Saiyans of Earthland
"Eri." Kaen called out.
"Eri." Mina echoed, her voice sounding full of concern. "Where are you sweetie?"
"What's up with those two?" Macao asked.
"Apparently Eri's been missing since last night. Lucy said the kid would be staying at her place for the night, but when they got there, no one was home. An' now they're frantically looking for her."
"Lucy wouldn't do anything bad to Eri, I'm sure she's fine." Elfman said. "Come to think of it though, I haven't seen Natsu, Happy, or Lucy this morning either."
"Master. It's terrible." Mira said, running down from upstairs. "One of the S-Class Quests is missing, and there was a note in its place."
Makarov was in the middle of taking a drink from his morning coffee, before he did a spit take when that news reached his ears.
"What does the note say?" Makarov asked.
"I don't know. I haven't opened it." Mira stated, handing him the note.
Makarov looked at the piece of paper, before looking up and at the Saiyans, searching for their daughter.
"Kaen, Mina. I believe this note is for you." Makarov said.
Kaen and Mina looked to one another, before they came to the bar counter, and took the piece of paper, and saw パパ, written in Kanji on the front.
"This is in Eri's handwriting." Mina said, recognizing the handwriting.
"Her calligraphy's gotten a whole lot better since I last saw it." Kaen said, opening the note.
"I've been giving her lessons whenever I have the time." Mira said.
"What's the note say?"
"It says, come and get me Papa! With a smiley face." Kaen exclaimed, crumpling the paper in his hands.
"Hahaha." The sound of Laxus's voice echoed from the second floor as he laughed like a madman. "Oh man. I knew the kid was gutsy, but this? Damn she's hurting for some punishment."
"Laxus, you knew about this?" Makarov asked angrily.
"Can't say that I knew about this plan. But I did happen to see a blue cat flying alongside the girl as he grabbed the job, and she left the note." Laxus stated.
"If Happy was the one who grabbed it, then it stands to reason Natsu is behind this little scheme and probably dragged Lucy into it." Elfman stated.
"This isn't good." Makarov said. "Well, which job was it?"
"For lifting the curse on, Galuna Island." Mirajane said.
"What?"
"Galuna Island?"
"Are they insane?"
"Laxus. Go and fetch them at once."
"Yeah right. I got better things to do Gramps." Laxus said. "An' besides, everybody in Fairy Tail's supposed to be able to take care of themselves, right?"
"I don't care how you feel about Natsu, but there is a child's life on the line here." Makarov said.
"Not my kid, not my problem." Laxus said.
"You little ingrate." Makarov growled.
"Eri, you are so grounded when I find you." Kaen sighed in annoyance, as he used his Ki to destroy the paper. "Master."
"Permission granted." Makarov said, knowing what Kaen was gonna ask. "Normally I'd say no to you going after them, as you are the newest member of the guild. But you fought toe to toe with the Lullaby Demon in its true form, and came out victorious, with barely a scratch. So I'm trusting you to bring them back. But if you can't… I give you permission to finish the quest, and the reward shall go to you, and you alone, minus the share meant to be for the guild."
"Besides, the old man sympathizes with your plight as a father." Laxus smirked mockingly.
"Before I head off… Mina, I need my guitar. You still have it?" Kaen asked, confusing Mina with the question, as she couldn't understand what he'd need it for.
~Port Hargeon~
"Oh this brings back memories." Lucy smiled dreamily, as she, Natsu, Eri, and Happy went through the Port Town. "It seems like only yesterday when we met here for the first time."
"It practically was yesterday. You don't have to get all mushy."
"Yeah, you sound like an old lady." Happy said, before stifling a laugh as Lucy glared at him.
"Well let's go find a boat that'll take us to Galuna." Lucy said.
"Are you crazy?" Natsu asked. "Forget the boat, why can't we all just swim for it?"
"An' you think I'm the one who's crazy?" Lucy sighed, before Eri spread her wings.
"Knowing Papa, he'll be here soon. So I'm gonna fly to the island, meet you there." She said, before taking off.
"Does she even know where she's going?" Lucy asked.
"The directions to the island are on the quest poster." Natsu said. "All she has to do is keep going in the direction it pointed her in, and she'll be there in no time."
~Sailors One and Two~
"Galuna Island? No way, not even for a million jewel."
"Around here, it's bad luck to even mention that name."
~Sailors Three and Four~
"Sorry kids, but I don't think anyone around here'd be willing to take you."
"That island's cursed, so unless you've got a death wish, I'd stay far away."
~Sailor Five~
"Don't know why you'd wanna go there, but no sailor worth his salt's gonna wanna take ya to Galuna. Not even pirates will go near that place."
"Are you serious?" Lucy asked.
"It looks like we're gonna be swimming after all." Natsu said happily.
"Sure does." Happy agreed.
"We're not swimming you two." Lucy stated angrily, before a hand was put on both their shoulders.
"We found you." Kaen said, standing behind them with Grey at his side.
"It's Grey, and Kaen." Lucy said.
"What are you two doing here?" Natsu asked.
"Gramps found out about your hair-brained scheme and sent us to bring you back." Grey stated.
"Why, we're not in danger yet." Natsu said, before Kaen grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him forward.
"You will be, if you don't tell me where Eri is, right now." The Saiyan growled.
"If you come back now, you might avoid being kicked out of the guild, and having your asses handed to you by Kaen. Maybe." Grey said.
"Kicked out? But I just joined." Lucy said in panic.
"Where is Eri?" Kaen asked.
"Uh… well ya see." Natsu said nervously. "She flew off ahead to Galuna Island, knowing you'd follow."
"That little…" Kaen tsked, dropping Natsu. "Which way?"
"Uh, just head South-West until you reach a crescent moon shaped island." Lucy said, sounding a little scared, before she jumped back as Kaen's aura flared up around him.
"Eri, you'd better have a damn good reason for your actions, when I find you. Otherwise, you're grounded until I die." He stated before taking off, and heading for the island.
*The scene changed to Eri sitting on Kaen's shoulders, while the Saiyan was holding a fishing rod, with a basket filled with a mountain of fish beside them.*
~Galuna Island~
Eri hummed innocently as she walked along the sandy shores of the beach. She'd been on the island for few couple hours now, and she'd just been exploring the beach, as the moon rose up into the sky, while she was kinda worried about what Kaen might say when he finds her, but not really all that concerned that her punishment would be too bad. She had the addition of a blue ribbon tied in a bow to hold her ponytail up, making her look a little extra cute, according to Mina and Mira anyway.
As she crouched down to look at a crab scuttling around on the beach, she heard someone crying out in shock, before something large impacted with the sand.
"Ow." Kaen groaned, his face still in the sand, before he pulled himself out. "Disgusting."
"Papa?" Eri asked.
"What the hell happened?" He asked himself, dusting the sand off his suit. "I was flying just fine before I got within range of the island's shallow waters. I'm lucky the momentum of my flying carried me to shore."
"Papa." Eri cheered.
"Eri?" Kaen asked, looking to the child as she ran and hugged him.
"I knew you'd come Papa. I knew you would." Eri smiled, before she was forced out of the hug, and pushed back a bit, with Kaen looking at her sternly with his arms crossed over his chest and his foot tapping expecting something. "Papa?"
"Eri, I am very disappointed with you." Kaen said. "Did you learn nothing from the Lullaby incident? What do you think would have happened if I hadn't come? What then?"
"Papa I…"
"What the hell, could have possibly possessed you to agree to Natsu's idiotic suicide mission, and steal an S-Class Quest?" Kaen asked. "Please, help me understand your reasoning behind this."
"I just wanted Laxus to bite it." Eri said.
"Excuse me?" Kaen asked.
"Laxus was always bragging how much better then you he was, and how much stronger then a Saiyan he claims to be." Eri said. "He kept saying that you were gone, because you were scared of joining a guild, and wouldn't ever come back. An' when he mouthed off about being the strongest in the guild the other day, I had enough. You're the strongest hero I know. I just wanted you to show him up and shut that jerk up for good."
Kaen sighed, calming down a bit, before taking a knee, and looking her in the eye. "Look honey, I know how you feel. But Laxus is a blowhard, with an ego the size of a planet. He talks big, but when it comes down to it, he might be able to put up a fight against me, but he won't win, not with his mentality of the strong trampling the weak. An' that's why I refused to acknowledge his taunts when he was trolling Natsu, I refused to fight, so I won that confrontation."
"But Papa…"
"Eri." Kaen said, pulling Eri into a hug. "I know you want me to show him how strong I am. But winning a fight, doesn't always mean proving you're the best. Refusing to fight doesn't mean you're scared or weak, it shows strength and maturity. When there's no reason to fight, the only way to win, is to stand down. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes Papa." Eri said.
"Good." Kaen stated, before getting to his feet, and holding Eri in his arms. "When we get back, we're gonna have a long talk about this. For now, we gotta wait."
"Why?" Eri asked. "Can't we fly out of here?"
"Unfortunately no. Seems whatever curse is over the island, is nullifying my flight technique, and keeping my Ki contained inwards." Kaen said, before creating a ball of Ki in his hand. "Seems like I can still use attacks though, that's a plus at least."
"So what are we gonna do now?" Eri asked.
"As I said. We're gonna wait." Kaen stated. "Knowing Natsu, he probably knocked Grey out to keep him from going back to the guild, and dragged him along. So we're just gonna wait for the boat to arrive, and we'll take it back to the mainland when it does."
"Are we gonna sleep under the stars?" Eri asked.
"Got a better idea?" Kaen asked.
"Ask the local village for shelter?"
"We can't. I don't want to get their hopes up, and have them think we're here to try and lift the curse." Kaen said, sitting Eri on a boulder. "I'll build a fire to keep up warm. You wait here, while I gather the fire wood. Only move if a big wave is coming and you think it'll hit."
"Yes Papa." Eri said.
Keeping an eye on Eri, Kaen could help but feel like something was wrong, as his body felt weird, with goosebumps along his arms, and the fur on his tail standing on end as he gathered up fire wood.
'It's been about a month since the Lullaby incident, which means the full moon's gonna be out starting tomorrow. I hope we're back in Magnolia before then.' Kaen thought, as the sound of waves were all he could hear.
"Papa. Come quick."
Kaen turned back to the shoreline and ran to the beach, dropping the firewood as it sounded like an emergency, before he stopped, when he saw Eri trying to pull in Natsu, as he was one of the four shipwrecked passengers, washed up ashore with the remains of a boat.
"Just great." Kaen sighed, as he pulled Lucy and Grey in from the shoreline, while Eri grabbed Happy. "Looks like we're stuck here to finish the quest, whether we like it or not. I'll have to give a report to Master when we get back."
~The Following Morning~
The sun was shining and the birds were chirping as Lucy began opening her eyes. The rays of sunlight barely reaching her as she saw the wooden surface of the boat they'd crashed in.
"Where am I?" Lucy asked.
"Papa, Aunty Lucy's waking up." Eri's voice echoed.
Lucy slowly sat up, noticing how the severed half of the boat acted as a shelter, propped up by boulders, before she crawled out of it and saw Eri and Kaen, eating some fresh fish. Kaen was sitting at a campfire, without his shirt, as it hung drying over the fire on a tree.
"Well, it's about time you woke up." Kaen said. "How do you feel?"
"Like I have a hangover?" Lucy said questioningly. "Did you make this shelter?"
"I did. Made it from what I could salvage of the boat." Kaen said. "You washed ashore last night, and it wasn't a pretty landing either. But I made sure everyone was okay. Natsu and Grey should be waking up pretty soon in a minute."
"Where are we?" Lucy asked.
"Galuna Island." Eri stated, handing her a fish.
"Yahoo. Looks like we made it you guys." Natsu said.
"Seems like they're awake now." Kaen said, eating a fish.
"We were lucky the waves washed us ashore." Lucy said.
"Well I wouldn't exactly call it luck." Grey stated. "Kaen, why haven't you flown us back to the mainland yet?"
"Can't." The Saiyan simply said. "Whatever curse is on this island, is having a negative affect on my flying technique, like I can't use it at all. Crash landing is how I found out about that little thing."
"Either way, it's still good news for me. We can complete this S-Class Quest without interference." Natsu cheered.
"Anyways. I searched the shoreline for a couple hours, but I couldn't find the sailor who brought you. Do you have any ideas on what might have happened?" Kaen asked.
"Right after he told us about the curse on Galuna Island, he just vanished into thin air, as if he wasn't even there." Lucy said.
"Forget about that stuff for now, and let's go exploring." Natsu said.
"Aye." Happy cheered.
"Hold it you guys." Kaen said, grabbing the top half of his uniform. "Look, I know we don't have much of a choice from this point on but to finish the Quest, but gramps will still be pissed at us. Even Grey and I will get in trouble. So we have to cause as little property damage as possible. Is that clear?"
"You're no fun man." Natsu said.
"But can't we find a way past the lack of your flying technique?" Grey asked.
"I've been trying all night." Kaen stated. "I haven't had any luck. So we don't have much of a choice, but to complete this quest, and hope the villagers have a ship and captain they can lend us to get back to the mainland afterwards. Either that, or we just wait for Erza to come and pick us up."
"We are not doing that. Let's move." Natsu said, as he and Happy ran into the jungle.
"Where are we even gonna go?" Lucy asked.
"There's only one village on the entire island. According to request flier, the Chieftain is the one who originally put in the request. However, something's been bothering me since I got to the island, and I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Either way, Gramps won't be as pissed about this whole thing, if we manage to pull this job off." Grey said. "So let's get a move on, and find the village."
"Aunt Lucy, can I hold your hand while we walk?" Eri asked.
"Of course." Lucy said, as they started following Natsu's lead.
As Kaen began following them through the jungle, he stopped and flinched in pain, before he raised his right arm where the pain came from, and saw a ruby red tear shaped gem on the underside of his bicep. Picking at it, Kaen hissed as he peeled it off, and felt some of the skin underneath break, like he was peeling a scab. Removing it completely, the area on his arm was red, with little to no blood to be seen. Looking at the gem, Kaen noticed it felt smooth, but didn't feel like any sort of stone he'd interacted with before, which left the question of, how it got there in the first place, before something familiar about its shape and texture struck his memories of training with Acnologia.
"I think whatever's affecting the island, might be affecting my Saiyan biology, and not in a good way." Kaen said, pocketing the gem.
~Nightfall~
By nightfall, the six of them managed to make it to the large wooden fence with a keep out sign. The gate looked sturdy, and seemed like it was designed to keep anything monstrous out.
"Well, we found the village. Now what?" Grey asked.
"Check out that gate. When they say keep out they mean it." Natsu stated.
"Anyone home?" Lucy shouted. "We came here to help you."
After a moment of silence, there was no sign that anyone had heard her.
"I don't think anyone heard you Aunt Lucy." Eri said.
"Let's bust in." Natsu smiled raising a fist as he sparked a fire around it.
"I said, as little property damage as possible." Kaen said.
"Who goes there?"
The six Wizards looked up to see two men on the gate looking down at their group. It was clear to them, that these people weren't very trusting of outsiders, and that made sense to Kaen, as they were the only inhabitants of the island, being approached by six strangers, claiming to be responding to their request for help.
"We're wizards from Fairy Tail, responding to your request." Lucy called to them.
"Why weren't we notified when you accepted the job?" One of the two guards asked.
"Sorry it was probably just a mix up with the paper work." Grey stated, coming up with a good excuse as to why they hadn't been notified.
"Then let us see your emblems right now."
Natsu showed the emblem on his shoulder, as Happy showed the one on his back. Grey showed the emblem on his chest, Lucy showed the emblem on her hand, Kaen showed the emblem on his arm, and Eri showed the emblem on the back of her neck.
"They're here." The two guards said in unison. "They're really here."
After that, the gate was risen to allow the party of six, entry into the village, and the villagers were gathered around to greet them, dressed in cloaks.
"It's like we're walking into a giant monsters mouth." Happy chimed.
"Are you trying to freak me out? Because it's working." Lucy exclaimed.
"I'm Moka the village chief. On behalf of everyone here I welcome you." A short man holding a staff said. "Pleasantries aside, there's something you need to see."
Moka and the rest of the villagers behind him removed their cloaks, revealing that every one of them had at least one body part that was touched by the curse.
"It's just like what happened to the boat guy." Grey said.
"Yeah." Lucy softly said, feeling sorry for them all.
"Oh wow, your sideburns." Natsu said in shock.
"Not that, I was try to show you what's happened to my arm." Moka exclaimed. "Everyone on the island has suffered horrible disfigurement because of this curse. Not even the animals have been spared."
"Please excuse me for asking, but what makes you think it's a curse sir? It could be some kind of infectious disease." Grey theorized.
"We've consulted with dozens of doctor's young man." Moka said. "But they all agreed that no such disease exists. You see, our symptoms began around the same time the moon fell under an evil spell."
"What kind of spell?" Lucy asked.
"Since ancient times, this island has absorbed the light of the moon. Causing it to glow almost as beautifully as the moon itself. However, several years ago, the moons color began to change, and an eerie purple glow was cast upon the island." Moka explained.
"So the moon turned purple?" Natsu asked.
"Must be something connected to this island, because it isn't purple in Magnolia, or anywhere else in the Kingdom.
"Ah, it's coming out from behind the clouds." Happy exclaimed looking up.
"Papa." Eri said, covering his eyes.
"Smart thinking Kitten. But I won't look up, don't worry." He said, removing her hands.
As Moka had said, the moon indeed was purple. Kaen only knew, due to the color of moonlight shining on the ground around them.
"Oh wow, it really is purple." Lucy gasped.
"Man that's creepy looking." Grey stated.
"It's the curse. Stand back, the change is about to begin." Moka exclaimed.
Kaen looked at the villagers, their bodies wracked with pain as they screamed in agony, many of them trying to suppress it, but inevitably they let it out and cried in pain as their bodies began to change even further. Each villager changes were unique, and it seemed as though they were in agony, as they became demons, before the sounds of their cries stopped once their transformations were complete, as the six of them, were all who remained who hadn't transformed. It was then Kaen knew, these people needed help, and he couldn't just standby and do nothing about it, not after seeing what they go through every night. His father would be disappointed in him, if he did that. As a hero, he had a duty for protecting and serving the people, to uphold.
"Why is this happening to them?" Natsu questioned, a look of fear in his eyes.
"I'm sorry if our appearance frightens you." Moka said, sounding ashamed of himself.
"You poor people." Lucy stated.
"Oh man, you guys look so cool." Natsu stated.
"Natsu." Lucy said. "These people are suffering, be a little more sympathetic towards their plight."
"Really? My bad, I didn't mean any offense by it." Natsu said.
"Um, pardon my intrusiveness, but why did you bring a child along on this job?" One of the villagers asked, noticing Eri sitting on Kaen's shoulders.
"I go where my Papa goes." Eri stated.
"Unfortunately, she stowed away and by the time we found her, it was too late to head back." Kaen explained.
"Back to the matter at hand. As you've witnessed, whenever the purple moon shows its face in the sky, everyone in the village takes on a horrifying demonic form, if it isn't a curse, then what else could it possibly be?" Moka asked. "We'll return to normal once the morning comes and the sun has risen. However, there are some poor souls who can no longer switch back to their human forms for they have lost their minds."
"How sad." Lucy said.
"The fate for them, these unfortunate souls in the grip of madness, we've no choice but to put them to death." Moka explained.
"But they might change back to normal someday." Natsu stated.
"If we wait for that to happen, the monsters would surely kill us all. We've tried capturing them, but they've always broke free. It's no use." Moka explained as he started to cry, staring at a picture of a very familiar face to Natsu, Grey, Lucy, and Happy. "Once it takes hold, there's no way to save them. I should know, I was forced to kill my very own son."
The group all saw the picture and they were shocked at who they saw.
"That's the guy… from the boat…" Lucy stated. "But we just saw him yesterday he…"
"Shush…" Grey silenced Lucy. "Now I understand why he disappeared on us like that, he's dead, but his soul can't rest in peace."
'A ghost?' Lucy thought.
"Please lift the evil curse from our island." Moka pleaded bowing to them. "If this goes on much longer we may all fall victim to it. We'll die…"
"We're not gonna let that happen." Natsu stated interrupting Moka's plea. "We can fix this I promise you."
"There's only one way, this retched curse can be lifted." Moka exclaimed. "The moon, the moon must be wiped from the sky."
"Eh?" Kaen asked.
~Later~
"I never knew the moon could be so creepy." Happy stated, looking out the window of the hut provided to them by the villagers. Kaen and Eri had been given their own hut, as per offered due to Kaen's position as a father.
"Hurry and close the window. You heard what the chief said, we gotta stay out of the moon light. You may not care but I don't wanna risk turning into some freaky looking monster." Lucy exclaimed.
"I'm not so sure about this job guys." Natsu said.
"Do these people really think we can destroy the moon?" Grey inquired.
"Wonder how many punches it'll take. You think I can handle it?" Natsu asked raising his fist.
"Are you kidding me?" Grey asked. "Don't be stupid man. I doubt even Kaen could destroy it."
"Of course not. There's not a wizard alive, who's strong enough to do that." Lucy sighed.
"But that's the job we were hired to do, isn't it?" Natsu asked. "We can't take a job and then back out, cause that would make Fairy Tail look bad."
"What they're asking can't be done. How do you think you're gonna get to the moon anyway?" Grey inquired.
"With Happy." Natsu stated pointing upwards.
"Ah. I don't think so." Happy stated.
"Alright, then I'll just learn Kaen's flying technique and fly there myself." Natsu said.
"It's useless on the island, remember?" Grey asked.
"Okay we can't destroy the moon, but if we do some investigating, we might be able to find a different way to lift the curse from the island." Lucy pondered before a shirt was thrown in her face.
"You kids can do what you want, but after the day I've had, I need some shut eye." Grey exclaimed removing a sock.
"Please don't take off anymore." Lucy wined.
"Okay, our investigation starts tomorrow morning." Natsu smiled.
"Aye Sir." Happy cheered.
"Eri are you in here?" Kaen asked opening the door to their hut. "Have you guys seen Eri?"
"No Eri isn't in here, what's going on Kaen?" Lucy asked.
"Eri isn't in our hut, and she's not anywhere in the village either." Kaen exclaimed.
"What? We gotta find her." Grey exclaimed jumping to his feet.
"You need to put on some clothes before you do anything." Lucy stated.
"She's right. It's bad enough you're like this in front of her at the Guild, but I'm not gonna let you keep this up on a job. Put some pants on at the very least." Kaen stated.
After Grey got dressed, he joined the others in their search for Eri.
"Eri… where are you?" Natsu shouted out.
"Eri, come on this isn't funny." Lucy called out.
"Eri, come on out, I'll give you a soda before bed." Kaen called to the empty air.
"What's all the ruckus?" Moka asked as he and several villagers came out of their huts.
"We're sorry to wake you, but have you seen Eri, the little girl on Kaen's shoulders earlier? She's gone missing, and we can't find her anywhere." Lucy said.
"No, but I'll send out a search party for her. We may hate these forms, but they can come in handy when needed in times of crisis." Moka stated.
So a search party was sent out for Eri, but little to their knowledge, she was not anywhere they would expect her to be, as she was flying through the air, in a direct path to the temple, with a goal in mind.
"Papa mumbled how getting a birds eye view might help, but he couldn't do it without his flying technique. So I'll pick up what I can from up here and I'll be back before too…"
Eri stopped talking when a large shadow covered her, before she turned around and screamed as the silhouette of a giant creature was in her line of sight.
~The Following Morning~
"Eri… where are you?" Lucy shouted as they walked through the jungle.
"We've been searching all night. It's nearly noon. Where could she be?" Grey asked as they walked towards the temple on the top of the mountain.
"The only place we haven't looked is the temple atop this mountain. But why would she go there?" Kaen questioned, leading the group while drinking a Rockstar, and tossing one to each of the others. "Here, these energy drinks should keep you energized for a while."
"How do you have so many things in that tiny pouch on your belt?" Natsu asked.
"It's sort of like Erza's pocket dimension for weapons, only this is more compact and anyone can access it. My sister infused the leather with a Quirk called, Duplication Void, and added it to my hero costume before the incident that brought Mina, Eri, and me to Earthland." Kaen explained. "It can create a limitless number of something from it. The only catch is, that item has to be in there at least once to act as a blueprint, otherwise you'd be wasting your time with it."
"That's incredible. Your sister must really be a genius when it comes to science and Quirks.
Before anything else could happen, large rumbling like giant footsteps was heard coming in their direction. They all looked up to see a giant blue rat in a maids outfit.
"Whoa, what the…?"
"It's huge."
"I've fought bigger creatures." Kaen said.
"What are you waiting for, beat it up you guys." Lucy shouts hiding behind a tree with Happy.
"Alright." Natsu smirks downing his energy drink.
"Let's beat this thing." Grey smiles throwing away his empty drink can. "ICE MAKE SHIELD."
A large ice shield in the shape of a snowflake appeared in front of the group, blocking the giants rants rancid breath attack. However, it still seemed to have an affect on the three fighting it.
"Oh no, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, having summoned Horologium and hidden in his clock container. Happy were in there on either side of her. "Did you seriously just sneak inside here?"
"Aye." Happy said.
Though do to the rancid stench of the bad breath from the giant rat, Horologium was no longer able to take being in the human world and disappeared to the Celestial Spirit world, leaving Lucy and the two cats to fend for themselves.
"Stinky." The three exclaimed plugging their noses.
"C'mon Natsu, get up man." Grey exclaimed.
"The smell knocked him out." Happy stated seeing Natsu passed out on the ground.
"Grey look, it's right hand." Kaen said, his eyes like daggers on it.
Grey looked to the rats right hand, and saw a blue ribbon, tied in a bow on one of its fingers.
"That's Eri's bow." Grey said.
"It is?" Lucy asked.
Kaen marched forward, his anger rising and dispersing the nauseous gases around them as his aura flared up, like milky white flames, and each step he took, irradiated his rage.
Ignoring its survival instincts, the rat swung its claws at Kaen, with the impact building a cloud of dust. When the smokescreen of dust settled, Lucy, Grey, and Happy gasped when they saw Kaen just standing there, his hand out, and holding back the rat's claws before he reached up and pulled the ribbon off.
"The little girl this ribbon belongs to." Kaen growled, One-for-All coursing through his body, as he glared menacingly at the rat. "Where. Is. She?"
The rat was now terrified, and tried to flee, but was unable to as Kaen grabbed its finger, and hit it with a shoulder throw, slamming it on the ground, back first, before jumping into the air, and landing on its chest, a Ki blast aimed for its face.
"I'm gonna give you one more chance to answer me. Where. Is. My. Daughter?" Kaen questioned.
The rat seemed to panic, trying to get him to stop before she pointed up the hill, and to the ruins at the top of the mountain.
"Now that wasn't so hard, now was it?" He questioned, hopping down. "Grey."
"ICE MAKE FLOOR." Grey shouted slamming both his fists into the ground and covering it in slick ice.
With its weight, the giant rat began sliding down the side of the mountain, like it was on a giant ice slide.
"Let's get going." Kaen said.
The group continued their trek up to the Temple. Kaen noted how the ruins seemed to have some similarities to Saiyan structures his mother had shown him through drawings and memories drawn out with a specific type of Quirk.
"This place is massive." Lucy gasped.
"Yeah, and it's falling apart." Natsu stated.
"I wonder how old it is." Grey exclaimed.
"Judging from the decay on the rocks and walls… I'd say over four hundred years old." Kaen said. "An' there's some Saiyan architecture involved here."
"Saiyan? But that can't be right. You, and Mina are the only Saiyans to ever visit Earthland." Lucy said.
"Not quite." Grey said. "Remember what the Lullaby demon said? Zeref used the corpse of a Saiyan in one of his experiments. So it stands to reason, Saiyans have been to Earthland before."
"But it would had to have been a big group, enough to be able to procreate without getting into taboo territory." Kaen said. "Earthland is in the Sakura Cosmos, and Earth, as well as what was once Planet Vegeta are in the Clover Cosmos. Even with the fastest ship in the Frieza Force, it would have taken fifty years to get to Earthland from the Clover Cosmos. An' with technology being as slow as it was four hundred years ago, you could imagine how long it must have taken for the Saiyans of that era, to get here as a way to try and find a new home for their kind. As that was around the time, Planet Sadala had fallen due to civil war among the divided Saiyans."
"Fascinating history lesson, but don't forget why we're actually here." Grey said. "We can figure out why there's Saiyan Architecture here later, right now we need to find Eri, and a way to lift the curse on this island.
"Huh, what are those?" Natsu asked turning his head towards several carvings in the wall.
"They're moons." Grey stated. "It makes sense, Galuna used to be called the Island of the Moon."
"A moon island, a moon curse, and weird moon symbols. You really gotta wonder what all of it means." Lucy stated.
"Man this place is a wreck." Natsu stated walking off. "How are we supposed to find Eri in this maze of a place?" He questioned stomping on the ground. "This floor doesn't even look safe to walk on."
"Then why the hell are you stomping on it, rocks for brains?" Kaen asked.
Before long, as Natsu continued stomping on the floor, the ground beneath them crumbled as it gave way, and they began falling to the chambers bellow.
"Natsu, you idiot, look what you've done." Grey shouted.
Happy spread his wings, and caught Grey, while Kaen landed on his feet on the ground and caught Lucy, leaving Natsu to land flat on his face on the ground.
"Hey, what's the big idea letting me fall to the ground, jerk." Natsu said.
"It's your own fault for causing the floor to fall apart." Kaen said.
"That's enough bickering you two." Lucy said, as Kaen set her on her feet.
"Where are we?" Natsu asked, getting up and dusting himself off. "Is everyone okay?"
"I'd be better if you hadn't knocked out the floor." Lucy stated.
"Here's a thought, if you think before you act maybe you wouldn't cause so much destruction." Grey exclaimed.
"So, Happy can you fly us out of here?" Lucy asked.
"No sorry." Happy simply said.
"We're underneath the temple." Grey said.
"Wow, it's a secret cave." Natsu smiled jumping up and down. "This is so cool, let's go check it out."
"Would you quit running like a crazy person?" Grey questioned, a bit agitated.
"An' remember why we're here. Eri is missing, and this place is key to finding her." Kaen said.
Later on, deeper within the cave, Natsu ran to the end and stopped, staring in awe of what was in front of him.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked they caught up with him.
"What's up, is something wrong?" Grey questioned.
"Yo, why you spacing out?" Kaen asked.
"Hey guys, what's that?" Natsu asked now looking up with concern.
Looking up, Grey's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he'd seen a ghost, as Lucy, and Happy all looked up in shock, with Kaen looking concerned.
The thing they were staring at was a giant ice-burg, with a giant monstrous demon inside. Grey had a look of horror on his face, as if it shouldn't have been there.
"That's impossible." Grey stated. "It's Deliora. But how, how could this happen, why is it here, what the hell is it doing on Galuna Island?"
"You've seen this thing before?" Natsu questioned.
"There's no, no way." Grey stated shaking. "It can't be here, it just can't be."
"Grey please, try to calm down." Lucy said.
Grey took a minute to calm down, taking some much needed deep breaths, as he hesitantly looked up at the demon trapped in ice. The face that haunted his nightmares, and brought back memories too painful for him to experience again.
"Now, can you tell us about it?" Lucy asked.
"It's Deliora, the Demon of Destruction." Grey simply stated.
"Demon of Construction?" Natsu questioned.
"Idiot, he obviously said destruction." Kaen said, hitting Natsu upside the head.
"But why is it, here? It doesn't make any sense." Grey exclaimed with confusion and anger in his voice.
There was a moment of silence, before Kaen's head perked up as he sensed the Ki of two hostile forces, before the echoing sound of footsteps were heard coming from the direction of the tunnel, they themselves just came out of.
"The voices seem to come from down here." A bushy eyebrow man exclaimed, as he and his dog like companion got closer to the chamber the demon was in. "I hate being awake during the day. So Toby were you exposed to the moon drip? You've got those pointy ears."
"I already told you Yuka, they're a fashion statement you jerk." Toby exclaimed in frustration.
"Lighten up I was just teasing you." Yuka stated.
"You don't have to be so mean about it." Toby sighed.
From their hiding places, Lucy, Natsu, Grey, Happy, and Kaen, could easily hear what they were saying.
"Huh, the moon drip. Could that be the name of the curse?" Lucy questioned.
Not long after Yuka and Toby stopped to look up and Deliora, a pink haired girl, wearing a fly themed dominatrix outfit, joined them in the chamber, a saddened look on her face.
"Yuka, Toby. Something terrible has happened." Sherry stated.
"What now Sherry?" Yuka asked while Toby waved at her.
"It's Angelica, she's been attacked and frightened, and I'm saddened by this having happened to her." Sherry stated.
"You're moping around because somebody beat up your stupid pet rat?" Toby questioned.
"She's not a rat." Sherry stated. "She's a brave hunter prowling the jungle to protect us. She is, Love."
"I don't know who these people are, but talk about a bunch of weirdos." Lucy exclaimed. "Especially the chick with the pet rat."
"Judging by the scent I picked up off them, they're not from the island." Natsu stated.
"An' they don't look like they have the demon curse." Happy added.
"Intruders you say?" Yuka asked.
"An' it's almost time to begin collecting moonlight again." Sherry sighed. "All this makes me so sad. This news would displease the Cold Emperor."
"Then we should hurry and find the intruders." Toby exclaimed.
"Has the child been prepped for the ceremony yet?" Yuka asked.
The five hiding behind the boulders shot their gazes towards Yuka.
"Yes, she has been dressed in the ceremonial garments. If her life is required for freeing Deliora somehow, then exposing her to the source of the moon drip should work." Sherry stated. "I still find it strange, a child barely seven years of age wondering the skies above the jungle, before Angelica caught her."
"Well after the ceremony there shouldn't be anything to worry about from that little ankle biter." Toby stated with a smirk.
Happy flew over down the tunnel a bit and threw some rocks farther down.
"It's the intruders. After them." Yuka said, running down the cavern with Toby, and Sherry following him, in a vein attempt at chasing the intruders.
"Nice job cat." Lucy stated as Happy flew back to them.
"C'mon, we should have grabbed them and beat some answers out of them." Natsu stated.
"Natsu, they have Eri." Lucy said.
"Which is all the more reason to grab them, and force them to tell us where she is." Natsu said. "Come on Kaen, back me up here."
Kaen was silent for a moment, before he sighed, not liking what he had to say next.
"We can't risk them doing anything to Eri." He exclaimed, clenching his fists. "I hate to suggest this, even with Eri's life on the line. The best way we can save her and stop this moon drip ceremony is if we wait for nightfall."
"Deliora, I still don't know what anybody would want with it. Or how they were even able to find it." Grey stated.
"They said something about the demon's resurrection." Kaen said. "Question is, why and how?"
"Was it hidden somewhere?" Lucy asked.
"It was sealed away, on a glacier on the northern continent. A decade ago this demon ravaged Isval. Countless people lost their lives." Grey explained. "The woman who taught me how to use my magic, my master Ur, sacrificed everything to seal it away. I don't know if it has anything to do with the curse on this island. But I do know that it doesn't belong here. This Cold Emperor, we have to find out who it is. If they tarnish my master's legacy, they're gonna regret the day they were born."
~Elsewhere~
Meanwhile, on a pirate ship with either a pumpkin or an orange for a skull and a fork and knife for crossbones, the sea fairing vessel was making its way through the waters, towards Galuna Island. Upon this ship, were the beaten-up crew and a red haired Erza. Her expression, enough to make even the wildest of beasts go crying to their mommies.
"Um… what are ye wanting to go to the cursed island for anyways? Arg, it's scary." The captain stated steering the helm.
"When rules are broken, then those who did it must face justice." Erza exclaimed.
"Whoa, so cool." One of the recovered crewmates said.
"We'll follow the two of you anywhere." Another added.
As the crew cheered them on, the captain joined in and fully agreed to take them.
"Set a course for the cursed Island of Galuna…" The captain shouted.
"Aye-aye sir…"
