Due to mild confusion, I have accidentally replaced chapter 35 with 34, making it a duplicated chapter. I am very sorry for that and they issue has been already fixed!
November 15th, X791
A thunder pierced through the night sky like a whip, the loud crack spreading all over the land below like a wave, rain pouring down with no mercy whatsoever.
A young woman with dark-blue hair readjusted her hood and wiped water off her glasses with her thumb, scoffing gently under her nose, before going further into the naked woods, frozen leaves cracking under her feet.
After a few more minutes of walking, her eyes spotted a light in the distance, a small sensation of relief spreading across her chest.
"Finally..." sighed Emilia and resumed walking, her step much more enthusiastic with her goal in plain view. She was closing in to a small hut right by the bank of the river, a small boat docked right behind it.
She walked up to the door and knocked on it gently, but hard enough to let the owners know someone was by the door. She could hear footsteps closing in to the door and soon an elderly, short man with a long beard and bald head stood in the doorway, cautiously observing the woman.
"Yes, how may I help you?" he asked her in a soft voice.
"Excuse me for bothering you at this time of the day..." Emilia bowed in respect. "But I am afraid I will need your services. I need to get to a certain place, in the swamps. I was told you could help me."
The man's face relaxed, as he opened the door slightly more. "I see, a client...Well, ya sure did choose a weird time, young lady." he shook his head. "Gimme a minute, gotta get ready… Come on in, don't stand out there in the rain."
Emilia bowed her head gently and stepped inside, careful not to bring any dirt into the house. It was a small, two level hut, with furniture that was most definitely handmade, as was the hut. The man opened a cabinet and searched through it, mumbling to himself under his nose, which Emilia picked up as him counting the gear he needed.
By the table sat a woman, not much younger than the man, as well as a little girl. She looked at Emilia curiously and left the table to walk up to the woman. She was very small, the top of her head reaching Emilia's waist. She looked up at the woman and blinked slowly.
"What do ya need my daddy for?" she asked. "Are ya goin' to the swamps?!" she asked with childish enthusiasm and hope. "Can I come too?!"
Emilia stared the child down for a moment, before cracking a warm smile. She kneeled down to meet the girl at eye level and put her head on top of her head, tousling her hair a bit.
"I'm afraid not." she said softly. "Your parents probably don't want you out there. I've heard there are monsters lurking there...Monsters that like to kidnap little girls such as yourself." she added in a whisper after leaning a bit closer.
The girl laughed. "No, there are not! Monsters don't exist!"
Emilia smiled. "I see you're a much bigger girl than you look."
The man, now clad in his rubber fishing pants, as well as a thick shirt and a fishing hat, stepped out of the cabinet and looked at his daughter.
"Kaya, don't bother the lady!" he scolded her gently. "My apologies, she is very open to strangers...Doesn't know what keeping to herself is."
"No, it is perfectly fine." smiled Emilia and stood up. "Shall we be on our way?"
"Yeah, we're ready to go. I'll be back soon." the man said to his family and exited the hut.
"Bye, bye!" Kaya waved to Emilia, who waved her back and stepped out as well.
Luckily for them, the rain died down a bit, much to the fisherman's relief.
"Gotta say, I've been thinkin' about closin' it down, the rowing thing." he admitted whilst undoing the knot to his boat.
"I've been told you've been in this business for over 20 years. I'd assumed you knew this place better than anyone." said Emilia.
"Aye, I do. But this place has been...strange for the past few months. Not normal." the man threw the rope into the water and stepped into the boat, Emilia following behind. "Weird angles, currents, and changes in the depth of the river – I know them all so well I could swim you through with my eyes closed. But those sudden changes in weather...Nope, sign me out." he laughed and pushed the boat away from the dock.
Emilia frowned gently. "Changes in weather?"
"Aye." nodded the fisherman and started to paddle through the river. "There's a place, about halfway through, where it sometimes gets windy all of a sudden, even during the calmest, sunniest of days. Hell, once I saw trees bein' cut to pieces by that wind further down the road. Woulda be me if I didn't turn around in time."
Emilia's frown deepened a bit. "I see. That surely does sound like a valid reason to stop getting people across the river."
"Aye. Gonna get an earful from my lady when I get back, that's for sure. But what can a man do? Money is short, fishin' ain't like it used to be..."
"I wouldn't worry about that." assured him Emilia. "You will not have to get close to that place. My destination was never the trading village on the other end of the swamp."
The man chuckled. "Well, that sure sounds reassuring...Are ya after the mushrooms that grow there? Gotta say, one of my favorite foods, especially with stew."
"No, it's not them." replied shortly Emilia. "It's a private matter, one I'd appreciate if you didn't try to look into."
"Oh, I see. Excuse me."
"It's okay."
The rest of the way went by in relative silence, the fisherman's humming being the only sound coming from the boat. Once they took a sharp turn to the right and passed a big boulder covered in moss, the man sighed.
"Well, here we are. This is where it usually starts to get weird." he said. "Should I stop?"
"Yes, please. If possible, I'd like you to wait for me here. I will be back soon." said Emilia and jumped out of the boat, her feet submerging a bit in the mud.
"From the looks of it ya know how to handle yourself..." said the man, his eyes wandering around Emilia's blade peeking from underneath her cloak. "But do be careful, young lady."
Emilia turned to him and smiled gently. "I will. Thank you."
With that said, the woman stepped into the swamps, her senses already focused and ready to react.
The old man's story only confirmed her reports, which, to be fair, was not to her liking. She's been at it for a month now and it has never gone easy.
Cursing her Master under her nose, Emilia spotted a cave not too far from the spot she left the old man in. Noticing, that the wind around it was a bit unnatural, she sharpened her senses even more and started to walk toward it.
Just as she expected, as soon as she started to close in, the wind changed direction, now trying to push her away. Pushing her boots hard into the mud, Emilia grit her teeth and cut through the wall of wind, now mere few feet away from the entrance.
Upon stepping in, the wind stopped, complete silence falling inside of the dark cave. Emilia gently shifted her hand towards the hilt of her sword and started to slowly proceed further in, her eyes, ears, and nose scouting the area with utmost care.
All of a sudden she picked up a shift to her right and pulled her sword out just in time to prevent herself from losing her head, her blade successfully blocking a giant scythe, the sound of clashing metal echoing painfully across the cave, a current of wind spreading all over it from the clash.
Although she couldn't see, Emilia could tell, that she hit the spot, much to her annoyance. Her attacker hummed under their nose and tried to push their weapon further, only to be stopped by Emilia, who didn't put too much force into stopping it.
"Not bad, lady." said the attacker in a hoarse, manly voice, his teeth beaming under his hood in the darkness. "Now...Who the hell are you? What are you looking for in here?"
"Now, there was no need to be so brutal from the get-go." said Emilia and tightened the grip on her sword, the man still trying to push his scythe right into her neck. "I came here to speak to you, not fight you. Do take pity on this fragile girl here, will you?"
The man remained silent for a moment, before releasing a sound that resembled a snort mixed with a chuckle.
"Who the hell are you calling fragile here?" he asked in a strained but amused voice and broke contact with Emilia, before jumping back, his dominant arm throbbing from effort.
Emilia simply lowered her blade, no sign of tiredness showing from her side.
The cloaked man put his scythe by his side and exhaled tiredly. "So, what the hell are you here for? I don't think I was expecting a guest."
Emilia put her blade back in its scabbard. "I've been sent here by someone."
"Who?"
"Someone, who thinks your talents could be put to a better use than hiding in swamps."
The man clicked his tongue in irritation. "Name, bitch. I'm asking you for a name here."
Emilia's eyes narrowed in the darkness. "Ivan. Raven Tail wishes to recruit you into their ranks."
The man spat to the side. "That pile of filth has the balls to ask me for a favor? He's as big of a joker as he's been in the past."
"He is well aware of the level of affection you have for him." said Emilia with a colorless tone. "However, he is also convinced, that hiding in No Man's Land and looking behind your back in fear for your life because of the list of names you gave the Council in return for a release from prison is, by no chance, a fate that bestows someone once known as the Grim Reaper."
The man's whole body twitched, Emilia's words striking him to the very core. Thanks to her magic, she could hear the grip on his scythe tighten, his mind most likely considering striking once again.
"I wasn't told to use brute force to obtain your cooperation, so there is absolutely no need for us to fight." she said in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Still, I think my proposition is better than...whatever this is." she motioned at the cave with her arms. "The decision is yours...Erigor."
Erigor scoffed and sat down on a rock. "Did your digging, did you?" he snarled. "What does that pile of shit want me for anyway?"
Emilia adjusted her glasses. "Ivan is offering you an opportunity for revenge. Your job will be unlike any other you'd taken before. You will make it out however you manage it to be, hard and humiliating, or easy and satisfying."
Erigor's eyes narrowed. "Revenge?"
"Fairy Tail."
Those two words were enough to make the man's blood boil in his veins. He shot back to his feet, his eyes bloodshot and wide open.
"I take it I have managed to get your attention?" asked Emilia.
The man stared in her direction for a minute, before cracking a wide grin, his yellow teeth in full display. He chuckled to himself and walked over to the side, where a lamp was on a stone desk, most likely carved by his magic. He lit it up, the light scaring the darkness away, his cloaked figure now in full display before Emilia.
The man turned around, his bald head peeking from under the hood.
"You sure did."
November 16th, Raven Tail HQ, Magnolia
A tall, scrawny, redheaded man walked down the spiral stairs, torches throwing gentle light at his pale face. He didn't like going down there. The place creeped him out, especially when...occupied.
The man walked down the last couple of stairs and pushed the door, the light blinding him as soon as a gap formed. Squinting his eyes, he pushed them open and stepped into the room. He was greeted with the sight of his Master, who was, once again, caressing a giant, green crystal.
Ivan looked to the side curiously. "Oh, Rorge. It's rare to see you crawl your way in here." he chuckled and turned back around to Mavis' body. "You must have brought some good news along."
Rorge shivered at the sight and stepped further into the room.
"Yeah." he said. "Got a call from Emilia, she said she's done. She'll be coming home soon."
Ivan hummed to himself. "That is some good news indeed." he said. "It took her quite a long time, though. Were there complications?"
"She didn't mention any, so I dunno."
"True. Even if there have been any, she never would have mentioned them. I am looking forward to our new additions. Thank you for this report."
Rorge nodded walked up to his Master's side and looked at the crystal. "What the hell do you keep this thing around for anyway?" he asked. "You didn't even let us drag it out for the speech, we had to make a fake. It was a pain in the ass."
Ivan blinked slowly. "Oh, I did not tell you? Forgive me, I have been rather occupied as of late."
Rorge squinted. "We found the damn thing six years ago."
Ivan laughed out loud and took a step back, taking the full view of the crystal in. "It appears your reputation of a locked mouth will be tested once again." he said to the ginger. "It might be overwhelming. Are you certain you want to know?"
Rorge sighed and shrugged. "Might as well, maybe I will stop being creeped out every time I see it."
"Oh, I doubt that will be the case." said Ivan, much to the man's distress. "However, you might still find some interest in this story." he added quickly.
Seeing no resistance, Ivan chuckled.
"This, my dear friend, is Mavis Vermillion." he gestured at the crystal. "When I say it is her, I mean it quite literally. What we are looking at right now is her lifeless body, encased in a crystal."
Rorge gulped. "Yeah, I am already regretting this." he said, his body shivering.
"Told you so."
Ivan walked around it and put his hand on the crystal, caressing it. "A hundred years ago, Mavis met a certain man. A man, whom she had grown to love. They knew each other from before and they were both...special, in one way or another. Their love, however, was a forbidden affair, one that ended with Mavis' demise."
Rorge whistled. "What, was the guy too good or something?"
Ivan chuckled. "In one way or another...The man was cursed, and it was the curse, that took her life. One of the founding members of Fairy Tail, Precht-"
"Hold on." interrupted him Rorge. "Hades? The one from Grimoire? Ge founded the guild?"
"Precisely. He found her body and had grown desperate to save her. In an attempt to prevent her body from...deteriorating, he sealed her within this crystal, until a way to bring her back was found. This, however, had an unforeseen effect, for Mavis' body was, as I have mentioned, special, which when combined with Precht's countless experiments and attempts... It gave birth to this."
Ivan motioned at the crystal with his arms, much to Rorge's confusion.
"What is "this"?" he asked.
Ivan smiled. "The source of absolute infinite magic power...Lumen Histoire, or, as my father preferred, Fairy Heart."
Rorge's eyes went wide. "Infinite magic?!" he choked out. "Are you for real?!"
Ivan grinned devilishly. "Quite real. It is rumored, that if it came to become the source of Etherion's core, it could be fired every five minutes until the end of time."
Sweat ran down the redhead's temple. "And Fairy Tail kept it all this time...in a basement?"
"Precisely."
The man walked up to the crystal, his thirst for power and greed overcoming the disgust he felt toward the item. He gently put his hand on it, magic warming up the palm of his hand.
"Amazing..." he whispered. "We could conquer the world with this..."
"Yes...yes we could." whispered Ivan and caressed the crystal. "But not just yet. Go back upstairs, Rorge. Tell the others to start getting ready. I will follow you shortly." he ordered.
Although hesitant, the redhead bowed gently and left the room, but not before throwing one more greedy look at the crystal.
Having confirmed, that the room was empty once again, and that Rorge's footsteps were a good distance away, Ivan leaned over and pressed his forehead against the crystal, his eyes closed.
With a long sigh of anxiety and fear, he whispered to himself and the crystal. "Just a little bit closer...Wait for just a little more..."
Afternoon of November 16th, outskirts of Crocus.
Clanks of metal being hit, accompanied by grunts and growls echoed across the fields and plains, spreading over it like the wind, that gently made the blades of grass bow down toward the ground.
Two figures were fighting in the middle of seemingly nowhere, their clashes leaving sparks of bright, orange light in the air.
Erza, clad in her new Flame Empress Armor, gripped her blade as hard as she could and flexed her body to withstand the weight of Natsu's punch. Having caught it with her blade just in front of her chest, she felt her body slide backwards on the grass, her armored feet leaving a trail on the ground.
The new version of the armor had very little differences to the original, as far as appearance goes. Its color was much more scarlet than it used to be, some parts changed from orange to crimson. The blade was slightly more robust, both in weight and size, and the hair pieces, that previously kept Erza's hair in twintails on both sides of her head, were now replaced by just one, her hair tied behind her head in a ponytail. The biggest and most important change of all, however, was in its enchantments. Now, the armor granted Erza 75% immunity to fire, as opposed to the 50% held by the predecessor.
Erza smirked from behind her blade and swung it to the side.
"What's wrong, is that all you've got?" she taunted her boyfriend. "Did I overwork you these past weeks?"
Natsu grinned and swiped his forearm under his nose to get rid of sweat. His attire did not change too much, if at all, even. Currently his torso was naked, both his jacket and scarf lying somewhere to the side.
"Change this thing and we'll see who's the overworked one." he grinned and stepped in as fast as he could, much to Erza's surprise. He clenched his right fist and bypassed her guard, planting it into the girl's stomach, only to then follow with a right kick to the same spot.
Erza gasped, the sheer impact damaging her more than the hits themselves. Nonetheless, she smiled while sliding back and dashed right back in.
"It was a good idea to start getting closer to Crocus in advance." she told Natsu while swinging her sword at his head. "We can still train freely while advancing toward the city."
Dodging the blade, Natsu nodded. "Yeah. You said we were close, right?" he asked while throwing a left hook at her ribs.
Blocking the strike with her blade, Erza nodded back. "Yes. I think we will reach it within next 3 days, just in time for the tournament." she said and managed to land a kick to his ribs.
Natsu slid back on the grass and massaged his sore ribs. Erza swung her blade down, a smug grin glued to her face.
"I think we should call it a day for now." she said. "I'm starting to get a bit hungry and we haven't made any progress on walking yet."
"Gimme 20 more minutes, will ya?" asked her Natsu and cracked his neck. "That's all I'll need. I'll take one more turn at cooking in return."
Erza sighed. "Honestly, you might as well offer a punishment in exchange."
"What?!" he asked, completely blindsided.
"No offense, Natsu, but your meals are...inconsistent, to put it gently. I do enjoy some of your dishes, but sometimes they are rather...hard to swallow."
"Fine. I'll make something you actually like. Deal?" he asked, but before she could answer, a small thought screamed at him in the back of his mind, which made him quickly follow. "No cakes though! I'm not gonna try that shit ever again."
Although slightly disappointed, Erza smiled and nodded. "Very well, we can buy one on our way to the city. I will request something else from you." she said. "So, what was it you wanted to test?"
As soon as she asked the question, the answer was already in front of her, Natsu's grin adding more oil to the fire. Feeling, that the upcoming 20 minutes were going to be quite tiring ones, Erza's body glowed white, her hair now tied in a thick braid, with a long spear forming in her hands.
"I see." she said shortly with an excited grin and bent her knees, Natsu already lashing out at her.
LINIA
A large, tall man flew across the hall, crashing right into a group of his friends, who were already beaten up. The crash made them destroy the benches and chairs, splinters and pieces of wood flying everywhere.
A short man with a big, round nose adjusted his iron helmet and spat some blood to the side.
"Curse you..." he growled under his breath and put up his bow. "Men, do not falter! Give them hell!" he bellowed in an order and summoned a red arrow made out of magic, his comrades, who managed to stay on their feet doing the same, their colors different.
Their targets were two young men, one with blonde, and the other with black hair, their expressions showing excitement and indifferent respectively.
"Fire!" yelled the big nosed man, a rain of arrows making its way towards the intruders.
The blonde haired man grinned even wider and a second later the entire squadron of archers, along with the guildhall itself, was blown away by a mix of black and white light.
The debris, along with pieces of armors and unconscious, battered bodies flew in every possible direction, the ceiling collapsing, the already setting, orange sun peeking into the previously dark room.
The two men emerged from the dust, patting their clothes down to get rid of dirt. The blonde man sighed in boredom and sat down on a massive block of the wall, his elbows on his knees.
"Man, you'd think there would be some resistance here." he moaned. "We traveled all the way here and this dark guild didn't even warm us up...Talk about waste of time."
His companion, whose expression did not change a bit, scolded him. "Stop whining, Sting. Given our level of strength, you should have known a challenge would be very unlikely. These scum were not even worth being called a dark guild. Just a bunch of bandits following outdated ways of history, who somehow learned magic from a book they'd stolen from merchants."
Sting laughed out loud and slapped his knee, the earring in his left ear shaking violently. He was wearing a blue vest with grey fur and dark-blue gloves, that reached up to his biceps. He had black and white baggy pants that were tucked in his black, tall boots.
"You always know how to cheer me up, Rogue." he told his friend and wiped tears out of his eyes.
Rogue, whose clothing consisted of a black cloak, jacket and pants, sighed tiredly at his friend's attitude.
"I wasn't trying to." he admitted.
"Say, do we have anything else to do on our way back?" asked Sting, ignoring his friend's remark. "I wouldn't mind doing a job or two more."
"No, that was the last of it."
"Oh, man. That's a shame."
"I think it'd be wise to conserve our energy." said Rogue. "The Games are almost upon us. Regardless of the fact, that we will win, we must not lower our guard."
Sting's smile was extinguished. He sighed through his nose and looked into the sky.
"Yeah. Probably." he said quietly.
Rogue looked at him in mild confusion. "What is it? You're usually very hyper about the Games."
"Yeah." muttered Sting. He then looked back down at his hands. "I know we've won the thing almost every time, but I have to say, they felt rather...hollow. I never felt truly satisfied. Did you feel like it, too?"
"In one way or another." said Rogue. "There's this rumor I've heard, but it has absolutely no credibility, so don't let it get your hopes up."
Sting blinked. "What is it?"
"Apparently Fairy Tail is going to participate in the Games."
Sting's eyes widened. "What did you say?" he choked out and slowly stood up to his feet.
"As I've said, I have no reliable source for this. Just something I've heard a few days ago on our way here. If you ask me, it might be true. They've been dead for years, not a single one of their members dared to show their face around. If they really are taking a part, then it must be them."
Sting's lips twisted in a sinister grin. Seeing this, Rogue quickly raised his hand.
"I understand how you're feeling, but-"
"Yeah, I know. I know, Rogue." said Sting. He then clenched his fist and punched his left hand. "But even if it's just a rumor. I just can't help getting excited…You must feel the same way, don't you?"
Rogue shrugged. "Not really. I feel no obligation to prove myself to anyone."
"Neither do I. I just want to measure him up with my own eyes."
Sting stood up from his rock and grinned into the sky.
"I might just finally find the thrill I've been looking for."
Morning of November 20th, Crocus
The sun has barely managed to climb its way from behind the horizon, its lazy, orange light falling wherever it could, filling it up with life.
Despite that, however, sounds of hammers, nails, blocks of wood and loud voices were echoing across the city for at least an hour now, the last preparations for the Games in full motion.
Inn keepers were trying their best to make sure their establishments looked as clean and desirable as possible. Shop owners were busy carrying boxes full of merchandise, food, drinks, clothes and souvenirs. Restaurants and pubs were putting up more tables than it was previously agreed on, their fight for every client in full motion.
The city was, as it was to be expected, excited and thrilled about the upcoming few days. Not just from the purely economic point of view, which, although made perfect sense, was not carried out from greed, or pettiness. No. Over the past seven years, the Games have become one of Crocus' trademarks, something the capital of Fiore was known for all across the continent, and each year was a chance to outdo the previous one and set the bar higher than ever before.
Visitors from all over the country, as well as the continent, were slowly making their way into the city, the gates full and crowdy.
Individuals of various looks talked, bickered and made their way through into the unknown city, the attractions starting as soon as a few meters past the gate.
Natsu and Erza were among them, both of them dosing their usual attires, their backpacks hanging on their shoulders behind their figures.
"Looks like we have made it just in time." said Erza with a smile.
"Yup." said Natsu, his eyes already looking around the place. He's never been to a city as big as this before, nor did he ever set his foot in this part of the country. Spending the last few weeks in the area may have awakened an inner desire he never knew he had: he's come to learn to appreciate the view and his surroundings.
"Did Gramps give you a meeting point or something?" he asked Erza after a minute.
The knight shook her head. "No, he has not. Perhaps we should go back and wait by the gates and look out for them?" she asked as they stepped into an alley full of pubs and bars.
"It could take them hours to get here, if they ain't here already." said Natsu. "I could try to sniff someone out, but..."
"...The crowd. I've expected as much." Erza finished the sentence for him. "Looks like we'll have to be patient and hope we find them on our way."
"I think we won't have to wait for long." smirked Natsu, much to Erza's confusion. He then pointed out with his hand and upon following it, Erza felt her face light up.
On the other side of the alley stood Lucy, Wendy, Cana, and Carla, with the blonde already waving her hands at her teammates. Her screaming was deafened by the crowd, but she could still make out a word here and there.
With a wide smile on her face, Erza crossed the alley with Natsu by her side and raised her arms, hugging Lucy just a second later.
"I'm so glad to see you!" Lucy squeaked into the redhead's ear.
"So am I." said Erza and let go of Lucy to measure her up.
Not just her, all three girls looked significantly stronger and more mature, despite the short time span. Their attires didn't change much, maybe with the exception of Cana, who was wearing more layers than usual.
"I'm glad nothing bad happened during these past three months." said Erza and walked up to hug Cana.
"Well, we behaved for once." snorted Cana and let Erza go. "Seeing how Lucy walked in with her mark in full view and the guards didn't do anything, I think we're good to go."
"Did you guys have a spot you used to spend the time in?"
"No, we kept moving around Magnolia. The furthest we've gone out was to visit Lucy's old man's guild, but they couldn't help us much. He hasn't been there in years. What about you?"
"We moved as well, although deeper into the country."
As the girls talked, Natsu smirked at the sight of the greetings and shifted his eyes to Wendy, before whistling gently.
"I see you did some training of your own." he said to her.
The girl beamed and nodded. "Yup! We all did!"
Erza smiled and pulled Wendy in for a sisterly hug. "I have no doubt of that." she said and tousled her hair. "I barely recognized you all."
"Compared to you guys we're probably still like kids, but it's not like we did nothing for all this time." said nervously Lucy and scratched the back of her head. "Speaking of which..." she added and leaned in toward Erza and covered her mouth with her hand. "What about you? Did you leave him in your dust already?"
Erza chuckled, both from the question and Natsu's reaction, which, although subtle for everyone, was quite obvious to her.
"Truthfully? I think it only widened even more." she replied with a genuine smile.
Lucy's hand dropped slowly. "You're joking..." she whispered, shocked.
Erza laughed at her reaction. One could suspect her of sucking up to her man, but that was not the case at all. Even though she could tell she had grown significantly these past few weeks, her growth was rather small in comparison to his. Which made her feel both pride and pity.
Pity for whoever stood in their way next week.
"As much as I'd love to just stay here and chat, I think we've still got over half a guild to find." said Cana and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "This street is annoying."
"I agree." said Erza and walked up to Natsu's side again. "Let's try getting to the center, perhaps we will find a suitable waiting spot.
Lucy threw Cana and Wendy a short look, a cheeky smile on her face, as she threw her backpack over her back once again and started to walk behind the pair.
As they walked, they tried catching up best to their ability, the noise making it rather difficult to do. From what Erza could gather, Lucy's group did not wander off too far from Magnolia, which, although she scolded them for, she understood. They mostly camped on woods and trained in difficult terrains, with mostly Wendy in mind, who, as agreed by Lucy and Cana, had the most potential out of the three of them. Still, that didn't mean the older girls didn't do any training of their own.
"You can what?" asked Erza with wide eyes.
Lucy laughed awkwardly and scratched her chin. "As I said, it's not stable...but I can summon up to two spirits at a time without falling on my face a second later. I think it's because I have more magic power now. It's not a big deal, but at least it's something."
"I think being able to summon and sustain two spirits at a time is nothing short of amazing." Erza praised Lucy, much to her embarrassment.
"If anything, it's because you have more magic power and a stronger body." threw in Cana. "That's why I made us all do those damn pushups. Mostly for Wendy, but I had you in my mind, too."
Lucy looked at her. "I am so sorry for snapping at you all those times." she said with a broken voice.
"It's fine, though, I'm still going to make you pay me back one day. My boobs have gotten smaller because of all those times I tagged along with you."
As Lucy was apologizing to Cana, Wendy ran up to Natsu.
"So, how was it? Did you come up with anything?" he asked her.
"I did!" she nodded. "But I can't use it too often, it eats a lot of magic."
"Yeah, that's how they work. They are your secret weapon, after all."
"What are you two talking about?" asked curiously Erza.
They both grinned at her. "Secret!" they said, much to her annoyance.
Carla sighed. "I knew that fixation came from somewhere..." she said whilst giving Natsu a judging look. "She almost died once because of it."
"Yeah, that's what it takes sometimes." he said nonchalantly, almost as if if was the most normal thing in the world.
The tabby simply massaged the bridge of her nose and dropped the subject.
Twenty minutes later the group found themselves in the park located at the center of the city. It was full of trees and other kinds of wildlife, many pavements and routes leading towards the center, where a giant fountain was placed.
"Okay, let's get a look around." said Erza and adjusted her backpack. "If we can't spot anyone, we should find a suitable spot to wait for a little while. I suggest we-"
"I don't think we'll have to look for long." said Cana with a smile and pointed with her hand.
Erza followed it and felt her lips curve by themselves. Just fifty meters away from them, by the biggest bench in the park stood a group of faces she would have recognized anywhere.
Juvia and Lisanna were standing up front, waving at them while shouting something they couldn't quite pick up, Gray, Gajeel and Levy standing not too far from them, smirking. The other Strauss siblings were sitting on the bench, both of them giving Erza's group a head tilt with smiles, Elfman's body looking a bit larger than it used to.
Lucy and Wendy ran up to Juvia and Lisanna, all four of them hugging a moment later. Erza, Cana, and Natsu followed shortly with a light stroll.
Mira stood up from her seat and together with Gray walked up to the trio.
"Took you long enough." said Mira to Erza.
"I know, I have no excuse for that." she replied with a smile and raised her arms to embrace the Demon, who returned the hug.
Gray walked up to Natsu, who raised his hand first.
"Looks like you didn't get caught again." said the Maker and smacked his hand into Natsu's.
"Barely avoided it." said Natsu. "Wasn't my fault, though."
Gray laughed and shook his head. Mira, who was done greeting Erza walked up to the boys and leaned towards Gray.
"You lost." she said with a smirk and walked away, leaving sighing Gray behind.
Having noticed Natsu's confused look, Gray shrugged. "We bet on whether you'd be jailed again or not. I lost."
Natsu scoffed. "Of course you'd bet against me."
"So did I." said Gajeel, who walked up to the guys and put his now empty wallet back into his pants. "I was sure you'd be the one to screw things up for us."
"A pot calling the kettle black..." scoffed Natsu, much to Gajeel's confusion.
Gray blinked slowly. "Did you just get a saying right?"
Natsu sighed. "Try spending three months alone with her, you'd be amazed at the things she could knock into your head."
"Believe me, I know it all too well. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I bet that both of you would get jailed, because I knew, that if you got put in the gutter Erza would follow you."
"Yeah, it almost did happen, except in reverse."
"Bullshit."
"The fuck did you call me, Salamander?"
As the boys bickered, Erza moved on to greet the others. On the bench, with the exception of Elfman, sat the entirety of Thunder Legion, with Laxus sitting right next to Makarov.
The elder was now dosing a full grown beard, as opposed to his usual mustache, a cane in his hands, his prosthetic leg hanging freely from the bench next to his healthy leg.
"Master." Erza bowed to the elder with a smile. "I am glad to see you're doing well. Would it be safe to assume your meeting went well?"
Makarov snorted. "Well, seeing how none of us is in chains, I'd say you could count it as such." he said. "We've pretty much lived in the Council for a month because all of the paperwork."
Erza felt cold sweat run down her face. "A month?"
"He's exaggerating." said Evergreen and adjusted her glasses. "We've been with him this entire time and dealt with some of the paperwork. They've been dragging us to meetings for a month, each of them giving more papers to go through, so it felt like we lived there for so long."
"Regardless of how unpleasant it was, this was a very good training for Laxus as a successor." added Freed. "He's done his job magnificently and supported Master best to his ability."
"I'm not succeeding shit." threw in Laxus. "I don't want to ever see that place again."
"That's what I've been saying for over forty years." chuckled Makarov. "Still, as unpleasant as it was, it felt good to see their faces when they saw me after so long. I barely held my laughter in."
"Tell me about it." smiled Laxus.
Erza chuckled into her hand. "I see your health has improved, Master. Have you managed to find Porlyusica?"
The question quickly knocked Makarov's mood down, a concerned frown replacing his smile in an instant. "No, we have not. I got this thing thanks to Jura, who scheduled an appointment in Margaret Town. We did find her home, but nothing more."
"I didn't find anything suspicious, either." said Laxus. "The place looks like a bomb went off but no signs of fighting, or resistance. She must have been taken outside and then someone went through her stuff."
"Yes, that's what Gajeel told us when he went there." said Erza and frowned. One could not exclude the possibility, that the old woman has simply moved out, but would she really leave all of her belongings behind? With everything else happening around them Raven Tail was the main suspect in this situation, however they had absolutely no proof to back it off. Besides their guts, that is.
As Fairy Tail talked and bickered, a rather big crowd of people was starting to form nearby, their eyes glued to the mages.
Lucy blinked and turned her head to the side, no longer listening to Mirajane's story of how she bested a group of bandits in the mountains. The crowd was glaring daggers at them and whispered amongst each other, which made the blonde feel uncomfortable, to put it lightly.
"Guys..." began gently the blonde and pulled on Mira's sleeve. "Guys!"
"What?" snapped Mira, upset her story was interrupted.
"I think we might be attracting too much attention." said quietly Lucy and pointed at the crowd.
Soon the whole guild was staring back at the now even bigger crowd, awkward silence falling at the park.
"Is there a problem?" asked them Gray in a raised tone.
"Depends." said a tall, chubby man in a red shirt.
"Depends on what?" scoffed Mira.
"Depends on whatever it is you lot are plotting." said the man.
Mira's eye twitched. "What?"
All of a sudden a loud yelp spread across the park, as a child, not much older than Wendy, threw a rock at the girl's head, catching her off guard. The girl clutched the back of her head with a pained grimace as the kid ran away.
Almost on instinct, Natsu, Gray, and Laxus all walked up front, their eyes piercing the entire crowd to the core.
"If you have nothing to say to us I suggest you leave," said Laxus with a low growl. "We are not looking for trouble, so take our example and do the same."
The chubby man spat aside, not intimidated. "And let you continue plot in our park? No, sir."
An old, crooked lady with a cane pointed her finger at the guild. "I bet they are planning on destroying this town! I've heard stories! That kid with a scarf, he burned villages for sport!"
"That girl with white hair, she's a witch!" added another woman, her infant child in her arms.
"Guards, someone get the guards!" called someone else.
The crowd was now yelling and accusing Fairy Tail, confident and loud. The guild could simply stand there and watch more and more people turn their attention towards the scene, which only made things worse.
"This is getting bad." said nervously Cana. "We should leave."
"You heard her, they want to run away!" bellowed a middle aged woman with an undercut. "Guards! Call the guards, quick!"
"This is getting annoying." snarled Gajeel.
All of a sudden, a loud sound of a cane striking the pavement down echoed across the place, silencing both groups.
Makarov stepped out of the group up front and straightened his back, now addressing the distraught people.
"We wish you no harm, dear citizens." he said softly. "We have gathered here after a long absence. Please, do not let our little meeting ruin your day. We will be on our way in a second. After we talk to the guards, that is." he added, seeing how some of the people were already opening their mouths to protest.
The chubby man scoffed. "Criminals." he threw in goodbye and left the scene, majority of the crowd following him in suit.
Fairy Tail's mood was now ruined, to put it lightly, frustrated glares piercing into the pavement.
"This is how things are now." Laxus said to the guild. "No use crying about it. We just have to get used to it and do our best to change it. Getting pissy with the people won't change anything."
"I'm surprised you're taking it so well." said Mira. "You've always been the one to bash those who shittalk the guild."
Laxus sighed. "You could say I've gotten used to being smeared in shit these past three months. It's not worth making things worse for a split second of satisfaction."
Five minutes later the guards have arrived. After being filled in on what just occurred and checking their records, they gave them a fair warning based on their current situation and let Fairy Tail leave the area and head to their designated inn.
The way to the inn was a quiet and long one, for the building was way away from the center of the town. After fifteen minutes of walking, Fairy Tail arrived by the door to their inn – The Sleeping Boar.
"Kinda cozy, eh?" Gajeel poked Levy with his elbow.
"This is the best we could do. Don't complain." said Evergreen.
The group entered the building and sat down at the chairs in the lobby.
"I think it'd be a good idea to go through the rules of the tournament while we wait for the innkeeper to divide the rooms." said Makarov and pulled out a sheet of papers. "This is pretty much all the most important data we are going to need." he waved the paper around. "The rest is just being a decent, non-murderous member of society. I had to read through 800 pages for this shi-"
"Master." scolded him Lisanna.
"Right." Makarov cleared his throat and looked at the papers. "Each participating guild has to present a team consisting of five members. The teams will battle other participating guilds in the tournament."
"Five, huh?" wondered Cana out loud. "That means everyone is going to put out their best shots from the get-go."
"Not exactly." corrected her Makarov. "Each guild has the right to change up to two members of their team per day. The tournament is set to determine the strongest guild in Fiore, not the best five members of a guild. I highly doubt other guilds will use their strongest five from day one."
"Hold on a second." threw in Mira. "You mean guilds can just change members each day and put out a different lineup?"
"Precisely."
"That's bullshit."
"No, it makes sense." said Laxus. "In any competition it is normal to start out slow at the beginning, to measure the opponent up. By letting guilds change their teams however they want, they are trying to make it a mind game as well."
"Laxus is right." said Erza. "Knowing when to use which member will be crucial."
"If you put it in this perspective, then yes, it makes perfect sense." stated Makarov. "But there is more to it than that. The Games consist of five days full of events. Each day will have a different competition, followed by one-on-one battles between guilds. Both the competitions and battles will be announced in a ten minute advance."
"Which means we'll be going in blind." sighed Gray. "Of course."
"Can we change members during game day?" asked Erza.
"No. The changes must be done after the day has been completed." Makarov shook his head. "However, that doesn't change a thing. We can not prove ourselves by acting on planning alone. We must be versatile and prove, that we can prevail even against the odds. We will make use of these rules and do what is expected of us – start out slow, but still strong."
"You've got the members in mind, old man?" asked Laxus.
"Yes, I do."
Makarov cleared his throat and looked at his kids. Everyone was tense and anxious – all of them wanted to prove themselves.
"I have decided on three core members, who will keep our level high but still not reach the peak of our capabilities." said the elder. "Natsu, Gray, Erza! You will be the lead members of our team!"
Gray smirked at scoffing Gajeel and Mira, who gave him a nasty eye. While they couldn't exactly argue with the other two, they knew, that Gray was the one person, who could have been easily replaced.
At least in their opinion.
"I will not bring the guild shame, Master." smiled Erza.
"Of course it's them..." sighed Elfman. "What did I even train for..."
"No one said your chances are gone." sighed Lisanna next to him.
Natsu groaned under his nose. "Do I really have to be out there the entire time?"
Erza frowned at him. "We've talked about this already. I know you hate being seen but this is bigger than that."
"Right, right."
"Makes sense." nodded Laxus. "You got an idea for the remaining two?"
"Yes, I have." said Makarov. "Lucy and Wendy – you will be completing the team."
"I feel kind of small, to be honest..." sighed Lucy. "Knowing I'm just filling a spot..."
"It just means we have to prove them, that we are more than that." smiled Wendy.
Lucy blinked in surprise, but smiled back. "Yup!"
"I don't want you to take it the wrong way, but Raven will probably start out at full strength." said Mira, her hands crossed on her chest. "Wouldn't it be safer to do the same?"
"I'm saving you and Laxus for a reason, Mira." said Makarov. "I know they will try to crush us from the get go, however, they will be in for a surprise. I know you all trained hard for this. The time to show how much you've matured has come."
Determined nods and grunts filled the room, which pleased Makarov. He cleared his throat and looked back to his papers.
"Outside of that, there isn't anything worth mentioning. The one rule we have to follow even today, is that all selected team members are to be in their designated rooms at latest by 12:00AM tonight. Even a second late will disqualify any member, who has yet to be in their room."
"It's 10 AM right now." said Freed. "We still have over half a day left."
"I think we can go out and explore a bit before bedtime." said Lucy. "People aside, the city is really pretty!"
"Good idea." nodded Freed. "Let's check in to the rooms and enjoy the day."
"Before you spread out." said Makarov and jumped down from his chair. "Let me just say, that this is not just for personal grudges. We have to prove to people, that they can still count on us, as they used to in the past. Do not waste this chance and give it your best. Make Fairy Tail proud, brats!"
The guild roared in approval, much to the horror of the poor inkeeper, who was already fed up with the bunch.
An hour and a big breakfast later, everyone was set in their rooms. Due to representing the guild in the Games, Team Erza got a hold of a five bed room, the biggest the inn had to offer.
After unpacking their stuff and getting comfortable with the room, Lucy stretched her arms out and sighed in relief.
"Okay, I'm going to hit the city now!" she announced and put her purse over her shoulder. "Is there anything you guys need?"
"Nope." said Gray and put his shirt back on after losing it in the lobby. "I'm going out myself."
"Me too." said Wendy, Carla hovering next to her. "We're going to see the gardens by the palace!"
"Cana is going with us, too." added the Exceed.
"I see." said Lucy. She then looked at Erza. "What about you?"
"I'm not going out anywhere, I've seen my share of the city by now." said the redhead. "But you'll be bringing him with you." she said and dragged Natsu by the arm to stand next to Lucy, much to his confusion.
"But why?" he asked her, confused.
"It's not safe out there for us. We don't know how people will react after seeing our mark, you saw what happened at the park today." she told him. "You'll go with Lucy, in case anything dangerous happens."
Natsu sighed. "Fine." he said and threw his bag aside. "I'm getting hungry anyway."
"Already?" sweatdropped Lucy.
Erza smiled and leaned in, kissing him on the lips shortly after, much to everyone's shock. Upon realising what she just did, Erza broke the kiss and cleared her throat, red on her cheeks.
"T-take care." she choked out and walked over to her bed.
Lucy and Wendy smiled at her in happiness, while Gray simply shook his head and exited the room.
As said, the group split up by the entrance to the inn and walked away, each for themselves. Gray, much to everyone's shock, invited Juvia to come along with him, which, surprisingly, did not make the girl freak out. Quite the contrary, she gracefully accepted the invitation with a big smile on her face.
After dropping by a small restaurant for lunch, for which Lucy, much to her shock, did not have to pay for due to Natsu having his own stash of cash, the pair started to mindlessly wander around, Lucy leading the expedition based on shop displays and store brands.
"No, seriously, what the hell was that in the restaurant?" she asked once again three hours later. For some reason, Natsu refused to answer the question and dodged it for as long as he could.
The sun was slowly starting to set, the sky changing into very gently shade of orange.
Natsu sighed. "Fine." he moaned. "Before I joined the guild I didn't really have much use for the cash I was getting for my jobs, so I've been putting it away. After we came back from the island I simply took Erza there and we took it all with us. That was it."
"Putting it away?" asked the blonde. "As in, in a bank?"
"No. I'd just throw it into a hole I dug up and covered it with dirt."
Lucy massaged the bridge of her nose. "Of course..."
"But most of it is gone now. Turns out Erza's bank account was shut down due to inactivity, so she lost her funds. We used it to pay for her armors and stuff."
"I see." said Lucy. "Speaking of Erza..." she began gently. "How long have you guys…?"
"Since the day we left." said Natsu.
"I see."
Dropping the subject, the pair continued to walk mindlessly around the city for an hour longer.
"I'm getting kinda tired." moaned Lucy and massaged her shoulder. "Should we go back?"
"Yes." said shortly Natsu and adjusted the bags he was carrying, completely fed up with the day.
Suddenly, they heard a muffled scream of a crowd from an alley right around the corner. Curious, the pair decided to check it.
A crowd of around thirty people was gathered in a circle around two individuals, who stood proudly over a group of men lying on the ground, unconscious and beaten up.
"You sure are weak for someone with a mouth this big." taunted one of the standing men, his blonde hair flowing gently in the wind. "Maybe you should change it up a little, eh?"
"Stop it, Sting." said his companion. "A winner has nothing to say to the loser."
"I agree with Sting." said a small, redfurred Exceed in a shirt and a tie. "This is what you get for messing with the best guild, indeed!"
"Fro thinks so, too!" threw in another Exceed, clad in a frog suit.
"The hell?" frowned Natsu.
"Probably a brawl between guilds." wondered Lucy.
"Man, Sabertooth sure is strong." sighed a man from the crowd, much to Lucy's attention.
"I'm sorry, did you just say Sabertooth?" she asked him.
"Yeah, why?"
"No, nothing, sorry."
"Never heard of them." said Natsu.
Before Lucy could tell him just who the guild was, a few people turned to Natsu in mild shock.
"You've never heard of the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth?" asked him a young girl. "Sting and Rogue?"
"Nope."
As the crowd started to gather around Natsu, Sting looked in its direction, curious of what the commotion was about.
"What, do we still have someone who wants a piece of us?" he laughed cockily.
A man from the crowd turned to the Dragon Slayer. "No, not us! They do!" he said and stepped aside along with the others.
Lucy and Natsu were now in perfect view, much to the girl's horror. She simply hid behind Natsu, hoping nothing bad happens.
Sting and Rogue's eyes went wide at the sight of the pink haired Dragon Slayer. "It's you..." he whispered. "It's you, isn't it? Natsu Dragneel?"
Natsu frowned. "What if it is?"
"Natsu..." Lucy pulled on his sleeve. She knew how devastating he could be if he lost his temper.
Sting grinned. "So, the rumors are true. You guys really did come back, huh."
"Do not get too friendly, Sting." said Rogue. "These people are not worthy of our time."
"Don't be a dick, Rogue." laughed Sting. "Buuut...you do have a point." he said and slowly walked towards Natsu.
Both men stared each other down, pressure making the air thick and heavy.
"I have to say I am rather embarrassed of sharing the same magic as you do." said Sting with a cocky grin, much to Natsu's surprise.
"You are a Dragon Slayer?" he asked.
"Yeah. We both are." he pointed at Rogue with his thumb. "True Dragon Slayers, that is. Ones, that would not get their ass beat by a dragon...like you did."
Natsu scowled. "What did you just say?"
"Is your hearing inferior as well?" asked him Rogue from behind. "That wouldn't surprise me, you are just a mere First Generation after all."
"First Generation?" asked Lucy with a frown.
"Allow me to explain." said the red Exceed and stepped between the two groups.
"Where the hell did you come from?" asked Lucy.
Ignoring her, the cat cleared his throat. "Natsu is, what we call, a First Generation Dragon Slayer. Trained and raised by a dragon. Then, we have Second Generation, who have not been raised by a dragon and obtained their magic through a lacrima implant. Third Generation, Sting and Rogue, have been raised by dragons and had lacrimas implanted in their bodies." he said.
"Well explained, Lector." said Sting.
"So, in other words..." began Natsu and trailed his eyes from the Exceed to Sting. "You were simply too weak to learn magic by yourself. Did I miss anything?"
"How dare you-" began outraged Lector, only to be stopped by Sting.
"Lector, don't." he said. "It's okay. It's not like words from a failed, outdated Dragon Slayer, too weak to beat a dragon could hold any weight."
Natsu's fist clenched dangerously, dark memories coming back up to the surface of his mind. "I think it'd be for the best if you walked away." he snarled.
"To think I used to look up to you..." Sting shook his head, having ignored Natsu's warning. "I'm embarrassed of my past self. If you couldn't do the deed yourself, you should have called us. We have some experience in killing dragons. Acnologia would have stood no chance against the two of us, even as kids. It's seriously pathetic, that a guild with four Dragon Slayer could get their ass beat so-"
A loud slap pierced the air like a whip, as Lucy smacked her hand across Sting's face, much to his shock.
With pure fury written on her face, Lucy grit her teeth and retracted her hand back to her side.
"Do not speak of that day as if you were there." she said with a dangerous growl in her voice. "You have no idea what happened that day! You have no right to-"
"That's enough." said Natsu and put his hand on her shoulder. He then turned to still surprised Sting and scowled. "You wouldn't last even a second against that dragon. He'd snap you in half and shit you out the next day, only to forget you even existed. You said you looked up to me, didn't you? That was the moment I stopped treating you seriously. You are a fool if you seriously thought of me as any form of an example."
"That's what I've been telling him for years. Looking up to someone inferior to him was just foolish." said Rogue.
Natsu simply looked at him and turned around, ignoring his comment. "Let's go back to the inn." he told Lucy and picked up the bags he dropped earlier.
Sting scowled and clicked his tongue. "I will prove just how stronger than you I am. Just watch." he told Natsu.
The man froze for a split second, but did not take the bait. He simply walked away, with Lucy trailing behind him.
"Just wait for the Games." he said in farewell and disappeared behind the corner.
Sting grit his teeth. "Damn it!" he cursed and kicked one of the unconscious men to vent.
"Don't let him get to you, Sting." said Rogue. "Don't waste your time."
"I know! I know..." sighed the blonde and sat down on one of the unconscious men. "I still got what I wanted. That's all that matters."
Rogue sighed. "I still think this idea is stupid and meaningless."
"I don't care."
With that said, Sting and Rogue left the scene, their Exceeds following behind.
Natsu and Lucy returned to their inn in foul moods, their journey back spent in silence. Everyone else was already back in the room.
Having realised something was off, Erza, who was already clad in her pyjamas, made the two spill the beans. After hearing the story, the knight sighed tiredly.
"I guess we should have expected this." she said. "It's a competition. Guilds will antagonize other guilds to get on their nerves."
"I thought so, too." said Lucy. "But when he started to taunt the whole guild...I just lost it. I slapped him."
Gray whistled. "Didn't expect that one."
"Neither did I." frowned Erza in a motherly fashion. "I understand your feelings, Lucy, but we are still in a bad spot. That could have easily backfired."
"I know." said the blonde. "But I'm not sorry I did it."
Gray laughed out loud and slapped his knee. Erza simply sighed and massaged her forehead.
"Seeing how these two beat up a whole group of people, I highly doubt Lucy would get in any trouble for slapping one of them." pointed out Carla. "You're overreacting." she told Erza.
The redhead sighed through her nose. "I might be. I apologize."
With that out of the way, the team dropped the subject and didn't bring it up at all during the evening. Lucy showed Erza and Wendy stuff she bought while out and soon after Cana and Strauss siblings dropped by with drinks and snacks, bored out of their mind.
A few hours of talking and bickering later, the clock struck midnight.
"Well, here we are." said Gray and straightened himself up in his chair. "Midnight. I wonder whether that was just a random ass rule to keep people off the streets during the night, or if it's really important-"
Almost as if it heard him, the entire area started to shake violently, to the point where Cana fell off her chair. A loud noise could be heard from their balcony and upon opening the door, Erza felt her jaw drop to the floor.
A path was now starting to form from their balcony, a path with a gate built in at the beginning, that led to something that resembled a giant ball of rubble and debris floating above the city. Pieces of rooftops and pavements were being ripped out of their place, only to fly up and take a new spot in the bizarre creation, that was now towering over the city.
"What the fuck is this?" asked Mirajane with a confused frown. "Did you guys hear about it?" she asked Erza.
"Not a word." replied truthfully the knight.
Suddenly, a giant pumpkin with eyes appeared in the middle of the ball, projected from the Royal Palace of Crocus.
"Greeting and welcome, guilds of Fiore!" it said in a goofy, male voice. "Welcome to 8th annual Grand Magic Games! I hope you've all prepared hard!"
"What the hell is going on?" asked Lucy under her breath.
"Look!" Gray pointed somewhere. "It's not just us! The inn next doors has a path like that, too!"
"Not just them." said Elfman. "Pretty much every inn in the area has one!"
"Does this mean each guild has their own path?" asked Wendy.
"Due to the outstanding number of 180 applications, we have decided to cut it down to 8!" said the pumpkin, much to everyone's shock.
"8 out of 180?!" asked shocked Gray. "How in the hell are they gonna-"
"Thus, the preliminary round of Grand Magic Games will start...now!"
Suddenly, the door to the path opened.
"Oh. That's how."
"Your task is simple!" the pumpkin echoed across the city. "Find one of the eight doors hidden within the Sky Labyrinth! The first eight guilds to enter through the door advance to the Games! You are allowed to fight anyone you meet in the Labyrinth, but be careful! If you fall, you will be disqualified! If a guild loses more than two members, they are disqualified! Oh, I forgot to mention – the Labyrinth will change its shape every few minutes, so make sure to be safe when that happens! Good luck to you all!"
"Not even giving us a chance to prepare..." sighed Gray and took his shirt off.
Erza Requipped out of her pyjamas, now back in her Heart Kreuz Armor. "There is no time to waste! We have been preparing for this moment for months! Let's go out there and prove just who Fairy Tail really is!"
"Yeah!" screamed her team and switched to battle mode, their eyes now focused and determined, as they ran up the path behind the redhead.
Their battle has already begun.
End of Chapter 36. To be continued in Chapter 37: Day One: Ghosts Of The Past