The Big fight: Nero Vs. Natsu, who will reign supreme. In my personal opinion, I think Nero might win, and not because he is the main character, it's just that he has slightly better training and uses outside the box form of attacks. Plus, he's a little more careful with how he goes about fights unlike Natsu who is basically restricted to pummeling anything and everything with his fists or burning it with his fire.
Nero is a bit smarter in terms of combat strategy, but he is still a hot head, and incredibly brutal in a fight. Which Natsu is gonna end up learning the hard way. There might be some drama in this and a little swearing, but since when is there not any swearing in DMC or Fairy Tail? Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, not a thing.
Devil Tail
Chapter 3: Nero VS. Natsu
News spread like wildfire troughout Fairy Tail guild.
Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander of Fairy Tail Guild was about to face off against a Demon Hunter from another world, Nero. Who would be the victor, and who would be the loser, it was anyone's guess. However, the wizards of Fairy Tail knew off the capabilities of Natsu, and some were betting on him, while others, they were leaning towards Nero because they didn't know the full extent of his abilities and that gave him an advantage. Either way, there was a fight brewing and both combatants were eager for a piece of their opponent.
The two were to fight just outside of the Guild Hall where it's front would serve as an arena for the brawl. Every single wizard that was within the hall had gathered outside to witness the fight, but kept a fair distance from where they would actually be fighting, per Nero's request. He didn't need anyone getting caught in the crossfire. However, it didn't impede his love for a fight. And speaking of the demon hunter, the silver haired man was making his way to his place in the arena, reloading Blue Rose with new rounds, of Thorn's as he called them.
"You sure you want this, Natsu?" Smirked Nero as he snapped the cylinder to the magnum pistol shut and twirled it on his finger before bolstering it, "no shame in backing out now."
Nero would by lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to this fight. Training with Dante could get a little dull after a while, and losing was not something Nero was really fond of. But even though he lost some matches with the old man, he won some of his own. Spars with Trish were pretty close to being a tie for the young adult, but still was pretty good. So fighting someone completely new was something Nero looked forward to. And he had no intention of doing Natsu any favors in this fight.
"Are you kidding?! This is awesome!" Natsu raised his head and exhaled a plume of fire, "I'M FIRED UP!"
"Well if you wanna fight," retorted Nero as he grabbed Red Queen's handle and brought out the mighty sword. He then planted the tip of the blade in the ground, "then come on."
It was then that Makarov stepped up, in between the two combatants, and raised his hand into the air.
"Let the match...begin!" he swiped his hand through the air.
Makarov quickly retook his spot in the crowd, while the two fighters prepared themselves. Natsu engulfed his hands in flames, never once losing his wide, excited grin. Meanwhile, Nero just smirked and gripped the handle of Red Queen tighter, his hand tightly gripping the throttle. With his grip, Nero revved the Exceed System within the sword, flames burst out of the exhaust as flammable liquid coated the blade.
The surrounding wizards all gaped at what they just heard. Nero's sword had an engine inside it!? In the crowd, Elfman just grinned widely while Lucy was still slightly surprised by the sound of the Exceed System.
"I still can't believe his sword has an engine in it," Commented the blonde wizard, "then again, he did say that his world had more technology. But what does it do for him?"
Levy, who was standing next to Lucy and had heard her question, was also curious as to what purpose the throttle held.
"I dunno. Maybe it gives him a boost or something in his swings."
"Who cares!?" Cut in Elfman, "Now that's a man's sword!"
Natsu was the only person present who remained unaffected by the roar of the Exceed System. In fact, if anything, it only made him even more excited. The Dragon Slayer then leapt forward, his flames intensifying as he did so.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Natsu reared back his flaming fist, and swung right at Nero's face. A second later Natsu's attack erupted into a conflagration of fire and smoke, making it impossible for anyone, himself included, to see the result. The fire-breather landed on the ground, and leapt back and out of the smoke, waiting for it to clear so he could see his handiwork.
After a few moments, the smoke cleared, and everyone was shocked by what they saw. Nero was completely gone!
"Looking for someone?" Said a familiar voice, causing the salamander to spin around in surprise to see Nero standing behind him about ten feet away, fifteen from where he originally stood. Red Queen was rested casually on his shoulder while his right hand rested on his hip, his entire stance suggested he had been there the whole time, "yelling your attack is not a good way to get the jump on them. Plus, I've seen candles burn faster than you move."
WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" Natsu yelled, clearly angered by that remark.
"But I think I've made my point," Continued Nero like he hadn't been interrupted, "Now. Let's Rock!"
With that, Nero charged right towards Natsu, Red Queen was held out as the hunter sprinted right towards the Dragon Slayer, his coat billowing in the breeze as Nero closed the distance almost immediately.
Natsu couldn't react fast enough of Nero suddenly jumped off the ground and aimed both his heels right at his face, drop kicking the Dragon Slayer with his Rainbow attack, knocking Natsu back several feet. He was sent rolling across the ground, but managed to catch himself and land in a crouching position. A second later, the pink-haired wizard rubbed his face in slight pain, much to everyone's surprise.
Nero was incredibly strong, no surprise there, but he was also incredibly fast if dodging Natsu at the last possible second was any indication. The testament to the strength was clear if he was able to injure Natsu enough for him to actually look pained. That being said, the hotheaded wizard wasn't anywhere near done yet.
Natsu quickly picked himself up, and began to puff out his cheeks, just like Nero had seen him do earlier, in the forest against the thugs.
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
In a move to dodge Natsu's fire, Nero dove to the right in a Side Roll, before dashing forward. Gripping Red Queen, Nero swung horizontally at Natsu, but the Dragon Slayer reacted just quick enough to duck under his Streak, however, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the next attack which was a High Roller that collided with Natsu's back sending him flying up into the air, hunter close behind
Nero made sure not to slice open the pink haired mages back, and to do this, he channeled a small amount of Devil Bringer's power into Red Queen to have the power shield the edge of the sword. This engulfed the sword in a light blue hue.
Once in the air, Nero continued to shield his sword, however, he wasn't done with Natsu, not by a longshot. Suspended in the air, the Dragon Slayer was open to the hunter who swung Red Queen right at his midsection, followed by an upward slash then a sudden upward spin.
Having completed the Roulette Spin, Nero shot out Devil Bringer, his arm glowing as he swung up and caught Natsu in Spectral Bringer. Without warning, he threw him right towards the ground where the Dragon Slayer smashed into the ground, cracking it from the force of the Buster. This had the secondary effect of causing several wizards within the crowd to wince in pain.
Nero landed back down on the ground, about ten feet from where Natsu collided with the ground. A part of him knew that he might be taking this a little too far, but after seeing the pink-haired wizard in action and seeing him take his first blow, that part didn't feel as bad. Plus, he realized that Natsu could take far more punishment than any human in his world reasonably could. But even so, after a pummeling like that, he expected Natsu to be out of the fight.
But he was actually surprised to see that the salamander was pulling himself back to his feet, albeit, struggling to do so. However, not only was he able to rise, but he turned to face Nero, his telltale grin still plastered on his face from the start of the fight. This was certainly a shocker to the hunter. The guy had just been smashed into the ground to leave a shallow crater, but he still wanted more.
Without a word, Natsu exhaled another powerful torrent of fire at Nero, the Demon Hunter dodged the attack by Table Hopping to the right, his speed making him a blur to the naked eye. However, the Dragon Slayer had no problem following Nero with a roar of more fire, resulting in him sprinting further to the right before jumping completely over the flames.
When Natsu's flames died down, Nero halted and began thinking of how he was going to handle the Dragon Slayer.
Natsu may not be the brightest person he had met in this world, but he seemed to have a firm grasp on fighting. Natsu now knew that he couldn't out-muscle Nero so he had to keep his distance, however, he might have forgotten something about the hunter.
Sheathing Red Queen, Nero reached for his belt and pulled out Blue Rose.
Back in the crowd, everyone was slightly surprised to see Nero switching out his sword for a revolver.
"He's got a gun?" said Gray in surprise.
"Didn't think he had one," added Elfman.
"Remember when he talked about Blue Rose?" reminded Lucy, "This is Blue Rose. He showed it to us when we were coming back from a job. But I had no idea that he was such a good swordsman! He might be as good as Ezra!"
Gray's face paled when Lucy said the name "Erza." Though she referred to the final member of their team offhandedly, Gray couldn't help but think...if Nero was even close to being as strong as Erza...
"Being able to use multiple weapons is something very difficult to master, something Re-Quip Wizards sometimes struggle to do," Mira stated, though he tone held a surprising amount of seriousness, "But how good he is with it, has yet to be seen."
Natsu wasn't entirely surprised to see the revolver, and if he was, he hid it surprisingly well. The Dragon Slayer then puffed out his cheeks and exhaled yet another stream of fire at Nero.
"Fire Dragon ROAR!"
Nero held his ground for a moment, but then suddenly leaped up into the air as the torrent of fire closed in on him. Natsu followed the hunter into the air, the stream catching up to the hunter, however, to everyone's surprise, a purple glowing symbol appeared below Nero's feet, seemingly forming a solid surface. Nero then launched further into the air with his Air Hike and away from Natsu.
Whilst the silver-haired young adult was in the air, he took aim at Natsu and fired. Several bullets fired out as Blue Rose discharged its ammo at the Dragon Slayer, forcing Natsu to roll to the side away from the bullets. Firing several more shots, one set of Thorns struck Natsu in the shoulder, causing the pink haired wizard to grab his arm in pain. However, when he removed his hand, he saw that he wasn't bleeding.
"Bullets are only good against demons," said Nero aloud when he landed back on the ground, drawing the attention of everyone, "Won't kill a human, but it'll hurt like a bitch."
"Good to know," retorted Natsu as he suddenly blasted another torrent of flames at Nero.
The hunter dove to the side and as he did so, fired two more shots at Natsu. The slayer dodged both bullets, if only just and fired another huge torrent of fire. Nero didn't have any time to prepare himself so he side rolled just far enough away from where the blast impacted with the ground. A large cloud of smoke and dust was sent into the air as a result.
For a moment, nothing happened, until suddenly, Nero lunged out of the cloud of smoke and fire and rushed right towards Natsu. The Demon Hunter moved too fast for the Slayer to move and felt a powerful punch connect with his jaw, sending Natsu sliding back a few feet. Trying to press his advantage, Nero moved in and slugged Natsu right in the stomach, which he then tried to follow up with a roundhouse kick. However, the Dragon Salyer was able to dodge it and spin around, his leg engulfing in flames.
"Fire Dragon Talon!"
Nero was taken off-guard by how fast Natsu was able to recover from the punch to jaw and stomach, so much so that he barely had time to bring up his left arm and block the firey attack. If he hadn't the blow would've smashed right into his head. But even though he blocked it, Nero was still sent sliding back across the ground by a few feet.
"Quick on the draw, aren't yah?" commented Nero as he steadied himself.
Natsu grinned as he wiped his mouth. "Haha! Thanks for the compliment! You're not doin' too bad yourself!"
Both Hunter and Slayer stared each other down for a moment. In that time, Nero knew that he had to think outside the box in order to beat Natsu, and he needed to be a little more aggressive if he wanted to win. Snatch could easily take him by surprise and gave Nero an advantage if he brought him in close. Holstering Blue Rose, Nero barely had any time to dodge an incoming blazing set of fists as Natsu lunged at him. Reacting quick enough, Nero flipped over Natsu, landing on his back then leaping off in a rapid Enemy Step. This had the effect of knocking Natsu down onto his stomach as Nero flipped around in the air.
With his back to him, and spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Natsu didn't see as Nero swung out Devil Bringer and Spectral Bringer shooting out from his hand. The gathered wizard watched in surprise as the large spectral limb grabbed Natsu by the back and yanked him right towards Nero.
When the Dragon Slayer came into range, Nero quickly unsheathed Red Queen and began his attack. Rechanneling energy back into the blade, Nero swung the mighty sword at Natsu, bringing it down and colliding with his chest. Pressing forward, Nero continued his barrage of attacks, this time performing a double upward slash followed by a triple horizontal cut. Every single attack made contact and sent Natsu tumbling onto his back.
However, Nero was taken by surprise when Natsu began to spin on his back, using his hands to do so. The Fire Dragon Slayer's feet then began to ignite in flames, which grew more intense as he continued to spin. Within a few seconds, Natsu was shooting torrents of fire out of his feet; much to Nero's bewilderment.
"Looks like you're full of surprises," commented Nero as he jumped back to avoid a torrent of fire coming right at him, out from the left.
The demon hybrid sheathed Red Queen before simply stepped to the side to avoid it before jumping over another torrent, this one much lower. Nero dodged, Side Rolled, and Table Hopped out of the way of the flames as they came. He kept this up for a while until he got tired of dodge the fireball.
Jumping over one torrent of flames, Nero Side Rolled underneath another till he got in range. Jumping high into the air, Nero Air Hiked up even higher so that he was right above Natsu. He thrust out Devil Bringer, Spectral Bringer shooting out and caught hold of Natsu's face. However, everyone was surprised to see Nero be the one pulled in as the Demon Hunter rocketed right towards.
Natsu tried to yell something, but couldn't due to Spectral Bringer covering his face and mouth. With his face covered, he didn't see Nero coming right in for a propelled Rainbow dropkick that smashed Natsu's head right into the ground. The impact left cracks in the ground as the Demon Hunter leaped off, but only so that he could bring Natsu to him as he used Spectral Bringer again and Snatched Natsu right off the ground.
Bringing him into the air, Nero used his Buster and swung Natsu around in the air. Swinging him around twice before hurling him away with all the strength he could muster. As a result, Natsu smashed into the ground about as hard as before and casting a large cloud of dust.
Nero landed back on the ground, looking at where Natsu landed. For a moment, he thought he had the Dragon Slayer beat, however, that wasn't so when he heard an enraged yell come from the smoke. A second later, a massive torrent of fire shot out from the smoke, engulfing Nero in flames. The Demon hunter could only hold up his arms in front of his face to block the flames.
Due to the power of the flames, Nero was pushed back under the torrent. After another moment or so, Natsu's breath attack ended, which sent Nero flying across the ring and onto his back but rolled to his feet and used Devil Bringer to steady himself. As the flames subsided, the evidence of what happened was clear to all. Nero looked pretty messed up, numerous scorch marks covered his coat, small burns were left on his face while his left hand had several burns.
"Hey, watch the coat, man!" barked Nero as he stood right up like he hadn't been hit in the first place and inspected his coat to see that it was scorched and a little on fire. However, everyone wasn't looking at the coat. They were instead looking at the burns that littered Nero's face and saw that they were steadily and rapidly healing while the demon hunter shook his coat to put out the flames, "I've only got the one!"
"But how?" Natsu's eyes widened.
"I forgot to mention I've got this thing called a 'Healing Factor'," informed Nero as a devious smile formed, "means I can heal from a bunch of things."
"Magic? Like that glyph you used earlier to jump out of the way?" asked the Dragon Slayer.
"Nu-uh. Completely natural," remarked Nero as he unsheathed Red Queen, "but I could use a little breather, but I'm not throwing in the towel. I just need you to-" Nero sudden swung out his arm and Spectral Bringer shot out and caught Natsu. He brought the Dragon Slayer in close with Snatch before swinging up and Spectral Bringer appeared again this time, much larger as the fingers of the spectral appendage wrapped around Natsu's torso and held him about six feet in the air, "hang around."
Nero then lowered Devil Bringer and let Natsu hang around in his hold for a moment. That was definitely a shocker for the wizards watching, who only witnessed Nero hold the spectral appendage for only a few seconds, however, it looked like he could hold it for much longer. This surprised Levy and another man as well, who was also slim, and was of average height. He had orange hair, which was kept jutting backward at the sides of his head. He had a bit of a sharp face overall, along with a prominently flat and defined nose that pointed downwards. He wore an open, light brown coat with white fur trimmings on its edges and sleeves, the latter of which reached down just below his elbows. Underneath this coat was a high-collared, light purple shirt, with its collar mostly left open. He also wore dark, baggy pants, the legs of which were tucked inside dark-colored boots. The most distinctive part of his attire was the fancy, extremely high hat that matched his coat, with large brim and fur trimmings over its entire length, at regular intervals, in addition to a large, furry ball at the top of it.
This man went by the nickname, "Jet." His magic allows him to run at exceptionally fast speeds.
"This guy is full of surprises," commented Jet, "But as long as he isn't faster than me, I think we're good."
"Actually, I think he might," retorted Levy as he turned to Jet, "You saw how he was able to completely dodge Natsu's attack and reappear behind him like he had been there the whole time."
Hearing Levy say that made Jet feel a little smaller...
Back in the fight, Natsu was still struggling against the powerful grip of the Hold, but he had yet to make any progress.
"You about ready to throw in the towel, yet?" inquired Nero as he glanced up at Natsu, resting Red Queen on his shoulder and Devil Bringer on his hip.
"Yeah right! You think I can't bust outta this?!" Natsu yelled.
Just then, Natsu's entire body was consumed in powerful flames as he yelled continuously. With each passing second, the flames around him grew hotter and brighter. Eventually, Spectral Bringer vanished, if it was by Nero's doing or Natsu's, it wasn't clear. However, what was clear was that the Dragon Slayer was free and thus, allowed to touch the ground once more. Looking up, Natsu looked at Nero with a wide grin on his face yet again.
Not wasting any time, he ignited his right fist in fire and lunged right at Nero once more.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
To the confusion of the wizard's gathered, Nero didn't even try to move, not even a little to dodge Natsu's incoming attack. However, when he did move, Natsu's fist collided with the open palm of Devil Bringer and was stopped right then and there.
A dozen wizards, those who knew Natsu well enough to know that any punch from the Dragon Slayer was nearly a guarantee knockback, gasped in shock with how easily Nero stopped Natsu's fist. However, none were more surprised than Natsu who looked right at Nero in the eye with a shocked expression.
"WAH! HOW!?" shouted Natsu in confusion, but that confusion turned into pain as Nero began twisting his hand, forcing the Slayer to grab his wrist.
"Gotta say, you pack a punch," complimented Nero as he held his grip, "but I think its time I step things up a notch.
With that, Nero yanked Natsu right off his feet and then threw him back about fifteen. Landing on the ground, he slid a short distance to see, Nero taking a stance, gripping Red Queen with both hands rather than two. He then began jerking the Rev-Up on Red Queen, increasing the Exceed. After half a minute, the Exceed had been charged up completely. As a result, the entire blade was wreathed in fire. Nero suddenly dashed forward, closing the distance in seconds, all the while Natsu who didn't even flinch at his charging opponent. Instead, a new look adorned his face, this one much different: hunger.
"You know what, you're right! Let's step THINGS UP A NOTCH!"
With that, Natsu managed to duck right under the EX Streak as Nero spun right above, the flames shooting out the vents and around. The Dragon Slayer suddenly reared his head back and took a massive breath. As Nero came to a stop, having missed his strike, he was surprised to see the flames from Red Queen suddenly drift right towards Natsu in multiple small streams. All of the streams led right to Natsu's mouth!
"So you eat fire?" remarked Nero, honestly having not expected that, "Gotta admit, didn't see that coming."
Over in the crowd, Happy couldn't help but smile. There was no way Nero could've known Natsu could do that. There were still some people in this world who didn't know that.
"Bet Nero never saw that one coming," Happy commented, "There's no way he could've known that Natsu can eat fire to replenish his strength and magic energy."
Natsu let out a loud burp, "HOO, boy! You gotta work on your appetizers, man!" He wiped his mouth. "Even so...thanks for the grub, Nero. Now I've got a fire in my belly that's ragin' to get out!" he grinned roguishly.
Natsu then begins to puff out his cheeks once more, much wider than Nero had seen him do before. That could only mean one thing.
"Fire...Dragon...ROOOAAARRR!"
Natsu shot out what was the largest stream of fire Nero had seen the dragon slayer make as of yet. The flames were approaching the Demon Hunter incredibly fast. In a split second decision, knowing that what he was doing was very risky and could raise some questions, he figured the heat of the battle would cover it up. Sheathing Red Queen, Nero pulled back Devil Bringer, however a glow began to shine through his coat sleeve and through his gloves as his claws also began to shine.
Letting out a massive yell, Nero swung the Devil Bringer into the ground in the path of the approaching flames. As a result, when his fist collided with the ground, a massive gust of wind was created from the shockwave, heading right towards the approaching flames. The two opposing force collided and canceled each other out. Elfman's mouth dropped a little, his expression showing a fair amount of shock; before changing into excitement, "OH YEAH! Now that's manly!"
In the ensuing dust cloud, Nero began Revving the Exceed once more.
With the cover of the dust, and Natsu's own shock that his attack had been met and canceled out, he was unprepared for when Nero shoots out through the smoke, his sword wreathed once more in flames. Taken by surprise, Natsu was unable to defend himself as Nero started his EX High Roller.
Getting in close, the demon hunter had Red Queen in a reverse grip and swung right up, flames and the tip of the sword collided with Natsu's chin. Without letting up, Nero pressed forward for another swing, the Exceed boosting the attack and collided once more before finishing with another strike that sent Natsu hurtling back.
Taken off guard by the initial attack, Natsu was back on his feet. He leaped forward, his leg wreathed in flames. This time, Nero charged forward to meet the Dragon Slayer.
"Fire Dragon Talon!"
As Natsu swung his leg, Nero summoned Spectral Bringer and the ethereal flew up to meet the limb. As a result, Spectral Bringer caught Natsu's leg.
"What the-" began Natsu, but was cut off when Nero suddenly yanked him forward, an angered yell erupting from the Demon Hunter.
Nero smashed Natsu into the ground, right on his stomach. However, he still held onto the Dragon Slayer as he flipped him over and smashed him into the ground again with more force, cracking it.
Everyone in the crowd winced at the brutality Nero was performing.
"Jeez, I don't like the guy, but even I think this is a little much," commented Gray.
"For real!" agreed "I mean, yeah their fighting, but still, this is a little much."
"Being a Demon Hunter is a very difficult road," interjected Mira, "More often then not, it takes a lot of strength and will to keep doing. And that means showing little mercy to demons who normally have none."
Back in the fight, Nero had just tossed Natsu away who rolled to his feet to glare at the Demon Hunter.
"Did yah really think a beating was gonna stop me?!" shouted Natsu, "Come on, man! What else yah got?!"
Nero just huffed in aggravation. He was getting tired of this fight. He knew that he could use Yamato, but that required his Trigger, which was off the table for now. He could try a Charged Shot, but that takes time to do. Summoned Swords were still something he was practicing with. What seemed to be his best bet was his Buster, however, how much force needed was debatable. Seemed like if he wanted to end this, he had to stop pulling punches. And he knew exactly what to use to win.
"Alright, Natsu," stated Nero, sheathing Red Queen, "I'll give you a fair chance to forfeit here and now! If I were you, I'd take it. Because what happens next, well, let's just say you'll be feeling it in the morning. A lot."
Natsu simply grinned wider at Nero's threat, excited to see what else Nero might pull out of his bag of tricks. He already forced him to show that Glyph and a few abilities, and he was just curious to find out what else the Demon Hunter could do.
"You gotta be kidding, man! This is great! I'm so fired up I feel like I'm about to explode!" Natsu roared excitedly.
"Fine, what happens next, is one you," answered the demon hunter.
Natsu leaped into the air, above Nero, his arms wreathed in flames. He swung his arms around in circles a few times, before hurling them at the hunter.
"Fire Dragon...Wing Attack!"
Just before the area around Nero erupted in a fiery explosion, the hunter leaped right up into the air, right at Natsu. Nero swung out Devil Bringer, Spectral Bringer doing the same as he caught the Dragon Slayer in his grip, however, he didn't stay there for long as Nero hurled Natsu down to the ground where he smashed hard, creating a small crater.
But Nero was just getting started. He threw down Spectral Bringer, which caught Natsu's leg and hoisted him right back up into the air where Nero waited. Once he got him, Nero wrapped both arms around Natsu stomach and threw both of them down in an elevated suplex.
Numerous wizards all winced as Natsu's head collided with the ground, cracks splintering out. However, the pain only started. Nero then flipped over the Dragon Slayer, maintaining his hold on the teen to perform yet another suplex. He performed another suplex, only this time, he leaped right up into the air.
Upon reaching his max height, a Glyph appeared underneath Nero's feet and gave the hunter something push off of. As he did so, the hunter spun himself and Natsu around they became a blur. The Demon hunter let out a powerful yell as he and Natsu smashed into the ground, harder than before. A massive cloud of dust had been formed when Natsu's head collided with the ground.
"What was he doing?!" asked Lucy.
Happy eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I know! He remembered Natsu's motion sickness from the train earlier, and he's used it against him!"
Gray folded his arms and smirked. "So he's doesn't just have power, but he's got a brain to boot. Not bad..."
From the cloud of smoke, Nero emerged, a few scuffs and some scorches but nothing more. However, the same could not be said for Natsu who was pulled out of the crater by the Demon Hunter. The Dragon Slayer was thoroughly dizzy and motion sick as Natsu fell to the ground when Nero let him go, ready to puke his guts out.
"And that's all she wrote," commented Nero.
In the crowd, Makarov had been observing the fight very closely. Needless to say, he was just as impressed by Nero's power, versatility, and use of his abilities as everyone else was; as well as the intellect he displayed. However, this fight raised a few questions in Makarov's mind, specifically about his arm, he noticed it glow faintly.
Regardless, with that, Makarov entered the ring, and stood next to the defeated Natsu and the triumphant Nero.
"This fight is now over!" Makarov declared, "And the winner is Nero!"
Most of the wizards in the crowd were still in shock at the result of the fight. Nero had just defeated Natsu, and while others have accomplished this in the past, everyone was still surprised by how he had done it. No one had ever used Natsu's motion sickness as a weakness during a fight before.
Nodding to the Master of Fairy Tail, he then turned to the crowd of wizards who had been watching the fight. For a moment, he had thought the members of Fairy Tail would be angry or upset that they had beaten their friend in a fight, but it was quite the opposite, as he was met with thunderous applause; much to his surprise.
Gray, Lucy, and Happy all walked over to a now-victorious Nero.
"Good show out there, man," Gray complimented, "It never gets old seein' charcoal-breath over there getting his butt whooped."
"Well, glad I gave you something to entertained by," chuckled the hunter, but then looked down before looking back up with a slightly annoyed expression, "Gray...you lost something..."
Gray looked down at himself to see that, once again, he had managed to strip down to only his boxers.
"CRAP!"
As Gray scrambled for his clothes, Nero turned around to see that Natsu was currently struggling to his feet, still looking queasy from his spin. He then walked over to him, and in a show of good sportsmanship, he held out his left hand to help Natsu up.
"You good?" asked Nero, helping him up.
Natsu grinned weakly. "Yeah... It's nothin'... Can't wait to kick your butt for real next time."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," cautioned the Demon Hunter, before adding, "Pretty sure you don't wanna go through another spin, right?"
The only response Nero received from Natsu was the latter's cheeks puffing out, and the Dragon Slayer holding his hand to his mouth at the mere thought of spinning around that fast into a suplex again.
Nero began to chuckle as he hooked his thumbs in his belt, it was funny how easy it was to set off Natsu's motion sickness. That was, until he heard a new voice call out over the noise of the crowd of wizards.
"What's all this commotion?"
The instant everyone heard the voice speak, it became dead quiet. Natsu's face became even paler than it already was upon hearing it, much to Nero's confusion. The Demon Hunter turned to face the origin of the voice, finding it to be a young woman, about his age, maybe a year younger, but held a strong, firm, attitude. Among the first things he noticed about the woman was the color of her hair. It was a bright scarlet red.
The next thing that stood out to him is that she was almost completely covered in armor. She wore a breastplate over her torso, which had a red Fairy Tail emblem over the left breast, and a golden, asymmetrical cross that intersected over top of that. Her shoulders had three-layered shoulder plates, and she wore greaves on her forearms that ended in a wing-like structure at her elbows. She also wore a blue skirt, which was covered slightly by plates of armor attached to brown, leather straps that connected to her equally brown belt. In addition, she also wore black, knee-length boots.
Another thing that stood out to Nero is that, despite her unusual wardrobe choice, she was remarkably pretty. Even more so than Mirajane
However, it was then that Nero took a look around at the gathering of wizards. For some reason that he couldn't understand, everyone present, save for Makarov and Mirajane, paled just as much as Natsu at the sight of this woman, and were slowly but steadily backing away in what appeared to be fear.
The scarlet-haired woman glanced around at the now-silent wizards, and narrowed her brow, seemingly irritated that no one was answering her question. However, Mirajane was the first one to break the silence as she approached the armored woman.
"Welcome back, Erza! I'm assuming the job in Freesia went well?"
The armor-clad, scarlet-haired woman, now known as Erza, turned to Mirajane with a neutral expression.
"Yes, it went quite well. The townspeople are safe and it would appear that they're still upset about Natsu destroying their historic church," Erza replied, "Now, I don't suppose you could tell me why everyone has gathered outside of the guild hall? Don't tell me Natsu and Gray have gotten into another fight..."
Mirajane smiled, "Well, it wasn't Gray, exactly, but...," She then waved Nero over, to which the Demon Hunter responded by approaching the two ladies. "Erza, this is Nero. Lucy and Natsu ran into him while they were out on a job today. He has no place to go, so Master is letting him stay here until he can get home. After he explained where he was from and what he could do, Natsu challenged him to a fight and lost. You just missed it, unfortunately."
Erza then turned to Nero and gave him a hard stare, which caused most of the wizards watching to turn even paler. However, Nero was unaffected by it as he folded his arms.
"Is this true?" Erza asked.
"Basically the gist of it," replied Nero casually with a shrug, "It was more of a summary of what happened, but basically the same."
Erza turned her gaze to Natsu, who froze completely upon realizing she was looking at him. However, she quickly returned her attention to Nero and held out her left armored hand.
Erza smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nero. My name is Erza Scarlet."
Nero's eyes widened a millimeter at Erza's reaction to Mirajane's explanation, or rather, her lack of one. Even so, he took the hand, thankful that she used her left, as he gave her a sideways grin.
"Nero. Nice to meet you as well, Erza."
After their handshake, Erza focused her attention on a certain Dragon Slayer, who, as the armored wizard approached him, began to tremble in fear, along with most of the other wizards watching. She gave Natsu a good looking-over, almost as if she were checking to see if he was injured.
'Wonder what's got everyone on edge,' thought Nero, though as if on cue, Erza brought her armored fist down onto Natsu's head with an audible clang, leading everyone to wince, and Nero to do so as well, just a little less, 'Oh...so that's why.'
"You idiot! How dare you challenge a guest of this guild to a fight! I have half a mind to beat you myself!" Erza roared.
Before Erza could carry out her threat, Makarov quickly stepped in and pulled the redheaded wizard away from Natsu, with the latter instantly scurrying over to the guild hall's entrance afterwards.
"Now, now, Erza. Settle down." Makarov appeased.
As Makarov tried to calm Erza, several feet away from the two of them were Nero, Gray, Lucy, Elfman, and Happy.
Nero looked to group and pointed to Erza, "An explanation would be nice."
"That's Erza for yah," Happy commented, "Always bringin' down the iron fist. She's the strongest woman in Fairy Tail! She's super strong and super scary!"
"She's the manliest one in the guild..." Elfman remarked.
"You do not wanna get on her bad side. Period." Gray concluded.
All Nero could do was stare at his newfound friends in slight bafflement. Was her strength really enough to warrant all this fear from everyone? Granted, it sounded like they still respected her, but even so, she didn't seem scary at all to Nero, or at least from what he experienced himself with her anyway.
Nero was snapped out of his musings when Makarov began to speak, with Erza standing at his side as he did so, "Alright everyone, as fun as it was, the show's over now! Time for you to head back inside!"
With that, the wizards all began filing back into the guild hall, with Makarov, Erza, Nero, Gray, Lucy, Elfman, and Happy following them. It was still fairly early in the afternoon, so he figured he might as well get accustomed to the place he'd be staying for the foreseeable future.
-Later-
Things had finally begun to settle down from the brawl between Natsu and Nero; though, at first, many of the wizards did approach the Demon Hunter to congratulate him on his well-earned victory. He wasn't opposed to the praise, but still couldn't quite fathom why they'd be happy that he'd beaten the shit out of their friend.
Nero was currently sitting on a stool at the bar, simply looking out at the guild of rowdy wizards as they resumed whatever it was they were doing before he arrived. He didn't know exactly what to feel right now. Part of him was extremely grateful to them for allowing him to stay in their guild hall, but another part of him felt...strange. Here he was a person with the only job that involved hunting demons and he was surrounded by an entire guild full of nothing but wizards. Plus, he wasn't really one for crowds
Mirajane and Makarov were also at the counter, with the former being behind it and the latter sitting cross-legged on top of it. Mira seemed to notice Nero's reluctance to join the others.
"What's wrong, Nero? Is everything alright?" Mira asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm good," replied Nero glancing at the girl for a second, "just never really been one for crowds. And if I'm being honest, kinda feel outta place here."
"Whatever would make you feel like that?" the white-haired beauty wondered.
"Not sure," Nero sighed, "I mean, I'm not even a member of your guys' guild or anything. Do non-members usually stay here as guests?"
Mirajane tapped her chin in thought, seemingly trying to recall an instance of a guest staying at the guild who wasn't a member.
"Hmm... I can't say I remember it ever happening before," She looked at Nero and beamed, "I guess that makes you the first one!"
Before Nero could think of a response, Natsu barges into the conversation by slamming his hand on the bar counter, an excited grin on his face yet again. "So, Nero! What do yah say to Round Two?!"
"No," replied the hunter bluntly, "besides didn't we just finish one?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Come on, man!" Natsu urged. He then begins to punch the air as he talks, similarly to how a boxer would fight, "If I have to sit around in here all day, I'll-"
Suddenly, Natsu's rambling was cut off by an armored fist to the top of his head once again, sending shivers up the Dragon Slayer's entire body. Nero turned to his right to see that Erza had stepped over and was visibly displeased with the fire-breather's actions.
Mirajane smiled, "Oh my goodness."
"What did I say?!" Erza growled, "You are not to challenge Nero to another fight, do you understand?!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Natsu trembled.
With that, the pink-haired wizard quickly scrambled away, leaving Nero, Erza, and Mirajane to watch as he ran off.
"Whipped," said Nero under his breath in amusement before turning to Erza, "Thanks for that. Guy just doesn't give up, does he?
Just then, Happy entered the conversation, wearing his usually happy smile.
"That's Natsu for yah," He chimed.
Happy then flew off as quickly as he appeared, leaving Nero confused if his arched eyebrow was anything to go by. However, it was then that Erza spoke up, snapping Nero out of his confusion.
"I swear, sometimes I don't know what to do with him..."
"From the look of things, just keep doing what you're doing," commented Nero, "Pretty sure you've got him under your thumb."
"So, Nero, it seems all anyone can talk about is how you defeated Natsu in combat. You must be quite the wizard." Erza commented.
Nero internally sighed from that comment. Ever since he had beaten Natsu, everyone had been talking about what a talented Demon-Slayer he was, despite how many times he told them he didn't use magic. Erza then took the seat at the bar to Nero's right and turned to him.
"That would be the case if I was a wizard," replied Nero.
"Are you not a wizard?" asked Erza as she cocked an eyebrow.
"No, I'm a demon hunter. I don't use magic as a primary source," explained the silver-haired hunter, "I incorporate it, but I never used it as a base in my world, nevermind this one."
Nero turned to face Erza to see that the armored wizard was staring at him in utter confusion, clearly taken aback by what he had just said.
"'My world'?" She echoed, "What exactly are you referring to?"
Shit
Nero's eyes widened slightly from surprise. He had figured someone would've told Erza about his otherworldly origins by now. It had been a little bit since the fight ended. So, just as he did with everyone else earlier, he explained to her how he was from another universe. Luckily, Mirajane was there to help him with that a small bit. At the end of his explanation, Erza looked more than a bit surprised.
"You say you're from a world alternate to our own? How is that even possible?" Erza queried.
Nero nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know it must sound pretty crazy. I mean, this world doesn't seem to have the kind of demons as mine and not nearly the same level of powers as they do."
Erza didn't respond and instead shifted her gaze directly into Nero's eyes with a serious look in her own. It was almost as if she was looking straight through him, oddly enough.
Before Nero could question the look Erza was giving him, the scarlet-haired wizard's attention was drawn by something behind him. When Nero turned around to see what it was he saw that Makarov looked a noticeably sleepier than he did only moments ago. Mirajane also noticed this and looked slightly concerned.
"Sir? Is something wrong?" Mira questioned.
"I'm fine... Just sleepy..." He replied.
Makarov's tired face then grew slightly darker, much to Nero's confusion.
"He's coming..."
Just then, Nero noticed that Mira's eyes seemingly became heavier all of a sudden. "Mira...?"
Mirajane didn't respond as her eyes closed, and she fell limp on the floor, sound asleep. Nero would've stood up and tried to help her, but then he felt his own eyes getting heavier. What was happening?
Over in the rest of the guild hall, Gray and Elfman, as well as everyone else, looked either considerably tired or pained, much to Nero's confusion. What did Makarov mean by that? "He's coming"? Who was "he"? Nero would've asked if he could, but he couldn't find the strength to for some bizarre reason.
"Not again...," Gray groaned.
Everyone around the guild hall began to drop like flies: Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Happy, Lucy, Levy, Jet, Droy, Wakaba, and everyone else. Nero fought to stay awake, just on the brink of sleep, however, he reached up with Devil Bringer to his eyes and rubbed. However, as he was doing this, Ezra also fell to the phenomenon, her head leaning to the side as she fell into Nero. The Demon Hunter was knocked down to the ground, however, he remained awake, just enough to feel Erza's head land in his lap.
After everyone, save for Makarov and to an extent Nero, was sound asleep, a figure entered through the entrance of the guild hall. It was a man; that was the only discernible feature about him. He wore a dark blue cloak with an upturned collar, which was held together by two red buttons tied together with white string. His arms and legs were covered in bandages, and he wore dark blue gloves on his hands that matched his cloak.
He also sported a dark blue bandanna on his head that obscured his eyes, with a silver forehead protector. He had a dark green cloth which was wrapped around his neck and face, obscuring everything from his nose down. His upper legs were covered in bizarre, dark blue pants that puffed out, ultimately resembling upside-down bells with two silvery-gray stripes on either one. Around his waster, which was obscured by the aforementioned bell-like pants, he wore two dark green belts, similar to the larger dark green strap with a silver buckle which was slung over his right shoulder. The man carried a wooden staff with a fan-like end to it in his right hand.
The oddly-dressed man steadily approached Makarov, and made a left, walking over to the bulletin board to the left of the bar. Above this board read, "Request Board." This was where the multiple wizarding jobs that came in from all over were posted, and could be taken by any wizard looking for work.
The bizarre man walked over to the board, ripped a flier off of it, which appeared to have the image of a large, reptilian monster on it, and walked back over to Makarov, who simply looked up at him.
"Mystogan...," Makarov said.
The masked man, now known only as "Mystogan," spoke up, but in a low, monotone voice.
Mystogan held up his flier and simply said, "I shall return..."
"No, wait. Lift your sleeping spell before you leave." Makarov ordered.
Without responding, Mystogan glanced to his left, to see Nero sitting on the ground, leaning against the bar with Erza sleeping in his lap. He looked at Nero in particular and was surprised to see that Nero was still awake, if on the brink of sleep. The Demon Hunter's head lolled up to see the man, but his vision was heavily clouded. Any expressions the mysterious wizard may have been making were hidden by his bandanna and mask.
"What is it?" Makarov asked, curious.
Mystogan continued to stare for a brief moment, not saying a word. However, he then turned around and began to walk away, job request in-hand. As he made his way back through the guild hall, he spoke to himself.
Mystogan passed by several tables, and started his countdown. "Five..." he walked pass several wizards lying on the floor. "Four...Three..." As Mystogan made his way to the exit, he continued counting down. "Two... One..."
With that, the mysterious man disappeared completely, fading away in an eerie blur.
After he had disappeared, almost everyone in the guild immediately came to, with their eyes shooting wide open. There were a scarce few who didn't awaken instantly, with those few being Natsu, Nero who was shaking off the sleepiness, and Erza who was coming around as others around the guild hall came around.
"Uh, what the hell?" muttered Nero as his hand went up to his head. Eyes strained for a moment before the blurriness began to clear. Once they did, he immediately took notice of a weight on his lap.
Looking down, the first thing Nero saw, upon his eyes refocusing was the sleeping face of Erza, to his serious surprise. For a moment, he couldn't help but stare at her, that is until he regained his awareness and he began to help Erza off the floor.
Ezra woke up to the feeling of someone helping her up. Getting her feet under her, she began to stand under her own strength. She placed her armored palm on her forehead, seemingly still reeling somewhat from whatever just happened. Nero could definitely relate if he hadn't completely fallen asleep. What the hell just happened? Everyone was fine one moment, and then the next thing he knew, everyone was falling to the floor dead asleep.
However, he wasn't sure if whatever it was that just happened was the cause, but he could've sworn he saw someone.
"Oh, man…," Jet moaned, "Was Mystogan here?"
Droy rubbed his eyes, "What a jerk..."
"Does he have to put us to sleep every time he comes here?" Levy groaned.
Nero had overheard what the trio of wizards had just said from a table not too far away from the bar counter.
'Mystogan? Was it the guy who came in?' wondered Nero.
Lucy groggily walked over to the bar counter where Makarov was with a sleepy look on her face, rubbing her eyes all the while, "Who's this Mystogan guy?"
"Yah, beat me to the question," interjected Nero.
Both Gray and Elfman walked over to the bar as well, standing right beside Lucy.
"For one, he's a contender for Fairy Tail's strongest wizard," Elfman answered.
Nero turned to Elfman, sleepy but still surprised, "Really?"
Lucy rubbed her eyes, and questioned, "He's that strong?"
"Yeah...," Gray nodded, "and for some reason, he doesn't want anyone to see what he looks like. So, whenever he comes here to take a job, he casts a sleeping spell."
"Well, that's...annoying," commented Nero, now fully recovered from his near bout of sleep, retaking his seat along with Erza before turning around to face Gray with a slightly annoyed and suspicious expression on his face.
"That's kinda creepy..." Lucy commented.
"Yah don't say?" agreed Nero, "What's so secret about this guy that he wants to hide it from everyone?"
Gray shrugged. "Nobody knows..." He glanced over at Makarov. "Master Makarov is the only person here who's ever gotten a good look at his face..."
"That's not true. I've seen him before..." a voice spoke out.
Everyone was surprised to hear the new voice speak up, including Nero, and turned to its source. Standing on the second floor of the Guildhall was a tall and muscular man that appeared to be in his early twenties. He had spiky, blond hair which was slicked back, with several spiky strands pointing backward, and a few small tufts hanging down on his forehead. He had a very distinctive, lightning bolt-shaped scar over his right eye and eyebrow. He wore a pair of partially-rounded headphones, with each one possesses a single, large spike in the center. He wore a mustard-yellow shirt with black, leopard-like spots on the shoulders, collar, arms, and sides. Over top of this shirt, he wore a large, black coat with bluish-gray fur trimmings, which was hung lazily over his shoulders. He also wore wine-red pants, and plain, silvery-white shoes.
The man was currently leaning his right elbow on the railing, with his hand holding his head as he wore a snide grin as he chuckled lightly to himself.
Several individuals around the guild walked over below the balcony and looked up at this blond, headphone-wearing man with slightly surprised expressions. Nero and Erza both got up from their seats at the bar to do so as well.
One of the aforementioned individuals was a man who was roughly in his mid-thirties. He was a slim, mildly muscular man of average height, with short, slicked-back dark blue hair. He had linear, dark eyebrows, dark eyes, and a prominent nose with a flat, rectangular front. The lower half of his face was covered in a considerable amount of stubble, which includes a thin mustache. He wore a high-collared, knee-length white jacket with the sleeves rolled up, and a blue trim, as well as blue innards. Underneath this, he wore a black shirt, tucked into a pair of brown pants held up by a white belt with a golden buckle.
This was Macao Conbolt.
"Laxus!" Elfman called out.
"Talk about rare," Macao commented.
"You're never here," Wakaba added.
"And here's another contender," Gray said flatly.
Nero glanced to Gray, slightly surprised but kept it hidden, and then turned back to the blond, scar-faced wizard, known as Laxus. Nero had no gauge of what a powerful wizard looked like in this world, having only been in this magic-filled universe for less than a day. The only powerful 'wizard' he's ever faced was Agnus, and even that was a stretch cause the guy was an alchemist. But after meeting Natsu, Erza, and several other wizards of the Fairy Tail guild, he was beginning to realize that there was a lot more variety in magic in this world than in his.
"Mystogan's just a little shy. You should all respect his privacy," Laxus grinned snidely.
'I think I hate this guy,' thought Nero as he narrowed his eyes. Laxus hadn't said more than a few words and Nero already didn't like him.
It was then that Natsu's eyes finally jolted open, Mystogan's sleeping spell having only just now worn off for him. The Dragon Slayer quickly jumped to his feet and onto a table as he looked up at Laxus with a determined expression and clenched fists.
"Alright, Laxus! IT'S TIME TO BRAWL!" Natsu yelled.
"For the love of God..." muttered Nero, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Gettin' your butt kicked twice in one week wasn't enough?" Gray said, annoyed.
"Yeah, pal. If you can't even win against the redhead, why bother with me?" Laxus mocked with an amused grin on his face.
It was then that Nero could feel a strange air coming from his left. He turned to see Erza glaring up at Laxus with an incredibly dark expression. Nero certainly hadn't seen her like that before.
"What was that?" Erza snarled.
"No need to get all worked up, Erza." Gray lifted up his hands in a placating gesture, trembling slightly.
Laxus simply scoffed at Erza's obvious anger towards him as well as Gray's attempts to placate her. "Word on the street is the Fairy Tail guild has a new special guest," The blonde wizard stated. Laxus then glanced over to Nero, which the Demon Hunter was quick to take notice of, and the more he spoke, the more he was tempted to make him eat a bullet from Blue Rose, "...and that he gave 'Natsu the Salamander' the biggest thrashing this week." he taunted.
"HEY!" Natsu shouted indignantly.
"Talk about pathetic," Laxus sneered, "You challenge some nobody fresh off the streets and lose to him. Then you think you have what it takes to go up against me?" The blonde man simply laughed.
Nero glared at Laxus, gritting his teeth tightly, as the man continued laughing up a storm. He was a little mad about the insult true, but what really pissed him off was the fact that he was speaking in such a condescending way to people who were, at least in Makarov's eyes, supposed to be his "family." Erza seemed to feel the same way as she angrily stepped forward, standing tall and firm, glaring at Laxus.
"If you have something to say then come out and say it!" Erza yelled.
Laxus ceased his cackling and outstretched his arms. "I'm saying that I'm the guild's strongest wizard."
Natsu gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes up at Laxus. "Then come down here and prove it."
"You come to me, little man." Laxus talked through his teeth, speaking in a mocking tone.
"With pleasure!"
Natsu then hopped off of the table he'd been standing on, rushed over to the bar, and jumped over the counter, heading towards the staircase behind it that led to the second floor of the guild hall. However, Natsu was stopped in his tracks when Makarov's left arm suddenly stretched out, with his fist becoming at least five times larger than the old man's entire body, and slammed down on Natsu, pinning him underneath. Needless to say, Nero was not expecting that at all, especially not from Makarov. Neither was Lucy or Mirajane, judging from their shocked expressions.
"Now there's something I didn't expect," commented Nero.
Makarov wasn't even facing Natsu, but instead had his eyes closed and head lowered as he faced forward, a very serious aura about him, unlike anything Nero had seen from him until now.
"You're not allowed on the second floor, Natsu. At least not yet..." Makarov reprimanded.
Laxus rested his chin on his wrist and scoffed, "Think yah made him grumpy..."
Natsu's face only grew angrier with Laxus's comment as he struggled against Makarov's massive left fist, but to no avail. "Shut up!"
"That's enough outta you, Laxus!" Makarov chastised.
Ignoring Makarov's demand, Laxus stood tall, an arrogant, condescending grin on his face as he looked down at everyone present in the guild hall.
"The most powerful one in the guild isn't a chick or some hooded weirdo. Yah wanna know what the strongest wizard looks like?" Laxus paused to point at himself. "You're lookin' right at him!"
Nero could only glare at Laxus as did everyone else, all of them thoroughly angered by everything the arrogant man had said. It appeared that there were jerks in this world like there were in Nero's, and Laxus was just the first one he'd met.
'And I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't the last...' thought Nero grimly.
-Later-
As time passed and the sun had gone down, and most of the Fairy Tail wizards had left for their respective homes, Mirajane, Lucy, and Nero were at the bar counter yet again, with Mirajane standing behind it, while Lucy and Nero sat on a couple of stools in front of it.
"Hey, Mirajane, lemme ask yah something, what was the Master talking about earlier?" Lucy inquired, "Why can't we go up to the second floor?"
"Been meaning to ask that myself," Nero included, "Guy seemed pretty serious about whatever it was."
"That's because that area is reserved for advanced members of the guild. The jobs that are listed on the request board up there make the ones down here look like child's play in comparison. They're called S-Class quests." Mirajane replied.
"Those being?" quired Nero.
Mira nodded and explained, "They're jobs so dangerous that one wrong move could be your last. But, with that risk, comes a higher reward."
Nero nodded in understanding. From what he knew about this world, apparently fighting a band of thirty-plus bandits was considered a low-paying wizarding job, or at least in comparison to other jobs. It was still somewhat upsetting to Nero that these wizards got paid for doing essentially what he did back home; however, he was hardly concerned about it. Especially since it sounded like they made world just as safe as he did, or at least used to, before the demons began drying up.
"There are only five people in the entire guild who are considered S-Class. That includes Laxus, Mystogan, and Erza," Mira continued.
"Really?" Nero's eyes widened from surprise after hearing that. He heard from Happy that Erza was the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, but he hadn't expected her to be one of the guild's S-Class members. She seemed so different from Laxus and Mystogan, the latter of whom was so secretive he couldn't even let people see his face, and the former of whom is an arrogant jerk who talks down to his fellow members. For the most part, she seemed just like everybody else in the guild, despite being one of the most powerful wizards in it. He gained a new level of respect for her just then.
Mirajane turned to Lucy, "But I wouldn't worry about it if I were you, Lucy. In my opinion, there's no amount of money worth risking your life over."
"Yeah, no kidding," Lucy agreed, "Especially not after today's little mishap..."
Nero simply nodded in agreement.
-Later-
After a while, Lucy took off back to her apartment in Magnolia, with Mirajane heading off to wherever it was that she stayed. Before the white-haired beauty left, she made sure Nero knew where everything was, just so he'd know his way around the place.
Right now, Nero was currently sitting on a bench at one of the many tables in the main room of the guild hall, seeing as he couldn't sleep. After all, how could he? So many things had happened in only one day, and he was only just now getting the opportunity to process all of it. He'd met a strange professor and had been sent to another universe, seen magic the likes of which he'd never seen before, been introduced to an entire guild full of wizards, fought a guy who had been raised by a dragon, been put nearly to sleep by a mysterious wizard, and had an encounter with who was undoubtedly the biggest jerk he'd met in this crazy world he's found himself in.
Even by Nero's standards, this had been quite the experience. And he still had no idea how he was going to get back home. The disc was in a thousand pieces and not likely to be fixed, and it's not like he could use Yamato. Thing was too dangerous to mess around with and he didn't know if it would actually bring him to his world or the demon world. On the off chance, it did work, the risk was way too high.
"Can't sleep?"
Glancing over his shoulder, Nero spotted Makarov standing behind the table Nero was seated at. The elderly man then hopped up onto the opposite bench, and subsequently onto the table.
"Yep," replied Nero bluntly.
"It's been quite the day for you, hasn't it, Nero?"
"Pretty big understatement," replied the hunter, "Not sure if I've been anywhere this crazy."
Makarov simply smiled as he sat down on the tabletop, to Nero's immediate left, "I'm terribly sorry you had to deal with that unpleasantness earlier with Laxus. I'm constantly at my wit's end about what to do with that boy, and Mystogan stopping by the guild was unexpected, as it always is. That you would have to fall victim to his sleeping spell on your first day here..." the elderly man paused.
"Don't worry about it," waved over Nero, "I've dealt with worse, and I didn't fall completely asleep, though can't really say I saw much."
For a moment, everything was silent until Makarov finally spoke up again. "So, tell me, Nero... What do you think of the magic you've seen in this world?"
The demon hybrid turned to Makarov, before looking back towards the guild hall's main doors.
"Can for certain, nothing like demon magic," replied Nero, "But then again, I have only seen two kinds and so far, they're nothing to shake a stick at."
"Yes. Natsu's, and Lucy's too." Makarov commented, "But surely you've heard from some of the others what they are capable of as well."
"Oh yeah," nodded Nero.
Over the course of the day, several wizards had approached him not only to congratulate him, but some of them also informed him of some of the different types of magic that they use. Wakaba used Smoke Magic, which allowed him to control the smoke that came from his pipe and use it for various purposes. Macao used a type of magic called Purple Flare which allowed him to manipulate purple flames that could take multiple shapes, Levy used a type of magic called Solid Script, which allowed her to use a magic pen to write different words in the air that all take on the attributes of the word itself, such as the word "Iron" made out of iron. There were others as well, like Jet and Droy. All of their abilities sounded amazing.
"So, with that in mind," continued Makarov, "what do you think about the magic of this world as a whole? Is it perhaps similar to things you've seen in your own world?"
Nero thought for a moment before he responded. Although he did think of one, he wasn't quite sure where Makarov was going with this.
"Can't really say for certain. But gotta admit; for the most part, I've probably handled a demon that could do something similar to something here," replied Nero.
Makarov, who had his eyes closed and head lowered, nodded a couple times in understanding. "I see..." The Fairy Tail master then opened his eyes, and turned to Nero, looking directly into his, "Then why do you claim that you are not a wizard?"
So, that's what the old man is after?
Nero knew what Makarov was getting at. Several members of the guild referred to him as a Demon Slayer, which wasn't far off from being a Demon Hunter, but that implied he used demon magic, where in reality, he was part demon, "Because I only use the magic as a utility, not a frontline response. My skill comes from me, not from magic, so I don't consider myself a wizard," answered Nero.
Makarov let out a long sigh, before looking forward at the entrance to the guild, "There is much more to being a wizard than simply wielding magic. Power can come from all kinds of sources: light, darkness, magic, and science. Where it comes from is insignificant in comparison to what the holder does with it. It is what we choose to do with the powers we possess that makes us who we are," The old man said wisely, "Fairy Tail wizards make the most of what we have, cherish the time we share together as a family, and live every day to the fullest. That is what it means to be a wizard to us..." he turned to the demon hunter hybrid, "And you, Nero, would make an excellent wizard."
Nero simply stared at the man, containing his surprise very well. He didn't know exactly how to respond to that.
By that logic, it made sense that everyone thought of him as a wizard. Here he was, stuck in a world entirely separate from his own, but he didn't appear to be too outwardly fazed by it. While he was indeed still worried about how he would get home, he hadn't shown it outwardly all that much.
To the wizards of Fairy Tail, that practically made him one of them. He wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for himself or complaining about being essentially stranded. He was making the most of his situation, despite the circumstances. However, Nero then noticed something about what Makarov had said.
"You wouldn't be trying to get me to join...would you?" asked Nero, in a level tone.
"I am simply offering you a chance. I've sent a letter to an old colleague of mine on the Magic Council, requesting he look into any kind of magic that could send you home. If, however, there isn't any, I will offer you a place here for as long as you wish to stay."
Nero's eyes widened slightly with that. It went without saying that Nero was surprised; however, more than anything, he was touched. Makarov described this guild as his "family," and he was already willing trust Nero enough to offer him a place in it.
Thanks, I really appreciate what you've done...but," thanked the hunter as he turned to look at the floor, "my place is at my home."
Makarov closed his eyes and nodded. "I understand. Still, my offer stands."
Makarov then stood up, hopped down to the floor, and stretched his arms. "Now, I think I need to rest these weary old bones," He stopped stretching and looked back at Nero. "Goodnight."
With that, Makarov walked back into the back section of the guild, where he too was sleeping. He refused to let a guest of the guild stay there without providing protection for them, even if they could clearly defend themselves.
Nero remained in the main hall for a while longer, continuing to mull over everything that happened today. Eventually, he thought he might finally be able to get some sleep.
"Guess now would be a good time to head off," He muttered.
He was about to stand up and head off to the back section, until he noticed something moving inside the guild hall. It was dark, but not so dark that he couldn't make things out. He looked up, to see Happy, floating close to the ceiling using his wings, clearly trying to be inconspicuous. He saw the blue feline fly to the upper floor of the guild hall, which immediately raised a flag in Nero's mind.
A few moments later, he spotted Happy flying away from the second floor towards and open window, carrying a piece of paper in his paws. He would've made it through said window had a giant hand suddenly grabbed the cat and pulled him, the feline letting out a startled squeak.
Coming to an abrupt halt, Happy looked at the one who was responsible to see Nero with narrowed eyes boring into his head.
"Nero!" yelped Happy.
"And where do you think you're going?" asked Nero rhetorically, his tone left the feline chuckling sheepishly as he continued to hold onto the S-Class quest Mirajane had spoken about earlier.
To Be Continued...