Okay, chapter 2. I'll be honest, did not expect such a popular response. Nearly twenty people have followed this story in the last day. So, to say thanks, I spent the entire day writing the next chapter, which is basically Nero getting more familiar with the world of Earthland, wizards, guilds, etc. Also, props to Ultimate10, thanks for okaying me to do this.
Also, I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, but Nero doesn't have to be in his devil trigger form in order to access Yamato. In the game, there are several scenes where Nero is holding Yamato without being in his devil trigger form. For this reason, I'm going to assume he may have practiced using it and can do somethings like send waves of energy, like he created one when fighting Sanctus in the final battle. That being said, he can do a few things with the sword. Nothing like what Dante can do when he has it equipped. But, for this story, I'm going to give him the chance to use Yamato, not often as his main weapon weapons are Devil Bringer, Red Queen, and Blue Rose.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, despite my imagination telling me otherwise.
Devil Tail
Chapter 2: Not The Usual Job Part 2
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy had all seen plenty of weird things in their times as wizards to Fairy Tail. However, what they weren't prepared for was when some random guy named Nero comes bursting out of the woods, shooting the knife out of the hand to Lucy's nearly successful assassin, and then dropkicks said assassin into a group of thieves they were hired to take down. Granted he looked normal in first impressions, aside from the double barrel revolver and the giant sword on his back, what really took the cake was when the guy just told them he was a Demon Hunter.
Demon Hunters were rare to come across, and more often then not, they weren't the friendliest of people. Often only fighting if they were paid to do so. So getting help from one was really surprising.
Despite the initial shock, Lucy was the first to recover, enough so that she could answer Nero's question. It was pretty much the least she could do for him after he saved her life.
"You're in the forest, right outside of Oshibana. Why?" answered the blonde, but was slightly curious to figure out why he would need to ask.
"That a town or something?" asked Nero, giving a slightly confused expression as he put his hand into his pocket.
"Oshibana is a town," repeated Lucy, though only received a confused expression, "You know, near Clover and Onibus."
"Clover and Oni-what?" parroted Nero, leaving him only more confused by Lucy's statement.
"The Kingdom of Fiore?" tried Lucy, he had to know about that.
However, Nero only shrugged nonchalantly, having never heard of those places. Which wasn't a lie and he really didn't see the point in lying to these three.
"Seriously?" deadpanned Lucy, completely shocked that this guy didn't even know where he was. Like, it wasn't that ludicrous to not have heard of Oshibana if you're from another part of the world, but have never heard of the Fiore?!
"If you've never heard of Oshibana, then what are you doing so close by?" asked Happy, cutting into the conversation. He was also about as curious as Lucy to find out how Nero had never heard of Fiore.
"Let's say I'm new around here and kinda lost my way," replied Nero cryptically. He had to think of a good excuse, cause if told them he was from another world they might not believe. And if they did, it might make the situation all the more confusing, more than it needs to be, "Was making my way through the woods when I got jumped by some giant, green, gorilla. After dealing with it, I found-"
"Giant green gorilla...?" cut in Natsu, his eyes widening slightly, which prompted Nero to nod in confirmation, "It didn't happen to have pink hears on its arms, did it?"
"Thing did, from what I could see," confirmed the demon hunter as he turned to the Dragon Slayer.
"Man, I hate those things," huffed Natsu as he folded his arms across his chest, "Always walkin' around like they own the place..."
"Hmph, I can agree with that," said Nero in agreement.
"Wait," interjected Lucy, going back to the main source of her confusion, "so you have no clue where you are?"
"Not a one," shrugged the demon hunter.
"Don't you know where your home is?" asked Happy, wondering that if Nero knew where his home was, they could figure out how is that he didn't know about Fiore or any of the towns.
"Well there's a problem...I have no clue where my home is. Though, can't really say I really had one, to begin with," responded Nero which wasn't a total lie. Growing up in Fortuna was difficult, he never really felt like he belonged there. The only reason he didn't run away sooner was that of Kyrie and Credo. All the worship and how humans are weak kinda irked him a little. And after the Savior and Sanctus, he didn't really feel 'at home' in Devil May Cry, so he never really had a home, or at least, that's what he felt.
"Do you know how you ended up here at least?" asked Natsu, voicing his own question.
Nero shifted his stance awkwardly as his left hand went up to scratch his nose. He couldn't really tell them he was from another universe or world in general. However, if it became a problem, or if it was necessary, he'd tell them. But there are somethings he'd like to keep a secret, one being his heritage. So, thinking fast, he was about to try to come up with some excuse, that was until Natsu cut in.
"If you don't know where your home is, and you felt like you never really had one, maybe you should come back with us to our guild!" offered the firebreather, a very wide and toothy grin on his face.
"'Guild', huh?" repeated Nero, blinking a bit in confusion by what the pyromaniac had said. Just what exactly was a guild here?
"Uh, Natsu?" interjected Lucy, turning to the aforementioned Dragon Slayer with a slightly curious, and slightly concerned expression, "Are you sure it's okay to invite random strangers to the guild without the Master's permission?"
"Oh don't be a downer!" assured the wizard as he carelessly put his hands behind his head, "I'm sure Gramps will be cool with it, and besides: he did just help us."
"True," admitted Lucy, seeing no real reason to say otherwise, but that didn't stop Happy from voicing his own opinion on the matter.
"You're sure that's okay with the Master, Natsu?" asked Happy, a slightly concerned expression on his furry face.
"Of course it is!" Exclaimed Natsu as he went over to Nero and threw an arm over his shoulder, causing the demon hunter to narrow his eyes at the pink haired Dragon Slayer, "All we gotta do is just explain how he helped and we're done! Nero'll have a place to crash!" Releasing the white-haired man, he gave a wide grin to him, "So, what do yah say?"
Nero was slightly annoyed with how upbeat the guy seemed to be, and the sudden, if not immediate offer for a place to stay was a little suspicious. But it's not like he has many other options, most of which would take a much longer time and he doubt he would get another chance like this. However, there was one issue: his arm.
"Listen..." began Nero before he trailed off.
"You don't have to if you don't want to..." offered Lucy a sense of choice.
"But you totally should!" Natsu urged, trying really hard to get Nero to join. One: he didn't have a place to stay, and two: he was a freakin' demon hunter! With a demon hunter, Fairy Tail would practically be unstoppable, "You said you didn't know where your home is, right?"
"I did," nodded the hunter.
It was then Nero looked away from the group to the ground as he turned his back to them. Unconsciously, he pulled Devil Bringer out of his pocket and gripped his wrist. He didn't really know how to respond to the situation, not being the most sociable person in Fortuna so his social skills weren't that great. Plus, things went by incredibly quickly, just ten minutes ago, they had met and now the pink-haired kid was offering him a place to stay. It went without saying that he was a little grateful for the offer, but the question remained: should he take it?
Nero glanced back over his shoulder, taking a look at each of them: Natsu with a wide, very toothy grin on his face; Happy and Lucy with smiles on their faces. The trio was completely new to him, that much was clear, but they were also incredibly friendly and welcoming to him right off the bat. It might have to do with the fact that they wanted to say thank you, for helping them and saving Lucy's life, so to repay him, they were offering him a place to stay. If there was one thing he learned from Dante in his time with Devil May Cry, it was: 'take what you can get'.
"So?" asked Natsu, "You wanna come with us?"
"It's not like I have anywhere else to be," replied Nero after a moment of hesitation, "Yeah, I'll go with you."
"Alright!" grinned the Dragon Slayer as he pumped his fist, "Then what are we standin' around here for?! Let's get movin'!"
"Aye, sir!" agreed Happy as the two began to leave.
The duo began to walk off in a random direction, Happy flying right after Natsu, seemingly prepared to exit the forest. But neither of them made it into the forest, or at least past five steps before Lucy had grabbed the pink-haired fire lunatic and flying blue cat by their scarf and backpack, halting their progress.
"Did you two dunderheads already forget that we have a job to finish?!" screamed Lucy.
Natsu grinned sheepishly, "Heheh...yeah, my bad. Forgot about that."
Lucy then released Natsu and Happy, and the trio turned to face the pile of unconscious bandits, Nero following the direction of their gaze.
"You guys were hired to take down these lowlifes?" asked Nero as he folded his arms.
Yup!" Lucy smiled proudly. "The job request came from one of the guards at Oshibana Station. He had a suspicion that these thugs might've been hiding out in the forest near town for a few months, but since the town doesn't have many wizards, and he couldn't prove it to any of his superiors, he called for help from wizards all over. We just happened to be the ones who struck gold and found 'em!"
"Yeah," Natsu folded his arms over his chest, "but now we have to drag 'em all back to the station where the guard is. How do you suggest we do that?"
Lucy's excited mien quickly shifted to one of thought, and then to one of disappointment as she realized Natsu was right. However, all was not lost as Nero spotted a tree, one that was tall enough to have about twenty to thirty people across the trunk if the tree was to be chopped down. With the idea in mind, he turned to the three wizards, a tiny smirk on his face.
"If it's all the same to you, I think I might have a way to help you out," offered the hunter.
"What?" asked Lucy as he eyes went wide and she turned to Nero, "Oh no, we couldn't ask you to do that."
"Maybe, but I don't plan to stick around here and like you said, you need to get these guys to that guard station and I don't hear any other ideas," countered Nero as he walked towards the aforementioned tree, "Besides, you're offering me a place to live; at least I could do is return the favor and help out."
"Well, if you say so..." Lucy conceded.
"I got no problem with it!" Natsu said, "So what's your plan?"
"My plan is this:" answered Nero as he took hold of Red Queen's handle, and gripped it tightly in his left hand. With a good grip, he swung the sword right at the base of the trunk. With his already ridiculous strength, Dante even saying that he was like to be stronger than even himself in terms of brute strength, and the incredibly sharp blade of Red Queen, Nero sliced right through the tree in one swing.
The tree teetered then fell, landing about ten feet from the pile of unconscious thugs. Walking up to where the branches first begin to spread out, Nero sliced the crown from the trunk. With the newly formed log, Nero pushed it right towards the group.
"We'll lay these guys across the trunk and drag the tree to wherever you guys need to go," explained Nero as he sheathed Red Queen and turned to the wizards.
"Sounds like a plan," nodded Lucy.
"See if you can find some rope; it'll make my job easier when dragging this thing," added the hunter as he grabbed two thugs and dumped them on the log.
After a few minutes, all thirty thugs were laid on the log. Lucy found a rope on one of the unconscious men, tying it to the top of the log. With everything set, Nero grabbed the rope and looked towards the wizards.
"Lead the way," requested Nero as he took up the slack.
"The station is this way," directed Lucy as she pointed towards the forest.
"Follow us, Mr. Demon Hunter Man," said Happy excitedly.
"Don't call me that," snapped Nero harshly, glaring at Happy.
"Okay!" whimpered the feline.
And with that, the group was off, with Lucy in the lead, and Happy, Natsu, and Nero, who was dragging the log with his left hand, trailed behind the group. About ten minutes of walking/dragging later, the group finally arrived at the edge of the forest and in the distance, they could see the top bits of the Oshibana Station through a clearing of trees and behind a few buildings. Mercifully, the Oshibana Station was pretty big; likely the tallest in the city. Even by the end of the journey, Nero wasn't even winded, but that didn't stop him from internally gripping.
'So this is Oshibana?' thought Nero, 'I wouldn't mind if it was a little closer.'
"Oshibana is right up ahead!" pointed Lucy, directly in front of them, "Reward money, here we come!"
With that, the quartet trekked on. After about a minute of walking, they came across the entrance of the town, where a few guards were located. Upon seeing them, the guards alerted some others, who helped take the unconscious thugs off the wizards and hunter's hands. All of them, very happy to not have to do any fighting themselves. But as luck would have it, the guard that hired Natsu, Lucy, and Happy was not among the guards that took the bandits into custody.
A guard that was among the group that took the bandits, was kind enough to update the wizards and hunter that the one who put in the job request was still at the station. Meaning, that they would have to go to the station to collect the payment. It wasn't really a problem to any of them as they actually needed to go there any way to get back to the guild hall, by way of train.
Walking into the bustling town, they headed towards the center of the town, where the station was located. As they were walking to the station, Nero noticed the town was extremely low tech like most cities in his world, baring Fortuna. The city was located on an island off the coast of the US, so it was very isolated. Add in the fact that it was very grounded in the belief that Sparda was basically a God, people actively rejected a few things from the rest of the world, one being elements of modern culture. But it still received shipments and was updated on world effects. However, a few things like his headset and some appliances like TVs, Nero had to make himself.
Going back to the city, the group eventually reached the station at the center of the town. It was a very large building, brown, brick arches, and green-tiled roofing, as well as two tower-like structures on either side of it. The railway extended from inside the building to either direction outside, and off into the distance both ways.
After a moment, they entered the building where the client, who had been informed by one of his allies that his request has been filled by a group of wizards. Said wizards were waiting for him, and the money that was promised if they finish the job. After thanking the group and handing Lucy their reward, the four then went to one of the many benches that were lined up along the edge of the train tracks. Nero made a long glance around the area, and he would admit it was impressive but reminded him of a little of the Order's Headquarters back in his universe.
"Can you believe it?!" Lucy yelled excitedly, "There was actually a bonus if nothing got destroyed!"
"I assume that destroying stuff is something that happens often?" wondered Nero, having folded his arms, to keep Devil Bringer concealed as well as to show his surprise.
Lucy slouched her head and shoulders, and mumbled, "You have no idea..."
"Good thing we weren't in the town when we fought 'em," Happy pointed out, "Otherwise, Natsu might've destroyed the railroad again."
"Hey, man! That wasn't my fault and you know it!" Natsu retorted, annoyed. He then crossed his arms, "If you want someone to blame, blame that dress-wearin' windbag, why don't yah..."
"You might wanna explain to me what Natsu means by: 'Dress-wearin' windbag'," commented Nero, not fully understanding what Happy and Natsu were referring to.
"It's a long story...," Lucy simply stated. It didn't take more than a couple of seconds for Lucy's downcast expression to change back to one of excitement once again, "Anyway, I'm gonna go pay for our train tickets with some of the money we just earned! Be right back!"
"Yeah, yeah," muttered Nero as Lucy happily skipped away towards the ticket booth which was conveniently placed against a wall behind the group of four.
Nero couldn't decide if the constant upbeat attitude was something he'd get annoyed by really quickly, or if it'd grow on him. But he then noticed Natsu slump into his seat on a bench that was close to them. His expression far more irked than before.
"Great...," griped Natsu, not looking forward to the train ride in the slightest.
"What's your problem?" asked Nero.
"Natsu and vehicles don't mix very well," Happy explained, "He gets super motion sick."
Nero arched an eyebrow slightly as he looked at Natsu. He didn't know if the information he was given was funny or if it was weird. The guy could shoot fire from his hands and breath fire and his weakness is vehicles?
"Just how bad are we talking here?"
"Really bad. You'll see."
"Well, if he pukes on me, I'm throwing his ass off the train," warned Nero, making it pretty clear that he wasn't about to get puke all over him.
With that said, the howl of the train's whistle broke through the noise of the station and not a moment too soon as Lucy arrived with the tickets. With their tickets and the train having just arrived, the group boarded the train.
Fives minutes on the train were spent looking for a compartment and eventually, one was found. Getting settled into the compartment, Lucy and Nero sat on one side with Natsu and Happy sat on the opposite. Some people were still boarding the train, so the journey hadn't started yet. However, Natsu was still as nervous as ever, even though they weren't moving.
"Earlier, you said you guys were taking me to you 'guild', or something?" recalled Nero, turning to the blonde girl to his right.
"Yup!" Lucy smiled. "We're wizards from the Fairy Tail guild." She then began to squeal girlishly, "And ours is the greatest guild ever!" she giggled giddily to herself.
"Right," drawled Nero as he cocked an eyebrow, in slight skepticism and confusion.
Whatever she was referring to had her excited, clearly. However, it did little to clean up any confusion. If anything, it made him slightly more confused.
"As someone new to the area, mind telling me what exactly 'Fairy Tail' is?" asked Nero.
Lucy's giddy giggling came to a screeching halt when Nero asked her that question. Turning to him, Lucy's jaw was hanging open as she looked at him with complete shock by what was just asked.
"Are you serious?!" She cried, "You've never heard of Fairy Tail?!"
"Wouldn't have asked if I did," shrugged Nero, further shocking the blonde wizard to the core.
"They're only the most famous wizard guild in all of Fiore! They've done countless interviews in Sorcerer Weekly Magazine, and-"
"What do you mean, 'they'?" Natsu interrupted. "You're a member now too, or did you forge-"
Before Natsu could even finish his inquiry, the train finally began to move. The look on Natsu's face grew more and more apprehensive by the second. Much to Nero's confusion and ire should things head south.
"Buddy, we just started moving, calm down," requested Nero, but was not prepared for what happened next.
Suddenly, Natsu began sweating from practically every pore on his face, somewhat startling Nero as his left hand instinctively went to Blue Rose. However, Lucy and Happy were hardly fazed by the sight of their friendly sweating profusely.
Nero was about to step out and try to avoid the situation and maybe get some help, but before he could even rise out of his seat, Natsu's cheeks puffed out while his face turned a sickly green color.
"I am...so sick..." groaned Natsu as his expression of puking grew even more intense. He quickly covered his mouth.
"We barely crawling and he's this sick?" asked Nero incredulously, not even beginning to understand how the guy got this sick so fast.
Happy shrugged, "That's Natsu for yah."
"How is that he gets motion sickness that fast?" asked the hunter as he turned to Lucy, "Let me guess; he's like this for any vehicle?"
"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine," Happy dismissed.
"If he pukes on me, his motion sickness should be the last thing he should worry about," threatened Nero as he stretched his legs out and slouched down in the chair.
Natsu looked at Happy, weakly, "How could you abandon me?!" He covered his mouth again.
Nero looked down at Natsu, in pity and some minor shock at how fast the guy has motion sickness. It really shouldn't be possible for someone to get sick that fast. But then again, he was in a new world so biology could be different. Even still, Nero quickly let Natsu be and regained himself in his seat. After a few minutes, he glanced at Lucy, a question having appeared in his mind. Something to do with these 'guilds' Lucy keeps mentioning.
"Hey, Lucy. Mind if I ask you something?" asked Nero.
"Yeah?"
"You said something about 'guilds'," recalled the hunter, "Mind telling me what exactly the deal is with them and what they are?"
Both Lucy and Happy looked at Nero incredulously. Natsu likely would have done so as well, but right now, he was preoccupied with trying to remain conscious due to his motion sickness.
"You can't be serious," said Lucy, in complete disbelief, "First Oshibana, then Fairy Tail, and now guilds in general?"
"Yeah, it's super weird." Happy commented, "Shouldn't you know this stuff? I mean, demon hunters are basically wizards too, after all."
Nero was a little surprised, though was a little intrigued. He had been called a few things when the order found out he was part demon: traitor being one of the most popular. However, being called a wizard was something he wouldn't think he'd ever be labeled as. And in a sense, Demon power is magic in a sense, but he didn't know how different it was compared to the magic of this world.
"Kinda hard to know about some of these things when you live on an island that has decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world," retorted Nero, having to think about his response in order for it to make sense, "And I don't use magic often."
"Huh?" asked Lucy and Happy at the same time, a little surprised to hear that Nero grew up on an island completely isolated. Natsu would've commented as well, but motion sickness.
"But, how is that possible?" demanded Lucy, "The island part, okay, but you have to use magic! Anybody who can slice through a tree with one swing of a sword, or drag a log with thirty thugs on it for about a mile has to use magic!"
"Yeah," agreed Happy, sharing the same confusion as the blonde wizard.
"Look," stated Nero, taken aback by their reactions to his response, though he really shouldn't be surprised by what he's seen so far in this world. Having its own history and common knowledge, something that Nero was sorely lacking, coming from an entirely different world. He could try his luck and tell them exactly what his situation is, being from another world, but would they believe him? It was difficult enough for them to believe he didn't use magic often, "I'll explain everything later, but not here. I'd like to keep this private."
Lucy and Happy merely looked at each other, then back to Nero, and nodded. They didn't know why he was being so secretive, or why he was claiming he didn't use magic, or at least often, but they decided to leave the subject alone for now per his request.
Knowing that they would respect his decision, Nero reclined a bit more into his seat. At least they were willing to wait.
"At least you guys are willing to listen, thanks. I'll explain everything, knowing you both are curious," thanked Nero, something he wasn't accustomed to doing, at least often or to strangers, "Though, if you wouldn't mind telling me about the magic you guys used back there, it would be really appreciated."
Happy and Lucy quickly leaned in close to each other, and began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Are you sure we should tell him?" whispered Happy, though not quietly, "He said he doesn't use magic typically, but what if he's lying?"
"Sure, act like I'm not sitting directly across from you," cut in Nero, not at all amused that they were whispering about him when he is still present. However, his comment went unnoticed or ignored by Lucy and Happy as they continued to whisper.
"Let's give him a chance. He helped us out twice today, after all. What could it hurt?" Lucy replied.
A few seconds later, Lucy returned her attention to Nero, resuming her previously upbeat demeanor.
"Well, I guess that's understandable. There aren't too many people who use my kind of magic out there," She smiled, "I'm what's called a Celestial Wizard. I can use my Gate Keys to summon Celestial Spirits that I've made contracts with."
"Like that minotaur: Taurus?" recalled Nero.
"Yup! He's one of the Zodiac Spirits. There are only twelve of them, so their keys are pretty hard to come by. Their keys are gold, but there are also silver keys too. Silver Gate Keys are a lot more common, and you can even find them in magic shops. Here, I'll show you one..."
Lucy stood up from her seat, and reached for her key ring. From it, she pulled off a silver key. The key's blade was shaped like a small paw, oddly enough. She thrust the key forward, just as she did with Taurus's back in the forest.
"Open, Gate of the Little Dog: Nikola!"
With a puff of smoke and the following loud doorbell, a small orb of light appeared. As quickly as it appeared, the orb began to shift, and after a few seconds, the light dispersed. Revealing a small, white creature with beady eyes, a round head, and a nose that looked almost like a carrot. In all honesty, it somewhat resembled a snowman with skinny arms and legs. For some odd reason, it was constantly shivering, even though it was fairly warm inside the train.
Nero stared at the animal, his eyebrow cocked up slightly as the creature continued to shiver. Looking at it for a few moments, before turning to Lucy a blank to the point of being borderline unimpressed expression on his face, "Whoever gave you that key probably scammed you. Pretty sure this one's a dud."
"DUMMY, HE'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THAT!" Lucy yelled.
The Celestial wizard quickly reached down and picked up the strange, white creature, and began to snuggle it intensely, though the creature seemed to retain its original expression as she did so.
"You're not a dud, are you, Plue?" She said in a puppy-dog voice, "You're the most adorable spirit ever, aren't you? Yes, you are!"
"I think the name 'Frosty' would be more appropriate. But isn't it called 'Nikola', or is that its species or something?" commented Nero, thinking that the reason she said Nikola was because of the species.
"Yeah, Nikola is the species," confirmed Lucy as she stopped snuggling Plue and turned to Nero, "And I liked the name Plue, better!"
"To each their own, I guess," shrugged Nero.
Turning away from the blonde Celestial Wizard, he looked at Natsu, who was currently shivering about as much as Plue was. He was slouched so far down into his seat that if he went any further, he was likely to fall out of it. It appeared Natsu had motion sickness so bad that Nero actually felt bad for him. Or he would've if he hadn't remembered something about the firebreather and was curious to ask.
"What about this guy?" asked Nero, jerking his head to Natsu, "If I remember, I think he said he was something called a Dragon Slayer. So, did he kill a dragon to get his abilities, or is that what's it called?"
Hearing his pink-headed friend's name mentioned, Happy suddenly tuned in, apparently having not been paying attention during Lucy's explanation of her own magic to Nero.
"Oh no; even though Dragon Slayer Magic was created to fight dragons, Natsu's never used it on one," Happy clarified, "Actually, it was a dragon that taught it to him in the first place."
"Kinda ironic that a Dragon would teach someone how to kill other dragons," commented the hunter, a little surprised to hear that Natsu was trained by a dragon. What's more, Nero got the notion that dragons in this world would differ by a mile compared to the few that are in his, "Any reason this dragon taught Natsu how to kill its own kind with his magic?"
Happy shrugged. "I dunno. I just know that the only way for a human to learn Dragon Slayer Magic is to be taught by one. Natsu was raised by a Fire Dragon named Igneel. He's the one who taught it to him."
"Woah, Woah, what?" cut off Nero as he looked at Happy incredulously. Natsu was raised by a dragon? As in fire, wings, scales, etc? He'd seen and heard a lot of weird things, this one took the cake, "Natsu, was raised by a Dragon?"
Happy simply nodded, much to Nero's surprise as he leaned back in his chair. He let out a snort of surprise before staring at the Dragon Slayer, allegedly raised by a dragon. It shouldn't surprise him as much as it does, after all, Dante and his brother were raised by Sparda, the Dark Knight, at least, for a little while before he vanished. After a moment, he turned back to Happy.
"So, where is Iggy, right now?" asked Nero.
The blue cat shook his head, "Nobody knows. Seven years ago, Igneel just disappeared. Didn't even tell Natsu where he was going. No one's seen a dragon since, but even so, Natsu's been looking all over for Igneel since that day, always chasing rumors of dragon sightings whenever he can."
"Hopefully, looking for this guy won't end up killing him," muttered Nero grimly.
A moment of silence passed in the train compartment. Nero took another look at Natsu, who was still just as motion sick as ever. Despite how crazy it was that the pink-haired wizard was brought up by a dragon, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for him, at least a little. Having the only parent you've ever known just up and disappear one day must be extremely hard, especially at a young age. He would know, his own adopted parents were killed when he was ten by demons. And it sounds like Natsu' pretty desperate to Igneel him too. Even so, had Happy not just explained all this to him, he'd have likely never noticed that desperation simply by interacting with Natsu. Back in the forest, he seemed to be full of energy and life.
The remainder of the train ride was relatively quiet, but Nero used some of the time get a better understanding of what guilds were. Lucy had explained that a wizard guild is basically a place for wizards to find work, which more often than not, results in helping others in some shape, way, or form. They also gave those wizards a place to call home, and people to call family. Somehow, it reminded Nero of Devil May Cry, except more magic and more jobs and no crippling debt. Something Nero was slightly jealous of cause Dante was always in debt, so to hear that there was a chance to make a profit peaked his interest.
Happy went on to explain how all of the magic guilds are run by their respective guild masters, who all report to what's called the Magic Council, a government of sorts for the magical world. The various guild masters are responsible for any mischief or destruction the members of their guild may cause, which usually results in a lot of paperwork.
Lucy also explained that wizards can team up and form smaller groups within the guild to take on more difficult jobs together, with each receiving a fraction of the reward. She went on to inform him that she, Happy, and Natsu, were all part of a team, along with two others, and that this team was regarded by some as the strongest team in Fairy Tail.
To say thanks, Nero decided to humor them and give some basic things about him, nothing about he was a demon hybrid. He did, however, explain that he had superhuman strength, speed, durability, reflexes, and a small healing factor, and could access some magic. Suffice to say, was enough to leave their jaws hanging down to the floor.
As more questions were asked and answers were given, Happy suddenly cut in with a question of his own for Nero.
"You're a demon hunter, so what do you use to hunt demons? You said you don't use magic," Asked the blue feline.
"I'm actually curious as well," added Lucy, as she looked at Nero, "Like you said that you don't often use magic so, how do you fight demons if you don't use magic."
"That is something I can show you," replied Nero, and for a second, neither Lucy or Happy was sure, but they swore they saw him smile a little. Standing up, Nero reached for his back, "I'd like to introduce you two, too," announced the hunter as his left hand went up to the handle of Red Queen and brought the mighty weapon out, "Red Queen."
He planted the tip of Red Queen into the floor of the train, careful not to shove it all the way through. Lucy and Happy didn't know much about swords, but looking at Red Queen, they could tell this was a very impressive sword. However, Lucy then noticed something about the handle.
"Is that a throttle?" asked the blonde wizard.
Instead of answering, Nero just grinned almost savagely and revved the Exceed System. Flammable gas sprayed out of the exhaust and engulfed the blade in flames for a second, giving Red Queen and eerie red glow. Nero revved it twice and just enjoyed the surprised expressions of both Lucy and Happy.
"That is awesome!" shouted Happy, thinking it was pretty cool. He was pretty sure that not even Erza had a sword like that.
"She is, but she isn't the only weapon I use," spoke Nero as he sheathed Red Queen and reached for Blue Rose. Taking out the powerful revolver, he spun it on his finger and showed it to both Lucy and Happy, "this is Blue Rose, a revolver I made and designed myself."
"It's pretty," commented Lucy, noting the rose like carvings and designs made into the barrels, the cylinder, and the wooden handle, "anything else?"
"I'll explain what else I can do at the guild, how about that?" offered Nero.
Happy and Lucy agreed, if only because Nero hadn't given them a reason not to press for more questions. The demon hunter decided to hold off on some more, demonic things he can do. However, Nero made a note of something: In this world, there were dozens of different types of magic, but even so, wizards typically only practiced one, though they could learn a few spells here and there that were outside of their specialties. If Fairy Tail thought they had seen a lot, boy, they were going to be seeing plenty when Nero got into the fray.
Later
After a few hours on the train, and Natsu periodically chucking his innards out the window, especially under the threat of being thrown out by Nero, the group had arrived in the bustling town of Magnolia, home of the famous Fairy Tail guild. The group rose from their seats in the compartment and made their way off of the train. As soon as Natsu set foot on the ground, he seemed to almost immediately recover from his motion sickness, something Nero took note of.
'Guess it would make sense that it would go just as a fast as it came,' joked Nero as he watched the Dragon Slayer recover rapidly.
However, the demon hunter raised an eyebrow in surprise when Natsu suddenly raised his fists into the air and shot a stream of fire from his mouth up into the air.
"I'M ALIVE AGAIN!" Natsu shouted exuberantly.
"Dial it back a notch," muttered Nero, knowing that if he didn't, there was the likelyhood that Natsu might set fire to something
And it seemed he was alone as Lucy stepped up to slap Natsu upside the back of his head, thus bringing his celebratory flame-spouting to an end.
"Not here, Natsu!" the blonde yelled, "You'll burn down the station or something! And we are not spending any more of our reward money paying for damages!"
With that, the group set off and exited the station. Upon entering the town itself, Nero was a little surprised at how far the buildings went on. The three Fairy Tail wizards didn't give him a tour, per se, but they did point out various shops and other establishments as they walked through the massive town, however, the amount of people did make the hunter a little paranoid as he shoved Devil Bringer deep into his right pocket. He didn't need to broadcast the fact that his arm looks like a demonic appendage, which it was. However,
As they were walking, Nero noted that the town held a strong resemblance to Oshibana in a sense. Which meant, it bore some resemblance to Fortuna, back in Nero's world, but even so, they still had a somewhat new, fresh air about them. It would appear that this world wasn't as technologically advanced as his. Or from what he has seen so far.
Eventually, the group came up on the large cathedral in the center of town, which Lucy had informed Nero was called Kardia Cathedral. It was massive, or at least compared to the buildings surrounding it. To the hunter, the cathedral reminded him a lot of the cathedral back in Fortuna, to an extent anyway. Back on Earth, Nero had seen plenty of buildings, some in Europe when a job had him, Dante, and Trish traveling, so he had seen plenty. But given the technological gap of this world and his, it was certainly worthy of praise.
After the brief stop, the wizards led Nero down the street behind the cathedral, and across a bridge overhanging a river that ran throughout Magnolia. They had even seen people in small boats rowing under the bridge as they passed, with one of them calling out to Lucy, telling her to be careful and not to fall in.
After a few minutes of walking through the somewhat crowded street, they eventually came upon the Fairy Tail guild hall. The building sat close to the edge of a cliff overlooking a large lake, known as Lake Scilliora. It was fairly tall, though not as tall as Kardia Cathedral, and strongly resembled a pagoda. It had white walls, and a large, decorated, red door, as well as two red, pentagonal windows on either side of it. Above the door was a wooden sign that read "Fairy Tail" in big, blue letters, while the sign itself had a gold trim, as well as two symmetrical, fairy-like silhouettes, both of which had tails, fittingly enough. On the highest level of the pagoda, there were three flags. The one of the left was green, and had a something of symbol that Nero didn't recognize, and same went for the one on the right, which was blue. The center flag was orange, and had a white symbol on it that looked similar to the two gold, fairy-like figures on the buildings sign. It was then that Nero took notice of something; that symbol that was on the orange flag, was also on Natsu's right shoulder, in red, and the back of Lucy's right hand, in pink. Did these people get tattoes of the guild logo, or was it something else.
Forgetting about his guides, Nero felt himself get caught up in his comparison of the architecture here and that of Fortuna. So much so that he failed to notice Natsu, Lucy, and Happy beginning to make their way inside.
Following behind, Nero caught up to them and entered the hall at the same time as the three, however, he might have regretted doing so. Almost immediately, he was deafened by the noise that was ensuing within the building. It looked more like a beer hall in Nero's point of view, and was filled with dozens of people laughing, shouting, and drinking. It appeared like everyone present was having a great time.
"WE MADE IT BACK ALIVE!" Natsu exclaimed.
"You make it a habit of always shouting everything?" Commented Nero, however, his comment went unheard, which was no surprise considering the level of noise resounding in the Hall. He was still taken aback by his loud and abrupt declaration. Despite that, a few people turned to see him, waved, and resumed whatever it was they were doing.
Suddenly, the group heard a sweet-sounding, feminine voice calling out to them.
"Welcome back, you three! I hope the job went well."
Turning to the source of the call, Nero's attention locked on to a young girl with flowing, white hair, with the bans pinned up above her forehead. She was a little on the short side, though not by much. She wore a red, sleeveless dress, and had impressive...assets. Nero, despite hanging around Dante, was still somewhat of a gentleman, contrary to some rumors that used to go around Fortuna, and focused on her face, which was also noticeably pretty.
Natsu placed his hands behind his head, and grins widely. "You bet it did! Went off without a hitch!"
"Aye!" Happy added, while raising up his paw.
"Well, that's certainly good news!" the white-haired girl smiled.
"Yeah, unless you call almost getting killed 'without a hitch'..." deadpanned Lucy.
The white-haired girl turned to Lucy, surprised. "Goodness me, that doesn't sound good at all. What happened?"
"Oh, you know...the usual," Lucy replied.
"Well, it looks like you made it back home safe and sound."
It was after speaking with the three did the white-haired beauty took notice of Nero standing back, scratching his nose with his left hand, a little away from the group.
"And who might this be?" the white-haired girl asked, indicating to demon hunter.
"This is Nero!" Introduced the Dragon Slayer, placing an arm across Nero's shoulder with a smirk, "We found him while we were out on our job!"
"Say it for what it is, Natsu," cut in Nero, as he leveled a pointed look at him, "I found you, three."
Natsu removed his arm from Nero's shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Details, man. Anyway, he helped us out with the job, but then he said he doesn't have anywhere to go. Says he doesn't know where his home is."
"I didn't say that," interjected the hunter, "I said I never really had a home."
"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that," the white-haired beauty said honestly, and then smiled, "Well, I do hope you can find your way home soon," She paused to extend her right hand, "My name's Mirajane. It's nice to meet you, Nero!"
"Right," he replied carefully, as he pushed his hand further into his pocket, however, out of politeness he extended his left hand. Mira looked at him for a moment, slightly confused, people don't normally shake with the left hands, "hand got banged up before I ran into these three."
"Say no more," nodded the girl as she switched hands and shook the hunter's.
It was then that Lucy's eyes widened slightly, remembering why they had brought Nero with them in the first place.
"Oh! Hey, Mira, do you know where the Master is right now?" Lucy inquired.
Mirajane turned to Lucy, and replied, "Oh, he should be here soon. He's out doing some paperwork for the Magic Council."
"Oh, okay..."
Lucy then shifted her gaze out into the crowd of people in the guild hall, and seemingly spotted someone in particular.
"Hey, there's Gray!" the Celestial wizard turned to Nero, "Oh, Nero, Gray is one of the other members of our team that we told you about on the train."
Lucy then waved to the person she had spotted across the room, with that person seeing her, standing from his table, and walking over to the group. When he arrived, Nero got a better look at just who Gray was. A young man, likely the same age as Natsu, if only slightly older, with spiked black hair. He had a pair of black pants, along with a long white coat that had a blue trimming.
Gray placed his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Lucy. Glad you guys made it back. How'd the job go with only flame-for-brains here as company?"
"It went about as well as you'd expect. Had some hiccups, but everything worked out in the end. Uh...Gray…where are your clothes?" Lucy groaned.
Nero blinked in surprise because without a doubt Gray had stripped off all of his clothes and left them in a pile on the floor. He gave Lucy a confused expression before looking down at himself, realizing she was right.
"CRAP!" the raven-haired wizard panicked.
'How the hell did he not realize he stripped down? And how the hell did he do it that fast?' Wondered Nero, confusion on his face as well as a little weirded out.
Before Lucy could answer, another unknown voice began to speak from the right of the demon hunter, "Yup, that's Gray for yah."
Turning to the source, the hunter's vision fixed onto a woman with long, slightly-curly brunette hair. She was wearing a pair of brown, knee-length pants held up by a pink belt, and a cyan-colored bikini top. She also had a dark blue armband on either of her upper arms, near her shoulders. She had that same marking that Natsu and Lucy had on the left side of her stomach. Was that something everyone in the guild had or was it just that team?
"This a regular thing for him?" Asked Nero as he folded his arms and jerked his head to Gray.
The brunette woman nodded, "Pretty much. Can't call it a day without him strippin' down to his skivvies."
"If he does that often, he's gotta a problem," commented the hunter.
"Ah, you get used to it. By the way, the name's Cana Alberona. Nice to meet yah."
"Nero," Replied the white-haired hybrid demon, "So, what's-"
However, Nero never got the chance to finish his sentence because just as he started, Cana whipped out a considerably large barrel, which was about half her height, hefted it up, and started chugging away. Its contents were likely alcoholic from what he could smell. Nero could only watch in shock, though most of it was contained as only his eyebrows lifted up slightly.
'Everyone here is insane,' thought Nero as he looked around, 'Though, not half bad...'
"So, this little dude helped you out?" the white-haired behemoth said, "Doesn't look like much of a man to me."
Nero narrowed his eyes, being called a Kid was something he really didn't enjoy, but being assume weak was something that really irked him. However, before he could make a reply, Mirajane walked over to the two of them, still wearing her cheerful smile, "Nero, this is my younger brother, Elfman." Mira turned to her brother, "Elfman, Lucy just told me that Nero here saved her life on her and Natsu's last job."
Elfman's tough guy exterior seemed to soften slightly when his sister told him this; however, he retained a majority of his gruff demeanor as he returned his attention back to Nero.
"He did, huh? Hey, is that true?" Elfman demanded.
"Only did what was the right thing," Replied Nero, unfolding his arms.
"A real man would be proud of his accomplishments!" Elfman declared loudly, catching him off guard. Since he didn't know Elfman, he didn't expect him to suddenly raise his right fist and clenched it, though never once taking his eyes off the blue coat wearing hybrid demon.
"Never said I didn't," Replied Nero sharply, "I just don't need to broadcast it."
"What's this I hear about someone saving Lucy's life?" someone asked.
Turning to the source of the voice, Nero and the gathered wizards all faced the main entrance, where an extremely short-statured, elderly man. He had wrinkled skin and thinning, white hair, with a matching white mustache; not like Elfman or Mirajane's though, since his hair was most likely that way due to his old age. He wore an orange jacket with light blue cuffs, with a white t-shirt underneath that bore what Nero could only assume was the Fairy Tail guild's emblem, since everyone in the room seemed to have it. He also wore orange shorts, along with brown, curled shoes. On his head, he wore an orange and light blue, striped cap that resembled that of a jester. In his left hand was a wooden cane, which had a pink smiley-face at the top of it; though it didn't seem like he needed it to help himself stand.
"Welcome back, Master!" Mirajane greeted with a smile.
Nero only cocked an eyebrow as he glanced between Mirajane and the elderly man. Did he mishear her or did she call that guy 'Master'? He really didn't look like much.
However, from what Happy told Nero, then that would mean that this little old man was in charge around here. If he was being honest, he was expecting a little more than a short old man.
"So, how did the paperwork go?" Mira questioned.
"Ah, forget about those Council blowhards," The old man dismissed, "As things are now, they're gonna drive me to an early grave long before any of you kids do, that's for sure."
It was then that Makarov took notice of the new arrival to the guild. It wasn't more than a second before Mirajane sidled over to the two of them.
"Master, this is Nero. From what Lucy told me, it would seem Nero actually saved her life while she and Natsu were out on a job today."
The elderly man turned from Mira to the demon hunter, and gave the latter a long stare, as if he were trying to get a read on him. Nero only gave a neutral look to the man. After a minute of staring intently at him, he spoke.
"Well, in that case, my name is Makarov, and I am the Master of this guild," said Makarov as extended his right hand, "If it's true that you saved the life of one of my children, then I can't possibly thank you enough. You have my deepest gratitude."
Nero arched an eyebrow, not expecting such a fast response, or least, faster than Elfman. He didn't expect the elderly man, now known as Makarov, to open up to him that quickly. However, Nero still wasn't sure about the man, as he held his right hand back. Makarov noticed that his hand was in a glove so he only assumed it was an injury, "My apologies, I didn't see you hand was injured."
"You're fine, and what I did was no problem," Replied Nero as he stepped off to the side, "just doing what was right." However, he then picked up on something the elderly man just said. He referred to Lucy as one of his children, so does that mean they're related? "So, Lucy's your kid?"
Makarov chuckled, "I consider every member of this guild my family, young man. Whether we're related by blood or not, that's what we are; a rowdy, crazy family, but a family nonetheless."
"Obviously," commented Nero.
Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all approached Nero, Makarov, and Mirajane. Natsu then interjected, "Speakin' of helping out..."
"Yeah," Lucy continued, picking up for her friend, "Master, when we were out on our job, Nero said he doesn't have any place to go."
"He said he doesn't know where is home is," Happy finished, however, despite Nero's own inference, he couldn't really deny he had no clue as to how he was getting home.
"Is that right?" Asked Makarov, looking at Nero for confirmation.
The hunter only nodded, "More or less."
Natsu crossed his arms, and retorted, "'More or less'?! Come on, man! You didn't even know what a guild was before today!"
"Yeah," chimed Happy, "wherever you're from must be super far!"
"You're not wrong," muttered Nero to himself, knowing they weren't wrong, but not exactly right either.
"So, Master, the reason we brought Nero with us is because, well... We thought maybe he could-"
Lucy didn't even get to finish her statement before Makarov held his hand up to her, signaling her to stop.
"Say no more," Makarov turned to Nero, "So, you need a place to stay, am I correct?"
Nero folded his arms as he thought for a moment. Knowing that Natsu and Lucy had offered him a place to stay, but he was still weighing his options in his mind. He didn't know if he wanted to get too comfortable, and he still wasn't sure if he was really okay with these people going out of their way to put him up. After all, this building seemed cram-packed already. Plus, he didn't really see them as his kinda crowd of people, not that he had a 'crowd' to begin with.
But from the tone Makarov spoke in, he really was grateful for Nero saving one of his 'children,' and wanted to repay him somehow. And it's not like Dante or anyone was going to show up, if at all, anytime soon, and with his one ticket home that he knew of now in a thousand pieces, his options were limited. He needed a place to eat, sleep, etc. he doubted he'd get another chance like this, so it didn't take much thought to make a decision.
"Yeah...," said Nero finally, not used to asking for things, "I need a place to stay..."
Makarov smiled, "Then it's settled," The Fairy Tail master turned to Mirajane, "Mira! Would you mind setting up one of the storage rooms for Nero, here?"
"Not at all, Master!" Mira beamed.
With that, Mirajane quickly turned around and headed for a door to the back of the large, open guild hall. Now that that was out of the way, Makarov had one question for Nero.
"Now, I have no problem with letting you stay here until you can find your way home. After all, it's the least I can do for you in return for what you've done. However, I would like to know wherever it is you're from," Makarov proclaimed, "I have no doubt that you're a kindhearted young man, but in order to ward off the suspicion of others... I don't want them thinking that we're harboring some kind of spy from another country or anything of the sort."
Shit
Nero's eyes narrowed slightly, he shoulda figured something like this would turn up. However, he did tell the others that his home was very isolated, which it was, so it was a half lie. But still, would they believe him? He didn't know the names of any cities, towns, or countries in this magic-filled universe, save for the few that Lucy mentioned before, and even if he did, he would have to explain everything later which wouldn't exactly win him kindness points that he lied to them. But a small part of him wouldn't exactly feel right, lying to them, not after they showed him, a complete stranger, so much kindness. He would tell them the truth, or at least a little about him. He didn't know how they would react to the fact that he was part demon, and would lay off until he knew them better and figure out more before dropping that bomb.
So with that, he was going to tell them. But his demon heritage was off the table. And learning a little more about them, there was a good chance they might actually believe, if from what he could tell about them.
"Alright," conceded Nero as he looked at the gathered wizards, "I'll tell yah where I'm from. But you might wanna sit down."
Per Makarov's instructions, most of the present wizards pulled up seats from various benches and stools throughout the guild hall, while others simply stood. All of them gathered around one person in particular: Nero.
Taking a seat turning around to face them, the hunter began by introducing them to the idea of other worlds. The idea of other worlds was a bit easy to explain as it was covered in his education at Fortuna when he was learning to become a Holy Knight when he was still in the order, so explaining wasn't exactly that hard. His explanation, though a bit more crude, was enough for most of the wizards, such as Lucy who's Celestial Spirits were actually from another world, and Makarov, who was simply intelligent enough to grasp it, and to realize the idea isn't as far-fetched as one might think. Other wizards, however, like Natsu and Elfman, needed to have it simplified for them.
So, when the moment of truth came to tell them, Nero didn't beat around the bush, he told them bluntly that he was from another world. It was no surprise to Nero when, practically, every jaw in the building gravitated to the floor instantly. Though, it did make some sense to Lucy and Happy, seeing as he didn't know anything about the various towns in Fiore, about guilds, or anything about the magical world. Why would he if he was from another world entirely?
Nero went on to explain that in his world, there were some who knew about a different one in particular, the Demon World. Explaining how in his world, there was magic, but there was also much better technology, but the real surprise was when Nero told them he was a demon hunter. He went into explain a few other things, like a little about his home Fortuna, his uncle, and a little about some demons in his world.
He spoke about what he used as a demon hunter, touching lightly about his above average abilities, weaponry and a little magic he used, however he kept the fact that he was part demon well and truly secret. Judging from their reactions, demons hunter's were rare in this world. Not exactly different from his world actually.
Nero finished his story by explaining how on one job he had been hired ended up bringing him here in an accident. Everything from the Scarecrows, the artifacts, to the forest near Oshibana, and then to his encounter with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.
Silence filled the hall for about a solid minute. It went without saying the wizards of Fairy Tail were pretty surprised by what Nero just told them.
None of them really knew what to say or think, until Cana finally broke the silence, "Man, he wasn't kiddin'. That was a long story..." Cana noted.
"You poor thing," Mira sympathized.
"Wow, Nero... I had no idea you were from another world like Lucy's spirits," Happy added.
As Nero had been explaining, Makarov had been sitting on a bar stool next in the front of the group, listening intently, his eyes closed and head lowered for most of it.
"So, If you wouldn't mind telling us, Nero," interjected Makarov, "You say you don't use magic often. If that is true, then wouldn't it have been extremely difficult for you to deal with demons as you stated."
"Yeah," agreed Elfman, looking still skeptical, "If you don't use magic, then what do you use?"
"When I said I don't use magic, I meant for the most part," corrected Nero, knowing that they might have taken what he said differently then what was implied, "in my world, demons are weak to steel, which is why I have Red Queen and Blue Rose. I use magic to help me, it isn't a first choice for me."
Suddenly, a petite young girl spoke up. She had wavy, somewhat wild blue hair, with her bangs held up by a patterned, orange bandanna. She wore a short, blue vest that left her midriff exposed, with a yellow bikini top underneath it. She also wore white, knee-length shorts, held up by a brown belt. This was Levy McGarden.
"So what kind of magic do you use?" Asked Levy, a little curious.
Instead of answering, Nero lifted his right hand and channeled some power into Devil Bringer, not enough to cause his arm to light up completely, but enough to summon Spectral Bringer. Next to his right, a spectral arm appeared, causing a few wizards to look at it in surprise.
"That's pretty cool," commented Gray, seeing the ethereal limb suspended in the air. When Nero moved his hand around, the Spectral Bringer followed suit.
Just then, a man stepped forward to speak up. His most notable trait physically was his brown, fluffy, ostentatious pompadour hair. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, and had a pipe in his mouth. He wore a loose, light green shirt, which was decorated with many motifs of dark green, stylized flowers, each with five petals. He also wore a pair of brown pants, cut off just below his knees. This was Wakaba Mine, "And how long have you been able to do that?"
"When I was ten, about ten years ago," answered Nero, keeping the information of how he got Devil Bringer a secret. He dismissed Spectral Bringer and shoved his arm back into his pocket, "I've been a demon hunter for the last two."
With that said, Elfman walked over to Nero with a smile on his face, and patted him on the shoulder. His impressive strength, nearly knocking Nero off the stool and onto the ground, "Wow! Now that's what I call manly!" he proclaimed.
"Thanks," groaned Nero as he rolled his shoulder, "but next time, give a guy a warning."
"So, Nero," interrupted Gray, "how good are you with that sword since it's clear you don't have it just for show."
"Clearly," responded Nero dryly, "I've had Red Queen for about six years. Been training with her ever since. Back home, when I was in Fortuna, I was undefeated in training ever since I started."
"When was that?"
"I think about six, maybe seven," Replied Nero taking a moment to think, "haven't been beaten in training since."
Gray's eyes widened as he whispered to himself, "No way...13 to 14 years undefeated..."
The onyx-haired teen couldn't really think of anything else to say. It was crazy. If Nero was even half true, that would mean that he was probably one of the strongest people in the entire building, and probably, even better swordsman than Erza.
Suddenly, Natsu barged through the crowd of wizards with an excited look on his face, and a fire in his eyes, similar to the one Nero saw in them when the Dragon Slayer was fighting bandits back in the forest.
"Alright, Nero! You and me! Right now!" Natsu called out, "Show me what yah got!"
"You want something?" Asked Nero, already guessing what Natsu wanted if his expression was anything to go by. As for the wizards, they simply groaned or sighed as they face-palmed in exasperation.
"Oh, come on, man! Isn't it obvious?!" Natsu clenched his fist, "We gotta fight to see who's the strongest! Duh!"
"Geez, give it a rest, kid. You already got your butt handed to yah once this week," Wakaba stated, "That ain't enough for you?"
Natsu turned to Wakaba, annoyed. "Watch it, old-timer! I didn't lose! The fight got called off because those stuck-up Council jerks interrupted it! I totally would've won if theyhadn't butted in!"
"That's enough, Natsu!" Makarov ordered, "I won't allow you to fight a guest of this guild!"
Makarov's order seemingly fell on deaf ears as Natsu returned his attention, and excitement, back to Nero who was reclining into his stool. He wouldn't lie, he was curious to see how good Natsu was in a fight. And to be honest, he was getting a little bored. He then turned his gaze to the gathering of wizards behind Natsu, all of whom had resigned expressions on their faces.
"The odds of him leaving me alone are basically none, right?" Asked Nero, his tone level and blank.
The wizards all simultaneously shook their heads, thus confirming Nero's guess, leading the hunter to snort in amusement.
"Just do it. The sooner you fight him, the sooner I can drink in peace." Cana said.
"Far be it from me to keep a woman from her drink," commented Nero as he stood up from his stool, "but it's a fight you want Natsu, then what are standing around here for? Let's take this outside.
Natsu's grin grew wider than ever in anticipation. He was clearly about to burst from excitement any moment.
"Are you sure about this, Nero?" Asked Makarov, "You know you don't have to..."
"I know, and I wanna know just how strong this kid is," cut in Nero, "besides, things were getting a little dull anyway. If Natsu wants a fight, then I'll give him one."
"Aright, man. You got yourself a deal! Let's do it!" Natsu shouted eagerly.
Most of the other wizards gathered in the guild hall began to talk amongst each other, clearly excited about this development. They'd just heard so many amazing things about what Nero can do, and now they would get to see him face off against Fairy Tail's very own Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel!
"Can't we ever just have a normal day around here?" Lucy sighed.
To be continued...
Next chapter: Natsu V. Nero.