Okay, chapter 2. Hope you all are enjoying, one of you certainly is. Anyway, if you have any suggestions for Nero, like what a good chapter plot would be, have any demons from his world appear and Nero shows Fairy Tail just how much a hunter he can be, or just continue with the canon. Send me a PM if you want, reviews work too, and I hope you're all enjoying the story.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Devil Tail
Chapter 5: Galuna Island Part 2
"Wondering if there was a village at all," commented Nero, his usual sarcastic tone never wavering.
The group of wizards and the demon hunter had been making their way through the jungle of Galuna Island. For the most part, spending around an hour or two searching for the village that was supposedly here, Nero, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy finally arrived at the village. But at the moment, none of them knew what to expect about the village, especially know that night had fallen and visibility was reduced to a couple yards. It also didn't help that the villagers within also put up a massive wall using thick logs with the ends sharpened into points. On the main gate, and despite the low light, Nero was able to make out a sign, the famous two words: 'Keep out', written on it.
"Well, we found the village," Gray noted.
"Check out that gate…," Natsu remarked, "When they say 'Keep Out' they mean it."
"Hasn't stopped you from breaking into Lucy's apartment," commented Nero sarcastically, though he turned serious, or about as serious as he was on jobs. He might not be a wizard, so he was gonna let the others handle it their way while he handles it his way, "We knock or is there a doorbell?"
Lucy answered by stepping forward and yelling out, "Is anyone there!? We came to help you!"
The only answer they received was silence.
"Let's bust in," Natsu said, an impish grin on his face.
"No way!" Lucy yelled at him.
"Great idea; break into the place you want to help," drawled Nero as he gave the Dragon Slayer a deadpanned look, "that's sure to get you on their good side."
Finally, a voice called out from the top of the wall, "Who goes there?"
The group looked up to see two guards staring down at them.
"We're wizards from Fairy Tail," Lucy answered, "We're responding to your request!"
"Why weren't we notified that you'd accepted the request?" the voice asked suspiciously.
'Considering everything about this place, guys' gotta right to be suspicious,' thought Nero, digging Devil Bringer further into his pocket. Ever since they arrived on this rock, the thing hasn't stopped glowing and the feeling of something here only grew the further they went into the island. And to be technical, the wizards present with him had taken the job, despite the rules.
Lucy tried to come up with a reason, but Gray beat her to the punch, and called out, "There was probably just a mix-up with the paperwork!"
"Nice," commented Nero, quietly as she shifted in his spot.
"Then let me see your guild emblems," the lookout challenged, "right now!"
Natsu moved his scarf, which had partially concealed his red guild mark on his right shoulder. Happy shifted his knapsack to reveal his green mark on his back. Gray lifted his shirt to show his blue emblem on the right side of his chest. Lastly, Lucy showed the pink emblem on the back of her right hand.
Needless to say, the guards were stunned. Those emblems were legit!
"They're here...," the lookouts stammered in shock, "They're really here!"
The sentry was about to open the gate immediately but stopped when he had noticed a certain person in the group had not shown them any guild mark.
"Wait…that proves who you are," one of the guards replied, "but what about him?" Even without seeing him, Nero knew exactly who they were talking. Plus, the guy pointed right at him.
"I'm with them," spoke up, Nero, beating Natsu before the pink-haired wizard could snap, "guy's gotta make money somehow. From what I've heard, doesn't sound like you're in any position to turn down the extra help, right?"
The sentry didn't really have an answer to that; after all, with the situation the village was in, they'd need all the help they can get. Nero relaxed slightly as the gate soon began to open. However, Devil Bringer suddenly began to pulse, causing the Demon Hunter to frown. Glancing down at his pocket, he could just barely make out the faintest of glows. It was so low that no one would notice, but Nero knew better as he held his hand in his pocket.
"It's like we're walking into a giant monster's mouth." Happy commented, noting how the pointed ends of the gate resembled sharp teeth.
"Are you trying to freak me out…?" Lucy said, annoyed.
The group stepped forward, only to be greeted by a large crowd of people wearing cloaks, hoods, and cloth across their faces, concealing almost all of their features.
Nero gave the villagers a wary look, his left hand hovering close to Blue Rose. Devil Bringer pulsed again, almost beckoning him to let it out. However, Nero decided against it and held it in his pocket.
"I am Moka, the village chief," the lead figure said, leaning on a staff with a crescent moon on the top, "and on behalf of everyone here, I welcome you. Pleasantries aside, there's something you need to see; now, my people!"
The villagers as one dropped their cloaks, and for a moment, Nero's hand instinctively went right to the handle of Blue Rose, assuming they'd attack. However, he froze before he could even wrap his index finger around the trigger, as did the rest of the group. The wizards and demon hunter were greeted by a familiar, yet disturbing, sight.
The villagers, for the most part, appeared human, but no one didn't have a monstrous appendage. Ranging from scaly arms with clawed fingers, bestial legs tipped with talons, even horns; not a person was unaffected by the curse, even the children weren't spared from its viel changes.
"It's just like the guy on the boat," Gray murmured.
Nero said nothing, his left hand immediately gripping his wrist. This was all too, bizarre for the lack of a better word for the demon hunter. Seeing these people, like this, it made him wonder what kind of demons this world had that they could do this to people. Granted, the demons in his world could be much more gruesome in their torture.
Natsu, on the other hand, noticed something else. "Oh, wow, your sideburns are huge!" he pointed at the sideburns on the elderly chief's face, which stretched down to his waist.
"Real professional," deadpanned Nero, momentarily foregoing his own unease and the feeling of Devil Bringer to glare at Natsu.
"Not that!" Moka snapped, "I meant my arm!" he held up his purple, clawed arm for emphasis, "Everyone on the island is suffering a disfigurement because of this curse; not even the animals are unaffected."
"Ever think it might be a disease?" asked Nero, "no offense."
"We've consulted with dozens of doctors, young man," Moka said wearily, "But every one of them says that no such disease exists."
Nero nodded, while Devil Bringer said that there was some sort of demonic presence here, he needed to hear a confirmation from the locals. The feeling of Devil Bringer pulsing irked the Demon Hunter slightly. It only really did this when powerful demons, or Devils, are nearby.
"Any idea of how this started?" questioned Nero, wanting all the details, or as many details as the villagers were willing to give.
"It all started when the moon fell under an evil spell," began the chief, picking up where he left off.
"An evil spell?" repeated Lucy, wanting to be sure she heard him correctly.
"Since ancient times, this island has absorbed the light of the moon, causing it to glow almost as beautifully as the moon itself." Moka's voice turned fearful. "However, three years ago, the moon's light turned purple and bathed the island in an eerie glow."
"Hey, everyone!" Happy called out, pointing up, "The moon is coming out from behind the clouds!"
The wizards and demon hunter looked up to see that the light of the moon that came down was indeed a creepy shade of purple.
"Stand back," Moka warned, "the change is upon us!"
Before anyone could ask what he meant, all of the villagers began to convulse, moaning in absolute agony. Their bodies began to shift, scales, fur, and spikes covering them; now, instead of a single area of their bodies. Nero instinctively went to Blue Rose and held the handle, waiting for the worst. Watching them change, it wasn't anything like when a Holy Knight or even Credo and Agnus went through thanks to the Ascension Ceremony. Theirs was instantaneous whereas the villagers, it took time and was forceful.
"I am sorry if our appearance frightens you," Moka apologized. He was now sporting purple, scaly skin, as well as fangs, pointed ears and a pair of horns.
"Not the worst thing I've ever seen," said Nero as he released his grip of Blue Rose, but kept his hand near it just in case, "I've fought monsters directly out of nightmares."
"These poor people," Lucy whispered.
"Oh man," Natsu muttered, before his face suddenly brightened, "YOU GUYS LOOK SO COOL!"
Everyone else could only stare at him in disbelief while he started to gush about how awesome they looked, at least, in his mind.
"Huh…?" everyone uttered, dumbfounded.
"He said we looked cool…," a male villager repeated in shock.
"No one's ever said that about us before…," a female villager said.
"Natsu!" Lucy slapped him upside the head, "That's insensitive! They don't want to be like this!"
"Really?" Natsu asked, confused, "Well, sorry about that. I guess we should help them out."
"Why else are we here?" demanded Nero as he glared at the Dragon Slayer, "I'm surprised you're able to complete any job if your attention span is this short."
"Get a clue, man," Gray said, equally exasperated.
"Anyway, as you can see," Moka said, trying to get everyone back on track, "whenever the moon comes out, everyone in the village takes on the form of a demon. If this isn't a curse, then what is it? We return to normal when the sun rises; however, there are some among us who lose their minds and never change back. The only thing we can do for those poor souls is to put them to death."
The others were shocked. This wasn't just a curse that changed how they looked; it drove them insane and made them dangerous enough to force the villagers to kill them!
'Guess this why they begged for help,' thought Nero as it soon became clear. The if villagers were fine mentally, then its more than likely they wouldn't be as desperate for help as possible. If the people had full control over themselves, the curse would be more of an inconvenience. But people lose themselves and the others had to put him or her down for the safety of the others.
"But they might get better someday!" Natsu protested.
"If they do that, then it's like there won't be anyone left alive by that time," corrected Nero grimly, seeing where this was going.
"He is correct," Moka confirmed sadly, "We've tried to capture them, but they always break free," Tears began falling from the old man's eyes as he pulled out a photograph, "There is no way to reverse it. This curse has forced me to take the life of my own son."
Shoulders shaking in grief, Moka let the photograph fall to the ground, letting the others see a picture of a man with wide eyes, a mustache and goatee, and a bandana on his head.
"That's the guy who took us here on the boat!" Lucy said softly, "We just saw him yesterday and…"
"Shh!" Gray interrupted and whispered, "now I understand why he just disappeared like that. He's dead, but his soul couldn't rest in peace."
'A ghost…' Lucy thought, beginning to panic.
Nero narrowed his eyes; magic as a starter, then a cursed island, now ghosts? He knew better than to write off ghosts seeing his line of work. Hearing even more about this world just makes him feel even more out of place on this rock.
Moka picked up the photo, then gave the group a low bow.
"Please lift the curse," he begged, "If you do not, it is only a matter of time before we fall victim to it and die!"
"We won't let that happen!" Natsu shouted, then lowered his voice when Moka looked at him, "We're going to fix this, I promise."
Everyone else in the group nodded in agreement. Silently, Nero made a promise to see to it that this curse was ended. Being a demon is no walk in the park. And from the looks of things, these people have suffered long enough. More than a few people have lost their lives and themselves, no more.
"There is only one way to lift the curse," stated Moka, "The moon… the moon must be wiped from the sky!"
'Wait what?' Thought Nero. Turns out this job was gonna be a lot more difficult than he originally thought.
Taken off guard by the request of Moka, the Wizards were understandly surprised by such a big request, while the Demon Hunter just pinched the area between his eyes in exasperation; he was a demon hunter and they were wizards, no miracle workers. But even still, they were ushered into a small hut, away from the purple light. All of the wizards were thinking the same exact thing: did they really have to destroy the moon?
"I never knew the moon could be so creepy," Happy said sadly.
"Hurry up and close the window!" Lucy shouted, "You heard the chief; we have to stay out of the moonlight! You may not care, but I don't wanna risk turning into some freaky monster!"
"I'm not so sure about this job, guys," Natsu said, looking more irritated than worried.
"How can these people expect us to destroy the moon?" Gray asked.
"I wonder how many punches it would take?" Natsu wondered, raising a fist, "You think I can handle it?"
"Natsu, you're insane if you think you can destroy the moon," sighed Nero as he leaned against one of the walls within the hut, his arms crossed. At this point, he was beginning to wonder if Natsu was just stubbornly determined or just stupid. And from where things had started, he was leaning towards stupid.
"For real," Gray agreed, "don't be stupid, man!"
"Natsu, there isn't a wizard strong enough who could do that," Lucy said, shaking her head.
"But that's what we were hired to do!" Natsu objected, "If we back out, it'll make Fairy Tail look bad!"
"What they're asking can't be done!" Gray countered, and then asked, "How were you planning to get to the moon anyway?"
"With Happy, of course," Natsu said, pointing at the cat.
"Huh!?" Happy shook his head, "I don't think so."
"Even if he could fly you there, you'd likely die of lack of air," added Nero bluntly, before pushing off the wall and began pacing, "but I've got a feeling that it's something else that's the cause for the curse."
"How do you know?" Asked Lucy, looking at the white-haired hunter.
"Guy said it was a demon's curse," reminded Nero as he smirked at the wizard, "dealing with demons is what I do for a living. Also, we won't need to destroy the moon. The request asked us to end the curse, never said how. And since they haven't given a lot of detail, I'm guessing these guys are only assuming it's the moon. Mean it can be something."
"Yeah," Lucy agreed, "I'll bet that if we do some investigating around the island, we'll find the real source of the curse and stop it."
Anything else Lucy might have said was interrupted when Gray threw his shirt at her face. Nero just groaned and facepalmed; he'd admit, it was impressive how fast Gray could strip, but it was weird and annoying as hell. The Ice-Make wizard had stripped down to his boxers and the silver necklace he wore in less time than it took to blink.
"You kids can do what you want," Gray remarked as he pulled his socks off, "but after the day I've had, I need some shut eye."
"Please don't take off any more…" Lucy pleaded, a sweat drop running down her head.
"Yeah, our investigation starts tomorrow morning," Natsu added, and then jumped onto the sleeping mats that the villagers had laid out for them, "Let's hit the sack!"
Happy jumped face-first onto the pillow, "Aye, sir!" came his muffled cry.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Gray replied, lying on his sleeping mat face-down.
"Damn straight," agreed Nero as he head to his own mat which was placed by the wall of the hut. It had been a while since he got a decent night's rest, having trouble since...
'No,' thought Nero, not wanting to remember, 'I'm going back there. Not again.'
Sitting down on the mat and leaning against the wall, Nero kept his coat on, despite the hard surface. Once settled, he closed his eyes, allowing his breathing to steady and slow, falling into blissful sleep. However, despite quickly succumbing to rest, Nero's sleep was anything but blissful, Devil Bringer occasionally pulsing.
There was something to this island, besides the obvious curse. But perhaps a little of that, because somehow, the magical properties of the cruse seemed familiar. Like, demon magic from his world...
*8 Hours Later*
After a somewhat restless sleep, Nero managed to get enough to feel at least refreshed. That being said, he wasn't exactly a happy camper when the team decided to wake up early in the morning and begin the search for the cause of the curse. That being said, he wasn't the only one who looked like he could use a few extra hours of sleep as Natsu, Gray, and Happy looked exhausted.
However, a few minutes in and the Demon Hunter was back to normal. Being part demon has its perks, such as Healing Factor, Super Strength, Reflexes, Durability, Devil Trigger, and a few other unique things. Meaning he could go for a while before needing to rest again. Which helped him a bit since Lucy was bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to go at the crack of dawn.
"I hate waking up this early," Natsu whined.
"Hey, you guys kept me up all night with your snoring," Lucy snapped, "and you don't hear me complaining! Let's go!"
"Aye," Natsu, Gray, and Happy all moaned.
"You guys wanted to get the good jobs," stated Nero as he folded his arms, "means you gotta get up and get your ass moving when you have to."
"How come you're okay?" Gray asked.
"Demons usually come out a night, so had to allnighters pretty often," answered Nero, remembering a few jobs where he and either Trish, Lady, or Dante would be situated in the van and stake out some places they were hired to look into for demons, "Lost track of how many times I had to get fighting after waking up at the drop of hat for a demon that came out of nowhere."
"See, Nero's got the right attitude!" praised Lucy as she smiled at the demon hunter, who waved her off. With all said and done, she then pulled out a silver key and pointed it forward, "Open, Gate of the Clock Constellation: Horologium!"
In a puff of smoke, a tall brown grandfather clock, with long black arms and short black legs, appeared. It had a glass case, a Roman-numerical clock at the center, and a small face at the top with slit eyes and a thin, twirl mustache-like mouth.
"The time is seven forty-eight," the spirit said cheerfully.
"You lose track of time?" asked Nero, not seeing why they would need a clock right now. They were going searching and having that around seemed like a hindrance.
"No, it's because she's lazy," Natsu told him.
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced back at Lucy, only to find her climbing into the clock, opening Holorlogium's glass case before shutting it behind herself.
"'Let's go', the lady says forcefully," the spirit said, repeating what Lucy had said from within him, and then marched towards the mountain.
"Well, if there's one way to travel," commented Nero as he watched them head towards the moment before turning to Natsu, "so he carries her around like that?"
"Yep," Natsu replied as he, Happy and Gray walked after the spirit, "because she's lazy."
"Just when you think you've seen it all...," sighed Nero as he shook his head and followed them. Quickly catching up with the others and despite Horologium's headstart, all formed up into one group due to the spirit's slow pace.
"You really think there's another way to lift the curse?" asked Natsu, looking at Nero.
"Not like we have much choice," answered the demon hunter, keeping his focus forward, "None of us can get to the moon and its not likely we'll be able to do much since there's no air. Even if we did manage to destroy the thing, it would completely throw the planet off. Moon's there for a reason, offing it would mess up the climate, throw it off its axis, general end of the world stuff."
Nero was by no means an astronomer, but at the academy in Fortuna, they did cover modern lessons, despite not having the best technology, one of those lessons being astrology. The moon basically acted like an anchor, keeping the Earth in place and stablize its orbit in the goldie locks zone of space. And in this case, it was doing the same thing for Earthland. How and why some decided to call it that, he would never know.
"Wait...hang on..." Gray interrupted, giving Nero an incredulous look, "how do you know that?"
"At the academy in my world," answered Nero as he shrugged, "However, if there was something that could destroy the moon, it was a demon by the name of Mundus. And probably my uncle."
The wizards and cat simply stared at him in astonishment; that was when it hit the demon hunter that going to space in this world was completely unheard of. With the lack of technology here, it made sense and that it would be ludicrous for someone to claim to make it there.
"Wow! That's awesome!" Natsu grinned brightly.
'Damn…' Gray thought, 'Is this guy for real…?'
"Does that mean you can get to space?" asked Happy.
"No, on the account that I can't fly and I'm not strong enough or powerful enough," stated Nero, knowing that he never did like admitting that he was weak, but in this case, the scope of what they were doing made it not all that bad.
"Good, because if you could destroy the moon, it would cause all the salmon to go extinct," Happy mentioned, thinking about what Nero had said earlier about what might happen if he did destroy the moon, "And they're my favorite fish!"
"Will you guys keep it down?" Horologium asked, "We don't know what's lurking out here, so we shouldn't draw any attention, the lady demands impatiently."
"Don't see why? Not like you have much room to complain," commented Nero, a little annoyed by Lucy's practically bipolar attitude to all this, "you're not even walking and you're not even tired."
"Listen, this curse is freaking me out, and I'm scared, she says nervously," Horologium repeated dutifully.
"Are you kidding?" Natsu asked, pumping his fist, "S-Class quests are awesome!"
"We're likely gonna break something," commented Nero, his tone was both resigned, but also excited. Like he was anticipating the fight, that was most likely to come.
"Yeah," Gray said arrogantly, "but I bet I could just freeze that stupid curse."
"You guys are idiots, she says disparagingly," Horologium replied, though he sounded like he agreed.
"Says the hypocrite," muttered Nero, recalling what Lucy had said, that she wouldn't risk her life over money when she was the first one up and ready to go on this S-Class Quest. However, not a second later, they were all stopped by the sound of giant footsteps.
Everyone turned to see a giant figure behind them. It was easily thirty-feet-tall, but the sun was behind it, so the light got in their eyes, preventing them from getting a good look. Whatever it was, it started to laugh in high-pitched, menacing hiss.
"Guess this must be what happens to the animals on this rock," said Nero, his hand going up to Blue Rose, though mindfully kept Devil Bringer from sight as it was still pulsing with energy.
"IT'S HUGE!" Gray exclaimed.
"No," Natsu said, gathering flames around his hands, "but I bet it wants a fight!"
"What are you waiting for?! Beat it up, you guys, she yells frighteningly," Horologium said.
Whatever the animals was, it started to reach out towards the group, only for Nero to grab the handle of his revolver and whip it out. Quickly taking aim, he fired right into the palm of the beast. The shots struck the center, causing it to let out a surprised screech and pull back. Taking the advantage, Nero sprinted right towards it and pulled Devil Bringer back, Spectral Bringer formed, growing slightly larger.
Once Nero had the size of the fist he wanted, he swung Devil Bringer at the side of the beast's head, Spectral Bringer doing the same and collided with it. The force behind the punch sent the beast sliding back onto its side, allowing everyone to have a good look at the monster. Safe to say, Nero had a slightly altered opinion about what they were fighting.
"It's a giant rat, she exclaims worriedly," Horologium said, sounding rather concerned himself.
Indeed, it was a giant rat, but its fur was a light green and it wore what looked like a maid's apron and bonnet. Nero had to admit, this was likely one of the weirdest things he's seen so far in this world. Granted, he has seen somethings from the likes of demons that would make anyone do a double take. But this was definitely up there.
The punch clearly stunned the rat, but it was getting up shortly, reaching up to rub its paw against its now sore jaw. Glaring at the wizards, it began to take a deep breath in.
Not wanting to let himself or his friends get hit by whatever it was about to do, Gray ran forward and put his right fist on top of his left hand, which was palm-up. A cold mist gathered around his body.
"Ice Make: Shield!" a giant fan-shaped shield of ice erupted from the ground. Unfortunately, it didn't do any good, because the rat belched forth a noxious, foul-smelling gas.
"Woah," groaned Nero as he waved his hand in front of himself, "nice breath you have. This your morning breath, or are you having an off day?"
Nero had smelt things much worse, a Dagon like Bael taking first place in the bad smell department. So everyone, minus the Demon Hunter, tried in vain to block out the smell, but it was already in their noses. Natsu lay on the ground, nearly unconscious from the stench, and it affected Horologium so badly that he was forced back into the Spirit World, leaving Lucy to the mercy of the rat.
"Run!" she screamed, attempting to get away from the massive rodent, but it was all for not as it began to reach out towards her. However, the rat suddenly lets out a surprised screech in pain as a sharp sensation sliced across its back. Flipping over it was Nero, Red Queen drawn as the demon hunter landed back on the ground. Turning its attention to him, the rat hissed in anger.
"Common, cut me a little slack," taunted Nero as he rested Red Queen on his shoulder, "just not big on rats or toads."
The rat let out another hiss, giving him a look that said, 'I'm bigger than you by a lot, so what are you going to do?'
"Well, the silent type, huh?" taunted Nero again, looking like he was not taking this seriously at all, "that's...annoying."
Fed up with this humans insults, the Rat raised its tail and brought it down right towards Nero. However, this is exactly what the Demon Hunter wanted. Sheathing Red Queen, he opened Devil Bringer's palm and caught the tip with one hand, his coat billowing in the wind that was caused by the tail coming right towards him. The rat tried to pull its tail free, but Nero's grip wouldn't allow it.
With a nearly savage yell, Nero pulled the Rat, swinging it up into the air and brought it down with a might smash. The wizards watched in amazement as the Demon completely flipped the rat over. The rat was the most surprised as it was completely over classed in strength.
"I wouldn't look so surprised," taunted Nero, as he grinned almost ferally at the rat, "if you knew what I've fought, you would know that you're not even the largest thing I've beat."
The rat started to take a deep breath again, no doubt in order to use its gas attack, but the hunter wouldn't have any of it as he released the tail and swung out Devil Bringer, Spectral Bringer speeding right towards the rat's face where it wrapped around its snout, forcing to shut its mouth.
"I think we've had enough of your morning breath," quipped Nero as he suddenly smashed the rats head into the ground.
The force of the impact actually caused it to bounce leaving it open for him to pull Spectral Bringer back and slug it right in the stomach. The result was the monster smashing through several trees before sliding to a stop, where it lay unconscious. Clapping his hands together getting the dust off, Nero looked satisfied with having beaten the rat. However, he looked back when he heard a yell and saw both Natsu and Gray pummeling the head of the massive animal.
"I'm pretty sure it's not gonna get up any time soon," commented Nero, "we've got a job to do, so let's go!"
"We should kick its butt while we have the chance!" both wizards yelled at once.
"Wonder if Dante ever had to do with this," muttered Nero to himself before turning to find Lucy, who had fled from the fight, but was coming back.
"Hey, guys!" she pointed in the direction she'd come from, "I found something!"
Judging from the tone she used, it must be important. So not wanting to wait around, Nero used Devil Bringer to summon Spectral Bringer and Snatch both Natsu and Gray from the top of the giant rat. Once he had them, he increased the size of Spectral Bringer so he could hold them both in one Spectral Bringer and left them hanging around in Hold. He then made his way in the direction of where Lucy had gone, ignoring the two wizard hotheads that were in his clutches.
Catching up with Lucy at a reasonable pace, Nero and the Celestial Wizard, along with the two protesting wizards in the demon hunter's hold, now stood in front of a massive temple; the structure was covered in cracks and vines. Based on that, it was here for quite some time, or it was hardly if at all, maintained. The entrance into the temple was massive and wide enough for an idea to pop into the hybrid's head. Pulling Devil Bringer back, Spectral Bringer doing the same, Nero threw both Natsu and Gray into the temple before he and Lucy followed in.
Upon entering, the two found Natsu and Gray shaking off the impact. The pink-haired wizard glared at the demon hunter in rage, "What's the big idea taking us outta the fight like that?!"
"Because the rat had nothing to do with the curse," retorted Nero, with a blank expression, "and besides the more time we waste, the more likely another person in the village's gonna lose and more than likely get put down. So I decided to stop wasting time for you."
Chastised, Natsu rubbed the back of his head, "Right, sorry."
"While we're on the topic: any reason you passed out because of Remy's morning breath back there?" recalled Nero, remembering how much the scent had to affect Natsu to the point of knocking him out, "I've smelt bad things, but it wasn't the worst."
Natsu looked embarrassed, so Happy answered for him, "Dragon Slayers have stronger senses than most, so the smell was really bad for him."
"If that's the case, if you run into a Dagon, just don't bother fighting it all," commented Nero, remembering how awful that demon can smell.
"What's a Dagon?" asked Gray, looking slightly confused when he heard the name.
"Giant toad demon that uses ice, mist, and lures people in with false hooks," answered Nero bluntly.
"Sounds kinda like you," interjected Natsu.
"Hey!" Gray snapped, glaring at the Dragon Slayer.
"Knock it off!" Lucy half-shouted, "This temple is old, and I don't want it collapsing on us because you two idiots started another fight."
Nero looked around the area and indeed the temple looked to be in poor condition. There were dozens of cracks everywhere, chunks of walls had collapsed, and looked ready to collapse in on itself at any time. What also stood out to Nero was the overall appearance, it looked similar to an ancient temple, not like the Temen-Ni-Gru, but had a similar style to it.
"Wow…this place is massive," Lucy noted.
"So, what's with all the moon symbols?" he asked, pointing to the multiple carvings on the walls.
"Well, it makes sense, Galuna used to be called the 'Island of the Moon'," Gray responded.
"Moon island, moon related curse," listed Nero, before smirking wryly, "bet we're gonna run into something with 'moon' in it."
"Yeah," Lucy said to herself, "you really gotta wonder what all of it means."
Natsu, who had stopped paying attention, started stomping on the stone floor. "Man, this place is a wreck. The floor doesn't even look safe to walk on."
"Well, don't go stomping on it!" Lucy yelled. Her words came too late, however, because the floor did indeed break apart, sending the entire team plummeting into a dark hole.
"Natsu, you idiot," Gray yelled, "look what you did!"
During the freefall, Nero acted completely on instinct, flipping himself around he sent Spectral Bringer out and caught Lucy in his Snatch. Pulling her close, when she bumped into Nero, this sent them towards a wall. Not even realizing it, Lucy wrapped her arms around Nero's neck, shutting her eyes.
Shifting his grip so that he held her in his left arm, Nero swung Devil Bringer at the fall, his clawed fingertips digging into the stone. Slowing them down, just enough so when they were closing in on the ground, he pushed off and caught Lucy in a bridal form. His feet collided with the ground with a stomp while the others fell into rocks.
A moment later, a piece of rock in a pile of rubble was shifted as Natsu's head popped out, "Hey!" he looked around frantically, "Is everybody okay?"
"I'd be better if you hadn't knocked out the floor!" Lucy retorted, glaring at the pink-haired wizard, not even noticing she was in Nero's arms.
"Here's a thought," Gray growled, lying on his stomach, "if you think before you act, maybe you wouldn't cause so much destruction!"
"Hey hang on...," Natsu looked at the hold Nero was holding Lucy in, then a devilish grin formed, "Getting comfy, Lucy?"
Not realizing what Natsu was talking about, she noticed the arms holding her then turned to see Nero was holding her, "Was wondering when you'd notice," commented Nero teasingly. This prompted Lucy to blush as she scrambled out of Nero's arms.
"T-thank you," thanked Lucy, facing away from the Demon Hunter to hide her blush.
"Don't mention it," shrugged Nero as he hooked his thumbs into his belt. In the short time he had spent in this wizarding crazy world, he came to the conclusion that humans here were far more durable than the ones back home. In any case, the people he's meet as of yet. Considering Natsu was able to tank one of his best Busters, he figured that any other member of Fairy Tail was likely the same, but that didn't stop him from helping out when the time calls for it.
But it went without saying that Nero was surprised and impressed that the three wizards and winged cat were able to tank a fifty-foot fall into a chasm with no problem. Then emerge from under rocks relatively uninjured. He's fallen much further than them, but he is part demon.
Lucy quickly recovered from her moment of embarrassment and looked up the hole they had just fallen into, "Happy, can you fly us outta here?"
"No, sorry," Happy replied, "That's too many trips for me."
"I could probably throw you far enough," offered Nero, but it was more of a joke than anything. This only got him a pointed look from Gray and Lucy, while Natsu had his attention caught by something.
"Look, a secret cave!" The Dragon Slayer ran through said cave, yelling, "This is so awesome!"
"Would you quit running around like a crazy person!?" Gray shouted.
"Come on," deadpanned Nero as he watched as Gray and Happy chase after the lunatic Dragon Slayer, "guy's got the attention span of a five-year-old. He always like this?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Lucy sighed.
"What do you think will happen first?" asked Nero suddenly as he followed the two wizards at a leisurely pace with Lucy, "Me finding a way home, or me going insane, via Natsu?"
"Probably go insane," replied Lucy in a nonchalant tone.
Thankfully, Natsu had stopped not too far ahead, staring up at…
"Whoa," Nero said.
"That's what I said," Natsu said, not losing sight of what lay in front of them.
What they were looking at was a giant chunk of ice, roughly reaching a height of fifty feet and had a was far too circular to natural; the ice itself was a light blue that seemed to glow some otherworldly, but somewhat calming as well, light. However, the ice itself isn't what had their attention, it was what was encased in the ice. In it was a creature that was just a foot smaller than the ice that sealed it. It had dozens of scales, fangs, and claws, though it appeared to dead, however that didn't stop the presence of death and destruction.
"Demon," stated Nero as his left hand immediately went to Red Queen, just a precaution as it was sealed.
"That's impossible," Gray whispered, stepping forward with absolute shock and horror written all over his face, "It's Deliora!"
"You know what that is?" demanded Nero looking at him, but Gray just ignored the Demon Hunter.
"How? How could this happen?" his voice grew louder and slightly hysterical, "How is it here? What the hell is it doing on Galuna Island!?"
"You've seen this thing before?" Natsu asked, less unsettled by the monster and more by the fact that Gray rarely lost his composure like this.
"T-there's no way…," Gray didn't seem to hear them, his arms trembling.
Lucy grabbed his shoulder, "Gray, try to calm down."
The ice wizard took a deep breath and his shaking lessened, but his eyes had a haunted look about them.
"Can you tell us about this?" Lucy asked gently, pointing at the creature.
"It's Deliora, the Demon of Destruction," Gray told them.
"Demon of Construction?" Natsu asked.
"Destruction," Happy corrected.
"But why is it here?" Gray asked no one in particular, "It doesn't make any sense."
Nero didn't know anything about this demon, but it seemed Devil Bringer did as it was pulsing powerfully. So much so, he almost winced. Glancing down at Devil Bringer, he saw that it was glowing much brighter, so much so that Nero folded his arm and brought it close to his chest in order to conceal it. However, it didn't seem like he would have to as the other's attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps behind them.
"Go," said Nero quietly as he ushered the wizards behind some boulders, hiding just in time to see two people walk into the cavern.
One was a young man who was fairly short; he had a green coat that went down to his knees, spiky blue hair and the thickest eyebrows Nero had seen on a person.
The second person was another man; he was shirtless but wore a pair of blue pants. The strangest thing about him; however, was his doglike face, which looked like someone had combined a human face with a dog's. Sticking out of his shaggy brown hair was a pair of dog-ears.
"The voices seem to be coming from down here," the blue-haired guy said, then sighed, "I hate being awake during the day."
'Comment like that, you'd think he's a vampire,' thought Nero snidely.
The guy with the thick eyebrows continued to speak, "So, Toby, were you exposed to the Moon Drip? I mean, you've got those pointy ears…"
"I already told you, they're a fashion statement, you jerk!" the dog-man, Toby, yelled.
The blue-haired man chuckled, "I was just teasing you."
"You don't have to be so mean about it," Toby grumbled.
"Moon Drip," Lucy whispered, "could that be the name of the curse?"
"Runs with the theme of this rock," whispered Nero back, "But I doubt these guys have the smarts to pull off a curse like this, by themselves anyway."
"Yuka, Toby," a new voice called out, and a young woman walked into the cavern, "something terrible has happened."
The woman had violet-pink hair that was tied into pigtails, and wore a short, pink-and-black dress with white lace around the edges. She also wore black thigh-length boots and a strange, scarf-like thing around her neck that looked like long feathers.
"What is it, Sherry?" the man now known as Yuka asked.
"It's Angelica," Sherry said mournfully, "she's been attacked, and I'm so sad."
"You're moping around because someone beat up your stupid pet rat!?" Toby barked.
That caught the attention of Nero, as well as the attention of the Fairy Tail Wizards. That giant rat which attacked them earlier was in league with these guys?
"Angelica is not a rat," Sherry said fiercely, "she's a brave hunter, prowling the jungle to protect us. She is… love."
As their conversation changed from shouts to regular voices, it went to whispering, giving Nero the chance to lean over to Happy, "Girl's not right in the head," commented the Demon Hunter. The cat nodded in agreement.
"These guys are a bunch of weirdoes," Lucy whispered, "especially the chick with the pet rat."
"Rat can be a lot of things, but love, ain't one of them," agreed Nero.
Natsu narrowed his eyes at the trio, "Judging from the scent I picked up, they're not from the island." He stated.
"And they don't look like they have the 'demon curse'," Happy pointed out.
"Intruders, you say?" Yuka's raised voice brought their attention back to the strange trio.
"And it's almost time to begin collecting moonlight again," Sherry sighed, "Oh, this makes me so sad. This news will displease the Cold Emperor. We should get rid of the intruders before he finds out. Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light."
"Agreed," Yuka said, a sadistic smile on his face. Toby only nodded.
"If they were here, then they've seen Deliora, and that means we can't allow them to live," Sherry said, "We shall give them the gift of eternal rest. We'll give them… love."
"You're talking about death, right?" Toby asked, confused.
'Okay, I'm about done with this shit,' thought Nero as he shook his head, 'Gray's having a momentary breakdown for I don't know what, and we have no idea what the hell these guys can do. Not one to run from a fight, but I do know when to live to fight another day.'
Grabbing a nearby loose stone, he hurled it down a different tunnel. He did so without the three noticing him. But what was noticed was the loud echo that followed when the stone struck the ground. Taking the bait, the three left and went to find out what the noise was. Once they were gone, Lucy let out her breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding.
"Nice thinking, Nero," complimented the Celestial Wizard.
"But why didn't we just jump those guys and beat some answers out of them?" Natsu asked grumpily, itching for a fight.
"Because we have no idea what they can do," explained Nero, narrowing his eyes at the Slayer, "Even if we did beat them, it's more than likely they would lie. Back home, my uncle preferred to learn as much as he could about a job then compare it to what we know already. Also," he jabbed a thumb at Gray who was still staring at the frozen carcass of Deliora, "Gray's not in any shape for a fight."
Natsu sighed; as much as he didn't want to admit it, Nero was right, "This job keeps raising more questions."
"Aye," Happy agreed, "like, who is this 'Cold Emperor'?"
"Obviously not Elsa," commented Nero sardonically.
Gray, meanwhile, was off in his own little world. 'Deliora… what could they want with it? And how the hell did they even find it and bring it here?'
"Gray?" Lucy asked, "What do you know about this thing?"
"It was sealed away inside a glacier on the Northern Continent a decade ago," Gray answered, "An immortal demon ravaged the town of Isval; countless people lost their lives. My master, Ur, the woman who taught me my magic, sacrificed everything to seal it. I don't know if it has anything to do with the curse, but that demon doesn't belong here. We have to find out who this 'Cold Emperor' is. If he's tarnished Ur's legacy, he's gonna regret the day he was born!" He raged, a cold mist billowing off of his arms.
"People never learn, never make deals with the devil," agreed Nero, momentarily taken off guard by Gray's ferocity, "But if we're gonna do this, you need to keep a clear head, Gray. Won't do much good in a fight if your head isn't in the game."
"Why don't we just take out this stupid demon right now?" Natsu asked, approaching the frozen Deliora, "A little fire'll do the trick."
Something in Gray suddenly snapped as he punched Natsu in the jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground. Happy gaped at the ice wizard while Lucy put her hands to her mouth in shock.
"Very nice punch," complimented Nero, "would've slapped him upside the head myself..."
"What's the big idea, Gray!?" Natsu demanded, getting up.
The Dragon Slayer paused when he saw the dead serious look Gray was shooting him.
"I don't want you or your flames anywhere near it!" He shouted, and then lowered his voice dangerously, "If the ice melts and Deliora gets free, nothing will be able to stop it."
"Wanna bet?" commented Nero, seriously doubting the statement. Demons were notorious for being overly dramatic and arrogant. If what Gray had said, it likely came from the demon. He's fought things that gave demon's nightmares.
"Oh, come on," Natsu said, his tone serious, "You really think a chunk of ice that big would be easy to melt?"
Gray tried to retort but fell silent.
"Hey," spoke up Nero, "you know how your master stopped this thing the first time?"
The ice wizard nodded. "My master used a spell called Iced Shell to trap Deliora. It made a type of ice that can never be melted. It's so strong that even the most powerful fire spells have no effect on it. But if these people knew that the ice couldn't be melted, why would they bring it here?"
"Maybe it had something to do with that Moon Drip thing that they were talking about?" Lucy offered.
"You might be right," Gray said, "so if they're going to wait for the moon to come out, then we'll do the same."
"Been a while since I've done a stakeout," commented Nero.
"Argh," Natsu moaned, "It's the middle of the afternoon, I'll die of boredom!"
Five minutes later, the Dragon Slayer was sound asleep on the rocky floor.
"Well, that was fast," Lucy commented, used to her friend's ridiculous behavior by now.
"Aye," Happy agreed.
Moments later, Lucy was sitting on a rock a meter from the snoozing Dragon Slayer with her head resting on her left palm. "Must be nice," Lucy remarked, looking at Natsu, "he doesn't have to worry about anything but eating, fighting, and sleeping."
"Aye," Happy replied, "that's Natsu for yah."
"I gotta admit," conceded Lucy, "I'm a little bit jealous."
Lucy turned her attention to Gray, who was sitting on a rock in front of the frozen Deliora. He was staring at the ground with a brooding expression. In fact, the onyx-haired teen was recalling a memory of training with his Master Ur when he was a boy.
"Ugh…" Lucy moaned, "I know I agreed to wait, but this is so boring."
"Aye," Happy replied.
Nero rolled his eyes. He was currently leaning against the cave wall, having glanced over to the blonde girl and blue feline with a deadpanned expression, "So breaking the rules, going on an S-Class Quest, and finding out about demons isn't exciting enough? If I recall, didn't you try running when things got 'exciting'?"
"Oh, I know!" Lucy said excitedly, ignoring Nero's remark.
She pulled out a silver key from her key pouch and thrust it forward, "Open, Gate of the Harp Constellation: Lyra!"
In a puff of pink smoke, a young girl, with orange waist-length hair that curled at the end, appeared. She wore a long blue dress with yellow hearts printed by her waist, leather shoes, and had a pink bonnet on top of her head. She had round blush marks on her cheeks, and small white wings and a large harp on her back.
"Oh wow!" Lyra smiled brightly, waving her right hand in front of her. "I haven't seen you in forever, Lucy!"
"Hey, Lyra," Lucy greeted, smiling.
"I should be getting paid to deal with this shit," complained Nero as he looked at the Celestial before shaking his head. However, as he looked away, he gripped Devil Bringer by the wrist. It hadn't stopped pulsing.
"Say," Lyra looked at the blond wizard in slight annoyance, "why don't you call me anymore? It's not fair." Her demeanor quickly brightened as she continued, "I'd love to help you out, but you ignore me, meanie."
"Meanie, huh," Lucy gave the spirit a pointed look, "you're the one who told me you were only available three days a month."
Lyra gaped and looked at Lucy in slight shock, "Are you sure about that…?"
Happy sweatdropped, "Great…another weirdo,"
"Now you know how I feel," sighed Nero, "This world is gonna give me a stroke."
"So, what would you like to hear me sing?" Lyra asked animatedly, "any requests?"
"Nope. Whatever you want," Lucy replied.
"You know any songs about fish?" Happy asked eagerly.
"How about something less 'you'," commented Nero.
"Okay!" Lyra beamed, giving a thumbs-up. "I've got a song I think you're going to love, Lucy!"
"Lyra has the most beautiful singing voice." the Celestial wizard said.
"Well, Mira's a singer too, yah know." Happy retorted. "And she sings songs about fish for me."
Lyra sat down and removed her harp from her back, setting it down in front of her. She ran her hands across the harp's strings, creating a calm, lovely sound.
Happy gasped in surprise from the beautiful melody before a peaceful smile crossed his face.
Nero's eyebrows rose slightly, taken off guard completely by a new sensation. Whatever reason, the sound of the melody was relaxing him. Sitting down and propping himself up against the wall, Nero stretched one leg out as he had the other tucked in to rest his elbow on. His eyes closed as he began to listen.
"Words are born into air…," Lyra sang, "…and quickly fade out in the wind…but they find their way inside you…where they live forevermore…When the skies are dark and full of rain…look inside of your heart…"
As Lyra continued her song, Gray clenched his teeth as his body trembled slightly. He had suddenly remembered the time when Ur was teaching him how to perform 'Ice-Make: Shield'. As a result, a stray tear fell down his face as he choked back his sobs.
When Lyra finished her melody, she, Lucy, and Happy overheard Gray's sniffling and looked at him in concern.
"Gray?" Lucy said worriedly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…," he choked, "I'm fine."
"You seem upset." Happy pointed out.
"Well, one of Lyra's talents is singing songs that relate to what her audience is feeling," Lucy said calmly.
"Did her song make you cry?" asked Happy.
"I…I wasn't crying," Gray denied; although, it didn't take a genius to know that he was lying.
"Maybe you should sing something a little more upbeat?" Lucy suggested to the harp spirit.
"You should've just said that in the first place," Lyra retorted.
A moment of silence passed before Gray replied, "I think we should skip the song. We need to stay quiet. We don't wanna be found out."
As they spoke, Nero had fallen fast asleep. Lyra's singing had knocked him out cold. At first, her melody had sent him into a calm, peaceful slumber; however, it didn't take long for his sleep to change as nightmares began to set in. His expression going from peaceful to discomfort. Devil Bringer pulsing slightly and his fingers to flex every once and a while.
Two Years
Nero would be forced to face these dreams every now and again. As they started out, he would lose sleep quite often, turning to drink late at night. However, that only proved to be a temporary aid, learning how to deal with the nightmares as they came. However, that didn't mean coping with it was any easier. The pain was still there, just not as strong.
Nero grunted in his sleep as Devil Bringer clenched tightly into a fist.
Fairy Tail Guild Hall
Back in the Fairy Tail guild hall, Makarov sat at his usual place at the bar, his mind filled with worry. He had four members of his guild, as well as a guest, who were missing and possibly in terrible danger. He'd hoped that Gray was on his way back with them in tow, but it was looking more and more likely that he was either still looking for them, or had joined them.
"Master!" Mirajane walked up to him, a letter in her hands, "A message has arrived from the Magic Council archives. You wanted me to let you know when it got here."
"They already have an answer?" Makarov said, slightly amazed.
He'd sent a message to some old friends, asking them to find any magic that could send someone to another universe. Truthfully, if the magic did exist, it was probably hidden so well that it would take weeks, even months, to find. He hadn't expected a reply in less than three days.
He opened the letter and quickly read through it, his expression turning graver with every word. Mirajane noticed this and had an uneasy feeling.
"Is something wrong, Master?" asked Mira noticing the distressed expression, "Did your friends find a way for Nero to return home?"
"They did," replied Makarov, however his tone was grim, "but I'm not sure Nero will like it or take it."
To Be Continued...