Chapter 4

The Revolution


"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip


Tower of Heaven Shoreline

"That's a lot of guards..." Gray mumbled.

"A head on assault wouldn't work." Erik added. "Maybe I could take some of them out with my poison..."

"This is a rescue mission. Not an assassination request." Lucy said.

"This is gonna be hard..." Gray mumbled.

"I found a way in." Juvia reported from the water. "Through the basement underwater."

"Seriously?" Gray asked. "Nice work."

"I was the one who was praised by Gray not you!" She shouted to Lucy.

"Whatever you say..." Lucy sighed.

"It should only take us about ten minutes to swim there." Juvia explained.

"Ten minutes is nothing." Erik said.

"Yeah." Gray nodded.

"That's not physically possible, you guys!" Lucy shouted.

"Then you can wear these." Juvia held up her hand and a sphere of water floated above it. "It's a shell of water containing oxygen. With this, you can breathe underwater."

"Sounds cool." Erik said. "Who are you, again?"

The others put on their shells and dove into the water, following Juvia. After ten minutes, they popped out of the water into a room with really weird statues and pillars.

"So we're under the tower huh?" Gray asked.

"Anyone else getting a really creepy feeling here?" Erik asked.

"This thing sure is handy, even if it does look silly." Lucy, in a bikini said about the orb.

"I'm impressed you made it here." Juvia said. "I made yours smaller than the rest."

"Wow, thanks." Lucy sarcastically said as the bubble popped.

"Who the hell are you?!" A swarm of guards asked as they appeared.

"Looks like we got company." Gray said. "We're gonna have to fight our way out."

"Right." Juvia nodded.

"You really wanna know who we we are?" Erik asked, poison rolling off his body. "We're the ones who are gonna pound your faces in!" He spun his arms in a circle creating a veil of poison. "We're from Fairy Tail!" He shouted as his team jumped out of the veil, the other four covering their mouths. "Poison Dragon Wing Attack!" His hands were coated in whips of poison that struck anyone in his way.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray crafted a massive hammer of ice that broke a rafter, sending some guards crashing into the water.

"Holy cow, she's in a bikini." One guard mumbled as a group stared at Lucy.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden - Virgo!" Lucy chanted as she summoned her spirit.

"Did you summon me princess?" The maid asked, making the guards drool even more.

"Teach these pervs a lesson." Lucy simply said.

"As you wish." Virgo said as her eyes glowed red before charging forward, taking out anyone in her way.

"It's like she's made of water!" One guard shouted as Juvia's wounds healed before them. "Careful, swords won't affect her."

"But I bet our guns will!" A battalion of guards opened fire on her, only to have the magic bullets pass through her. "What the heck is with this chick!?"

"Drip, drip, drop." Juvia swung her arm and a magic circle appeared. "Water Slicer!" Blades of water shot out of the seal, sending the soldiers flying away. The rest of the guard were taken out by a mix of poison, ice, water, and Virgo beat downs. "I think we got them all."

"Nicely done, team." Gray said.

"I hope we're not calling attention to ourselves, oh who am I kidding..." Lucy sighed.

"I'm afraid so, Princess." Virgo added.

"Where's the block head, buddy?" Erik asked, holding an unconscious guard. Behind them a giant head in the wall opened its mouth and extended its tongue as a bridge. "What's that?"

"I think it's their way of inviting us in." Gray said as he, Lucy and Juvia ran up the bridge.

"You guys go on a head." Erik said, reaching into his right pocket. "I gotta make sure these guys don't croak."


Throne Room

"And you're letting them in because?" The man asked as another cloud of smoke escaped his mouth.

"I told you, this is a game." Jellal said. "All this means is they've cleared the first level. It's just starting to get interesting."

"And what of the council?" The man asked back. "Shouldn't we be worried about them, or at least concentrate on the ceremony? If they show up, our contract is void."

"Now, now, you don't need to worry about them." Jellal said. "They don't have the time nor the power to stop me."


Era

"I vote... Yes..." Leiji raised his hand. "We don't have a choice."

"Not you too, Leiji." Org said.

"Two more votes are need." Siegrain said. "Please, you have to trust me on this."


With Team Erik

"Done." Erik finished curing the guards he fought and ran up the ladder to find the rest of the group at a table of food. "Why didn't you tell me there was food!?"

"Keep it down!" Lucy said back.

"Why should we?" Gray asked as Erik started stuffing his face. "With all that noise we made downstairs, they have to be aware of us."

"Why are you guys eating?" Lucy asked.

"Might I suggest you join them before there's nothing left?" Virgo asked her wizard.

"The door that opened for us, it was controlled by a magic user." Juvia said.

"So, they know we're here." Virgo said.

"So why would they let us in?" Lucy asked.

"Think they're trying to provoke us?" Gray asked.

"I don't know..." She mumbled back.

"Not to be rude, but your bikini leaves little to the imagination." Virgo spoke up.

"Should I change?" Lucy asked, covering herself.

"Yes, I'll help you." Virgo inched towards her with an evil glimmer in her eyes.

"Wait not here!" Lucy shout in protest as Gray looked over.

"Whoa..." He mumbled.

"Please don't look at her, Gray!" Juvia shouted.

"I brought this over from the Celestial World." Virgo told Lucy, now in a green dress.

"Well, boys, how do I look?" The blonde asked.

"Really good." Gray answered.

"Don't praise her!" Juvia shouted.

"He looves her." Virgo teased.

"Don't start doing that too..." Lucy requested.

"When did you and Happy get all buddy buddy, Virdo?" Erik asked, unaware that he got the name wrong.

"I bid farewell, and good luck to you, Princess." The spirit said before fading away.

"Thanks for the help, Virgo." Lucy said. "Oh, wait. Did you guys want a change of clothes?" She asked, turning to Erik and Gray.

"Naw, we're all dried up now." Erik said, rubbing his hand through his hair to show it was dry now.

"The intruders! We found them!" A group of guards shouted as they ran into the room. Before anyone could do anything, Erza arrived and took them out.

"Erza!" Erik and Gray shouted.

"Thank goodness, she's okay." Lucy said.

"Wow, she's so cool..." Juvia mumbled. Erza looked up and stared wide eyed at the rescue team.

"What are guys doing here!?" She asked.

"We came to help you." Lucy said.

"We haven't met yet, my name is-" Juvia started.

"Go home!" Erza ordered. "This place is to dangerous for you."

"No chance, Erza." Erik said slamming his fists together. "I'm gonna find that block head, and make him pay for shooting me in the mouth."

"You must leave." Erza ordered.

"Your pals stole Happy!" Erik shouted. "I'm not leaving her without him!"

"Happy's here?" She asked. "It must have been Millianna."

"Where is he?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." Erza said.

"No problem." Erik smirked.

"No, that is a problem." Gray said.

"I'm coming little buddy!" Erik shouted as he ran out the room.

"What a moron." Gray huffed out.

"Let's follow him." Lucy said.

"No!" Erza raised her sword, scaring the others. "Millianna is the biggest cat lover around. She'd never hurt Happy. I promise I'll bring them both back to the guild, but you three need to get as far away from here has possible."

"We can't do that!" Lucy shouted. "We're not leaving here without you!"

"This is my problem." Erza said. "I don't want anyone else getting involved."

"It's too late for that!" Gray shouted. "You saw Erik and how involved he was!"

"Erza, what is this place, and who is this Jellal?" Lucy asked. "I can understand if you don't want to tell us. You said the creeps that took you were your friends. Well, we're your friends now, and we're here to help you."

"Leave!" Erza shouted.

"You're freaking me out here." Gray said. "This isn't like you at all. Where's the girl who would order us to follow her whether we wanted to or not? Master taught us even the strongest warriors need help from time to time."

Erza turned around as tears weld up in her eyes, scaring the others. "I'm sorry, but you can't help me now. Whether I win or lose, I'll be staring to death in the face."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gray asked.

"There's no point infighting what you can't, but what i can do is tell you my story." Erza said. "This place is called the Tower of Heaven. Also known as the R-system. More than a decade ago, a cult of black magic users began its construction. It would be used to cast a forbidden spell that brings the dead back to life."

"The council would have never approved this project, so the cult rounded up people from all counties and forced them to work as slaves on the towers construction. The only reason I know this, is because I was forced to work here." Her friends gasped in shock. "Anyone who defied the cult or tried to escape was hunted down, and never seen again. We never had any peace, we lived in constant fear. But despite that, we bonded and made friends we could trust even though we knew we wouldn't be together long. One of my friends in the tower was a boy named Jellal."


Eight Years Ago

"ERZA!" Jellal shouted as he stormed the room. "Hold on." He put his sword down and untied the small girl from the post. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." He laid the girl down and looked in horror at her face. "Your eye... They've gone too far... What did we do to deserve this!?" He shouted.

"Jel...lal..." Erza whispered.

"Yeah, it's me." He nodded. "You're safe now, I'm here with you."

"How will we get out..." She asked. Jellal smiled as he led her back the way he came, past the bodies of cultist and guard beasts.

"There's no turning back now." He said. "We're gonna have to fight."

"Fight?" Erza weakly asked. Four magic seals appeared around them and ghoul like creatures rose up.

"Magic soldiers!" Jellal shouted.


Cell

"I hope sister is okay." Sho said.

"Grandpa Rob, you came back from punishment. Do you think she'll be okay?" Simon asked.

"I'm sure she's fine." The old man said. "They can torture her all they want, but they'll never break her spirit." The cell door opened two guard walk, throwing Erza to the ground before bringing in a cart of tools.

"Erza!" Simon shouted as the group ran over. "Wait, where's Jellal?"

"Don't upset her anymore." Rob said. "We should just be happy she came back alive. I can only guess that they chose to keep Jellal in her place."

"I can't take it." Sho sobbed. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Shut up, you brat!" A guard shouted.

"There's no need to cry." Rob said, holding the child. "Everything is going to work out."

'We're gonna have to fight.' Jellal's words echoed in Erza's head. She grabbed a shovel and attacked the guards, sending them flying out of the cell, letting everyone see.

"It's a revolt!" One shouted before falling unconscious.

"What's gotten into you?" Simon asked the panting redhead.

"Find a weapon!" She shouted. "We won't get out of here by following their rules, we can't escape, and they're not gonna set us free! So if we want out of here, we have to fight! For our lives, for our freedom!" The entire slave labor force heard her and cheered, taking up arms.


Present

"So we took a stand for our freedom, and to rescue our dear friend Jellal." Erza continued. "He was the leader of our group. He had a strong sense of justice. I looked up to him more than anyone else. However, something happened to him. It's almost like he became an entirely different person. If you could ever call someone evil, that's what I'd call Jellal."


Eight Years Ago

Tower of Heaven

"Don't mess with mad dog Wally!" Wally shouted as he took out some slavers.

"Thanks for toughening me up!" Simon shouted as he took out another group.

"Stupid brats!" One slaver shouted before Erza swung a sword she found among the weapons. Sho and Milliana ran after her, brandishing their own weapons.

"We have to free everyone in sector eight today." Erza siad. "We can do it guys!"

"No we can't." Simon said back. "There are too many solders there!"

"We have to!" She shouted back. "It's the only way to save Jellal."

"Looks like she's into him." Wally teased Simon. "Sorry pal."

"Hey, Erza, do you... like Jellal?" Simon asked with a blush.

"What!?" Erza asked back. "This isn't the time to talk about stuff like that. We... Need to focus." She finished with a blush.

"Sorry, but I just wanted to make sure because-" Simon started when a ball of fire blasted the two of them away from each other.

"What the heck was that?" Wally asked.

"Look!" Millianna pointed into the air as magic soldiers floated towards them. "Simons hurt. What do we do?" She asked. The ghouls opened their mouths and balls of fire shot out of them, forcing the rebels to flee.

"You can't just runaway!" Erza shouted. "We have to fight to be free!" A man pushed her to the ground and rubble trapped her feet. "Help me..." She reached for the fleeing mob as it grew smaller and smaller from her sight.

"Erza!" Wally shouted as the ghouls fired again. Erza braced for the impact only to have it blocked by Grandpa Rob.

"My magic might not be as powerful as it once was, but it's still enough to take you down." He defiantly said. "I will not let you take the life of a child." He screamed as a seal appeared and sent the magic back at the ghouls, obliterating them all.

"That was cool." Wally said.

"He sent their magic back at them." Sho whispered.

Erza crawled over to Rob, now a sickly green. "I might be a feeble old man, but I still have some fight in me somewhere. As a wizard, my magic has always been intertwined with my life essence. But I had no idea just how much until I lost it, and found myself in this sorry state. Don't end up like me Erza. You still have so much potential, don't let it go to waste."

He stood up as cultists shot more fire balls at him and Erza, taking the hits for her. "Your beautiful smile is the only thing that kept me alive in this wretched place. Remember, freedom lies in your heart. Follow your heart, and all your dreams will come true." His body ran out of the magic he had and it crumbled away like stone.

"Noooo!" She shouted before dropping to her knees.

"Erza, we have to go!" Wally shouted. Erza dropped her head and screamed as a large magic circle appeared beneath her. Shovels, pick axes, hammers, swords, all manner of weaponry floated into the air before she sent them flying towards the cultists.

"She used magic..." Sho said.

Erza stared at her hand as her first conversation with Rob came back to her. 'You knew all along Grandpa. You knew I had this power, and know that I found it, I can save Jellal and everyone else. Looks like flying a broom is gonna have to wait.' She raised a sword into the air. "We have to fight for our freedom!" She shouted as the mob cheered around her.


Torture Room

"What are we gonna do!?" The fat one asked in a panic.

"We run, you idiot!" The other one said. Both turned to the door as Erza walked in, a sword in each hand. "Calm down, let's not do anything hasty..."

"Don't blame us!" The fat one shouted. "We were just doing what we were told."

"Out of my way!" Erza shouted before swinging her blades, knocking them to the side. She ran behind the crystal and saw Jellal tied to a post. "I'm here to save you!" She swung her swords and cut the binds. "You're safe now, everything is okay. We fought, just like you said to."

"Everyone was so brave." She slung him onto her shoulder. "Simon got hurt pretty badly and Grandpa Rob saved my life, but he didn't make it. But we fought them all and won. Come on, Wally found some boats. We're leaving and never coming back."

"E...rza..." Jellal stood on his own feet and wrapped her in a hug. "You don't have to leave the tower, because true freedom is here with me." He pushed off her and leaned against the lacrima.

"But I thought you wanted get out of here, Jellal?" She asked confused. "This is our chance at freedom."

"Don't you get it?" He asked, turning around. "Freedom doesn't exist in this world. The fools who built this tower might not be our keepers anymore, but you haven't tasted true freedom yet. Because that can only happen..." He closed his eye and opened it, revealing a tribal look to the iris and a glowing red pupil. "In Zeref's world."

"Now I understand why they made us work so hard on this tower. They believe they can resurrect Zeref with it. You claim to be pious devotees, but you couldn't even sense your Gods presence, could you?" He grabbed the skinny one by his throat and held him against the crystal. "This is my tower now. I will finish it and bring Zeref back." A magic seal appeared beneath the cultist, sending him crashing into the roof of the room.

"Magic?" Erza asked.

"Someone, help!" The fat one shouted as he tried to run out the door. Jellal raised his hand and telepathically sent him into the wall.

"Stop this, Jellal! You're hurting him!" She shouted.

"I thought you hated them?" He asked back as the fat one tried to crawl away.

"I do, but this is just plain cruel!" She shouted back.

"You'll never be able to sense Zeref unless you focus your hate!" Jellal shouted as he held out his hand. A purple seal appeared beneath the cultist before he turned to dust.

"You killed him! What's wrong with you?" Erza asked.

"There's nothing wrong with me." He said walking out the door, down the hall pass unconscious cultists as Erza followed him. "I'm renaming this place The Tower of Heaven. Erza, you and I are going to finish it together and resurrect Zeref."

"Why would anyone want to stay here when we have the chance to leave!?" Erza asked. Jellal looked over at her and his eye glowed red before Erza was sent flying through a wall.

"Fine, if you wanna leave so badly, I won't stop you." He chuckled as he walked through the hole. "But you're the only one who's leaving."

"What?" She asked.

"I can't finish the tower all by myself, so I'm going to keep the others here with me." He explained. "Don't worry, I'm not going to mistreat them. I'll feed them, clothe them, and make sure they have plenty of rest between shifts. A mass of tired and angry people don't make very good workers."

"What are you saying!?" Erza asked. "They're all on the boats right now! No one will agree to stay here and work for you."

"That won't be a problem." Jellal chuckled. "I just have to give them a purpose. Once they learn of Zeref's plan, they'll all happily work to bring him back."

"Please Jellal... Come back to your senses." She begged.

"Why don't you?" He asked as a shadow wrapped around Erza and lifted her up. "I have no use for you anymore, but since you dealt with the fools in my way, I'll let you live. Enjoy your new 'freedom', but I have some conditions you must follow."

"I can't... breath..." She gasped.

"You will never tell anyone of this place." He began. "If word ever got out about this tower, I'd be in big trouble. And then I'd have no choice but to destroy the tower and everyone in it. You can never come back unless I say so. Step one foot on this island without my approval, and I'll kill all your friends." He cupped her face and whispered into her ear. "Starting with Sho..."

"No.." She gasped.

"One wrong move and your friends are dead!" He shouted. "I'll enjoy true freedom while you suffer, crushed by the weight of your guilt!"


Present

"I'm going to fight Jellal." She said as a tear ran down her eye. "I have no choice."


Era

"The time to act is now!" Siegrain said. "We must use the satellite square to fire an Etherion blast directly at the tower."

"The magic used by the R-system is forbidden. We can't let it be part of our history." Ultear added. "Why can't you see that?"

"An Etherion blast would wipe out everything in the surrounding area." Org said. "Including anyone in the tower."

"That means your own brother's life is at stake." Michello added. "If you fire Etherion, he'll die. Could you live with yourself after that?"

"To protect the order of the magical world, I'll live with any guilt." He said back.

"Even if civilians are lost, we must stop it." Leiji spoke. "It's a decision that must be made."

"If we attack Kaelum soil, we'd be vilified. We'd go down in history as mass murderers." Org said.

"My reputation means nothing if I can't save countless lives." Belno said.

"Think of how the R-system would affect future generations." Leiji said. "What's the point of teaching people the value of life if the dead can be brought back?"

"I would like to vote of the use of Etherion." Belno said.

"Only one more vote." Siegrain said.


Tower of Heaven

Throne Room

"Just a single vote, that's all it will take." Jellal mumbled.


With Erza's Group

"Maybe it's just me, but the name Zeref sounds familiar to me..." Gray mumbled.

"I'm not surprised." Erza said, wiping her tear away. "He was a legendary black wizard."

"Didn't someone say that the Lullaby flute came from Zeref?" Lucy asked.

"I never mentioned it, but so was the demon Deliora." Erza added.

"If this wizard is as evil as you say he is, why would Jellal want to bring him back?" Juvia asked.

"I don't know why either, but my old friend Sho talked about them getting to heaven." Erza said.

"Okay, there's one thing that confuses me about these people who claim to be old friends of yours." Lucy spoke up. "They said you were a traitor, but the real traitor seems to be Jellal."

"I don't know what kind of lies he's been filling their heads with since I left." Erza said. "But the fact is I abandoned them long ago. I guess you could say I did betray them."

"Because he threatened to kill them if you came back!" Lucy shouted. "How could you have saved them? You were just a little girl!"

"That doesn't matter now." Erza said. "If I can defeat Jellal, this will all be over."

"Sister that's not true." All four turned to see Sho walk in. "Why are you lying to them?"

"Sho..." Erza started.

"All that crap about you being a martyr, was that just to get sympathy from your friends?" Sho asked. "Tell them the truth! That wasn't even close to what happened! You destroyed the boats we were going to use to escape and then you just left! If Jellal hadn't found out your plan, we'd all be dead by now! He told everyone the truth, that you were drunk on your new power, and didn't give a damn about anyone from your past!"

"Did it ever occur to you that he might be lying?" Gray asked.

"If you truly knew Erza, you'd know she'd never do anything so horrible." Lucy added.

"You only think you know her!" Sho said. "None of you were there! You don't know anything about us! I was saved thanks to Jellal! That's why I spent all these years working to finish the tower for him! I did it for him! And now you want to tell me that it was all a lie!? You honestly expect me to believe that Jellal has been lying to us this whole time!?"

"They're correct." Simon said as he appeared in the room.

"You!" Gray growled.

"He's not here to fight, my darling." Juvia said. "Back at the hotel, he knew it was an ice clone he attacked. No darkness wizard would ever be affected by a spell they cast."

"I'd expect nothing less from one of Phantom's Element Four." Simon said before turning to Sho. "I had to fool you and the others into thinking I killed him. I had hoped our attack would lure them here."

"So you were just tricking us?" Sho asked with tears in his eyes.

"Jella had you all under his spell, and I couldn't convince you otherwise." Simon explained. "I played along until the moment was right."

"So you knew all this time?" Erza asked.

"I've always believed in you, Erza." He said. "It's been that way for eight years, and nothing can change that. I say those words from the bottom of my heart."

"Simon." The two embraced in a hug as the rest of the group smiled.

"I can't believe it..." Sho said. "I blindly followed him for all these years. I doubted you, because you left me all alone! Do you have any idea how much that hurt!?" He pounded the ground and began crying. "What do I do!? Who do I believe!?"

"I know it's difficult to take this all in at once, but let me just say a few words." Erza said, crouching down. "I never stopped thinking about you guys for eight years. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him... I was too weak to do anything... Forgive me..."

"Now you're stronger and ready to face him, isn't that right?" Simon asked, making Erza nod. "I've waited years for this moment, when a group of powerful wizards would come here."

"So what's the plan?" Lucy asked.

"We're going to fight Jellal." Simon said. "We can beat him if we work together. But first, we must keep Cobra and Wally from killing each other."


With Erik

"Wow, this is a lot of cats." Erik mumbled as he walked into Millianna's room. "What kinda room is this?" He studied a giant cat head before putting it on his head and posing. "Okay, so it's not all weird." He reached up and tried to pull it off, only to find it stuck. "Great it's stuck. Oh well. It can't get any worse."

"Oh, I think it can." Wally muttered, pointing his gun at Erik.


Outside Tower Staircase

"Something is wrong!" Simon said as the group ran up the stairs. "I can't get a hold of Wally or Millianna. I can't even tell where they are."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"He's talking about telepathy." Juvia explained.

Erza stopped and looked back at Sho behind her. "Are you okay, Sho?

"I'm fine." He said back. "Everything's fine now that you're here."

"Juvia, are you sure we can trust this guy?" Gray asked. "I get he wasn't trying to kill us before, but still..."

"I'm not going to make any excuses for what I did." Simon said. "If you had died from that, you wouldn't have had a prayer against Jellal. There wasn't a doubt that Erik would survive. None of you have realized the power he has. Once he unleashes the dragon, evil will fall."


Millianna's Room

"Achoo." Erik sneezed. "Oh, that's just gross. I have to get out of this thing." He pulled the masked but it wouldn't come off.

"Here, let me help." Wally chuckled. Millianna ran up and pushed him to the side, forcing him to miss the shot. "Knock it off Millianna!"

"It's the blockhead." Erik turned around.

"That was a perfect shot! Why'd you make me miss!?" Wally asked.

"You were gonna hurt itty bitty witty kitty!" She shouted.

"Hold it, that's not even a real cat, doll!" Wally shouted back.

"Nya~." Erik said in his best cat voice.

"A wise guy, huh?" Wally asked, pushing Millianna out of the way. "I'm telling ya, what we have here is a rat! Polygon Attack!" His body glowed before it burst into blocks and flew at Erik.

He flipped out of the way before holding up a stuffed cat as a shield. "Cat-Make: Barrier!"

"No, don't hurt the kitty!" Millianna shouted.

"This ain't a cat! It's our enemy!" Wally shouted back. "It's just a guy in a cat costume!"

Erik threw the shield away and punched the blocks with poison, destroying more stuffed cats. "Jellal wasn't kidding. This cat has some claws..." Wally mumbled. "Millianna, it's go time."

"Meow..." She growled. "Pretending to be a cat when you're really just a person is a lousy thing to do!"

"Like you have room to talk!" Erik shouted back.

"Bad Kitty Restraint Tube!" Millianna summed her rope which wrapped around Erik's wrist.

"Good one, Milly!" Wally said.

"Wally, get that stupid fake cat!" She shouted.

"32 Frames-per-Second Attack!" He sent cubes towards Erik that struck him, well, 32 times per second.

"Why can't I use my magic!?" Erik asked. "It must be this rope!" He tried to pull it off, only to have a new one wrap around his foot and slam him down again before Wally slammed his blocks on his back. Millianna sent another rope that wrapped around his body.

"I hope you're hungry, Cobra." Wally said, pointing his gun at Erik. "Because you're about to eat lead. Ears up! I almost forgot my dandy catchphrase. Since the moment you met me-" He was cut off when Happy swung a robot cat toy in his head.

"Is that you, Happy!?" Erik asked.

"Who else? I'm glad you're safe." The cat said. "But what's with the mask?"

"Just get me out of this thing!" Erik shouted back.

"Look, pal. None interrupts me and lives!" Wally started firing at the cat, only to have Millianna mess up his aim.

"I won't let you hurt the little kitty witty!" She cried.

"Cats can't flay or flap their gums!" Wally shouted back.

"Untie me, Happy!" Erik shouted.

"Aye!" Happy shouted back. He landed and started to mess with ropes as Wally and Millianna kept fighting. "I can't figure this thing out.

"Fine, I'm gonna have to use it!" Erik shouted, scaring the other three. "Poison Dragon Sad Kitty." Millianna stared at the crying cat until she couldn't take it anymore and undid the ropes.

"What are you doing, Milly?" Wally asked.

"I can't stand a crying kitty." She whimpered out.

"Poison Dragon Wing Attack!" Erik rushed them with whips of poison, knocking them both out. "Mess with the kitty, you get the claws."

"How long do you plan to keep wearing that thing?" Happy asked.

"I can't get it off..." Erik confessed.


Throne Room

Jellal moved a cobra game piece and knocked over an archer and a cat before placing it down on the board. "The Cobra tamed Wally and Millianna, and Sho and Simon have betrayed me. Now this is a game. One sided matches are just boring."

"Jellal, it's not the time for games." The hooded man said. "If we don't get Erza back for the ceremony, all this will be for not."

"In that case, fetch her." Jellal said. "It is our turn, after all." He smiled as he placed four new pieces on the board, a red pair of scissors, a girl in a kimono, a coffin with a smile on its lid, and a red snake with wings.

The man took his hood off, revealing a white skull mask with glowing red eyes in the eye holes. His arms were covered by wraps that went down to his fingers. He wore a black tank top with a cross hatch, black skintight pants and black combat boots. His whole body was covered by a camo pattern cloak, and a rifle hung off his shoulder.

"About time, I was sick of waiting." Jellal looked over to a girl with blue hair and a red highlight. She wore a white, military like dress. Gold tassels hung of her shoulders and on her left upper arm was a metal band with three clasps. A blue collar at their neck lead down to a v pattern above her breasts, and a ribbon hung between them. Layers of blue, green and red gave the appearance of eyes and gold adornments hugged her side and back. Her legs were covered by long white, blue trimmed socks that turned into heels.

"Calm yourself, my dear." Another woman said. She had her pink hair tied in two large buns, two beauty marks under her green eyes, a black choker and her hands held a sword in a red sheathe. She wore a white kimono with red ribbons tied around her arms, a red, yellow trimmed skull at the bottom and a red sash acting as a belt and red platform shoes on her feet. "We assassins are at your command." She said as all three bowed.


Millianna's Room

"Pull harder, Happy!" Erik shouted.

"I'm pulling as hard as I can!" Happy shouted. With one final tug, the mask came off Erik and flew on to Wally's head, who quickly threw it off.

"We aren't done yet, Cobra." Wally said before he started coughing.

"Here, take this." Erik threw Wally a vial of antidote.

"Why you giving me this?" He asked.

"My score is settled with you." Erik explained. "And since Erza and Happy are safe, I'm not gonna let someone die because of me. Just make sure you split it with her." He pointed to Millianna, shaking in pain.

"Right, but we're still gonna get to heaven." Wally mumbled as he crawled over to Millianna and poured the antidote down her throat.

"I welcome you all to the Tower of Heaven." Jellal's voice rang out from all around them. "My name is Jellal, and I am the ruler of this tower. I see all the pieces have been placed."


With Erza's Group

"So he knows we're here." Simon said. "He's just been watching us the whole time, waiting for us." Behind them, Sho was shaking in rage.

"I'm delighted you came all this way to see me." Jellal continued. "I want us all to play a game. The rules are really simple. I wish to use Erza as a sacrifice to resurrect Zeref. If I succeed, then heaven will open its doors and I win. But, if you can manage to stop me, then you win. To make things more interesting, I've hired the services of four dark knights to battle for me."

"Four knights?" Simon mumbled. "Who are they?"

"To get to me, you must get past them." Jellal explained. "Thus, a four on eight battle. Oh, there is one more thing you should know. The council has the satellite square focused on this tower. So, it's highly likely they will attack. At this moment, they are debating whether or not to fire Etherion on us."


Throne Room

"Etherion? Are you mad!?" The masked man asked. "If that thing gets fired, we're all dead!"

"What, you scared mister sniper?" The woman teased.

"Not at all." He said back. "I love killing targets at just the right time. Makes it all the more fun."

"I have no idea how much time remains, but should the Etherion strike, there will be nothing but annihilation. In other words game over." Jellal explained.


With Erza's Group

"That is one seriously messed up game." Lucy whimpered.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Erza shouted. "Why would the council resort to something so drastic!?" She suddenly felt Sho's magic flare up and found herself trapped in a card.

"Erza!" Gray shouted.

"What the hell are you thinking, Sho!?" Simon asked.

"Now, let the game begin." Jellal finished.

"I won't let anyone hurt her." Sho said with rage. "I'll beat Jellal all by myself if I have to!" He turned and sprinted, with Erza screaming to be released.

"Gray, you're with me!" Simon shouted. "You two, head the other way and try to find Jellal!"


Throne Room

"Please go deal with those failures." He requested. The woman in white nodded before the tree left for their stations.

"And what's my role in all of this?" Jellal looked as Salamander flew into the room on Cubelious.

"Simple, boy." Jellal said as his fourth knight jumped off his ride and it wrapped around him. "Once those three fail to stop Erza, you are to make sure no one else gets by. Am I clear?"

"Crystal..." Salamander huffed out. "And the name is Salamander now." He walked down the stairs, scratching Cubelious.


Millianna's Room

"If this is a game, then that means we can cheat." Erik mumbled before turning to the window. "Come on, we're skipping to the boss. Huh?" Erik looked ahead as a white cone like object with blue flames came flying towards the room. "Crap! Happy, grab the block head!"

"Aye!" Happy wrapped his tail around Wally and carried him out the room as Erik did the same with Millianna. The object crashed into the wall and exploded, sending Millianna one way, and the males the other way.


A lot of people have been harping on me in the reviews for doing this arc. So let me make it clear, I'm doing this to introduce the good guys and to show how different the world is. Also, this isn't just Erik with Natsu's personality. In this world, Erik is a strong as Natsu was at the time, but a little smarter than the canon pinkette. Meaning, he's smart enough to understand alchemy and tactics, but still dumb enough to steal an S-Class quest.

It never made any sense to me why they talked about what happened to Jellal when Erza said she didn't know what changed in him. That's why the possession scene is missing in this story.

If you don't know who the mercenaries are, they are Ryuko in Junketsu from Kill la Kill, and Sterben from Sword Art Online 2.

Beta read by digemsmack.