A/N: Hey there, AntiHero here! Are you ready for some more Dragon Tail Z? Just make sure that when you're reading, you turn the lights on in your room, and don't have your device too close to ya! I know in the last chapter that I didn't clarify whether or not Dan got his spear back after Gohan took it; I answered a few reviews saying that Dan did get it back, but I decided to change that and have Gohan hold onto it for the time being. So basically Dan and Samuel left without it. Now it's time to get back to the story!
Disclaimer – I own nothing
Chapter 11 –
After their encounter with Dan Straight and Samuel of the Legion Platoon, the members of Fairy Tail returned to their guild hall with the Key to the Starry Heavens book to figure out what to do next. While everyone was talking about what happened, Lucy was reading the book to get some answers. "I can't believe those jerks attacked us at Lucy's home," Natsu grumbled while crossing his arms.
"Those guys just get more annoying as the days go by," Gray added.
"Let's not worry about them right now," Erza said. "Right now, we should focus on what their goal is."
"I wonder why they left the book behind," Gohan mused. "And how did that cat read it so fast?"
"I'm not sure why they left it, but he was probably wearing specs," Wendy replied. "They allow you to read books incredibly fast."
"Man, those would've been handy during the years my mom made me study," Gohan remarked. "Could've spent more time training and less time reading."
"Samuel said he memorized everything from the book," Carla stated. "Could he have found the clue we were originally looking for?"
"If that's true, then he probably didn't need the book anymore," Happy figured.
"Guess it didn't matter to them that they left the book behind," the Saiyan said. "Probably don't think we'll figure out the clue in time to stop them."
"Well, I say we prove them wrong!" the Salamander exclaimed.
"Hey guys, I figured some things out," Lucy announced, getting her friends' attention.
"Yeah, like what?" Natsu inquired.
"This book for instance, my dad followed its story to the letter," Lucy explained.
"What do you mean by that?" Erza questioned.
"I'm saying there's more fact than fiction in its pages," the Celestial mage responded. "The Key of the Starry Heavens is about a little girl who goes in search of six keys because they're said to bring happiness whenever they're collected. But the thing is, by finding her happiness, the young girl unknowingly brings sorrow and misfortune to everyone around her."
"That's no good, what a crappy ending," Happy commented.
Gohan raised an eyebrow as he thought about what Lucy said. "Why does this story remind me of something?"
"How does the story begin?" Erza asked.
"Well, according to what it says here, the first key takes a journey," Lucy answered.
"Yeah right, keys don't take journeys!" Natsu said.
"Dude, it's a metaphor, get with the program," Gray replied.
"Alright, so where the heck did it go?!" Natsu asked.
"Give me a break! Do I have to spell it out for you?!" the ice mage questioned in annoyance. "Think about it, where did the Legion Platoon strike first?"
"Wait, so that means…" Natsu realized as he understood the phrase.
"Exactly, Michelle carried the clock hand all the way to Fairy Tail; in other words, it took a journey," Lucy said. "And everything that's happened is a direct result of it." Her comrades' faces grew more serious as she continued to explain. "In the story, the little girl decides to go in search of the five remaining keys. One by one, she finds them in a variety of places; finally, she travels to a cathedral, and that's where she finds the sixth key."
"A cathedral?" Erza repeated. "You don't think…?"
"No, it's not the Kardia Cathedral here in town," Lucy said. "In fact, it's nowhere near Magnolia."
"How do you know that?" Titania inquired.
"This was my favorite story as a little girl," Lucy explicated. "I used to read it over and over again. One day I realized, the places the girl traveled to in the Key of the Starry Heavens were real. Makes me wonder, if my dad came to the same realization, then I'll bet he hid the other five clock pieces in those spots." She then faced her sister and asked, "Did he ever mention any of this, Michelle?"
"No, sorry," she answered before looking away in sadness. "Mr. Jude was very quiet before he passed away."
"In any case, I have a feeling that if we go to the locations mentioned in this book, we should have no trouble finding the rest of the pieces," Lucy assured. "So who's with me?" No one answered her due to their uncertainty about the situation. "I'm not sure what the Legion Platoon wants with those clock pieces, but I know we have to stop them! Come on guys, if this chaos thing is real, we can't just sit back and let them do whatever they please!" she urged her friends, but still, no one volunteered to help her out. "Well I'm going, with or without you guys!" she declared.
"Just by yourself?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah, the master may not approve, but this really bothers me!" Lucy told him. "I have to do something!"
"I'll go with you," Michelle said.
"There's no way we're letting you do this on your own!" Natsu stated. "Happy and I have got your back!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted his agreement.
"So what's our next move?" Gray asked. "We're in a race here and the Legion Platoon is ahead of us. By the sound of it, we've got a lot of ground to cover."
From the looks on everyone's face, they knew that this wasn't going to be an easy task. "This mission relies on too much guesswork for my taste," Master Makarov muttered from where he was sitting. "Because we don't know what gathering the clock pieces will do. That being said, we do what we can to keep this chaos at bay."
"Um excuse me," Gohan spoke up, getting his guildmates' attention. "I want to help, but there's something about this situation that bothers me. Can I read that book, Lucy?"
"Uh sure, but why?" the blonde mage inquired as she handed him the book.
"This book reminds me of something, so I wanna make sure," Gohan replied as he took the book and opened it up immediately. After a few minutes, the Demi Saiyan closed the book and put on a serious face. "I understand now."
"Understand what?" Natsu questioned.
"This book contains a message for those who know that the clock pieces exist," Gohan answered.
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, it says to not collect the clock pieces or else you'll bring about this inevitable chaos onto others as a price for your own happiness," Gohan revealed.
"That's quite a discovery you made, Gohan," Erza said.
"Yeah," Gray agreed.
Carla's eyes suddenly went wide as she saw the vision of the little girl from the Key of the Starry Heavens book. "Yes, don't do it," she said, making the white Exceed shiver in fear.
"Are you ok, Carla?" Wendy asked her cat.
"I'm fine, Wendy," the Exceed lied.
"I'm curious, boy, how did you come to such a conclusion?" Makarov inquired.
Gohan didn't answer for a moment as he grasped the book tightly; he then sighed before saying, "Listen, what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room! Truth be told, my friends and family should be the only ones who know about this; anyone else who does is usually my enemy and ends up dead, but even though I haven't been here that long, I feel like I can trust you guys."
The fairies gave the son of Goku reassuring looks. "You can trust us, Gohan," Erza promised him.
"Yeah, if you know something that can help us, than you should tell us, dude," Gray added.
"Remember that in Fairy Tail, we're a family, so we trust each other," Makarov said.
Gohan nodded as he prepared to reveal his secret. "The reason I know that we're not supposed to gather the clock pieces is because this story reminds me of an adventure my father and I have both taken in the past, where we tried to find the Dragon Balls."
"Dragon Balls?" Natsu repeated. "What are those?"
"They're seven mystic orbs created by the guardian or the god of Earth that have great power," Gohan answered.
"I'm guessing that you collect these Dragon Balls just like the girl collected the clock pieces," Levy said, to which Gohan nodded.
"So what happens when you collect them?" Lucy asked.
"The Dragon Balls are supposed to take decades, centuries, or even a lifetime to find," Gohan explained. "Only few have been lucky enough to come across even one, but if you do manage to gather all seven… you can use the orbs to summon the Dragon God Shenron, and he'll use his power to grant you any wish." Hearing this secret got everyone in the guild's eyes to grow wide.
"Whoa, that's quite a secret you've told us, boy," Makarov said, as not even he could hide his surprise.
"So you're telling us that a god created these magical balls, and putting them together summons a Dragon that can grant any wish?!" Gray reiterated.
Gohan nodded again. "As long as it's within Shenron's power, yes."
Everyone became speechless once again. "Um, Gohan, could this Shenron help us find our dragons?" Wendy asked him nervously.
"Yeah, maybe this dragon can help us!" Natsu agreed.
"I'd wish for lots of yummy fishies!" Happy spoke next.
"I'd wish for an endless supply of alcohol!" Cana said.
Pretty soon, every one of the guild members were asking the young Saiyan if this Dragon God could grant their wishes, which was starting to get overwhelming since they weren't getting his point, until eventually the 3rd Master of Fairy Tail spoke up. "Alright, that's enough questions, I'm sure Gohan didn't tell us this to take our requests." All of the mages then backed away from the Z Fighter.
"The master is right. Besides, I believe this Dragon is incapable of a few things," Erza said.
"Yeah, probably can't bring the dead back to life, right Gohan?" Lucy asked. When he didn't answer, everyone's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "He can bring the dead back to life?!"
"You're kidding us, right?!" Gray shouted. "That's just not possible!"
"It's true, my friends and I have used the Dragon Balls to resurrect our loved ones and the innocent people who were killed by our enemies," Gohan said. "We usually do it within a year's time, but I don't know if Shenron can revive those who have died over a year ago." Everyone was still looking at the Saiyan in disbelief. "Look, the reason I'm telling you this is because the Dragon Balls can attract unwanted attention, just like these clock pieces have. They can raise the dead, grant eternal youth… I once fought a demon who used them to gain immortality and that's the only reason he's still alive. After they've been used, the orbs separate and spread across the world, which is why they're so hard to find, and for a whole year, they turn to stone and remain unusable." The son of Goku then held up the book as he continued to explain. "The Four Star ball is my family's heirloom just like the clock piece Lucy got from her father is her heirloom, and so we try to protect it and any other we find."
"So, you and your friends have taken it upon yourselves to make sure these orbs don't fall into the wrong hands?" Erza asked, to which Gohan nodded. "And I'm guessing that's happened before."
"In my dad's childhood, many of his enemies tried to collect all of the Dragon Balls, and they stopped at nothing to find just one. They destroyed homes, slaughtered innocent people, even turned on their own comrades just for that one wish," Gohan said. "Someone even killed Shenron to prevent futures wishes from ending his plans. When the dragon was revived, the guardian told my father that he would prefer to leave the Dragons Balls unusable due to the great evil they bring, but he allowed their existence because my father only wanted to use them to revive those who were killed and hoped they would be used for more good in the future, but they remain scattered because of the dangers in finding and using them, like the clock pieces."
"And, you think that's why the book sends the message of not collecting the clock pieces?" Levy inquired.
"More than that, I believe that's why Lucy's father sent her that first piece and left her those clues," the half Saiyan said. "I think he was asking for help from his daughter and her guild."
"After what that jerk did to us seven years ago, he's got a lot of nerve to ask for our help," Natsu grumbled, earning him a bonk on the head from Erza.
"That jerk happens to be the father of one of our guildmates, show some consideration!" the redhead growled.
"Is Gohan right? Could this be what Mr. Jude was trying to tell you?" Michelle asked. "It seems like a kinda complicated way to ask for help."
"No, it makes sense," Lucy said as she rubbed her eyes and gave a little smile. "If my dad did follow this book and discovered how dangerous these clock pieces are, then it's clear why he would hide them and leave us the task of protecting them."
"So your dad practically sent us a job request, huh?" Gray said.
"Feels like this should be an S-class request," Titania remarked.
"Your old man made the right choice asking Fairy Tail for help," Makarov approved. "And we'll make sure to complete his request."
"Yeah, we're gonna stop those Legion jerks and get back at them for messing with us!" Natsu declared.
"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.
"Then let's get going!" Gohan said.
"I'll take care of assigning teams," Erza offered. Titania had put the members into different teams; she, Cana, Carla, and Wendy were one team. Gray was paired up with Juvia, who was enjoying their alone time until they were joined by Gray's fellow disciple, Lyon. Team Shadow Gear and Pantherlily were together and went to recruit their final member, Black Steel Gajeel; the Strauss siblings went together and the final team consisted of Gohan, Happy, Lucy, Michelle, Natsu, and Romeo. All the teams dispersed to different locations to prevent the clock pieces from being gathered.
Meanwhile, at a secret base built by Tyson Hammer of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit, the aforementioned man was having his injuries attended to by a young woman. She was a tall, slim but toned young woman with medium-length choppy light blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a feminine Rune Knight uniform that resembled a practical version of a regal noblewoman-esque dress with a white cape, and its skirt was knee-length and had modesty pants underneath, along with protective chainmail and a breastplate added within which had the white and blue colors of the Council and an ankh symbol on the chest. In addition, she also wore high-heeled armored boots and white ladylike gloves. At her back was a long metal staff which was coiled at the tip, and bore the Rune Knights' symbol on it. Within the center was a sphere, seemingly a globe made of crystal, topped by a small cross. Her name was Jillian Solaris, Corporal of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit and one of Tyson's three disciples.
Jillian placed her hands over Tyson and started emitting Ki into them; her hands started glowing as her energy floated toward her Chief. "Honestly, Chief, you should be more careful!" she chastised Tyson as his injuries began healing. "You should fight with your mind and not just with your body; you can't be so reckless!"
The Chief flexed his shoulder once she finished before putting his clothes on. "Ah, come on, Jill, takes more than some bucket of bolts to rough me up!" he assured his student. "'Tis but a scratch, darling."
Jillian just sighed before turning to the ex-Celestial Mage that Tyson rescued; she was sitting quietly on a chair, looking depressed. "She's not doing too well," she pointed out.
"She hasn't said much since the attack," Tyson said.
"Let me talk to her," Jillian offered. She walked over to Emily and knelt beside her. "Listen, I know what happened to you was hard, but we can't help you if you don't talk to us."
Emily glanced at the Combat healer. "You don't understand. That… thing took everything from me! My home, my magic, my sole purpose is gone!" she exclaimed.
"I can relate," Jillian said simply.
"How?! You're the Combat healer Jillian of the Custody Enforcement Unit! You've got numerous Knights under your command! You're a role model for many women! How can you understand what I'm going through?!" Emily questioned.
Jillian sighed before answering, "I once had a purpose. I wanted to be a strong woman, just like the person I idolized. But then she did something that made me question my goals, and for some time, I was lost. I felt like everything I learned was for nothing." The ex-Mage gazed at the Corporal. "But then the Chief helped me find a new goal; he saved me and I've learned to do things I didn't think were possible." Jillian then stood up and offered her hand to Emily. "We can help you, too. I can show that even though you're no longer a Mage, you can still do more in life."
"How?" Emily inquired.
"First, we need you to tell us who that guy was and why he attacked you," Jillian said.
"I don't know who or what that thing was, but when he stabbed me, he severed my body link," Emily replied.
"What was the link for?" Jillian asked.
"It ties my magic energy to the Infinity Clock so that no one else can use it unless the link is broken," Emily answered. "That thing severed my link; I should've fallen to the curse as a result, but I didn't."
"What's the Infinity Clock?" Jillian continued to question.
"An ancient artifact that could bring about great chaos," the ex-Mage said grimly. "A great man named Will Neville tried to ensure that it wouldn't be used, so he entrusted the task of protecting it to his disciples. Many of my fellow Celestial Mages and I are descendants of his students who inherited the biological links to the clock and were sheltered by many churches."
"Is that why many church buildings have been destroyed?" Tyson asked as he came over. "They're searching for Celestial Mages connected to this Will Neville?"
Emily nodded. "Whoever's behind the attacks is trying to activate the Anti-Link, and when that happens, the Celestial Mage that loses the biological link falls victim to a terrible curse, where they must sleep for 100 years."
"Except that didn't happen to you," Jillian noted. "Your link was severed, but the curse didn't affect you. Why?"
Emily looked away. "Who knows; perhaps fate thought it would be better if I had to live with failure and stayed awake to watch the inevitable chaos that is to come," she said in depression. "I'm not fit to be a Neville Celestial Wizard. I've failed my mission."
The Combat healer placed her hand on the ex-mage's shoulder to comfort her. "You haven't failed, you did everything you could to protect the clock pieces. Now you've given that task to us and we won't let your sacrifice be in vain. Trust me, we'll get those who are responsible."
Emily gave a small smile. "Thank you both, for saving me and helping me."
The Ki users nodded before Tyson left. The Chief then brought out a communication Lacrima. "Tyson Hammer, Head Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit reporting." The screen flashed before it revealed the face of Lahar. "Howdy partner, how are things going for ya?"
"Not so good, Tyson. More churches are being destroyed and more mages are falling victim to some strange magic after being attacked," Lahar reported. "Hope you've had more of a success."
"Sure have, even learned something new," Tyson said. After explaining that the person he fought at the Church building was a machine that didn't use magic and relaying everything that Emily told them, Lahar said that he would continue to investigate after recruiting an old friend. Tyson then shut off the Lacrima, just as two more men wearing clothing similar to Tyson entered the base.
One of them was an average-built muscular man with a tall stature that rivaled Tyson, and wore a full body Rune Knight armor that had the blue and white colors of the Council and the gold ankh symbol on his breastplate with a helmet shaped like an owl with visor's holes that looked like owl's eyes. His armor was also enchanted with strong metals and anti-Magic runes inscribed in them that allowed him to withstand strong spells and attacks from his enemies, giving him the qualities of a living tank. He carried two anti-Magic chakram blades attached to long handles that can be used to cut through steel, stone, and even magic. His name was Hugo Steelsoul, Lieutenant of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit serving under Chief Tyson.
The second one was a well-built young man with a short mustache who wore a customized Rune Knight officer's uniform resembling a medieval archer's clothing with a small cloak draped around his shoulders. On his back were a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He also had a set of four to eight daggers, with their sheaths being secured to the same belt which held up his quiver. His name was Philip Weinheidt, Specialist of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit.
"Ah, my favorite Indians have returned," Tyson noted. "So, you boys dig up anything?"
Hugo removed his helmet, revealing a clean-cut face with red eyes, sharp cheekbones that made him look like a hardened veteran of war, and military-style short black hair. His face held a serious no-nonsense look that said, "No funny business." "Sorry Chief, haven't gotten far in the investigation. No one seems to match the description of the two attackers you and Lahar described," Hugo answered. "However, we did hear something about that troublemaking guild, Fairy Tail."
"Those little fairies?" Tyson asked. "So, they've finally made their comeback after a long time."
"I thought most of their members disappeared seven years ago after taking on Grimoire Heart; isn't that why they became the weakest guild?" Jillian questioned. "Just shows what being reckless gets ya."
"Cut 'em some slack," Weinheidt retorted. "At least they know how to have a good time."
"Anyway, those missing Fairies have returned and now their guild is in a conflict with Zentopia's Legion Platoon," Hugo reported. "Do you think we should look into this, sir?"
"Nah," Tyson decided. "Let them Fairies go at it with Zentopia, it ain't the council's problem."
"There's one more thing you should know, Chief," Weinheidt added. "Fairy Tail's got a new member, and apparently he's super strong."
"That right?" Tyson inquired.
"Rumor has it that he's as strong as an S-Class wizard, but get this, he's just a kid," Weinheidt continued. "His name's Gohan and he's defeated Fairy Tail's Salamander and Makarov's grandson."
Hearing the boy's name, Tyson's eyes grew wide. He faced his disciples and asked, "What does he look like?"
"About eleven or twelve according to Sorcerer Weekly," Hugo responded. "Black spiky hair and black eyes, and he wears a purple martial arts gi with a white cape. The kind of magic he uses is unknown." Tyson's eyes grew wider from the description of the Son of Goku; he then got up and put on his clothes. His students looked at each other in bewilderment before staring at him in wonder. "Sir, do you know this child?" Hugo asked.
"Yeah, he's like us, boy," Tyson replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Jillian inquired.
Instead of answering, the Chief turned to his Specialist and said, "Weinheidt, Lahar has asked for your help. Needs you to help him track down his old partner."
"Sure thing, Chief," the Archer responded.
"The rest of you are coming with me," Tyson told his other students.
"What for?" Jillian asked.
"We're going to the council. I reckon we ask those stiffnecks to let us work with these Fairy folks," the Chief answered.
"What about the civilian, sir?" Hugo questioned.
"Bring her along, she'll be safer there," Tyson said. He then stepped outside along with his students and the ex-mage. As they were going, Tyson Hammer had only one thing in mind. "The City boy's kid is here, huh? Wonder how he'll take to seeing me again." "By the way, have ya'll seen my trucker hat around?" Tyson asked out of the blue,making his disciples sweat drop and groan.
(A/N: Not doing every scene about the search for the clock pieces or every episode because that's a lot of writing I don't wish to do. Just a few things that are important.)
After getting on a boat, meeting a group of archeologists, and convincing them to allow them to journey to the archeological sites so that they can stop the gathering of the clock pieces and fulfill the dying wish of Jude Heartfilia, the five fairies and Michelle made it to a desert area. "This can't be the right place, you guys. I mean, look at it, there's nothing here," Natsu pointed out. Everyone stared out into the distance and, not seeing any sign of the clock piece, they stopped to rest. Gohan and Romeo were still searching when they spotted a shiny object.
"Did you see that?" the Saiyan asked the mage.
"Yeah. I think I saw something shiny!" the younger mage called to his friends. Everyone else was sitting on a picnic blanket, chowing down on some food.
"This is some tasty grub!" Natsu spoke.
"Michelle made all of this by herself!" Lucy stated.
"And there's plenty more where those came from, so eat up!" Michelle said.
"Aren't you guys gonna have some?" Happy asked the boys.
"Uh, did you guys hear us?" Romeo inquired.
After they finished eating, Natsu and the others went over to what the boys had spotted, which turned out to be a strange object. It looked like a large floating clock face made of brass that had a keyhole in it. There were several gaps in it as though it was missing many of its pieces. "What do you think this weird looking thing is?" Happy wondered.
"If I had to guess…" Romeo said.
"It looks like a strange door," Michelle noted.
"Yeah, but how do we get it open?" Lucy asked.
Natsu hummed before saying, "Give me some room!" He ignited his fist and charged at the door.
"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy cried, but the Salamander slammed his fist against the entrance; it made a ringing noise before the flames disappeared and the Fire Dragon was blown away by the force of his attack. "Do you really think that wrecking the door was gonna help us?! It probably uses Nullification Magic!"
"Do you suppose there's some kind of trick to it?" Michelle inquired.
"There's a keyhole on it, maybe we need to unlock it," Gohan suggested.
"But we don't have a key to open it," Romeo stated.
"I've got someone who's totally cut out for this," Lucy declared as she brought one of her gold keys. In a flash of light, the giant crab was summoned.
"Hey, baby," Cancer greeted.
"Do you think you can unlock this door for us, Cancer?" Lucy asked him.
"These scissors are meant for cutting hair, not picking locks!" the crab answered indignantly.
"Oh, I feel terrible! I'm sorry, this is all my fault! Please forgive me!" Michelle wailed.
"Don't cry, Michelle," Gohan told her.
"I can't ignore the tears of a lady; I'll do it!" Cancer decided as he placed his scissors in the key hole.
"That was easy," Lucy stated.
"Girls make men weak," Happy remarked.
In a few seconds, the door began to light up. "Wow! Way to go!" Lucy cheered.
"Isn't he wonderful?" Michelle asked.
"Piece of cake, baby!" Cancer said before he vanished.
The door then started to turn and light up. "Um, I've got a bad feeling about this." The light faded and the ground shook before collapsing, and the six were sent plummeting downward into a whirlpool of sand. Acting quick, the Demi Saiyan grabbed everyone and safely descended to the bottom of a dark cave. "Phew, I thought we were goners, thanks Gohan."
"You're welcome," Gohan said.
They then went over to another door that actually looked like a door. Natsu banged his fist on it but it didn't open. "This one's the same as the other one, it's been sealed shut with magic," Natsu stated.
"There's no keyhole anywhere," Happy noted.
"Don't worry, this kind of puzzle-solving is right up my alley," Lucy assured them. "All we have to do is say the correct phrase and it'll open." The Celestial mage thought for a moment before shouting, "Open sesame!" The door remained shut. "I really thought that would work, but no such luck. Guess we're just gonna have to yell out every phrase we can think of until we get the right one." The three adults and the Exceed started shouting out random words in order to get the door to open and the two boys sweatdropped as they watched.
"Are things usually like this with these guys?" Gohan questioned the fire mage.
"Don't ask me, this is my first adventure with these guys," Romeo replied.
"Aren't you guys gonna help us out?" Natsu asked the boys.
"Hey Mr. Door, would you please open up for me and my friends?" Romeo asked politely. The room started rumbling and the door rolled open, revealing a tunnel.
"It worked!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Guess we just had to ask it nicely," Happy said. The team entered the tunnel into a large chamber. There were stone cylinders inside the walls and the ceilings while there were four more doors bearing the Zentopia emblem. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a stone model of the same emblem. "That's Zentopia's emblem. I wonder what its doing here."
"It makes sense. You see, these ruins are known as the Holy Tomb. It's one of Zentopia's scared sites. It's been mentioned in a ton of their historical documents and other church literature, but its existence has never been proven, until now!" Lucy stated.
"Does that mean..?" Michelle began.
"We're the first people to step foot in these ruins!" Natsu finished.
"Oh, so that's why those old guys made such a big fuss," Romeo realized as he remembered their meeting with the archeologists.
"They probably just wanted to keep these ruins safe," Gohan said. "I could see why they didn't want us to come here."
"I don't blame 'em, 'cause there's a good chance we'll wreck the place, especially with Natsu," Happy teased.
"Get off my case, furball!" Natsu growled. The chamber began to shake again and the door the group came through was closed shut.
"The door closed!" Happy exclaimed.
"What are we gonna do now? We're locked in!" Romeo shouted.
"Don't worry, I totally got this!" Lucy assured her friends as she walked over to the pedestal. "I read a lot of adventure stories. When the heroes get stuck, they do something like this…" The Celestial mage turned the Zentopia emblem counterclockwise 180 degrees.
"What the heck is that gonna do?!" Natsu questioned.
One of the doors in the room suddenly opened up. "Open secret doors," Lucy replied triumphantly. When the door was fully opened, it revealed a large stone face with spikes. The other three doors opened, each having a similar face inside them.
"What are those things?!" Happy asked.
"They're so creepy!" Romeo noted.
"Yeah, no kidding," Lucy agreed.
"I think they're beautiful," Michelle commented.
"Are you crazy?!" Happy questioned.
The faces suddenly started moving toward them along with the stone cylinders in the walls. "It's a trap!" Gohan exclaimed.
"You led us right into a death trap, Lucy!" Natsu shouted.
"Those creepy faces are gonna crush us!" Happy cried.
"EAT THIS!" Natsu roared as he used his breath attack on one of the faces.
"Stop, Natsu!" Lucy yelled.
The fire had no effect on the face, but the floor began to heat up from the intensity of the flames. "Ow, ow, ow! Hot, hot, hot!" Happy cried as he kept hopping.
"I told you that wouldn't work!" Lucy shouted.
"Well, it seemed like a good idea to me!" the Dragon Slayer argued.
"Gohan, use your Ki blasts to destroy these things!" Romeo suggested hastily.
"I can't! This place is so ancient, even my weakest attack could bring the whole place down on us!" the half Saiyan cried.
"Oh I know, I'll just turn this back…" Lucy grabbed at the pedestal seconds before it disappeared. "Where'd it go?!" The stone faces and cylinders eventually collided with each other in the middle of the chamber; they stayed there for a few seconds before finally moving back into the doors. The team fell out from the noses of the faces, where they managed to get in at the last second.
"Phew, we made it," Gohan sighed.
"Oh man, that was a close one," Romeo agreed.
"How are we ever gonna get out of this horrible place?" Michelle wondered.
"We just have to turn this the opposite way, I hope," Lucy said as she turned the stone sculpture 360 degrees clockwise.
"You sure it's gonna be that easy?" Natsu questioned as he sweatdropped. The room started to rumble again and the same faces and stone cylinders were coming toward them again, except now the stone cylinders from the ceiling were coming down on them. "Uh oh!"
"Now they're coming from above!" Romeo shouted.
"Oh, crap!" Lucy cried.
"We got no choice but to get inside the noses again!" Natsu said.
"Look! We can't because the noses are closed up this time!" Happy yelled as he observed the nostrils on the faces were indeed closed shut.
"We need to think of something quick, you guys!" Natsu urged; he turned around and saw the blonde-haired mage inside her clock Spirit. "What the heck are you doing?!" he questioned her.
"Escaping reality," Happy responded.
"Is it time for punishment yet?" Virgo said as she suddenly appeared on one of the stone faces in her underwear, posing in a seductive way.
"Who's that?" Gohan asked.
"It's Virgo!" Happy answered.
"Why is she in a bikini?" Romeo inquired as he sweatdropped.
"When did you learn to summon two Spirits at the same time?" Natsu asked Lucy.
"'I DIDN'T SUMMON HER!' the lady says in a panicked voice," Horologium spoke for the Celestial mage.
"No, I came here in on my own employment since the Princess is almost out of magic power," the maid explained as she switched to another position.
"Okay, but why are you wearing a bikini?!" Gohan and Romeo asked in unison.
"What's the matter, don't you boys like girls in bikinis?" the Spirit inquired while changing into another sexy position, making the young boys' faces turn red.
"Jeez, just make a hole in the floor already!' she exclaims impatiently," the clock continued to speak for Lucy.
"Very well, as you wish," Virgo complied as she crossed her arms and her eyes glowed red. The group started screaming as they fell through Virgo's hole unexpectedly.
"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?!' she asks anxiously," Horologium repeated for Lucy as they fell. The Son of Goku quickly grabbed everyone and slowly descended to the ground. They all groaned and sighed in relief as he put each of them down on the rocky ground, allowing them to view their new surroundings. The new chamber they were in was huge, dark, hollow, and full of human-shaped caskets made of stone. "Hold up, where's Virgo?" Lucy asked, now outside of Horologium.
"She's right behind you," Michelle replied.
Lucy turned around and was surprised to find that the maid Spirit was sitting inside of the clock Spirit. "What are you doing?!" the blonde mage questioned.
"Is it time for punishment?' she asks expectantly," Horologium said.
"Why are you sitting inside Horologium?" Lucy asked her.
"Because it calms me,' she says quite peacefully," Virgo spoke through the clock.
"This place is even weirder than the last one!" Happy commented.
"No kidding. Alright everybody, we'd better get a move on!" Natsu ordered.
Virgo stepped out of Horologium and approached Lucy. "Princess, I've finished repairing this for you," she said as she held up the whip the blonde had given her.
"You fixed the Fleuve d'etoiles?" Lucy inquired as she accepted the whip. "Hang on, it just looks like an ordinary whip now."
"It's far from ordinary, but I did make a few changes to make it more functional," Virgo explained.
"That's awesome! I can't thank you enough!" Lucy said graciously.
While she was talking to her Spirit, Romeo and Happy were talking about her behind her back. "Is it just me, or does Lucy live to crack the whip?" the fire mage questioned.
"That's just the kind of character she is," the tomcat replied.
"I'm within earshot, you know!" Lucy alerted them, agitated.
"We should get going, Happy," Romeo suggested, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the Celestial Wizard.
"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed, mimicking Romeo's actions.
"This sucks! I don't see a door anywhere!" Natsu moaned.
"Whoa, check out these angry-looking statues!" Happy said.
"I think those are coffins," Michelle stated, which freaked out the flying cat.
"I betcha there's some kind of trick to these, too," Romeo figured.
"I wanna touch them, but considering what happened to us last time, I know that I shouldn't, but that only makes me wanna touch them even more! Kinda weird," Lucy exclaimed.
"Probably best if we keep moving," Gohan suggested. Everyone's attention was then focused on the Fire Dragon Slayer, who was glaring at a specific coffin with a different-colored face than the rest. Natsu suddenly swung his fist at the coffin's head, knocking it right off. "Too late," Gohan muttered.
"What the heck did you do that for?!" Lucy cried.
"Oh sorry, that statue just looks so much like Gray, I just couldn't help myself," Natsu said.
"So much for not touching anything," Lucy murmured. The whole tomb suddenly started rumbling.
"Why is the ground shaking?" Michelle wondered.
"Feels like something might be coming this way," Happy noted.
"Yeah, I knew that would happen," Natsu laughed. "Guess it was smart of me to bust it after all!"
"Um, I'm not so sure," Romeo said. Suddenly, a large boulder started rolling toward the group from a tunnel in the back of the room; they all ran away from the rock that was about to crush them.
"Definitely not a smart move, Natsu!" Happy shouted.
"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Natsu roared as he tossed a giant fireball at the boulder; it crashed into the stone sphere but did nothing to it as it continued to chase the group. "I tried my best, but it didn't work!" Natsu screamed.
"When are you gonna learn?!" Lucy yelled.
"Wait, I've got it! I'll just use the spear to shrink it down!" Gohan exclaimed. He grabbed Habaraki from is back .and pointed it at the boulder, and a yellow beam was fired at it. The boulder glowed for a second… before it grew twenty times its size. "Well, that didn't work!"
"Don't you know how to use that thing?!" Romeo questioned the Saiyan.
"Of course not, I can't use magic!" he yelled back. The group eventually ran over to three thin stone bridges leading over an enormous trench. They all stopped in front of the giant hole to try and decide which bridge they should cross to safety.
"Are those bridges?" Romeo asked.
"Yeah, there's three of them!" Happy answered.
"I've got a feeling only one of them is safe," Michelle said.
"We've got no way of knowing which one is real!" Lucy cried. "What now?!"
"We don't have time to hesitate! I pick right!" Natsu decided.
"I pick left!" Lucy argued.
"Maybe it's the middle one!" Michelle suggested.
"Alright boys, you're the tie breaker!" Happy said.
Romeo and Gohan exchanged looks. "It's the middle one!" the boys said together. The group quickly ran across the middle stone bridge; as they did, the other two bridges suddenly crumbled away and fell into the abyss.
"You boys made the right decision!" Happy stated.
The boulder rolled onto the bridge after them. "Look up ahead!" Romeo warned them, as another large boulder was headed straight for them.
"There's one in front of us, too!" Michelle cried.
"Listen up, what are we gonna do now?!" Happy asked in panic.
"We gotta jump!" Natsu said.
"Are you crazy?! I can't jump that high!" Lucy screamed.
"I can help with that! Everyone should grab onto to me!" Gohan instructed.
"We don't need you to keep saving us, Gohan," Natsu said.
"Yeah, we can take care of ourselves!" Romeo agreed.
Seeing their determination, Gohan smiled and said, "Fine, I'll take care of the girls!" The two boulders collided with a big impact, shattering to pieces instantly. However, Natsu, Happy, and Romeo were high above along with Gohan, who was carrying Lucy and Michelle. "Nice job, guys!"
"Thanks!" the Fire Mages replied.
"Wow, Gohan, I'm surprised you can carry Lucy so easily," Happy commented.
"Shut your yap!" the blonde mage shouted.
The bridge suddenly crumbled to pieces and collapsed, resulting in Natsu and Romeo beginning to plummet down the trench. Acting quick, the fire mages used their magic to create fire hands and grabbed onto the side of the ditch; they both swung toward the wall where they safely crashed, sort of. The Exceed and the Demi Saiyan descended to their level with the blonde girls. "Well, that was terrifying," Lucy stated. "You guys okay?!" she asked the boys.
"We're fine," Natsu answered.
"Just a little sore," Romeo groaned.
"How are we gonna get out of here?" Happy wondered.
"From the looks of it, we're gonna have to work our way down," Natsu figured.
"Easier said than done," Lucy remarked.
Elsewhere, Gray, Juvia, and Lyon had finally reached one of the Zentopian runes; after defeating the rock guardian and solving the puzzle, the three mages were able to get inside, where they encountered Sugarboy. Lyon and Juvia were trapped by his Dog Whistle Magic, but Gray managed to evade the attack and proceed to stop the Legion warrior from getting the clock piece. After a small scuffle, the two wizards found their objective and attempted to grab it at the same time; when they did, they were consumed by a gold light that transported them back to the entrance of the runes, leaving Gray's teammates behind. Now, the two enemies were tussling for dominance over the clock piece. "Would you just give the clock piece already?!" Gray demanded.
"You really think I'm gonna hand it over to you?! Please!"" Sugarboy scoffed.
"You'd better let go, cause if you don't I'm gonna…" Gray started to say. "Fall head over heels… in love!" The last part was fantasized by the Zentopian.
"Yeah baby, a straight up handsome man!" Sugarboy said.
"WHERE'D THAT COME FROM?! JUST SO YOU KNOW, I'M NOT INTO GUYS!" the Ice mage yelled.
"Clearly your heart is as frosty as your biceps are bulging," Sugarboy said. "In that case, ice boy, I'll force my feelings on ya!" His signature slime suddenly burst out from his chest and attacked Gray, though this one was colored orange rather than green. It consumed the ice mage and began burning him from the inside.
"Oh man, it's so hot in here!" Gray cried.
"Spicy, ain't it? Just a little something I picked up from your pal Natsu," Sugarboy explained. "Now that I think about it, he's kind of a man's man too."
"I'll show you! This is nothing, I can bust out of here!" a persistent Gray said as he took his stance and started releasing magic power.
The singing mage became infatuated by the ice mage's determination. "That look, I like it," he said while blushing. "Come on, ice boy, let's boogie!" He then jumped back to avoid an ice attack and a water attack from Lyon and Juvia, respectively, having escaped from his hound doggies.
"Gray, haven't you had enough of this buffoon?!" Lyon questioned. "How long are you gonna let him have his way with you?! Get your act together; I won't have you bringing shame to Ur!"
"No way that's gonna happen!" Gray cried as he froze the slime and shattered it, freeing himself. "This has got nothing to do with Ur, and I would never do anything to tarnish her reputation!" He then created a pillar of ice and hoisted himself higher. Seeing an opening, Gray made a bow and arrow of ice and aimed it at Sugarboy; his Super Freeze Arrow. "Game over! Like I said, when I'm done with you, you're gonna wish you never missed with Fairy Tail!" Gray fired the ice arrow at the Legion warrior, who was too mesmerized to react; the arrow struck and Sugarboy was knocked onto his back. "Told ya I wasn't gonna let get this clock piece," Gray said as he held it.
"Why, why? Come on, don't be cruel. Why you'd have to check me into the heartbreak hotel?" Sugarboy asked before he passed out.
"So what are we supposed to do with the piece now?" Lyon inquired.
"I believe Gohan's instructions were to not collect the clock pieces," Juvia stated. "If we take it with us, we'll just be doing the Legion's work for them."
"I guess we'd better put it back then," Gray suggested. Before anyone could move, something slammed into the ground; when the dust cleared, standing before the three guild wizards was a red humanoid robot with many navy blue gems all over its body. The machine stared at the wizards with its pupiless eyes. Gray, Juvia, and Lyon, stepped back as they gazed at the machine. "What the heck is that?" Gray asked.
"Another enemy, I suppose," Lyon mused.
"Is it here for the clock piece, too?" Juvia wondered.
"If it is, then we gotta make sure it doesn't get it!" Gray declared. The machine simply raised its hand and fired a green energy blast; it hit the ground in front of the wizards, creating a shockwave that knocked them backward into the door of the runes. "What was that attack it just used?!" Gray questioned as he tried to stand on his feet. "It looked strangely familiar."
"I know I've seen an attack like that before," Lyon realized. "From our newest guildmate, Trunks!"
"My love, that attack was just like the one Gohan used to defeat Natsu!" Juvia said to Gray.
"So can this bastard use Ki like Gohan?!" Gray asked.
"What does it matter?! He's clearly here for the clock piece, so we can't let him get it!" Lyon said as he glanced at his old classmate; his eyes widened when he saw that the piece was missing. The three saw their objective on the ground seconds before the machine picked up the clock piece. "Gray you idiot, you've lost the piece! Should've known better than to leave protecting something that important in the hands of a child!" Lyon quickly took his stance and prepared to attack. "I don't know who or what you are, but you're about to feel the power of a real ice wizard! Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!" The mage from Lamia Scale created a giant tiger of ice that pounced on the machine. It bit into its shoulder, but the war machine didn't seem fazed from the attack at all; the machine's gems started glowing, and a green blast wave was released, shattering the ice beast immediately. "Impossible, how?" the ice mage questioned in shock, when the machine suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of the Lyon and hand chopped him aside.
"Lyon!" Gray cried. He then took his stance. "That's it, time to put you on ice! Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!" He formed a giant sword out of ice and charged at the machine; he swung his ice blade numerous times, but the foe easily evaded every strike before holding up its arm to block the ice wizard's attack. Gray's sword shattered against the machine's arm and the Fairy stepped back. "Alright freak, let's see you handle this! Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!" Gray's elbows were armed with ice blades; he swung seven times, but just as before, the machine dodged every slash before grabbing the blades and crushing them with his bare hands. "What the?!" he gasped before he was kicked away by the war machine.
"Darling, no!" Juvia cried before she turned to face the enemy, her face twisted in anger as she emitted magic power. "Anyone who dares to harm my love will face my waves of emotion!" she declared. "Water Slicer!" The Water Wizard unleashed multiple liquid blades at the red robot; once again, it took no damage as it simply walked toward the Rain Woman. The foe threw one of its massive fists at the ex-Phantom Lord member, but the punch went right through her body. The robot soon found itself imprisoned inside of a water sphere, courtesy of Juvia's Water Lock. "Now Gray, Lyon! Attack him while you can!" she ordered to her comrades.
"Nice work, Juvia!" Gray complimented.
"You truly are amazing, Juvy!" Lyon said.
The two students of Ur unleashed a duo ice blast that completely froze the machine while inside the water prison. "Well, guess that takes care of that," Gray sighed. "Now let's get that clock piece and put it back where it belongs." Before anyone could move, the ice dome surrounding the android started to crack. Many beams of green light broke through the ice until it finally shattered, releasing the machine. "No way, how'd it escape?! What the hell is this thing?"
"It shrugged off all our attack like nothing, and there's not even a scratch on it!" Lyon stated.
"I've never seen anything like it before," Juvia said. "My love, what do we do now?!"
The machine then crossed its arms and the gems on its wrists and forehead started to glow green; it then spread out its arms, releasing a massive kiai that blew both ice mages and the water mage away. "What just happened?! What did it do?!" Gray questioned.
"It somehow released some powerful wave with its arms," Lyon muttered.
"What kind of power could allow one to do that?" Juvia asked. All three mages were attempting to stand up and fight again when the machine suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Juvia. Before she could react, her body was pinned to the wall by the machine's left arm. The female wizard struggled as the enemy's gem on its right wrist started glowing and created a green Ki blade. The blade was pointed at her head as she stared at the emotionless face in fear.
"Juvia!" Lyon cried worriedly.
"Let her go!" Gray screamed in rage.
The robot ignored the male wizards as it pulled it blade back. Juvia closed her eyes and waited for the final strike, but it never came. She reopened her eyes and saw that the machine's chest gem was glowing and now held a magic seal with six numbers on it. The war machine cancelled his energy blade and dropped the water mage. It then walked over to the clock piece and picked it up. "Objective complete, clock piece acquired!" it said before disappearing completely. Juvia stared in shock at where the machine once stood as her comrades rushed to check on her. "Hey Juvia, are you alright?!" Gray asked as he held his hand out to help her; she took his hand and was pulled to her feet before embracing her love interest.
"Oh my darling Gray, I was so scared! I was afraid it would take me away from you!" she cried into his chest.
"Me too," Gray said softly as he patted her back to comfort her. "But it's alright now."
"Is it?" Lyon asked. "That thing not only bested us, but it got away with the clock piece."
"It seems we failed our mission," Juvia said, depressed.
"Looks like Gohan was right to tell us not to gather the clock pieces after all," Gray mused. "I had no idea something that dangerous was trying to gather them."
"I thought the Legion Platoon were the only ones trying to gather the clock pieces," Juvia said. "Could that thing be a part of the Legion?"
"I doubt that," Lyon replied. "The other Legion member attacked us the moment we entered the runes, but that thing waited until we got the clock piece first. If they were on the same side, they would've appeared together at the same time."
"But why did it wait for us to get the piece if it wanted it?!" Gray wondered.
"Think about it, my love, how did we acquire the clock piece?" Juvia hinted.
"We used our magic to solve the puzzles and find the piece," Gray answered.
"Precisely, and whatever power that thing used to defeat us, it wasn't magic," Lyon stated. "So in other words, it couldn't enter the runes at all since it possessed no magic."
"So it used us and Sugarboy to get that piece and then stole it from us," the raven-haired mage growled. "By the way, where is that idiot anyway?"
"He must've fled while we were fighting that thing," Juvia said.
"So, what's our next move?" Lyon inquired.
"I think we'd better meet up with the others, maybe they've had better luck than we did," Gray suggested.
"I hope you're right, my love," Juvia muttered as the three mages left the Zentopian runes.
Back in the underground cavern, after the group made it to the bottom of the abyss, they found themselves inside the biggest room in the entire Zentopian runes. The chamber looked very immemorial and had countless damaged homes and steps as well as numerous lit candles that were lighting up the whole place. They wasted no time as they continued their search for the clock piece. "Hey guys, where are we?" Romeo asked.
"It must be the lowest level of the tomb," Michelle answered.
"Looks more like a city to me," Happy commented.
"The Monks who were in charge of guarding Zentopia's holy tomb lived their entire lives down here," Lucy explained. "At least according to legend. Can you imagine never stepping foot outside?"
"Kind of remains me of how Kami rarely leaves the Lookout even though he's the Earth's Guardian," Gohan thought.
"We gotta find a little clock piece in a huge place like this?" Natsu complained.
"Can't you just sniff it out, Natsu?" Romeo questioned.
"Nah, it's like the clock hand, for some reason I can't really smell it," Natsu replied. The group passed by a pile of skeletons, which freaked Lucy out. The Fire Dragon Slayer took a few whiffs and suddenly became alert. "Whoa, do you guys smell that?!" he asked. "Where's it coming from?"
"I've got the chills, something's not right," Lucy muttered as she shivered.
The Demi Saiyan sensed something and looked up. "Guys, we've got company," he warned his friends while wearing a serious look. The others followed his gaze and gasped when they saw the Spearhead of the Legion, Dan Straight, and Coco standing right above them.
"I hate being right," Lucy groaned.
A/N: Done! Wow, when I started this arc, I didn't think it would be so much work, man! And yet for some reason, I just keep getting more and more excited as I continue writing it! I wanna get through this arc fast, so I'll be frequently working on this fanfic as much as I can. Hope you like the OCs, as they're going to have important roles in this story, as will Tyson Hammer. Little announcement: I created a new poll, one about who the lavender-haired Demi Saiyan Swordsman from the future should be paired up with. There are four choices, which you'll see when you vote; the last one is for those who share my ideals about the Saiyan Race needing to be reborn through its Demi Saiyans. Personally, I'm thinking of going with the fourth option, but I want to see what the readers think is a good choice. Plus, I might add more girls to the poll after I see the results from the 1st week or so. Thanks to those who have read, favorited, followed, and reviewed my story and things will only get better! Keep reading, until then, TTFN AntiHero out!
P.S. Big thanks to my Beta Readers- sparkydragon98 (he helps with the ideas and proofreads my story) and Warmachine375 (helps with the ideas and is responsible for the OCs)!