Chapter 10: Enemies at the Trail

'Thinking' – thoughts

"Speaking" – speech

'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking

"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.

Kriim-Sauce786: I like what you are suggesting for the future in Griffin's Haven and I will see how to implement that into the events I have planned. I'm not planning to have a large amount of OC's but I will definitely use some of the ideas you gave me and I hope you will enjoy them.

skyrim Morrowind: I have plans for the pairings in this story and yes, seven years are quite the long span where a few things will be happening ;).

NinjaFang1331: Thank you, hope you enjoy the chapter.

-With Gajeel and Levy-

"Freed and Bickslow," Levy said as she and Gajeel stepped into a large cave.

"This is going to be fun, I never got the chance to beat you two up at the Fantasia parade," Gajeel said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Be careful Gajeel, Freed had already placed a ton of runes all around the place, but if you can keep them busy without venturing too far from here you should be able to avoid them, then I will cancel them out," Levy said in a whisper.

"Well you two, let's get this party started," Gajeel said before he reared his head back and called out "Iron Dragon Roar", sending a maelstrom of shrapnel towards the two members of the Thunder Legion.

"Let's go babies. Baryon Formation," Bickslow quickly called out his counter-attack. His dolls quickly formed up in a pentagonal pattern before rapidly spinning around themselves before a powerful beam of green energy was launched to meet the maelstrom of shrapnel.

"You deal with him, I will hold or advantage by taking out Levy," Freed said as he drew his sword. 'Forgive me, but this is where your run ends,' Freed thought before he called out "Dark Écriture: Fear" as he slashed his sword towards Levy. Purple runes rushed the bluenette as she was crouched close to the ground, busy writing something.

"I don't think so buddy," Gajeel shouted as his arm morphed into an iron pole. "Iron Dragon Club" Gajeel called out, cancelling his roar and sweeping the Iron club from the runes to the residual beam of green energy, effectively cancelling both out.

"This guys' not messing around," Bickslow said as he watched the Iron Dragon Slayer successfully deal with both their attacks, his dolls chanting "He's scary".

"Dragon Slayer are formidable opponents indeed, but let's see just how long he can keep this up," Freed said as he prepared for his next attack. 'If we don't gain the upper hand before Levy is done cancelling the runes, this will get considerably harder,' Freed thought.

-With Gray and Loki-

"Ice-Make: Lance" Gray called out, starting the skirmish with a barrage of icy lances.

"Guns Magic: Blast Bullet" Alzack called t as he drew one of his pistols and fired off multiple fire bullets at the ice lances. In a show of his amazing accuracy, all the lances were evaporated.

"Re-quip: Magic Pump-Action Shotgun" Bisca called out as a small shotgun appeared in her hands, she turned toward Loci before calling out "Wide Shot", firing a single shot that split into dozens of magical attacks towards Loki.

"Blinding Sweep" Loki called out as he swept his arm in front of him, sending a wave of light magic towards the bullets. The two attacks connected in a small explosion but neither combatant was damaged.

"Now that the greetings are behind us it's time for the fighting to begin," Gray said as a cold aura surrounded him. "Ice-Make: Arrows" Gray called out, forming a bow out of ice and firing off multiple ice arrows at the two gun mages.

"Trying to outdo us in a range fight? Never took you for a fool Gray," Alzack taunted.

"Let's show him how it's really done," Bisca said as the two guns mages stared down the approaching arrows. Alzack drew his other gun and level them towards Gray, calling out "Guns Magic: Tornado Shot". Two bullets erupted from the barrels of his pistols and immediately generated two whirling tornadoes that merged together and completely threw the arrows off course.

"Re-quip: Magic Sniper Rifle" Bisca called out, changing the shotgun with a large sniper rifle in a glow of magic. She sank to one knee and levelled the scope with her eye as she took aim at Gray. "Stinger Shot" Bisca called out as she started to apply pressure on the trigger.

"Lion Brilliance" Loki called out moments before Bisca pulled the trigger. A brilliantly bright light erupted from his body, blinding Bisca and causing her shot to veer off course, exploding once it made contact with the cave wall.

"Now I can't just let you shoot my partner Bisca," Loki shouted as he appeared in front of her with his fist reared and calling out "Brilliant Impact". Alzack's voice sounded from Loki's right, "Guns Magic: Mud Shot". The high-pressure mud slowed Loki's movement down enough for Bisca to dodge to the side, the blow only gracing her.

Taking advantage of Alzack covering Bisca, Gray dashed in. Once he was close enough to the black-haired mage he called out "Ice-Make: Spike" sending an icy spike towards Alzack. The guns mage was sent flying back with a grunt in pain.

"Yeah, range combat is definitely your speciality, but that just means once it comes to close combat, we have the upper hand," Gray said with a smirk as Alzack got up from where he landed, a hand on his abdomen.

"Sadly though with my brilliant Regulus, I can blind you any time you try and take a shot on us," Loki commented as he stood next to Gray.

'This doesn't look too good for us,' Alzack thought, casting a glance at Bisca who shared his thoughts.

-With Lucy and Cana-

"Open Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus" Lucy called out as she swiped her key vertically down. A golden flash and the sound of a doorbell later, the large humanoid form of Taurus stood at the ready.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in that beautiful bikini Miss Lucy?" Taurus asked as he turned to his summoner.

"Keep Lily busy Taurus," Lucy ordered as she pointed toward the large exceed. She took hold of her celestial whip and it brimmed to life in a dazzling display of blue and orange. 'If I help Cana get to S-Class, not only will she stay in the guild but then I can show Him exactly how strong I am and that I am the only one worth his time,' she thought t herself.

"I'm sorry Juvia, but I simply can't afford to lose here," Cana said as she drew three cards from her pouch and threw them at Juvia.

"You must have forgotten that Juvia is impervious to physical attacks, no matter Juvia will show her Gray that Juvia is worthy to be by his side," Juvia said as the cards started to move through her water body.

"The 'Lightning', the 'Reverse Tower' and the 'Lovers', Thunderbolt's Fate" Cana called out as soon as the cards made contact. A massive bolt of lightning erupted from within Juvia as she screamed in pain.

"Juvia will not lose," Juvia declared as she gritted her teeth and prepared to counter Cana. "Water Slicer" Juvia called out as she formed a barrage of water blades and sent them to Cana.

"The 'Heaven' and the 'Gentle Breeze', Wind Edge" Cana called out as she drew two more cards and threw them forward. Once the cards made contact with the ground a blast of air intercepted the water blades and covered the sandy shore in a shower of water drops.

While Cana and Juvia exchanged spells, Taurus had made it to Panther Lily. The two humanoid animals were in a deadlock, axe against sword.

"You have great strength behind that axe, however, you lack technique," Lily said as he ran the edge of his blade along Taurus' axe and caused the large bull to imbed the axe into the ground. Quick as a flash Lily had his foot embedded in Taurus' abdomen. The large bull doubled over and gasped for breath before regaining the air in his lungs and swinging a fist towards the exceed.

It was unfortunate for the Celestial Spirit that Lily had years of military training, and it showed in the brawl. Lily bobbed and weaved around Taurus' punches while delivering quick yet powerful jabs at every opening that presented itself.

"That's enough Taurus, return now," Lucy said while holding another key in her hand. "Open Gate of Ram Aries" Lucy chanted as a puff of pink wool revelled Aries.

"What can I do for you, Lucy?" Aries asked in a shy voice.

"Please cover Lily with as much wool as you can, we need to keep him down," Lucy instructed.

"Wool shot," Aries called out as she sent a wave of pink wool towards Lily. With a roar, Lily started slicing at the hacking at the wool that was starting to surround him.

-With Gildarts-

Gildarts made his way back to where Makarov was, his mind occupied by the strange teen as well as Natsu. Once the Ace of Fairy Tail arrived back at the location Makarov was waiting for the participants he saw that Max was accompanying him.

"Good to see you up and about Max, but where is Mest?" Gildarts asked as he walked into the clearing.

"You really didn't hold back on us did you Gildarts? Mest said he wanted to wander around for a bit but told me I could join up with you all," Max said, chuckling at the first bit.

"Come now, you are still in one piece right," Gildarts replied with a chuckle of his own. 'I doubt Mest will run into that teen, and since he wasn't hostile it shouldn't be a problem,' Gildarts thought.

"Either way, I'm sure Mest will be able to find the base camp once he finished his wandering. Once the participants who had won arrive, I will explain the next trial while those who will no longer be participating along with the S-Class mages can set up the base camp," Makarov said as he turned his attention towards the caves once more.

"So who is facing who Master?" Gildarts asked, wondering how the other fights were going. Makarov closed his eyes and let his magic seep out in a thin layer as he felt for the magical signatures of his children.

"We had you facing Mest and Max, with you eliminating them, and then at the shores, I sense Juvia and Panther Lily fighting Cana and Lucy. It seems like Gray and Loki is dealing with Alzack and Bisca in the cavern with the stalagmites while Levy and Gajeel are battling it out with Freed and Bickslow. That leaves Evergreen and Wendy against Erza," Makarov said, a bit of fear edging into his voice for the poor souls of Evergreen and Wendy who has to deal with Erza.

"Quite a few interesting matchups, Evergreen and Wendy might have a hard making it to the campsite if Erza doesn't restrain herself," Gildarts said with a grin, thinking about the scarlet knight and how she can sometimes take things like this a bit too far.

"They will indeed, and Freed's lead he got from trapping the participant at the start won't mean so much since Levy is his opponent, though the winner isn't decided there," Makarov agreed.

"Gajeel, he's a Dragon Slayer as well right?" Gildarts asked.

"Yes, the Iron Dragon Slayer, a powerful mage indeed, and while his strength is adequate to be in this trial as a participant himself, think he still needs some time to understand the more intricate values of Fairy Tail. That being said I'm sure next year he will be a favourite," Makarov answered.

"All we can do is wait and see who makes their way out of those caves," Gildarts said as he took a comfortable seat next to Max and closed his eyes to rest a while. Max started playing around with the sand to keep him busy while Makarov kept his vigil, waiting for his children to arrive.

-With Gajeel and Levy-

"Thanks for holding them off, but now we can both face them, I dealt with the enchantments," Levy said as all around the cave, purple runes appeared for a second before disintegrating as they floated off the ground.

"Hope you punks are ready, now I start cutting loose," Gajeel said with a grin as iron scales started forming on his bruised body at his call of "Ion Dragon Scales".

"This isn't good, Gajeel alone was hard enough but now he will have support," Freed said as he held his damaged arm where Gajeel landed a heavy blow.

"No wonder he and Natsu gave Laxus a run for his money," Bickslow said, half his visor broken, as his babies chanted, "He's strong".

"Give me a top-up then we go in shrimp," Gajeel said. Levy called out "Solid Script: Iron', dropping a bar of iron in the form of the word in front of Gajeel, who quickly took a bite out of it.

"Iron Dragon Roar" Gajeel, sending a maelstrom of shrapnel at Freed and Bickslow while Levy called out "Solid Script: Strom", aiding Gajeel's powerful attack with a blast of air in the form of the word 'Storm'.

"Dark Écriture: Barrier" Freed called out in an attempt at shielding them while Bickslow's babies formed up in front of them. The combination of air and steel overpowered the dark purple barrier and scattered the small dolls before scoring a direct hit on their target. The combination of their [previous injuries with Gajeel and the added power of Levy's attack sealed the final blow of the battle.

Freed and Bickslow toppled over and the barrier that kept the two groups from advancing disappeared.

"We won," Levy cheered and turned to Gajeel, ready to cheer alongside him but suddenly dashed towards him as she saw he was swaying back and forth.

"Thank you Gajeel, if it wasn't for you we would have lost a long time ago," Levy said in a calmer tone as she lent her shoulder to the larger man.

"Gihi, now that was a battle. Hope we get time to catch our breath before the next trial," Gajeel said as the duo started making their way through the exit tunnel.

-With Gray and Loki-

"Though this was fun it's time we finish this and advance to the next round," Gray said with a heavy breath as he stood next to a bruised Loki. Across from them Alzack and Bisca stood, in a worse state compared to their opponents.

"Lion's Radiant Brilliance" Loki shouted as a bright glow erupted from his form, a move he used a few times to cover Gray as he launched brutal assaults on the guns mages.

"Ice-Make: Seven Slice Dance" Gray called out as he dashed towards his opponents with icy blades forming on his right hand and left elbow. The heavy blows that followed brought the two guns mages to their knees in pain.

Loki and Gray stood together and kept a ready gaze on the two for the odd chance that they were still up for a fight.

"We have been defeated, I give up," Alzack said with heavy breathing. He flopped down in a sitting position as he looked up in the sky. 'This year's promotion doesn't belong to me, but to be honest, I was probably the biggest underdog. Compared to the other mages who were chosen I still have a long way to go,' Alzack thought as his gaze was fixed on the hole in the sky.

"We'll get them next year," Bisca said as she fondly looked over to her partner with a soft smile which was quickly returned.

"Gray, go get that promotion," Alzack said as he held his index finger in the air with his thumb out, Bisca mimicking the motion.

"Thanks, guys, with your support, S-class is as good as mine," Gray said, returning the sign before he followed Loki through the tunnel that was blocked by a barrier. Bisca and Alzack looked at one another and locked eyes, a smile forming on their faces for a moment before they quickly looked away, a dust of red on their cheeks.

-With Cana and Lucy-

"The Prayer's Fountain" Cana called out as she threw a card at Juvia's feet. Water erupted from the fountain image on the card.

"You seem to have forgotten that Juvia is the Water Woman, water is Juvia's to control," Juvia said as she raised her hand, though much to her surprise the water only slowed before it slammed into her. With a surprised expression, Juvia was sent flying back.

"This water is formed from raw magic, and even though I'm not completely sure what the effects are, but I do know that I haven't come across any mage who could even remotely control it," Cana said as she reached for her pouch again before she pulled two out.

On the front card in her hand, an image of a priest with a sceptre held high, on the back card an image of the blazing morning sun was present. "The 'Holy' and the 'Dawn Sun', Blessed Ray of Dawn" Cana shouted as she threw the two cards at Juvia.

A scorching light-orange ray shot out from the cards and rushed towards Juvia, scoring a direct hit and defeating the water mage. Cana let out a sigh of relief, her battle with Juvia was hard-won and Juvia had gained even more respect for her battle prowess.

A pained grunt from her side reminded her of the battle going on between Lucy and Panther Lily. Lily had his sword extended behind him with Lucy hunched over behind him, the pommel of Lily's sword embedded in Lucy's stomach while none of her spirits could be seen.

"Hang in there Lucy, we can do this together," Cana shouted encouragingly as dashed towards her partner.

"I'm still in this fight," Lucy said with a slight cough. Cana planted an open palm in Lily's back in order to get him away from Lucy. The large Exceed moved forward and spun on his feet to face the two female mages.

"I commend you for your strength Cana, and as a show of respect, I will continue to fight you with all I have," Lily declared as he readied his sword.

"I can't afford to lose here," Cana softly said as she reached for another card.

"Sorry Cana, I won't be too much help, my magic is low but I can still fight with my whip," Lucy admitted.

"Explosion Cards" Cana shouted as a set of cards with an image of an explosion floated before her. Swiping her hand from left to right, the cards were set forward. Lily attempted to block the first card, only to have it blow up in his face, sending him rocketing backwards.

"Now Lucy, just hold him there for a moment so that I can prepare the final blow," Cana said as she held four cards in her hand. Lucy used her whip and wrapped it around one of Lily's arms and using all of her strength she attempted to pull him off balance while preventing him from moving freely.

"The 'Prayer's Fountain', the 'Dawn Sun', the 'Steadfast Earth' and the 'Gentle Breeze', Turbulent Combination" Cana shouted as the four cards circled one another before a beam consisting of a combination of the four basic elements, water, earth, fire and air, exploded towards Lily.

"You have proven yourselves the stronger team, congratulations," said as a content expression formed on Lily's face as he stopped struggling against Lucy's whip and stood strong, ready to take the final hit of the battle.

Once the elements settled down, the barrier that blocked their advance disappeared and the cheerful squad of Lucy and Cana advanced.

-With Makarov-

"Our first team to make it through to the next round is coming up," Makarov said, turning his attention to the cave exit. Moments later the forms of a large man and a small girl appeared.

"Congratulation Levy and Gajeel, you are the first team to make it past the first round," Makarov said as the two mages stepped into the open.

"Thank you, Master," Levy said with a cheerful smile while Gajeel only had a smirk on his face.

"Who did you two face?" Max asked the first victors.

"Freed and Bickslow, those two gave us a decent fight," Gajeel answered as his smirk grew while he recalled the fight.

"Master, what should we do now?" Levy asked the short old man. Before answering, Makarov closed his eyes and took a calm breath.

"From what I can tell two other teams are almost done and another one is already on their way out, so for the time being just make yourself comfortable and once everyone is here I will explain the next round," Makarov answered.

Gajeel took a seat with his back resting against a tree while Levy made herself comfortable in a shady spot. Almost as soon as the two of them had made themselves comfortable two more figures made their way out of the cave.

"Gray, Loki, well done in advancing through the first round," Makarov congratulated the two mages.

"Thank you, Gramps, I will prove that the S-Class spot is mine," Gray said with a grin as he and Loki gave each other a fist bump.

"Don't be so quick to assume won Icicle, you won't be beating us," Gajeel voiced out while he stood up from where had sat down only a moment ago.

"Gajeel, save your strength for the next round," Levy said as she reached out and grabbed hold of his sleeve.

"Listen to your partner Iron Bolt, wouldn't want to be the cause of her having to pull out of the running because you couldn't stand up after I give you a good old thrashing," Gray taunted.

"Oh, now you've done it you Popsicle," Gajeel growled as his arm turned to an iron pole, in answer a cold aura extruded from Gray.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want an unfortunate accident to happen now would we?" Gildarts said as he placed a hand on both mages shoulders, applying a decent amount of pressure.

"You're lucky the shrimp's the team leader Ice Face," Gajeel said as he turned around and returned to his seat.

"We'll just have to beat you in the next trial," Gray said. Having avoided the potential brawl thanks to Gildarts' intervention the gathered mages once again turned their attention to the caves. From the darkness, two more figures of similar height made their way out.

"So the victor of Cana and Lucy versus Juvia and Panther Lily has arrived," Makarov said as Cana and Lucy made their appearance.

"And that means that only one team remains," Gildarts said. For a moment the gathered participant and sat in silence before Gray's eyes widened.

"Hold on, if there is only one team left, and Gildarts is already here…" Gray started as he felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Evergreen and Wendy is the last team…" Cana continued the thought.

"And they have to face Erza," Levy finished. A collective shiver went down the participant's backs as they thought of the poor souls who had to be defeated by the mighty Titania.

"Have a little faith in us would you?" a female voice called out with indignation.

"They have proven themselves and I have judged that they passed. It was quite the battle," another female voice said with a hint of pride. From the shadows, Evergreen and Wendy walked out, closely followed by Erza.

"Wait a second, the two of you beat Erza?" Gray asked in utter surprise.

"We didn't exactly beat her," Wendy's shy voice sounded.

"Overcoming the obstacle of an S-Class mage and beating them in a fight isn't the same thing in these trials. I have given them the instructions to test the participants they face and allowed them to make the judgement whether they were ready to advance," Makarov explained.

"Wait so the battle routes were the harder routes?" Loki asked.

"Definitely not, in the battle routes, a lot of factors can allow one to advance, like who you had to fight, while with the S-Class routes you had to prove to us that you have both the power and skills as well as the values and mindset to be able to advance. Now don't take this as them already having a lead in the competition, since all of you will be tested on these values in this next trial," Makarov explained.

"So does that mean you will explain the next trail Master?" Levy asked.

"Yes my child. For your next trial, you are tasked with finding the First Master's grave that is located somewhere on this island. I will be waiting for you there. You will have a time limit of six hours," Makarov announced as he looked at the young mages. For a moment everyone stood still, waiting to hear if there is anything else that he wanted to say.

"What are you lot waiting for, time's running out," Gildarts said with a grin. As one the mages sprang into action with each team scattering in a different direction.

"Erza, would you take Max here to the campsite and start making preparations there while Gildarts waits here to direct the other mages who were defeated to you?" Makarov asked. After getting affirmative nods from the two S-Class mages he disappeared into the foliage.

Gildarts was soon left alone with Max and Erza having taken their leave. The first group that came out of the caves were the two guns mages, Bisca and Alzack. After a quick conversation with Gildarts, the two went to the campsite with the idea of returning home since their trial is over and they and no desire to explore the island.

Once they reached the camp and presented their wish to return to Fairy Tail, Maxx was quick to join them and Erza was more than happy to aid them with a smaller ship to send them on their way.

Freed and Bickslow were the next two to leave the caves. Once Gildarts told them that Evergreen and Wendy advanced after overcoming Erza, they were amazed and decided to stick around to cheer their teammate on.

The last two who excited were Panther Lily and Juvia. Juvia was ecstatic to hear that Gray had advanced while Lily was confident that Gajeel and Levy would proceed to be a force to be reckoned with.

-With Makarov-

Makarov was sitting in front of a large yet sober structure composed of light stone surrounded by three rectangular steps and flanked by four small pillars. In the middle of the two central stones, a circle was cropped out. Vegetation had started to grow over the grave and it gave the grave a more ancient feel along with the serene cave it was situated in.

'Who will be the first to figure it out,' Makarov thought to himself with a slight grin as he pictured his children getting chased by the multitude of beasts that inhabit this island.

Makarov looked over to the grave of the First Master and since there was nothing for him to do his mind started wandering. Thoughts of his time as master filled his mind, subconsciously comparing it to what he thought the First Master would have done. For most of his thoughts, he was content with the outcomes. Though doubt in his leadership capabilities started to surface when he thought of the time he expelled his son from the guild.

Even though he still stands by that decision and believes that the First Master would have done the same, where he saw his flaws was how he dealt with his grandson.

'How would you have dealt with Laxus, First? I know my approach was incorrect, that was made quite clear since he tried to force his way into being master. I hope this time away will help him grow into a better man and mage,' Makarov lingered on thoughts of his grandson for a few more moments before he left that thought for the moment.

'Then the most recent event. Was there some way to keep Natsu in the guild? Lisanna had proven that she couldn't be trusted and that her sweet nature had been warped by that other world. Is there something that I missed? First Master, you were known as the Fairy Tactician, was there something I overlooked. And that dark power Natsu had within him, something which I was seemingly blind to but Gildarts isn't someone who would blow something like that out of proportion. Natsu, what is the darkness inside you that Gildarts had been keeping an eye on?' Makarov thought.

An eerie silence surrounded the sacred gravesite of Mavis Vermillion, the sounds of nature seemly retreating and leaving only the foreboding pounding of Makarov's calm heart.

Then in the sky, a red flare lit up. 'Enemies on Tenrou Island,' that was the message it sent.

"Who would dare interrupt our sacred trail and squander the hopes of my children?" Makarov asked as he stood up, an angered frown on his face before he headed out.

-With Evergreen and Wendy-

An explosion rocked the ground around the two mages as they searched for possible locations that might hold the First Master's grave. A large force of mages in dark cloaks and white masks sporting a peculiar pattern had them surrounded once the dust settled.

"What is the meaning of this, I demand you tell me who you are," Evergreen demanded as she moved into a more protective position while Wendy had a surprised expression.

"An invasion," a deep voice sounded from one of the trees. Wendy and Evergreen's heads snapped towards the tree only to see a dark-skinned man's top half sticking out of the tree. He had a muscular build, thick brown hair that looked like leathery strips of confetti and brown facial hair. The man was wearing a tribal-like green outfit with an orange undershirt and darker green leather armour.

"You made a big mistake coming to fight us on our sacred grounds," Evergreen said as she was covered in a den aura. Wendy quickly mimicked her and powered up, ready for a fight.

"You seem to be mistaken, we didn't come here to fight," another voice said, this time coming from a young man with long spiky blond hair, a psychotic grin on his face showing his teeth and red pupils. The man was wearing a yellow and dark blue shit-like armour with a red waistband that leaves his right chest and shoulder exposed.

"But then why would you say invasion?" Wendy asked in confusion.

"We are here to invade yes, but it will be more like a slaughter," the blond said with his crazed grin growing.

"Who are you?" Evergreen asked, getting tenser since they were heavily outnumbered.

"G-Grimoire Heart?" yet another voice asked with fear evident. The gathered mages turned to look at the newcomer who was revealed to be a frightened Mest.

"Someone knows who we are, and by the looks of it he knows our reputation as well," the man in the tree said.

"I would never have thought that Fairy Tail was in league with Zeref as well as the dark guild Grimoire Heart. This is so much more than I could have wished for. I will rise in the ranks of the Council by not only giving them what they need to disband Fairy Tail but also turning over the ever-elusive Grimoire Heart," Mest said with a dark look and a chuckle.

"Just who are you really?" Evergreen asked with a look of desperation.

"You mean those fragile ships behind me?" the man in the tree asked as he leaned to the side to reveal a fleet of six battleships sporting the mark of the Magic Council's enforcement units. Shocked expressions came to Wendy and Evergreen's faces while Mest gained a confident grin.

"There you can see your downfall, the best Magic Enforcement unit the council has to offer and soon it will be your downfall," Mest taunted.

A large explosion rocked the waters as the council ships erupted in a large explosion leaving the burning wrecks in the water.

"If that is the best the Council has to offer, I'm surprised they are still in power," the man in the tree stated as he stepped out of the tree, showing his large stature. Looks of horror overcame Evergreen and Wendy while Mest had a look of fear.

"Now let's see if you will be able to withstand this," the man said as he raised his hand. With the simple utterance of the word "Bleve" the ground underneath Evergreen, Wendy and Mest erupted, sending the three in different directions. Mest was flung towards the ocean, Evergreen was sent deep into the forest while little Wendy was flung off a cliff and down to the lower levels of the island.

"Idiot, I wanted to play with them," the blond said with a pout.

"They haven't fallen yet Zancrow, I would suggest you follow the little one while the men can make sure the Council dog meets his end. The brown-haired woman will be my opponent, I only hope she can give me a worthy battle," the man said.

"Whatever you say Azuma, but I doubt these Fairies will even be a challenge," Zancrow said as he jumped off the edge of the cliff with a mad cackle.

-With Gajeel and Levy-

Two defeated mages laid by their feet, one looking like a chicken and the other resembling a goat. Though their battle was a victory, the two mages weren't cheering. Levy had sent up the signal flare as soon as they realised that the two mages were from Grimoire Heart and that they were but a scouting party.

"This doesn't look good, we should try and regroup with the others," Levy said as she took a deep breath.

"Those bastards will pay dearly," Gajeel said with a dark expression.

"Oh, what a dreadful show it was that we had to witness. Those two Demons couldn't even pluck a single wing from the two gracious Fairies. No matter, for the King of the Underworld will rise in the Garden of Eden, and demolish the gracious Fairies," a silver-haired man dressing in a dark purple jacket with a flipped up collar, grey undershirt and long black pants said in a dramatic voice. He had a pair of silver glasses and white gloves as he stood with a relaxed posture.

-With Juvia and Panther Lily-

They saw the red flare while they were walking towards the base camp through a heavily wooded area. The flare put them on high alert instantly but they weren't prepared to come face to face with a short young girl with pink hair and pink eyes. The girl had golden wing-like headgear around her ears and a tight uniform with a cape lined in gold.

"No priority targets spotted yet, quick elimination is in order," the girl stated in a monotone voice and a stoic expression.

-With Erza-

Erza was quick to move out of the base camp once she saw the flare since the three mages that she was with had decided to head on home some time ago. Right now Erza was surrounded by defeated goons of the dark guild Grimoire Heart.

"You will tell me what your plan is," Erza commanded as she picked one of the mages that still held on to consciousness and held him by the throat.

"This will be a bloodbath, the Seven Kin of Purgatory will cover the earth with your blood Fairies," the mage said with a dark laugh, though they swiftly succumbed to unconsciousness thanks to the steel gauntlet of a scarlet knight.

Enraged Erza rushed to the closest magical signature she could find, one that led her to the wooded area of Tenrou Island.

-With Lucy and Cana-

Cana and Lucy were sitting next to one another, trying to figure out what the master wanted them to do in this trial since running around with no real barring just didn't make sense. That was until saw the flare and heard a rustle in the bushes nearby.

"Come out right now, we know you are there," Cana demanded as she held her cards at the ready. Lucy was quick to pick up on the aggressive posture and reached for her whip.

"Calm down, it's just us," Gray's voice came from the brush as he and Loki stood up.

"What were you two doing there? Wait, you were spying on us weren't you?" Lucy demanded with an accusatory finger, pointing at the two.

"Now's not the time Princess, there are enemies close by," Loki said as he stood in a fighting stance. As if he summoned them, from the trees around them, two figures appeared. One was a tall goat-man with a black suit while the other was a giant, overweight man with very pale skin, rivalling the tall goat-man in length, wearing only dark coloured underpants, two belts crisscrossed over his chest and a large cape.

"This won't be much of a challenge, even if they outnumber us," the goat-man said.

"Hello there, my name is Kain Hikaru and I am a member of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory," the giant introduced himself in a tone that revealed his lacklustre intellect.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gray demanded.

"Clearly they're here to cause trouble, Grimoire Heart is one of the members of the Balam Alliance," Cana said with annoyance.

"The young lady is correct, we have come to eliminate you and retrieve Lord Zeref so that he can bring about the Ultimate Magic World," the goat-man said. Both parties dropped into battle stances, each waiting for the other to start things off.

-Unknown location on Tenrou -

A beautiful pale-skinned woman with dark-purple hair dressed in a tight formfitting battle suit was standing on the branch of a tree overlooking a quiet clearing. In the clearing two mages were walking on high alert, due to a red flare that had lit up the clear sky.

'If I don't dispatch of these two quickly they will stumble upon Lord Zeref, and in his sleeping state I'm not sure how things will end up,' the beauty thought as a crystal ball levitated next to her.

Suddenly a green beam of energy came rushing towards her, forcing her to dodge, leading to her landing on the ground.

"You didn't think we wouldn't detect you?' Freed asked as he held his sword in a threatening manner.

"We don't take kindly to strangers invading our island you see," Bickslow said as his dolls chanted 'Enemies'.

Tenrou Island will soon be filled with the sounds of battle and survival will be at the forefront of most mages' minds.

There you go, my wonderful readers. Sorry for the late upload but I was at a LAN this past weekend so I wasn't able to write as much as I anticipated. Anyway here we have the main fights that will play out but I am only planning to really show Zancrow vs Wendy. If you want to see other fights or parts of them, let me know and I will see what I will be doing. I already know how I want this arc on Tenrou to end and I have an idea for their return after the seven years, but that will have to wait. I think that the rest of this arc will be either one or two chapters, depending on what you guys want to see. After that, I will be back with Natsu and Griffin's Haven, introducing the OC's I will have and setting things up for the rest of the story. Anyway, leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you all next time.