Author's Note 1: Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga is a non-profit fanfiction series.
Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.
Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.
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Chapter 5: Enter Eisenwald
"All hail the warrior princess! All hail Lucy!" The grateful townsfolk cheered as Lucy and her spirits stood atop the body of a slain monster.
"Truly, you are the greatest wizard in all the land," a hunky prince said. He and a dozen equally handsome princes kneeled before Lucy. Their shirts were conveniently ripped open to reveal their chiseled bodies to the world. "How could we ever repay you?"
"Oh, I can think of a few ways," Lucy said with a giggle.
In the real world, Lucy was fast asleep, her cheeks aflame with a dumb smile on her face as her dream took on a more…amorous turn.
"Lucy," someone said as they tapped on her apartment window. She didn't hear anything; she was deep asleep and engrossed in her dream. "Luuuucy!"
"Oh, Prince Alan, you should probably help Prince Duncan out of his robes," Lucy mumbled to herself. Lucy was jolted awake as a large rock came crashing through her window. She shot out of bed with a scream and scrambled to find her keys.
"Good morning, Lucy!" She turned and saw Happy hovering just outside her now destroyed window with a cheery grin. Lucy looked at the cat, her broken window, and the rock on her carpet. It took a moment for her brain to wake up entirely and process this information, but Lucy sent a death glare at Happy when she did.
"You better have a good reason for breaking my window, cat!" Lucy shouted.
"Hey, I tried tapping on it, but you wouldn't wake up. And Alyssa would get mad if I picked the lock on your door," Happy explained as talking about the weather and not destroying private property.
"And breaking my window is somehow better?" Lucy said. "You know what, it's too early to deal with this kind of crap." Lucy dropped her keys and got back in bed, turning away from Happy.
"Hey, don't go back to sleep! I got something important to show you!" Happy said as he rummaged through his backpack. "Here! Look, look, look!"
Figuring that Happy wasn't going to let her go back to sleep, Lucy decided to humor the cat. But when she saw what Happy had pulled out of his backpack, her eyes went wide as dinner plates.
"No way! Celestial Keys?!"
And then…
"5,000 Jewel says he falls at the last minute," Cana stated.
"Please, he's probably gonna fall way before that," Vijeeter replied.
"I can hear you guys," Zeke replied. As he did, Lucy and Happy walked into the guildhall…and she had double-take at what she saw. Zeke was precariously perched atop a tower of chairs stacked on top of a table, balancing using only his right hand.
"…do I even want to know what's going on?" Lucy asked, getting Natsu and Alyssa's attention.
"Nab made a bet with Zeke that he couldn't balance himself on a stack of chairs for an hour," Natsu explained.
"It's been six minutes, so he's doing good so far," Alyssa stated as she began to pet Happy. Deciding not to question it any further, Lucy just went about her morning and got some breakfast at the bar. Lucy saw that she wasn't the only person at the bar. A few seats down was a man with short, brown hair and a matching, trimmed beard and mustache. He had blue eyes behind a pair of square glasses, a muscular physique highlighted by his blue polo shirt, black jeans, and brown loafers. And adding to the overall blue color scheme he had going on was the blue guild mark on his left forearm.
For some reason, Lucy thought the man looked kind of familiar. And since she was still a newbie, she figured she'd best introduce herself. "Hey, I'm Lucy."
"Oh, so you're Lucy," the man said with a friendly smile.
"You've heard of me?" The blonde asked in surprise.
"Well, you're the newbie on my son's team," the man replied. He held out his hand. "My name's Lyle Hudson. A pleasure to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, sir," Lucy said as the two shook hands. Suddenly, Lucy felt Lyle's grip harden, and his expression turned from friendly to deadly serious.
"That being said, I need to know; your magic isn't destructive, is it?" Lyle said sternly. Lucy started sweating under Lyle's gaze.
"N-No, sir!" Lucy said as she quickly pulled out Taurus' key. "I'm just a h-h-humble Celestial Wizard whose spirits are always well behaved!"
Lyle stared at her for a moment longer…before letting a sigh of relief.
"Thank the founders for that. The last thing Zeke's team needs is another dose of chaos," Lyle said, confusing Lucy. However, the bespectacled man heard Wakaba and the Conbolts beckoning him to their table. "Well, I'll be seeing you around, Lucy. Welcome to the guild," he said and walked away.
"…what was that about?" Lucy wondered out loud, getting Mirajane's attention as she cleaned beer mugs.
"Mr. Hudson is the guild's lawyer and financial advisor. He's the guy everyone in the guild goes to whenever they get into trouble," Mirajane explained with a smile. "He probably wanted to know if you were gonna be a problem for him in the future."
Lucy was about to ask why Lyle was so concerned about that…until she remembered just how rowdy all the Fairy Tail wizards she had met so far were. Dealing with all of the complaints and possible lawsuits would be a nightmare for any lawyer to handle. Lucy's fear of Lyle turned into pity. But looking back at Lyle, he still seemed to enjoy himself as he chatted with Wakaba and Conbolts.
After breakfast, Lucy, Alyssa, Natsu, and Happy were looking over the job request board. Zeke was now forty minutes into the chair balancing bet.
"Oh, this one looks good!" Natsu said, pointing to a job involving a roaming chimera terrorizing some towns. "I didn't know wizard jobs were so varied," Lucy commented as she looked at the various requests. From monster-fighting to breaking curses, escort jobs, and fortune-telling, the last of which Cana was quick to take.
"Hey, Lucy." The four turned and saw Loke walking towards them. He grabbed Lucy's hand and held it close to his face. "If you're still looking for a team, how about you and me form a team of love?" He went to kiss her hand, but Lucy snatched it away.
"Yeah, no thanks," Lucy replied as she motioned to her friends. "I've already joined Team Bravestar."
"Such a shame," Loke said as he adjusted his sunglasses. "A princess like you joining a team of trouble makers like them."
"If anyone's a trouble maker, it's you," Alyssa teased, giving Loke a devious grin. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning around to see Natsu with a similar expression on his face.
"Alyssa's got a point, Loke. That flirting habit of yours has gotten you into pleeeeenty of trouble!" Natsu said. "Remember?"
"Y-Ya," Loke said, turning pale as a sheet as he remembered the day he flirted with Alyssa. It ended up with him going through a wall, third-degree burns, and a major bruising to his nards. He could recall Natsu's enraged scream with perfect clarity.
"So you think it's okay to hit on someone else's girlfriend!? Fire Dragon's Burning Fist!"
"If you want to flirt with girls, you should at least make sure they're not already taken," Alyssa lectured, giving Loke a firm poke to his forehead.
"Loke never seems to learn his lesson." Happy chimed in.
"Oh, come on, I don't…" Loke began before remembering the many incidents of flirting with taken women. "Okay, you've made your point," he said with an embarrassed blush. "But I can't help myself. When I see a beautiful woman, my heart aches at their divine presence! Is it wrong to try and share my love?"
"You're confusing love with lust," Natsu retorted, hands on his hips. "You should focus on finding a serious relationship instead of your next one-night stand."
"Hey, not all of us have the luxury of falling in love with their childhood friend," Loke said with a smirk, ignoring Zeke's glare. "So anyway, Lucy-" Loke froze when he finally saw the keyring on Lucy's belt. "Ah! You're a Celestial Wizard!?" He squealed, recoiling in shock.
"Ya, what of it?" Lucy asked, confused. Loke turned away and ran, tears falling out of his eyes as he ran away.
"What a cruel twist of fate! I'm sorry, but we can never be together!" he cried dramatically. Unfortunately, he didn't watch where he was going and headed straight for the pyramid of chairs.
"Um, Loke, run around! Serious, stop! I said sto—"
Loke smacked into the chair pyramid with a bang, sending it and Zeke crashing to the ground.
"DAMMIT, LOKI! You cost me 15,000 Jewels!" Zeke shouted, rubbing his sore back. Quite a few guildmates laughed at the spectacle.
"Sorry about that!" Loke shouted as he ran out of the guildhall, even more embarrassed.
"Okay, that was weird," Lucy said with a sweatdrop.
"Rumor has it that Loke had a relationship with a Celestial Wizard that ended on bad terms," Happy said.
"Makes sense," Lucy said as the four went back to looking for a job, Zeke joining them after begrudgingly handing Nab the money.
However, it turned out that deciding on which job to take was more difficult than expected, with each teammate wanting something different. Lucy wanted something low-key and easy after the chaos of the Daybreak mission. Natsu wanted to do something exciting, like fighting a bunch of monsters. Alyssa was torn between doing a mission that would have them stopping bandits or doing a mission that involved taking care of a cute slime creature. Happy tried to convince them that they should go on a sea-monster hunting job, though all of them knew that he only wanted to do so he could have an excuse to go fishing. Zeke tried to find a job that would make everyone happy, but that was proving easier said than done.
But soon enough, the relaxed and jovial atmosphere was broken as Loke came running back into the guild. He slammed the front doors open with a terrified look in his eyes.
"GUYS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" Loke screamed, drawing the rowdy guild's attention. "ERZA'S BACK!"
The silence that followed was deafening only to be broken as the younger members of Fairy Tail started panicking at the name. The older members just shrugged at the news. A few like Mirajane and the Conbolt family even smiled. As for Team Bravestar…
"Welp, we're probably gonna get an earful," Zeke groaned as he placed his head on the table while Alyssa scowled.
"So, Ms. Tin Can is back. That's just fan-freakin-tastic," Alyssa said through grit teeth. Seeing the usually bright amazon in such a foul mood was really freaking Lucy out.
"Wow, looks like almost everyone's on edge," Lucy said as it seemed only a few people were unfazed by the announcement of Erza's return. Natsu and Happy were among them, the two still looking at job posters.
"Eh, ya, Erza is a bit of a monster, but the worst she can do is beat you up," Natsu said nonchalantly.
"Aye." Happy chimed in.
"She won't be beating anyone up if I got anything to say about it," Alyssa grumbled as she cracked her knuckles. Soon, the guild heard the sound of boots tapping against the cobblestone.
"Oh, no. That's definitely Erza," Laki said, cowering behind a table.
"Um…maybe I should actually find a job, like now," Nab said as he ran towards the job board.
Just as he did, the doors to the guildhall swung open. In walked a woman with long red hair that reached down to her waist and deep brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of elegant silver chest armor with a golden cross over a red Fairy Tail mark. On her hands were silver gauntlets that matched her chest armor. A blue skirt and knee-length black boots finished the outfit. And based on what Lucy could see of her arms and legs, this woman obviously had a muscular physique.
And the fact she was carrying a giant horn, decorated with gems and precious metals over her shoulder with one arm.
'Woah, she's so pretty.' Lucy thought as the redhead walked into the guildhall. She got to the center of the room and put down the horn with a thud that resonated through the whole guild.
"I have returned," the redhead said as she looked around the place. "Where is Master Makarov?"
"Welcome back, Erza," Mirajane greeted cheerfully. "The master already left for the Guild Masters' Conference in Clover. He should be back by tomorrow."
"I see," Erza replied as a blond wizard named Max looked at the horn.
"So where'd this come from?" he asked.
"From a behemoth I slew. The locals were nice enough to clean and decorate it for me out of gratitude," Erza explained. "Is there a problem?"
"N-nope! None at all!" Max said before stepping back.
"She doesn't look anywhere near as monstrous as you guys described," Lucy whispered to her team.
"Looks can be deceiving," Zeke whispered back, the other three nodding in agreement.
"Listen up!" Erza exclaimed as she looked over the guild with a stern expression. "During my travels, I've heard that Fairy Tail has been causing trouble again. While the master may not care, I do!" She turned her attention to Cana, who was drinking out of a wine barrel.
"Cana! If you keep drinking like that, you'll blow out both of your kidneys!" She then turned to a dancing man.
"Vijeeter! Take the dancing outside!" She turned to Wakaba. "Wakaba, get rid of that filthy habit!" The older man dropped his head on the table. Erza then turned to Nab, who was standing by the request board. "Nab, I figured you would be by the board. Stop being indecisive and pick a job already!" The tribal-looking man nodded in fear.
"It's like she's a one-woman disciplinary committee," Lucy whispered to her team, the others agreeing. But as Erza continued her tirade, she failed to notice three people sneaking up behind her and…
"Surprise!" Macao shouted as he, Enno, and Romeo all gave Erza a big hug, much to the redhead's embarrassment.
"Welcome home, Erza!" Enno proclaimed.
"You're finally back!" Romeo cheered.
"Y-you guys, knock it off!" Erza said with cheeks to match her hair as the three continued to hug her. Romeo was the first to let go to look at the behemoth horn.
"Wow, that must've been one awesome battle," Romeo said. "Oh, I bet you used the Giant Armor, right?"
"Spot on, Romeo," Erza said proudly. "I'll admit, it was a tough battle, but the beast was no match for me."
"That's my girl," Macao said as he slung his arm over Erza's shoulder.
"Oh, you've just got to tell us all about it," Enno said. Erza smiled as she went on to regale the three with the details of her latest job.
"Huh. Well, that was unexpected," Lucy commented, baffled by Erza going from stern to embarrassed to prideful in a few seconds.
"That's Erza for ya." Happy said.
As Erza finished explaining how she took down the behemoth, her expression turned more serious. "Now, where's Gray?" Erza asked. "There's an urgent matter I need to discuss with him."
"Over there, letting it all hang out," Macao stated as he pointed to a nearby table Gray was sitting at, butt-naked. Enno covered Romeo's eyes while Erza just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Gray, put some clothes on!" Erza exclaimed.
"Oh, crap!" Gray shouted, quickly getting his clothes back on as Erza approached him. "S-So, what's up, Erza?"
"I need your help for another mission."
"Already?"
"Trust me, it's of the utmost urgency. In fact, we could probably use a team to assist us?" Erza said as she looked around. "Where are the Thunder Legion?"
"Out on an S-Class Quest," Gray answered.
"Shadow Gear?"
"In the middle of a ruin exploration job."
"Alzack and Bisca?"
"Still hunting some outlaws near the Badlands border."
"…Team Young Mega-Death?"
"Are you serious," Gray said flatly. "They left this morning, so you just missed them."
"Hmph. So that only leaves one option." Erza stated as she turned and began walking towards Team Bravestar.
"Oh, crap," Gray stated and followed.
"I'm just saying that translating some lost hieroglyphs could be fun," Zeke said as the five were still trying to decide on a job. "My great uncle twice removed, Gerald Hudson, was a master translat-'' Zeke tensed up as soon as he saw Erza approach, fully expecting an unfortunately justified lecture. "Oh, hey Erza."
"Good to see you, Zeke," Erza replied. "Natsu, Happy."
"'Sup?" Natsu said before scowling at Gray, which the Ice-Wizard returned in kind.
Erza turned to Alyssa and said, "Ah, Alyssa. Nice to see you're still eating healthy."
A vein appeared on Alyssa's forehead as she stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?" Alyssa asked as she approached Erza, glaring daggers at the redhead.
"Oh, nothing. I just think it's great that you're not self-conscious about that overgrown body of yours."
"Tough talk coming from someone so insecure about their femininity that she has to hide behind a cheap set of armor," Alyssa retorted as she leaned down, pressing her forehead against Erza's.
"Oh, so the woman who outmuscles almost every man in the guild wants to talk about femininity?" Erza growled as she pressed back. "And for your information, this armor is a one-of-a-kind custom job!"
"Ya, and it still looks cheap!" Alyssa fired back as figurative sparks came from the two's eyes as they growled at each other. Lucy was a bit taken aback by Alyssa's change in attitude.
"They're kind of like you and Gray," Lucy said to Natsu.
"Nah, Popsicledick is way worse," Natsu replied, only to get pulled up by his scarf by an irate Gray.
"You wanna repeat that, firecrotch?!" Gray shouted. Zeke sighed, Happy chuckled, and Lucy looked on in worry as the two pairs of rivals antagonized each other.
"Come on, everyone. Play nice," Enno said with a gentle smile as she tried to placate them.
"Ya, the last thing the guild needs is you kids wrecking it," Macao chimed in. "Don't make me come over there." Glancing over at Macao, the two pairs of rivals begrudgingly stepped back, still giving their respective rivals dirty looks.
"So Erza, how's it going?" Zeke asked as he approached her. "Did you come here to read us the Riot Act again? If you are, please just give us a chance to explain."
Taking a moment to compose herself and calm down, Erza's expression turned serious. "No, I do need your help. When I was in Onibas, I heard something troubling. Normally, I would consult with Master Makarov about a matter of this magnitude. But since he's out at the moment, and you four are the only available team in the guild, I'm asking for your help."
"I don't know," Zeke said. "I mean, what's the job entail?"
"I need your help fighting a dark guild."
"We're in!" Zeke exclaimed, much to his team's surprise.
"What the hell, Zeke?!" Alyssa shouted.
"There's no way I'm working with the nudist," Natsu said. Zeke brought his two friends down into a huddle.
"Guys, think about it," Zeke whispered. "It's a dark guild. They're probably packed to the brim with strong opponents. And what better way to show you're better than your rivals than by kicking more ass than them? Besides, if we help take down a dark guild, our reputation is gonna go through the roof!"
The hot-blooded couple thought about Zeke's words for a moment and realized that they totally agreed with him. The three turned back to face Erza and Gray.
"Congrats, Erza. You were right to pick the best team in all of Fairy Tail to help you," Zeke said with a confident smile as he wrapped his arm around Erza's shoulder.
"You were literally my only choice," Erza said tersely. "If the Thunder Legion was he-"
"Bah! You don't need Thundercock and his cheerleading squad when you've got us. Right guys?"
"Right!" Natsu and Alyssa cheered as they both struck a fighting pose. Zeke then remembered the other two members of their team.
"Happy, Lucy. You two don't have to come on the mission if you don't want to."
"Oh, thank the Celestial King," Lucy whispered to herself with a sigh of relief.
"Uh uh, there's no way I'm missing out on this!" Happy said with total confidence.
"That's the spirit, little buddy!" Natsu said before scratching the back of the blue cat's ear.
"Very well then. Meet me at the station in two hours." Erza said as she headed out, the Conbolts following behind her. Gray, Natsu, Alyssa, Zeke, and Happy headed out to get ready as well. As they left, Lucy heard Mirajane mutter something.
"Erza, Natsu, Alyssa, Gray, and Zeke all working together? This might be the strongest team Fairy Tail's ever had!"
"EH?!" Lucy shouted in shock at that fact, making Mira realize she had been thinking out loud.
And then…
"AAAAGHH! I'm already regretting this!" Natsu complained as he glared at Gray. "Not only do I have to go on a train, but I gotta stare at your dumb face."
"You're the one with the dumb look, lizard boy!" Gray shouted back. "And this ain't a picnic for me either!"
"They're at it again," Zeke stated.
"Aye." Happy chimed in. Just as Erza instructed, Team Bravestar and Gray had gathered their gear and arrived at the nearby train station, waiting on both their train and Erza. As the two spiky-haired men continued trading insults, Zeke, Alyssa, Happy, and, surprisingly, Lucy sat on a nearby bench.
"Don't they ever get tired of yelling at each other?" Lucy asked.
"I've known these guys since we were kids," Zeke replied. "They've been at each other's throats since then, and I doubt they'll stop this whole routine anytime soon."
Speaking of rivals, Lucy decided to ask Alyssa something. "Hey, Alyssa." The blonde said, getting her taller teammate's attention. "Is there a reason you have a grudge against Erza?"
Alyssa blinked before letting out a sigh. "It's not that I hate her or anything. It's just that we were never on the best of terms when we were kids."
"You weren't on good terms with Mira either, but now she's your best friend," Happy said.
"That's different. Mira apologized for what she did. I've never heard Erza apologize even once," Alyssa replied, confusing Lucy since Mirajane was one of the nicest people in the guild.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone." Lucy heard Erza say. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."
"It's o-" Lucy's jaw hit the floor when she saw Erza. She was pulling a massive cart of luggage taller than everyone there while Macao, Enno, and Romeo walked alongside her. "THAT'S A LOT OF LUGGAGE!"
Erza looked at the flabbergasted blonde girl. "Oh, you're the new girl. What was your name again? Lu...lu...Luigi?"
"It's Lucy!" she corrected.
"That's it," Erza replied. "Why are you here?"
"You're looking at our newest team member," Zeke said proudly, sharing a knowing look with Lucy. Earlier, the blonde had told her team leader that Mirajane asked her to tag along to keep the peace between Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Alyssa.
"She's tougher than she looks," Romeo stated. "Lucy helped save Dad when a nasty vulcan possessed him."
"It's true," Macao said to Erza. Lucy blushed and giggled at the praise she was getting.
"Huh. Well, I normally wouldn't allow a rookie to tag along with us, but it seems you've got a good track record." Erza said before Alyssa stepped towards her.
"Look, Erza. For the sake of the mission, I'll try to get along with you." The taller woman then pointed at the shorter woman with a determined expression. "But when all this is over, you and I are gonna have a rematch! One on one!"
The Boost Queen's statement surprised everyone.
"Does your girlfriend have a death wish?" Gray asked Natsu, who said nothing as he smiled at the orange-haired woman.
"I'm way stronger than I was before," Alyssa stated as she clenched her fist. "So don't expect an easy win this time."
Erza was stunned, but then a smirk appeared on her face. "Alright then. I accept your challenge. We'll fight at the guild when we get back." The two stared down each other with matching determined expressions as the redhead held out an armored hand. "May the best woman win."
Alyssa smirked and shook her hand. "Don't worry. I plan to."
Soon enough, the time came for the seven to depart, the Conbolts seeing them off.
"Come back safely," Enno said with a smile.
"Give those dark guild thugs some hell," Macao stated with a pumped fist.
"You guys gotta tell me all about it when you get back!" Romeo said.
"No problem," Erza said as she tussled Romeo's hair. And soon, the train departed for Onibus station. Natsu laid his head on Alyssa's lap as his motion sickness kicked in. She caressed him and stroked his hair to make him feel better. Sitting next to them was Zeke reading a novel and Happy polishing one of his Lacrima grenades. Across from them were Gray staring at the window, Erza snacking on some strawberries, and a nervous Lucy sitting in between the two.
"It was really nice of the Conbolts to see us off, and Macao's looking a lot better," Lucy said.
"Don't be fooled; he looks well, but he's in no condition to fight after that vulcan incident, doctor's orders," Erza said between bites. "Otherwise, I would have asked him to join us on this mission."
Lucy looked at Erza curiously. "So, what's your relationship with the Conbolts? You seem pretty close to them."
"I'd hope so," Erza said with a smile. "After all, they are my family."
"Really?" Lucy said.
"Yes, Macao and Enno are my adopted parents," Erza replied. "I've been with them since I came to Fairy Tail. Dad's the one who taught me how to use and control my magic."
"Oh, that reminds me," Lucy said. "I was wondering what kind of magic you use? I couldn't find anything about it in Sorcerer Weekly whenever they mentioned you."
"Erza's magic is really pretty." Happy stated. "It makes her enemies bleed a lot."
"How is that pretty?" Lucy asked, freaked out by the blue cat's statement.
"It's not that great," Erza said as she looked at Gray with a smile. "Personally, I think Gray's magic is far more beautiful."
For a brief second, Gray's cheeks flared up. He brought his hands together before channeling his magic in between them, creating an ice sculpture shaped like the Fairy Tail emblem. "It's no big deal. It's just some ice magic."
"So you use ice, and Natsu uses fire," Lucy said with a hand on her chin. "That's why you don't get along. You're literally polar opposites."
"Huh. I never thought of it that way," Erza chimed in.
"Nah, I just hate his guts," the rivals said in unison before Natsu's motion sickness kicked in again.
"So, are you gonna tell us which dark guild we're going after?" Zeke asked Erza as he put a bookmark in his novel.
"We're going after Eisenwald," Erza answered. "When I stopped over in Onibus, I overheard a couple of Eisenwald wizards talking in a bar. They mentioned the name Erigor."
"I've heard of him," Zeke said. "The guy's known for his preference in assassination missions. That's why they call him the Grim Reaper."
"Grim Reaper," Lucy said with fear in her voice.
"That's right. The Magic Council prohibits wizards from taking assassination requests, but Erigor chose money over the rules." Erza explained. "Because he and his guild disobeyed the council, they were kicked out of the magic league. But despite this, they still operate as a dark guild."
"Still doesn't explain why you think we should intervene," Alyssa stated. "Dark Guilds are usually handed by the Royal Army."
"That's true. However, I heard them mention a magical artifact called Lullaby and how they were having trouble breaking the seal placed on it. And given Eisenwald's track record, if they're after a sealed item, it can't be good." Upon hearing the name Lullaby, Gray and Team Bravestar's eyes widened in recognition. "I'm not so arrogant that I believe I can take on an entire guild on my own," Erza replied with a nod. She clenched her fist and slammed it against her seat arm. "I should have stopped them when I had the chance, but now we have to stop Eisenwald before they do something horrible."
"So that's why you needed all of us," Gray said.
"You mentioned Lullaby," Zeke said. "On our way back from our last mission, we encountered a group of bandits that knew something about Lullaby. At the time, I assumed they were talking about a song, but I think they were talking about this artifact named Lullaby."
"Yeah," Lucy interjected. "They said they were on the run from their guild and terrified of their guild master finding them. I bet those wizards were from Eisenwald."
"My thoughts exactly," Zeke said. "Whatever Erigor's got planned must be pretty sick and twisted for them to run away."
"Where are these wizards now?" Erza asked.
"Someone took them with shadow magic," Happy answered, shivering at the memory of the group being sucked into the ground.
"The way those guys were talking about Erigor, he's gotta be really pissed," Alyssa said with a grimace. "He's probably killed them by now, or worse."
"Then our mission is simple," Erza stated. "We find Eisenwald, defeat anyone who gets in our way, and take this Lullaby."
"Maybe I shouldn't have come along," Lucy muttered.
"Lucy, you're making a lot of juice." Happy stated.
"It's sweat!"
A few hours later, the group had arrived in Onibus and stepped off the train. Unbeknownst to the Fairy Tail wizards, a black-haired man gave them a dark look as he watched them leave. He gripped the object hidden in his coat.
After making Natsu take his motion sickness medicine, Erza led the group to the bar where she had overheard the Eisenwald wizards.
"Natsu, do your thing," Zeke ordered. Natsu nodded and started smelling the table where the dark wizards had sat two days ago. Most of the scents were faint, but he raised his eyebrow as he recognized one of them.
"Sulfur," Natsu said. "Just like back in the woods, it's definitely the same guy. But the scent of ancient wood's missing."
"That other scent must be Lullaby; he must have broken the seal and stolen it when you encountered him in the woods," Erza speculated.
Suddenly, Natsu's eyes widened in realization. "He was on the train!"
"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked.
"That scent of ancient wood and sulfur was on the train!" Natsu exclaimed to everyone's shock. "Damn it! I was so out of it I couldn't tell what was so familiar till now!"
"Come on, there's no time to waste," Zeke said, beckoning the other wizards out the door.
Meanwhile, a group of wizards was forcing the passengers off the train in Kinugi station. Leading this effort was a man with silver hair, a black scarf, a bare chest, black gloves, and a pair of hakama pants. He had bandages on his wrists and feet, markings on his face, and carried an imposing scythe taller than himself.
"Everyone off the train!" He ordered as the rest of his guild was shoving people off. "Eisenwald is taking over."
"Master Erigor." The silver-haired man turned to a man in a white jacket with black hair in a high ponytail. The shape reminded people of a pineapple.
"Ah, Kageyama," he greeted the black-haired man. "I assume you did your part."
"Just as planned," Kageyama said as he pulled out a flute with a three-eyed skull at the end. "Lullaby is now ours."
"Excellent," Erigor said with a sinister grin as he took the flute.
"But we might have to accelerate our plans," Kageyama stated, causing his master to raise an eyebrow. "There was a group of Fairy Tail wizards on the train, the same wizards who captured the traitors along with a red-haired woman."
"I see," Erigor said. He glanced over to a group of Eisenwald wizards huddled off to the side, trying to make themselves as small as possible. The same five wizards who ran away from their guild. They seized up as they felt Erigor's chilling gaze land on them, terrified of what he might do to them. Erigor turned back to Kageyama. "Did they follow you?"
"No, sir. They got off at Onibus."
"Then there's still time," Erigor concluded before addressing the rest of his guildmates. "Double time, people! We're headed for Oshibana! Make sure everything we need is on board." The Eisenwald wizards cheered and boarded the train while the grey-skinned wizard and his group remained quiet and lingered at the back.
And then…
After realizing that the wizard with Lullaby was on the train, the Fairy Tail wizards rented a magic-mobile to catch them. Erza was the one at the wheel as they reached Kinugi Station. When they arrived, the group saw that the military was already there helping the civilians, so Erza headed straight for the next train station in Oshibana.
"Slow down, Erza!" Gray yelled as he held onto the roof of the magic-mobile. "You're gonna blow up the SE plug!"
"It doesn't matter!" Erza exclaimed as she accelerated through the streets of Oshibana. "We have to stop Eisenwald, no matter the cost."
"But you'll use up all your magic by the time we get there!"
"Then I'll have to resort to hand-to-hand combat. Besides, I have you guys to back me up."
Gray looked at her until a groaning voice came from underneath. He turned and saw Natsu halfway out the window as the rest of Team Bravestar (sans Happy) were trying to pull him in.
"Stop it, Natsu!" Alyssa exclaimed. "You'll fall out at this rate!"
"That's the plan!" Natsu groaned.
Soon enough, they arrived in Oshibana Town. Erza called out apologies to the civilians as she drove the magic-mobile straight towards the train station. The magic-mobile came to a screeching halt when they saw an enormous crowd of people already gathered in front of the train station. "I think we might have found them," Zeke said. Erza nodded and parked the magic-mobile. The group got off-Alyssa carrying her motion sick boyfriend on her back-and saw smoke coming from the station as the personnel addressed the crowd.
"Everybody, please remain calm. There has been a train derailment. Until repairs have been made, the station is closed for the moment."
The crowd started discussing that some of them had heard that dark wizards had taken over the station. Erza walked up to one of the employees. "What's the situation?"
"Why would I tell-" But before he could finish, Erza headbutted him. She turned to the next employee and asked the same question, headbutting him when he didn't tell her. She was about to do the same to a third employee but was stopped when a miffed Zeke pulled her back by her long hair.
"I doubt they'll say anything useful if you keep headbutting them into a coma," Zeke said before turning to the scared employee with a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry about my associate's behavior. We're from the Fairy Tail guild, and we think that a group of dark wizards we've been following has holed up in this station."
The employee thought for a second before whispering to Zeke so as not to cause a panic. "You're right. A group called Eisenwald has taken over the station. A platoon of soldiers entered the station a while ago, but none of them have come back."
"Thank you," Zeke whispered back before letting go of Erza's hair. "Ever heard of the phrase you 'catch more bees with honey than with vinegar?'" He then turned towards his teammates and Gray. "Alright, guys. Let's go!"
"That was surprisingly easy," Lucy commented.
"That's Zeke for ya," Happy replied as the group ran into the station.
"It's far too quiet," Erza said as she scanned the area. "The soldiers should have engaged Eisenwald by now, so where are the sounds of combat." Erza's question was answered as soon as they reached the main concourse. Dozens of soldiers littered the ground and were strewn across the stairs to the platforms. Many of them were unconscious and bleeding but alive nonetheless, while others weren't so lucky.
"They didn't stand a chance against an entire dark guild," Alyssa said.
"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy said as she approached one of the few conscious soldiers.
"Oh yeah, just peachy," the soldier said through grit teeth. "Except for the multiple broken bones and stab wounds, just fine."
"Don't worry, we're wizards from Fairy Tail, and we're here to help," Lucy said. "Let's get you and the others out of here."
"There's no time!" Erza exclaimed. "Eisenwald's already inside.'
Lucy started to protest, but the soldier gripped her hand. "She's right," he said, fighting through the pain. "You need to stop them, or who knows how many civilians will die. Go!"
Shocked at his words, Lucy's face hardened, and she gave him a curt nod. They sprint up the stairs and to the central platform. When they arrived, they were met by the entirety of Eisenwald, vicious grins spread across all the dark wizards' faces when they spotted the Fairy Tail wizards.
"Welcome to our parlor, Fairy flies," Erigor taunted as he was perched on one of the loudspeakers. "We've been expecting you."
"There's so many of them," Lucy said, her voice ringing with fear. As Zeke surveyed the crowd, he was surprised to see the catnappers from the other day among the Eisenwald wizards. Though by the looks of things, they were battered, bruised, covered in bandages, with looks of utter defeat across their faces.
"Erigor, I presume," Erza said as she glared up at the Grim Reaper. "Where's Lullaby?"
"Oh, you mean this?" Erigor said with a wry smile as he pulled the artifact out for them to see.
"A flute?" Alyssa asked as she helped Natsu stand up. "Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting that."
"Flute?" Lucy asked. Suddenly, she gasped at a horrifying realization. "Guys, I know where I've heard that name before! Lullaby's a cursed flute that uses a form of death magic! Anyone who hears its song is killed!"
"Intelligent little fly, aren't you?" Erigor asked.
"What's your plan, Erigor?" Zeke asked, trying to keep his cool in light of Lullaby's true nature.
"I'll give you a hint. What do all train stations have in common?" He said, motioning to the speakers underneath him.
"So you're going to use the speakers to broadcast Lullaby?" Erza growled as she gritted her teeth. "What reason could you have for committing such an atrocity!?"
"This is the cleansing, diving punishment handed down from the Grim Reaper himself!" Erigor shouted with a manic, bloodthirsty grin across his face. "These fools have committed the sin of turning a blind eye to the injustices of the world all while taking for granted the rights they hold so dear as the government strips those same rights away from others! If I put the speaks up to max volume, I can probably broadcast my melody all across this wretched town!"
"Are you fucking insane!" Zeke spat. "The last time I checked, murder isn't a right anyone has! And, news flash, that body count is going to include your entire guild!"
The Eisenwald wizards laughed at Zeke's statement. "Well, if it isn't Captain Obvious," an Eisenwald wizard with a tall flat-top said. "We knew that from the start, and we'll gladly give our lives for Master Erigor's divine mission."
"We won't let you get away with this!" Alyssa exclaimed. "You aren't getting anywhere near that speaker system so long as we're here."
"Well..." Erigor said as he clenched his fists, the wind started whirling around him. "…I'm the one with an entire guild at my command against six upstarts and a cat. I think the odds are in my favor."
Natsu glared at the grinning wizard as flames gathered around him. "It doesn't matter how many flunkies you throw at us! We're gonna kick all your asses!"
"Eisenwald!" Erigor exclaimed as he rose into the air. "Shows these flies what happens when they get in our way!" And with that, he disappeared into a mini-tornado.
"Wind Magic," Alyssa stated.
"We have to stop him!" Erza exclaimed.
"You're not going anywhere!" Kageyama said as he unleashed a swarm of shadow tendrils at the group. Natsu destroyed the tendrils with a flaming fist.
"Shadow Magic," Alyssa said with a scowl, recognizing it from the swamp.
"We'll have to divide and conquer," Zeke stated as he conjured his bow. "Natsu, Alyssa, Gray. You guys look for Erigor. The rest of us will deal with these guys."
"Are you kidding me?" Gray groaned.
"You got it!" Natsu said as he headed out of the room; Gray followed behind him.
"Happy, I'm gonna need that belt," Alyssa said.
"Got it!" Happy said, reaching into his backpack and tossing a belt equipped with several glowing orbs. Alyssa nodded in appreciation, strapping on the belt and bolting out of the room.
"You're not getting away!" A man with a black and yellow coat with a striped hood said. Black bandages flew from his hands and pulled himself to the balcony. "I, the great Rayule, will make them suffer."
"I'm coming too," Kageyama said as he disappeared into the shadows.
"What?! Just the four of us against an entire guild?!" Lucy panicked as she looked at all the crazed and angry dark wizards staring them down.
"Relax, Lucy," Zeke said with a confident expression. "You got two S-Class Aces with ya. These schmucks are toast."
Seeing her teammate's smiling face lightened her fears a bit, and she nodded.
"Enough talk!" One of the Eisenwald members exclaimed. "Let's waste these idiots!"
A red magic circle manifested in front of Erza and transformed into a long sword with a wing-shaped crossguard. She grabbed it and said, "Couldn't agree more."
(Music Que - Fairy Tail OST: Against Magic)
A group of dark wizards armed with various weapons charged at Erza. The moment they were in range, Erza swung her sword with such force that it destroyed all their weapons, much to their shock.
"Show off," Zeke said before turning to his feline teammate. "Let's fly, Happy!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy said as he channeled his mana into his left paw. Zeke did the same with his right hand as the blue cat ran to his other side. Happy leaped, and the two bumped the back of their fists together. The resulting flow of combined mana created a pair of green wings on each of their backs.
"Unity Link: Emerald Aera!" Zeke and Happy chanted, Lucy looking on in amazement.
"Oh, shit! They got Unity Magic!" One of the Eisenwald wizards shouted as the two took off into the air.
"Arch Shot: Arrow Rain!" Zeke shouted before firing a massive stream of arrows, hitting several Eisenwald wizards right on. A few of the mooks armed with long-range magic attempted to blast Zeke out of the air, but he easily evaded every attack with his new wings. Happy tossed a few lacrima grenades and sent a dozen dark wizards flying.
Erza charged into the crowd as two Eisenwald members attacked with giant swords. Her sword glowed and transformed into two short swords. Erza shattered the attackers' blades with a single strike.
"Take this!" Three wizards said as they joined their attacks and fired. Erza turned towards her foes, her eyes glowing red with magic.
"Telekinesis Magic: Sudden Stop." Erza chanted. Suddenly, a red aura appeared around the three, freezing them in place.
"W-What the hell?!" One of the Eisenwald wizards shouted as Erza cast her next spell.
"Re-Quip: Wind Spear!" The sword was replaced with an elegant green spear. Erza swung the spear with a yell, creating a gust of wind that blasted her foes back.
"I've never seen someone Re-Quip as fast as her," one of the Eisenwald wizards said, gaining Lucy's attention.
"Re-Quip?"
"It's kind of like your magic, Lucy." Happy explained as he flew back towards her. "Instead of summoning spirits from another dimension, Re-Quip wizards can call weapons and armor they store in a personal pocket dimension, like an armory that's always with them."
"Really?" Lucy asked, watching as Erza fought off more goons up close while Zeke continued launching arrow spells from above.
"Still this many left. How annoying," Erza said as her body started to glow. "Re-Quip: Valkyrie Armor!"
When the glow faded, Erza was in a different suit of armor, this one giving her the appearance of a Valkyrie with silver wings behind her.
"That's Erza's true power." Happy explained. "Not only can she Re-Quip armor faster than anyone else, but she's got oodles of special armors enchanted with different magic. Each one gives her new abilities. This version of Re-Quip is called The Knight. And combined with her Telekinesis Magic, she's basically a one-woman army."
"Wow," Lucy said in astonishment.
"Re-Quip: Bladed Arsenal!" Erza exclaimed as she summoned multiple swords around her. The blades floated around her, levitated by the redhead's Telekinesis Magic. "Origin Union: Spiral Sword!"
With that chant, the circle of flying swords flew ahead, stabbing and injuring over a dozen Eisenwald wizards.
"You bitch!" A man with whisker-like marks on his face leaped at her from behind with his hands covered in magic energy. Erza turned and used her Telekinesis Magic to stop him in his tracks before sending him flying.
"She took out Byrad without even touching him!" An obese wizard with green hair said in fear. "There's no doubt about it! It's the queen of the Fairies, Titania Erza!" He used his magic to phase through a nearby wall to escape.
As her teammates continued to battle against the horde of dark wizards, Lucy was in awe. Erza's mastery over both of her magics was like watching a war goddess dance while Zeke and Happy rained down magic to cover her.
"So this is what real wizards can do," Lucy said, her eyes sparkling as she felt herself getting motivated to join the fray, pulling out Taurus and Vali's keys. "Alright, then. It's my turn! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull - Taurus! Gate of the Wolf Spirit - Lupus!"
Two magic circles appeared before Lucy. In a flash of light, with a yellTaurus and Vali passed through the gate to the material world.
"Woah! You really know how to get into trouble, Lucy!" Vali said as she took in the chaos around them. At the same time, Taurus spotted Erza and let out a whistle.
"Who's the redhead? Because she's got some killer moooooves!" Taurus said, literally salivating at the sight of Erza destroying hordes of enemies.
"I'll introduce you to her later," Lucy said as she grabbed her whip. "Now, let's kick some dark wizard butt!"
"Got it!" The two spirits shouted, charging into the fray alongside their caster.
(Music Que End).
In another part of the station, Alyssa ran through the halls in search of Erigor. She opened every door she came across to try and find the speaker room. But as she entered a storage room-
"Shadow Binding!"
-she was immediately restrained by several tendrils made from shadow magic. And out of the shadows came the pineapple-haired man.
"Well, well, well. Looks like I caught a pretty big fly," Kageyama said with a smirk.
"Don't get cocky, Pineapple Head!" Alyssa shouted as her body surged with mana. "Boost Magic: Boosted Pull!"
With an enraged yell, Alyssa swung her bulging arms forward, tearing the shadow tendrils to pieces. She pulled her legs out the other tendrils, impressing Kageyama.
"Okay then. Looks like we're doing this the hard way," the Eisenwald wizard said as shadow magic flowed around him. "Try not to lose too quickly, big gal."
"That's my line, you jerk!" Alyssa said as she held her fists up.
In yet another part of the station, Natsu was running around and growing increasingly frustrated. The dragon-slayer was attempting to track Erigor down via scent. But for some reason, the Grim Reaper's scent was all over the place, making it difficult to find him. However, the dragon-slayer felt the wind picking up and coming from the end of a hallway, heading towards the direction the wind was coming from.
Speaking of Erigor, he was currently sitting on top of the station. He had one hand raised, with a purple magic circle above him. More and more, the wind was growing faster and stronger around the station.
'Those flies have no idea what's in store for them,' Erigor thought with a mad grin as he continued to conjure up an immensely powerful spell. 'They'll never step outside of this station again!'
To be continued...
Author's Note 2: Now we're into one of the first big fighting arcs of the story!
You've probably noticed I changed a lot of stuff concerning Erza. Especially with her personal relationships. You'll see more of that in the coming chapters.
And wait until you see what we're gonna do with Lullaby.
Next Time: Against the Storm! Please remember to read and review!
See ya next time!