Chapter 13: Whatever Can Go Wrong
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Also heads up, I finally updated/redid Chapter 11 so be sure to check it out.
AN: Heads up, I rewrote chapter 11. It does not affect this chapter. Please check it out if you can.
Many Years Ago
Tears poured from the unfortunate soul's eyes as she collapsed on the floor. Before her laid the bodies of the people he cared about littered across the ruined guild hall. These were the people that she had grown up with. They were the people she fought alongside with that have shared many memories with. They were the closest thing she has had to family. And here they are, massacred and left to rot.
There were so many questions forming in her mind. But in her grief, all they could do was build up and wreak havoc on her crumbling psyche. If she was here, would they have survived? Would she have been able to save anyone? Would she have shared the same fate?
Throughout her thoughts, one thing kept coming to the forefront of her mind. This had to be retaliation. For months she has grown more aggressive with her attacks on dark guilds. She was attacking so many that even the magic council had taken notice and tried to dissuade her from acting so brazenly. Was this attack supposed to be a sick warning? Was everyone she cared about killed to make a fucking threat?!
"Ahhh!" she screamed in anguish as she kept bashing her fist into the ground. "Why! Why not just come for me! Why take them!" Despite her questions, there was one certainty she was aware of. A lot of people are going to pay for this.
Present Time
"Why me." Laxus asked himself sarcastically as he looked over the job flier again for the umpteenth time. Gramps knew that him and Natsu got along like water and oil and still he thought it was a good idea to send him as the one to show Natsu the ropes of S Class jobs.
Originally Makarov was either going to send Gildarts or go himself, but certain things got in the way. Ever since it was revealed that Cana is Gildarts' daughter, he has been doing everything he could to make up for lost time. He even cancelled a job that he was going to leave on to spend time with her.
Cana was overjoyed at first that Gildarts accepted her as his daughter. Then she found out that he's an overbearing father and, while still happy that she has a relationship with him, is starting to get annoyed.
Makarov would have gone in his place but the annual meeting happened to be coming up sooner than he would have liked and unfortunately couldn't miss it.
And by process of elimination, that left Laxus as the last qualified trainer. Now, not only is he stuck with Natsu, but his team came along to. Mystogan and Sayla he could tolerate since they were quiet enough, but last thing he wanted to do was be a babysitter to these three greenhorns.
Unfortunately, it was a slow month and as luck would have it there was only one request left on the S Class board. To make matters worse, it came with the typical lack of information that S Class jobs come with. Their client happened to be a rune knight acting as a representative of the council. Apparently there have been a string of disappearances in a place called The Giants Chasm. Ordinarily this wouldn't qualify as a S Class job but there's been an unusual gathering of dark energy in the area. The Rune Knights and a few other mages have tried to investigate but none have returned.
"So, is it common to know so little about what you're supposed to do on S Class jobs." Natsu asked, trying to break the tension. Things are still tense between him and Laxus. The fights have slowed down, somewhat, but they still antagonize each other at every opportunity. Fortunately, both are professional enough to put their feelings to the side for now for the sake of the job. Despite how they feel about each other, neither of them wants to damage Fairy Tail's reputation.
"No, sometimes you have even less information than this." In Laxus' experience, he's usually left to figure out what the problem is and fix it on his own. Far too often is he left to run in blind and hope for the best. One reason why certain jobs are classified as S Class is because of the unknown factor surrounding them. If an ordinary mage isn't ready for anything they'll be dead long before they know what's happening. Even the most subtle of details could lead to a life-or-death situation. On the other hand, any job where they 'know' what the problem is almost always more dangerous. In those jobs the unknown factors are even worse. "This is probably the most information I've received on a job in a while."
"That sounds irritating," Mystogan chimed in. By a technicality, the whole Edolas fiasco could have been considered S Class given the potential ramifications if they had failed. But in that situation, he knew what was going on, he just had to figure out how to stop it.
"It is, we're just lucky that we know where we're going." Unfortunately, the only thing the blonde knows is that this is the deepest canyon in Ishgar. It isn't much of a point of interest for tourist. It's said that the light of day escapes its deepest depths. As far as Laxus is concerned, it's just a glorified hole in the ground.
"And how do we know if this is the correct place to go?" Sayla isn't a fan of the situation. The tension is already high between Laxus and Natsu. While she knows how serious they both are while on jobs, it wouldn't take much for these two to go off on each other.
"We don't." That curt response was enough to get on the demoness' nerves. Not for anything Laxus had said, but for the fact that they could be on a wild goose chase.
As they drew closer to the chasm, something had caused Natsu and Sayla to shudder. Neither of them knew what had caused them to react in such a way.
"You feel that to?" Natsu asked as he gave Sayla a curious look. There was a dark aura permeating the air. In his experience, an aura like this usually meant one of two things. Either many horrible things have been committed in the chasm, or there is someone with an exceedingly dark aura nearby. Given the potency of this feeling, Natsu couldn't tell which one it was or if it was both.
"Yeah…" This aura made Sayla's skin crawl. There was something here that felt wrong.
"What are you two talking about?" Laxus didn't feel anything. The air seemed stale, which was odd, though not unheard of. He watched as they gave each other a look.
"It's nothing." They said in unison as they looked back in the direction they were going.
"You feel anything?" Laxus asked Mystogan. The masked mage shook his head, looking just curious as the blonde. At least as curious as someone wearing a mask can look. He would have pushed further with the other two, but their destination came into view.
The Giants Chasm is known as the deepest canyon in all of Ishgar. The depths alone left very people interested in exploring. Even with their improved vision, Laxus and Natsu couldn't see the bottom. Its mid-day yet the sun, for reasons they couldn't understand, the sunlight ceased at cliff edge. Anything beyond that was near pitch black.
While the group of mages were looking at the chasm, searching for any notable features, a dark cloud of smoke appeared. A pair of beady eyes stared at them from behind, watching them diligently. Slowly crawling out of the smoke to not reveal himself. Out stood a tall emaciated yet muscular man. None of his muscles seemed natural but instead looked like they were grafted onto his body. He carefully raised both of his arms and cocked them back, examining his targets and gauging who amongst them who is the biggest threat. He slid his foot back to kick off the ground and catch them off guard.
The moment his foot slid back, a bolt of lightning struck him in the throat and pulled him towards the group of mages. Stopping suddenly, he realizes that the blonde had his fist wrapped around his throat, holding him tightly. Picking him up and slamming him on the ground, hard enough to lightly cratered the ground beneath him, any air in his lungs immediately left as he struggled to breath.
"Here's your first lesson." Laxus began to say to the others. "Always expect a sneak attack, especially a half assed one like this." One of the best side effects of being a Dragon Slayer is that it's almost impossible to sneak up on one. Looking around, he could see the others weren't surprised by the sudden appearance of this newcomer. Good, at least they're not completely useless. "So, care to tell us who the hell you are?" Laxus' focus returned to his would-be attacker.
"You really think I'm going to give anything up?" he said as he spat at the blonde mage. Before that wad of spit could hit, it stopped midair and he felt what felt like dozens of bolts of lightning shoot through his body in an instant.
"Thanks, Sayla." Laxus didn't understand how her magic worked, though he will admit that it is useful.
"Look, we can do things the easy way or the hard way." Natsu said as he kneeled by their attacker.
"Fuck… you!" The attacker said in between breathes, his body still recoiling from the electricity coursing through his body.
"Easy way it is." Natsu said as he snatched up the attacker and flung him up against a nearby boulder. "Sayla, have fun."
"Tell us who you are." Sayla said as she leveled her gaze at the attacker, her Macro doing its thing.
"Phackus, I'm a scout for the Contingence." His eyes widened as his words were forced from him. "What the hell did you do to me?! What kind of magic was that?!"
"The Contingence? Have you heard of them?" Natsu asked Laxus, never hearing of this group.
"No." It's impossible to know of every dark guild and independent faction within Ishgar. Without any kind of regulation to track them, the only ones that are known are ones that are idiots and draw a lot of attention towards them, which the council quickly sends mages to take care of them or are notable groups under the Balam Alliance. Independent factions are hit or miss and usually aren't worth noting, very rarely gaining the attention of those who don't already know of them. "Who is the Contingence?"
"How about you go fuck yourself instead." Phackus spat out as he glared daggers at the girl in front of him.
"Answer him," Sayla said as she matched his glare. She didn't know what but something about him just rubbed her the wrong way.
"The Contingence is a group of mages fed up with the Council doing nothing against all the dark mage scum plaguing this land. We're fed up with their cowardice, complacency, and greed and decided to do something ourselves." He tried to swipe his arm towards Sayla as payback for whatever magic she is using on him. He was stopped as a ball of energy was blasted from Mystogan's staff, imbedding him further into the boulder. Shadowy tendrils sprouting out of nowhere and held him in place.
"Thank you Mystogan." Sayla said causally, not at all fazed by the pathetic attempt to attack her.
"Where are the Rune Knights?" Natsu asked, resisting the urge to rip Phackus' throat out.
"Blow me!" he said as he suddenly felt something coursing through him. "They're in the chasm. We got them locked up. Exactly where they are, I don't know." Phackus turned his gaze back towards Sayla. "Fuck! Your magic is bullshit!"
"Keep it up, you'll learn just how bullshit it is." Sayla threatened, her tone never changing.
"How many of you are there?" Laxus asked. Though he wouldn't admit it, having Sayla made things easier. Usually, interrogating people took much longer and needed a more 'thorough' treatment to get them to say anything useful.
"Beats me, never bothered to keep track myself. So many people are fed up with the council that it's easy for us to get new recruits."
"If you have so many new recruits, why hasn't noticed you people sooner?" Mystogan asked. Until the formation of his team, very few people knew of him. He knows how difficult it is for an individual to remain mostly hidden from the Council. For a group to remain hidden, took considerable effort and resources and innate knowledge of the Council's processes.
"Our leader has a lot of secrets up her sleeve. Don't know how she does it and I don't care. As long as I get my revenge, I'm good." While that is the truth, it isn't the whole truth. He's heard stories and that's enough to know that he doesn't want to get on her bad side. Thankfully these mages are idiots that aren't asking more specific questions.
"Who is your leader?" Sayla asked. She didn't use her Macro for the last couple questions. While it is possible that he was going along with things since it would be a futile attempt to fight her curse, she doubts he's doing this for their convenience.
"Don't know exactly. Though I heard a rumor that she used to be a Wizard Saint."
Those words caught the attention of the mages. The Ten Wizard Saints are considered the strongest mages in Ishgar that are granted special privileges by the Council. While there are strong mages that can fight on par with them, anyone who has earned that title will be dangerous. Unfortunately, not many people would be as aware of the faults of the council as a Saint, especially a former one.
"Well, that explains the jobs ranking." Laxus was hiding how much he didn't like the situation. He knew how powerful Wizards Saints are thanks to Makarov. While tough, they're not impossible to beat. If the four of them play it smart, they should be able to finish the job without any significant injury. That is, if they're lucky. "Of you three, can I assume Natsu is the strongest?" Laxus asked as he tried to gauge their situation. The pinkette can fight on par with him, though unbeknownst to either of them, neither have seen the other at 100%.
"That would be a fair assessment." Mystogan answered. In terms of strength, Natsu has a significant advantage over him and Sayla. Combined with his lethal collection of spells, the Slayer is a nightmare to fight for anyone who isn't just as dangerous. Sayla's Macro makes her an incredibly versatile mage that's impossible to overpower. And Mystogan is a mystery to anyone who hasn't spent extensive time studying his move set. And the only people that knows what he's capable of is his team.
Laxus just nodded, storing that information for later, he turned back towards their prisoner. "What is your group doing here?"
"Hehehe," Phackus slowly laughed. He absently wondered why they didn't ask this sooner. "It doesn't matter what we're doing here, you're already too late."
"Explain!" Sayla ordered.
"The boss has been working on something to give us advantage against the Dark Guilds and the Council. Don't know the exact details but this has been in the works for some time. Longer than I've been around." Whoever said ignorance is bliss never understood just how right they are. While he couldn't have predicted this exact thing happening, he's happy to have been left in the dark.
If anything, that explains why this place has such a dark aura too it. Natsu looked back to the chasm. He wondered what they're after. If they wanted revenge, they could have just attacked one dark guild after another. Sure, it takes a lot of time, but requires lest resources and secrecy. By all counts, it should be easier.
"We need to get going." Laxus said as he became more serious. "If we move fast enough, we catch them off guard."
"You're already too late." They turned their gaze back to Phackus who's grinning sadistically. "They already know you're here. You go in there; you might as well march into hell. They'll take all of you and treat you the same way we have everyone else." He threatened vaguely before turning his attention back towards Sayla. "Once I'm free, I'll be sure to take my time with you, you little bitch." He'll make sure to get his revenge for forcing him to spill everything he knew.
"We need to get going." Natsu said as he finally broke his gaze from their prisoner.
"What should we do with him?" Mystogan asked. While Phackus isn't much of a threat to them, he is a threat regardless.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," Sayla said with a vindictive, spiteful grin. "Eat your own dick."
What little color he had on his pale complexion left him immediately as his body responded to the command.
"Don't you think that was a little much?" Natsu asked casually, any remorse he felt for the poor bastard strictly came from the fact that he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. He also doesn't want to piss off a vindictive girl who can force that fate on just about anyone. This is one of the few times where he's glad her Macro has no effects on him.
"No, he called me a bitch," Sayla said as she pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.
Laxus watched as Phackus screamed bloody murder in between bites. He quickly turned away and made the mental note to never piss off the Empath. "Are we just going to pretend we didn't just see that?"
"Yep." Was Mystogan's curt reply. Unlike Natsu, he doesn't have the safety net of Sayla's Macro not working on him. While he knows the demoness wouldn't use such a move on him, he would really prefer to play it safe and not literally eat his or anyone else's dick.
All of them started making their way towards the chasm before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.
Elsewhere
"Iori, we have visitors." A man stated as he approached his leader. He projected a display of the mages, which coincidentally showed Natsu's guild mark.
"Mages from Fairy Tail, huh." Iori said with a hint of interest in her voice. She stood up from where she was. Her long blonde hair with dark red streaks cascaded down her back. Her sizeable bust barely contained in her black scaled top that had fur accents. Her pants seemed to be made of the same material. Her gaze ran over every one of them, committing them to memory, before she stopped on the image of Laxus. "Well if it isn't Makarov's grandson." Her thoughts going back to the time she spent with the Fairy Tail Guild Master. "Sorry Makarov, but no one is going to stop me now." She said quietly to herself, feeling the slightest bit of remorse for one of the few people that tried to help her.
"Ma'am?" her subordinate asked for orders, not hearing what she had muttered.
"Get me the dagger, I'll finish the ceremony for myself."
"And what about the rest of us?" one of her subordinates said, a man that is almost twice her height that is wearing scale like armor. "You promised all of us our revenge."
"We've been getting more and more visitors lately, Zeke. Clearly the Council is aware of our position if nothing else." Iori said as she finally looked away from her guest. "We'll start over somewhere else; I promise. But we need to complete the ceremony for at least one of us, or we risk the Council learning of what we're trying to do." It took so much time to get this far. So much blood had to be shed and many lives sacrificed. It can't be for naught. She looked down on the dagger that one of her subordinates had handed her. It's blade giving off a dull ethereal glow, the damned blade reminding her of all the people she had to sacrifice to obtain this piece of legend. "Where are our guest?" she said as her grip tightened.
"The three younger ones are spread throughout the fifth, seventh, and thirteenth floors. The blonde is the closest to us on the fifteenth."
"Ok, go now." Iori told Adler before turning her attention towards her armored subordinate, Zeke. "Take as many men as you need. Slow them down if you can. Kill them if you have to." She turns her attention back towards the rest of her men. "And someone bring me Adler." Out of everyone in her operation, the Smoke mage is the most valuable in her operation. His magic gave him the benefits of having a non-corporeal body, making him perfect for ensuring the relic escapes. Without it, they could be set back months of work.
An explosion caught their attention. Looking up they could see flames exploding out word from one of the upper levels as a familiar black smoke seeped out. "It would seem Adler is currently occupied with one of our guests." Zeke said, glaring at where that explosion took place.
"Damnit." Not even five minutes here and the situation is already becoming more complicated. "What are you waiting for?! Go!" Iori barked out her orders. Turning her attention back to Zeke, she wasn't happy with how things might go. They need to cover their tracks and soon. "Zeke, change of plans. I want you to go to the prisoners and kill them. We can't risk them revealing anything they've seen."
"Got it." He replies before taking off.
Iori turned her attention back to the relic. She returned it to a cauldron filled with red and black blood that sat on top of a pedestal. Looking over the holy relic they have been tainting, Iori grabs the blade. "This better work." Just by touching it, she could tell that it wouldn't be long now before the ceremony is ready.
With Mystogan
Mystogan is confused. One minute he was at the top of the chasm with his team plus Laxus. He was temporarily blinded by a mysterious black cloud of smoke and suddenly appeared in what he could only assume was an intricate cave system within the chasm. Even with torches lining the walls, there was very little visibility.
Hearing an explosion from above, the masked mage runs to the railing and looks up. Just by looking at all too familiar flames, Mystogan instantly recognized it as Natsu's. 'Of course, he is already fighting someone.' Placing a hand on the wall, Mystogan sent out his familiars to find out where the others are. After a few moments of waiting, one of them told him something was up ahead.
Continuing along the path, the masked mage eventually came across to a pair of heavy doors that were left ajar. A dim light barely illuminated the room. Piquing his curiosity, he opens the door and his eyes go wide. Along the two sides of the room were a series of cells. Along the left side of the cells were a less than a dozen of Rune Knights that all looked like they had seen better days. They were beaten, all of them were covered in serious bruises. There were plenty that were covered in blood, whose blood did it belong to, he couldn't tell from a cursory glance.
Along the right side of the room, the cells had what he could only guess were dark mages. They were disfigured, beaten, and looked to be on the verge of death. None of them bothered to look up at him as he entered. They had a look of defeat on their face and could care less about who was coming in the room now.
What was concerning to Mystogan, there was far too much blood on the floor and walls for it to belong to the dark mages currently in the cages.
"Who are you kid?" One of the Rune Knights asked. Just asking that question looked like it took a lot of effort. His breathing was labored, and everything was sounded like he had to force it out.
"I'm with Fairy Tail, me and my team were sent to investigate some disappearances."
The look on the Rune Knights face dropped noticeably. "Kid what month is it?"
"September"
A look of resignation came over the Knights face. "September… we've been missing for months, and those bastards are only now sending children to come look for us."
"If it helps, this job is classified as S Class." Mystogan was thankful for mask as it helped hide his shock. From what they heard from the Council rep, the oldest disappearance dates back only a month. Looking around at the cells made wonder how many people have come and gone through here.
If that made the Rune Knight feel better, he didn't show it. "Kid, you have to get us out of here!" the urgency in his voice made Mystogan nod in understanding.
Pulling a staff from the pack on his back, he effortlessly blasted away the locks. "What do we do with them?" If anything, these Rune Knights will know exactly what to do with the dark mages.
"Release them. They don't deserve to be locked up in this hell hole." The Rune Knights have seen the horrors that have happened here. For as bad as they have had it, the dark mages have had it worse. Looking over to the railing, he was reminded of what all of them were forced to witness. They may be on opposite sides, but these men have suffered enough.
Nodding; Mystogan blasts the locks, releasing the dark mage.
The Rune Knights rushed into the cells and grabbed the dark mages, helping them to their feet. The knights moved with purpose, all of them eager to escape this hell.
"Well, shit. Looks like one of you brats already found the prisoners." Zeke said as he made himself known. Mystogan watched him analytically. He stood at least a couple feet taller than Gildarts and just looking at him, the masked mage could tell he is dangerous.
"Go, I'll take care of this." Mystogan said as he drew a second staff, he stood in front of the knights and dark mages.
"You can't be serious, that guy is monster. You won't stand a chance by yourself." The Rune Knight who spoke said as his eye shrank noticeably, visibly shaking in fear.
"I'll still stand a better chance than all of you." Mystogan said calmly as he summoned two of his familiars. "Follow my shadows, they'll get you out of here."
"You should listen to the grown-ups, kid. You don't understand what you're getting yourself into." Zeke had to hand it to the kid, he certainly has more balls than these cowards. "Stand aside and I'll see if my boss will spare you."
"Don't listen to him kid! These monsters don't know anything of mercy!" One of the dark mages warned. Just as he finished talking, his head was blasted off. Blood sprayed from the wound like a fountain and the two Rune Knights holding him jumped away in fear.
"Who gave you permission to speak? Trash." Zeke asked rhetorically as glared hatefully at the remaining dark mages.
Mystogan's eyes only narrowed at that action. He was barely able to keep track of Zeke's movements. Speed wise, he is almost on par with Natsu. 'At least this won't be one sided.' Without turning away from his opponent, Mystogan shouts "GO!"
With Natsu
Explosion after explosion rang out as he chased after the Smoke mage. Right before he was grabbed, the pinkette managed to get his Devil Slayer chains around the mage, making sure he couldn't escape from him. The biggest problem Natsu was having with this fight is that he can't land a hit. The fact that he was able to get a chain around the mage was pure luck. Unfortunately, this mage is a terrible match up for the pinkette. But if he can keep the Smoke mage here, then he can't interfere further with the others.
"You persistent little shit." Adler muttered as he threw a pillar of smoke towards Natsu. Grabbing the pinkette by the ankle, he flung Natsu from one end of the room to the other. Anything Natsu could have collided with, he destroyed before impact to lessen the damage.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" the pinkette yelled as he fired a large pillar of flames out of mouth. The attack hit it target perfectly though it looked like it did very little to damage the mage.
Adler grunted in annoyance. Thanks to his magic, the flames did very little to harm him in any meaningful way. The attack burned, but it wasn't enough to force him out of his magic. "Smokestack." Adler said as he flooded the area with his smoke as he released his grip on the pinkette.
Rolling on the ground, Natsu shot back up to his feet. Examining the area, he was trying to figure out where he was going to be attacked from. Thanks to his chain, Natsu knows Adler knows is still in the area. The black smoke made it impossible for him to see anything and it perfectly hid his opponent's scent.
Spinning around to examine the area, Natsu grunts in pain as he feels something cutting him on his shoulder. Turning to face his attacker, the pinkette felt himself being cut again on his back. Looking side to side, Natsu prepared himself to counterattack, assuming another cut was coming from the back. Much to his surprise, Natsu was kicked in the gut, sending him crashing into the wall opposite the ledge.
"Looks like you bit off more than you can chew." Adler taunted, his voice bouncing all over the place within the smoke. "How about you release me, and I'll end this nice and quick." He offered, curious to see what the pinkette does next. Adler isn't concerned with this situation. With every second that passes, Natsu's breathing becomes more labored. His smoke is slowly filling the pinkette's lungs and the longer he's surrounded in smoke, the worse off he is. Adler must admit he's impressed, most people would have been struggling to breath by now.
"Not going to happen." Natsu said as he raised both hands up and slams them together, causing a fiery shockwave that blasted away the smoke. He breathed in as much clean air as he could, relief flooding his lungs. "Fire Dragons Roar!" He yells as he floods the room with flames.
As the attack calmed down, Natsu examined the area, trying to figure out where his opponent is. As he spins around, he gasps as a hand clutch around his throat and picks him up off the ground.
"Nice attempt, but you never stood a chance." Adler said as he stared into the pinkette's eyes as he struggled to breath.
"No, but she does." Natsu choked out with a smirk.
Adler looked at him for a moment, confusion clear on his face, before his eyes go wide. He doesn't understand why but he could feel his body regaining its corporeal form. The moment he feels his body become whole, he watches in horror as his arm releases the pinkette and contorts in unnatural ways. He screams in pain as his arm rolls up, his shattering bones broke through his skin. Before he could fully understand what is happening, his spine snaps as he is folded in half backwards.
Watching as his opponent's lifeless corpse drops to the ground, Natsu turns his focus towards Sayla as she walks into the room. "I think that idiot from earlier has a point, your Macro is bullshit." The pinkette has been struggling with an irritating opponent, failing to land one hit after another. The demoness just looks at the Smoke mage and cancels his magic and rolls him up like a tube toothpaste.
"Ooh, testy," Sayla teased. If Natsu wants to be childish and complain about her taking advantage of her Curse, that's his problem. "If you want, I can unroll him so you can pretend you finished him off." She offered patronizingly.
"Tch," Natsu ignored her chiding as he walked over to the edge. Sniffing the area, he finds Mystogan below them but quite a way below them. After another couple seconds he could hear the distinct sound of fighting and a smell of blood that was far more familiar than he would have preferred. "Seems like Mystogan is having some trouble."
"Then we should go save the damsel in distress." Sayla said as she walked over to the edge. She looks over the edge herself but couldn't see anything.
Picking up the demoness in a princess carry, Natsu jumps over the edge as he lights his feet on fire to control their descent.
"This should go without saying, but if you drop me, even as a joke, I will make you suffer." Sayla threatened as she glared at the pinkette.
For a second, Natsu had entertained the idea. But given what she did earlier, this joke might be better at another time.
With Mystogan
Mystogan grunted in pain as he was slammed into the stone wall, his body cratering the rock on impact. If it wasn't for his shadows, the impact would have left him impaired or possibly on the verge of death. Pulling down his mask he spits out a glob of blood. The fight against Zeke had been difficult. It was like fighting an enraged and vindictive Natsu that didn't want to use his fire. At some point in the fight, he had lost his bandana, revealing his black hair and both tattoos on his face. Looking down at the broken staff in his hands the masked mage grunts in annoyance as he tosses it to the other side. That was the last of the staffs in his pack.
"Look at that, looks like you lost your gimmick." Zeke grinned at the child. The kid has been a pain in the ass to fight. Every second has been a confusing mess to deal with. Thankfully, the kid has made the same basic mistake that most mages make. They rely too much on magic equipment and don't focus enough on their bodies. The kid lasted much longer than he thought he would have, but this is where it ends. "Ready to beg?" He taunted.
"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing." Mystogan said ominously as he glared at the hulking mass he's been fighting.
"I'll hand it to you kid; you got a hell of a sense of humor" It didn't matter if the kid was trying to put on a brave face. That faux bravado has been seen many times before by Zeke. So many people he has faced off against have gone mad in the end and make it seem like he was the one about to die. It was a piss poor attempt to intimidate him then and it is still a piss poor attempt now.
A glowing light appeared in Mystogan's hand and on his pack. When it died down, it was revealed that the masked mage has all new staffs. The moment the light died down, a spiked tree shoots out of the ground, through Zeke's arm, severing it from the rest of his body. "Now that I have to take you seriously, I can't allow you to live." Mystogan values his privacy greatly. Having people know nothing about him, his magic, or his abilities has given him many advantages since coming to this world.
The staffs Mystogan were using earlier were simple staffs that he had bought at a variety of magical shops and modified afterwards. They were nothing staffs that are disposable. The staffs he's using now were ones he has crafted by hand and the materials were gather by him and his team. Fallen Fairy knew what these new staffs could do and that's it. Everyone else is a liability.
The specific staff in his hands was made from the branches of a cursed rotten great wood. It was a somewhat sentient tree that has been plagues by many curses from its time of existence. The tree itself was a difficult opponent for Natsu and Mystogan, even Sayla struggled in this endeavor. Fairy Tail has joked around calling Mystogan a mad scientist. None of them realized how accurate that is.
Watching Zeke clutch the stump that used to be his arm in pain. The masked mage watched as the rot from the tree infected the rogue mage's arm. It spread through the wound as he screamed in pain.
"You little shit!" Zeke spat out hatefully as vines spread out from the tree that sprouted from the ground. The vines tore into his body, restraining his limbs, making it impossible for him to escape. With every futile attempt to gain his freedom, the vines tore into him more, further spreading the rot.
Managing to get himself on his knees, Zeke looked up and screamed out in pain. His screams were muffled as vines shot into his mouth. He grunted in pain for only a moment when various branches tore through his body. The vines and branches retreated from his body as Zeke's struggling and thrashing came to an end. His lifeless corpse dropping to the ground with a wet smack as the vines freed him from their grip.
Storing his staff, Mystogan walks over to his bandana and puts it back on along with his mask, concealing his appearance.
Being drawn by the sound of something impacting the ledge, the masked mage turns to see the rest of his team showing up. "A little late there." He joked, ignoring the looks his team were giving him.
"Wow, I'm surprised that you actually used that staff" Sayla commented as took note of the new staffs on Mystogan. The masked mage is very calculated in his actions, to her knowledge this is the first time that specific staff had been used in an actual fight.
"Desperate times." It was only a matter of time before he used this staff. What better time than now against someone who wouldn't die right away. Looking over at the corpse, he realizes that he valued the threat Zeke possessed too high. "It needs some fine tuning before it becomes a regular weapon."
"So, how was it?" Natsu asked as he looked at the corpse. This fight was far messier than what Mystogan usually takes part in. Though, given that the pinkette was able to smell the masked mages blood so far below, he was just glad that his friend is ok.
"Not bad, kind of middle of the road compared to the other staffs I've made."
Looking at the corpse and back at Mystogan, Natsu and Sayla did a triple take. If this was middle of the road, what the hell is he saving and what does he plan on using those staffs on.
"So, what's the situation?" Natsu asked, trying to change the subject. They still had a job to do, and they need to find Laxus.
"I found the Rune Knights that were missing and some Dark Mages that were being tortured. Apparently, these rogue mages have been using them for some kind of ceremony." Mystogan began to explain what he has learned. There are still far too many unknowns in this situation to understand what's happening. "At the moment, I have my familiars escorting them out of the chasm but they're about to get intercepted by a group of rogue mages."
"Those familiars of yours are really handy." Sayla commented. She's amazed that Mystogan can split his focus in so many different directions at one time. Usually, humans struggle with focusing on more than two or three things at a time. Yet, here's Mystogan effortlessly focusing on potentially dozens of things at one time.
"Ok, you two help those guys get out of here." Natsu said as he walked over the cliff edge. Smelling the area below him, he's able find Laxus' exact location. Thankfully he's not too far from where he is. "I'll find blondie and finish up the job." He says as he jumps over the side.
"Did he really have to jump over the side?" Mystogan asked sarcastically. "The stairs are just over there." He says as he points at the surprisingly well-lit staircase at the other side of the area they're in.
"You know how he is," Sayla said in a dead pan tone as she rolled her eyes, immediately making her way to the stairs and looking up. "He always has to make an entrance."
"Damn show off," Mystogan could only shake his head in faux annoyance. "So the Rune Knights are about ten floors above us, want me to just fly us up there?" Mystogan asked as he summoned two of his winged shadow familiars.
"Save your magic," Sayla said as she waved him off. "You've done enough as it is, I'll just float us up there." Compared to Mystogan, the demoness doesn't have to worry about running her reserves dry.
The masked mage only nods in understanding as the two of them make their ways up, both enjoying the shortcut.
With Laxus
Laxus' brow twitched in annoyance. He's already decimated the few groups that he has come across. But some reason, a blonde want-to-be badass shit approaches him thinking he's more of a threat than he is.
"Oh, how unfortunate you are to face off against someone of my caliber." Vento stated in an overly dramatic manner. "You may have lucked your way through those weaklings from earlier, but I am someone on a whole other level."
Laxus didn't even bother replying. The pissant before him isn't worth the effort. Just looking at the rogue mage before him tells him that he is all bark and no bite. Looking up, the blonde Fairy Tail mage smirks as he takes a step back.
"Trying to run already? Can't say I bla…"
"Fire Dragon's Comet!" Natsu yells as he slams into Vento. The ground beneath Vento cratered, kicking up a dust cloud. When the dust cloud dissipates, Vento's mangled corpse was nothing more than a twitching bloody mess below the pinkette. "So, how's it going."
Shaking his head up at how nonchalant the pinkette is acting, he walks up to Natsu while examining the area. "Better now, that idiot you killed thought he was a threat to me."
"That's…" Natsu began to say as he looked at the corpse he is still standing on. "Kind of insulting."
"I wouldn't have given him that much credit but pretty much." Now that he has a moment of silence, Laxus could finally examine the area him and Natsu are in. From what he can tell, this is the lowest depths of the chasm. The sunlight barely doing anything to illuminate the area. There was a strange smell coming from all around them. Looking up he could see what appears to be viewing areas looking down on them. It gave him the impression of being in a fighting arena. One of the smells resembled iron or copper. Though the most dominant smell resembled zinc. "Hey Natsu, do you know what that smell is?"
As Laxus turns to face Natsu, he can see that the pinkette is clearly bothered by his surroundings. There was something so fundamentally wrong with where they are that it was causing a reaction from the pinkette. Granted, if it wasn't for Laxus being so observant, he easily could have missed it. Natsu's reaction was very similar to when they were first approaching the Giant's Chasm.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know exactly what it is." Natsu said as he ignited his fists and sent balls of flames to various points of the area. With the area now better lit, both S Class mages could see that they were surrounded by the corpses of demons and humans alike. The walls looked as though they were painted in blood, deep gouges told of many fights that had happened here. Looking down, the ground beneath seemed as though a river of blood had dried up in this location.
Devil Slayer magic has the unique property of allowing the user to be more in tune with not only the negative emotions of various creatures but surrounding areas so long as those lingering emotions are prominent enough.
This is what had caused the reaction in Natsu and Sayla before they arrived. It gave them a nagging feeling in the back of their minds, warning them of this location.
Looking up, something had clicked for Natsu. In the deepest recesses of the Giant's Chasm, where the light of day cannot reach. Human and demon blood has been spilled in a pit of a despair. In the depths beyond the god's reach, a taint has been created. Left to fester, darkness takes root and permeates.
Nobunaga had taught Natsu of many things. When it came to dragons, gods, and demons, they all had a certain aspect that left them regarded as the most powerful beings in the world. Humans had existed alongside these creatures throughout time thanks to their stubbornness and willingness to do what they must to survive. From time to time, a person comes along that will do anything to achieve what they want. People that have been willing to cross any line set before them in order to claim their desire. In recent history, Zeref was the last one to break taboo and offend the gods. His disregard for life led him to becoming THE dark mage.
With this regard for life, whoever is in charge here, they are close to achieving true Dark Magic.
"Beautiful thing, isn't it?" Iori asked as she walked into the arena. Catching the attention of both Dragon Slayers, they could see a certain calmness about that reminded them of a calm before the storm. "Though the scenery is a little more morbid than I prefer."
"Laxus," the blonde didn't take his eyes off the newcomer. His every instinct was practically screaming at him about how dangerous this woman is. He was so focused that he almost didn't hear Natsu next to him. "If there was ever a time to go all out, now is that time." Natsu warned, though he wouldn't admit it, he's happy the rest of his team is somewhere else.
"It's a shame, but I can't afford to let any of you leave here alive." Whether Iori heard Natsu's words or not, it didn't matter. Pulling out the dagger, Iori examined the blade as it glowed brighter than it had before. Grasping the handle both hands, she aims it inwards. Sparing one last glance towards the two mages in front her, Iori plunges the blade into her chest, piercing her magical container.
An explosion of energy took place around her as Laxus and Natsu had to shield their eyes from the energy pulse. The blood that had stained the walls and the floor was being pulled towards the rogue mage as the life essence of the corpses in the arena rushed towards her. At a closer glance, there was a stream of light emanating from Iori's body. The more blood that streamed into her body, the light faded more.
Neither Fairy Tail mage could believe what they were seeing. Nobunaga had explained to Natsu what was required for a human to gain Dark magic, to gain True Dark magic. The human in question had to commit atrocity after atrocity, such as condemning many lives to submit to despair and accept death in a pit that the light of day cannot reach. The final step is forsaking the very gift granted by the gods themselves, one own magic. While the Demon King never went into detail of what the ceremony requires, every type of Dark magic requiring its own process, Natsu understands why Nobunaga had a look of unease on his face during those stories.
Laxus broke his gaze away from Iori as he felt a force of magical energy surge next to him. Looking at Natsu, he was surprised by what he was seeing various black markings spread from his wrist to just above his elbows. The pinkette's hands and feet greatly resembled the clawed appendages of the demon corpses around them
This is Natsu activating his Devil Trigger, the Devil Slayer equivalent of Dragon Force.
Turning hit attention towards his temporary partner, Natsu gave a look of just how serious he is about taking this fight serious. "Can you activate Dragon Force?" Natsu rolled his eyes at the look of surprise on Laxus' face. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?" he asked sarcastically. "Hurry up! If we don't go all out, we're going to die. Luckily, she hasn't had time to get used to having Dark magic. If we're quick enough, we can still win."
Understanding what Natsu was saying, a surge of energy surrounded Laxus as scales began appearing on his arms.
Looking towards Iori, the blood still pouring into her, both mages rush her. Natsu was the first to reach her and, with his clawed hands, ripped off one of her arms.
Laxus, not being far behind him, cocked his arm back, uppercutting Iori, sending her flying. As the rogue mage was flying, Laxus raised his arm and brought it down, resulting in a bolt of lightning to blast into Iori's back, sending her crashing into the ground. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" The blonde Dragon Slayer yelled as he threw a lightning coated halberd towards Iori, blasting a hole in her chest.
Iori's body hit the ground with a wet smack. Laxus and Natsu watched with bated breath to see if their attack had any effect. An explosion of energy told them what they wanted to know as they watched get back on her feet with little to no effort required on her part.
A sickening crunch/ripping sound caught their attention. They watched as pieces of various demons broke off their corpses and flew over towards Iori, reconstructing her lost arm. "Is that it?" Iori asked as she glared at the legal mages, the whole in her chest closing as they watched various bones break and reshape to rebuild her sternum.
More and more of the corpses around her broke and reshaped themselves as armor on the rogue mage. With the snap of her fingers, spikes shaped like they came from rib cages burst from the ground around the legal mages, causing them to jump away to avoid getting impaled.
With the swipe of her hand, the blood that was flowing into her shot out tendrils towards the mages. With another snap of her fingers the blood tendrils exploded in wave of flames.
Both Natsu and Laxus brought their arms up to block the attack but was stilled burned as a result.
Smirking at the affect, Iori rushes the two of them. Kicking Natsu away to create some distance, Iori grabs Laxus by the face and slams his head into the wall of the arena and drags him through stone from one end to another. Throwing him off to the side, Iori raises her and as three spike bone protruded from her hand. Firing the spiked bones at the downed mage, Laxus eyes widen in shock of the speed they moved.
Before they could make impact, Natsu appeared before the Lightning Dragon Slayer. "Fire Devil's Screech!" he bellowed as a wave of purple flames disintegrated the bone spikes and shot towards the rogue mage.
Using one of her blood tendrils, Iori reached out for a nearby corpse and used as a shield to protect herself from the attack.
"Get the hell up! We're not done yet!" Natsu said as he forcefully grabbed Laxus' hand and pulled him up.
"Thanks for that." Laxus said as he rolled his neck. Watching as Iori tossed the corpse in her hand to the side, the Lightning mage grunts in annoyance as he takes note of all the other corpses for her to use. "We have to do something about the bodies, otherwise we'll just tire ourselves out before we can do anything."
"Buy me some time, I'll take care of them." Natsu said as he kneeled into a meditative pose, both arms engulfed in his purple flames.
Activating his Lightning Body, Laxus disappears and reappears right behind Iori. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" as he sends a punch at the rogue mage. The punch grows to the size of the lightning mage and hits its mark, sending the rogue mage flying. Turning into a bolt of lightning again, the Dragon Slayer appears right before Iori. With both of his fist together, he raises them screaming "Lightning Dragon's Jaw," as he brings his fist down. The ground beneath Iori cratered as the power of Laxus' coursed through her body.
As the attack was subsiding, a wolf like skull burst through the dust cloud and bit into Laxus' shoulder, lifting him off the ground.
Laxus, trying to break free, punches the skull repeatedly only to thrash around with every impact. With every violent movement or act or retaliation, the jagged teeth tore more into Laxus' flesh. Grunting in pain, the Lightning mage coats his fist in electricity and slams into the top of the skull. The skull screamed out in pain as shattered underneath the impact.
Hitting the ground rolling, Laxus shoots to his feet fast enough to see a barrage of bone like spears coming his way. With the swipe of his fist, each spear is deflected. In his peripheral vision, he could spot Natsu's flames spreading around the edges of the arena. 'Shouldn't be long now.' "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" he yells, forcing Iori to run just to dodge the attack.
"Tch, how annoying," Iori stated as she brushed the small amount of that breath attack that had hit her in the side. Glaring at the blonde, Iori snaps her finger again. 'Such a pain, just like his grandfather.'
Laxus grunts in pain as he feels more biting like pain. Look over his should and down to both his legs, he sees what looks worm like zombie demons shooting out of the ground. "Tch," Laxus reaches up to rip the one off his shoulder off only for another one to shoot out of the ground, latching onto his hand.
'Sorry Makarov,' Iori thought solemnly as she brought a few blood tendrils and directed them at the incapacitated mage. 'Hopefully you'll see things my way someday.'
"Feel free to jump in anytime Natsu!" Laxus yelled as the worms dug more into him.
With those words, the walls off the arena burst into purple flames and burst upwards. The remaining corpses combusted in flames. Catching Iori's attention, Natsu rushed forward and severed each of the blood tendrils. Not even a moment later, Natsu was in front of Laxus and with practiced ease, he swiped his clawed hand and diced up each of the worms.
"My turn," Natsu said, and with a single high five, tagged himself in. Laxus seeing an opening presenting itself, jumped back a few feet to set up his next move. He's spent enough time being treated like a punching bag and pin cushion and could use a breather.
Rushing towards Iori, Natsu has a clawed hand cocked back. Seeing this, Iori fired a wave of bone spears at the pinkette. Dodging underneath the spears, Natsu takes a swipe at the rogue mage's gut, gutting her like one of the many demons that fell here. Igniting his opposite fist in purple flames, he forces it into her open wound. "Fire Devil's Secret Arts: Hell On Earth!" Iori's eyes widen as she feels her body heating up rapidly as she watches purple flames spread just beneath her skin. Natsu barely had enough time to clear the splash zone for his spell took effect and blew Iori's upper half to smithereens.
"You little shit!" a distorted and mangle voice the remains. Iori's body was slowly putting itself. Limbs and chunks were floating in the air as blood tendrils pulled the bits and pieces back together. "Do you have any idea how much that hurts." Iori said as her face was being reconstructed, her skin and hair half grown back by now.
His eyes widening, Natsu is reminded of the horror stories Nobunaga use to tell him. "Fire Devil's Raging Halberd!" The pinkette yelled as he threw dozens of flaming halberds towards Iori's reconstructing body.
Multiple hands shot up and caught each of the halberd's mid-flight. Iori's body now took on a less human appearance. Three arms were attached on both sides of her while multiple hands floated around her. Her body and face were covered in a thick bone like armor. Smirking underneath her bone bask, she threw half of the halberds back towards the pinkette. Unsurprisingly to her Natsu dodged them with ease. While Natsu was busy dodging the halberds thrown his way, the other half were thrown towards Laxus who was busy collecting lightning in his hands.
Seeing this, Natsu grabbed his own halberds and used them to deflect the projectiles head towards the Lightning mage. Unfortunately, this resulted in him turning his back on Iori. When Natsu had deflected the last halberd, he felt a piercing pain shoot threw his gut. Looking down he sees a spiked claw protruding from his stomach.
"How about I give you a taste of what I felt just now." Iori whispered in Natsu's ear just before she threw him across the arena. Shooting a spike through the pinkette's wrists, pinning him to the wall.
Seeing the rogue mage about to be right on top of him, Natsu ignored the pain and ripped his right wrist free of the spike impaling it. "Fire Devil's Raging Fist!" He yells as he slams his fist into the side of Iori's head, shattering her skull helmet. Reaching back, Natsu grabs the spike that was still sticking out of the wall, pulls it out, and stabs it into the rogue mage's forehead.
Being given a second to breath, Natsu reaches over to the other spike and rips it out of his wrist. Grunting in pain, the pinkette takes notice of the blood pouring from his wrist.
"Fire Dragon's…" He began to say only to stop mid spell as a bone blade cut him across his body from his body his hip to his shoulder. The pinkette's eyes widen as his mind finally catches up to him as he watches copious amounts of blood pouring from his chest.
Plunging her fist into Natsu's gaping wound., Iori lifted him off the ground and brought him up to her. "You know, it's a shame I can't do the same thing to you, not yet at least." The rogue mage said as she stared into the pinkette's eyes. "Not to worry though, we're still far from done."
"Hahaha," Natsu laughed as he spit a glob of blood onto Iori's face. "Actually, we're pretty close to wrapping this up."
Catching her attention, Iori takes not that the arena they're in is much brighter than it was before. Looking up, Iori's eyes widen as she sees what looks to be less than a dozen lightning lacrimas floating above her. Each one looking as though it had been overloaded.
"Fire Devil's Raging Fist!" Natsu yells as he punches the rogue mage in the face, causing her to loosen her grip on him. "Laxus, NOW!" Natsu says as he makes it to the edge of what he thinks is the spells effective range.
"Thunder Palace!" One by one, each of the lacrimas fired down on Iori, causing her to scream out in pain.
"Fire Devil's Cataclysmic Inferno!" Natsu yelled as he slammed his fist into the ground. Cracks spread from himself all the way to Iori. The ground glowing an ominous purple light. A geyser of purple flames erupted from the below the rogue mage.
Both Laxus and Natsu have seen what kind of damage Iori can take. They weren't taking any chances and were doing everything they could to ensure her death.
The two attacks collided with Iori trapped in the middle. Magical pressure built and caused cracks to spread through out the floor and the walls. Chunks of stone fell from the walls as the ground beneath the rogue mage not only cratered but continuously grew deeper.
For a moment, the magical output of both spells had completely disappeared. Natsu and Laxus watched with bated breath before the energy came back with a vengeance and exploded. Both mages were sent flying back aways from the force of the explosion.
"Is she dead?" Laxus asked, groaning in pain as getting back on his feet was more difficult than he would have liked.
"God, I hope so." Natsu said, struggling just to sit up.
Both mages, dropping their Dragon Force and Devil Trigger, sniff the air and are relieved to not be able to find a scent. Wanting to quell their worries, Laxus walks over to the edge of the crater they had created. The bodies that Iori was pulling from had all been burned up and destroyed. The heat alone from their combined attack should have been enough to burn away her body. Looking into the crater, the blonde let out a sigh of relief when he saw nothing there.
"Yeah, she's done." Laxus said as he walked over to the pinkette, offering him hand to help him up to his feet.
"Thank god, I really didn't want to go second round." Natsu said as he winced in pain. Looking down, only now did the realization that he was so focused on the fight that he forgot to close the wounds on his wrists and body. He was covered in blood, far too much of it was his own. "Well, shit." He muttered as he dropped back to the ground unconscious.
"Natsu!"
Time Skip
"Why does everything hurt?" Natsu asked as he opened his eyes and grunted in pain. Everything hurt. Sitting up, groaning throughout the entire ordeal, the pinkette wondered how long it has been since he was hurt this bad. Looking around, he had figured that he had to be in the Fairy Tail Infirmary. He's been in this room enough to recognize it. Judging by how dark it was in the room and how quiet the rest of the building is, he guessed that it had to be around the middle of the night. Having sniffed the air again, Natsu found a familiar scent by the bar.
Getting out of bed and standing on somewhat shaky feet, he walks through the door of the infirmary. Looking over to the bar, the pinkette spots Makarov sitting there, sipping a drink.
"Ah Natsu, it's good to see that your up." The guild master says, not taking his eyes off his drink. Ever since Laxus and Team Fallen Fairy returned with Natsu being seriously injured, Makarov had a lot on his mind. Even more so after his grandson told him about everything that happened.
"Hey Gramps, what are you doing here?" Natsu ask as he sat on the bar stool next to the older man
Laughing lightly, Makarov takes a sip of his beer. "Oh, nothing. It's a policy of mine that when one my children are in the infirmary, I don't go home until they do." Regardless of the circumstances, he would be there for his children. whether it's to help them something, no matter how minor, or be there in their final moments, Makarov would make sure the members of his guild weren't alone.
A moment of silence took place between the two of them as they sat in the dimly lit guild hall. Neither really knowing what to say. "So, I hear your job was a success." Makarov said to break the ice.
"I don't know if I'd go that far. We were just there to find the Rune Knights that disappeared. And things got out of hand quicker than I thought they would." With this moment of quiet, Natsu had a moment to process everything that had happened. Was that really what the job was, find the Rune Knights and leave. Were they supposed to deal with those rogue mages? Was there another way they could have resolved things? Natsu wasn't bother by the fact he had to kill some rogue mages. He wonders if they reacted to fast before they could find another way. Maybe if they went in quieter, instead of being caught off guard, they could have been better prepared.
"I find it's best not to think too much on it." Makarov recognized the look on Natsu's face. The same old look of second guess yourself. Unfortunately, on S-Class jobs, that's a luxury most mages can't afford. Second guessing yourself almost always makes things worse. "Besides, you held your own against Iori. That's no easy feat."
For reason this got Natsu to give Makarov a strange look. "You sound like you knew her."
Makarov sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, so many memories coming to the forefront of his mind. "Yes, yes I did know her." He answered as he took another sip of his drink. "Many years ago, the council sent me to access Iori as a potential candidate to join the Wizard Saints. She was an amazing mage with a lot of promise. With another year or two I thought she would have been ready to join our ranks. She was a truly talented mage and an even more impressive person."
"What happened to her?" After seeing everything that happened in the Giant's Chasm, it's hard for Natsu to see Iori as the person Makarov described.
"She lost someone. Her fiancé to be exact. While on a job her fiancé was killed. She chased one of the culprits down and cornered him. The dark mage tried to surrender. He had given up; he was no longer a threat. Iori's emotions got the better of her and she killed the man in cold blood. To make matters worse, she killed him in the middle of a village in broad daylight for all to see." Makarov recounted the events that took place afterward.
Months of meetings between guild masters and the council, tightening the rules for how to treat prisoners. Ultimately, Iori was let go since accidental deaths, in the heat of the moment, are an unfortunate possibility of S Class jobs. Though, as punishment, Iori had lost her chance to join the Wizard Saints and was promptly demoted from S Class. Her actions had negatively impacted her guild, causing an alarming number of clients to send their request to other guilds. Her guildmates had grown distant and somewhat fearful of her. While drowning in her own despair, Iori went on a rampage. One Dark Guild after another was destroyed by her hands. Her actions were drawing so much attention that the council was worried that sooner than later the Balam Alliance were going to respond in kind. How they managed to convince her to stop could only be described as a miracle.
Just as things were starting to turn around for Iori and her guild, progress had to come to an abrupt stop. A group of dark mages that managed to escape Iori's wrath decided they wanted revenge. And since Iori took their guildmates, they would take hers. An eye for an eye. When Iori found the remains of her guild, that was the moment when she became too far gone.
"I tried to help her the best I could, I tried everything, and it wasn't enough. As members of Fairy Tail, when we see someone going down a dark road, it's our duty to try and bring them back. That's why I tried to convince you to take a different path and not take lives when you joined the guild."
"Because you were scared I would turn out like Iori?" If anything, that explains why Makarov pushed so much about it and show Natsu that there are alternatives.
"Yes. Sorry Natsu, I know your father instilled a code in you for you follow, but I couldn't help myself. You have so much potential, I was scared to see someone like you going down such a dark path." For every person Makarov has helped, he's seen just as many go down a dark path because they were hurting, and no one was there to help them. "I'm not going to tell you not to kill anymore. I'm going to trust your judgement. All I ask is that you're mindful of what you're doing and where you're doing it. We don't need unnecessary attention with the council."
Makarov may not like the council, but they serve a purpose. Usually, the purpose is more self-serving than anything else, but they know how to maintain the balance. If that balance is ever disturbed, the aging guild master doesn't want to imagine how many innocent people will be caught up in the devastation.
"Gramps, do you know why Iori was trying to obtain Dark magic." That's the one piece of this situation he doesn't understand. If Iori was strong enough to be consideration to join the Wizard Saints, why go through the effort of obtaining Dark magic. Nobunaga always held humans with Dark magic in the highest contempt. To the Demon King, those were people defied reason simply because they could. They were unknown, chaotic, forces he couldn't understand.
"This is just speculation, but, for the longest time Zeref has been a boogie man of sorts to most of the world. Tales of The Dark Mage has scared countless people. Even after hundreds of years, we still hold him as the pinnacle of evil. Iori might have sought out her own Dark magic so that she can have the same reputation, but for dark mages instead."
"If that's the case, it's a good thing we stopped her when she did." If Iori's power had continued to grow, she would have gone on a rampage. Sure, dark mages would have died, but who knows where she would have drawn a line.
"Yes," Makarov muttered as he finished off his beer. "Enough of this depressing talk. Let's celebrate you completing your first S Class job." He said as he walked behind the bar and started pouring another beer.
"But I nearly got myself killed." Mystogan and Sayla were the ones that got the Rune Knights and dark mages to safety. If Natsu had fought Iori by himself, odds are he would have died buying the others time.
"Natsu, let me tell you something my old master used to tell me." Makarov said as he cleared his throat. "SHUT THE HELL UP AND TAKE THE DAMN COMPLIMENT YOU BRAT!" he said, making the pinkette jump in his seat. "Do not take shame from needing help. We all have hurdles that we can't handle alone." He finished as he slid the beer he finished pouring to Natsu and began pouring another one for himself. "If you feel like what you did wasn't enough, then train so that you can do better next time."
"Uh, gramps aren't I too young to be drinking?" Natsu asked as he eyed the beer in front of him.
"Oh, are you going to report me to the council? Narc." He retorted in a teasing tone as he finished pouring a beer for himself. "This is a monumental occasion. We should be celebrating properly." Makarov couldn't remember how many celebratory drinks he's had with the members of his guild. Every time they cross a milestone, he becomes so incredibly proud, and he wants his children to know it.
Taking his place back on his bar stool, Makarov raised his glass. "Cheers," Natsu, just going along with it, raised his glass and mimicked the guild master's action.
With both mages taking a drink, the pinkette struggled with his first sip. "Ugh, how do you drink this?" Natsu couldn't get past the bitterness. The idea that anyone would enjoy a drink like this is insane to him.
Makarov was having a hard time holding in his amusement. "With enough time, you'll learn to enjoy it."
Natsu didn't believe for a second that he would. "Do I have to finish this?"
Snickering, Makarov says "Think of it as your punishment for getting so seriously hurt. Now hurry up and finish your beer, Porlyusica will kill the both of us if she finds you out of bed."
And that's a wrap, I'm so glad to be done with this chapter. For the longest time I didn't know what direction to take this chapter with. At one point or another, it was going to be Makarov and/or Gildarts taking Team Fallen Fairy on this job. After all the rewrites I'm happy with how this one turned out.
Between Sayla being petty, showing Mystogan being somewhat serious, Natsu and Laxus teaming up to fight Iori and that little moment at the end, all these things were just fun to write. That being said, let me know how I did with the Natsu Laxus team up fight, that's the thing I was the most concerned about and spent the most time working on.
For anyone who doesn't like that I didn't do much with the Dark magic, I'm going to expand on it in a later chapter. This was a tease for later. Also, for anyone worried, Iori is not going to be a reoccurring character, she'll just be mentioned later on.
Anyways, love the chapter, hate it, think it too long to get this out? Let me know in the reviews. Speaking of which if you have any questions feel free to either leave a review and I'll reply in the next chapter or send me a PM and I'll get back to you as soon as possible, usually within a day or two.
Onto the reviews.
Rowlet10: Thanks, I chose Cana to be teamed up with Natsu mainly because I thought writing those two working together would be fun.
jackyfloresq2001: Hope this chapter was worth the wait.
kush1995b: Hope you're having a good year so far. You have no excited I was to see that this is your favorite story. Good news, my goal is to write a lot more this year.
That's it for the reviews.
One last piece of good news there is only one more chapter left before I finally get to cannon. God… it took a little over four years to get to this point. Damn, I suck. Thankfully, it's only a filler chapter so that should be out by next month… hopefully, probably.
Anyways, till next time
Mreh