"I shouldn't be here," a short, gray-haired man of medium height said.
"Don't worry, I've taken every precaution for our meeting," Jellal soothed.
They were in a badly attended bar, dark and dirty, in one of the most remote areas of Fiore. Jellal had made contact with this man named Lars. He claimed to have information about the group that wanted to attack and destroy Fairy Tail. Negotiations were long and complicated until they found each other. There have been previous encounters, but Lars has not revealed anything without trusting Jellal before, this has dragged on for weeks, until this very day, where he said he would reveal everything he knew.
"That's what you say, Jellal. But it's mine that's in danger, if something goes wrong you just run away and I screw myself", Lars showed insecurity and nervousness.
"I can protect you, Lars. That's what we agreed, I won't let anything happen to you. Tell me what you know and I assure you that nothing will happen, you will get a second chance", said the Crime Sorcière mage .
"I hope so," Lars sighed. "Do you know how dangerous those guys are?"
"That's what I want to know."
Lars glared at him and turned to the bartender and motioned for two drinks. "I'm risking a lot by coming here, but a deal is a deal. When this is all over, no more accusations or persecution."
"You have my word," Jellal assured him.
"This group is not small, Jellal. They are well-organized and determined to end Fairy Tail," Lars began to share what he knew.
"Why? Why do they want to end Fairy Tail?", Jellal asked.
"There is a lot of resentment towards this guild among the black mages, the leader took advantage of this feeling to gather an army."
"But what I don't understand is that Crime Sorcière has been attacking dark guilds much more than Fairy Tail."
"You're just consequences of Fairy Tail's actions, Jellal. Not to mention that it was this guild that ended the Balam Alliance, which ended up destabilizing many dark guilds. It generated a lot of resentment," Lars said. "And don't go thinking I'm doing this for the fairies. I'm just thinking about myself, those guys can't be trusted and I'd rather be away from them."
Jellal looked dead serious, making Lars shift in his chair with the intensity of his gaze. "I never believed in anything else, Lars. Now, how big is this group? How strong are they and where are they hiding?" he asked seriously.
Lars sighed and relaxed for a moment as drinks were delivered to both of them. Lars took a sip and Jellal did the same, thanking the waiter.
"I don't know how many there are exactly, but there are many. They have been training a lot and have gotten really strong. You better not underestimate them, blue haired boy," Lars said.
"I see," Jellal looked thoughtful. "We've also gotten stronger, even more so after all the war against Alvarez and Acnologia. Do you think they might be a problem?" he asked.
"They are dark mages. What do you think?" Lars said sarcastically.
Jellal looked at him deadly serious again. "Don't play with me, Lars. They're my friends in this situation." Lars threw up his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright! I can't be sure, but I believe so. There are many, as I said, and they are not to be trifled with. Warn the fairies to be careful," he said.
"Right. But nothing said makes much sense to me. Because now? What do they mean by attacking Fairy Tail like that? Who is the leader?" Jellal asked.
"I already said. There's a lot of resentment. The dark mages are angry, they lost a lot with Fairy Tail meddling in their affairs. They want revenge, freedom to act unhindered," Lars was saying. "I don't know the leader very well, I just know he was in a guild before and it wasn't a big deal, but somehow he managed to set up this organization. He gathered many beside him and all with the same goal, you know. He's very good at convincing and there are people of his out there recruiting more and more members into his army." Lars took another sip of his drink.
"Does this 'leader' have a name?"
"They call him Karan. I don't know if it's his real name.
"No problem, I'll investigate. Do you have any idea when they're planning to attack?" Jellal lifted his glass of drink to his mouth and drank some.
"They are getting ready, but there has been no warning in this regard. From what I've seen, it's soon. I don't think they have much time."
"I understand. And where are they hiding?" asked Jellal.
"The base is in Annaheim ".
Jellal looked thoughtful, worriedly. " Annaheim … This is not good," he commented.
"Is there a problem?" Lars asked worriedly.
"Is there a fortress, some hidden entrance, tell me everything Lars?" Lars gave all the information Jellal asked for bluntly. "I have to warn Fairy Tail," Jellal placed a wad of money on the table. "On me," he said and stood up from that fetid bar.
"What about your promise?" Lars said before Jellal left.
"Don't worry," Jellal waved, walking out the door smugly.
"'Don't worry'..." Lars huffed and went back to taking a sip of his drink.
Fairy Tail was as noisy as ever, Mirajane tended the bar and took care of all the organization the guild needed. At that moment the door opened and Jellal walked through it.
"Good morning, Jellal," Mira greeted him as he passed her in the middle of the room.
"All right, Mira?" he replied.
"Yes, everything is fine around here," she said, smiling. "Erza left for a while, so she should be back."
Jellal blushed a little at the white-haired mage's comment. "I, I didn't come to see Erza. I'm looking for Makarov. Is he here?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.
Mira looked at him more seriously and nodded. "He's in the office," she replied.
"Okay, thank you very much, Mira", Jellal thanked her and as he started to walk towards the master's office he was stopped by a voice calling him.
"Jellal?"
He turned towards that voice. "Ryker".
Ryker approached the blue-haired mage. "I assume your visit has to do with that group that wants to attack us, right?" he said.
Jellal looked at him seriously, showing all the concern he had in this regard. "That's right, I'm going to talk to the master about what I discovered."
"Alright… Erza should be back soon, I think it's better to wait for her so we can talk to him. She's too involved in this to be left out," Ryker stated.
"I think you're right," Jellal agreed after reflecting for a few seconds.
They waited a couple of hours for Erza to get back from her activities. She wasn't surprised by Jellal's presence in the guild and deduced why he was there. She went to talk to them, who were waiting for her, and soon confirmed her suspicions. So the three of them went to Makarov's office, where Jellal told him everything he had discovered in his investigations and what Lars had told him. Makarov decided that this needed to be shared with the rest of the guild. everyone went to the hall and Jellal told the other mages everything.
"What are we going to do?" Gray asked after hearing everything Jellal had to say.
"The situation is serious, we need to do something", Lisanna commented worriedly.
"Take it easy Lisy, first of all we need to get this all sorted out," Ryker said.
"Ryker is right, we can't make any rash decisions," Erza agreed. "We know where they are, but we don't have the exact number of them or how strong they are", she was thoughtful, analyzing the case.
"The Council cannot do anything. I mean, we know they killed Valentin and the others. Can't they help us?" Lucy asked.
"The Council acts belatedly, always as a reaction to something that has already happened," Jellal said. "Besides, what we have is just circumstantial, we have no concrete evidence against them and no way to prove that it was them."
"Jellal is correct. When Gajeel and I worked for the Council, we only went after mages after a lot of investigation and after we were sure they had committed some crimes. That's how it was with Avatar," Levy had said, speaking earnestly. "In that case, if we took it to the board they would reject it or, at best, they would start some investigation. Which would take a long time."
"We don't have time," Erza added.
"Exactly, Levy. The Council won't help us now," Jellal warned in a serious tone.
"We can't just stand here and wait for them to attack us! We have to do something!", Natsu yelled. "I can go there and show that no one can mess with our guild and our friends and get away with it. I'll burn them until they learn!", he said with anger plastered on his face.
"Control yourself, Natsu!", Erza warned him. "We're not going to stand by and do nothing, but we need to act smart," she looked at him sternly. Natsu turned his face annoyed and annoyed.
"After all, Natsu is right. We cannot stand still," Makarov said thoughtfully. "The Council will not act, we have to defend ourselves, act on our own", he concluded.
"But what if we take Jellal's informant to the Council? That might change things," Gray suggested.
"Impossible," Jellal stated flatly. "I promised I would keep him safe and free, without persecution. If we did that, it would be against my word."
"And nobody wants that, Jellal," Erza said.
"We can ask the other guilds for help," Lucy commented.
"This is a Fairy Tail problem, I don't want to put our responsibility on someone else's shoulders," Makarov stated flatly. Lucy sighed in defeat.
"The problem is also Annaheim ," Jellal said seriously.
"What's up with Annaheim ?", Natsu asked naively.
"What is Annaheim ?", Ryker also asked.
" Annaheim is a labyrinth of canyons and canyons, a very complicated place to walk and find your way around," Mira said, her face showing serious concern, Ryker knew her well and knew from her expression that none of this was good.
"We'll have to deal with this, there's no other way", Erza resigned.
"So that means..." Lucy said.
"Let's attack them first," Makarov said seriously. "We know where they are, we will have the advantage of a surprise attack. Erza and Jellal agreed that it is the best option."
Everyone looked at the two in surprise. A direct attack on the enemy's base wouldn't be new to them, but there was always a risk. Ryker looked worried and uneasy about the whole situation.
"And who goes on this attack?" some mage asked.
"We will send our strongest mages. Team Natsu, along with Gajeel and Jellal," replied Makarov.
"Juvia is going too!" the water mage intervened, rushing to Gray's side. "She has a bad feeling about it. She needs to protect Gray-sama."
Makarov looked at Erza who made no move to refuse help. "They work well together, I think it would be a big help", the redhead agreed with her to go.
"If that rain woman goes, she could put Levy, too," Gajeel pleaded. "She can supply me with iron during battle."
"No problem for me", approved Erza.
Ryker looked at Gajeel and Levy seriously. "I don't think she's good to go," he said seriously. Everyone turned their attention to him, surprised by his speech.
"Why not!?", Gajeel asked with a deadly serious look. "Do you think she's not capable?"
"Don't put words in my mouth, nailhead," Ryker replied firmly. "Your wife is pregnant, this could be risky for her and her baby. That's all," he said.
"I can protect you," Gajeel retorted firmly.
"No, you can't!" Ryker yelled, taking everyone by surprise. He sighed, calming down a bit. "I learned a long time ago that this is not true on a battlefield. One second of distraction and that's it..." He looked deeply at Gajeel and Levy. "One shot in the right place and at best your child will be aborted and killed," he said coldly. "Levy, I know of your ability, but stay out of it," he pleaded.
Gajeel glared at him. "Listen here...", he was interrupted by Levy's hand in his.
"It's okay Gajeel. He's right, I can help from here, somehow," she looked up and touched her belly. "I don't want anything to happen to our baby," she smiled tenderly.
Gajeel looked at her and sighed in resignation. "It's all right".
Ryker breathed a sigh of relief, he knew full well what war could do to a pregnant woman's body and her child. "I don't want a pregnant woman killed in a war again," he thought.
"Well, if there's nothing more to say... We have a lot to do before Erza's group leaves," Makarov said.
After that everyone split up, preparing to face a mysterious group that was targeting Fairy Tail. Juvia was sitting with her boyfriend's crew, but she wasn't as cheerful and upbeat as usual, she seemed worried and quiet.
"What was Juvia. Why this face?" Gray asked, noticing his girlfriend's state.
"It's nothing Gray-sama, it's just that Juvia has a bad feeling about all this," she said worriedly.
"Don't worry Juvia. We've been through worse," Levy said, trying to calm her down. However, Gray became serious and showed concern as well.
"What's up Gray? What happened?" Lucy asked, seeing her friend looking distressed.
"I'm also worried about this quest," the ice mage said. "Juvia's bad feelings always mean something", they had known each other for a long time and they always had a mysterious connection, even before they started dating. He knew that Juvia's forebodings meant trouble.
" Ah !? Is this true?", Levy asked Gajeel, beside her.
He shrugged. "How am I supposed to know, Shrimp!?".
"Now, weren't you best friends? It's the kind of thing best friends know," Lucy commented.
"We weren't such friends!" Gajeel grumbled.
Juvia giggled, with the Iron Dragon Slayer attitude. "Gajeelkun was always lonely in our other guild, he didn't interact much, not even with Juvia."
Everyone was confused by her explanation. "Then why do you call him ' kun '? Isn't that just reserved for close people?" Carla asked.
"Gajeelkun did some missions together with Element Four and he and Juvia did others, just the two of us. He never cared much about her rain and Juvia was grateful to him for that. And even not interacting much, Juvia felt that she was always closer to him than to the others. That's why she uses the honorific ' kun '", Juvia smiled happily.
"That makes a lot of sense," Gray said.
" Tsh !" Gajeel grunted. "Whatever. I just want to kick the ass of these idiot wizards who dare to challenge us".
"Me too! I'm all excited to face them and show them why they shouldn't mess with Fairy Tail", Natsu said, pounding his flaming fists and smiling with excitement.
"I can't understand their excitement," Lucy whimpered. "We are going to face an enemy that we know almost nothing and are very dangerous, in addition to being strong. And yet they get all excited," she sighed in defeat. "If only Ryker was too...".
"A lot of people would draw attention. With the surprise factor we can catch them off guard", Erza tried to comfort her blonde friend. "Our focus will be on the leaders, without them the dark mages will disband and in time, we will be able to capture them."
"So this is plan. Makes sense," the blonde commented.
At the bar, Ryker and Mira were talking about the mission that would be taken on in a few days, with Erza's command.
"Are you worried?" Mira asked, knowing her boyfriend well.
Ryker massaged his temples. "A little, there's something bothering me about this whole story."
"Try to calm down, Erza and the others are strong. They can handle everything."
"I know they can, especially Erza," Ryker smiled faintly. "But that's not what's bothering me."
"So what is it?" she asked.
"I don't know yet," he said vaguely.
Wendy sat next to Ryker, sighing thoughtfully and with a tense, worried expression. She ordered a glass of juice for Mira, which was promptly handed over to the little Dragon Slayer. Ryker sensed his little sister's anguish.
"Worried about this mission, Wendy?" he asked.
Wendy nodded in the affirmative. "I am, but I don't know what it's about," she said.
"It could be anxiety. Do you feel any discomfort in your stomach, a strange feeling in your chest that you don't know where it's coming from?" Ryker said.
"Yes, exactly that", the little one said looking at him in amazement. "How do you know, onii-chan ?"
Ryker smiled at her. "Experience, Wendy. The worst part of a battle, when I was in the army fighting the war, was the moments before the shooting started."
"And why is that? Wouldn't the fight be the worst time?" Mira asked in disbelief.
"Yes it's true. It's in the fight that we are most in danger, isn't it?", said Wendy.
"Not really," he said. "With training and experience, we know how to behave on a battlefield. But before the first shot is where the tension really is. We don't know when, from where, how intense the first shot will be, whether it will hit someone or not. This creates blatant tension, but when the whole thing happens and the battle breaks out, we know how to act. I was always more comfortable in that situation than in the lull," he smiled.
Wendy and Mira looked at him shocked and disbelieving in his words. "It must have been hard," the little Dragon Slayer said in a sad tone.
"Forget it, Wendy," Ryker fondly stroked her head, trying to calm her. "Focus on the mission, prepare and don't get distracted in battle," he advised her. "You have to come back to me in one piece," he whispered in her ear.
Wendy looked at him and hugged him. "I will go. I promise I'll be careful," she replied.
"I know. I hate that you're a part of this, but I can't stop you. So don't you dare not come back. He understood?"
"Yes, onii-chan ", she replied hugging him.
Mira, looking at the two of them, just smiled.