Ninzi sat in her seat, uncomfortably as the master thoroughly questioned her about just whom she had brought to their base. She had been given punishments, just as Tieb had as well, but she still refused to say his true name to her. Not only would that piss her off, but that may even piss him off. The last thing she needed was a mad Acnologia.
"Ninzi, you know how the other factions would feel about a man of his power. They would see it as a threat, of us gaining ground on them, and would not hesitate to rectify that." Master claimed.
"With all due respect, ma'am, I don't think the other factions could do much if he were backing us up."
"We'll see, won't we? If he's able to destroy one of the Seven military bases and defeat one of the Seven primordial generals, then I'll believe your claim Tieb. Defeating a captain and a squadron of lion knights is one thing, destroying an important strategic base is another."
"Why don't we all join up anyways? I never got it!" Tieb yelled. Ninzi sighed; he didn't get it because he never paid attention much during the meetings.
"Tieb you...how many times must I say this to you!? It's true we all rebel against the empire, but all our goals are different! We are the Fioran faction since that country is paradise on Earth compared to us! When we take out the empire, we wish to employ a way of life, not unlike Fiore, while also maintaining basic tradition. It would also help us build relations with them; the other factions have other plans for Seven! If we don't take out the empire, no one will be able to utilize magic without subjecting themselves to his majesty and pledge allegiance, lest his law magic terminates them."
"Like?"
"One of them wishes to turn it into a place where magic is completely uncontrolled and free to be utilized wherever. They're the opposite of the empire, magic freedom extremists. Another wishes to create a draft, and start taking over rival nations like Bosco, Fiore and Iceberg! They are the conqueror faction, the ones who believe that one of the reasons we live such shitty lives is because of the terrain and land we own!"
"...I mean, we all live in rocky mountains with the occasional forest and lake, other places do have it a lot better than us. Also, I don't mind not having too many laws surrounding magic...I know the problems with the empire all too well y' know, though! No one can even get strong without the empire poking into their daily lives and either driving them out of their normal lives or killing them for becoming a threat! They even do it to babies!"
"Tieb, I know you were taken when you were small, and I apologize for bringing up those memories. However, if we have no laws surrounding magic, what happens when we have a dark guild uprising?"
"Like Fiore did with the Balam alliance?" Ninzi added.
"Yes, I'll admit, they didn't handle that too well. We're not going to employ Fiore's mistakes as well, just their good traits, and we'll fill in the holes as best we can so we can be treated as a separate nation."
Suddenly, the door to the rebel base was kicked open, and the door flew into the building and crashed into the ground. Bahamut stood there with his knuckle raised in front of him.
"Uhhh...it seems I knocked a little bit too hard. I have a present for you all." Bahamut said. He moved out of sight for a moment and came back with someone in cuffs hanging from Bahamut's hand. It was a tall, lanky man with dark green hair and pale, sickly, veiny skin—the general of Greed. Master's mouth hung wide open, and silence rang through the building like a foghorn. The silence itself was deafening, and the only one's not surprised were Ninzi and Tieb. Moreso Tieb, who had full confidence in Bahamut.
"See! I told you the other factions wouldn't be able to touch this man!" Tieb exclaimed.
"My God, you brought in the general of Greed himself...I'm...actually impressed." The master said slowly. Bahamut didn't care too much for the praise. The general looked up at them.
"I could kill everyone here y' know, with my disease." The general threatened. Everyone in the building tensed up. Bahamut looked unfazed.
'I didn't think about that.'
'It matters not. We'll destroy anyone who stands in our way.'
"Try that, and I'll yell into your ear." Bahamut said. The general's eyes went wide with fear. Everyone else shared a look of confusion.
"Um, are his ears sensitive or something?"
"Maybe we don't want to know what he means if it can scare a primordial general that much."
"True."
"Have I proved myself to you, woman?" Bahamut asked. She glared at Bahamut.
"My name is Lasi, not woman. You've proven your worth to the Fioran faction, but there is still an issue here. Perhaps our general here can explain it to us unless he wants to get an earful of Bahamut." Lasi said, directing her attention towards Greed.
"Hmm, I'd consider it. However, what has you to offer in exchange for my cooperation? Even if this man could take down the great father, are you prepared to take in that power vacuum? Are you prepared to defend this country against all its neighbours? Are you prepared to reform trade and alliances and relationships between kingdoms so the civilians may live properly? The empire isn't completely evil; it is there for a reason."
"Your leader is an awful and horribly paranoid dictator that keeps his relations alive using fear from his forces like yourself and his own power. I'd bet the other kingdoms would be grateful we took him out. We can offer you a reduced sentence."
"Nay, I desire something else."
"What?"
"Exile. Banish me from Seven once this is all over." Greed said.
"That would be unwise."
"What could I do to the entire country of Seven alone?"
"You may not be able to beat us, but you'd kill a great number of people before going down."
"I am a general, just like the others, forced down by the Great Father and the Greatest general, Pride. I too desire to live free, but I refuse to join any of your little rebellions. Banish me from Seven, and I will leave you be."
"...fine...we'll banish you. Now tell us of what will happen now that you've fallen."
"The Great Father will do something strange in a war sense; he'll recall all the remaining generals to the capital. He'll form all his forces around the great city...it's called a code cataclysm. You won't be able to take on all of the generals and the entire army at once, especially since the Great Father will be backing them up."
"That...doesdon't make sense; he'll leave the rest of Seven ripe for the taking."
"All the citizens will also be recalled to the city via mass teleportation lacrimas...I believe the Great Father actually wishes to protect something in the city at any cost. I've heard him speak of something hidden deep within the castle, something that caused his father to be killed for the throne by the first rebel group."
"The first? You mean...rebellious?"
"Aye, I've heard him speak of some kind of White Mage that his family has feared for generations. It's why he keeps magic power in check within the kingdom, the real reason beyond the paranoia that came with his father's death." Greed explained. Bahamut's gears were turning.
'The white mage Touka caused the leader of this nation to become paranoid? The rebellion has lasted for about a century...no way...Touka has been active for about a century! Is the Great Father a pawn of Touka!?'
'I've heard inklings of this white wizard in the past. Combining that with your...knowledge...it's safe to say that maybe the case here. She may try to come after us, you know.'
'What will we do?'
'Simple. We fight.'
'What could he be hiding, though?'
'The Dragon Cry is clearly out of the question since it's been destroyed...wait, I recall hearing rumours of the Great Father housing etherious deeply within the confines of the castle. Deliora could have been set free in an attempt to cull mages around Seven, which means that the great father has a means of controlling etherious.'
'If that's true, we may be dealing with an army of demons more dangerous than tartaros ever was.'
'How thrilling.'
"Now that I've told you of the plans of the Great Father, what shall you do with me?" He asked. Lasi snapped her fingers, and a pair of magical cuffs were put on his wrists. He was led down a flight of stairs where he disappeared from view.
"Now then, if the king really has rallied all his forces in the capital. We can focus on claiming more territory before the other factions realize what's going on. What will you do?"
"Heading to the capital, I'm finishing this."
"You'll need help."
"I won't."
"Are you really that arrogant to think you won't be caught off guard? You defeated one general, that doesn't mean you can defeat them all."
"Then help me, or let me fight them alone. Send in all of your members with the civilians going into the city, and have them deal with the main army. Ally, with the other factions too, and settle your differences afterwards. You have one hour, assuming you can contact the others."
"You can't be serious-"
"How did you expect to win otherwise? With your ragtag team of mages in the middle of nowhere, did you think you people would defeat an army? An army that's held you all at bay for a century? Perhaps you don't actually want to take them on, because this life is all you know. Wake up! Shit can change in the blink of an eye; you can either adapt or lose your mind trying to maintain your old way of life in a new world!" Bahamut yelled, he turned away, a little embarrassed by his outburst.
'Where did that come from?'
Bahamut walked out the door and left them all to think as he made his way towards the capital.
Touka waited patiently on a rock as her minions flew/ran back towards her. She smiled, especially since the other side of her hadn't been very active as of late. She was always such a nuisance. As Toula waited, she realized just where she was.
'My greatest pawn lives here, what a perfect place to face off against the mighty Acnologia. A kingdom already under my own control.' Touka thought with a grin. Racer was the first to arrive, with Jellal and Laxus close behind him.
"Report."
"Ma'am, we made it to what looked like the capital big city with a mountain in the center of it where the palace is built. It looked like a shit load of civilians were entering the city in mass." Racer said.
"I was nearly shot down; the defences around the city are at an all-time high. The capital looks like it's preparing for a siege of some kind. On a massive scale." Jellal added.
"I saw soldiers numbering in the thousands roaming around, and felt around five strong magics. There were also two incredibly powerful magic signatures in the city; they stood out from all the rest and were in the palace."
"Very good, he might not know I'm here yet. I can fix that easily, worry not, I have a pawn already residing in the palace. One of the signatures Laxus felt is none other than my greatest pawn, the lord of Law, the Great Father himself. He doesn't know I've returned; he will soon enough." Touka explained. Magic began to pour off of her in waves, and she outstretched her hand.
Deep in the confines of the palace, a large man with a long, bushy, white beard roamed through the halls. He was wearing a large, white robe with the symbol of Seven plastered onto his chest. He had deep yellow eyes and bags under them, showing how tired his life had become over the years. He felt an aching feeling in his head and fell over in pain.
"Sir! Are you alright!?" A nearby guard yelled. With an outstretched hand, the man somehow pushed the guard backwards, but only to cease his running. He stood up a moment later, and magic started to pool up in his system. He started to look healthier and stood tall above the guards.
"I appreciate your concern, my child, but I am in no pain. I have never felt better, actually. Continue your heightened duties, in the name of the father."
"In the name of the father, I continue my duties." The guard repeated before retaking his post. Little did he know that a nervous bead of sweat fell from the Great Father's forehead.
'She's here.'
"Eh!? Who the bloody...ah! Kiria! Have you located him yet!?" Reizen yelled through the lacrima.
"No, but we're close master Reizen. We've made it to the border of Seven; we don't think he's in Fiore."
"Why the hell is that?"
"There'd be more destruction, we've gone through a few towns, read up on recent news. There hasn't been much activity in Fiore after the initial alert in Hargeon besides the main guild Fairy Tail mysteriously disappearing. This leads us to believe he's gone up North, seeing as how we've also heard through the local news that the army in Seven has been far more active lately." Madmole added.
"Ha! Makes sense for the winged bastard would be where the trouble is! Good work, keep at it, once we have the God dragons and the revived dragon king, there'll be no one who can stop Diabolos!" Reizen exclaimed. Kiria hung up the scroll, and the four visible dragon slayers made their way up the first mountain.
"Let's have a nice meal, shall we?" Skullion asked. His body turned to ash, and soon everyone around him turned to ash as well, and a cloud of ash soared through the air and towards the Capital.
Team Natsu raced through the wilds of Fiore in one of Erza's magic mobiles. They were en route towards the Sabertooth guildhall.
"I...really wish Wendy could still prevent motion sickness.." Natsu mumbled.
"So..do...I..(Gulp!)," Wendy added. Lucy watched on with little sympathy since she was way too used to seeing it at this point.
"Erza! Turn left here!" Gray shouted.
"On it!" Erza exclaimed before drifting left. Natsu and Wendy nearly hurled while Lucy was screaming at the top of her lungs for them to throw up outside the window. They raced through the trees and made it onto the main road, where they saw the Sabertooth guild hall off in the distance. Where only Rogue could be seen waiting for them at the entrance to the grand building. Erza stepped on it (Natsu hurled out the window), and people leapt out of the way before she came to a screeching halt.
"Rogue! Are you alright!?" Erza exclaimed. Natsu and Wendy both fell out of the vehicle a second later and started kissing the ground. Lucy sighed in embarrassment while she climbed out with Gray.
"Yes, I'm fine. All of Sabertooth is under her control; I'm the only remaining member left. No one, but you guys remain from Fairy Tail too." Rogue explained.
"Indeed, which is why we must make haste. She also has two of our own in her ranks." A voice said from beside them. Erza was surprised, before seeing who had spoken as two figures emerged from the shadows of the guildhall. A tall man with a tree-like body and a shorter older man with a pointed beard and a large white hat stepped out into the light.
"Warrod and Wolfheim? You called them as well; I suppose that was wise to do." Erza commented.
"Once Rogue informed me of the situation, I took it upon myself to contact emperor Ajeel from Alvarez, as you know him. Despite the war, relations between Alvarez and Fiore are at an all-time high under his new rule. We respect each other now, I suppose. He is sending the remaining spriggan twelve to aid us, and he mentioned that Dimaria was surprisingly already making her way to Ishgar when he contacted her." Wolfheim said.
"I was skeptical of asking for their help at first, but after hearing that Acnologia himself had reappeared, Ajeel was all for helping us out. The spriggan twelve were originally created to aid in his defeat after all." Warrod added.
"Wait, the Spriggan twelve are coming back to Ishgar? I met Brandish in Giltena not too long ago, though.." Lucy wondered.
"Emperor Ajeel claimed she was to be called in as well, especially when dealing with a threat as large as this one. The spriggan twelve, or in this case, the Spriggan six, shall be assisting us as soon as possible."
"Even Dimaria? I heard she hated battles now after dealing with Natsu." Lucy pondered aloud.
"I suppose we need all the help we can get, surely this will boost relations between Ishgar and Alvarez too." Carla added.
"Indeed, now enough chit chat, the spriggan six and their forces are to meet us on the Northern shoreline of Fiore. So they can get as close to Seven as possible, let's make haste already!" Wolfheim roared out while morphing into a massive, green-coloured beast.
"Woah, scary!" Wendy and Happy both cried out.
"Calm down, you two, he's on our side of things remember?" Carla reprimanded.
Dimitri kicked a can on the ship the Spriggan six were residing within (minus Brandish as she was travelling from Giltena), with emperor Ajeel ordering Invel around with his newfound authority. She couldn't believe Acnologia had already caused this much trouble in barely any time at all, he was already heavily impacting not one, not two, but THREE different countries and even the GODS THEMSELVES were taking notice of his actions.
"So, Dimaria, I heard you gave up fighting altogether, why the change of heart?" Neinhart asked her mockingly. The blonde-haired warrioress fought down the urge to stop time and twist his neck in half while he wasn't looking.
"Things change Neinhart, why so talkative? You were always the most antisocial of the twelve, always disobeying lord Spriggan's orders to stay hidden away." Dimaria fired back. The slender man never lost that annoying grin.
"Well it's as you say Dimaria, things change, I was simply disappointed when you refused to help Invel and me with our little project." Neinhart explained.
"Your little project landed you in the dungeon last I checked. How are the beds, by the way? Or food? Satisfying for a man of your standards?" Dimaria mocked, now that got a reaction out of him.
"Oh Dimaria, there are just some things you don't poke fun towards. Maybe instead, we could talk about how you were defeated by two children instead during the war?" Neinhart asked. Dimaria gritted her teeth together and clenched her fist. Neinhart was getting on her nerves.
"None of your historia's worked now, did they? No, and even after Irene enhanced you, all it took was a single punch from his majesty's brother."
"I recall you were also taken out in one hit by the very same."
"I...triggered something in him...something our lord never mentioned before...something evil lurked in that slayer's body."
"That is one thing we can actually agree on."
"Don't get used to it, now piss off Neinhart, or I'll stick a knife through that smug grin of yours."
"Hmm, I suppose the time for talking is at an end. I still can't help but wonder if there is an ulterior motive to your actions?"
'They can't know my real plan. They would all get in the way.' Dimaria thought.
"Acnologia, the bane of the entire world, has returned to the living. What other reason do I need to retake up arms?" Dimaria asked.
"A pity, I was hoping to hear something more entertaining."
'It'll be especially entertaining when I let him rip you to shreds, or do it myself. I can hardly wait.'
Red wings flew past the border of Fiore, and the White mage looked up in awe, shock, and fear at what she saw off in the distance as a massive stream of fire flew across the sky and scorched the Earth underneath its fiery trail.
'The fire god dragon Ignia!? He's here in Ishgar!?'' She thought worryingly.
Skullion stopped his ash spell at a great mountain overlooking the capital of Seven and was surprised to see a trail of fire far off almost over the horizon by the border of Fiore.
"Is that a dragon!?" Kiria exclaimed with excitement in her voice.
"It must be Ignia, the fire god dragon. He must have sensed Acnologia's presence." Madmole confirmed.
"Master Reizen will be especially pleased if we manage to snag two god-like dragons! Oh yes! We shall just gobble them up!" Nebaru yelled.
"Don't be naive you fools, Acnologia was bad enough on his own. None of us stand a chance against the two of them together; if we're caught between their fight, we'll perish for sure." Skullion said.
"Then we wait for a victor of the fight, and take them on while they're weakened." Madmole suggested, Skullion smiled.
"A much better plan, Madmole."
Bahamut stepped up to the top of the mountain. His blue hair flowed in the wind as he looked down upon the capital, and then his eyes landed on the blazing trail of fire in the distance. His eyes widened, his hand clenched into a fist, and his face contorted with more rage then he ever felt before in his entire life.
"Dragon."
"Are you ready?" Lasi asked her faction.
"All the rebels are combining for one final assault on the capital. This is it, master, there's no going back after this." Ninzi said.
"What about the civilians?" Tieb asked.
"We assign groups to protect civilians during combat. Otherwise, try to keep fighting around civilians at a minimum, as hard as that will be." Lasi explained.
"Alright, let's meet up with the others. FOR THE FREEDOM OF SEVEN!" Lasi screamed out. A force numbering in the hundreds roared behind her before they all marched onwards.
The Great Father walked down the steps of his palace and opened up a massive doorway by placing his right hand onto a circular object in the center of the stone doors. The doors opened to reveal a massive hall, with gigantic demonic figures all encased in lacrima crystals. At the end of the hall, was a mask—a mask with six eye slots, four demonic horns, and red crystals poking out of it. The Great Father walked up to this mask and stared at it.
'No longer shall I live in fear of the White Witch! I have kept her at bay for a century, and with the magic power the mask has collected from the mages of Seven, I'll finally be able to resist her control, and control all the etherious guards of Seven simultaneously! Seven shall reign as the supreme power of Ishgar when this is over.' Father thought. His hand touched the mask, and a horrible, sickly red energy swirled around his hand before the mask began to shake violently. Father heard a terrible laugh before strange, black appendages burst out from the mask and latched onto his face.
The demons in the hall began to stir, and all their lacrima-created cells melted away into nothingness. The etherious roared in excitement, shaking the entirety of the palace with their roars alone. The Father floated in the air, and the mask had fused onto his face, with six red, glowing dots peering forward in the demon-filled hall right before he rose his right hand, and the massive wall behind him somehow crumbled away into nothing. Creating a hole large enough to fit an etherious the size of Deliora itself.
"Let the games begin."
I'm on a writer's roll, I think, I dunno I had fun writing this. Listening to music helps too.