait outside," Drew ordered as he created a large fireball and lobbed it at the flowers. The flowers lit up instantly and the fire spread throughout the room. Drew strolled out of the room before sealing the door, to let the fire burn itself out.

In the main room, the fourth statue disappeared and a door on the same floor as them opened up. Before they moved on, Drew stopped them.

"What's the hold up?" Tobias grumbled.

"The last room, I have a feeling I know what it is. Its called the Nemean Lion," Drew revealed.

Ash whistled. "Means we have to figure how to puncture its skin and fur." At the mages confusion, he explained. "The Nemean Lion is a legend in Greek folklore and was the first of what are known as Hercules labors. The fur and skin were considered impenetrable."

"Well then what do we do to kill it?" Gajeel snapped, "If we can't pierce through it, isn't it impossible to kill?"

"Of course not," Misty replied, tossing her hair, "Anything can die. If it can't die from blades, then there's a ton of other ways."

"Just 'cause the skin's tough don't mean its internal organs are too," Tobias theorized.

"How did Hercules eventually beat it?" Lisanna wondered as they walked to the door.

"He strangled it and then clubbed it. Of course, he was a demigod," Dawn replied. "So...how do we do it?"

"Gonna do the exact same thing," Drew told her. "Girls, I suggest you try to get out of sight, this might get ugly."

"Can we provide support?" May asked.

"Yeah, Im only suggesting you move cause I don't think anyone besides besides Misty you can take the hits we're gonna be seeing."

As the last of the group entered, the door slammed shut. The only lighting in the circular room was the torches that lined the walls and atop the two dozen pillars in the room. A loud clang and then the sound of gears filled the room as the boys removed their cloaks and shirts. Once the gears stopped, a low growling was heard. Increasingly loud thumps echoed through the room, until the recognizable mane of a lion appeared out of the shadows. Unlike most lions which would come up to a man's chest, this one looked much bigger, perhaps closer to a rhino. It let out a loud roar, revealing razor sharp teeth and glared at the group hoping for an easy meal.

"H-how big was that Greek l-lion?" Lucy asked.

"About normal sized," Drew said nonchalantly, pulling Leonid out. "Which is about rib height. HEY ASLAN!" The lion glared at the Fire Guardian. "Where's your wardrobe? Or do you even know what fashion is?

"Uh, Drew are you alright?" May asked.

"Im perfectly fine. Now, come on, you overgrown fur coat!" Drew taunted. The Lion roared and charged right at the guardian.

*CLANG*

The beast clashed against Leonid, sparks flying from their the impact. The lion snarled as it tried to bite at the smirking boy. Drew grinned, pulled out Brave and aimed it up its throat.

*BANG!*

The lion reeled from the hit. The explosive force did some damage but it was clear it was far from defeated as Drew kicked him away.

"Nice shot!" Natsu praised.

"Yeah well hand guns don't have the best firepower. We need to keep doing exactly this!"

The lion shook off the attack and growled, blood dripping from its mouth. It eyed the group as they separated and backed up. Seeing Levy and assuming she was the weak link, it charged at her, roaring in anger.

Levy watched the beast charge before feeling herself yanked away. She found herself yanked out of the way. She found herself in Gajeel's arms briefly before she tossed her screaming up into Lily's arms. The lion roared as it tried to bite down on Gajeel's arm.

*CRACK*

The lion howled in pain as one of its teeth embedded itself into Gajeel's metallic skin.

"How about that kitty cat, not so tough without your teeth!" He grinned, even as he carefully pulled the tooth out of his skin and tossed it away, hiding a wince. The beast roared as it revealed that one of its razor sharp incisors was gone and most of the teeth on the top row were cracked. Seeing the opening, Gajeel pulled out Redemption and pulled the trigger. The large lightning bolt caught their opponent in the jaw making it cry in pain.

"Great job keep it up!" Drew called out as he and Ash launched themselves at the beast tackling it into the wall. Natsu leaped on its back in an attempt to slow it down. It roared and bucked around the room, crashing into pillars in an effort to knock its Riders off. It swung mane around, the fur flying off. The force was enough to send Drew and Ash flying in opposite directions while Natsu's motion sickness kicked in at the worst time.

Drew landed on his side and rolled. As he stopped his roll, he rolled over something hard which made him wince. Looking down, he saw the fang that had broken off in Gajeel's arm. Grabbing it, and stared at their opponent thinking of a plan.

"Gajeel!" He called out.

"Yeah?" The Iron slayer called out.

"Get him over here!" He ordered stabbing the fang onto one of his grappling hooks and pulling out the thread.

"With pleasure!" Gajeel boasted turning his arm into kunai and firing several knives at it. The blades bounced off the lion's fur. This only seemed to agitate the beast and made it target them. It growled and began to charge the two. As Gajeel prepared to fire, Drew raised his hand to hold his fire. He raised up the hook with the fang on it and fired it. The fang sped through the air, striking the lion's skull. It roared in pain as he pulled the string back.

"A Rider kick would be really nice right now," commented the Fire Guardian.

Gajeel grinned and began running up to the flailing lion. With a loud yell, he leaped up and drop-kicked the fang. The fang drilled further into the skull, striking the brain and ejecting out the back. Giving one final roar, it fell onto its side, blood draining from its skull.

"Well, not exactly how the legend did it, but it works," Ash smiled as the lion laid out dead. "That should be the last lock.

"Shame we can't keep this pelt or skin it," Dawn sighed looking at the fur. "But great job Gajeel.

"Gihi," Gajeel laughed as the room lit up and the door unlocked.

The group walked out to see the last statue shatter. A chime echoed throughout the hall making Drew smirk. "Well if that isn't a cue," he said as they climbed the platform. Once everyone was on, the circular platform lurched and then began to descend into the floor. It descended further and further, with the light of the torches above. Just as the light above disappeared, light appeared from below the elevator. Soon enough, they appeared above a large lit cove. The water was a dark blue from the minerals and dotted across the pool were large stone and mineral infused platforms. In the middle of the cove was a large wooden three masted ship.

The elevator stopped and everyone slowly got off.

"So, what happens now," Tobias asked as they walked forward. He didn't realize everyone stopped until he hit an invisible barrier on the shoreline. "Wha' the hell?"

"Only those whose test this is," Drew began

"Can access the battle arena," Ash finished.

Misty turned to Gajeel. "Go on, its your chance to fight."

"Bout time!" Gajeel snorted as he approached the shore and past the barrier. He hopped on the stepping stones before reaching the ship. A gangplank was lowered as he approached. Stepping on board, he felt queasy as his motion sickness tried to rear its ugly head. As he stepped on the deck, he felt his ring vibrate, and he drew out the Argo ring. A beam of light suddenly shot out of the ring and struck the ship's wheel. Moments later, lightning cracked through the cave and struck the space behind the wheel, kicking an explosion of light and smoke that made everyone shield their eyes. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a tall, white-haired man. He wore a long, dark blue coat with a red lining, with the sleeves rolled back, along with a pair of dark pants and boots. Strapped to his back was a large, single-edged sword, and what looked like a mechanical gauntlet hung from his waist.

(Play Baten Kaitos: To the Garden of the Moon Butterflies in the Moonless Night)

"Well, well! I thought you'd never show up!" he called out, swaggering across the deck towards them, "So this you're my successor, huh? Lookin' pretty metal for a lightning user." He saw Gajeel being unsteady. "What are you motion sick?"

"Shut yer yap, you punk! Who the hell are you?"

"So glad you asked, lightning-rod," the man replied as he stepped down to the deck.. "You can call me Nero. My grandfather was a Devil in the Puppetmaster's army, but he defected to fight for the humans. Defection from that bastard's army meant a death sentence, and eventually he found him and my grandmother. From the stories I've heard, the battle obliterated the land, and thousands of demons. My grandmother managed to save my father and uncle before she died herself. The Riders of that generation, hundreds of years before the Fall, were too late to stop them and took them in. My uncle Dante was approached for several Knights and even a Guardian position, while my father Vergil was offered to be a Guardian. Dante refused, but ended up working freelance with the Riders for many generations before he fell. Vergil," here Nero clenched his fists. "He briefly worked as an enemy to the Kingdom, but he was spared, maybe 'cause of me."

"What about you?"

"I was offered the Argo belt, partly because I showed to my Guardian that I could keep up with everyone even with the belts. Partly because I was involved in saving the Princess, who had yet to be crowned at the time. She wanted me to be a Rider and to serve under Guardian Ike." Nero glanced over at the Guardians waiting on shore, in particular Natsu. "I turned her down at first, because I didn't wanna be tied down. Then my father decided to try and open a portal to the Puppetmaster's dimension and I took up the belt to stop him. Somehow, we were able to win and convince Vergil to end his quest. And well, I stayed as Argo."

(End Song)

"You could have said no."

"And you could've not tried killing your Guardian," Nero snapped.

"Oh and fighting your old man doesn't count?"

"Shut up, ya punk!

"What did you call me, gramps?"

"Gramps, I was 20!"

On shore, everyone sweatdropped as the two Riders argued back and forth. Drew's eyes twitched. "Gajeel is so lucky that Erza ain't here."

"HEY! LUGHEAD AND SILVER SURFER!" Lucy shouted, her anger finally snapping. "Would you two please get on with the damn fight! Some of us have had enough with fighting giant monsters!"

Ash whistled. "Note to self, don't anger Lucy."

Gajeel laughed. "Bunny girl got spine. Alright grandpa, what do I have to do?"

"Simple, beat me, you get this." He held up a much larger ring with what appeared to have five stars surrounding a gold anchor. "And any treasure that's in the hold here. Trust me, that's probably more than you'll spend in your lifetime,

"How big was the treasury?" Levy asked.

"Based on what Tsuki tells me, there was more than enough that we could run a country for over 500 years and still have plenty left over based on current currencies. This came from old artifacts, to tributes from subjects under their protection or domain to spoils of war from nations that attacked them. From what she tells me, the Kingdom's financiers were among the most scrutinized positions when a Royal came to power, to make sure the money was being used correctly" Drew explained. "When the Kingdom fell, the artifacts, historical documents, gold and even some vital technology, were shifted away to be preserved in each of the Temples. So I don't know what the ship is holding, but it's bound to be considerable and it would all be Gajeels to use."

"What about a Guardian?" Lisanna asked.

"A lot more than a mere knight. We have bigger vaults for Ash and Misty, I can't imagine how big we need Natsu and Lucy's,

Gajeel grinned as he slid his ring on. "Just beating you, huh? Let's go then!"

"Alright," Nero said, slipping on his own Argo ring. "Just gonna warn you, my demon heritage made me one of the toughest Riders of my generation.

"A demon vs a dragon!? Let's Rock!"

RAISE ANCHOR! The belts echoed through the chamber.

(Cue Devil Trigger OST)

"HENSHIN!"

ARGO! SETTING SAIL!

As the two finished transforming, Nero took one look at Gajeel and scoffed. "Whoever messed with our armor has no taste."

"At least I don't look like something out of Shrimp's books!"

"Why you!" Nero shouted, his gun in his hand as he fired. The dragon slayer tanked the first round of fire as he leaped up to strike at his opponent, striking him across his jaw. Nero chuckled and counter punched leading to a boxing match across the deck. Gajeel was landing hits but whatever damage he was doing seemed to have no effect on the half demon.

"You punch well...for a toddler!" He taunted punching back and sending Gajeel back. Undeterred, the dragon slayer pulled out Redemption and charged back in. Nero responded by pulling out his own sword and countering the attack before leading Gajeel onto the platforms below.

"Come on, metal brain!" Natsu cried out. "Kick that demon asshole's face in!"

Meanwhile Ash looked at Drew. "What are his odds?"

"Horrible," Drew said bluntly. "Unlike Erza, who can change on the fly, Gajeel is very stubborn. Then there's the fact he's a Cambion. Durability is the name of the game here, and I highly doubt Gajeel can exploit it properly. If anyone would have a good match up, funny enough Lucy might have a better shot."

"Why?" the Blonde asked as metal clashing echoed through the cave."

"Your spirits give you power, and I think they can take advantage of the terrain a lot better."

"What could he do?" Lily wondered.

Drew stared at the battlefield. "Learn to combine his elements and hope for something big. Cause I have a feeling, we might need to redo this fight."

Over by the ship, Gajeel landed on a rock with a grunt. Raising his arms and transforming them into Kunai, he shouted, "Iron Dragon's Lighting Nails!" Electrical power ran down his arm, and with a *CRACK!* he launched over fifty of them at Nero in a flurry. The Half demon smirked, hefting his sword.

*C-C-C-CLANG!*

With one swipe, the kunai were deflected into the air, embedding themselves in the rocks and splashing into water. The onlookers were shocked by the blades being deflected so easily.

"One swing? What the hell is he?" Lucy asked.

"That wasn't one swipe was it," Drew asked knowingly to Ash.

"No, it was at least several, but he was so fast, I could barely keep up with my eyes."

"Damn, Gajeel's not the fastest at all, he's basically got no advantages in the speed department," Drew groaned. "And even his durability might not hold up as long as he needs."

"And that's gonna lead to mistakes, cause he gets as frustrated as you Natsu," Misty said glancing at Natsu.

On the battlefield, Gajeel launched an Iron club at the flying Nero, who dodged the subjectively slow attack and then landed on it. Before the Dragon slayer could react, the demon slid down the club and kicked him in the head. Wasting no time, he brought out his sword and began to slice at the slayer's armor. Gajeel though took a deep breath. "IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"

This time, the half devil could only grimace and brace himself as the tornado of iron roared towards him. It slammed into him, lifting him off the ground and hurling him back through the air.

Gajeel heard his comrades cheers but internally he winced. The sword's slashes had gotten through Fredrich's improved armor, exposing his flesh underneath. He had covered this up with his Iron scales, but he knew it wouldn't last.

Nero however groaned as he recovered from the attack. The smoke cleared, revealing that somehow, he'd landed on a stalactite, impaling himself on it and making everyone else wince. "Damn it, I thought Dante was the only one who got that…!"

"What the hell?" Gajeel shouted, noticing that unlike the past Temples, this guy was not disappearing. "How the hell are you still alive?"

"Well, let's just say that my heritage makes it all possible." He pulled himself out of the rock formation with a squelch and landed with a thud on a platform below, the wound slowly closing up. However, the destroyed armor remained, revealing the normal skin underneath. "Another thing it gave me was a way to unleash my devil side."

"What?"

"See, my blood didn't really show like my dad and uncle did. Instead, I got this thing." He raised his right arm and everyone watched as it warped into a black, scaly appendage, with glowing blue cracks radiating from the elbow. "Pretty neat, huh? It even does tricks!" He thrust out his hand, and a larger, glowing, spectral arm appeared, shooting out towards the knives still buried in the rock. In an instant, it yanked one free and brought it back to him, and faster than Gajeel could react, he hurled it at him. The impact threw up a cloud of smoke, the spectators either crying out for the slayer or cursing out the devil.

"Your friend should learn to quit while he's behind!" Nero told the group.

"If you think Metalhead's gonna let you beat him that easily, you got another thing coming!" Natsu growled.

Levy though stared at the smoke with worried eyes. "Gajeel, please be okay,"

Gajeel staggered through the smoke, holding up Condemnation. Seeing Nero standing still with his back to him, he poured magic and Guardian energy into it. "Iron Dragon's Flintlock!" Pulling the trigger, the hammer ignited the energy and unleashed a large beam of lightning. The beam cut across the water, melting some of the rocks. Nero only had time to turn before the beam struck him and blasted him into the cave walls, to the cheers of Gajeel's companions. They were quickly silenced when Nero's laughter cut through the air.

"I'll admit, that had some kick to it," Nero taunted, as he walked through the smoke. His helmet's right eye was gone, as was most of the chest armor. But instead of human skin, they caught sight of crystal blue, scaled skin along his shoulders and upper chest, turning into black leathery hide around his hips and legs. His faceplate now looked like the devil he was, with curved horns jutting out of his snow white hair and a face that made him look like said devil. A pair of translucent blue claws grasped his shoulders, and what looked like a cape of the same shimmering stuff drifted from his back.

"Like I told you before, having devil blood gives me some perks, like this little number I call Devil Trigger. It lets me do this!" In a blink of an eye he was on Gajeel slashing across his chest, actually breaking through his iron scales. More slashes followed, drawing blood as the devil increased his ferocity. One slash, finally put Gajeel on his knees. Ever defiant the dragon slayer attempted to throw a punch only for Nero to grab his face and rise into the air.

His companions could only watch in horror as they rose into the air. Drew could only turn away and grab his head, fearing he was about to lose the dragon slayer, regretful of the treatment he had put him through. Natsu pounded the shield calling for Gajeel to snap out of it while the girls were holding their mouths and tearing up. Levy though was taking it the hardest as she was pounding the barrier. "GAJEEL! DON'T DIE!"

Through his hearing, he heard his friends and more importantly Levy. …Why are you still cheering for me...after all I did to you…? Through the claws he could see Drew looking very anxious and almost defeated. Who knew you cared about a criminal like me… lion boy? Looking back at Levy, he felt something stir in his heart. Shrimp...don't cry...why am I getting angry at seeing you cry? Is this...what Lightning Bug and Salamander feel?

His vision darkened, but instead of losing consciousness, he found himself into a dark void looking at what appeared to be a giant web that expanded into an endless void. In the middle of it was a huge five eyed spider.

"What the hell is a spider doing here?" Gajeel wondered.

The spider narrowed its eyes before taking a shard and flicking it into his chest. {Broadcast}

"Broadcast?" He mumbled as the parasite disappeared and was replaced by Nero's demonic face.

"What are you talking about?" Nero asked, "Hey now, don't doze off on me just yet!"

Gajeel said nothing as his body adjusted to the power and he began to realize what he could do now. With a sudden surge of adrenaline, he formed a sharp blade from his right arm and with a quick thrust, stabbed it into Nero's Devil arm. Nero yelled in pain and was forced to let go of the dragon slayer as blood squirted out of his arm. Gajeel turned himself around, pulled out Condemnation and fired the hook towards the ship.

Nero grunted in pain as he held the bleeding wound. "Fuck, what the hell was that?" He frowned realizing that somehow the dragon slayer was able to stab and draw blood.

"There we go metal face!" Natsu cheered. Levy cleaned up her eyes as she smiled as his survival.

Drew, who was recovering from his anxiety, lowered his arms and turned to Ash. "Did you see anything weird?" He wondered as he racked his head for possibilities. "Cause it looked like something other than his blade hit him."

"Um...I don't think so? Girls?"

Misty and May shook her head. Dawn though tilted her head. "I don't know if this is accurate, but it looked like something that Ana uses."

"I don't think it was. He sliced through the arm, but it looked like he barely touched him."

As they were wondering what happened, Gajeel looked at his sword and the anchor hook. Hefting up his sword he pointed Condemnation. "You're gonna regret not finishing me when you had the chance." He swiped the sword horizontally, cutting across the ship. Before Nero could laugh, he was hit by something invisible and sharp, splitting his demon skin.

"What the hell was that?" He growled. Then he felt himself being tugged on the chest. He looked down at the ship to see Gajeel had thrown his chain in his direction and wrapped it around him.

"GET OVER HERE!" Gajeel snarled, yanking the chain. Nero was pulled violently by the hook and was sent screaming into the deck below splintering the deck.

"Okay, I am not hallucinating, I think Gajeel picked up telekinesis!" Ash declared.

"No it isn't, he would have been sending something at Nero, not what he just did. I'm still convinced its like Anabel's Astral Manipulation," Misty countered.

As the group debated, Lisanna happened to glance up into the ceiling. "Um...guys?" She called out. Once they looked at her she pointed at the ceiling. Sometime in the last five minutes, a giant gash had appeared in the ceiling. "What made that?"

"That...is not normal…" Lucy said after examining the scar.

Drew though narrowed his eyes and pulled out Leonid. He held up the sword where the edge of the scar was and traced it. "That...was a sword slash. Whatever he just did, let him do that."

"But he doesn't have that much power does he?" Dawn asked.

The fire Guardian narrowed his eyes at the ship. "Not by himself. I think...Gajeel just got a Bud from Friedrich."

"How can you tell?" Ash inquired.

"A gut feeling, and the fact that until literally two minutes ago, Gajeel wasn't able to draw blood."

On the ship, Nero was still trying to figure out how the momentum swung in his opponents direction. "I'm impressed you did that much. Guess I need to stop fooling around." He took his sword and vanished from Gajeel's sight.

Gajeel though was processing his abilities. 'So I can create edges on my weapons. Big ones at that, I wonder if I can do something with my transforming abilities. This guy's taking me seriously, so he'd try and get me from behind. Not even questioning the sudden thought, he turned and fired Condemnation. To his surprise, the shot found Nero and knocked him off his feet.

"What the? You some psychic?" Nero snapped as he tried to take to the air. Gajeel followed his flight and fired more rounds at Nero and striking him in the shoulder.

On shore, Drew nodded. "That confirms it, Gajeel got a Bud."

"Precognition? That doesn't sound like him," Lucy scratched her head.

"I don't think it's just that, I think whatever he has reminds me of Cana's fortune telling," Misty deduced.

"Whatever it is, Lughead's got this!" Natsu cheered.

For the first time this fight, Drew smiled. "Yeah, if he stays focused, he's got this!"

On deck, Nero was starting to get desperate. No matter what he was doing, Gajeel was predicting his movements and now the demon was getting mad. "How are you predicting my moves so fast?"

"You're just getting sloppy Demon boy!" Gajeel taunted. He's getting desperate, going back to basics. That means simple stuff. Three slashes; one across the chest means another from below, then a thrust. Third one's gonna be slower, so I could catch it, then nail 'im then. Nero roared and charged in. The first attack was a wide slash that the dragon slayer ducked under easily. The second one, he leaned back, the slash barely missing his nose. Nero then spun around and thrust towards the rising Dragon slayer.

*CLANG*

The metal on metal noise wasn't from the swords clashing, rather it was Gajeel's iron skin catching Nero's sword. He laughed and took a deep breath. IRON DRAGON'S THUNDER ROAR!" Adding lightning power to his attack, the humongous roar sped across the deck, drowning out the screaming demon as he flew across the deck and into the bow.

Nero groaned as what was left of armor sparked and chipped away, his Devil trigger form bleeding away. Gajeel knew this was the time to end it and slipped on his finisher ring.

ANCHOR CHAINS! READY TO DROP! CAPTAIN'S ORDERS!

He raised Condemnation and fired the hook. It easily ensnared the stunned cambion before the dragon slayer pulled hard and threw him up into the air. Pulling out Redemption, he grinned and began swinging his sword, his new power causing the length of the blade to extend invisibly.. In the air, Nero felt each slash as it cut through him, his body's regeneration unable to keep up with the devastating blows. After several seconds, Gajeel finished slashing and planted his sword in the ground. Then he power up his body and sent it into his leg, electricity dancing around his bodiy.

BREAK THE CHAINS!

He pulled the chain back as he leaped up into the air towards the battered demon. Nero could only watch as his defeat came closer and closed his eyes, accepting the inevitable.

BOOOM!

(End Previous song)

The area shook as the explosion echoed through the cave. As Gajeel landed in a crouch, he couldn't help himself. "See ya in Davy Jones's locker."

Nero hit the deck soon after, his armor and devil trigger gone revealing scared human flesh.

(Play End of the Journey to the Glittering Stars)

"Guess dragons…are the better devils. Alright, you're worthy…" Nero coughed, blood spilling onto his chest as his body began to break down. He saw the other Riders climbing aboard. "I see some strong fighters there...my dad would be proud."

"What's happening?" Levy asked, scared at what Nero was going through.

"With nothing holding him to this plane, he's basically going home. Heaven or hell, I don't know," Drew said.

"The Fire Prince here to see me off...that's nice...Hey...Gajeel was it come here." The dragon slayer approached and Nero put something in his hands. "That's the Admiral Ring. Admirals are the leaders of the navy. The Water Guardian led the fleet, but the Argo Rider was never far behind." Gajeel nodded and pocketed the ring. Nero smiled as he looked into the sky. "Kyrie, I'm coming home…" He said raising up his arm before his body disintegrated. Debris swirled around and formed a large anchor on Gajeel's bicep.

"Gajeel…" Levy began before being pulled into a hug. "Huh?

"You saved me, shorty. I took one look at ya and something told me you'd be really sad if I died or lost. Thanks.

Levy's heated up and she pounded her tiny fists against his chest. "Let me go you lug….eeep!" She paused her punching as Gajeel lifted her onto his shoulder.

As they were doing this, a door opened up leading down into the hold. Everyone headed towards the stairs and into the belly of the ship. Inside was a pirate's horde of treasure. Gold, multiple precious gems, several books of presumably maps and other important documents and even some finely crafted weapons stretched from one end of the hold.

"Would you look at that. Treasure's real after all," Tobias smiled.

Levy got down from Gajeel's shoulder and approached the coins. "There's got to be hundreds of million jewels worth of materials here.:

"This is history." Drew explained. "An empire's worth isn't solely based on material goods or conquest, but the legacy they leave." He waved his arms around. "This is all yours. Spend it, save it, no one's gonna touch it."

"How will we take it all with us?" Lily pondered.

Gajeel approached a small stand. "This looks like what happened with Erza." He placed his hands on it. A gust of wind blew through the cabin as the treasure was swept up and sucked into a large scroll that had appeared after he activated it. In mere moments, the cabin was empty, save for a body that was propped against a desk in the back. "Is that Nero's body?"

"Yeah, see if there's a spare sail, his body should be buried like a sailor," Drew ordered as he walked over and took the man's body. Moments later, everyone was standing on the starboard side of the ship.

"As a man of the sea, Argo should be buried as a proper sailor. Though his devil nature supposedly damns him, he is proof that good can come from any past." Drew looked at Gajeel as he said this. "Maybe one day we can meet again in the afterlife. But for now…" He paced his hand on the cloth covered body with weights wrapped around his legs. "We commit Nero to the depths so that he may find peace in the afterlife. And may he find peace in a life where his life will not be persecuted because of his past. In the name of the creators, heavenly or otherwise: Amen." Drew said doing a cross with his hand. He stepped back and motioned to the boys. At once, they lifted him up, slid across the deck and dropped him into the cove. Levy approached the side and tossed a wreath May had created over the area he had been dropped in.

"That...felt humbling," Gajeel said after a moment of silence.

"Burials at sea normal are. The one thing we didn't do was the gun salute. Maybe another time. As is, I think we're done here. Come on," Drew ordered as they walked towards the portal that had opened up. As they left, Gajeel took one last look back. Across the cove, he could have sworn he saw Nero along with two men, one in a red and one in blue and a woman in a form fitting white outfit. The men gave a two fingered salute before disappearing. The dragon slayer grinned and followed Levy into the portal

END OF CHAPTER

UO: God, when people are distracted it really slows down other things. NSG was busy getting Shadow Monarch up and this took a back seat for a while

NS: That's true. Sorry.

Anyway, Bud explanation time!

Broadcast: This Shard originally belonged to the madman Jack Slash. Its primary use is to telekinetically extend the edge of any bladed weapon the user touches, effectively giving them infinite range. Its other use, however, is to let the user pick up the subtle cues of other people's actions to determine how they will act, giving the user an instinctive insight into how to avoid them, or press their mental buttons.

UO: So basically Gajeels trolling nature has been weaponized

Supernatural Cells: Essentially, Lisanna's entire body has become supercharged, allowing her to potentially achieve physical feats that would otherwise be impossible for a human. Combined with her Take Over Magic, she can imbue her body with the traits of other living things without fully transforming.

UO: Man an ability like this would be worth a fortune in a pandemic ridden world. As shown here, she can basically take venom and develop antibodies towards that venom. In the future she could be used as a way to develop healing medicines.

Preview: As the group takes a break from their long battles in the temple, their enemies come to fight on wild sands of the Sand sea

Next Time: Pirates of the Ministrellian

Come check us out on Discord: Osprey News and Northsouth Smut gathering. Link to my discord is here: discord . gg/ dq Dbx86Z