A/N: I'm back! Life update: I had a two-week family trip and then moved into a new apartment soooo this took a while to finish. Remember when I used to update weekly instead of monthly? But I should be a lot faster at least for the next few chapters. Look forward to it!
Thanks for all the nice comments!
As a refresher, they're battling Grimoire Heart and Natsu's struggling pretty badly against Zancrow. He tried eating Zancrow's flames and his body did NOT react well. "Okay. Maybe he lied when he told Wendy he 'got this.' Maybe he didn't got this."
Natsu wasn't even finished coughing up blood when he sensed another attack coming from Zancrow's direction. Knowing Wendy wouldn't be able to protect him alone, he fought the pain to grab her and roll to the side just in time to dodge the oncoming attack. With one last heave, he expelled the remaining god flames from his body, leaving him weak but okay.
Gods, that stuff tasted awful, too.
Natsu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sent a narrow look at Zancrow. "Your flames're nasty," he spat.
"No, they are simply too powerful for you," Zancrow said, that annoying grin splitting his face. "Now you see how outmatched you are, right, dragon slayer? Just give up now."
"Like hell I'm giving up," Natsu said, rising to his feet. "Wendy, stand back. You did good work here. Take a quick break and get your magic back up, ya hear?"
"But Natsu…"
He turned back and gave her a lopsided grin. "Thanks, but if you're worrying about me, don't bother. I can take care of myself from here." When Wendy only nodded uncertainly, he added, "Go check on Lucy and Loke for me. Gajeel was having a rough time, too."
"I think everyone is," Charle said. "If Natsu says he's fine, we should go assist the others." Natsu wasn't surprised to have Charle's support given it involved getting Wendy out of danger. Though he didn't always get along with the uptight exceed, but he was glad for her input now. Wendy always listened to her responsible feline friend.
Finally convinced, Wendy nodded more enthusiastically this time and ran off with Charle at her heels.
Meanwhile, Zancrow had been cooking up another attack, which Natsu deftly dodged, drawing his opponent's attention away from where Wendy and Charle were retreating. With his dragon slayer flames unable to land a scratch on Zancrow, Natsu was stuck on the defensive. Zancrow's attacks had a pattern to them for the most part, but every once in a while he'd do something that threw Natsu for a loop, and he was stuck scrambling to regain his footing all over again.
It was exhausting.
Natsu cloaked himself in red flames to protect himself from Zancrow's bellow, struggling to maintain them against the black inferno that stripped him of his protection. Anticipating the followup punch, Natsu countered with a flaming kick that connected but didn't do more than merely knock some wind out of Zancrow's lungs. He combined it with a series of punches before landing on his feet at a safe distance.
Natsu might not be able to overpower Zancrow's black flames, but he could keep this up. One thing he always had going for him was an indomitable stamina.
The earth beneath them unexpectedly began to tremble, distracting Zancrow for just long enough that Natsu was able to get himself together. He usually saved his most powerful attacks as finishing moves, but Natsu was determined to find this guy's breaking point, and the sooner the better. Stamina or not, this fight was not in his favor, and he needed to turn the tables.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art," he recited, spreading his legs wide and twisting his torso with arms aflame. Then, like letting go of a spring, he unwound himself, creating a flaming vortex that followed the rotation of his body. "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Fire exploded from his body, filling the air was an oppressive heat that Natsu relished in. He was surrounded by nothing but fire, and it was beautiful.
But when the smoke cleared, Zancrow was still standing unscathed, wrinkling his nose as he fanned away the remnant smoke. "Was that supposed to hurt me?"
"Aw, fuck," Natsu muttered to himself. "Shit, shit, shit." Fucking shit. That was his finishing move. Well, he was gonna have to get more strategic about this if he wanted to get out alive, which was looking like a less and less likely outcome.
So dragon slayer flames couldn't match god slayer flames. Fine, whatever. He'd met plenty of mages with stronger magic levels than him before, and he always managed to pull out on top in the end. If he just relied on his instincts, he'd be able to find Zancrow's weakness. No magic, however ancient, was all-powerful. Even gods could fall to dragons.
One thing Natsu knew was that Zancrow's fighting style, whether by coincidence or by their shared element, was similar to his own. Predictability was a weakness of Natsu's with his straightforward fighting style, as was overconfidence. In this case, Zancrow was just wild enough to be unpredictable and just strong enough that his confidence was justified. But there had to be something…
Gears turning in his mind, Natsu threw himself back into fighting, letting his survival instinct drive his actions while he looked for an opportunity.
"Happy," he called, knowing his best friend was somewhere nearby.
"Aye!"
He reached up and grasped Happy's paws as he flew by. He locked his legs around Zancrow's head and immediately let go of Happy, flipping over to swing Zancrow's body over backwards. Black flames burned at his shins, but he didn't let the pain deter him.
Zancrow was still human. A durable human with god-like abilities, yes, but even gods were restricted by their own anatomy. And a bad blow to the head would usually do the trick. Or, in this case, the spinal cord.
Zancrow's neck snapped in a sickening way, jarring him just enough that Natsu was able to sear through his god slayer skin, finding the vertebrae and pinching until he could feel the bones give way with a dull crack.
Zancrow cried out in agony. Black flames burst out in waves of pain, but Natsu kept his hold on Zancrow's neck and spine until the god slayer finally went limp. Perhaps he was even dead. Actually, he was almost certainly dead, with injuries to such a vital area. Natsu didn't like killing, but he'd rather kill than die himself.
He staggered back to his feet, breathing heavily. Finally, that hellish battle was over. Fighting a god slayer with such similar magic had proved a challenge almost more than he could handle.
"Are you okay, Natsu?" Happy asked, hovering hesitantly.
Natsu managed a meager smile. "Yeah. Man, I thought I was a goner for a moment there when my Crimson Lotus attack didn't work. I had to resort to extreme measures."
"I think he's dead, Natsu."
"Yeah. I think so too."
The sound of someone clapping came from behind him, and he whipped around to see three women standing behind him; one was Juvia but the other two were unfamiliar. The one with the dark hair was applauding him with a smug smirk on her face. "I thought I would have to step in for a moment there. Good work."
"Who're you?" he asked, straightening his posture.
"Juvia has made some new friends," Juvia said.
Natsu narrowed his eyes. "They're of the Seven Kin, aren't they?"
"Their names are Ultear and Meredy," Juvia said.
"Don't worry, we're on your side now," the one called Ultear said. "Well, I still have some issues to work out with Gray, but I'm not leaving Meredy, and she wants to help you."
"Why?" Natsu couldn't help but ask.
This time Meredy spoke. "Through my magic, Juvia showed me something that made me realize I was wrong. With Ultear's support, I wish to help your investigation. I do not want Fiore to be destroyed."
"I have no idea what any of what you just said means, but thanks," Natsu said, scratching his head. He wasn't about to refuse help if it was genuine.
His eyes strayed to the canyon where he left Lucy and Loke. Gajeel and Levy were down there too, not to mention he'd sent Wendy down there. It was unusually quiet, and he hoped that was a good sign rather than a foreboding one.
"Everyone is fine," Juvia said, correctly judging Natsu's train of thought. "You were the last fight to finish."
"Damn," he said, "even Gray?"
Juvia hid a wry smile. "Lord Gray… I finished his fight. Lord Gray is unconscious."
"My bad," Ultear said, rolling her eyes.
Natsu burst out laughing. "Oh man, that's rich! Where is he? I wanna laugh in his comatose face."
"Natsu, Lord Gray is unconscious. Lord Gray will not be able to hear you taunting him."
"So? It's hilarious!"
"You might want to fix yourself up first," Meredy said. "You look a little worse for the wear as well."
"Yeah, you look bad, Natsu," Happy added.
Natsu looked down at his body, clothes torn and bloody, burns on his arms and legs, and something warm and sticky trickling down in front of his ear. Not to mention his entire face felt scratched up and swollen. Well, at least he wasn't unconscious like Gray. He'd finished two fights by himself, and Gray hadn't even made it through one.
"Wait, Gray didn't have any other fights besides yours, did he?" he said, looking to Ultear.
"No; I went after him from the very start," she said. "Let's just say I hold a grudge."
Natsu grinned. "Nice."
"It's not 'nice,' Natsu," Juvia said, frowning. Juvia always got pissy when he dissed Gray, so Natsu didn't let her negativity dampen his good mood. Especially after that exhausting fight, this was the best news he'd heard all day. As for why the person who put Gray in that state was on their side now, he'd just have to wait for a better explanation for that one. The girls weren't being very forthcoming.
"I'm never gonna let him live this one down," Natsu said gleefully. "Well, I'm done here. Let's go back."
"Juvia is afraid of Wendy having a heart attack when she sees what condition Natsu is in."
Natsu grimaced. He wasn't looking forward to it either. "Not like I can hide it," he said.
"True."
Sure enough, Wendy literally shrieked with horror when she saw Natsu's condition, drawing everyone else's attention as well. Erza had to be physically restrained from running over, which was probably for the best because she was often unaware of her own strength and would only injure him further. Natsu caught Lucy's eye and got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach at the expression in her eyes.
"Damn, did you die or something?" Gajeel said. "You look awful."
"Not quite," Natsu said. "Zancrow's the one who's dead."
"Damn."
"You should sit down," Lucy said, approaching him and pushing on his shoulder to get him to the ground. "You're losing a lot of blood."
"I'll be fine," Natsu insisted, though now that she mentioned it, he was feeling a little lightheaded, Wendy seemed to have replenished her magic energy somehow, since Charle wasn't saying anything as her hands worked over Natsu's worst injuries.
"Natsu aside, Juvia has found help for our next steps," Juvia said.
"Wait, where's Gray?" Natsu said, not ready for the serious talk to start before he could get his jokes in.
"Gray is resting in the shade. He's fine; he just has a bad concussion. Levy's watching him," Erza said. "You, on the other hand, will stay here and let Wendy do what she must. Understood?"
Natsu swallowed. "Aye, sir."
"Back to the topic at hand," Erza said. "Juvia, you said you found help? Is that what these two are here for?"
"Yes," Juvia said, stepping aside to let Meredy and Ultear introduce themselves. Initial apprehension didn't fade even as they promised to give good information. Just moments ago, they had been enemies; Natsu wasn't the only one suspicious of their motives for switching over.
But Juvia explained that Meredy's unique magic allowed her to read Juvia's emotions, and it had inspired her somehow to live for love rather than revenge. It all sounded like sappy nonsense to Natsu.
"I can't believe Fairy Tail's 'power of friendship' bullshit actually turned a bad guy good," Gajeel scoffed.
"Like you're one to talk," Natsu said, frowning. "You and Juvia came to us the same way."
"Nah, it's not like I got inspired or anything; it was Juvia who kept bugging me until I joined, and you know how persistent she is. The whole family thing was just an unexpected bonus."
"How exactly do you plan to help us?" Erza asked, focused as always. Natsu was already so distracted by the turn of conversation that he almost forgot they were trying to get information here.
"Grimoire Heart was working under the instruction of Tartarus," Meredy said. "Our purpose was to assist in bringing back Zeref through the revival of END. Only Master Hades knew the identity of our contact from Tartarus, but now he's…"
"He has been slain," Erza confirmed, a hand on her sword.
"From what I can gather, Tartarus's base is in the capital," Ultear said.
The Fairy Tail members all looked at each other.
"I guess that confirms Makarov's suspicions that the government is somehow involved in all this," Lucy said.
"We already knew that much," Natsu said. "But the fact that they're based in the capital just makes it even worse."
"This is pretty damning information," Erza said. She crossed her arms. "Anything else?"
"If you want the exact location, I can't tell you. We were always visited by messengers, never the other way around," Ultear said. "What I can say is that this goes up pretty high, but not all the way to the king himself."
"So the king is ignorant to all this," Lucy said.
"He's basically a puppet," Meredy said. "Most of the high-ranking officials should be connected to Tartarus. We don't know who's giving them orders, though. Only Mater Hades knew everything, and he's—"
"Dead," Erza confirmed yet again.
"I still can't believe the Master is dead," Meredy said, wrapping her arms around herself. Natsu felt a tug of sympathy. Even if they were evil, apparently all guilds got attached to their guildmasters.
"That's what happens in battle," Ultear said. "We've lost many comrades in the past; this is no different."
"I suppose," Meredy said, still frowning.
"If that's all the information you have, I'm afraid it's nothing new to us," Erza said.
"That's not all," Meredy said quickly. "Along with the Element Four, we were supposed to head west to the residence of a powerful mage who claimed to have insights on how to awaken Zeref's most powerful demon, END."
"END? What's that stand for?" Natsu said.
Meredy and Ultear looked at each other and shrugged.
"We don't know," Meredy said.
"In any case, he claims to have the information, but he's known to be difficult, so we were going to all go together to get the information out of him."
"He's that powerful?" Lucy said.
"At least Wizard Saint level," Ultear said. "He's a Dreyar, after all."
"An evil Dreyar," Natsu noted. "Definitely Ivan."
"If you agree to let us go free, we'll tell you the location," Ultear said. "Of course, we'll stay out of trouble."
"Can we trust you?" Erza said.
Ultear laughed. "Me, probably not. While I'm being honest here, I might as well mention I'm the one who mind-controlled Jellal all those years ago."
Natsu's hands and feet instinctively lit aflame. This woman in front of him was the reason for all that pain and suffering years ago. This woman was the reason Jellal made Erza cry.
Erza's was at Ultear's throat in an instant. Ultear seemed unmoved, obviously expecting that reaction.
"See? You can't trust me," Ultear said, voice strained by Erza's hand around her neck. "But Meredy is a good kid. She's like my younger sister, or even a daughter. I've done my best to raise her to become a good person, unlike me. I always knew that if I ever left the life of crime, it would be either through death or to follow Meredy when she finally comes into her own, as she has done today. At least Meredy should be let go safely. I don't care about myself."
"No, Ultear, don't say that," Meredy cried.
"Let them go," Juvia said. She put a hand on Erza's shoulder. "Lord Gray has issues to settle with Ultear as well; Juvia begs Erza not to do anything before Lord Gray can also have his closure. Juvia will explain later, but for now, let them go."
Erza hesitated, but heeded Juvia's words and backed off. "I hope you have a very good explanation," she said, still staring down Ultear as she gasped for breath.
"Juvia wouldn't say that if it weren't."
"It's a town by the coast," Ultear said, voice still raspy. "Where Phantom Lord used to operate."
"Oak Town," Erza said.
"So that's why you wanted to use the Element Four," Gajeel said.
"It was the obvious choice."
"The Master should have the specific address somewhere on his person," Meredy added. "The appointment was set for a week from today."
A lull fell over the group. Erza headed off to search the guildmaster's body for the address while the rest stood around awkwardly, tension in the air palpable. Natsu was starting to feel a little less dizzy, though whether it was from Wendy's healing magic or Lucy letting him lean on her to stay upright, he didn't know.
"What was all that about Jellal?" Lucy whispered, curiosity getting the better of her.
Natsu contemplated how to answer her. She knew a little from when they encountered him with the Oración Seis, but she'd never really gotten the full story of his history with Erza and the others at Fairy Tail.
"That's Erza's story to tell," he said finally, hyperaware of the other dragonslayers' eyes on him. In this company, Lucy might as well have just spoken normally; whispering around dragon slayers was pointless.
Erza returned quickly with a note in her hand. "They were telling the truth," she said. "This address is for a location in Oak Town."
"Then are we letting them go?" Gajeel asked.
"Not yet," Erza said. "Meredy, you two will tell us all you know about Tartarus. Even if it's repetitive information, we need to know everything. And Gray and I still have business with Ultear."
"I'm talking to her first," came Gray's voice from behind them. Levy guided him as he walked, carefully making sure he didn't become unsteady on his feet.
Natsu grinned. "Well if it isn't the fainting popsicle," he said. "How's it feel to not win a single fight?"
Gray looked Natsu's bloody body up and down. "Yeah, like you're one two talk. I just got hit on the head, not put through a meat grinder." Before Natsu could retort, he continued, "The woman who raised me after Deliora was Ultear's mother. I'm the reason Ur died, so you could say I'm the one who turned her to the dark side in the first place."
"I thought we already established that it wasn't your fault, Gray," Erza said.
"Not everyone's as forgiving as you are, Erza," Gray said. "Ultear and I need to have a little chat about Ur. Once that's done, you can do what you want with her, Erza."
"If things are as you say they are, I probably won't kill her or anything," Erza said.
"You really are too forgiving," Gray said, half laughing.
Erza didn't say anything to that.
Wendy's hands pulled away from Natsu and she slumped, exhausted. Charle caught her before Natsu could.
"Thanks, Wendy," he said.
She gave him a smiling thumbs-up.
"Gajeel," Lucy said, "is there any way we could use the Phantom Lord facilities? At the very least we need to wash all this blood off."
"Yeah, your clothes are a mess," Natsu said. Lucy's trademark outfit was stained red and brown from the fighting. He'd have to ask her how her fight with Capricorn went; she looked fine, so it must've went well. And a quick glance at her belt showed him that there was one more key on there than earlier. The proud smile that stretched his lips ended up looking more like a smirk.
"It's all your blood," Lucy said. "How long are you going to need to lean against me, anyway? You're heavy."
Natsu purposefully leaned even more of his weight against Lucy's shoulder. "Oh, am I?"
"Stop that," Lucy whined as Natsu cackled.
A surprise fist at the back of his neck picked Natsu up, plopping him on his own two feet.
"You seem to be fine now thanks to Wendy," Erza said. "Now let's get moving, shall we?"
"Gajeel, lead the way," Levy said.
Lucy stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees. Despite Erza relieving her of duty, she immediately gave her shoulder to Natsu yet again, for which he was much more thankful than he wanted to admit. He was still a little low on blood. And the natural ease with which Lucy lent him her support gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling in his stomach that he wasn't quite ready to put a name to.
A/N: Phew, glad they made it out okay! But what will they do with this new information...?
Thanks for reading!
