Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
Experiments and Progress
The sound of metal behind warped slowly came from within the worn down house that Harry called a home. He was currently creating the 'boot' section of his newest creation, a new set of armor. It was comprised almost entirely of thin iron plates with an iron frame for the whole thing to fit to. The main difference between this new armor and his old one was that he was not rushed, and he knew just what he wanted to enchant onto the plates of armor. It had taken him a few days to get to this point in the process, but it was nearly complete.
Harry would not consider himself a workaholic, but with the magic he now has access to, he couldn't help but want to create and work for as long as possible. The process of creating enchantments was still as costly as before, but thanks to all of the lacrimas the mayor had given him, plus the 'chargers' that he was using to pump them back full of magic, Harry was finding himself running out of materials to create his enchantments than actually running out of magic.
He had decided to keep the 'Mark 1', opting to keep it as a souvenir instead of scrapping it for the metal. So he began work on his 'Mark 2'. It was merely going to be a prototype for what would become his 'Mark 3', but would still be very useful for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it would give Harry the ability to fly with control and precision. If he could enchant it correctly that is.
Harry was rather thankful the local smith had some iron scrap laying around that he didn't mind getting rid of. But even with both that and the spare wood he could get from the local carpenter, he was still running out of the kind of material he needed and wanted.
Harry finished the last enchantment on the plate of iron he had in his hand, before carefully placing it into the correct spot on the frame. Nearly two dozen plates were on this one 'boot' as its design was more akin to plated armor than plate. It's difference was small, but with the separation of all the different plates, it would allow him to put more enchantments on the suit as a whole for less. It was more time consuming, but in the end, it would be worth it.
"Well, one more of these and I might just be able to defy gravity." Harry said to himself with a chuckle. In his research, he had found that there was actually gravity and flight magic, and of course the wind magic that Erigor used. While tempting to use such magics for flight, he was concerned there could be something akin to a counter spell for them. Or if he encountered a gravity or wind mage, how would the two forces collide? Too many variables, and so he was sticking with installing magical thrusters into the boots, hands, and back of the suit, all utilizing Ethernano itself as a means of propulsion.
"It's actually starting to look pretty good." Harry said to himself, fitting the finished right boot to the rest of the armor, where all but the left boot and helmet were already fitted. "Now… if only I could figure you out…" Harry continued, looking over to where his helmet sat, the angular helmet staring back at him. Harry had taken inspiration this time from another part of the marvel universe, this time though from Thor, and more specifically, the destroyer armor.
It had always been a really cool looking armor to him, and since no one was going to stop him, he figured why not use it's design. After all, it was extremely effective as a way to enchantment his armor, as each individual plate could be enchanted with different things. It was far less bulky than the movie version, instead it was slimmer and slightly more aerodynamic.
Harry picked up the helmet, wondering how exactly he was going to get the effect of a HUD within this small space. Well, actually being able to see isn't the hard part. I can make the inside of the helmet transparent while the whole thing is still iron. But what about energy levels in the suit? Altitude, speed, orientation, communication, suit damage levels. all of these readings need to be able to fit into this thing.
Harry considered his options, one was to merely put everything onto the metal itself. The problem with that being there was only so much space on the inside of the helmet, and he didn't want to risk enchantments getting harmed on the outside. Plus, he had a theory that there was a limit as to how much he could enchant an object before it was 'maxed out', unable to hold enough Ethernano for the enchantments to work without the material blowing up spectacularly. While still a theory, it was very possible. The other option is to try and see if a scroll or a piece of leather might be able to handle the magical energy required for the multitude of enchantments. This will take a little time. Harry thought to himself, putting the helmet down and proceeding to start on the final piece of the suit.
Harry realized he had probably spent too much time inside. And he was realizing he probably hadn't eaten in a few hours. His stomach let out a loud growl as he clutched it. His only option was to go out since he didn't have any food here anymore. His current project was an upgraded version to his pistol, and while still made of wood, it had much more potent enchantments on it to help it pack a punch. He had modeled it after a glock 42, its simplistic design perfect for it's simple purpose.
Harry stood up, somewhat ignoring the project as he thought about what exactly he wanted to eat. This brought his mind to Ginville as a whole, and perhaps making it into a 'home base' so to speak. If his intention was to try to ignore wizard guilds, the drama of a shonen story, and all of the life-threatening situations he would undoubtedly be in because of such a story, staying here would be his best option.
It's pretty perfect actually, out of the way, kinda sleepy town, it's perfect for laying low, staying safe, and maybe even starting a business. Harry thought to himself, making plans as to what kind of modern creation he might be able to market to a magical world.
But at the same time, Edmond has basically gone and put himself into the thick of it voluntarily… and I'm not just going to let him get himself killed. Harry sighed mentally, barely registering he had entered a restaurant and had already sat down. Then again, he knows how things play out… not sure if I should be more or less worried because of that. Harry ordered something simple, and as he waited, he began to make some plans for the future.
And… done. Harry thought happily, the final price of the suit finally done. This being the actual helmet of the armor, the HUD enchantment finally somewhat perfected. The rather dense collection of enchantments were all on a single piece of leather that stretched across the inside of the face of the helmet. Once powered it would be able to track multiple different statuses of the suit, and allow him to see straight through the solid iron face-plate. Two now empty lacrimas lined the floor, the result of putting so many enchantments on the single piece of leather.
Harry secured it to the frame, a solid click indicating it had connected properly. He prepared himself, looking at the now complete armor, now ready to be put on. The center of the chest was occupied by a smaller, but higher quality Lacrima that was brimming with Ethernano. He placed his hand against the chest and pushed his own magic into it, 'feeling' the enchantments, activating them, and like turning on a TV, the two plates of iron that were directly over where the eyes were lit up with a light cyan blue, the signature color of Ethernano. There was also a faint glow of the same color coming from the cracks of the armor, signaling his environmental enchantment was active. As he let his hand leave it, it opened up instantly, at which, Harry stepped inside, the plates collapsing again, encasing him in iron.
"Well well well… looks like I've done something right." Harry said with a slight smugness, as he looked straight through both the leather piece he had put the enchantments on, and the iron in front, allowing him full view of everything in front of him. The HUD was displaying the enchantments currently active, allowing him to see various different statuses of his suit.
Mark II
Power Level:100%[MAX]
Durability: 100% [Stable] [Durability of segments not visible]
Active Enchantments : Combat Defense, Environmental
Inactive Enchantments: Combat offense, Flight
Total status changes-
Ethernano Absorption [1% per 60 seconds]
Air Filter/Airtight Seal
Pressure Seal/Regulation
Speed increase: 10%
Strength increase:10%
Wearer Durability increase: 10%
All Incoming Damage Resistance: 20%
Harry flexed, testing his hands and arms and their flexibility, thoroughly satisfied with how much freedom of movement he had. Harry walked around the run down house before leaving and walking outside, preparing for the next test.
He mentally activated the next set of enchantments, a resolve forming within him as he saw the updated status.
Mark II
Power Level:100%[MAX]
Durability: 100% [Stable] [Durability of segments not visible]
Active Enchantments : Combat Defense, Environmental, Flight
Inactive Enchantments: Combat offense
Total status changes-
Thrusters: Hands, Feet, Back, Chest [Ready] [0% power]
Ethernano Absorption [1% per 60 seconds]
Air Filter/Airtight Seal
Pressure seal/Regulation
G-Force reduction: 20%
Speed increase: 10%
Strength increase:10%
Wearer Durability increase: 10%
All Incoming Damage Resistance: 20%
Harry was happy to see he could keep this many enchantments active without losing power. This all but confirmed a theory he had about his enchantments. They only seemed to use Ethernano when acted upon. So his defensive enchantments would only use power when they are struck. This had some interesting implications, and would be something he will need to take into account in the future.
Harry kept that thought to the back of his mind as he mentally activated the thrusters, putting them at 10% of their power. With a rather solid 'whoosh' like sound, Harry found himself barely hovering over the ground. He put just a tad more power and lifted up, unfortunately for Harry, he lost his balance as he lifted upwards, and soon found himself face planting as he deactivated the thrusters. Thankfully the extra padding he added to the helmet dulled any impact to his head or neck.
"Right… I suppose I'm not going to get used to this overnight." Harry said to himself, picking up his armored form as he began again.
An hour later and Harry was slowly hovering around the house, now able to do so with a fair amount of stability. The HUD also was displaying his height above the ground, and as much as he wanted it to display his height above sea level, he didn't know where sea level was. Harry looked around, seeing the wide open sky above and around him, little more than forests and rolling hills as far as he could see.
"I think It's time to crank things up a notch." Harry said to himself, seeing no more reason to not try high altitude flight. Power level was at a comfortable 97%, and considering how long he had been just hovering, he was pretty satisfied with his power consumption as of now, but knew it could probably be better.
Harry kept that thought to the back of his mind as well, before he increased the power to his thrusters to 40%.
"Woah fuuu-!" Harry yelled, suddenly finding himself flying at near 60 mph in the span of only a few seconds. He quickly got control of the throttle, and did his best to focus on keeping steady rather than the view and the excitement of flying in a near-literal iron man suit. Even if the surrounding area was just forests, hills, and small mountains, it was still gorgeous. Harry climbed higher and higher, finding himself at cloud level before long.
"Now this… is something else." Harry said to himself, whipping around a cloud, the water vapor following his trail around it. He pumped the throttle back up mentally, zipping through the sky, circling Ginville. He did feel slightly winded though, most likely because of the G-forces he had experienced. While it was reduced by a good amount with part of his flight enchantments, it did not completely negate that particular part of physics. It still somewhat boggled his mind that the enchantment worked in the first place.
He checked his power, seeing 84% and sighing in contentment. He made his way back to the house, and realized he was at the opposite end of town. Realizing this, he smiled mischievously as a little plan cane to his mind.
He dropped low, getting to just above the buildings in town as he flew overhead. Several of the people going about their day easily saw him, and seemed a bit cautious, if not worried due to the unknown nature of his appearance. Thankfully him waving to them seemed to ease their worries. He passed over town, expecting to go home before he spotted the blacksmith out in town. Harry swooped down low to greet him, the bearded man easily spotting him.
"Well well looks like you got that armor of yours done after all!" The smith said cheerily, Harry nodding to him.
"It's all thanks to you George, couldn't have done it without that scrap you gave me." Harry said matter-of-factly, to which the older man sighed, Harry's straightforwardness something the man found both admirable and slightly annoying. The man had already explained that he didn't need the scrap, and could have cared less where it went, but was more than happy to give it to one of the town's 'protectors'.
"Well, regardless, that armor looks pretty impressive." George began, examining it from all angles, Harry allowing him to inspect it. "The only weak point I see is the eyes. Although you can't really bypass that. How did you get that glass to glow anyway?" Harry was slightly confused by the man's statement before realizing the two plates that would cover the eyes were glowing, and thus, he might assume they were made of glass, but enchanted to glow. He deactivated the enchantments, allowing the man to see the solid iron plates. "I stand corrected. You can see out of it right?"
"I can. Perfectly actually, everything on the front side of the helmet is transparent for me, allowing for complete visibility." George whistled at Harry's explanation, and rubbed the back of his head.
"Gotta say, pretty impressive kid. I can only think of a few works of armor that would be any better, and most of them are owned by the same person." George said with a slight chuckle. Harry cocked his head in curiosity, wondering just who that person might be. "But, I better get back to the house. Came out to get some groceries done since the shop is closed for the day. But I'll see you around kid, keep up the good work, and you'll be giving any good smith a run for their money." Harry merely waved in response as George walked away. While curious about someone that owned various impressive armor sets, Harry wasn't concerned about running into someone that owned such pieces anytime soon.
Harry soon arrived back at the house. He stopped to check his status before he turned his thrusters off and got down to ground level.
Mark II
Power Level: 81%
Durability: 100% [Stable] [Durability of segments not visible]
Active Enchantments : Combat Defense, Environmental, Flight
Inactive Enchantments: Combat offense
Total status changes-
Thrusters: Hands, Feet, Back, Chest [Engaged] [13% power]
Ethernano Absorption [1% per 60 seconds]
Air Filter/Airtight Seal
Pressure seal/Regulation
G-Force reduction: 20%
Speed increase: 10%
Strength increase:10%
Wearer Durability increase: 10%
All Incoming Damage Resistance: 20%
Harry nodded to himself, before slowly descending to the front of the house, which was now illuminated by the evening sun. He made his way inside, took his armor off and went to his notes, deciding to jot down what he had been thinking about before he forgot.
Y'know, I bet Edmond would flip over this. Harry thought to himself, looking back at his armor. I should pay him a visit tomorrow, show off the armor a bit. Harry's thoughts then went to the guild, as he thought about what joining them would be like. No real clue, but I should probably be prepared for anything… As Harry thought about that, he once again considered his options in this world. He was gifted with a potentially very powerful magic, that, while somewhat limited by having to supply the enchantments constantly, it was certainly efficient, since they never drained power unless acted upon. I could literally do anything with my magic given time, perhaps even mimic other types of magic, create modern tools and supplies for this just barely industrial world, or even create real artificial intelligence… would doing all of that be mutually exclusive to working at a guild? Harry considered that as he wrote down ideas in his journal, even if his mood was rather mellow.
Edmond sneezed, interrupting his nap as he sat back on the train booth, coming back to Magnolia from a smaller job. He could see it coming up in the distance, so he sat up and got ready to leave when the train stopped.
"Bout' time you woke up." Edmond nearly gave himself whiplash as he turned around to see Gray looking at him with a deadpan expression. Before he could respond, Gray answered for him. "Me and the others just got back from a job and you were already asleep. Kinda wanted to wake you, but Lucy said not to." Edmond swiveled his head a little more to see that Lucy, Natsu, Erza, and Happy were all there as well. Natsu would have probably said something, but he was clearly nauseous due to his motion sickness
"O-Oh, hey guys." Edmond said, still a little stunned he didn't realize they had entered.
"You must have been really out of it." Lucy said, curiosity in her voice. "What job did you go on?" Edmond recalled his short tale of how he was hired to get rid of some Vulcans that had been raiding a farmer's food store. And while he had been by himself, and it had been difficult, he managed to pull through. The past few days of quest taking and training his magic was starting to show results.
"Hmm, pretty good." Gray said, rather impressed with the feat. "You've been pretty busy lately, taking quests nearly everyday, any particular reason why?" Edmond just laughed and shrugged, not really having any particular reason as the jobs paid pretty well, or so he figured at least. He was slightly embarrassed at the fact, as this meant his time at the guild was minimal as of late.
"Is that so? I see. I admire your work ethic." Erza said simply, Edmond was a bit put off at the sudden compliment, before Erza followed up her comment. "But! Be sure to spend time at the guild, There are enough members of the guild that don't socialize." After saying her peace, she sent a slight glare to Edmond as if daring him to question her. Edmond nodded rapidly, knowing full well from canon that Erza was not one to be trifled with. Before he could give any verbal response, the train came to a stop.
Not long after, Edmond was making his way down the street with the whole of 'Fairy Tail's strongest team' it seemed as though he was far enough into the canon for the team to be somewhat official. As Edmond walked with them, they seemed to be talking among themselves, with Lucy saying she didn't need them all to tag along with her. Edmond kept his gaze forward, something that made him notice the guild hall first.
"Well… Shit." Edmond cursed, as he looked out to the guild hall, noticing that it had a multitude of iron bars sticking out of it that definitely did not belong. I had a feeling it would be the phantom lord Arc first… but damn… thinking about facing any of those S-class Mages is making me nervous. Edmond thought, noticing that his statement caused the others to look at the guild hall, all of them gawking at the destruction before rushing forward to the guild.
The main floor of the Guild was in near complete ruins, with large Iron pillars sticking out of the building at various angles, with debris scattered all throughout the building. Edmond sighed a bit in disappointment, as he had only been at the guild for a few days, and already the guild hall was ruined.
"The hell happened!?" It was Natsu who exclaimed that as he looked over the devastation with an expression of horror.
"We were attacked." A silky sweet voice greeted Edmond's ears as he saw Mirajane walk from around the side of the building, a serious expression on her face. "Come down to the basement, we're all gathered there, And Master wants to ensure you're all safe." Mirajane's statement was followed by some questioning looks, but all of them followed after her, and into the rather large basement.
"By who!?" Natsu asked impatiently, entering the guild's basement, seeing that the entire rest of the guild was here as well. Edmond looked around and easily was able to tell that everyone was rather irked or frustrated by the situation.
"Phantom Lord." Master Makarov's voice brought all of our attention to him as he drank from a mug, already rather drunk. "This was the work of Phantom Lord's own, Black Steel, Gajeel Redfox. No one else could have done this kind of damage." At hearing the name and the guild responsible, Natsu seemed to become even more upset. Edmond found it rather amusing how this was playing out exactly as the show. He ignored the following conversation in favor of searching for Warren, but did not see the telepathy mage anywhere. He had gotten along really well with him since the job going against those Vulcans, and could call the mage a good friend.
"He must be on a mission then." Edmond said to himself, and his words were overheard by a certain blue-haired bookworm.
"Are you looking for warren? He went on a mission yesterday with Max and probably won't be back until late today." Levy said from a nearby table, prompting Edmond to walk over to it. Jet and Droy were there as well, talking about something as Droy devoured a large plate of food.
"Ah, that makes sense. I guess that's why I missed him." Edmond mused, briefly recalling canon, and what had happened to team shadowgear. If everything remains the same, then that's going to happen… tonight. Fuck, thats a scary thought. Edmond mentally cringed, wondering if he could do something about it. "Guess that's that then. So, how are you guys holding up?" Levy smiled a bit bitterly as Edmond pulled up a spare chair and took a seat.
"Well, it was a real shock to get up this morning and see the guild hall like this, but we're doing fine mostly." Levy stated. Jet looked quite pissed himself though, his arms crossed in a defiant manner.
"Well if Phantom Lord thinks they can get away with this that easy, they got another thing coming." He stated. Of course his words were merely out of frustration, as he wouldn't even be allowed to do anything without the say-so from Makarov, and he had practically forbidden any form of retaliation.
"Well, I know I'm still new here, and maybe it isn't my place to say this, but I don't think retaliating would be particularly wise if you ask me." Edmond pointed out, his statement being heard clearly given Jet's reaction.
Levy perked a smile at Edmond "You're probably right Edmond, but I don't think the guild shares much of your passiveness in that regard." Edmond felt a stirring after seeing Levy's innocent smile like that. Despite knowing what would come of future events, he felt his blood get hot as he became quite angry. He began to wonder what might happen if he was able to stop the tragedy that would befall her and her companions.
Then Edmond found the solution, it was simple, but it should work. I should just ask to bunk with team shadowgear since Makarov will want people to stay in groups in case something happens. That way, when team shadow gear is attacked, I can help out. Edmond then realized that if he did so, he would be fighting Gajeel. Not something he really wanted to do, especially since he was so new to magic. But, I feel like I did well enough against Natsu that with all four of us, we might be able to beat him. Edmond's thoughts were interrupted as Gray tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at the fellow maker-wizard with a quizzical look.
"Hey, me, Natsu, and Erza were all going to bunk with Lucy tonight since Phantom Lord probably doesn't know about her apartment, and since you were staying with me, I thought I should at least ask." Gray's proposition made Edmond extremely tempted, after all, having a sleepover with his literal childhood heroes was extremely tempting. But his previous thoughts prevented him from answering affirmatively.
"Well, Lucy lives in an apartment, and probably one thats smaller than yours, so I doubt you guys are going to be very comfortable, so I'll probably find another team to stay with… If i can." Edmond said somewhat sheepishly, and at his statement, Levy perked up.
"If you want, you could stay with us! There's a spare couch in my apartment you can borrow." Levy said with an innocent happiness of being able to help a fellow guild member, but it was somewhat stifled by the death glares Edmond was getting from Jet and Droy.
"You sure? I'd hate to be a bother." Edmond asked, more so to be polite than anything, but instead of Levy speaking up, it was Droy.
"It just might be a bother, so why don't you stay at Lucy's place anyway?" Droy said with a surprisingly aggressive tone.
Levy was quick to jump up, slightly slamming the table as she did so "Droy! That's no way to talk to a new guild member!" she chastised Droy who seemed to get quite defensive immediately. "Edmond, you're more than welcome to stay with us for the time being!"
After Droy's display, Edmond began to rethink his plan somewhat "Well I-"
"No but's!" Levy insisted, again slamming her hands on the table "You're going to stay with us until it's safe." She then turned her attention to Jet and Droy "And I expect you two to be nice to him!" To which they both gave a somewhat defeated sounding "yes Levy" in unison.
"Ok, well if you've got everything worked out then I guess you'll be alright." Gray then added in "If you change your mind though the offer is still open." He said turning to his friends. In truth, Edmond would've enjoyed staying over with Team Natsu, but with the knowledge he had, he felt like he wouldn't be able to live with himself after the fact if he didn't do something. Not to mention this would allow him to figure out if he can affect certain outcomes of the Fairy Tail story. That is of course assuming the story will even play out in the same way as the show anyway.
Edmond walked alongside Levy, Jet, and Droy through the quiet streets of Magnolia. Knowing full well the potential danger they were in, he felt quite on edge. Something Jet apparently took notice of.
"Hey, you doing alright Edmond?" the tall slender man asked "You seem a little tense." Edmond didn't really know how to respond right away. As much as he would have liked to inform them of their impending doom, he knew he couldn't do so without drawing suspicion.
"Yea, I'm ok, just a little on edge I guess." was his simple response "There's just a lot about this whole situation I don't like." They all seemed to nod at that, remorsefully agreeing with him.
"I know what you mean." Jet responded "The fact that Phantom Lord would attack our guild hall like this. They've definitely got it coming to them." He said, tightening his fist, apparently rather eager for an opportunity to get back at their rival guild.
As they walked, Edmond took notice of their surroundings. He remembered the area in which Team Shadowgear was attacked from, so he was hoping he'd be able to notice when they were there. The only problem was that being as dark as it was, he was worried he might not notice by the time they get there. Thankfully, he remembered that Levy was Gajeel's first target, and thus, knew who to look out for.
Then as they rounded a corner, he saw a familiar archway. It appeared to be a small bridge that went over the street they were currently on, but for what reason, Edmond had no idea. He looked around the rooftops briefly, not seeing anything out of place, but knowing that somewhere nearby, Gajeel was watching them. He wasn't sure if it was some form of sixth sense, his paranoia, or just by the fact he knew, but Edmond could practically feel a pair of eyes on him. They got closer to the archway, and Edmond tensed up, waiting for the strike to come.
"Hopefully this will all blow over by tomorrow though." Levy said, apparently continuing a conversation with Droy. "But removing all of those Iron pillars is sure going to be a pain." Then she heard something, almost akin to rushing wind from behind her, and by the time she turned, she saw a large iron pillar strike Edmond's back, the cosmic make mage being caught completely off guard.
What!? Edmond screamed in his mind as pain rocked his body, being pushed into the road, forming a large indentation. Why did he target me!? As he questioned this, the pillar receded, but he could tell he was going to have a nasty bruise afterwards. He briefly heard team Shadow Gear call his name, but it was hard to hear, his mind being flooded by adrenaline and pain. He looked behind him to see Gajeel land in the street, before his right arm formed into an iron pillar and rocketed towards Droy. The plant mage tried to form a wall of vines to block the attack, but it was no use. The iron pillar easily tore through the vegetation and slammed into Droy's chest. Okay, slightly different than what I remember, but then again, the anime never showed the fight that broke out. Edmond thought, groaning as he picked himself up. Jet was gone in a cloud of dust by that point, and Levy had just finished casting a spell.
"Solid Script: Fire!" Levy's shout was followed by the literal word Fire being spelled out in magical flames as it soared towards Gajeel, who was currently taking strikes from Jet, with no difficulty.
"Gihihi. Gonna have to do better than that little fairy." Gajeele said with a dark laugh, shrugging off Jet's punches like nothing, before he jumped in the air to avoid Levy's attack. As he did so, Edmond started to stand, mustering back up his strength.
I don't know what my being here might change, but I can't sit and let this happen, he thought to himself. "Cosmic Make: Whip!" He called forth his reliable whip into his hands. He watched as Gajeel landed in front of Levy, his signature iron pillar forming from his hand as he readied to strike. Just before he could though, Edmond skillfully slung his whip around the iron pillar, and pulled as hard as he could, causing Gajeel to stop and look back at him.
"Well, you're tougher than you look!" Gajeel exclaimed as he realized his first victim had managed to recover quickly "Too bad it's not gonna do you any good!" As he yelled this, he yanked his arm hard, causing Edmond to be pulled harshly in his direction. Edmond released the whip, but it was too late, as he was already flying in the direction of Gajeel from the sudden pull.
When he got close, Gajeel rocketed a iron pillar onto Edmond's chest, causing the boy to get thrown into the ground again, the impact creating yet another indentation in the stone path. Edmond was barely conscious from the blow, before he finally closed his eyes as unconsciousness consumed his mind.
"Edmond!" Levy screamed as she watched Fairy Tail's newest member get pummeled into the road. With Droy and Edmond now knocked down, Gajeel would be able to make quick work of Levy and Jet, leaving all four of them as examples.
Edmond only felt pain as he began to wake up. He felt the hot sun against his skin, the sensation of being suspended in mid-air becoming somewhat apparent as his legs appeared to hang beneath him. His whole body ached, he couldn't open his eyes, and there was a distinct ringing in his ear.
Slowly, he started to hear something that sounded like muffled whispering. He felt his wrists dragging on something cold, but he didn't have the strength to move. He attempted to open his eyes, but all he could see was a blurry image. He couldn't open them very much, as doing so seemed to cause him pain. He could just barely make out the forms of his guildmates staring up at him, and he realized exactly where he was.
Shortly after, his eyes closed on him again, and he slipped back out of consciousness.
Harry found himself in a rather pleasant mood. It was now late in the morning, and he was preparing to set off toward Magnolia, and with the help of a map, which was now imprinted into a part of the HUD enchantments, He was quite excited to get to show Edmond his progress. He was also curious as to what Lucy and Natsu would think as well. He had a suspicion that Edmond might have gotten rather friendly with the two as they were the 'main protagonists' so to speak.
As he climbed into his suit, he looked over the HUD readouts, as well as flexed a bit to ensure his range of movement had not changed since the last time he was within the suit.
Mark II
Power Level:100%[MAX]
Durability: 100% [Stable] [Durability of segments not visible]
Active Enchantments : Combat Defense, Environmental, Navigational
Inactive Enchantments: Combat offense, Flight, Scanning
Total status changes-
Map Display [unopened]
Compass/point-to system [operational]
Ethernano Absorption [1% per 60 seconds]
Air Filter/Airtight Seal
Pressure Seal/Regulation
Speed increase: 10%
Strength increase:10%
Wearer Durability increase: 10%
All Incoming Damage Resistance: 20%
After checking that everything was working properly, he looked over the surrounding landscape, once again slightly taken by the beauty, before he activated the flight enchantments, and set off towards magnolia. The point-to system enchantment was something fairly simple he added to make his life easier. It was an enchantment that utilized both the compass and map provided in the Hud enchantment to allow him to get from point A to point B. currently the point-to system was directing him to where Magnolia was on the map based off of where he told it he currently was on the same map.
While nowhere near as accurate as GPS, it would get him pointed in the right direction. Harry had thought briefly if he could create an accurate GPS system, and while that would require creating a satellite and sending it into space, it could be done. Theoretically at least.
"Man, if only there were three of me." Harry said to himself, the clouds racing past him as he flew. It wouldn't take him terribly long, as he was going faster than what a train's maximum speed was, and did not have any obligation to stop anywhere on the way. Given that Edmond had managed to make it there and back within a day's time roughly, he was fairly confident it wouldn't take him more than an hour or two.
He continued his approach, the entire flight being smooth sailing as he soared over the landscape, taking in the sights as he went. He passed over another town and several trains on railways going to and from their destinations. A part of him was still ecstatic about his ability to somewhat master flying, even if there were things he wanted to improve upon with the entire design of the suit. As he passed over a few mountains, he found himself looking at a relatively big town that was on the coast of the sea, but without any real docks due to the large cliffsides along the coast.
However, what he noticed first though, was the large, very much unnaturally perfect looking rainstorm above the town. The clouds were near perfect in shape, and they seemed to only encompass magnolia and some of the area around it. It was most certainly magical in some way. Is this something one of the guild members is doing? And if so, why? As he thought about the potential reasons, he realized he was now close to the storm, and so curious, he dipped below the clouds to see into it.
Lucy was not having a good day. It had started off annoying with the additional three bodies and one cat that had stayed at her apartment. As much as she was happy to help out her friends and guildmates, she had wished that it hadn't been her apartment that was picked. The next thing that had happened though had officially ruined this day. They had all walked outside that morning to see Cana running towards them, and some quick questioning, and following her to the park, where they found the rest of the guild, and a scene that would haunt Lucy's dreams for several weeks.
Pinned on the tree were four forms, all of team shadow gear along with Edmond, who had decided to venture with them for the night. They were pinned with iron clamps that each held two limbs. Jet and Levy were on the right side of the line-up, while Droy and Edmond were on the left. They looked like they had only a few wounds, but those wounds were all very bruised, as if they had been struck hard and fast. Edmond seemed to wake up for just a moment before he swiftly fell back to unconsciousness.
Lucy could tell that all of the guild were infuriated, and none more than Makarov, but it was hard to tell. Natsu and Gray seemed especially angry, saying something about how Edmond had just joined, and now was in this situation. It seemed that they felt somewhat responsible for Edmond being there, but no one blamed them.
Soon afterwards the whole guild barring herself and Mira had left to assault Phantom Lord. Mira was doing her best to start cleaning the rubble in and around the guild, while she was doing some shopping for supplies for when the rest of the guild got back.
And to top it all off, it was now raining, despite her wheather Lacrima telling her it would be clear all day.
"Man, where did this rain even come from!?" Lucy shouted in annoyance, more to herself than anyone, as she was now thoroughly soaked, doing her best to shield the medical supplies from the rain. To only increase her unease, a rather monotone voice spoke through the rain.
"Drip drip drop." Lucy spun around to see the owner of the rather unnervingly monotone voice. While not clear due to the rain, she could tell it was a woman with some kind of fur jacket on, a large winter hat, and an umbrella above her head. "Drip drip drop. I believe I am the source of this rain." The woman continued, and as she got closer, Lucy was able to tell she was rather pretty, even if her stone-cold expression ruined that a bit. Lucy did not like the feeling she was getting right now. "Are you Lucy Hearttfilia?"
"How do you know that?" Lucy asked as neutrally as she could, curious, but not wanting to anger the woman, who she could now tell had a rather heavy magical presence around them.
"I know because I was tasked with securing you. My name is Juvia of the deep, one of the element four of phantom Lord!" She declared proudly, making Lucy suddenly realize she was facing an S-Class mage. Well known as four of the five Phantom Lord S-Class mages, the element four were among the strongest mages in their guild. Lucy went for her keys, but found them missing, and looking down only showed her the now empty spot on her belt.
"Non non non, I apologize mademoiselle but I cannot allow you to get yourself hurt." A new, accented voice made itself known as a new figure literally sprung from the earth next to Juvia. He was well dressed, a rather nice business like suit on his slim person, he had green hair and a monocle on his right eye. "We wished for this procurement operation to be as smooth as possible." He said while occasionally moving his arms in some flamboyant positions. "Oh, but where are my manners, I am Sol, also of the element four.
"Even without my keys, I'm not going to go without a fight." Lucy said defiantly, unrolling her whip, and while very nervous, she was sure as hell going to try her best anyway. "And why do you want me specifically anyway?"
"Mademoiselle, please, we wish for you to be delivered back to your father unharmed." Lucy's eyes widened at that.
"Water Lock!" Juvia suddenly yelled, a large water bubble near instantly forming below Lucy before it engulfed her completely, becoming completely submerged in the large sphere of water. "No one has ever escaped Juvia's Water Lock, this will ensure your safe return." Lucy struggled, but found the water pressure around her was keeping her in place, and was quickly losing oxygen. They wouldn't let her drown, but she would likely lose consciousness,
"Good, at least there wasn't much trouble…" Juvia said somewhat mournfully, in truth, she regretted having to do this, seeing Lucy trying to be her own person and be a part of her guild was rather inspiring, but she could not go against the wishes of her master, especially after everything he had done for her, and she knew that Sol was the same. She was about to recover the lost heiress, but then she heard a strange noise from above and behind her. A sound that reminded her strangely of a firework rocket.
"A rocket-" Then what looked like a man of metal rushed over her head, harrowingly close to the top of her head, before the man impacted her water lock, his sheer speed piercing through the water bubble, impacting Lucy, and then exiting through the other side, with the fairy tail mage in his arms. The water lock spell seemed to attempt to pull itself back together but ultimately failed, and fell to the street below. Juvia was honestly impressed, while her spell had been broken from the outside before, it was still very difficult to do so.
Lucy coughed and sputtered, inhaling deeply in a desperate attempt to get some oxygen into her system, despite the rather impressive speed she was moving at. When she opened her eyes, she found herself hovering above the ground, still in the rain, and now out of sight from the two members of the element four. When she realized she was hovering, she also realized the source of this was a man completely covered in iron plates, with bluish lights emanating from his feet and back, apparently being the source of his thrust.
"Who the heck are you!?" She shouted in both shock and slight terror at the thought of there being another mage after her.
"Ah, I guess you wouldn't recognize me, it's Harry, uh, Edmond's friend?" He inquired seeing if she recalled him at all, but would understand if she didn't.
"Harry? Is that really you, and this… armor, did you make this?" Lucy asked, now more stupefied than anything. He simply nodded as he floated down onto a flat roof, some distance away from Juvia and Sol, but still well within the rainstorm.
"Yea, I had come here to show Edmond my progress, see what the guild was like, but then when I saw the storm, and went below it, I saw what happened to you. Couldn't exactly let them get away with kidnapping, could I?" Harry said with a small laugh, but one that was not shared by Lucy.
"Thank you Harry, You really saved me there, ya know?" Lucy said with a genuine thanks in her tone. Harry waved it off as he looked back in the direction of where the mages were.
"Who were those two anyway, and why do they want you so bad? I was only able to hear some snippets of what was said." Lucy was about to answer, but a voice cut her off.
"Perhaps you should ask us yourself rocket man." A familiar monotone voice made itself known, with just a hint of annoyance to it, as a large jet of water descended from nowhere onto the roof, quickly forming into the shape of Juvia. Behind her, a large pillar of rock sprung up, on top of which was Sol, looking as patient and happy as ever. In his right hand was a familiar set of keys being swung around playfully.
"That is correct, that would be the gentlemanly thing to do after all, but unfortunately, you have already cost us some time in our operation, thus I believe it is time for you face the punishment of such actions." Harry did not react to the threat, but instead menatlly activated every enchantment on the suit, planning his next course of action.
Author's notes
Well, its finally back. I know it took some time to do so, but life just finds a way to really mess with me. Regardless, I talked about my schedule problems in another chapter I uploaded recently, so I'll spare everyone the details again. I'm definitely happy to be updating this story again though.
The next chapter will see a conflict between Juvia, Sol, Harry, and Lucy. Seems like a fair fight to me ;). Y'know, this chapter was meant to be nearly exclusively Harry's, but after I finished the first section with all of the talk about his suit, I kinda realized that was about all he could get done with just himself. So, this allows us to get into the story quicker at least. But besides that, Edmond's fight with Gajeel was always intended to be a short fight. Just to show the difference in power between him and a fairy tail character who isn't holding back. But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and as always…
Thanks for reading!