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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Previously: The S-Class Mage Erza Scarlet recruited Team Bravestar and Gray Fullbuster to take on the dark guild Eisenwald. After discovering that Eisenwald had taken a train station hostage, our heroes found themselves fighting to keep the villains from using the station's PA system to broadcast the cursed song of Lullaby.
But is that all there is to this encounter?
Chapter 6: Against the Storm
'These guys really don't know when to quit,' Zeke thought as he evaded a flaming spear. For the last seventeen minutes, he, Erza, Happy, Lucy, and the blonde's spirits had engaged in a battle with the Eisenwald wizards. Zeke quickly surmised that individually, most of the dark wizards lacked real skill, so they were attempting to take the four of them down with sheer numbers.
But between Zeke using his Unity Link-created wings to evade and fire back from the air alongside Happy, Erza, and Taurus overwhelming their foes with raw power and Lucy and Vali double-teaming anyone who came close to them, the group was quickly thinning their numbers.
Finally, all of the Eisenwald wizards were knocked out. Zeke whipped some sweat from his brow as the Emerald Aera vanished from his and Happy's backs.
"Nice going, Taurus!" Lucy said as she gave her bull spirit a double high-five. "You too, Vali."
"Yay!" The wolf girl said with a cheerful dance, one that Happy was quick to join in. As this happened, Taurus noticed Erza's Heaven's Wheel Armor fading away as she stabbed a sword into the floor to stay upright.
"What's up with Red?" Taurus said. Zeke approached Erza and helped her stand.
"You alright?" Zeke asked, getting a nod from the redhead.
"I must've used more of my mana on the magic-mobile than I thought," Erza replied.
"Well, there's no surprise. Hopefully, the others are having a better time than us," Zeke said with a concerned look.
Meanwhile…
Alyssa leaped out of the way, another shadow tendril. Honestly, this shadow mage was the kind of opponent she hated fighting. One who always keeps themselves out of her reach with their magic. But it wasn't simply the long-ranged attacks that Alyssa found annoying.
"Boost Magic: Boosted Leap!" Alyssa leaped at her foe at superhuman speed. Her right fist reared back. However, with a smirk on his face, Kageyama faded into the shadows, avoiding Alyssa's fist just as she punched through a wall.
'Dammit!' The orange-haired woman thought as she pulled her hand out the wall. The Boost Wizard knew she would have to stay on her toes since Kageyama seemed like he could use his Shadow Magic to pop out of anywhere in the room. And indeed, the black-haired man appeared from a shadow portal on the floor. Alyssa attempted to leap at him again and again, only for Kageyama to keep evading through his shadow portals.
"Hehehe. You brawlers are so goddamn predictable," Kageyama taunted as he raised his hand. "Shadow Saws!"
With a wave of his hand, several small shadow disks launched towards Alyssa. But the orange-haired woman was able to evade the attack spells, grabbed a box, and tossed it at Kageyama, only for it to get smashed by a shadow tendril.
"That's just it. Whenever you muscleheads can't hit your targets strait-one, you're pretty much useless." Kageyama taunted as he conjured up several shadow snakes behind him. "This is what you get for being brain dead. Shadow Orochi!"
"That's what you think," Alyssa said, grabbing two of the strange-looking grenades from her belt. Quickly, the orange-haired woman channeled her magic into them, causing them to emit a yellow glow. Alyssa quickly tossed the glowing grenades before closing her eyes. And before Kageyama could react, the airborne objects exploded in a ray of blinding light.
"AH! MY EYES!" Kageyama shouted as he covered his aching eyes, the light causing his shadow magic to reel back. Alyssa was quick to act, remembering where her foe was standing. The orange-haired woman ran forward and swung her fist, hitting Kageyama right in the gut.
"Gotcha, bastardo!" Alyssa exclaimed as she channeled magic through her arms. "Boost Magic: Grand Combo-Punch!"
The Boost Wizard unleashed a barrage of supercharged punches as spit, blood, and even sent a few teeth went flying. And with a final solid-right cross, Alyssa sent her foe through a nearby wall. The orange-haired amazon slowly opened her eyes to see that the light from before had faded away…and that she had actually punched Kageyama through four walls rather than just one.
"Whoopsie. I didn't mean to go that far," Alyssa said, knowing that Zeke was probably going to give her crap for smashing so much.
"W-Why…do you even have…light grenades?" Kageyama moaned out before passing out from his injuries, making Alyssa's mood turn sullen as she remembered the reason why she had Happy keep a few in his backpack…and a pair of haunting red & black eyes. She soon felt her breath quicken and her hands began to shake.
'No! Calmati, Alyssa! Calmati!' She thought to herself, taking a deep breath. 'You're on the job. Focus on that.' Now no longer shaking, Alyssa headed out of the room, picking a random direction and hoping that she could help Natsu or Gray in their fight.
Speaking of Natsu, the dragon-slayer was getting a bit irritated as he ran through the halls. Erigor's scent was getting increasingly hard to track to the dark wizard's wind magic tossing his scent all over the place. So the salmon-haired man was trying to figure where the scent was the strongest, eventually leading him to a balcony overlooking the town.
'Alright, Natsu. Concentrate. That skinny jerk's gotta be around here somewhere.' Natsu thought to himself until his ears picked up some faint chanting.
"Rage, o' malevolent winds. Let your voice encompass this dwelling and all my enemies within."
Natsu turned and looked up, spotting Erigor standing on the highest point rooftop. His eyes were closed, his free fingers raised as a purple magic circle hovered underneath him.
"Gotcha!" Natsu shouted, leaping and bouncing off of several structures to reach Erigor. He reared his right fist back, engulfing it in flames. "Fire Dragon's Blazing-"
"WIND WALL!" Before Natsu could reach his foe, a huge burst of wind surged forth from Erigor, the sheer gale force winds knocking him back onto the balcony.
"Dammit! Oh, well, let's try that again!" Natsu shouted. However, the dragon-slayer still felt the wind going crazy around him. Natsu turned around, and, to his shock, the area around the station, and the station itself, were surrounded by a massive cyclone. "What the hell?!"
"Hehehehehe! And just like that, your fate is sealed, Fairy Fly!" Natsu growled and saw Erigor hovering above him. But he also noticed the man was sweating profusely, a sure-tell sign of mana depletion, which was no surprise considering the sheer size of the wind funnel now surging around the station. Natsu wasted no time trying to take advantage of this.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" The dragon-slayer unleashed a massive plume of fire from his mouth, but Erigor evaded, flying harmlessly through the wind wall. Natsu attempted to chase after him only to get blasted into a nearby pillar by the massive cyclone.
"Ha! That never gets old!" Erigor said. As Natsu got back up, Erigor decided to taunt his foe. "This Wind Wall is a powerful enchantment. For the next eight hours, it'll rage around this station! And the more you try to push past the wall, the stronger the winds will become! You're trapped like a whimpering dog in a cage."
"Oh ya?! Well, you need to come back inside to use the speaker system! So the second you get back in here, I'm gonna burn those shitty tattoos off your chest!" Natsu shouted back. But Erigor only smirked at that threat.
"You legal guild types really take things at face value, don't you?" Erigor said with a smug grin, twirling Lullaby between his fingers. "Have fun wallowing while I destroy everything you love!"
"What are you talking about?! Hey!" Natsu shouted as Erigor took off into the distance. In anger, Natsu unleashed another Roar spell against the Wind Wall, which did nothing as the fire quickly dissipated. With a growl, the dragon-slayer rushed back inside the station.
Back with the main group, Alyssa had reconvened with them, Happy applying bandages to the cuts on her face. But out of the corner of his eye, Zeke could swear he saw one of the unconscious Eisenwald wizards lifted their head to look at them. Zeke manifested his bow and cautiously approached them. His eyes widened when he got a better look at them.
It was the group that kidnapped Happy in the swamp, all of them either lying on their backs to face down. And yet, none of them had any injuries, almost like they hadn't involved themselves in the fight. Looking closer, Zeke noticed one of the twins' closed eyes were twitching, the same kind that happens when someone is awake but doesn't want to open their eyes. And all five of them were doing something similar.
"You guys can stop playing dead. No one's buying it." Zeke said, getting his guildmate's attention. And indeed, the five got back up.
"I told you this plan wasn't going to work," the blue-haired fortune teller said.
"Shut up, Goodman," the short elf-like man snarled before looking at Zeke. "You're a sharp one, aren't ya?"
"Well, not to brag, but I am a certified genius," Zeke said with a smug look on his face.
"And yet, you fell for Erigor's trap," the elf-man grumbled.
"The fuck are you talkin' about?" Zeke asked as the five looked at each other as they silently contemplated something before the elf guy spoke again.
"You might want to get your friends here. They're gonna want to hear this."
And after ensuring Happy and Alyssa that the five weren't going to try and eat Happy again, the Eisenwald wizards began their explanation.
"This was all just a trap for you, Fairy Tail lot," the elf-like man stated, confusing the group.
"Kageyama saw you get off the train at Onibas," Goodman chimed in. "He recognized a few of you from the swamp and figured you were after Lullaby."
"So he came with a plan to take this station hostage. And he used all of Eisenwald as bait to keep you guys busy," one of the twins explained.
"Wait, so he was never going to broadcast Lullaby over the PA?" Lucy asked.
"Master Erigor is a psychopath, but he's not stupid, nor does he kill indiscriminately," the other twin stated.
"So, what is Erigor's true motive?" Erza asked.
"He's going to Clover and use Lullaby to kill all the guild masters at the conference there," the elf man stated. The Fairy Tail wizards' blood ran cold.
"N-No, way!" Alyssa said, fearful for Makarov's life. "He wouldn't…no one's that crazy, right?"
"Erigor's determined to put an end to 'the system that destroyed our way of life,' whatever the fuck that means," the elf man said.
"Guys, we have a big problem!" The group turned and saw Gray pulling a frozen Rayluh on an ice cart. "This was never a random killing spree!"
"We already know about that, Gray!" Zeke exclaimed just for Natsu to burst into the room.
"Guys! That Erigor jackass erected a barrier, and now there's a cyclone around the-HEY, IT'S YOU ASSHOLES!" The dragon-slayer shouted before standing protectively in front of Happy. "You better be trying to eat Happy again! Especially you, Chicken Man!"
In response, the chicken-like wizard let out a couple of angry clucks…causing Natsu's eyes to widen. "You're a woman?!"
"You can understand Henrietta!" one of the twins said.
"Weird," the other twin chimed in.
"Focus, goddammit!" Erza exclaimed. "Natsu, what kind of wind barrier are you talking about?"
"He called it the Wind Wall," Natsu said.
"Oh, well, your guild master and all the rest are as good as dead," Goodman sighed. "Master Erigor's Wind Wall is near indestructible once cast."
"Wait, what was that?!" Natsu shouted.
One short explanation later…
"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Natsu shouted as his head caught on fire.
"There has to be some way to get past the enchantment," Erza said while glaring at the Eisenwald wizards.
"Well, he's a bit of an ass, but Kageyama can probably help you," Goodman explained. "He's an expert with dispelling. He's got black, pineapple-shaped hair."
"Pineapple-shaped?" Alyssa said before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, merda."
"You know that guy?" Gray asked, with the orange-haired amazon looking away in shame.
However, unbeknownst to them, the catnappers were not the only Eisenwald wizards conscious. As the Fairy Tail wizards and the catnappers left to find Kageyama, a man with whisker marks on his cheeks opened his eyes and looked around.
"Karacka," he said with a pained groan. "How long are you going to hide back there?"
Suddenly, a portly wizard with green hair wearing a red shirt phased through the wall like a ghost. "I'm sorry, Byard, but I was scared," he said with a guilty look on his face. "Those guys were crazy strong, and I'm nowhere near as tough as you."
"That doesn't matter right now," Byard said with a stern look. "Follow the flies and the traitors and find Kageyama. If he undoes the Wind Wall, it's all over."
"Wh-what, but Kags would never betray us," Karacka sputtered. "Besides, there's no way I can rescue him from those Fairy Tail wizards."
"We can't take that chance," Byard said and then smirked. "And you don't need to rescue him, you've just got to do one simple thing, and we're in the clear."
And then…
Alyssa led the Fairy Tail wizards to where she'd left Kageyama, with Lucy at the tail end of the group. "He's just around this corner. Let's hope we can wake him before-" Alyssa came to a screeching halt. Zeke ran straight into her back and fell on his backside.
"Ow! What the hell, Alyssa?" Zeke said, rubbing his nose as he stood back up
"H-he's gone!" Alyssa exclaimed. The Fairy Tail wizards looked to see the destroyed walls and splatters of blood across the room, but no Kageyama.
"I thought you said you knocked him unconscious!?" Erza shouted.
"I did, Tincan," Alyssa growled back. "Guess he's tougher than he looks."
"Well, the good news is that he can dispel the Wind Wall if he's awake, and he couldn't have gone far," Zeke said. "Natsu."
"On it," Natsu said, closing his eyes and sniffing the room. His eyes shot open, and he stared through the broken walls. "He went this way, come on!" Natsu bolted through the hole in the wall, and the others followed.
"Guess you're good for something, after all, Flamebrain," Gray snarked.
"Shut it, Snow Stripper," Natsu snapped back.
Kageyama was slowly making his way down the halls in another part of the train station, looking for a good place to hide. He held his side with one arm while supporting himself against the wall with the other. Every movement sent pain shooting through his body. "Damned giant bodybuilder, how does anyone even get that big," Kageyama muttered to himself. "Why the hell did she have light grenades? Did the universe just say, "Fuck this guy, in particular, today" the second I woke up? Well, fuck you too, universe." Kageyama winced in pain, and his knees nearly gave out. "I swear, when I see miss 'Queen of the fucking Amazons' again, I'll break every bone in her body, just like she did to me."
"Is that right?" a voice said. Kageyama froze. He slowly turned around to see Alyssa and the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards behind him. "You're welcome to try," Alyssa said with a smirk.
"Woah, he looks like crap," Zeke said. "How are you alive?" Rather than answer the question, Kageyama sent a wave of shadow at the Fairy Tail wizards, which were quickly dispatched by Natu's fire.
"Alright, Pineapple Head, your boss put up a barrier around the train station, and you're gonna get rid of it," Natsu growled.
Kageyama stared at them for a moment before smirking. "So, Master Erigor has already cast the Wind Wall." As he looked over the group, he finally noticed Snarl's group behind them. "And I see that knife-ears and his little posse have finally turned traitor, so you all must know about our real plan."
"That's right," Zeke said. "And we know you're the one who broke the seal on Lullaby, and you're gonna take down Erigor's spell!"
"Yeah, and why the hell would I do- WHAT THE FUCK!" Kageyama screamed when a sword embedded itself in the wall barely an inch from his head. Everyone turned to see a furious Erza glaring at Kageyama as she summoned another sword from her pocket dimension.
"That was a warning," Erza growled as she raised her sword to a terrified Kageyama. "If you don't comply with us, I will skin you like the cowardly animal you are!"
"Erza, what the hell!?" Gray exclaimed.
"We need him alive for Fonder's sake!" Zeke shouted. "He can't dispel the barrier if he's dead!"
"Just do what she says, Pineapple Head," Natsu shouted. "I haven't seen her this pissed off in a long time!"
Kageyama stared at them, and by some miracle, he still had dry trousers. He swallowed a lump in his throat and glanced at the sword next to his head and then to Erza, who was being held back by her guildmates. "I… I…" Kageyama nervously began, the Fairy Tail wizards anxiously waiting for his answer. Suddenly, Kageyama's eyes widened, and he let out a pained gasp of breath and fell forward. Lucy screamed when she and the others saw the knife in his back.
They looked up to see a trembling hand protruding from the wall. As it retreated, Natsu lunged towards the wall with a Fire Dragon's Blazing Fist. His attack blew a huge hole in the wall and revealed the would-be assassin.
"K-Karacka!" Snarl exclaimed as his friends gasped in shock. "What the hell?! Why did you attack Kageyama!?" Karacka merely stood there as if trying to understand the sight of a knife sticking out of his guildmate's back.
"What's wrong with you?!" Natsu shouted as he punched Karacka in the face, sending the green-haired wizard sprawling on the ground. "He was your friend! How could you just stab him in the back?!" Karacka didn't answer; he could only stare at Kageyama's prone form as tears welled up in his eyes.
"This looks really bad," Lucy said as she and Zeke crouched over Kageyama.
"Happy, first aid kit," Zeke ordered, trying to stay calm. "Natsu, you cauterize the wound." The next few minutes passed in a blur. They managed to treat Kageyama and keep him from dying, but now he was out cold again, and it looked like he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Erza knocked out Karacka, and they had his former guildmates watching him with Henrietta carrying him over her shoulders like a bag of potatoes.
"Damn it, damn it all," Zeke said as he paced the hallway. "By the time he wakes up, Erigor will already be in Clover."
"I can't believe he'd just stab his guildmate in the back," Lucy said solemnly. "I know they're criminals, but still."
"Believe me, we're more surprised than any of you," Snarl said. "Karacka never really had the stomach for being a Dark Wizard. The only reason he joined Eisenwald was that his asshole friend, Byard, joined up."
"So now what do we do?" Alyssa asked. Suddenly Erza grabbed the unconscious Kageyama and started shaking him.
"WAKE UP!" Erza shouted at Kageyama, ready to slap him awake until Gray grabbed her arm.
"Easy, Erza! Between Alyssa's beating and getting stabbed in the back, a slap from you would kill him," Gray stated, giving her a stern look. Erza scowled at the admonishment but sighed and lowered her arm in agreement.
"Is everyone from Fairy Tail this crazy, Ted?" One of the twins asked.
"Seems like it, Fred." The other twin replied.
"Bachaw!" Henrietta chimed in.
"We're wasting time!" Natsu abruptly said. "If we can't dispel it, let's just brute force our way through the stupid wall!"
"I hate to say it, but that's the best plan we've got right now," Zeke said. "Let's get moving. Alyssa, bring Pineapple Hair in case he wakes up." Alyssa picked up Kageyama in a bridal carry, and the wizards made their way to the Wind Wall.
Erza, Gray, Natsu, Zeke, and Happy attacked the Wind Wall with everything they had, but everything they threw at it, from Erza's sword and spears to Happy's hammers, were either torn apart or blown away.
"Dammit! How is freakin' wind this tough to get through?!" Natsu shouted.
"There goes hammer #37. That was my favorite prime numbered hammer," Happy bemoaned.
"This is crazy," Gray said. "I've been hitting this thing with everything I've got, and we're no closer to getting through it." At Gray's words, an idea popped into Lucy's head.
"Maybe we can't go "through" the Wind Wall, but maybe we can go around it," Lucy said with a smile. "Or, more precisely, under it."
Everyone stared at Lucy for a moment before Zeke's eyes widened in realization, and his face split in a huge grin. "Lucy, you're a genius! A barrier like this can't go underground."
"Alright! Let's dig our way out!" Happy exclaimed before pulling out an adorably small shovel from his backpack.
"No need, Happy. Just leave it to me." Lucy said as she pulled out a golden key. "Open, Gate of the Maiden - Virgo!"
Natsu, Alyssa, and Zeke went bug-eyed at the mention of that particular Celestial Spirit. And as the magic circle appeared, the three mentally prepared themselves to encounter the gorilla-like maid again. However, the person that came through the gate wasn't a mountain of a woman, but a curvy & petite woman with short pink hair, blue eyes, and a sleeveless maid outfit with broken chains on her wrists.
"Good afternoon, Princess," Virgo said with a curtsy. "I wasn't expecting you to request my services so soon."
"I'm sorry, but WHAT THE FUCK?!" Zeke shouted, getting Virgo's attention. "What the hell happened to you? Last time, you were big enough to hold me in the palm of your hand."
"Oh, I'm a shapeshifter," Virgo explained, her deadpan expression never changing. "I can alter my appearance to suit my master's preferences." In an instant, she turned into her large gorilla-like form Bravestar was familiar with, freaking out Gray, Erza, and the Eisenwald wizards in the process. "Would you prefer I take this form?"
"No, I wouldn't! Virgo, we talked about this," Lucy exclaimed.
"I know. I'm just messing with your friends," Virgo said as she changed back into her petite form.
'Each new spirit is weirder than the last,' Zeke thought.
"Alright, Virgo, I need you to dig us a tunnel to get my friends and me past this wind barrier thingy," Lucy ordered.
"At once, Princess," Virgo proclaimed as a brown magic circle appeared under her. And suddenly, the maid spirit dived into the floor, creating a tunnel under the Wind Wall.
"Alright!" Gray shouted.
"Eccellente!" Alyssa cheered. "Also, princess?"
"She insisted on giving me a title. I didn't like her calling me master or mistress, so we compromised," Lucy explained.
"Sounds kinky," Natsu commented.
"Aye," Happy followed up.
"Either way, good job, Lucy," Erza said with a smile, showing her gratitude by grabbing Lucy's head and putting it on her chest…which hurt since the redhead was still wearing her armor.
"Y-You're welcome."
And so, the group quickly traveled through the tunnel and onto the streets of Onibas. But now that they were outside the wind wall, they felt the intense wind flowing throughout the city.
"Princess, this wind will expose your panties!" Virgo shouted, grabbing and holding Lucy's skirt before the blonde could accidentally flash someone thanks to the wind. "Allow me to help you."
"I'd worry more about yourself," Lucy said, noticing that the wind was causing Virgo's own skirt to lift up…and giving an embarrassed and red-faced Gray a full view of her panties.
"Oh wow," the ice-make wizard said; everyone was too focused on the wind to notice Erza giving him the stink eye.
"Alright, no time to waste!" Zeke shouted as he lifted the still unconscious Kageyama off the street. "Natsu! Happy! You guys go after Erigor and keep him away from Clover! We'll catch up in the magic mobile."
"Aye, sir!" The two responded with a salute as Happy activated his Aera magic. Natsu grabbed onto the now-flying cat as fire surged around the bottoms of his feet.
"Fire Dragon's Jetstream Claw!" Natsu and Happy took off into the sky in a burst of fire, heading in Erigor's direction.
"Erza, get the Magic-Mobile!" Zeke ordered.
"Right," Erza said as they headed off. In moments, Erza brought the Magic-Mobile around with Zeke, Lucy, and Alyssa, bringing the still unconscious Kageyama into the vehicle while Gray got on top. Right before they took off, a thought crossed Lucy's mind.
"Virgo, there are a bunch of wounded soldiers in the station's main entrance," Lucy said. "Go find the police officers and make a tunnel for them so they can help the soldiers."
"Yes, princess," Virgo stated before sprinting off. At that, the Fairy Tail wizards revved up the Magic-Mobile and blasted off towards Clover.
"So…what do we do now, Snarl?" Ted asked the elf-like man.
"Yeah, and what about Karacka?"
"Maybe...maybe this is a sign," Snarl said. "That we've been given a second chance to do something good with our lives. To make up for all the crimes we've committed."
"…do you really mean that?" Goodman asked.
"FUCK NO! Drop him, and let's get the hell out of here!"
With that, Henrietta unceremoniously dropped Karacka on the ground. Snarl conjured a mobile sand barrier, and the five ex-Eisenwalds went on their way, leaving the Fairy Tail wizards to deal with their former master.
Speaking of Erigor, the silver-haired wizard was flying through the canyons heading to Clover, using the railroad tracks to guild him. A sinister smirk was clear on his face as he flew, Lullaby held tightly in his hand.
'I can feel my strength returning from casting the Wind Wall. Within the hour, those foolish guild masters will be dead at Lullaby's song. It's almost too easy.'
"HEY, YA FLYING ASSHOLE!" Erigor turned, and to his shock, he saw Natsu and Happy rocketing towards him at incredible speed. Before the Reaper could react, Natsu let go of Happy and socked Erigor right in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. In his anguish, Erigor let go of Lullaby, allowing Happy to grab it with his tail. But the cat's magic had run out for the moment, Natsu catching the tired kitty as he landed on the tracks while Erigor crashed into the tracks a few feet away from them. "Good job, little buddy."
"It was no problem at all," Happy said as he quickly put the flute in his backpack. Erigor got up, infuriated by this sudden turn of events.
"How the hell did you escape my Wind Wall?!"
"Does it really matter?" Natsu asked as his fists ignited with blazing orange fire. "I'm still gonna kick your ass and burn Lullaby to embers."
"Oh, you think you stand a chance against the Reaper, little Firefly? Then bring it!" Erigor shouted, twirling his scythe as wind whirled around him, the two glaring at each other with such intensity the very air threatened to ignite. Natsu was the first to strike, blasting ahead and punching Erigor with his Blazing Fists. Erigor swiftly evaded his punches or used the staff of his scythe to block.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu shouted, swinging twin streams of flames at Erigor. But his foe used his wind magic to blast into the air, with more wind gathering around his scythe.
"Wind Slicer!" Erigor swung his blade, unleashing a crescent blade of wind that Natsu was forced to evade. The reaper kept swinging his blade, the winds becoming faster and faster. Natsu avoided most of the wind magic, Erigor's spells managed to knick him, leaving cuts on his arms, legs, and one attack even cut off one of the spikes on his hair. Natsu knew he needed to be faster than the winds and began to channel his magic through his hands.
"O swift flames that blaze through the battlefield! Fire Dragon's Vernier!" Natsu was engulfed in an aura of flames and then zoomed around, surprising Erigor with his increase in speed. Before he knew it, Natsu leaped up towards him. "Fire Dragon's Blazing Fist!" The attack spell hit its mark, with Erigor being sent flying into a nearby rock pillar. But the silver-haired man was far from done.
Meanwhile, Kageyama managed to wake up. And when he did, he saw that he was in the carriage of a Magic-Mobile, with Zeke and Lucy sitting across from him.
"Wait, what the-" Before the black-haired man could do anything, he felt a strong hand on his shoulders, seeing Alyssa smiling down at him.
"Ya, I wouldn't do anything too rash, Mr. Kageyama," Zeke said, making the shadow mage scowl. "I've seen Alyssa crush a log one-handed, so don't try your luck."
"I buy that. So what the hell is going on?"
"We're going after your boss before he can make it to Clover and pull off your stupid 'Kill all the Guild Masters with a cursed flute' plan," Zeke said with his arms crossed.
"So why am I here?"
"You're our backup plan," the brunette explained. "If Lullaby could just be destroyed, then why was it just sealed away. So if we can't destroy it, then you're gonna help us seal it away."
"And why the hell would I do that?" Kageyama asked.
"Well, what other option do you have?" Zeke asked back.
"You must be pretty stupid if you think I'll help you," Kageyama said, his attitude really getting on Zeke's nerves.
"Okay, smart guy, let's play some hypothetical," Zeke said, confusing Kageyama and the girls. "Let's say we fail, and you and your master succeed in killing the Guild Masters. What then?"
"What do you mean "what then"? Killing all the guild masters at once will show everyone that the guild system is as flimsy as a stack of cards."
"Good point. But counterpoint, most guild masters have wills that probably state who they'd want to replace them in the event of their death," Zeke said with a stern expression. "So all the guilds you two will have wronged will have new masters. And not only would those masters probably be extremely pissed, but you guys would have to deal with literally hundreds of guild wizards gunning for you. And that's not even mentioning what the Magic Council and their enforcers will do to you."
Kageyama's eyes widened, which told Zeke all he needed to know; either Erigor didn't realize the consequences his plan would have if he carried it out, or he knew and just didn't tell the rest of Eisenwald.
"Th-that doesn't matter," Kageyama said weekly. "Master Erigor's will is Eisenwald's will." He tried to sound convincing, mostly to himself, but the Fairy Tail could tell by his expression it wasn't working.
"You know, I don't really get why you'd want to be part of a guild like Eisenwald," Alyssa said. "It doesn't really seem like a friendly place, five of your guildmates ran away because of Erigor's plan, and one of them literally stabbed you in the back."
Kageyama said nothing, defiantly staring at the floor and trying not to let Alyssa's words get to him.
Seeing no point in trying to reason with him further, Zeke turned to look out the window. 'Natsu,' Zeke thought. 'If you can't stop Erigor, try to keep him away from Clover until we get there.'
Speaking of Natsu, he started to get the upper hand against Erigor, the pale man's skin starting to look bruised and burned. "What happened to that high and mighty attitude of yours, huh?!"
Natsu delivered another Wing Attack that pushed Erigor back. Natsu followed up with a Fire Dragon's Talon attack but was blasted back by a bolt of lightning from Erigor's free hand.
"Very well, little fly. You've shown that you handle the Reaper's Wind." Erigor proclaimed as he took a stance. "But see if you can handle the lightning!"
"That must be his Second Origin!" Happy proclaimed as he watched the fight.
You see, while most can learn a variety of spells throughout their lifetime, they usually gravitate to and master, at most, two forms of magic. The first one that awakens during their childhood is known as their First Origin Magic. The Second Origin is usually learned later in life, gained through hard work, or awakened through powerful emotions. And when the wizard in question is adept enough with both their Origin Magics, they can combine them into a form of magic unique to them.
"Origin Union: Storm Mail!" Erigor proclaimed as a dark purple magic circle appeared below him. Wind and lighting encircled his body. The two elements condensed into a single layer that covered his entire being. Sparks of lighting jumped around Erigor's body, and Natsu could feel the wind from where he was standing.
"Tch. Is that supposed to intimidate me?" Natsu scowled before unleashing his next spell. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
But to his shock, the fire blast dissipated as soon as it approached Erigor, the wind around him moving so fast that it actually managed to extinguish the spell. With a nefarious smile on his face, Erigor blasted ahead with magic gathered around his scythe blade.
"Origin Union: Storm Slicer!" Natsu barely evaded the spell, and it sliced clean through the train tracks behind him. Natsu struck back with a Burning Fist, but the raging winds of the Storm Mail smothered his flames. Natsu was then sent flying by a bolt of lightning.
"Your puny flames are no match for a true storm!" Erigor proclaimed as he flew up into the air. "And if the winds don't cut you to ribbons, the lightning will fry your puny brain!" Erigor held his hand out, several magic circles appearing before him. Happy's eyes widened. He tried to force his wings to manifest, hoping his mana had recovered.
"This is the end, Fairy Fly! ORIGIN UNION: GRAND HURRICANE!"
Before Natsu could react, a colossal twister blasted towards him, sending him flying off the tracks and zapping him with even more lightning.
"NATSU!" Happy shouted as best friend disappeared into the bottomless canyon below, all while Erigor laughed.
But as he was falling, Natsu grit his teeth, his mind going back to his memories with Makarov. There was no way he was going to let this cocky asshole kill the closest thing he had to a grandfather! As rage swelled within his chest, the orange fire blazing around him began to change to a brilliant blue. Natsu quickly realigned himself, so he was facing down, blue fire gathering inside his mouth.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu unleashed a massive stream of blue fire. The sheer force of the blast sent him flying high into the air and landed back on the tracks with a powerful thud. Happy smile and tears of joy welled in his eyes while Erigor's expression morphed into a deep scowl.
'Natsu's using his Azure Flames! He's not messing around!' Happy thought as he stood up.
"You insolent fly! What the hell happened to your fire?" Erigor asked. Natsu smirked, remembering a piece of advice that Macao gave him before he said it out loud.
"Why so surprised? Any fire mage worth a damn can raise the temperature of his flames," Natsu said with a grin. He roared as the azure fire swirled around him and exploded into a massive pillar of flames. And to Erigor's shock, the wind around his Storm Mail began to flow towards the top of Natsu's flame pillar.
'Dammit! The heat's so intense that he created an updraft to draw in my winds!' Erigor reasoned but kept up his grim visage. "Don't think you've turned the tables just yet! You're still just a single fly against the storm!"
"No, he's not," Happy said, walking right next to Natsu.
"You feel better, buddy?" Natsu asked, getting a nod from the blue cat. The salmon-haired man smirked as he channeled his magic in his right hand. "Then let's take this jerk down!"
Happy channeled magic through his left paw and jumped up to fist-bump Natsu. The instant they made contact, magic burst forth from both of them before coalescing around their backs. Each of them gained a pair of dragon wings made out of azure flames.
"Unity Link: Dragonic Aera!" The two shouted, stunning Erigor.
"I-Impossible! He performed Unity Magic...with a goddamn cat?!"
(Music Que - Fairy Tail OST: Dragon Force)
"Let's go, Happy!"
"Aye, Sir!" Happy exclaimed as he pulled his hammer out of his backpack before the two flew towards Erigor at high speed. The Reaper the two as their battle went up into the sky, blocking and evading each other's attacks.
"Lightning Slicer!" Erigor shouted, swinging his scythe. Natsu and Happy evaded with their dragon wings. As Happy flew down towards Erigor, his mallet became covered in azure flames.
"Flaming Happy Hammer Time!" Happy shouted, smashing the burning mallet against Erigor's face, knocking a few of his teeth out. The Storm Wizard swung his scythe, forcing Happy to fly away while Natsu readied his next spell.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Storm Blast!"
The two spells collided in the air, creating an explosion that blocked Erigor's sight. However, he saw several small fireballs flying out of the smoke and towards him.
"Storm Slicer!" Erigor exclaimed before slashing in an arc, putting the fire out…only to reveal that he had really sliced open some lacrima grenades tossed by Happy, causing an explosion that disorientated him.
Taking the opportunity his friend gave him, Natsu blasted ahead, punching Erigor right in the solar plexus, fire flaring around him. "How's this for a fly?! FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!"
With a powerful uppercut, Natsu unleashed a stream of azure flames in the shape of a horn, burning Erigor's torso. His eyes widened in disbelief.
'H-How…how is their magic this potent?'
And that was the last thing Erigor thought before crashing into the train tracks, the impact and the flames knocking him unconscious as Natsu and Happy landed away from their downed foe, their wings dissipating as they canceled the Unity Link.
(Music Que End)
"Ha! Take that, ya jackass!" Natsu taunted.
"That's what happens when you mess with the best team in Fairy Tail!" Happy shouted as the two began to dance to celebrate their victory. Until…
"Erza, slow down!" The two dancing wizards turned to see Erza driving the Magic-Mobile towards them, with Gray hanging onto the rooftop. The redhead turned the wheel, causing the vehicle to skid to a halt…as well as causing Zeke, Lucy, Alyssa, and Kagayama to fall out to the carriage and onto the train tracks.
"Ouch," Lucy groaned, rubbing her head as she sat up and saw Natsu and Happy. "Oh, hey! You guys beat Erigor!"
"Of course we did because we're awesome!" Natsu retorted.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in. Alyssa giggled at how excited her two boys were before going over and hugging them and lifting them off the tracks.
"Good work, babe. I wish I could've seen it," she said lovingly.
"Well, next time there's some jerk trying to hurt people, let's kick their ass together," Natsu said, brushing a loose strand of Alyssa's hair from her forehead as he looked into her eyes.
"Oh, Natsu…" Alyssa said, the air around them sparkling.
"Oh, Alyssa…"
As two entered another 'couple trance,' Happy slipped out of Alyssa's arms, not wanting to be in the middle of that, the whole sight making Lucy sweatdrop.
"L-Lucy…" Lucy heard Zeke speak, but he sounded like he was choking on something. "I don't mean to be rude, but can you please get your big ass off of me?"
Lucy looked down and her eyes widened, seeing that she had actually landed on Zeke's chest, the brunette's face turning blue.
"Oh my gosh, sorry about that, Zeke!" Lucy said as she quickly got up. But then she remembered what Zeke just said. "Hey, my butt isn't that big!"
"My nearly collapsed lungs beg to differ." The brunette groaned as he stood back up, Lucy pouting at him.
Kageyama looked ahead and saw the unconscious body of Erigor, and his eyes widened in shock. 'No way! These idiots actually managed to beat Master Erigor?'
"Hm. Not bad, Flamebrain," Gray said as he and Erza walked towards Natsu & Alyssa, snapping them out of their couple trance.
"Indeed. It seems you've improved quite a bit, Natsu," Erza stated with a small smile on her face.
"Hey, I fought him too!" Happy exclaimed, Erza leaning down to his level.
"I'm sure you did, Happy," Erza said, pressing Happy against her chest armor with a clang. Her expression then turned serious. "So, where's Lullaby?"
"Don't worry. It's safe and sound in here." Happy said, gesturing to his green backpack. Kageyama saw this and smirked.
'Only one shot at this,' Kageyama thought. He gathered his strength and slammed his hand against the train tracks. "Shadow Spikes!"
The sudden proclamation alerted Team Bravestar about the next attack, all of them barely managing to avoid the shadow spikes. Quickly, Kageyama hopped onto the magic-mobile, strapped the ME Plug to his arm, and drove forward. The seven leaped out of the way, allowing Kageyama to rip Happy's backpack off his back with a shadow tendril.
"Happy! Are you okay?!" Alyssa exclaimed.
"I'm fine! But that jerk stole my backpack!" Happy shouted before his eyes widened. "He's got Lullaby!"
"Thanks for the free ride, suckers!" Kagayama shouted as he began to drive away.
"Oh no, ya don't!" Zeke said as he summoned his bow and aimed a spell at the magic-mobile. "Arch Shot: Demolition Arrow!"
The destructive arrow spell shot ahead, blasting the magic-mobile to pieces. However, Kageyama managed to leap into the air. And with a middle finger raised, the Eisenwald wizard fell into a shadow portal before vanishing.
"Dammit! He got away!" Natsu shouted.
"He must be heading for Clover!" Erza said. Zeke's heart stopped at this. After all, he was the one who insisted on bringing Kageyama with them to seal Lullaby.
"Then let's make some tracks, people!" The archer shouted as the seven Fairy Tail wizards ran across the railroad tracks.
Within the shadows, Kageyama smirked to himself. Even if his master had failed, he was going to finish his plan. For some reason, his mind wandered to the words that Zeke had said to him. But he brushed it aside. Whatever the consequence, it was too late to turn back.
And within Happy's backpack, the three eyes of the Lullaby flute glowed with an ominous light.
To be continued…
Author's Note 2: The fight with Erigor is won, but our heroes have one more battle ahead of them.
And I'm super excited for the next chapter! I can't wait for you guys to see it!
Next Time: The Demon's Scream! Please remember to read and review!
See ya next time!